We are thrilled to interview YA author, Liselle Sambury today! Her book, A Mastery of Monsters releases on July 29th. Read more about her and her book below.

Kidlit in Color: What was your inspiration for A Mastery of Monsters? 

Liselle Sambury: I actually came up with the titles for all the books in the trilogy at the same time. Though we’ve yet to confirm whether we’ll use the one for the third title officially. I do wish that I had a better origin story, but A Mastery of Monsters just came to me in the moment. I like alliterative titles in general and given that the novel is focused on academia and monsters, it felt like something that fit well. As you read the book, you come to see the different layers in the titles and the way it also speaks to the power dynamics in the secret society. It also appealed to me that it followed some of the conventions around fantasy book titles while feeling still like something fresh and different.

KLiC: Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book? 

LS: I finished writing the first draft of the novel in November of 2022 after two months of writing and about a month and a half of plotting the book. After I completed it, I thought it was so bad that I ended up moving onto another project. I didn’t go back to read over it until May of 2023, and when I did, I was shocked because it was so good. I admit that I am often my harshest critic and realized just how much in that moment because I couldn’t believe that this was the same book that I thought was so terrible a few months ago.

I had originally pitched a YA horror project to my publisher as a proposal which they wanted to buy, but I wondered if I would get more enthusiasm for a fantasy project instead. So, in a week, I went back to my first draft, polished the first six chapters, wrote a synopsis and pitch, and we sent that into my publisher instead, which sold in June of 2023. It was honestly an ideal outcome because this was the project that I had originally wanted to publish next, and I had only pitched the other project first because I felt insecure about my first draft. I’m truly so happy that this is the book series that we’re publishing.

KLiC: What are your favorite moments in the book?

LS: I have so many moments in the novel that I love, but I’m a big fan of the first two chapters. The opening chapter is from a character in the novel who isn’t the main POV character, but an important one, and it helps set the scene and tone. It’s action packed, a little scary, a little gruesome, but there’s also a lot of heart and personality in the voice. Then that second chapter from the main character, August, mirrors a lot of what happens in the initial chapter which creates an innate tension. I love it because it’s a great showcase of who August is as a character: funny, flawed, and badass. She goes from dancing in a club, to throwing a knife at a guy, to mocking the love interest, and it’s just the best.

KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children or teens to take away from your book?​

LS: A lot of A Mastery of Monsters is about external pressure put on teens around both personal and academic excellence, and the ways in which this can be detrimental. I even wrote a dedication about how overachievers should allow themselves more grace when it comes to knowing what they want for their futures or encountering failure. I hope that readers can come away from the novel understanding that it’s okay if something doesn’t work out. That, I think, was the toughest lesson for me to learn during my time in university. I felt that everything that happened within those four years would define the rest of my life, and that just isn’t true.


KLiC: Do you have any tips for pre-published authors?

LS: Write what you’re passionate about regardless of if it aligns with trends or seems “sellable,” and focus on completing your projects to the best of your ability before getting caught up in pursuits of publication. I sometimes find that writers striving to be published let the pressure of that dream overshadow the craft of writing itself, when that’s the thing that gets you to that publication milestone. There’s no time limit on publishing a book. But you can absolutely come to regret putting out something you aren’t passionate about or that you rushed.


KLiC: What’s next for you? 

LS: There are two more books in the Mastery series to be published, and so I’m hard at work on those. The second novel has been exciting for me to work on as it increases the stakes of the first, adds a new POV character, has an even bigger and deadlier competition, and sets up for the final book in the series. I’m also in the process of pursuing the publication of an adult project, and hope that I’ll have a novel in that age category to share one day.


KLiC: Is there anything you want readers to know about you or your book(s)?

LS: A Mastery of Monsters will be my sixth published novel, and so I hope that readers will take a look at the other books I’ve put out which include fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, and horror novels for young adults. They can also find me online at YouTube and Instagram under @lisellesambury. My YouTube channel is especially great for writers as I share a lot of behind-the-scenes of my life as a full-time author, writing and publishing advice, and offer a transparent look at my writing process.

 
Liselle Sambury is a Trinidadian Canadian author and Governor General’s Literary Awards Finalist. She has a love for stories with dark themes, complicated families, and edges of hope. In her free time, she shares helpful tips for upcoming writers and details of her publishing journey through a YouTube channel dedicated to demystifying the sometimes-complicated business of being an author.

KLiC: Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book? 

NS: I use a cheat sheet to draft story ideas. While some stories write themselves, others are 'hot'. Some of my stories require a lot of revision, research, and additional brainstorming. I apply craft tools I learned along the way to write better stories. I wrote A RAKHI FOR RAKESH in 2017. I revised and polished it for a year. At the time I was unagented. I shopped it around myself and a small press offered publication in March of 2018. I was thrilled. This happened right around the same time I accepted literary representation. Sadly, I lost the book deal during the process. I was devastated, but my agent assured me we would find it a home. I set the story aside for several months. We revised A RAKHI FOR RAKESH then took it out on sub in early 2021. It sold to Editor, Elizabeth Agyemang, who fell in love with it and offered publication in August of 2021. ​

KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book?

NS: I want children to takeaway, that love is a complicated emotion filled with conflicting feelings.
 
KLiC: Do you have any tips for pre-published authors?

Giving up is easy. Staying the course is hard, but so worth it in the end. Set goals. Follow through to complete them. Put the effort in and don't expect others to do the work for you. If something isn't working the way you expect, try something different. Querying wasn't working for me, I entered pitch events and landed my agent that way. I didn't get here alone. I'm thankful for every single person who helped me along the way. It took lots of hands and support from so many wonderful creatives who cheered me on, showed me how to write, and to believe in my words. They were shoulders for me to cry on, and were always standing by to help me reframe when I couldn't see through the forest. I'm a firm believer in paying it forward. Always give something back to the community that raised you. Knowledge is a gift and power. Be responsible with it.  

Nadia Salomon is an award-winning journalist. She is the author of Goodnight Ganesha, a Bank Street Best Children’s Book and an ALSC Día Selection. A Voice of Hope is her acclaimed release. It received the 2025 BCALA, SLJ Children and Youth Literary Award, a 2025 Notable Social Studies Trade Book award, a Bank Street Best Children's Book award, and earned two starred reviews from SLJ and The Horn Book. Nadia's title, A Rakhi for Rakesh, released with HarperCollins (Versify) in July 2025. It's about a pair of siblings who must overcome big emotions to celebrate the sibling holiday, Raksha Badhan. She works closely with SCBWI, 12x12 Challenge, Kids Comics Unite, and Storyteller Academy. When Nadia’s not spinning yarns, you’ll find her blogging about her favorite reads at Nadia’s Nook.
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You can find her online on her website and on Instagram @nadiasalomon.author.

We are thrilled to host Justin Colón on our blog today! Read more about his upcoming picture book, THE ZOMBEES. 

KLiC: What was your inspiration for THE ZOMBEES?

JC: I had an existing contract with Simon & Schuster in which I needed to provide a follow-up book to The Quacken. They wanted something that featured another punny creature, humor, spookiness, and some sort of chase sequence. With those parameters in mind, I researched portmanteau creatures and worked from there. I'm also a Halloween buff and beekeeper, so I'm sure that played heavily into it as well.

KLiC: Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell THE ZOMBEES? 

JC: From pitch to acquisition, the process took about eleven months. I pitched the title and character concept of The Zombees, during a February Zoom call with my editor, Kendra Levin. She loved it, and I got to writing. By mid-March I submitted the manuscript, and by mid-April I received a request for a significant 'revise and resubmit'. I submitted it in June, and by July I was informed by the editorial team that they were passing. They asked if I would be open to keeping the concept but writing an entirely new story, one that wasn't so dark and featured a message of bee positivity. Fast forward to January, after I had put the manuscript to rest for several months, and an entirely new story, told in rhyme, came to me while showering. I was able to produce a full draft, almost identical to the one being published, within two days. Normally my manuscripts take months (even years). I attribute this quickness to working on the story for so long and exploring all other options beforehand.

 I think what's far more interesting, though, is how quickly Kaly Quarles illustrated the book. From the time she was hired, Kaly delivered final art in just three months. She rocked under pressure, and that's what allowed us to stick to our original publication date of 2025.

KLiC: What are your favorite illustrations in THE ZOMBEES?

JC: This book feels like the essence of Halloween. It's spooky, festive fun. Each time I sit down with it I discover something new that I love and hadn't noticed before. As a spread, my favorite illustration is of the silhouetted zombees leaving the graveyard behind as they fly into the moonlit sky. Some of my favorite individual elements are the worm that appears on each page. The cat re-enacting the zombees in the library. And all the delicious looking candies and desserts Kaly crafted. I wish I could snatch them out of the page and eat them. 

KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from THE ZOMBEES?

JC: As a beekeeper, I often work to educate the public about honeybees and how they're intelligent, hardworking creatures that generally don't attack unless provoked. But that's not my objective here. All I hope is that this story proves a fun read-aloud for the Halloween season. I love when I receive messages from families and educators that the little ones in their lives ask to read my stories on repeat. It's an incredible feeling to know your story has enthralled a child.

KLiC: Do you have any tips for pre-published authors?

JC: Aside from the usual advice, I encourage you to think about your story's theme and takeaway. If you had to sum up your story in one word, what would that word be? What is your story really about at its core? What is its point? What do you hope readers will gain and take away from the experience? 

Also, I would love to help you on your publication journey. I provide query and manuscript critiques, consultations, classes, and mentorship through my website: justincolonbooks.com/editorial-services

KLiC: What’s next for you? 

JC: Beginning in autumn, I'll be traveling the country to do events and school visits for The Quacken and Impossible Possums. And in spring of 2026, my next picture book, Vampurr (illustrated by Lenny Wen) publishes with FSG/Macmillan. 

KLiC: Is there anything you want readers to know about you or your book(s)?

JC: I will be doing spooky Halloween-themed school visits for The Zombees during late September through October. If you're interested in me visiting your school, feel free to contact me through my school visits page: justincolonbooks.com/school-visits

Justin Colón (he/him/his) is a professional actor and children's book author. His previous picture books include The Quacken (illustrated by Pablo Pino) and Impossible Possums, (illustrated by James Rey Sanchez). A lover of Halloween and zombie movies, Justin is also a backyard beekeeper. Though his bees sometimes frighten the neighbors, they’ve never tried to eat their brains— something Justin takes great pride in. He lives in New York, but you can visit him at JustinColonBooks.com.