BOOTCAMP: Start & finish that novel!

Kat Brzozowski is a senior editor at Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, where she has worked since 2016 after seven years at St. Martin's Press. She has edited a wide range of titles, including the New York Times-bestselling That's My Truck! by Dr. Becky, with art by Joanie Stone; the New York Times-bestselling I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know by Leslie Odom, Jr and Nicolette Robinson, illustrated by Joy Hwang Ruiz; Anna-Marie McLemore’s When the Moon was Ours and The Mirror Season, both longlisted for the National Book Award; and new Fear Street books in R.L. Stine’s best-selling series, which has sold over eighty million copies worldwide. Kat is looking to acquire young adult fiction, especially high concept contemporary, realistic YA; mysteries, suspense and thrillers; and stories set in our world with a speculative twist (think “Minority Report,” not “Star Wars”). In the picture book and middle grade space, she is drawn to stories she's never seen before that feel both timeless and timely. Across the board, she's drawn to authors who bring a new perspective to their readers.

Nisha Sharma, J.D., M.F.A., is an award winning writer, scholar and former corporate culture executive with over ten published books for teens and adults and over ten years of experience in diversity, equity and inclusion work. Her novels have been praised by The New York Times, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, Time Magazine and more. When she’s not championing narratives about radical joy or working towards her PhD in literature and social justice, Nisha likes to spend time with her husband, baby daughter and pets named after characters in her favorite books. She lives in the Philadelphia suburbs and you can find her online at www.Nisha-Sharma.com or on TikTok and Instagram @nishawrites.

Lynne Kelly lives near Houston, Texas, where she writes for middle grade readers. Her novel Song For a Whale, about a deaf girl's bond with the “loneliest whale in the world,” received the Schneider Family Book Award and was named one of New York Public Library's best books of the year. Her latest book, The Secret Language of Birds, was released in April 2024 as an instant USA Today bestseller. Three Blue Hearts, about a boy who cares for an injured octopus, will be out in the Fall of 2025. Find her online at lynnekellybooks.com and on Instagram @lynnekkelly.

Jessica Felleman [she/her] is a literary agent with the Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency, where she represents a range of authors, including experts writing prescriptive nonfiction and critical memoirs, to novelists writing speculative literary fiction, commercial and upmarket women's fiction, and YA science fiction & fantasy. Jessica has an MFA in Writing from CalArts and loves fiction that blends genres or gets weird, and looks for work that features underserved voices, unforgettable places, and complicated relationships. Her debut YA novel LAST KISS OF SUMMER is due out with Putnam Young Readers in April 2026.

Varian Johnson is the author of several novels for children and young adults, including The Parker Inheritance, which won both Coretta Scott King Author Honor and Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor awards; The Great Greene Heist, an ALA Notable Children’s book and Kirkus Reviews Best Book; and the graphic novel Twins, illustrated by Shannon Wright, an NPR Best Book. Varian was born in Florence, South Carolina, and attended the University of Oklahoma, where he received a BS in Civil Engineering. He later received an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is honored to now be a member of the faculty. Varian lives outside of Austin, TX with his family.