Agent Interview: Heather Cashman (Storm Literary Agency)

On May 27, 2024May 17, 2024 By Only Picture BooksIn Agent Interviews1 Comment

Today, we’re diving into the imaginative world of Heather Cashman, a seasoned literary agent at Storm Literary Agency, whose dynamic career spans across the evocative realms of Picture Books, Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult fiction and nonfiction. Heather’s enthusiasm for boundary-pushing narratives and her commitment to fostering books that evoke a sense of wonder make her a distinguished figure in the literary community.

Heather brings a unique blend of scientific background and creative zest to her role, embodying a true nomadic spirit that seeks out the unexplored and unexpected in literature. Whether it’s a new twist on historical fiction or a fresh perspective in a picture book, Heather is on a quest to discover stories that do things she never knew books could do.

For those who craft narratives with layered hooks and genre blends, or those who write with a blend of commercial appeal and literary elegance, Heather’s insights today will be especially enlightening. Stay tuned as we explore her journey from biochemist to literary agent, her passion for non-didactic, empowering children’s literature, and her advice for aspiring authors navigating the complex currents of the publishing world.

Let’s get inspired by Heather’s story and learn how we, too, can think outside the book!

RVC: You earned a degree in biochemistry, but that career path didn’t take. What’s the story here?

HC: I love biochemistry! It’s fascinating and a wonderful career path. However, I had three kids in four years and chose to stay home with them, during which time I began writing. And writing. And I just didn’t want to stop! And I started studying editing, became a CP for people, loved the process, and after years of studying and interning, I became a professional editor. By then my kids were in middle school and high school, and I had to make a choice. But I was so passionate about all things writing and editing, I just kept going.

RVC: Your website lists three main areas of creative efforts—literary agent, podcast host, and way-word writer. Which came first, and how do these roles inform each other?

HC: Writer, then editing and interning and working as the host of Pitch Wars with Brenda Drake got me into the conference circuit, which is where I met Vicki Selvaggio, the owner of Storm Literary.

Writing informs everything. Knowing what it’s like to be a writer in the query trenches, knowing what it’s like to struggle for the words, to pour your heart and soul into a book—it all helps me help my clients. I understand what it’s like, but I also understand how tough it is, how difficult it is to stay motivated, and what the industry takes from you. But I also know that you won’t make it if you don’t put your boots back on, dust yourself off, and get back on the horse.

Being an agent, I hope to understand the industry side, the business side of writing. The sales, the marketing, the hoops you jump through with acquisitions, the contracts, the editing, the selling, the hooks, making your manuscript stand out. All of these things inform my own writing, influences the advice I give my clients and how we strategize selling their books, and also helps me assess each query submission.

The podcast ties all this together for me. As a writer, I need community. As an agent, I feel like I have a way to help writers, but also know intimately what writers navigating publishing today would like to hear about. Knowledge is the key to power—to success. I hope the podcast empowers writers in every facet of a writer’s life, from mental health to craft, the business side of things, the shifting that constantly occurs in this industry, as well as the community. I want it to break down the barriers and stigmas associated with the different paths to publishing. And I hope it provides a nurturing environment for people looking to connect in a real way. We need each other.

RVC: We’ll circle back to the other topics soon, but let’s talk podcasts. Way-word Writers is very new. Why tackle this big project?

HC: I needed it. I needed to get out of my own small world and talk to writers out there. Every podcast guest has amazed me, informed me, taught me, and been so fun to talk to. I’ve laughed, cried, expanded my own horizons. Even if nobody listened to it, I would want to keep doing it.

RVC: What’s the most difficult aspect of hosting a podcast?

HC: I guess not wanting to do it all the time. I would be interviewing twice as many people if I could afford the time. I absolutely love these guests.

RVC: Way-Word is more than just a podcast or website, though. What other things do you do/offer?

HC: We began with just the podcast. But many of our listeners have asked for workshops, retreats, and conferences. So we’re introducing workshops first, probably slowly. Then we’re having an online conference Fall 2024 and then an in-person retreat in Spring 2025. We’ll see how those go, and if they go well, we’ll try to do them on a regular basis. Fingers crossed!

RVC: If I asked your colleagues at Way-Word Writers, what would they say is your superpower?

HC: I asked my colleagues, because I don’t see myself as having any superpowers. They said that my superpowers are kindness and compassion, and that I’m dependable, thoughtful, and a good listener. *blushing bright pink!*

RVC: You’re not just a champion of writers—you’re a writer of science fiction and fantasy for adults and young adults, and “the occasional picture book.” What’s your current project?

HC: I have a book on submission right now with my agent that studies the line where preference becomes prejudice, about a young woman who loves the taste of oranges, the sound of a cello, and a certain boy, but her AI-run government and society demands randomness, so that prejudice can’t ever happen. I’m also working on a picture book about traditions and how different traditions around the world can unify families.

RVC: What do you enjoy most about writing your own picture books?

HC: I love remembering what it was like to be a little child, without all the experiences that jade us, when it was just me napping on the back of my horse while she ate grass out behind the wash shed.

RVC: Let’s talk about being an agent. You came up via the internship route, right? How did you make that happen?

HC: It was a combination really. I’d been interning at an agency and then a publishing house, and I was doing the conference circuit. So things came together for me in a way—a perfect Storm!

Basically I worked A LOT for free for many years.

RVC: Prior to joining Storm Literary Agency, you worked as an editor at Cornerstones UK. How did you fare in the editorial role?

HC: I loved editing and still do! But it always made me sad when I fell in love with a manuscript and then didn’t get to see it through to the selling and publishing stage.

RVC: Talk a bit about how editorial you are in your work as an agent.

HC: When I first started as an agent, I was very editorial. The busier I get with things though, the less time I have to do detailed line or copy edits to really elevate the writing. But I still read and give as much feedback as I possibly can. I always want to give my authors the very best chance at a sale!

RVC: You landed at Storm Literary Agency. What’s the most important thing people should know or understand about that agency?

HC: We’re very much a team. We’re collaborative, have a family atmosphere, and we foster agents and clients alike to be the best they can. This industry takes a village, because books are like children: they’re complex, they grow, they need nurturing and advocates to fight for them. Storm is that village.

RVC: Why is Storm Literary Agency a great fit for you?

HC: I need nurturing too! Also, I love to help the other agents and writers, and Vicki and Essie are so supportive and offer their wealth of knowledge and experience freely. It’s a wonderful place to work.

RVC: What was the first picture book you sold? What’s the story behind that?

HC: The first picture book I sold was a nonfiction picture book by my client Nathalie Alonso titled My Name is Roberto (Calkins Creek, 2025), and it’s been a long time coming! I fell in love with Nathalie’s writing. She’s a fireball with so much heart and soul, and that gets poured right into her books.

RVC: What’s the most useful lesson that first picture book sale taught you?

HC: I could do it. And if I sold one book, I could do it again.

RVC: You’ve mentioned that you love “timeless picture books.” Could you discuss a few examples and what, in your view, contributes to their timelessness?

HC: Corduroy by Don Freeman. As timeless as corduroy itself, it’s a book about finding the perfect someone. We all need that.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Everyone has an inner monster, and that inner monster gets in trouble, and I love that this book teaches us to identify that inner monster and acknowledge it without letting it keep us from our dinner.

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff. So fun, and we are all that mouse.

To me, timeless books universally resonate with us because they reveal ourselves—they reveal to us the human condition and help us realize that we aren’t the only ones who feel this way—no matter what our age.

RVC: As an agent, you’ve mentioned a love for books that “do things I never knew books could do.” Could you give an example of such a book?

HC: I’ve seen books that can turn into beehives, books that unfold and turn into a map, books that transform the way you live or think.

RVC: Can you talk about a time when a project took a completely different direction after your initial feedback and turned out better because of it?

HC: I gave someone an 18-page edit letter for their YA and they asked me why I even took them on as a client. We worked on another project for a while, but after they went back and did the edits on that first project, it became a NYT Bestseller. And while my edits did help, it was their vision, talent, and perseverance that made the difference.

RVC: What a great story! Now, in your opinion, what are the key components of a successful author-agent relationship?

HC: Communication, understanding, and a willingness to keep learning craft.

RVC: How do you handle the delicate balance of creative input with respecting an author’s artistic vision?

HC: I ask questions, make suggestions, and then let them figure it out. I trust them to know what they’re trying to do and say.

RVC: How do you identify and help authors capitalize on emerging trends in the publishing industry?

HC: My authors have a lot of manuscripts in a folder and I go through them and we discuss, or sometimes I ask them if they have anything an editor is looking for.

RVC: You’ve been involved with Pitch Wars, #PitMad, and Pitch Madness. Why did you get involved?

HC: To find a community of talented authors and creators and surround myself with a community of like-minded people who want to lift rather than tear down.

RVC: What’s your favorite success story from those opportunities?

HC: I loved every author I worked with, both the mentors and my mentees, and I don’t think I have a favorite success story. There were so many talented authors who went on to do great things.

RVC: I confess—I don’t know anyone who lives the RV life, but it’s something you do full time. What’s a typical workday look like for you?

HC: My workday is very similar to anyone else, I think, as far as working around 10 hours and reading at night. I guess the main difference is that when I make my tea and go sit outside, I’m in the wilderness somewhere. And it’s always changing. Sometimes I’ll edit while in my lawn chair by a river. We’re off grid because we are 100% solar, so we often stay in national parks or forests with the deer and squirrels.

RVC: Your bio says you love kayaking, hiking, and motorcycling. How often do you get to do those things?

HC: I sometimes do small hikes in the mornings, but usually we do something on Saturdays and/or holidays.

RVC: Alright, Heather. Let’s jump into the much-beloved, never-equaled, always-exciting LIGHTNING ROUND. Zippity-zoomy questions followed by fasty-blasty answers, please. Are you ready?

HC: Yes!

RVC: Favorite writing/editing snack?

HC: Bengal spice tea with lemon.

RVC: Which picture book character would be the best mascot for your RV?

HC: Little Bear.

RVC: If you could swap lives with any picture book character for a day, who would you choose?

HC: Christopher Robin.

RVC: What’s a recent picture book gem that didn’t yet get the attention it deserves?

HC: Too many to count!

RVC: Who sets the standard for picture book rhymes?

HC: Experienced editors who know meter and rhyme, and also know what a great read aloud sounds like. If you meant picture book authors, I would say Dr. Seuss.

RVC: Heather Cashman is an agent who…

HC: …wants all the books!

RVC: Thanks so much, Heather!

Educational Activities: Who’s Writing this Story?! by Robin Newman, illustrated by Deborah Zemke

On May 20, 2024August 18, 2024 By Only Picture BooksIn Educational Activities, Reading Activities1 Comment

Who’s Writing this Story?!
Author: Robin Newman
Illustrator: Deborah Zemke
7 May 2024
Creston Books
32 pages

Book description from Goodreads: “Have you ever wondered who’s the real boss of a story? The writer or the characters who live to tell the tale? Or both together?

Follow the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf as they argue with the writer over what kind of story to tell. Will the hero become the villain? Find out in this fun introduction to the essential components of all great stories.”

Need some reviews for Who’s Writing This Story?!

As another bonus, here’s the book trailer for Who’s Writing this Story?!

Educational Activities inspired by Who’s Writing this Story?!:

Before Reading–From looking at the front cover:
- Based on the cover, who do you think is writing the story?
- Where and when do you think the story takes place?
- How do you think the pigs and the wolf might change the story?
- What questions on the back cover interest you most?
- What questions would you like to ask the author–or the illustrator himself!–before reading the book?
After Reading–Now that you’ve read the story:
- Did the story turn out the way you expected? How was it different?
- Which character did you like best? Why?
- How did you react to the writer being booted from the story?
- If you could change the ending of the story, what would you do?
- What was your favorite part of the book and why?
- Which illustration surprised you the most? Which did you like best?
- Would you recommend this book to a friend? What part would you tell them about first?
Fairytale Remix: Choose your favorite fairy tale or folk tale. Before you start rewriting, make a list of all the different elements of the story: characters, setting, plot, conflict, and resolution. Now, get creative and change some of those elements! Maybe Cinderella goes to the ball in a spaceship, or the Big Bad Wolf becomes a vegetarian. Think about how these changes would impact the story. Does the conflict change? Is there a different resolution? Write your new story, and if you want, illustrate it.
The Character Couch: Imagine you’re a talk show host or journalist. Choose one of the characters from Who’s Writing This Story? (or even the author of this book or the writer in the story!) and prepare a list of interview questions. You can ask about their thoughts on the original story, their motivations for changing it, or their opinions on the other characters. Find a friend or family member to act as your interviewee and record your “interview” for a fun way to share your insights.
Pigs, Wolves, & Puppets, Oh My!: This isn’t just any puppet show – it’s a full-on production! Create puppets of the characters and the writer, but also make props and scenery to match the different settings in the story. You can use cardboard boxes, construction paper, fabric scraps, or anything you can find around the house. Then, put on a show for your family or friends, perhaps with sound effects and music.
Cover Creators Club: Gather your friends and family for a book cover design contest. Everyone gets to create their own cover for Who’s Writing This Story?. Encourage creativity and originality! Once all the covers are finished, put them up on display and have everyone vote for their favorite.
Further Reading: Just like our Educational Activities book last month (Hey Bruce! An Interactive Book), our featured book this month, Who’s Writing this Story?! isn’t your typical picture book. It breaks the fourth wall, meaning the characters in the story know they’re in a book and directly talk to the reader!
Here are yet MORE picture books that use this playful technique. Which of these have you read before? Which would you want to read first?

Author Interview: Matt Forrest Esenwine, Paul Czajak, & Josh Funk

On May 13, 2024May 13, 2024 By Only Picture BooksIn Author Interviews6 Comments

Matt Forrest Esenwine recently had the opportunity to catch up with two friends he’s known for many years: authors Josh Funk and Paul Czajak. All three began their children’s lit careers around the same time and have watched and supported each other ever since.

The three of them recently caught up via video and spent an hour chatting about their careers, the craft of writing, and some of the pitfalls they’ve encountered along their publishing journey. Some of their choice comments are shared here; if you’d like to watch the entire video, just click THIS LINK!

Paul, on getting into the industry: “You get this idea, you have no idea what to do with it…but I did hook up with a critique group…and they were the ones who hooked me up with SCBWI [Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators]. So I went there not knowing anything, as to what to expect.”

“But I found the workshops were amazing, and it just really lit a fire under me to really get into this craft.”

Matt, on networking at conferences: “We’re all in this together – the editors, the agents, the authors, the illustrators. Everybody is working towards the goal of bringing great literature to kids. So once you realize that there’s not really a hierarchy – we’re all kid lit creators – once you realize that, the conferences can be much more enjoyable because you don’t feel any kind of intimidation.”

Josh, on his first manuscript’s success: “At the SCBWI conference that we met, I read a draft of a picture book called Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast and about 6–8 months later, after many critiques…I got an offer for that book. I also had a couple others that I had interest, one of them was…Dear Dragon, and another one I had interest from Scholastic, and all that together helped me get an agent.”

Paul, on his first manuscript: “Early on, especially with rhyming, you start in your own head, you’re forcing meter, you’re forcing rhyme, you’re forcing these rhythms and things like this – and it’s not until you get a little better at it that do you know that you’re doing that.”

Josh, on landing his long-time agent: “I was fortunate that I had a bunch of things all come together at once. It was after that SCBWI conference that I sort of met the right people, and put my foot out there to try to volunteer for the next year’s SCBWI, and do a little more…I got critiques from Paul and your critique group and other people I’d met and I had three books kind of close to being acquired at the same time – all of them did – and all that together really helped me get an agent. Along with a personal reference from a friend of mine who I’d also met at that conference.”

Paul, on getting – and losing – his agent: “Everything I sold to Mighty Media [the “Monster & Me” series] I sold myself…it wasn’t until I moved to New Jersey…I got an agent. He sold two books…but his tastes kind of changed. He wanted nothing to do with rhyme anymore. He signed me knowing my Monster series was rhyme, then all of a sudden he’s just like, “Yeah, rhyme’s not really selling, so really don’t bother.” I couldn’t send him anything that was rhyming. It’s not like I wrote solely in rhyme, I mean, the only rhyming books that sold were “Monster and Me.” But I do still like to rhyme…if it works in rhyme, that’s just, in my head, that’s the way it’s supposed to be written. I can’t put it into prose. It doesn’t work.”

Josh & Matt, on the importance of using the right words – and spelling them correctly: There’s a line in [Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast] that was “Pancake rappels down a rope of linguini” and it’s interesting because Paul suggested the word “rappels”…in one of his critiques, and he spelled it not “rappelled” like I’m climbing down, but “repelled” like I pushed away. I didn’t notice it, I sent it off to publishers, it was acquired, THEY didn’t notice it – it didn’t get edited out until the copy editor got a hold of it!”

“But honestly, though, the copy editor wanted me to change the word. They were like, “a) you spelled it wrong, b) I think the word ‘rappelled’ is too advanced for a picture book.” And I tried to change it…you could say “climbed down,” but that’s too much mouth movement, and these are the kinds of things I think about when I’m writing…Pancake “slid” down? I don’t know.”

Matt: “It really couldn’t BE any other word. Speaking as someone who is all about poetry and word choice and that sort of thing…you’ve got the assonance [Matt’s note: I meant “consonance”, meaning the repetition of consonant sounds!] of the “R”’s and “L”s: She’s “RappeLLing down a Rope of Linguine.” The R and the L just tie the whole line together….it has to be that word. I mean, I have “mizzenmast in Flashlight Night!” If I can put “mizzenmast,” you can certainly have “rappel”!

Josh: “The thing is, you’re seeing Lady Pancake climb down a rope of linguine.”

Matt: “It’s all about context.”

Josh: “Right…I asked my editor, “Can we say no?” This was my first book. “Can we say no to the copy editor?” My editor’s like, “Oh, yeah, of course you can!”

Paul, on his picture book Seaver the Weaver: “That’s a book about the orb spider, an orb spider who doesn’t want to do circular webs, he wants to do other geometric shapes…That one actually caught the eye of Jane [Yolen]. That’s like my own little claim to fame; it’s the one thing I pat myself on the back for! I got a direct message from Jane Yolen saying ‘this is a classic,’ so I thought that was better than anything.”

Matt, on the ups and downs of the industry: “Maybe three years ago…I was asked to write a book about a particular subject, I wrote the subject, they purchased the manuscript, they hired the illustrator, they got the whole thing done, .pdf is done, it’s ready to go to print…the parent company said, ‘Nah, I don’t think so.’ So it’s not a book until it’s a book.”

Josh, on keeping the “Lady Pancake” series fresh: “I like to change up the genre with each Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast book.”

“The first one is a race, they’re racing for the last drop of syrup; the second one is called The Case of the Stinky Stench, which is a mystery; the third one is Mission: Defrostable, it’s an action-adventure spy thriller; the fourth one is called Short & Sweet where they shrink into tiny little kids and that one, it’s sort of like a sci-fi comedy mixed with a magical body swap…and then the fifth one is The Great Caper Caper, that is when the Evil Count Caper, the food, steals the light bulb and they have to break into his Las Veggies Casino to steal it back, so it’s a Las Veggies heist. And Attack of the Scones [due out this fall] is an alien invasion…it’s amazing I got away with doing all these silly, absurd things.”

Matt, on not having a say in choosing illustrators: “I’ve never been unhappy with the illustrations an editor has chosen. Editors and publishers have far deeper pockets and a far bigger network from which to draw the talent than I ever could.”

“I would never be able to get a Fred Koehler (ill. for Flashlight Night) or Patricia Pessoa – and with my book I Am Today, I wrote the text about…a young child kind of thinking about what they want to do, they recognize there’s a problem…they should be able to make a difference now. But Patricia created the entire plot of the book! The whole plot of my book was completely hers. She just used my words as a structure to create an entire narrative I had nothing to do with.”

Paul, on his “sort of new” Monster and Me book: “There was one story that [Might Media Press] purchased but never got published, never saw the light of day, and that’s Monster Needs to Go to School. And so just recently they cut a deal with Abdo Books, which deals a lot with libraries, and [the series] is getting new covers and a newfound life – and Monster Needs to Go to School is actually going to hit the shelves because of this.”

“Even though it sold years ago, it’s finally hitting the shelves now…it was illustrated, everything was done – they just never made it a book!”

Josh, on the difficulty of the market: “Picture books are hard…whether you’re writing in rhyme or not, they’re hard, but rhyme does make it sometimes a little trickier.”

“There’s the business aspect, that is like it’s just not likely to translate into other languages. If it’s a good enough story then it will, but you know, rhyme doesn’t translate…and there are some editors that are like, “Yeah, I just don’t do rhyme.” It’s because it’s hard to do it right, and there’s a stigma associated with it, and even if you do do it right – which I believe the three of us know how to – it does make it tricky. And so if it’s hard for me to sell a book in rhyme or my agent to sell a book in rhyme…it can be challenging.”

Matt, on time management, writing, and day jobs: “I still haven’t figured it out. I do voiceover work and am a stay-at-home dad, and so I have to fit everything wherever I can fit it. I wish I could have a structure; I don’t, really. I might be running errands when I would normally be writing or…if the kids have a late after school thing, well, I’ve got an extra hour of writing. But the next day is going to be tied up doing something else, or I’ve got a voiceover job I wasn’t expecting so now that has to take precedence – I never know what my day is going to look like.”

Paul (a chemist, by trade): “When I first moved to Jersey, I played the part of the stay-at-home dad…my wife had a great paying job, and we figured well, I’ll stay home and write, that way we don’t have to pay for child care…And the writing was fantastic, I had all the free time in the world, I was writing everything, you know? And decided to start novels and all sorts of things….I love staying at home with the kids, I wouldn’t give that up.”

Josh (a software engineer/coder): “I’m married to a teacher, so she works like 80 hours a week, on average…so I have a lot of free time outside of when my wife is working in the evenings or on the weekends, so some of that time I spend with the kids…it’s the people who are teachers and writing – those are the ones that I don’t understand how they do it! But yeah, I mean I think that I have a 40-hour a week day job and my wife works twice as much.”

Josh, on the importance of timing: “There’s a book about tea party farts, and there’s a book about a giant poop party…it’s really about finding the right editor at the right time, as long as your story’s good enough.”

Five Five-Word Picture Book Reviews: A Wild Windy Night; If You Run Out of Words; Mama in the Moon; Roar-Choo!; This Is Not My Lunchbox!

On May 6, 2024May 6, 2024 By Only Picture BooksIn Picture Book Reviews3 Comments

Things went sideways with my plans for May, so we’ll launch the month with the increasingly (in)famous Five-W0rd Reviews instead of our regularly scheduled joint PB review.

Here we go!