I did attempt a fundraiser for my local public library. I had a booksigning and let them keep the proceeds from the sales of the books, so I did get a few out in my area that way. But I’ve had no luck getting local stores to carry them. I’ve also spoken by phone with a class of third graders about the writing process, but I was told I couldn’t talk about my books because they are faith-based fiction.

The market for LDS-themed books where I live is slim to none. I’d just like to have the opportunity to talk about my work more than just the occasional visit to Utah.

When I visited back in March I went to about 16 or 17 stores in 6 days. I also got to attend about two hours of the Forum on Children and Literature at UVSC. It was nice to finally see my books in a store and to meet people who had actually read my books.

Me: I took a similar course. After having two national-market agents solicit my ms. and hold it for a total of eight months together only to say they liked it but didn’t know how to market it, I took a look at the LDS publishing prospects just to get the book published. I guess my hope is that when I try the national market again the fact I have a book published already might beef up my prospects.

Patricia W.: “However, in my situation I see three good reasons why I should not write solely for the LDS market. First, it’s a narrow market and the market for writing children’s books within it is even narrower. Second, it’s nearly impossible for me to participate in marketing my books because I live in the south and the booksellers are in the west. Third, I can’t do public school visits. I can discuss writing in a classroom, but I can’t talk to the students about my faith-based fiction works. (This may not be the case in the west but it is here.)”

Interesting! Hadn’t thought about publishing through an LDS market as possibly putting something like legal limits on your audience or on your interaction with them! Did you do any bookstore or library readings and signings in Kentucky or other states, or was your book tour limited to the West and to LDS bookstores?

I’m glad to hear how your children reacted to the books! That’s what every author hopes for.

I can’t say I thought of publishing in the LDS market as an advantage; at the time, I just wanted to get a book published. I’ve been happy with the results and hope to continue to write books for this market.

However, in my situation I see three good reasons why I should not write solely for the LDS market. First, it’s a narrow market and the market for writing children’s books within it is even narrower. Second, it’s nearly impossible for me to participate in marketing my books because I live in the south and the booksellers are in the west. Third, I can’t do public school visits. I can discuss writing in a classroom, but I can’t talk to the students about my faith-based fiction works. (This may not be the case in the west but it is here.)

Yes, I hope to continue writing fiction for young LDS readers, but I also want to publish in a national market. I want to be able to interact with readers and visit public schools and libraries.

And, as I said earlier, I like the idea of writing for the individual reader. In the best of all possible worlds, it shouldn’t matter if someone who reads my book is LDS or not. So I think I should worry less about that and concentrate more on writing a good story.

Patricia W.

So then what advantages do you see in publishing your first major works through LDS publishing and marketing channels? Are you hoping to publish in a wider market some day?

LOL, so did I. But as I read _Early Morning Cemetery_ and _My Mom’s a Mortician_ with my kids, the quality of Patricia’s stories impressed me. I could see from my kids’ expressions they were more than just entertained — they were thinking and feeling all the way through both books. These kids are diehard LOTR and Harry Potter fans, so I wondered how they’d … um … transition to Patricia W’s writing. Not a problem. And any work that provokes my children to think and feel rather than sit passively and be “entertained” is all right by me, especially when I can share the experience with them.

Thanks for your comments.

Patricia’s children asked me the same thing, and so I discuss my current reading preferences in part two of the interview. However, I’ll add here that because I’m concentrating on writing for children and my time is limited, when I do read a book it’s usually a middle-grade or YA novel. I want to be familiar with what’s on the national market. I make a special effort to read books by the authors I know in my SCBWI region. There are some great children’s writers in the south!

As for what I don’t like… well, I don’t care for romance and I lost interest in Harry Potter around page 50 of book five. I think it’s great that kids love Harry Potter and see nothing wrong with them reading the books–I just got tired of the story by that point, put it down, and never picked it back up.

As a father, it’s comforting to know that there is a body of work out there that will, hopefully, appeal to my daughter.

I love the titles of the Kevni novels, Patricia. Corny titles are par for the course in YA fiction, but when they work, they work and these do. If I had seen these on the shelves when I was a kid, I would have pulled them down and started reading for sure.

Here’s my question:

Your mention _Hatchet_ — are there other YA novels and/or authors that you really enjoy, Patricia? Any that you don’t (if you’re willing to say so — if not, no worries)?