scbwi conferences


	Faculty Bios Richard Jesse Watson Richard Jesse Watson loves his job. As a writer and illustrator of picture books he has snooped inside Egyptian tombs, sipped python soup in a Malaysian jungle, chewed the fat with chimpanzees, shared breakfast with an orangutan in Singapore. He has nearly fallen out of an airplane over Port Townsend, pulled rabbits out of hats, and dinked around with petrified dinosaur dung. Richard studied at Art Center College of Design, Pasadena City College and various museums around the world. He has been making children’s books since 1984. His illustrations have been chosen for numerous juried exhibitions, including The Original Art Exhibit, the Society of Illustrators Annual Exhibit, permanent and traveling exhibits with MAZZA Museum, the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, and the Golden Kite Golden Dreams exhibit, curated by David Diaz. Connoisseur claims Watson’s art “will take your breath away.” Publishers Weekly states, “Watson’s artwork achieves a startling blend of the ancient and the timeless.” Richard’s Tom Thumb won SCBWI’s Golden Kite Award, and his Night Before Christmas was a New York Times bestseller. For more information please see www.RichardJesseWatson.com or visit at www.RichardJesseWatson.blogspot.com Agents Kristy King Kristy King is an agent and an attorney and has been with Writers House since 2008. Prior to joining the agency, Kristy earned her JD from the University of Florida, College of Law. She is actively building her client list and represents children’s book and young adult authors and illustrators across all age ranges. Kristy is particularly interested in MG and YA high-concept fantasy/adventure novels with plenty of action that incorporate a unique twist on existing mythologies or history, or introduce readers to a previously undiscovered world. She has a soft spot for magical, inspiring, soul-strengthening middle-grade fiction – in both the fantasy and contemporary genres. For young adult audiences, she is looking for sharp, realistic and even gritty contemporary fiction, thrillers, and novels with a unique or stylized voice. Kristy is a fan of classic films, anything hinting at film noir, secret societies, and espionage, and books that both challenge and shape the reader’s worldview, and would love to see submissions that touch on these areas. Kristy is actively building a portfolio of illustrator clients and is open to representing picture book texts as well as author/illustrators. For more information please see www.writershouse.com *Writers House* was founded in 1973 with a vision for a new kind of literary agency, one that would combine a passion for managing a writer's career with an integrated understanding of how storytelling works. With this two-pronged philosophy, Writers House has played a critical role in developing the careers of hundreds of novelists and non-fiction authors. We believe in offering our clients not only our expertise in negotiating contracts, but in contributing to all phases of the editorial and publishing processes as well as leading the way in branding, licensing, and selling film/TV, foreign, audio, dramatic and serial rights. Natalie (Fischer) Lakosil Natalie M. Lakosil (formerly Fischer) is an Assistant Agent at the Bradford Literary Agency. An honors graduate of the University of San Diego, California, Natalie holds a B.A. in Literature/Writing. After nearly four years at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency and a brief dabble in writing author profiles and book reviews for the San Diego Union Tribune, Natalie joined the Bradford Agency in February of 2011. Natalie’s interests include talented, hard-working new authors with a fresh, unique voice and hook. Her specialty is commercial fiction, with an emphasis in children’s literature (from picture book to teen), romance (contemporary, paranormal and historical), upmarket women’s fiction and select nonfiction. Specific likes within those genres include historical, multi-cultural, paranormal, sci-fi/fantasy, gritty, thrilling and darker contemporary novels, middle grade with heart, and short, quirky picture books. She is always drawn to an open and positive attitude in an author, good grammar, and fantastical, engaging and sexy plots. For more information please see www.bradfordlit.com/about/natalie-fischer-lakosil or visit www.adventuresinagentland.blogspot.com *Bradford Literary Agency* is a boutique agency located in sunny San Diego, California. Founded in 2001, it is an editorial-focused agency that prefers to work closely with its authors in helping to build strong, sustainable careers. Taylor Martindale Taylor currently represents young adult fiction and picture book author/illustrators, and is looking to acquire middle grade fiction and young adult non-fiction. She is especially looking for contemporary projects that are character-driven and have strong, fresh voice with unique concepts. She is drawn to paranormal/urban fantasy projects with new ideas and engaging characters and worlds. Taylor also loves multicultural stories that are rich with culture and authentic characters. Before joining Full Circle, Taylor was an agent with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, and prior to that, the submissions coordinator at Bliss Literary Agency. For more information, please visit www.fullcircleliterary.com. *Full Circle Literary* is a boutique literary agency, offering a unique full circle approach to literary representation. With offices based in San Diego and New York, our agents represent picture books, middle grade, young adult books including SCBWI members Jennifer Ward, Toni Buzzeo, Monica Brown, among many others. Sara Sciuto Before joining Full Circle Literary, Sara gained valuable experience working on film and foreign rights with Taryn Fagerness Agency. Sara is actively building her list with a focus on middle grade and young adult, in particular, dystopian, science fiction, fantasy, unique paranormal, and contemporary. Above all, Sara is drawn to stories that have sophisticated narratives and well-drawn characters with strong voices. She has a particular soft spot for urban fantasy, gritty contemporary, thrillers, and anything with out-of-this-world or period settings. For more information, please visit www.fullcircleliterary.com. *Full Circle Literary* is a boutique literary agency, offering a unique full circle approach to literary representation. With offices based in San Diego and New York, our agents represent picture books, middle grade, young adult books including SCBWI members Jennifer Ward, Toni Buzzeo, Monica Brown, among many others. Kelly Sonnack Kelly Sonnack came to the Andrea Brown Literary Agency after agenting for the Sandra Dijkstra Agency for three years. Prior to that, Kelly worked for the publishing giant Reed Elsevier, where she served as the Life Sciences Acquisitions Editor under the Academic Press imprint. As an agent, Kelly represents both authors and illustrators over all age groups within children's literature (picture books, middle grade, young adult, and graphic novels). In picture books and middle grade fiction, Kelly looks for a good sense of humor, stories that stretch a young reader's imagination, and an authentic voice. In young adult, she appreciates literary voices and character-driven stories with heart but is also drawn to dystopian, light science-fiction, and other well-crafted fantasy. In non-fiction for children, she enjoys projects that inspire and stimulate the minds of our younger generations. Kelly is a frequent speaker at conferences, including the San Diego State Writer's Conference and SCBWI's national and regional conferences. For more information see www.andreabrownlit.com/agents.php *Andrea Brown Literary Agency* was founded in August 1981 and has offices in the San Francisco Bay area, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Our agency works to bring to light the voices and perspectives of new writers as well as to nurture and develop the careers of experienced authors. Our goal, whether seeking to secure a publishing contract for a first book or a fiftieth book, is to make sure that clients are not only published, but published well. Stefanie von Borstel Prior to agenting, Stefanie worked in various editorial and marketing positions with Penguin and Harcourt and enjoys sharing insight with authors into the publishing process. Stefanie represents all types of children's books from board books to middle grade. She is especially drawn to middle grade and is actively seeking both fiction and nonfiction. For younger readers: author/illustrators, character-driven, high-concept, humor and picture books that celebrate cultures of all kinds. She represents a handful of illustrators including Rafael Lopez and Lorena Siminovich and is especially interested in representing author/illustrators. For more information, please visit www.fullicircleliterary.com *Full Circle Literary* is a boutique literary agency, offering a unique full circle approach to literary representation. With offices based in San Diego and New York, our agents represent picture books, middle grade, and young adult books including SCBWI members Jennifer Ward, Toni Buzzeo, Monica Brown, among many others.

Faculty Bios

Richard Jesse Watson
Richard Jesse Watson loves his job. As a writer and illustrator of picture books he has snooped inside Egyptian tombs, sipped python soup in a Malaysian jungle, chewed the fat with chimpanzees, shared breakfast with an orangutan in Singapore. He has nearly fallen out of an airplane over Port Townsend, pulled rabbits out of hats, and dinked around with petrified dinosaur dung. Richard studied at Art Center College of Design, Pasadena City College and various museums around the world. He has been making children’s books since 1984. His illustrations have been chosen for numerous juried exhibitions, including The Original Art Exhibit, the Society of Illustrators Annual Exhibit, permanent and traveling exhibits with MAZZA Museum, the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, and the Golden Kite Golden Dreams exhibit, curated by David Diaz. Connoisseur claims Watson’s art “will take your breath away.” Publishers Weekly states, “Watson’s artwork achieves a startling blend of the ancient and the timeless.” Richard’s Tom Thumb won SCBWI’s Golden Kite Award, and his Night Before Christmas was a New York Times bestseller. For more information please see www.RichardJesseWatson.com or visit at www.RichardJesseWatson.blogspot.com

Agents

Kristy King
Kristy King is an agent and an attorney and has been with Writers House since 2008. Prior to joining the agency, Kristy earned her JD from the University of Florida, College of Law. She is actively building her client list and represents children’s book and young adult authors and illustrators across all age ranges. Kristy is particularly interested in MG and YA high-concept fantasy/adventure novels with plenty of action that incorporate a unique twist on existing mythologies or history, or introduce readers to a previously undiscovered world. She has a soft spot for magical, inspiring, soul-strengthening middle-grade fiction – in both the fantasy and contemporary genres. For young adult audiences, she is looking for sharp, realistic and even gritty contemporary fiction, thrillers, and novels with a unique or stylized voice. Kristy is a fan of classic films, anything hinting at film noir, secret societies, and espionage, and books that both challenge and shape the reader’s worldview, and would love to see submissions that touch on these areas. Kristy is actively building a portfolio of illustrator clients and is open to representing picture book texts as well as author/illustrators. For more information please see www.writershouse.com

Writers House was founded in 1973 with a vision for a new kind of literary agency, one that would combine a passion for managing a writer's career with an integrated understanding of how storytelling works. With this two-pronged philosophy, Writers House has played a critical role in developing the careers of hundreds of novelists and non-fiction authors. We believe in offering our clients not only our expertise in negotiating contracts, but in contributing to all phases of the editorial and publishing processes as well as leading the way in branding, licensing, and selling film/TV, foreign, audio, dramatic and serial rights.

Natalie (Fischer) Lakosil
Natalie M. Lakosil (formerly Fischer) is an Assistant Agent at the Bradford Literary Agency. An honors graduate of the University of San Diego, California, Natalie holds a B.A. in Literature/Writing. After nearly four years at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency and a brief dabble in writing author profiles and book reviews for the San Diego Union Tribune, Natalie joined the Bradford Agency in February of 2011. Natalie’s interests include talented, hard-working new authors with a fresh, unique voice and hook. Her specialty is commercial fiction, with an emphasis in children’s literature (from picture book to teen), romance (contemporary, paranormal and historical), upmarket women’s fiction and select nonfiction. Specific likes within those genres include historical, multi-cultural, paranormal, sci-fi/fantasy, gritty, thrilling and darker contemporary novels, middle grade with heart, and short, quirky picture books. She is always drawn to an open and positive attitude in an author, good grammar, and fantastical, engaging and sexy plots. For more information please see www.bradfordlit.com/about/natalie-fischer-lakosil or visit www.adventuresinagentland.blogspot.com

Bradford Literary Agency is a boutique agency located in sunny San Diego, California. Founded in 2001, it is an editorial-focused agency that prefers to work closely with its authors in helping to build strong, sustainable careers.

Taylor Martindale
Taylor currently represents young adult fiction and picture book author/illustrators, and is looking to acquire middle grade fiction and young adult non-fiction. She is especially looking for contemporary projects that are character-driven and have strong, fresh voice with unique concepts. She is drawn to paranormal/urban fantasy projects with new ideas and engaging characters and worlds. Taylor also loves multicultural stories that are rich with culture and authentic characters. Before joining Full Circle, Taylor was an agent with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, and prior to that, the submissions coordinator at Bliss Literary Agency. For more information, please visit www.fullcircleliterary.com.

Full Circle Literary is a boutique literary agency, offering a unique full circle approach to literary representation. With offices based in San Diego and New York, our agents represent picture books, middle grade, young adult books including SCBWI members Jennifer Ward, Toni Buzzeo, Monica Brown, among many others.

Sara Sciuto
Before joining Full Circle Literary, Sara gained valuable experience working on film and foreign rights with Taryn Fagerness Agency. Sara is actively building her list with a focus on middle grade and young adult, in particular, dystopian, science fiction, fantasy, unique paranormal, and contemporary. Above all, Sara is drawn to stories that have sophisticated narratives and well-drawn characters with strong voices. She has a particular soft spot for urban fantasy, gritty contemporary, thrillers, and anything with out-of-this-world or period settings. For more information, please visit www.fullcircleliterary.com.

Full Circle Literary is a boutique literary agency, offering a unique full circle approach to literary representation. With offices based in San Diego and New York, our agents represent picture books, middle grade, young adult books including SCBWI members Jennifer Ward, Toni Buzzeo, Monica Brown, among many others.

Kelly Sonnack
Kelly Sonnack came to the Andrea Brown Literary Agency after agenting for the Sandra Dijkstra Agency for three years. Prior to that, Kelly worked for the publishing giant Reed Elsevier, where she served as the Life Sciences Acquisitions Editor under the Academic Press imprint. As an agent, Kelly represents both authors and illustrators over all age groups within children's literature (picture books, middle grade, young adult, and graphic novels). In picture books and middle grade fiction, Kelly looks for a good sense of humor, stories that stretch a young reader's imagination, and an authentic voice. In young adult, she appreciates literary voices and character-driven stories with heart but is also drawn to dystopian, light science-fiction, and other well-crafted fantasy. In non-fiction for children, she enjoys projects that inspire and stimulate the minds of our younger generations. Kelly is a frequent speaker at conferences, including the San Diego State Writer's Conference and SCBWI's national and regional conferences. For more information see www.andreabrownlit.com/agents.php

Andrea Brown Literary Agency was founded in August 1981 and has offices in the San Francisco Bay area, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Our agency works to bring to light the voices and perspectives of new writers as well as to nurture and develop the careers of experienced authors. Our goal, whether seeking to secure a publishing contract for a first book or a fiftieth book, is to make sure that clients are not only published, but published well.

Stefanie von Borstel
Prior to agenting, Stefanie worked in various editorial and marketing positions with Penguin and Harcourt and enjoys sharing insight with authors into the publishing process. Stefanie represents all types of children's books from board books to middle grade. She is especially drawn to middle grade and is actively seeking both fiction and nonfiction. For younger readers: author/illustrators, character-driven, high-concept, humor and picture books that celebrate cultures of all kinds. She represents a handful of illustrators including Rafael Lopez and Lorena Siminovich and is especially interested in representing author/illustrators. For more information, please visit www.fullicircleliterary.com

Full Circle Literary is a boutique literary agency, offering a unique full circle approach to literary representation. With offices based in San Diego and New York, our agents represent picture books, middle grade, and young adult books including SCBWI members Jennifer Ward, Toni Buzzeo, Monica Brown, among many others.