Becky Walker Books

Author’s name: Carolyn Bennett Fraiser

Illustrator’s name:  Sally Ann Garland

Other book titles: MOON TREE (Reycraft Books, 2022) and FIRE SEEDS (Familius Books, coming in 2028)

What is your upcoming book title? M IS FOR MASON JAR

Date of release: August 12, 2025

Preorder or Order link:    https://highlandbooksonline.com/item/mlXNhqV2sA2R4-uCUIhKwA
(for a signed copy, note: SIGNED COPY in comment field)

Publisher: Familius Books

Agent: Michelle Jackson

Agency: LCS Literary

Hometown: Brevard, North Carolina

Social links: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolynbfraiser 

Twitter/X: https://x.com/CarolynBFraiser 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolynbfraiser/ 

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/carolynbfraiser.bsky.social 

1. What is the premise/pitch for your book?

From canning cucumbers to scattering seeds, children play an essential role in homesteading, learning valuable skills that foster self-reliance, gratitude, and a deeper connection to nature. M Is for Mason Jar introduces young readers to modern-day homesteading through a delightful A-to-Z journey, blending nostalgia with practical, hands-on activities.

2. What are 5 things you want people to know about your book?

• It’s more than an ABC book! Each page includes several alliterative words that help kids learn the sound of each letter of the alphabet.
  
• Each page includes an activity that a young preschool child can participate in to learn more about modern-day homesteading.
  
• A Facebook post inspired this book, and I wrote this book on a dare. I never thought it would be published. I only submitted it to one publisher, and they bought  it!
  
• As a homesteader, I pulled from personal experience as well as research to write this book.
  
• My husband (who is dyslexic and a struggling reader) helped me come up with the key words I used in this book. I love that we were able to collaborate on this book together! 

3. What helpful hints or tips can you offer fellow writers about writing, publishing, and promoting a book?

• WRITING: Keep working on new projects. Your writing will improve as well as your understanding about the market and what projects will sell. Don’t rush the process. Most of my earliest projects still haven’t sold because, although I revised them to death, the ideas weren’t quite hitting the mark. 
  
• SUBMITTING: You’ve heard it before, but writing is very subjective. I once received 2 rejections on the same day with totally opposite advice. The problem was … it wasn’t quite there for either person. But it pushed me to try again until I had the best version possible.
  
• PUBLISHING: Be patient! Every part of the publishing process is slow–submissions, contract negotiations, announcements, artwork, etc. All that waiting you did before you got the sale is just training. Be prepared to wait. Work on something new. Start crafting a marketing plan. I promise, it will be worth the wait!
  
• PROMOTING: There are endless ways to promote your book. Remember this: you can’t do them all. Repeat that line a few times. It’s overwhelming, time-consuming, and a ton of hard work. Don’t burn yourself out before your book even releases. Book marketing is not a sprint to release day. It is a marathon. Focus on doing the things you love. Then pace yourself. You’ll be talking about your book for years to come!
  
• FINAL THOUGHTS: It’s hard to write a book. It’s even harder to sell that book. And then you have to convince people to buy it! No stage of the publishing process is without its difficulties. Don’t stress over the next goal. Enjoy the journey or you’ll miss out on the best parts–the people you meet and the things you learn along the way! 

4. What are 5 fun/quirky facts about yourself as an adult or child?

• I grew up on a ranch and hated everything to do with vegetables and gardening as a kid, but I loved working with the animals and reading everything I could about nature.
  
• I was a bookworm in elementary school and devoured fiction books, but I had a hard time comprehending nonfiction texts. They just weren’t engaging enough for me. Because of that, my reading test scores were often low.
  
• I never intended to get into homesteading. I began experiencing migraines in my 20s and had to develop healthier eating habits. I began looking for recipes that used whole foods, which eventually led me to investigating how to preserve fresh food. From there homesteading was a natural next step.
  
• Speaking engagements terrify me! I have an inherited tremor so my hands and voice shake horribly before I begin. But once I get started, the excitement from the kids gets me excited. I just pray before each event that kids don’t notice how nervous I am!
  
• I’m a total research geek! I love to dive into a new project and just swim around, learning new things for a while. The discovery process excites me. I want kids to feel that same excitement when they read the book.

5. What did you learn about yourself while on the journey to publishing this book?

Don’t sell myself–or my ideas–short. I believed this project was too niche to sell, so I tabled it for a while before even sending it out. But it was also a niche that didn’t have a lot of representation, so that made it an open door. When I saw an open call to submit to Familius, I took the time and specifically targeted my submission specifically to them. Then I just had to take a chance and submit it. If I hadn’t taken that opportunity, it would still be sitting on my computer. The response to this book has been enormous. I just had to believe in it and myself for writing it. 

• Bluesky