I signed with an agent! So excited to work with the amazing Ammi-Joan Paquette! And I just finished a draft of my next MG novel :)

#kidlitchat

This is my 2nd MG book. (My 1st book got 4 full requests, 0 offers, & I learned a lot.)

While I wait, I try to focus on writing a different project. Someone once told me that the best way to increase odds is to keep writing more books :)

I found this data inspiring: hannahholt.com/blog/2017/10...

I also sought out extra feedback from other writing friends—beyond my crit group and beta readers—on my query and opening pages.

Screenshot of query data from querytracker.net. Each row is an agent. These columns are highlighted: “Query Reply Rate” (percentage of agents who respond) and “Positive/Negative Days” (average number of days before a positive or negative response).

Thanks so much!

I started with ~10/batch. In early batches, I tried to include enough agents with high response rates & quick response times (based on QueryTracker data).

After my first few full requests, I increased batch size. As of now, I’ve sent 61 total queries for this MG book.

I just hit 10 full requests! Here’s what has worked for me so far:

DETAILS (more specific = more likely to stand out)

STAKES (why does it matter?)

REVISIONS (my first batch of queries got 0 requests, so I revised before my next batch)

#kidlitchat

With the arts under attack, what happens next is up to us. We still have the power to keep creating, to speak up for libraries, and to support the next generation of artists and writers. (4/4)

It meant everything to me to see people—even at the highest level—supporting the arts. As a result, a decade later, I’m still writing poetry and children’s books. Writing expands my world and helps me escape into a better one… (3/4)

Over ten years later, I still remember our appointment ceremony at the White House. I remember the First Lady of the U.S. saying that she loved my poem. I remember getting back to school and a classmate asking, “All that, just for poetry?” Yes. All that. For poetry… (2/4)

The five National Student Poets with First Lady Michelle Obama in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Sept. 20, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson.) Standing from left to right: Michaela Coplen (northeast region), Sojourner Ahebee (midwest region), Michelle Obama, Nathan Cummings (west region), Louis Lafair (southwest region), and Aline Dolinh (southeast region).

Louis Lafair being pinned by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House in September 2013.

Last Friday, Trump signed an executive order to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The IMLS funds libraries across the country, along with programs like the National Student Poets Program. In 2013-14, I served as a National Student Poet… (1/4)

Thanks so much!!

A brick and stone wall separates two cities. On the left side are four images of CLOCKWORK CITY: 1) Data Journal with lots of graphs, 2) clocktower in a bustling city, 3) inventor building a gadget, surrounded by gears, 4) a gizmobile racing, pipes belching steam. On the right side are four images of STORYVILLE: 1) a colorful market with bins of spices, 2) a painter holding a brush and palette in front of an easel, 3) a newspaper with "missing" in big letters, 4) a cozy, candlelit bookshop called "The Bookworm." NOTE: mood board imagery was made with AI. Book was written entirely by a human.

THE ART & SCIENCE OF ADELINE
by the numbers

50% steampunk
50% fantasy
100% mystery

12 y/o girl is split between
2 parents in
2 cities divided by an
80 ft wall.

To find
🔎 4 missing people & counting

she needs
📊 39 graphs
✏️ 26 poems
🛠 1 inventor
🎨 1 painter
💔 both 1/2s of herself.

#MG #Q #P2Ppit

Thanks for doing this raffle - great idea!

Love these charts 📊 Thanks for sharing!

Thanks so much!

thank you!! 😊

Thank you!!

Mood board for THE ART AND SCIENCE OF ADELINE. A wall divides two cities. On the left is imagery for CLOCKWORK CITY: chemistry vials, gears, a watch, a lightbulb, a graph, and a gizmobile. On the right is imagery for STORYVILLE: a fountain pen, paintbrushes, books, newspapers, a horse-drawn carriage, and bins of spices at a market. Source: images are from Unsplash, and the wall illustration was created with Excalidraw.

12yo Adeline is split between:
⏰ Mom in CLOCKWORK CITY
📚 Dad in STORYVILLE

When Dad disappears, she must combine
📊 data
+ ✏️ stories
to find him before more people vanish.

🔢 THE SHERLOCK SOCIETY
+ 📗 THE SWIFTS
= THE ART & SCIENCE OF ADELINE

#MG #Q #BluePit 📖

My HOPE (fingers crossed) for 2025: get an agent by querying book 1

My GOAL (in my control) for 2025: finish rewriting book 2

#kidlitchat

Wedding of Emma Dauterman and Louis Lafair on June 11, 2023. With Muffin, the world's cutest corgi. Photo by Paul Gargagliano.

👋 Hi! I’m Louis, a (published) board game designer & (querying) kidlit writer. 2 truths & a lie:

✏️ Michelle Obama has read my poetry
🎲 Arnold Schwarzenegger has played my board game
🐶 Muffin (world’s cutest corgi) always listens

🦋 Excited to meet y’all #writingcommunity #boardgamers #corgicrew

Some of my favorite reads this year:

THE SWIFTS by
@bethatintervals.bsky.social

A WIZARD'S GUIDE TO DEFENSIVE BAKING by
@tkingfisher.com

IMPOSSIBLE CREATURES by Katherine Rundell

#kidlitchat

Mapmaker is available straight from our publisher: www.gotoysandgames.com/product/mapm...

And on Amazon: www.amazon.com/Lafair-Famil...

Designer: Louis Lafair, Joshua Lafair, Becca Lafair Artist: Julia Semionova Publisher: Lafair Family Games and Go! Games Year: 2019 Developed by: gkz Number of games played: 36,001

Mapmaker has now been played 36,000 times on Board Game Arena: boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?ga...

I'm grateful that Mapmaker continues to reach players 5 years after publication, but bummed that #gerrymandering remains as relevant as ever

#GerrymanderingIsNotAGame (except when it is)

Thank you! :)

Christmas or Hanukkah? Art or science? Storyville or Clockwork City? Maybe they go #bettertogether

A 12-year-old poet/mathematician must combine words + numbers to find her missing dad before more people vanish.

#cheerpit #Q #MG #mystery #SFF