New York Times Bestselling Author
More About Livia Blackburne (She/Her)
Languages: English, some Mandarin
New York Times bestselling author Livia Blackburne wrote her first novel while researching the neuroscience of reading at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since then, she’s switched to full time writing, which also involves getting into people’s heads but without the help of a three tesla MRI scanner. Her books include Midnight Thief (An Indies Introduce New Voices selection), Feather and Flame, and Clementine and Danny Save the World (And Each other), as well as the picture book I Dream of Popo, which received three starred reviews and was on numerous Best of Year lists. She is Chinese American and lives in southern California with her husband and daughter.
You can find Livia online at:
Livia’s strengths are…
getting to the heart of a story, streamlining text, acting as a sounding board for author vision, providing no nonsense feedback on the business side of the industry.
What Livia is looking for…
Livia is looking for a mentee who is willing to put in the work and dedicated to learning more about the craft and the business. She is open to writers of all backgrounds, but encourages writers of East Asian descent in particular to apply. She's also interested in working with writers who write in multiple categories and genres. Picture book only authors should have more than one manuscript ready to workshop.
A Note from Livia:
“I'll be looking primarily at the manuscript to see if I connect with them and if I can be helpful. Definitely put your best foot forward in the rest of the application, but don't stress overly much about making that perfect.”
Livia’s Picture Books
Livia writes in other markets, so to check out her full catalog please visit her website.
I DREAM OF POPO, Written by Livia Blackburne and Illustrated by
Livia’s Upcoming Picture Books
Nainai’s Mountain, illustrated by Joey Chou (Holiday House/Neal Porter Books, 2024)
What Sparks a Fire?, illustrated by Nicole Xu (Lerner/Carolrhoda, 2025)
Bing’s Cherries, illustrated by Julia Kuo (Knopf, 2026)
If Livia created a Visual Wish List, it would be made up of…
*Unless otherwise stated, the below serves as a wish list only. Each mentor is excited about the opportunity to find a manuscript they can’t stop thinking about. Please apply if you think you’d be a good fit.
We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
Hair Love written by Matthew A. Cherry, illustrated by Vashti Harrison
The Antlered Ship written by Dashka Slater, illustrated by the Fan Brothers
Llama Destroys the World written by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrated by Heather Fox
Ocean Meets Sky by the Fan Brothers
Magic Candies by Heena Baek, translated by Sophie Bowman
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
My Papi has a Motorcycle written by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Peña
Born to Ride: A Story about Bicycle Face written by Larissa Theule, illustrated by Kelsey Garrity-Riley
The Remember Balloons written by Jessie Oliveros, illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte
Livia is a good fit for…
Books that appeal to both children and adults. This often includes books with universal themes and strong emotional touchstones that both adults and children can identify with (love, family, loss, etc), or humor that works on both kid and adult levels (think Pixar movies or Ryan T. Higgens).
STEM related books
Creative nonfiction
Books with an epic feel.
Fantasy
East Asian voices
Livia is not a good fit for…
Rhyme
Books telling kids how special/unique they are
Slice of life, unless there is a strong emotional core
Who can apply to Livia? Unagented AND Agented authors only.
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