Kari Lavelle is the author of WE MOVE THE WORLD (HarperCollins), the BUTT OR FACE series (Sourcebooks, 2023), and an unannounced picture book biography. Her debut was honored with the Writers’ League of Texas Best Picture Book award in 2022. She has always had a love for words: as a kid reading books, as a speech pathologist helping children communicate, and now as a writer creating stories for younger readers. She grew up in the Midwest but now lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, kids, and doggo, Dobby. Initially, Kari loved 12×12 for the wonderful webinars and Manuscript Makeover section of the forum but now, it’s all about the lovely community and connections that have supported her on this journey. 12×12 is always her first recommendation for any aspiring picture book creator. Over the years, she’s discovered that critiquing others’ work has been especially helpful in her own improvement and development as a writer. Her favorite part about her role as a critique ninja is being a part of a writer’s growth as well as a manuscript’s revision progress and hopefully, an eventual path to publication! She is represented by Elizabeth Bennett (also the name of one of her favorite literary characters) at Transatlantic Literary Agency. Learn more about Kari and her books at karilavelle.com.
TikTok: @karilavelle
