Meet #kidlit Debut Author Evgenia Mantikas

CAROL GORDON EKSTER: I met Evgenia at the Kindling Words East retreat in 2026. What sweet and contagious energy she has! I am so excited to highlight her here and let her tell us about her debut picture book, which is absolutely beautiful.

Please tell us what brought you to enter the world of writing for children?

EVGENIA MANTIKAS: In college, I took a creative writing workshop, and I submitted a story about an artist and his muse. Everyone noticed that something was off—the voice, the pacing, the tone. I remember listening to the feedback thinking, “Yeah, writing these pages was weird.” I realized that I didn’t want to write for grownups. I had no interest in it. I had nothing to say, so I asked if I could write a children’s story. I had an idea from high school about an English mouse who lived in Paris as a tailor. My professor and author Stacey D’Erasmo said yes, and I haven’t looked back since. After all, I belong to the generation of Percy Jackson, Hunger Games, Maze Runner—the renaissance of kidlit. I never grew out of it and I never will. Writing for kids just makes sense. It feels closer and truer to my imagination and who I am.

CGE: Congratulations on your debut book that just came out September 1^st. Can you tell us how you came to co-author your first published book, Ege And Ávra, with Elifgül Büyükoral; illustrated by Nazlı Tarcan, published by Charlesbridge, and the story behind the story of your beautiful picture book that celebrates cross-cultural relationships?

EM: Elifgül and I met at Simmons University. She came up to me on the first day of class and asked, “Are you Turkish?” I laughed and replied, “No, I’m Greek.” Despite the rocky history between our two countries, we became fast friends and discovered we had so much in common.

When it came time to write a picture book for class, Elif suggested that we write something together. Now I usually don’t like working with others. I am, what you would call, a control freak, but I just couldn’t say no to Elif!

With only a week to write the manuscript, we started right away. We wanted to write a love letter to our cultures and peoples, so we focused on the Aegean sea. The sea divides our lands, but it also connects them. From there, the rest of the story just fell into place. Two girls, who each grew up with their own ideas about each other’s homeland, find that they are more alike than different. Without realizing it, we wrote our story!

CGE: How does your life as a teacher influence your writing life?

EM: Teaching shapes everything I write. I’ve spent so much time with middle schoolers—seeing how they interpret stories, where they struggle, what excites them—that I find myself editing with them in mind. After all, I want to write stories that they’ll love. Sometimes I even talk through my ideas with them and get honest feedback. It’s the best!

CGE: Tell us about your work schedule and process? What does your writing life look like?

EM: My writing life is all over the place. I wish I had the discipline to write every day for x number of hours. Alas, I have ADHD and work best when I hyper fixate on a story idea. I’ll make Pinterest boards and character music playlists to get into the writing flow state. Once I’m ready, I jot down scenes in my notebook and type them up after.

CGE: Tell us about your road to publication. Immediate acquisition? Lots of twists and turns? Have you offered many of your manuscripts to agents and editors, but had them declined?

EM: I was incredibly lucky when publishing EGE AND ÁVRA. We wrote our manuscript in a week and submitted it based on recommendation to Karen Boss, our editor. She sent us an offer about four months later. This is so far from the norm in publishing, and I am so grateful for how this story came into the world.

Since then, things haven’t been as smooth. Lots of rejections from both agents and editors! It’s hard, I’ll admit, but with every no, I get ice cream and tell myself that I’m earning a badge of honor. I’m walking the path so many authors before me have walked!

CGE: Any words of wisdom you’ve learned about writing for the #kidlit market that you can share with our readers?

EM: First, join a writing group! My writing group helps me stay sane and, most importantly, grow as a writer. If you need a group, check out SCWI, Boyds Mills, or 12X12!

Second, always treat yourself after submitting a query. You worked hard and you deserve it! Celebrating your efforts helps you move forward. My go-to treats include ice cream, boba, and or starting a new k-drama.

CGE: What does the future hold for Evgenia Mantikas?

EM: I wish I knew! Right now, I hope I’ll find an agent who can help me bring my stories into the world!

Connect with Evgenia here:

Website

Instagram

Pre-order from Words on Warren: https://www.wordsonwarren.com/preorders/p/ege-and-vra