 Kristi Mahoney, a regular 24 Carrot Writing contributor, is a powerhouse of humor, writing skill, and marketing prowess. She may shun the spotlight and deflect exuberant praise, but she is worthy of both. As she launches her debut picture book, Alpacas Make Terrible Librarians (Gnome Road, October 2024), we will ask her to step into the spotlight, for just a moment, as we reflect on the wonderful things we have learned from Kristi. LESSONS WE'VE LEARNED FROM KRISTI  Write with Head and Heart Kristi once shared that on rainy days she won’t pull her car down the driveway until she has moved all the wiggly worms crawling across the blacktop. It may be that one of her kids insisted on this practice, but I have no doubt that Kristi was a willing participant. Love for the animal world explodes in Kristi’s writing as she often chooses animals as her main characters and peppers her fiction work with animal facts. Her ability to share fascinating tidbits about animals comes not only from thorough research but from a true love of her subjects, and readers feel that heart in her work. In addition to heart, Kristi uses her head and leans into her talent for making readers laugh. She has a skill for writing humor and smartly lets it shine as she structures her stories around this stellar attribute. She makes wacky jokes, delivers hilarious one-liners, and creates characters that will make readers guffaw. Kristi could write lyrical prose, animal non-fiction, or frankly any genre she desires; however, by combining her natural proclivity for making readers laugh with her great passion for animals, she has created a signature style that makes her work easily recognizable. Learn from Kristi and embrace head and heart in your work. Be A Generous Critique Partner Kristi’s ability to be a committed member of multiple critique groups is inspiring. I often struggle to complete four or five critiques a month, but it is common for Kristi to do eight to ten. She recognizes that writers need thoughtful feedback to improve their manuscripts and repeatedly steps up to help. Those of us fortunate enough to use her comments as a springboard to revision know that she is generous with her praise, kind in her delivery, and smart in offering alternative ideas and direction. I will always be grateful for Kristi’s skill in providing feedback that sparks productive revision. I’m sure many of her critique partners feel the same. Learn from Kristi and be generous in offering thoughtful feedback to your fellow writers. Lean on Past Experience Before making fantastic books, Kristi worked in marketing. She leans into her marketing background to inform everything from website design to networking to book promotion. Her initiatives and knack for recognizing interesting hooks are remarkable and everything she does is polished and professional. We might not all have a marketing degree, but we do all have other careers to draw from. Learn from Kristi and recognize skills and experience from past careers that can inform and transform your writing career. Play with Words Kristi is 24 Carrot's resident pun queen. Just read any of her book picks and her wordplay will have you in stitches. Whether she is reviewing a book, cooking up a story, or sending an email, she always has a pun or two up her sleeve - and I'm not talking about the lame dad-joke kind. Kristi's are original! Learn from Kristi and allow yourself to have fun with words. Kristi - We wish you a joyful launch. We are sure you will ALPACA-lotta fun into this year, and we are thrilled to be a part of your publishing journey. -- The 24 Carrot Crew
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