Local Ann Arborite Mimi Olson is celebrating being named a finalist in the prestigious Midwest Book Awards for her first published novel, “Middle School Is No Place for Magic.” At the award ceremony in Minneapolis on June 22, her novel earned the silver seal for YA Fiction and the gold seal for Cover Design, created by Artist Jenny Zemanek.
An inside look
“’Middle School is No Place for Magic’ is a modern-day coming-of-age story set in Ann Arbor,” Olson said. “It explores the many pressures youth are under, from family expectations to coping with serious issues like grandparents becoming ill, parent separation, and more. In contrast, it also focuses on some of the great things about being in middle school like hanging out with friends, trying a new sport, being passionate about an endeavor, like magic, making new friends and more. It’s a character-driven literary novel along the lines of what Judy Blume wrote for her middle school readers.”
Olson enjoyed featuring some of her favorite things about Ann Arbor in the book, such as modeling the schools after Haisley Elementary and Forsythe Middle School, and including scenes at Graffiti Alley, Seventh Street Park and the UM Marching Band practice field. In fact, a personal experience she had with her family at YpsiFest was the inspiration behind the novel.
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“Several years ago, my husband and I took our daughter to a magic show at a summer festival,” Olson said. “I was really impressed with the show and the magician pulled Leah onto the stage to participate. The magician had his young son in the show, acting as his assistant. That really ignited my imagination. I couldn’t help but envision what it might be like to: a. Have a dad who’s a magician, b. Grow up helping in the magic business, and c. Get into middle school, a time when the smallest things (my mom’s head scarf, for instance) can be unreasonably mortifying. To be at that tough age and have to perform, possibly in front of your peers…my brain was buzzing. I had a novel outlined in about a week. The rest of the process took a bit longer!”
Conducting research for the novel, Olson learned a ton about the rich history of magic right here in Michigan and experienced an unlikely but happy coincidence.
“As part of my book research, I wanted to reach out to the magic community to see if I could connect with someone to consult on the book,” Olsen said. “I happened to spot a business card for a local magician. It was Jeff Boyer (Boyer the Magic Guy from the Chelsea area) and he agreed to meet. I shared the story about the inspiration for the novel, not thinking there was any way it could have been him. Low and behold, it was! I even found photographic proof. Jeff and his son, Caleb, performed at the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival for a number of years and he agreed to consult on my novel. We’ve developed a creative writing workshop that’s part author talk/part magic show. Jeff, who was recently inducted into the Michigan Magician Hall of Fame, has introduced me to an entire world of magic right here in our state, and I’m forever thankful for his generosity and friendship!”
Olson said the community support and reaction that she has received has been overwhelmingly positive.
“The community I’ve been welcomed into this past year has been an unexpected bonus to being published,” Olson said. “I’ve met fellow writers and authors through Fifth Avenue Press. I’ve received support from the Ann Arbor Book Society and was invited to join an Ann Arbor Author Group. I’ve been participating in events run by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and meeting other authors through that group. The Michigan SCBWI Chapter (Society of Children’s Book Writers) offers a lot of support in terms of promoting their members.”
The publishing process
“After I had a polished draft, I pitched the novel to three agents at a conference and those queries were rejected,” Olsen said. “At that point, I was leaning toward self-publishing, but thought I’d submit it to Fifth Avenue Press first to see if they would select my novel, and they did!”
Olsen said working with Fifth Avenue Press, run by the Ann Arbor District Library, has been amazing.
“Working with this press, run by the Ann Arbor District Library, has been amazing,” Olsen said. “Editor Erin Helmrich assisted in all aspects of coordinating the publication, including hiring an editor, a cover designer, and collaborating with staff to complete the formatting, fact-checking, and prep. They also arranged for a marketing workshop, author headshot, and hosted a wonderful book launch event. I think of Fifth Avenue Press as an author incubator, and I’ve taken to calling them an altruistic press. They do so much for their authors and the press doesn’t take a single percentage of the sales like literary agents and traditional publishers do; all they ask for is permission to have digital versions of the book available for download on their website. It’s been a humbling experience and I’m forever grateful to everyone who works with Fifth Avenue Press for all their support.”
Advice to new writers
“I encourage new writers to seek out a local writing critique group, join an organization like SCBWI, attend workshops and conferences and keep improving your craft. I also think it’s important to understand the realities of the publishing industry today. Only 1-2% of all manuscripts sent to publishers will be picked up. I started writing fiction 20 years ago and there were many times when I felt like quitting. Now, of course, I’m glad I kept writing and cherish the experiences I’ve had as a new author. The key for me all those years was to refocus on craft and connecting with others, again and again.”
Olson is scheduling 45-minute Zoom or onsite creative writing workshops and author visits for this fall. Her workshops are developed for middle school students on up and are focused on finding inspiration all around you, the elements of drafting a short story, and much more. If interested, visit mimiolson.com or reach out to Olson directly by emailing mimiolsonbooks@gmail.com.
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