Celia Krampien: On Transitioning From Picture Books to Middle Grade
Celia Krampien grew up in a house in the woods in a small town near Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. She studied illustration at Sheridan College and currently lives in St. Catharines, Ontario, with her partner, a mischievous cat, and a nosy beagle. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Celia Krampien
Jamie Nadalin
In this post, Celia discusses the important roles that other people (from her agent to her publisher) played in helping her transition from picture books to writing a middle-grade horror novel.
Name: Celia Krampien
Literary agent: Andrea Morrison, Writers House
Book title: The Bellwoods Game
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Release date: July 18, 2023
Genre/category: Middle grade horror
Previous titles: Sunny (Roaring Brook Press, 2020)
Elevator pitch for the book: Every year on Halloween night the 6th graders of Fall Hollow play the Bellwoods Game, a race to ring a mysterious bell that lies deep within the haunted forest that surrounds their school. This year it’s Bailee Crane’s turn to play but when she and her friends enter the woods, they discover there’s more to the town’s old ghost stories than anyone ever imaged and that a great danger will be unleashed unless she and her friends can work together to win the game.
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What prompted you to write this book?
The idea for this book had been germinating in my brain for a long time but I didn’t think it would become anything until I started working with my agent, the wonderful Andrea Morrison. We’d been working together on picture books and illustrating middle grade covers for a couple years before we started discussing the possibility of working in other genres and forms. I thought I’d like to try writing something for a middle grade audience and Andrea encouraged me to give it a try.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
Years ago, I was living near this scenic area that had a high, treed cliff that overlooked a creek and a train bridge. I was going past and imagined a person standing up on top of the cliff.
At the same time, a rhyme (the same one from the beginning of the book) along with the name Abigail Snook popped into my head. I started wondering who she was and what she was doing up there on the cliff. Figuring out the answers to those questions is how I came up with The Bellwoods Game.
The story did shift a bit over time as we fleshed out the characters and expanded on the lore of the game, but I think the core idea remains much the same.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I’d been through the process before with my picture book, Sunny, but this was my first time publishing a novel. There was a whole lot more work to do editing and revising the text this time around. Going from working on a book with 350 words to one with around 60,000 words was a big change.
The artwork was more complicated too because we had to fit the images around the text. There was a lot of back and forth between myself and the designers to get everything fitting together just right.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
Strangely, I think finishing the story and feeling at peace with it came as a surprise. When I’m creating just for myself, I’m tempted to keep tinkering away at ideas or shelve them before they’re complete, telling myself I’ll return to them later. I think a bit of perfectionism sets in which makes it hard to let go.
When there’s a hard deadline and a publishing date, I have no choice, I have to let go, which can be a bit scary. But finishing this book, I really felt like it was complete. I think much of that comes from having an amazing team behind me at Atheneum Books for Young Readers. Every book is a group effort and I’m so grateful for the talent and support from everyone at Atheneum.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope that readers realize how powerful their stories can be.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Read lots and read widely.
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