Tina Strachan welcomes author and teacher Jess Galatola to The Book Deal podcast to discuss her upcoming children’s books: picture book The Witch Who Couldn’t Spell (launching 19 July) and graphic novel Seasons of Clementine (launching 4 July). Jess shares that The Witch Who Couldn’t Spell uses homophones and comedic chaos to encourage resilience, imperfection, and joy in language, praising debut illustrator Lou Baker’s Easter eggs. She explains Seasons of Clementine evolved from a picture book (The Cloud Collector) into a graphic novel after publisher feedback, and describes learning the format through Perenti Press workshops and the Perenti Prize. Jess recounts her “backwards” publication journey, writing Some Families Change during a 2020 separation, its 2024 release with EK Books, and her advice to remember your “why,” avoid comparison, build relationships, and persist through slush-pile submissions.

00:00 Podcast Introduction
00:56 Welcome Jess Galatola
01:43 The Witch Who Couldn't Spell Pitch
04:25 The Witch Who Couldn't Spell Message
06:24 Illustrator Magic
09:29 Seasons of Clementine Origins
13:45 Graphic Novel Craft
16:10 Perenti Workshops
20:19 Reading Kids Today
23:27 Why Reading Matters
23:56 Books as Escape
25:13 Representation Matters
26:03 Jess Origin Story
27:25 Writing Through Separation
29:38 Landing a Publisher
30:41 Finding Kidlit Community
33:41 Slush Pile Reality
35:12 Rejection and Resilience
39:48 Advice for Authors
44:25 Pitching and Conferences
47:45 Upcoming Launch Events
48:57 Final Thanks and Outro

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