Finding the Still-Beating Heart: How Partnership, Practice, and Perseverance Led to a Picture Book!by Jolene Gutiérrez and Meredith MundySome zombie stories molder forgotten in drawers, hoping to be remembered. Others haunt us like the Tell-Tale Heart, reminding us of their existence and forcing us to find the best ways to share them with the world. 👻
https://giphy.com/gifs/supersimple-super-simple-songs-6-little-ghosts-six-tqkTe6PFAaHWVzP2ofSuch was the case with my co-authored story Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in An American Incarceration Camp. Minoru Tonai and I worked together for six years before his family’s story was finally and fully told in the way it needed to be told.
My parents' families lived near the Amache Incarceration Camp in southeastern Colorado, so I've wanted to share this story since I learned of this history from my grandparents. When a friend introduced me to Minoru in 2016, Min was happy to share his family's experiences. The manuscript's first iteration was as middle grade nonfiction including Min's experiences as well as a lot of other information from that time period. The middle grade version was important because it allowed me to learn more about the forced incarceration of people of Japanese heritage during World War II, but this version of the story felt too “textbooky.”
https://giphy.com/gifs/bored-zombie-10Z07PG72mjqq4A few years later, we wrote the story as a picture book. The middle grade version had allowed us to delve into other side stories, but the picture book format demanded that we focus on the Tonai family’s experience. Editors were interested in this version of the story and agreed that this history needed to be shared, but something was still missing. . .
https://giphy.com/gifs/season-7-the-simpsons-7x4-l2Je6njnxjomVY9qwWe couldn’t put our finger on what was missing, so we tried converting our story to a graphic novel script. Min had the visuals in his head because he lived the experiences and had such strong memories, but envisioning and describing the different scenes was a challenge for me.
https://giphy.com/gifs/lisa-simpson-writing-the-simpsons-b55x0VFpFKm7S
Then, everything shifted. Before COVID (and since), we’ve participated in pilgrimages to Amache Incarceration Camp in Granada, Colorado. During the pandemic, Minoru presented at a virtual pilgrimage. He shared a story about his father being released from a federal prison. When Min’s father rejoined the rest of their family at Amache, Min tried to help carry his father’s suitcase. It was so heavy, he could barely lift it. The suitcase was filled with rocks that Min’s dad had collected from each of the prisons he’d been sent to. Instantly, I knew that THIS was what our story needed. During all of the years Min and I had worked together, I’d never heard that story. To me, the rocks represented the strength and resilience of the Tonai family. Later, when I shared that a-ha moment with Min, we edited our picture book manuscript to include a stone/strength throughline and submitted it along with our graphic novel manuscript to Meredith Mundy at Abrams Books.
JOLENE (to Meredith): You've seen the graphic novel and you've seen the picture book. What made you choose the picture book manuscript over the graphic novel? MEREDITH: I was aware of the history because I grew up in Colorado and chose Amache as the subject of my middle school History Day project. The graphic novel version was very interesting, but the picture book version you and Min wrote just had so much purpose and such momentum in the throughline with the stones. There was something so beautiful and visual about it—and it felt like just the right balance between Min’s lived experience and information about a chapter in United States history that many young readers know nothing about. I took it to my boss, and she loved it immediately, and so did everyone at our editorial meeting and pub board (acquisitions) meeting. It was like, “Yes, this is an important story that needs to be told, and we want to support Min and Jolene's vision.”
JOLENE: I'm so grateful that you connected with the beauty and the strength of the stones in our story and how that relates to the resilience of the Tonai family (and everyone who was incarcerated). From the very beginning, you and everyone at Abrams worked in partnership with Min, his family, and me to honor this story. And partnership is one of the main tips I have for creatives trying to make anything, but especially when you're hoping to revive a manuscript. Partnership could look like working with a co-author, asking critique partners to read your manuscript, sharing a polished version with an agent, or submitting a final draft to an editor.
https://giphy.com/gifs/fuJZMrysviCxuCBKfC
MEREDITH: Yes, and if you're seeing a theme in the critiques or feedback you're receiving from an editor, an agent, or a critique partner, you might want to think about how that relates to your manuscript and what changes you’d be willing to make while also staying true to your own vision. It's a fine balance--you have to stand firm in what's important to you, while also remaining flexible so you can take on board the things that are helpful to you.
JOLENE: I love that advice! And as you take in the feedback from your partners, you get multiple chances to practice and play. Min and I were so determined to find a way to tell his story that we weren’t afraid to play around with genres and formats. As we did that, we got a better feel for the just-right format for this story.
https://giphy.com/gifs/onepeloton-gGVBHzZhI4oTK0Y2vK
MEREDITH: I wasn't aware of all of the iterations you went through before it came to me, but when it came to me as a picture book historical biography, my reaction was, “Oh my gosh, this is amazing. I'm taking it right away to acquisitions!"
But if you're submitting a story and you start hearing, "We already have one of those," I think something that you should do is acknowledge that right away in the cover letter and mention what sets your manuscript apart. For example, "I know that you've already published a book about ______. I love that book, but here's how mine is different: ______." And describe what sets your manuscript apart and makes it original.
JOLENE: Oh, that's so helpful! I think it's important to do the work so you've read the comp titles and are putting forth a story that's unique. And so much of this business is just putting in the work and persevering. With our story Unbreakable, we knew that this was a story that needed to be in the world. Minoru, his family, my agent Kaitlyn, and I had no intention of giving up on it. We just needed to find the just-right way to tell this story so that we could find the just-right editor who would also believe in our story and help us share it with others. I'm so thankful that was you!
https://giphy.com/gifs/VeeFriends-vee-friends-vfs2-zealous-zombie-veefriends-jFHILoOaTI0IxSu8KQ
MEREDITH: Me, too! And yes to the right place, right time, and perseverance. A manuscript might go to 12 different publishing houses and everybody says no. And then the 13th house is the one and that editor has a vision for it. So don't be discouraged by rejection. Collect those rejection letters as a point of pride. Think of it as, "Look at all the places where I've been able to show my work, and now I found the person who's right for this project."
JOLENE: That's beautiful! I love the thought of flipping that script from rejection to showing your work and waiting for the right person. Do you have any other tips for our KidLit Zombie Week participants?
MEREDITH: Well, I can say that probably the number one reason a manuscript gets rejected is that it's just not quite original enough. Maybe the writing is beautiful, but the idea is a little too general or familiar. So one thing you can do is ask, "How is this different from what's out there already? How can I make it different? How can I make it more specific or more to my point of view or to the character's point of view?"
The other thing is that manuscripts are often much too long and talky. When I'm doing one-on-one critiques at conferences, I will often challenge authors to cut their manuscripts in half. Authors are often amazed by how much clearer a text is once they’ve taken it all the way down to the bone. What has to stay? What wouldn’t really be missed? And later, of course, you can put things back in, but finding that skeleton is necessary before you put the skin back on. Often, there's just so much unnecessary information that is great for back story and for your mind as a writer, but not necessary to have in the text. And of course, you want to leave room for an illustrator. For picture books and graphic novels in particular, the marriage of art and text is something always to keep in mind. Authors must leave room for an illustrator’s half of the storytelling—often what can be shown in the art doesn’t need to be in the text at all. I'm sure everyone has heard this, but it gets forgotten more often than you'd think!
https://giphy.com/gifs/halloween-skeleton-mummy-1BFVzQwfOqnDfefn3u
JOLENE: That's all so helpful! I need to cut some of my current manuscripts down to the skeleton. 💀 That's such great advice, and so fitting for our zombie week! If we know something has good bones--and I think that's why many of our manuscripts haunt us, because we know there's a powerful core to them--we should strip our stories down to those bones and then carefully revive the story. Thank you for all of your great insights and for joining me, Meredith! Do you have any final thoughts?
MEREDITH: I'd just like to quote my pub board memo about Unbreakable: "We admired the writing here as well as all the careful back matter. The lived experience aspect is the most fascinating part. Young Min--now in his 90s--and family were incarcerated from 1942 to 1945. We want to make sure Min’s voice and story are paramount," which you absolutely did. You were able to work with him in a way that honored his vision and also created a really strong picture book manuscript.
JOLENE: And our readers should probably know that Minoru Tonai passed away this past September at age 94. Our world is different without Min in it, but he knew that his story was going to be published and he was able to help choose Unbreakable's illustrator, the illustrious Chris Sasaki. And Min's family has become more and more involved in this project over the years, so they're still advising us. I'm so grateful that we've all worked in partnership to create this beautiful book that will honor Min's life. Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp will be out from Abrams in late 2025.
Meredith Mundy and Jolene Gutiérrez
This is our last blog post for #KidlitZombieWeek 2024! We hope you've found community and inspiration from our blog posts and Twitter discussion. Today will be pitch and pledge day--more information here.
And PLEASE support our generous donors! You can find our donors here--look for their books at your local library or independent bookstore and leave reviews for them on sites like GoodReads, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
Jolene Gutiérrez grew up on a farm and now lives with her family and a variety of animals in a suburb of Denver, Colorado. She is an award-winning neurodivergent teacher librarian and has been working with neurodivergent learners at Denver Academy since 1995. She’s a contributor to If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility (Candlewick, 2025) and the author of Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp (Abrams Childrens, 2025, co-authored with Minoru Tonai), Mamiachi and Me: My Mami’s Mariachi Band (Abrams/Appleseed, 2024, co-authored with her son Dakota), The Ofrenda That We Built (Chronicle, 2024, co-authored with her daughter Shaian), Too Much! An Overwhelming Day (Abrams/Appleseed, 2023), the Stars of Latin Pop series (Rourke, 2021), Bionic Beasts: Saving Animal Lives with Artificial Flippers, Legs, and Beaks (Lerner, 2020), and Mac and Cheese and the Personal Space Invader (Clear Fork/Spork, 2020). Find her books on Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/writerjolene
Finding the Still-Beating Heart:
How Partnership, Practice, and Perseverance Led to a Picture Book!
by Jolene Gutiérrez and Meredith Mundy
Some zombie stories molder forgotten in drawers, hoping to be remembered. Others haunt us like the Tell-Tale Heart, reminding us of their existence and forcing us to find the best ways to share them with the world. 👻
https://giphy.com/gifs/supersimple-super-simple-songs-6-little-ghosts-six-tqkTe6PFAaHWVzP2of
Such was the case with my co-authored story Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in An American Incarceration Camp. Minoru Tonai and I worked together for six years before his family’s story was finally and fully told in the way it needed to be told.
My parents' families lived near the Amache Incarceration Camp in southeastern Colorado, so I've wanted to share this story since I learned of this history from my grandparents. When a friend introduced me to Minoru in 2016, Min was happy to share his family's experiences. The manuscript's first iteration was as middle grade nonfiction including Min's experiences as well as a lot of other information from that time period. The middle grade version was important because it allowed me to learn more about the forced incarceration of people of Japanese heritage during World War II, but this version of the story felt too “textbooky.”
https://giphy.com/gifs/bored-zombie-10Z07PG72mjqq4
A few years later, we wrote the story as a picture book. The middle grade version had allowed us to delve into other side stories, but the picture book format demanded that we focus on the Tonai family’s experience. Editors were interested in this version of the story and agreed that this history needed to be shared, but something was still missing. . .
https://giphy.com/gifs/season-7-the-simpsons-7x4-l2Je6njnxjomVY9qw
We couldn’t put our finger on what was missing, so we tried converting our story to a graphic novel script. Min had the visuals in his head because he lived the experiences and had such strong memories, but envisioning and describing the different scenes was a challenge for me.
https://giphy.com/gifs/lisa-simpson-writing-the-simpsons-b55x0VFpFKm7S
Then, everything shifted. Before COVID (and since), we’ve participated in pilgrimages to Amache Incarceration Camp in Granada, Colorado. During the pandemic, Minoru presented at a virtual pilgrimage. He shared a story about his father being released from a federal prison. When Min’s father rejoined the rest of their family at Amache, Min tried to help carry his father’s suitcase. It was so heavy, he could barely lift it. The suitcase was filled with rocks that Min’s dad had collected from each of the prisons he’d been sent to. Instantly, I knew that THIS was what our story needed. During all of the years Min and I had worked together, I’d never heard that story. To me, the rocks represented the strength and resilience of the Tonai family. Later, when I shared that a-ha moment with Min, we edited our picture book manuscript to include a stone/strength throughline and submitted it along with our graphic novel manuscript to Meredith Mundy at Abrams Books.
JOLENE (to Meredith): You've seen the graphic novel and you've seen the picture book. What made you choose the picture book manuscript over the graphic novel?
MEREDITH: I was aware of the history because I grew up in Colorado and chose Amache as the subject of my middle school History Day project. The graphic novel version was very interesting, but the picture book version you and Min wrote just had so much purpose and such momentum in the throughline with the stones. There was something so beautiful and visual about it—and it felt like just the right balance between Min’s lived experience and information about a chapter in United States history that many young readers know nothing about. I took it to my boss, and she loved it immediately, and so did everyone at our editorial meeting and pub board (acquisitions) meeting. It was like, “Yes, this is an important story that needs to be told, and we want to support Min and Jolene's vision.”
JOLENE: I'm so grateful that you connected with the beauty and the strength of the stones in our story and how that relates to the resilience of the Tonai family (and everyone who was incarcerated). From the very beginning, you and everyone at Abrams worked in partnership with Min, his family, and me to honor this story. And partnership is one of the main tips I have for creatives trying to make anything, but especially when you're hoping to revive a manuscript. Partnership could look like working with a co-author, asking critique partners to read your manuscript, sharing a polished version with an agent, or submitting a final draft to an editor.https://giphy.com/gifs/fuJZMrysviCxuCBKfC
MEREDITH: Yes, and if you're seeing a theme in the critiques or feedback you're receiving from an editor, an agent, or a critique partner, you might want to think about how that relates to your manuscript and what changes you’d be willing to make while also staying true to your own vision. It's a fine balance--you have to stand firm in what's important to you, while also remaining flexible so you can take on board the things that are helpful to you.
JOLENE: I love that advice! And as you take in the feedback from your partners, you get multiple chances to practice and play. Min and I were so determined to find a way to tell his story that we weren’t afraid to play around with genres and formats. As we did that, we got a better feel for the just-right format for this story.
https://giphy.com/gifs/onepeloton-gGVBHzZhI4oTK0Y2vK
MEREDITH: I wasn't aware of all of the iterations you went through before it came to me, but when it came to me as a picture book historical biography, my reaction was, “Oh my gosh, this is amazing. I'm taking it right away to acquisitions!"
But if you're submitting a story and you start hearing, "We already have one of those," I think something that you should do is acknowledge that right away in the cover letter and mention what sets your manuscript apart. For example, "I know that you've already published a book about ______. I love that book, but here's how mine is different: ______." And describe what sets your manuscript apart and makes it original.
JOLENE: Oh, that's so helpful! I think it's important to do the work so you've read the comp titles and are putting forth a story that's unique. And so much of this business is just putting in the work and persevering. With our story Unbreakable, we knew that this was a story that needed to be in the world. Minoru, his family, my agent Kaitlyn, and I had no intention of giving up on it. We just needed to find the just-right way to tell this story so that we could find the just-right editor who would also believe in our story and help us share it with others. I'm so thankful that was you!
https://giphy.com/gifs/VeeFriends-vee-friends-vfs2-zealous-zombie-veefriends-jFHILoOaTI0IxSu8KQ
MEREDITH: Me, too! And yes to the right place, right time, and perseverance. A manuscript might go to 12 different publishing houses and everybody says no. And then the 13th house is the one and that editor has a vision for it. So don't be discouraged by rejection. Collect those rejection letters as a point of pride. Think of it as, "Look at all the places where I've been able to show my work, and now I found the person who's right for this project."
JOLENE: That's beautiful! I love the thought of flipping that script from rejection to showing your work and waiting for the right person. Do you have any other tips for our KidLit Zombie Week participants?
MEREDITH: Well, I can say that probably the number one reason a manuscript gets rejected is that it's just not quite original enough. Maybe the writing is beautiful, but the idea is a little too general or familiar. So one thing you can do is ask, "How is this different from what's out there already? How can I make it different? How can I make it more specific or more to my point of view or to the character's point of view?"
The other thing is that manuscripts are often much too long and talky. When I'm doing one-on-one critiques at conferences, I will often challenge authors to cut their manuscripts in half. Authors are often amazed by how much clearer a text is once they’ve taken it all the way down to the bone. What has to stay? What wouldn’t really be missed? And later, of course, you can put things back in, but finding that skeleton is necessary before you put the skin back on. Often, there's just so much unnecessary information that is great for back story and for your mind as a writer, but not necessary to have in the text. And of course, you want to leave room for an illustrator. For picture books and graphic novels in particular, the marriage of art and text is something always to keep in mind. Authors must leave room for an illustrator’s half of the storytelling—often what can be shown in the art doesn’t need to be in the text at all. I'm sure everyone has heard this, but it gets forgotten more often than you'd think!
https://giphy.com/gifs/halloween-skeleton-mummy-1BFVzQwfOqnDfefn3u
JOLENE: That's all so helpful! I need to cut some of my current manuscripts down to the skeleton. 💀 That's such great advice, and so fitting for our zombie week! If we know something has good bones--and I think that's why many of our manuscripts haunt us, because we know there's a powerful core to them--we should strip our stories down to those bones and then carefully revive the story. Thank you for all of your great insights and for joining me, Meredith! Do you have any final thoughts?
MEREDITH: I'd just like to quote my pub board memo about Unbreakable: "We admired the writing here as well as all the careful back matter. The lived experience aspect is the most fascinating part. Young Min--now in his 90s--and family were incarcerated from 1942 to 1945. We want to make sure Min’s voice and story are paramount," which you absolutely did. You were able to work with him in a way that honored his vision and also created a really strong picture book manuscript.
JOLENE: And our readers should probably know that Minoru Tonai passed away this past September at age 94. Our world is different without Min in it, but he knew that his story was going to be published and he was able to help choose Unbreakable's illustrator, the illustrious Chris Sasaki. And Min's family has become more and more involved in this project over the years, so they're still advising us. I'm so grateful that we've all worked in partnership to create this beautiful book that will honor Min's life. Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp will be out from Abrams in late 2025.
Meredith Mundy and Jolene Gutiérrez
This is our last blog post for #KidlitZombieWeek 2024! We hope you've found community and inspiration from our blog posts and Twitter discussion. Today will be pitch and pledge day--more information here.
And PLEASE support our generous donors! You can find our donors here--look for their books at your local library or independent bookstore and leave reviews for them on sites like GoodReads, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
And PLEASE support our generous donors! You can find our donors here--look for their books at your local library or independent bookstore and leave reviews for them on sites like GoodReads, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
Jolene Gutiérrez grew up on a farm and now lives with her family and a variety of animals in a suburb of Denver, Colorado. She is an award-winning neurodivergent teacher librarian and has been working with neurodivergent learners at Denver Academy since 1995. She’s a contributor to If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility (Candlewick, 2025) and the author of Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp (Abrams Childrens, 2025, co-authored with Minoru Tonai), Mamiachi and Me: My Mami’s Mariachi Band (Abrams/Appleseed, 2024, co-authored with her son Dakota), The Ofrenda That We Built (Chronicle, 2024, co-authored with her daughter Shaian), Too Much! An Overwhelming Day (Abrams/Appleseed, 2023), the Stars of Latin Pop series (Rourke, 2021), Bionic Beasts: Saving Animal Lives with Artificial Flippers, Legs, and Beaks (Lerner, 2020), and Mac and Cheese and the Personal Space Invader (Clear Fork/Spork, 2020). Find her books on Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/writerjolene
I appreciate the advice about setting your manuscript apart from others that are already acquired by the editor.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading, Laddy!
DeleteJolene, I am in awe of your ability to rewrite your manuscript in so many different formats. And Meredith, I love your challenge to cut a manuscript in half in order to see what's really important. Thank you both for your Zombie Week tips!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading, Janet! Good luck with your own revisions!
DeleteWhat an important story! I am really looking forward to when this book comes out! Thank you for sharing his incredible story and its journey to becoming a picture book with us!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for taking the time to read this post--I'm grateful for your interest in reading UNBREAKABLE when it's out.
DeleteThis post is so brilliant and helpful for those wanting to publish but also you know I’m totally crying from another beautiful way you’re honoring Min!😍
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading our post! I feel so lucky that we get to honor Min in this way. <3
DeleteWhat a thoughtful, helpful, info-filled post about this book’s journey. I’m so glad you stay focused on the story needing to be told and found your way into it. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kind words, Lauri!
DeleteThank you so much for sharing so many important pieces of information! I love your suggestion to cut a manuscript in half! Looking forward to reading this treasure honoring Minoru! ❤️
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading and for your kind words, Susan! <3
Delete