It has been my dream to write and publish middle-grade books forever. Growing up, books meant everything to me. My family moved around a lot from country to country, and my best friends were often fictional characters. Back then, I already knew I wanted to write for children one day, to give them characters as encouraging, inspiring, and bold as the ones I grew up with.

But it wasn’t easy to get here. Let me tell you how I got my book deal.

Writing, Querying, and Rejection

I always wanted to write middle grade because I love reading children’s books, even as an adult. But I was waiting for the right idea.

In 2024, I wrote my first book in English. It was an adult novel about two estranged neurodivergent sisters with heavy themes, but a lot of humour. I took two courses to edit it and to learn how to query agents. I sent it to 70 agents, but after three months, I only had two full manuscript requests, and I never heard back after those.

In the UK, publishing usually works so that you first need a literary agent, who then submits your book to publishers on your behalf. It’s very competitive, with lots of writers querying agents and lots of books competing for a small number of publishing slots. I knew that rejection was part of the process, so I kept writing.

‘Children of the Chimneytops’

In October 2024, I met my idol, Cornelia Funke, for the first time. I grew up in Germany, of course, so I grew up reading her book. It was incredible to hear her talk at the Bath Children’s Literature Festival… and afterwards, I finally had my middle-grade idea.

During NaNoWriMo 2024 (National Novel Writing Month, aka November), I wrote a fantasy novel with an autistic heroine set on the rooftops of Oxford called Children of the Chimneytops. I submitted it to the Bath Children’s Novel Award and was longlisted for the award – and I got one of the three coveted Golden Yesses (like a Golden Ticket). That was my sign! After a few rounds of edits, I started querying agents again in January.

This time, I queried 40 agents, and 16 wanted to read the full manuscript!!! That is such a high percentage, and I was thrilled!

The first of them was Gill Mclay from Bath Literary Agency, who requested the manuscript only two days in. Five agents wanted to meet. I met them all, but Gill and I clicked immediately. We talked for nearly two hours, not only about this book, but also about my dreams and aspirations as an author. It was wonderful!

And when I heard that Gill and her husband John run the festival where I had first had the idea for this book, it felt like serendipity. I signed with her in March 2025.

Submissions and Setback

After a few minor edits, Gill started submitting my novel to publishers in April. After all the agent interest, we thought it would sell immediately. But it didn’t. 😔

The feedback was fantastic, but everyone either already had something similar or were looking for something different. It was quite frustrating because I knew the book was great, but it just wasn’t the right time.

So at the beginning of summer 2025, my book was still on submission. I started to think I might not get a publishing deal in the UK, so I promised my Finnish publisher four books for 2026 and began working on those.

The Book Launch

Meanwhile, I read and reviewed lots of middle-grade books on Instagram. I tried to learn from them, but I also tried to build a brand and connect with publishers, thinking it might be useful one day. Sometimes I got invited to book launches, and I always went.

In June 2025, I attended a Hachette book launch for a middle-grade sci-fi book called Transcendent. I said hi to the staff and got on REALLY well with the editor. We talked for over an hour! So I asked him what kind of books he’s looking for. I expected something generic, like “funny stories” or “diverse characters”. Instead, he said he’d love an animal adventure.

That’s when it clicked for me! I have always loved animals, nature, and books about them. I’m from a country with incredible wildlife, and autistic children often connect with animals – and I already knew that my middle-grade heroine would be autistic.

The story came to me almost fully formed.

So, five minutes later, I asked, "Can I pitch you an idea?”

The Pitch

The editor liked it and asked if he could have a sample and synopsis by Monday. It was Friday night. I wrote all weekend. I couldn’t stop! This was the story I had always dreamt of writing. I also did illustrations to introduce my characters. It all felt instinctive, like everything I had done so far had been leading up to this.

Two days later, the editor presented Lumi’s and Wolf’s story to his team. Afterwards, he sent me an email saying: “People thought your pitch and story were lovely. We would love to have you on our list at Hachette Children’s Group.”

I cried my eyes out!!!

The Wait

I started writing straight away. It felt so easy. Lumi, Wolf and Oskár came alive. It was like they were really living in Lapland, and I just had to listen and write their story down! Cornelia Funke had described something similar at the Bath event. My characters were real! I also travelled to Lapland for research.

But it still wasn’t that straightforward. It took over TWO months of sending new material, meetings, and going through acquisitions at Hachette before my agent received the official offer and contract. Decisions in publishing take time, and sooooo many people are involved. It was very nerve-wracking! We also had to take Children of the Chimneytops off submission.

The Book Deal

I signed in August 2025, and Lumi and the Wolf will be published in September 2026. This story contains my heart ❤️

I will forever be grateful to Will Severs at Hachette for believing in Lumi (and me!) from the very first moment we met, and for championing me from the beginning. And I am so glad that I had my agent, Gill Mclay, by my side throughout this rollercoaster journey, with all her wisdom and experience.