LET’S DANCE! written by Valerie Bolling
I’m absolutely thrilled to have Valerie Bolling share her writing and revision journey of her debut book LET’S DANCE! which launched in March 2020, illustrated by Maine Diaz.
After all, who doesn’t love to dance?
My manager (also known as my four-year-old) is full of wiggles and this story will have you jumping to your feet for many encore readings.
In addition to this beautiful book, Valerie has two more books launching in 2022 and another two in 2023.
WOW. Watch out, world!
Valerie isn’t just a star in kid lit, she’s also (in her own words): a reader, writer, thinker, fighter, traveler, walker, listener, talker, teacher, learning, and blessings-yearner.
Hi, Valerie. It’s absolutely a pleasure (and privilege) to share your revision journey. What is the story behind your story? What sparked your story concept?
Shay, I wanted to write a book about a topic that many of us enjoy. Dance seemed to be an obvious choice because most people love to dance!
The first sentence of my pitch for LET’S DANCE! was “Dancing is a universal language, even though we all have different ‘accents.’” I wanted the message to be clear that anyone – no matter who you are – can dance, although we all do it a bit differently … with our unique flair. Maine Diaz’s brilliant illustrations highlight the joy of dance as well as my vision of diversity and inclusiveness.
How long did it take from idea to book?
Almost three years: The first draft was written in June 2017; the book was published in March 2020.
What was your revision timeline?
June 2017: Wrote my first draft
July or August 2017: Received feedback from an author-librarian-storyteller-friend (she knows books!) and then I revised the story. I even changed the title; the original was I LOVE TO DANCE. I continued to revise and let the sit for a while. Then I returned to it to fine-tune some more.
January 1, 2018: Sent my first query but never received a response
February 25, 2018: Sent my second query on and received interest from an agent three days later... but she wasn’t interested in the additional manuscripts I sent her, so no offer of representation (NOTE TO PRE-PUBLISHED AUTHORS: Make sure your submission package is ready before you start querying. Have a minimum of four polished manuscripts; five would be even better!)
June 21, 2018: Participated in #PBPitch and got a like from Jes Negrón at Boyds Mills & Kane (it was actually Kane Press at the time) and I sent my manuscript.
July 2018: Hopped on the phone with Jes and she was interested in acquiring LET’S DANCE! I signed the contract later that month.
March 3, 2020: LET’S DANCE! was published on March 3, 2020
What was the hardest part of revising?
Revision is actually the most enjoyable part of the writing process for me, Shay. That said, I think the most challenging was making sure every word was just right. The words had to rhyme and had to capture the joy and energy of dance that I wanted to convey.
What was your ‘ah-ha!’ moment during the revision process?
I think the biggest WOW moment for me was after handing the manuscript over to my editor, Jes. She elevated my vision for a diverse, inclusive book by seeing the possibility for a more global theme.
Where I saw “Tappity-tap/Fingers snap” as tap dance, she imagined flamenco from Spain. I thought electric slide or cha cha slide would accompany “Glide and slide/Side to side,” but Jes suggested long sleeve dancing from China.
What’s amazing is that none of my words needed to change. Jes simply matched my language to cultural dances. What amazing vision!
That is a fantastic journey! It’s so wonderful that your words didn’t need to be changed much, but that a change in vision could take your story to the next level. What advice do you have for other writers?
Read books in the genre you’re writing and about craft.
Write as often as you can.
Revise even more often.
Become active in the writing community and take advantage of all opportunities.
Make sure you’re part of a critique group.
Become a member of SCBWI.
Sign up for 12 X 12 with Julie Hedlund.
Participate in Twitter pitches and enter contests.
Attend conferences, Agent/Editor Days, and webinars.
Stick with it! Don’t let rejection discourage you. Let them fuel your efforts to continue to read, write, revise, repeat.
In your list of tips, you mention a number of ways to get involved in the writing community. As a new author, did you join a debut group?
Joining a debut group is recommended for new authors, and I’m currently a member of two groups.
The first group I joined is 20/20 Vision PBs; most people in that group are not debut authors, though they all had books published this year. It’s a larger group (about 30), so it’s been difficult for me to get to know the members well.
On the other hand, Kid Lit in Color is my family. Several of us debuted this year, though some of our members were already published. It’s a smaller group (about 10), and we meet regularly via Zoom. During the spring and summer, we met every other week (now we meet once a month), so we’ve gotten to know each other well. We actively boost each other on social media; we have a website and a newsletter; and we’ve done giveaways.
Kid Lit in Color is more than a debut group because we will continue to thrive even after this year. Some of our members have books releasing in 2021, and some of us have books releasing beyond then. Check out our website (and our authors’ books!); sign up for our newsletter; and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
And now, the words from one of the early drafts of LET’S DANCE…
I love to dance!
Move side to side.
I love to dance!
Glide and slide.
And the final published words (with a bonus peek of two spreads from the beautiful story):
Be sure to follow Valerie on Twitter (@Valerie_Bolling), Instagram (@ValerieBollingAuthor) and read about her upcoming books on her website.
Want a signed copy? It’s the perfect addition to a home library or gift to a special dancing kid (or adult)...so boogie on over to Valerie’s favorite indie store.
You can purchase LET’S DANCE! on Bookshop.org or at my favorite indie store where you can get a signed copy.
Thank you, Valerie! I can’t wait for your other stories to arrive into the world!
Thank you for taking the time to interview me, Shay, and I appreciate all of the readers who took the time to learn more about my journey.