Meet Millie Florence, middle-grade novelist

A literary meet-'n'-greet in 10 pictures or less

Welcome back, friends!

Are you ready to be inspired?

Today’s interview is with Millie Florence (a.k.a. a drop of pure sunshine).

She published her first book at the tender age of 13, and she’s published two more since. That’s impressive, but what’s even better is that Millie positively radiates joy.

I promise she’ll brighten the corner where you are.

(Required by law: Some of the links in this email are your standard ol’ affiliate links. Check out my disclosure policy.)

And now, I’ll let Millie take it away!

All About Millie

My earliest memories are of lying under the covers at night, whispering stories to myself long after my parents had told me to go to sleep. I published my first book, Honey Butter, at age 13 and haven’t stopped since!

I live in a picturesque blue house in the woods of southern Illinois. I love adventure, good food, and just about all things yellow.

Fun fact: I won a made-up word competition at a writing conference with my word “Snorp”

Q: Name 1-3 writing teachers (or writing books) you've learned from.

A: The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass. Spilling Ink by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter. And all of K. M. Weiland’s books on writing craft are fantastic.

Q: What advice would you give to an aspiring author?

A: When you’re starting out, quantity is more important than quality. The more you write, the better you get. Don’t linger trying to make something perfect, just keep going.

Q: Any regrets about your writing career so far?

A: Worrying so much about “making it.” I’ve seen a lot of my dreams come true, but worrying has not contributed to any of them. I could have saved myself a lot of stress if I had simply done my best with joy.

All About Millie’s Books

I wrote these books at ages 13, 15, and 18!

• Honey Butter

• Beyond Mulberry Glen (Available to preorder from Waxwing Books)

• The Balter of Ashton Harper

Books that Millie read and loved

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Children of the Flying City by Jason Sheehan

Henry and the Chalk Dragon by Jennifer Trafton

Ferris by Kate DiCamillo

Here’s how you can connect with Millie

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Millie today!

Head over to her website to stay up to date—hint, hint, Beyond Mulberry Glen is scheduled to release in January 2025 by Sarah MacKenzie’s Waxwing Books, but you can preorder it now.

If you’d like to read one of Millie’s books today for free, you can grab the ebook and audiobook of Honey Butter right here.

Here’s where you can find her on YouTube (vlogs, writing tips, and more), Instagram, and Facebook.

Also, get inspiration from her TBR on Goodreads.

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Thank you, Millie, for chatting books today!

And thank you for being here, readers.

Catch you next time,

Michelle