Ann Angel

Ann Angel writes both fiction and nonfiction for young adults. Her most recent book is Adopted Like Me, My book of Adopted Heroes, and she is best known as the author of the 2011 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award winner Janis Joplin Rise Up Singing. She was a contributing editor for the anthology SUCH A PRETTY FACE: SHORT STORIES ABOUT BEAUTY.

Ann graduated from Vermont College’s MFA in writing for children and young adults, She teaches writing at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee where she lives with her family. When she isn't writing, she spends time with her family which includes four grown kids, her husband, Jeff, and a cat named Sparkie.

You've written many books within several genres. What is your secret to success?

I don’t think of myself as successful so much as persevering to do the things I love. Those include writing and painting. I began my college career as a visual artist then switched to majoring in English Secondary Education with an art minor. Teaching students to write actually made me a better writer because of all the close reads I’ve done over the years.

What is the hardest part about writing?

Publishing, though, is another tiger. Finding a publisher is, for me, the toughest part of being a writer. I was able to grab on to a few great editors and educational publishers to get my work out in the world. I met my editors through SCBWI conferences and through my MFA program at Vermont College which also made me eligible for tenure at Mount Mary University where I ended up directing a graduate English program. (Alas, my editors have all retired, or left publishing as houses have merged and imprints disappeared.) 

What advice would you give to an author just starting out?

Keep writing, read everything you can in the genre you’re writing, and, of course, revise as many times as your work needs to shine. Write to fill your heart and don’t worry about publishing while you’re writing. That comes later. Join a writers group or take writing classes and workshops to work toward being the best writer you can be. Also, avoid AI in writing and revision. 

When and where do you write?

My favorite place to write is in my sunroom where I can watch the snow in winter and enjoy spring’s greening, summer’s refresh, and turning leaves in autumn. But I also write in hotel rooms, in the car while picking up kids and grandkids.

What are your upcoming plans?

I’ve got a ton of young adult novels I’d love to place before editors and I’m looking for an agent to help with that. (I’m between agents at the moment.) I’m almost finished with a draft of a novel about growing up in a huge and wildly chaotic family. I think it needs to be revised into a verse novel when I’ve finished this draft. And I’m painting a lot, thinking about taking more art classes. I keep thinking I should have stayed with art training in college because, maybe, my novels would be great graphic novels!