I can hardly contain my excitement as I sit down to write this blog entry. The words are pouring out of me, and I can't help but feel both humbled and amazed by the incredible turn of events in my writing journey. I never thought I'd be able to write about having an agent, but here I am, sharing my story with you all.

"Slogging in the slush" is a term I often use to describe the arduous process that authors go through to secure literary representation. It's a term that encapsulates the endless hours of effort, the unyielding determination, and the unwavering belief in one's work required to catch the attention of a literary agent in the highly competitive and sometimes cutthroat publishing industry.

The query trenches, as they're commonly called, can be a daunting place. Rejection letters pile up, self-doubt creeps in, and the act of sending your manuscript into the abyss of the internet can be disheartening. Some agents send form rejections, some never respond at all, and, in the rare instances when they do express interest, they may eventually say something along the lines of "I'm not the champion of your work."

I've been through it all. In 2023 alone, I sent out a staggering 109 query letters to agents, hoping to find someone who believed in my work as much as I did. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, and I sometimes wondered if I would ever find the right fit.

Then, it happened. After months of relentless effort, I received a response. But not just any response – it was from one of the top agents in the industry, working at one of the most prestigious literary agencies. I was shocked, stunned, and in complete denial that Karen Kilpatrick would want to talk to me. But after our first Zoom meeting, I could see that she did indeed believe in my writing and saw the potential in my work. Karen is a lawyer, an author, an agent, brand creator, editor, toy inventor, the list goes on... bottom line, she hustles hard and is hungry for book sales. 

I am honored, excited, and completely overjoyed to announce that I'm now working with Karen at East West Literary Agency. It's a dream come true, a milestone I could hardly have imagined. I had done everything I could to promote my work, including submitting to publishing houses that allowed unagented submissions and connecting with smaller publishers and editors through conferences and pitch contests. Now, I'm excited to take things to the next level with Karen by my side.

This is such an incredible opportunity and I can't wait to see what kind of traction we can gain. I couldn't be more thrilled to have such an amazing teammate in this journey.

But let me make it clear – I'm not relaxing at this point. I don't want to. It's time to work harder than ever, to continue making connections, and to create more leads and interest in my stories. This is just the beginning, and I'm determined to make the most of this incredible opportunity. Check out the year end sales announcements by this agency here  I cannot wait to have one, two, or more than a few announcements on this reel in 2023/2024 and many years to come.

This milestone is beyond exciting, and it's one of the biggest accomplishments in my life to date. It's a validation of all the hard work, a humbling experience, and an exhilarating step forward. I can't wait to see where this journey with Karen and East West Literary will take me.

It's time to celebrate and to keep pushing forward in the world of writing, and I hope you'll all be there with me every step of the way.

There is so much that has happened it truly is hard to keep up with. It's exciting, it's overwhelming, I'm working hard to scale. 

Here are a few updates of what I have brewing for the rest of the year. 

I applied to the Rutgers University One-on-One Conference for Children's Literature. I have no idea if I will be accepted or not, but it looks like an incredible value and I'm taking a chance. That is in October in New Jersey. Keep your fingers crossed for me! 

I am taking part of a few conferences this summer: 
The Vermont College of Fine Arts Summer Residency Writing for Children and Young Adults  and Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Conference in August. Both of these have pitch opportunities to big editors, so I'm excited for the opportunity to pitch my new manuscripts to a panel of editors who will hopefully want to produce the book with me! 

In addition to the conferences, I am flying to Nashville, TN to pitch Island Girls to a big distributor. As some of you many know, one of my biggest struggles has been keeping up with the demand for Island Girls. I have wanted a distributor on my team and this is a very rare and exciting opportunity. Think of this like Shark Tank- I'll have 5 minutes to sell these guys on me and Island Girls which would be such a huge breakthrough for me. Please send me good vibes, this will happen over the weekend of August 18. I am excited and nervous, I could not pass up this opportunity! 

In addition to the conferences and reading camps, I am taking part of a few conferences and working on revisions for two manuscripts for editors at pretty big publishing houses. One for a new picture book I wrote and one for my middle grade novel. 

There are so many exciting things happening and I'm so thankful for your support and encouragement to keep writing and making a difference for our oceans! 

So much more to come! 

All my best,
​Blair

April has been a busy month of many school visits! I absolutely love connecting with kids and hearing their ideas of how we can all work together and make a change. 

I still have a few more schools to visit this week and also the Richmond Book Festival this weekend.