19 Oct Meet Rochelle Melander, Author and Coach

One of the wonderful things about what I do is that I get to meet new people who love kid lit as much as I do. I was very excited when Rochelle Melander contacted me, and I’m thrilled that I’m getting to know her. Now it’s YOUR turn to learn about the multi-talented Rochelle and her wonderful book, MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD: REBELS, REFORMERS, AND REVOLUTIONARIES WHO CHANGED THE WORLD THROUGH THEIR WRITING. It is beautifully illustrated by Melina Ontiveros.

First of all, welcome, Rochelle!  Followers of this blog know that I usually highlight picture books, so this is a fun departure!

Please tell us a little bit about your book. What do you want to accomplish? How did you get the idea? How long did it take?

In 2006, I started a writing program for at-risk young people in Milwaukee, called Dream Keepers. I frequently used mentor texts as writing prompts, like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech. I also brought in stories of young writers who were making a difference—like Malala Yousafzai. I dreamed of a book that would bring all of this together.

Fast forward to 2017. I was frustrated that I had been writing for years and hadn’t sold any of my kidlit projects. I pitched Mightier Than the Sword in a writing class, and an agent requested it. That helped me see that the book idea had merit. I wrote the proposal in a month, but the agent rejected it. Her feedback helped me as I revised the proposal. I pitched it repeatedly and racked up many rejections. It took me a long time—and #Pitmad—to find a home for Mightier.

Mightier Than the Sword: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries Who Changed the World through Writing is a middle-grade social justice book pairing life-changing writing exercises with the stories of a diverse group of people who changed lives and communities throughout history. The book features people from a variety of disciplines who used their words to educate people about the stars, advocate for women’s rights, end slavery, save the environment, protest injustice, and more. Sidebars explore types of writing, fun facts, and further resources.

Now that Mightier is a book, I am hoping that young people will be inspired by these writers to write their own stories. Writing has helped people change the world for centuries—and I hope that my readers will see Mightier as a call to action. We need their stories, their vision, and their ideas to make the world a better place.

This is fascinating. I wish I were still teaching fifth grade because I would definitely use this book in the classroom. 

I love how you keep your readers engaged in the book. I especially love the WRITE NOW, WRITE TO KNOW, AND WRITE TO CREATE sections. Can you explain a bit about what this is?

I knew I wanted Mightier Than the Sword to be an interactive book—and that was a big part of my book proposal. Mightier stood apart from the many anthologies on the market because it invited young people to play with words! Here’s how I put it: “The interactive activities in each chapter will engage children who are excited about telling stories, making art, and connecting with the world around them.”

Write to Know is a sidebar that gives a little bit of information about a writing tool or technique.

Write Now gives students a writing exercise that connects the biography to their life.

Write to Create invites students to make something, like a t-shirt or a protest sign.

As writers, we know the power of words, but I don’t think I’ve seen a kids’ book pointing this out. What made you decide we needed this for middle-grade readers? 

I teach writing in the library and public schools. I meet many children who dislike writing. They doubt their ideas and skills. They worry about mechanics. They don’t believe that they’ll need to write as adults.

I spent hours plotting how to prove them wrong. I decided to show them—by bringing projects that had a purpose. During the election, we wrote campaign speeches and posters. At Thanksgiving, they wrote thank-you notes to family members and teachers. For Martin Luther King Day, they wrote plans to change their communities.

These projects helped them see that they could use writing to make a difference in their communities. This convinced me that there needed to be a book that would take these ideas to more young people—so they could start changing the world right now!

Now that we know about your book, will you tell us a little about yourself? 

As a child, I wanted to work in theatre. In college, I majored in theatre and religion—and went on to get two master’s degrees in theology. In the early 2000s, I completed my coach training—and have been working as a wellness and writing coach ever since. I just finished an ADHD coaching certificate, which has expanded my practice to include more young people.

I have my own coaching business (writenowcoach.com), which means that I do all sorts of writing-related things—including coach writers, run writing groups, teach, and edit. (I’ve been editing a periodical for 21 years!) I also work part-time as a success coach at a local college. I write books and articles. And I teach writing to young people and adults, though I am hoping to transition that to making school visits. If your head is spinning, that’s exactly how I feel most days.

Yes! I can hardly keep up! I am impressed.

Aside from the work thing, I have a husband—who is sometimes my writing partner—and two kids in college. (When did they get so big?) I also have two dogs, Maisie and Max, who keep me grounded. I live in Milwaukee, WI, about ten blocks from Lake Michigan, where I like to walk. It’s been a joy to live here, because we have access to so much good live music and theatre. I’m a member of The Milwaukee Rep’s social media club—which means I get to see ALL THE PLAYS and share about them on social media.

You have several books for adults published. What made you want to try your hand at a children’s book?

Years ago, when I was pregnant with my son, I went to a book signing with Kevin Henkes. During his reading, I knew that I wanted to write for children. Shortly after my son was born, my husband and I got our first book contract. While we churned out books for adults, we wrote picture books. We got many “almost perfect but not quite” rejection letters. (Shel Silverstein.) While raising children and building my coaching career, I wrote several coaching books. I also wrote a book on writing, Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (And Live to Tell About It) (Writers Digest Books). I continued to write for children, even pitching an early version of Mightier Than the Sword in my Write-A-Thon proposal.

But I was busy, and I didn’t write and submit with the kind of persistence I have recently. (Yes, I do have several picture books and MG novels in the drawer.) In December of 2017, when reviewing my projects, I decided Mightier was the most sellable. Although I continued to work on picture books and wrote a middle-grade mystery, I spent most of my time working on this project.

 With all you do, you sound like a multi-tasking master! When you write, do you have a specific routine? If so, can you share it?

I write in the mornings, so I don’t see clients then. After breakfast and a walk, I journal and then jump into whatever writing project I am working on. I try to do my passion project first thing in the morning—right now that’s a MG mystery novel. After that and in the afternoons, I will write blog posts, freelance articles, and presentations. I also do research in the afternoons.

But, because I work, I cannot depend on my afternoon time to do my editing and professional writing. So, I sometimes need to spend the morning writing blog posts like this one or reviewing a client’s work.

Whenever I get stuck, I DO something. I walk, do yoga, put a load in the washing machine, fold towels—something to get out of my head. That usually helps me move forward.

Because this book is so different than most of your others, was the road to publication different? Easier? Harder? 

In some ways, the road to publication was very much the same as every other book I’ve published. I wrote a proposal, just like I’d done for nearly all of my other books. But this time, I sent it to agents instead of publishers. (Only one of my books has been sold under representation.) I collected many rejections. Some agents believed the book was too educational and wouldn’t sell in a trade market. Another rejected it because they wanted more history. The rejections pushed me to revise and resubmit. It wasn’t until I pitched it at #pitmad that I received an offer for publication.

Was it harder? Yes. It required me to believe in the book even when other people didn’t. That’s surprisingly hard to do! And it took a long time—at least it felt like a long time—to get the book published.

I’m so glad you persisted. And I love a good #pitmad story! 

Where can we get the book?

It’s available wherever books are sold! (Really!) And if you want a signed copy, you can order it from my local independent bookstore, Boswell Book Company (https://www.boswellbooks.com/opening-letter-0).

If you’d like to learn even more about this multi-talented writer and writing coach, here are some links you should check out.  They include info about Rochelle’s writing coach business as well as her school visits.

Home

Home

https://www.facebook.com/WriteNowCoach

Twitter: @WriteNowCoach

Instagram: @writenowcoach

https://ms.beamingbooks.com/downloads/Activity_Packet_MightierThanTheSword.pdf

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for.

Rochelle is generously giving away a 30-minute coaching session to one lucky reader.

Check this out to see what she can do for you.
I’m an ICF certified professional coach with more than 20 years of publishing experience and a specialty in ADHD coaching. Use this 30-minute session to clarify your writing goals, develop a writing plan, plot your social media successes, or overcome blocks and challenges. Happy to work with writers from any genre and at any stage of their career

Just comment on this post. If you are a follower (or just decided to follow after reading this) let me know, so you’ll have an extra chance to win!

Thanks so much for visiting and sharing your fascinating life, Rochelle! 

Until next time,

Ellen 

I hope you pop over and learn a bit more about me at www.EllenLeventhal.com. Feel free to contact me at any time! I am scheduling school visits for the 2021-2022 year, so please share with your librarian friends. Thanks!