Kellie Coff is an international award-winning author and illustrator who isn’t afraid to write about big feelings and tricky topics. Publishing under the pseudonym and registered trademark Lellie Lopter, Kellie’s stories encourage children to think big, to feel deep, and to laugh out loud.
Since attending her first CYA conference in 2023, Kellie has self-published 3 books and she has been published as both and author and an illustrator by several traditional publishers including Daisy Lane Publishing, Rhiza Edge, and Five Mile Press.
In 2026, Kellie’s work will be published in four books for children including as an author of ‘Bella Grows a Bicycle’ (Five Mile), and a contributing author to ‘Under a Different Sky’ (Rhiza Edge). Kellie’s illustrations will also appear in Remember: Heart and Soul (J.E.Miller), and Literally Hilarious (Daisy Lane Seeds Publishing).
Kellie champions children’s literacy through her free little libraries project, the Author Pen Pals Program, the PLCC Author Backpack Project, and the Incognito Art Show. Connect with Kellie as Lellie Lopter on Instagram @lellielopter or at www.lellielopter.com.
WHAT CYA CONFERENCE DID FOR ME
The 2023 CYA Conference was the first conference I had attended after deciding to take writing for children seriously (again). I dusted off a manuscript that had been sitting on a thumb drive in a drawer for over a decade. The manuscript had won the Marshall Allan Hills Writing Competition in 2011. Even though it had won the competition, Jelli-Beanz, who hosted the competition, decided not to publish it because of its content. I put the story in a drawer and writing on the shelf until the stars finally aligned and I was able to attend the 2023 CYA conference online.
I had an assessment with agent Sarah McKenzie and publisher Michelle Madden. They provided such positive feedback and encouragement about my writing and my vision for the book.
One assessor said they wouldn’t change a thing about my manuscript, but they just couldn’t publish it. The other said the story was perfect but unpublishable. Both assessors said there was a real need for my book, and they encouraged me to try and find a way to get it into the hands of people who need it. Rather than being disheartened, I took on board their feedback and considered self-publishing.
CYA Conference provided me with some helpful advice on not being afraid to reach out to people in the Kid Lit Community. With Tina’s encouragement, I connected with Julie M Miller (Award-winning author of Remember: Lest We forget, and Triple Zero Heroes). Julie very generously agreed to meet me online, and she provided me with some ideas about how I could connect with my chosen charity and how I might consider getting other people involved in the project.
From the date of my assessment to the date of publication, it took just 72 days. During this time, I had undergone major surgery and was confined to bed for 8 weeks. From my bed, I recruited illustrators from all over the world, connected with Red Nose Australia to set up the ongoing charitable donations of 100% of the profits, completed the layout and design of the book, set it up for international sales and created an accompanying video that is available immediately and for free whenever a family needs it.
The book and video of ‘My Brother Born Sleeping’ has now helped over 500 families tackle the difficult conversation of pregnancy and infant loss with siblings.
Without the connections I made from the Kid Lit community at the CYA conference, and without the kindness of the assessors, I would never have had the confidence to undertake this project, and this book wouldn’t exist.
You can watch ‘My Brother, Born Sleeping’ for free here: My Brother Born Sleeping by Lellie Lopter for Red Nose Stillbirth Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness (youtube.com)
(Warning: Sensitive Content)
After attending the Conference again in the following years, with more manuscripts for more assessments, I was able to get real-time feedback and suggestions from Kate Chisolm at Five Mile. Kate suggested I shorten the length, tighten the story and submit the changes to Five Mile. I toolk Kate's advice, submitted, waited, and then received an offer to publish Bella Grows a Bicycle. Since then I have received several more contracts from traditional publishers for both my writing and illustrating. CYA gave me the confidence to approach publishers and the skills to do it professionally.
