Jenny Mattern 📚
@JEngelMattern
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MG writer. Imperfect Christ follower. @middlegradehub co-founder. #MGwaves . Rep’d by Nicole Eisenbraun @ClarkLiterary .
Western half of the US 🏔
Joined January 2020
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Pinned Tweet
Just trailed behind a tiny boy at the library who was shouting “BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS” as he toddled down the aisle. Exactly my thought, buddy.
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When I was a kid, I had a friend who named her cat Alex P. Kitten.
If you grew up in the 1980s, I’m counting on you to understand this.
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I'm quite certain human brains were not designed to handle every bit of bad news throughout the entire world Every. Single. Day.
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for the love of pete can somebody help me truly believe it’s okay to write a crappy first draft
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Does a better lunch than tomato soup and grilled cheese even exist?
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We’re on vacation and got devastating news today.
💔💔💔
If you’re so inclined, raise a glass to sweet Chester tonight. He was a prince among cats.
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When I was a kid, I was absolutely convinced the ladder on these led up to a rooftop swimming pool.
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I’m reading a book right now that’s…fine. There’s an obvious character arc, some decent dialogue, etc.
I’ve read at least 20 manuscripts in the past 3 years that would blow it out of the water. Most of them have been rejected ad infinitum.
I will never understand publishing.
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After over a hundred rejections and 611 days of querying, I got a rejection at 8am on a Friday morning that included a patronizing link to a “helpful” online resource.
I was crushed & texted my CPs: “That’s it. I’m done.”
At 8:22am, I got an email offering rep.
after receiving another rejection, in a year so far full is them, I’m a little w/o hope
So! If you want! Tell me of a rejection of yours that came just before an achievement/a dream/ the Yes ♥️
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Someone left these pristine Nancy Drews in our Little Free Library. Ten-year-old Jenny would have jumped up and down at such riches. 📚🥰
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I've named my imposter syndrome Kevin.
Now I can say things like, "Go away, Kevin" & "You have no business being here, Kevin."
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A Barnes & Noble opened in my town today, the first major bookseller to be located within 120 miles of me since 2011.
I just returned from there and it was PACKED. Packed with people—young and old—arms overflowing with books, faces alight with bookjoy.
My heart is so full. ✨
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Of all the tips I got while querying, my favorite one was to file all rejections into an email folder entitled AGENTS WHO MISSED OUT.
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Does anyone else feel like they have no bandwidth for anything above the bare minimum these days?
Don’t know if I’m coming down with something, if I haven’t been sleeping well, or if it’s just end-of-the-school-year fatigue, but all I want to do is crawl into bed & stay there.
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Our Little Free Library was vandalized last night. 😔
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Is there any reason I can’t use my 2nd-grade school picture as my author headshot someday?
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If you find yourself discouraged over rejections, stop and consider that each one represents a time you boldly pursued a dream. Celebrate that.
#amquerying
#WritingCommunity
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I just typed THE END on my 3rd middle-grade manuscript!! 🎉🎉🎉
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If I planned out my Christmas shopping based on Twitter ads, everyone in my life would be receiving the magical bra designed by a 70yo woman.
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I just published my How I Got My Agent blog post on my (woefully neglected) website. If you're discouraged over
#amquerying
, this one's for you!
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Today my husband told me he wrote AUTHOR in the blank space for "spouse's occupation" on a form he was filling out.
I can't stop thinking about it.
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I signed something this week.
👀
👀
👀
👀
It was a contract with the snowplow guy, and I’ll have you know I signed that baby with a flourish.
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Which bowl would you choose & what kind of cereal would you put in it?
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It’s a lot easier to talk about rejection when you’re on the other side of it, but if you’re feeling alone in the murky middle—
I got word today that my 2nd manuscript to go on sub is now closed out.
2 stories
0 yeses
If you’re smack dab in the middle of the hard parts too…
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@abbxehewitt
@julsiereads
Oh my. I just realized my 20yo daughter is all of these things too. In my family, I was the youngest daughter, child, granddaughter, cousin. I can’t possibly understand the other side. Bye…I need to go check on my kid.
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Naked honesty: For anyone who’s been at this awhile, these numbers are depressingly low. Where are the bestsellers with rejections in the triple digits?
Writers: I'm a terrible writer because my story got rejected
Harry Potter: Rejected 12 times
Carrie: Rejected 30 times, after being thrown away
Dr. Seuss: 27 times
Lord of The Flies: 20
Gone with The Wind: 30
A Wrinkle in Time: 26
Dune: 23
Just keep writing, you will succeed
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Please join me in welcoming Kate DiCamillo (left) & Gary D. Schmidt (right) to the Mattern household. ❤️
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Today is my one year anniversary of being on submission.
I’m truly not looking for a pep talk. I just want to say that if sub was/is a long journey for you too—if it hasn’t gone quite like you hoped—you’re not alone.
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I just got some really crushing publishing-type news & my heart feels like it’s taken a spin in a food processor.
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I keep trying to write a haiku about my cat chasing raindrops, but none of my words feel right. Anyone else inspired?
#HaikuSaturday
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This precious little person graduates from college tomorrow and my mama heart is so full.
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“Quiet” stories are much like quiet people—deep, layered, thoughtful.
The Q word should not be a swear word in publishing.
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My son and I are embarking on a summer project to cook a recipe from a different country/culture every Sunday.
So…What’s your favorite dish from your culture?
My plan is to post a pic every week to show what we made. I’d love to tag some Twitter friends!
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My senior-in-high-school daughter is considering Library Science as a college major. I’m trying to be a chill mom so I don’t frighten her with my enthusiasm. 💫
Can some actual
#librarians
weigh in here? Maybe throw out some pros & cons?
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Every single day my 10yo brings sticks home in her backpack. Occasionally there’s homework, but mostly just sticks.
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Update: In March, I will spend 5 nights* in a VRBO tiny house for my first ever solo writing retreat & I am giddy.
*quite possibly the longest stretch I’ve been alone in [checks watch] ever
Give me your best ideas for budget-friendly solo writing retreats.
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Psssst…see that space on the library shelf?
That’s where my book will be someday.
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Whoa! That's me! 👇
We're so happy for R8 mentee Jenny Mattern who recently signed with her agent Nicole Eisenbraun at Ginger Clark Literary! 🎉 Check out her
#ammsigningstory
and her HOW I GOT MY AGENT post:
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I got this text from my 20yo son yesterday and you know what?
I think he turned out alright. ❤️
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When I had littles at home, a more experienced mom shared that parenting young children is physically exhausting while parenting older children is emotionally exhausting, and if that’s not the truest thing ever I don’t know what is.
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I commissioned a friend of my daughter’s to make me a trio of book-page roses. I suspect they’re going to bring me good luck. 🌹
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When I have a book published someday and you buy it because you want to support me but then don’t get around to reading it for weeks or months or years, I hereby absolve you of all guilt.
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Looking for a spot of encouragement from folks who took the scenic route on their way to publication.
If you’re a my-first-book-sold-in-four-minutes person, rest assured that I am genuinely happy for you, but this convo is for the I-had-lost-all-hope-and-then… crew.
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Calling all writers of
#mglit
, published or not📣📣📣
I'm compiling a list so we can meet, chat, & support each other. Let me know if you'd like to be added.
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My lovely 14-year-old daughter prints out an inspiring quote for me every time I get a rejection. Here are a few of them. I *almost* look forward to hearing “this isn’t right for my list at the moment” because it means I’ll get one of these gems.
#amquerying
#amwriting
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P.S. If you’re a kidlit editor asking yourself “Gee, I wonder if she writes middle grade novels as heartwarming as this tweet?” the answer is yes.
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In case you thought nothing good ever came from this hellsite, tomorrow I am flying to meet up with five of the loveliest women I know for a long weekend of non-stop conversation and laughter.
I met every single one of them on Twitter. ❤️
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Once upon a time an editor said my manuscript had pitch-perfect voice; that I wrote about big issues beautifully; that my story could sit on the shelf next to Front Desk & Eventown.
Despite the disappointment, it’s rejections like this one that keep me writing.
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I adhere to the Kate DiCamillo school of novel writing:
“I truly don't know what I'm doing. I feel like I'm walking down a dark hallway & I can see light underneath the door & I know what direction I'm heading as I get closer & closer to that door, which is the end of the book.”
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On a beautiful Saturday evening exactly 23 years ago…
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Did I buy this MG novel based on the cover alone?
You betcha!
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This is your annual reminder that if you write for children, you need to read this tiny-but-mighty book.
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One goal I have for 2024 is to celebrate all the writing wins, no matter how tiny they seem.
Getting a single haiku published a few weeks ago felt so small and sad in comparison to my dreams until a very sweet friend sent me this:
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Hi,
#WritersOfTwitter
! I’m Jenny (pic is of me right around the time I fell in love with writing). I write heartfelt MG featuring quirky characters & have also been known to scrawl the occasional haiku.
My manuscripts & I have had some sad times on sub, but we’re not quitting!
can we bring back
#WritersOfTwitter
again? i would love to meet some new writer friends (& hype up the ones i’m lucky to know already) so go ahead and (re)introduce yourself! 👀💕
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I would rather type out a 40,000-word explanation in a text than have a five-minute phone call.
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IT’S HAPPENING
Update: In March, I will spend 5 nights* in a VRBO tiny house for my first ever solo writing retreat & I am giddy.
*quite possibly the longest stretch I’ve been alone in [checks watch] ever
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Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is whether
I’d rather have my kids know me as the mom who’s willing to drop everything and help
or
the mom who sometimes says “I’m sorry but I don’t have the bandwidth for that right now.”
Like, is it okay to not be the 1st one?
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I can’t even begin to express how stinkin’ excited I am to work with Lorelei on the story of my heart. ❤️
I am THRILLED to be working with the delightful
@JEngelMattern
on her tale about family, the secrets we keep, & a girl desperate to fill in some of the missing pieces of her story. This MS has so much heart, and it had mine right from the very first page 😍
#authormentormatch
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Been watching Derry Girls and—holy cow—what an exquisite tutorial on creating characters!
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This precious human, my middlest child, turns 18 today & officially tips the scales—I now have more adult children than not. 💜
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If you came to my house and I offered you coffee, tea, or cocoa, which would you choose & which mug would you want to drink it from?
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Last year on my birthday, I had a paucity of writer friends. This year, I have a PLETHORA, and I feel so blessed to walk this path with each & every one of you.
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Being on sub can be lonely. And sad. And frustrating.
But please allow me to introduce you to the characters in my story, the ones who hold my whole heart. (Art by the amazing
@hloweart
)
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4 out of 5 of my children are girls. Years ago, after yet another frantic search for a hairbrush, I glued a magnet to one and stuck it on the fridge. It still saves my sanity nearly every day.
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This morning I opened a bar of Dove soap. The moment the scent reached my nose, I was suddenly a little girl standing in my grandma's bathroom where one of those bars could always be found beside the sink nestled in a seashell soap holder.
What are your time-machine scents?
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I don't want to brag, but I got up early this morning to write and added 39 words to my WIP in just under an hour.
#speeddrafting
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I’ve decided to give the I-don’t-want-to-get-my-heart-crushed-again angst a kick to the curb.
Writing is finally, finally happening again.
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One year ago today I signed with my wonderful agent, Nicole Eisenbraun. I’m even more thankful for her calm, reassuring presence now than I was then.
*Note: Everyone needs at least 1 writer friend who will send them a redneck wineglass when they sign with an agent.
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If you're someone who merrily went through life not needing glasses, how old were you when all the words in books became tiny and blurry?
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Just saw an online conference for MG & YA writers with one of my favorite authors.
My ❤️ sank when I saw the cost: $1600+
My dream is to host a FREE workshop someday (featuring award-winning authors) for aspiring writers who don’t have this kind of cash lying around.
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Welp, in the past two hours I created and deleted a Mastodon account. It took a long time to work up the courage to make a community here. I really don’t have the heart to start over.
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LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE x LAW AND ORDER
Pa’s on trial for murder. Only Little Gretchen knows he was busy bringin’ in the sheaves at the time of the crime. The problem? Gretchen is a milk cow. Can she mooove the long arm of the law in time to save Pa?
#tacopitch
#truecrime
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my husband told our youngest to eat at least half her oatmeal
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Today is
#tacopitch
AND I made the longlist for
@writementor
’s NID award. I think I might spend the rest of this Tuesday with a huge smile on my face.
WriteMentor Novel-in-Development Award 2021
THE LONGLIST
Congratulations to everyone who made it!
But equal congratulations to all of you - we really enjoyed reading your works-in-progress - keep going! ✍️
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10yo: Can I go play at —‘s house?
Me: (Hesitantly) We don’t really know their family very well. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that.
*one day later…
10yo: (Confidently) I told my friend the reason we can’t play is because my mom doesn’t trust her mom.
Me:
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While you’re waiting for the eclipse, check out my newly tidied bookshelves! 📚
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💖💖💖
No matter what this place is called, the
#kidlit
community here is filled with some of the kindest, biggest-hearted humans on the planet.
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Working toward traditional publication sometimes feels a bit like being a violinist on the Titanic.
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Lord help me I just spent an hour making this on Canva.
Please tell me it's cute.
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On this day 16 years ago, my dad died. He was a teacher, coach, pianist, & gardener, a lover of good German beer and stinky cheese. He was a man of few words and a gentle soul. Love you, Dad.
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I printed out my manuscript and am hard at work pretending it’s a real book.
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shamelessly posting a pic of what may well be the most beautiful apple pie in the history of apple pies 🍏
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@thushponweera
I just saw this sign in a window in downtown Moscow, Idaho, and thought of you. ❤️
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Let’s talk about panic attacks for a moment.
…Like, why they show up out of nowhere
…And what methods you’ve found for making them less wretched
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From observing my 15yo daughter, I’ve learned that when she’s wearing her Nirvana sweatshirt & a random man in his 40s stops her to ask “Can you even name one of their songs?” it does not endear her to her elders.
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I apologize if this makes you green with envy, but over the course of the last 97 days I've written 828 words.💥
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This girl is now 18 and headed to college in the fall. There have been many more rejections since I posted this tweet, along with a few hard-earned yeses, but I’m still at it.
My lovely 14-year-old daughter prints out an inspiring quote for me every time I get a rejection. Here are a few of them. I *almost* look forward to hearing “this isn’t right for my list at the moment” because it means I’ll get one of these gems.
#amquerying
#amwriting
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I have the honor of sharing my birthday with Ernest Hemingway, Robin Williams, & National Junk Food Day. I’m not sure which I’m most excited about. 🎈🎉
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I write for middle grade readers because I am on a quest to capture the feeling of pure magic I felt as a child whenever a book truly captured my heart. ✨
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because no matter how you add it, 1 agent + 1 editor + 5 people on the acquisitions team does not equal one
Instead of telling a writer, "Keep writing. It only takes one YES," say, "Keep writing. You'll get there one YES at a time."
We know you mean well, and we love the encouragement. Just keeping it honest over here ❤️
#WritingCommunity
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Twitter’s the only social media platform I’ve been on that doesn’t feel like I’m wearing the wrong outfit at a middle school dance.
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I just promised my 14yo I would buy her a pair of Converse high-tops when I get a book deal.
If you're an editor with a yearning for some contemporary
#MGlit
and you'd like to help me out with this, my daughter would be very grateful.
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In 2023, I'm replacing "I can't" with this quote from Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking:
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My son turns 20 next week. I can’t tell you how proud I am that this is his birthday wish.
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