AT A GLANCE! ~ UNSEEN is a completed 45 chapter manuscript of my young adult novel written in a vignette style. The novel follows 14-year-old Mac Candelora and his rising anxiety as he faces starting 9th grade at a new private school. His journey includes uncovering four generations of his family’s struggles with mental health. The book aims to engage reluctant teen readers through short, emotionally resonant scenes. Originally inspired by two works, the classic The House on Mango Street and the award-winning drawing of a young artist, UNSEEN has been widely submitted to agents and editors, receiving positive encouragement and feedback on the story’s emotional depth and relevance. I believe deeply in UNSEEN’s potential to help young readers finally see themselves and hear their own voices as they confront generational cycles. The manuscript of UNSEEN has been praised for its authenticity and relatability as it continues its journey toward publication.
To learn about how UNSEEN came to be and my writing and revising process, I welcome you to read on:
Unseen, told in three-parts, unveils four generations of Mac’s family and their battles with anxiety and the impact on their lives and the lives of others. Mac can only move forward when he accepts receiving help, begins to stand up for himself, and starts to take big chances. By learning about his family and their struggles, Mac ultimately begins to understand the people who mean the most to him by asking questions and digging deep inside of them and himself. How concerning that today, with so much emphasis on self-care and attention to mental health wellness, there is a reluctance in the teen years (and truthfully all years) to seek mental help counseling. That it is so much easier to say I have a dentist appointment tomorrow or a physical therapy session on Tuesday than it is to say, I am seeing my therapist this afternoon is a giant, waving red flag.
The original art work above was done by a high school student from the Class of 2025. Aidan is attending Northeastern University for his freshman year studying Art and Business abroad in Rome. He created this drawing when he was in 9th grade. The piece went on to win the prestigious Gold Key at the Scholastic Art Awards at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2023. The artwork continues to serve as an inspiration and focal point as I move through final revisions of UNSEEN. When I first saw the image, it begged the questions of what happened before this moment, in this moment, and beyond. Used with permission by the artist. Thank you, Aidan! Arrivederci! Until we meet again!
Over the past year the novel has undergone multiple revisions to reach this point. The manuscript has been submitted to several agents and editors in NYC thanks to the channels created by the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). Forever grateful for my longstanding connection to the SCBWI and the many workshop and retreat opportunities including the Whispering Pines Writer’s Retreat and the New England SCBWI spring conference! I am so happy to report that the receipt of the UNSEEN manuscript has been incredibly positive. Such as this excerpted gem below! I am incredibly appreciative when someone cares enough to spend the time cheering on this project!
Hello Lisa, Thank you so much for submitting this to me. There is so much to love about the manuscript. I think it covers an all-too-familiar feeling for many kids. Growing up with the pressure of your parents while in the shadow of another relative is something I am sure many readers would relate to. The descriptions of anxiety and the challenge of adjusting to a new environment were also very authentic and made this book relatable to many. Your writing is incredibly in-tune emotionally and it’s very easy to follow what is upsetting Mac about his lack of choice/control in his own life. I liked that this book included a plot about using AI, because that feels like a real issue many young people are having as of late. At this moment, this book is not quite right for my list. I really thank you for submitting to me and I wish you the best of luck in getting it published. I am confident it will find a home somewhere because it has a lot to offer.
Such a big and real part of becoming published is receiving rejections! But this one above (and several others like it) does not feel like a rejection. This, to me, is a most thoughtful and productive decline! Received in September 2025 from an editor in New York, I keep it nearby always to serve as a lantern when the energy and belief dims. Thank you, Olivia!
Agents and editors have been generous with their time and feedback to help make UNSEEN the very best manuscript possible. I continue to usher UNSEEN out into the world in hopes of finding publication. BELIEVE! A little block of wood with the word believe etched on it sits near my laptop. The block is resting on a copy of Aidan’s drawing above. To remind. To inspire. To recharge.
Becoming published is very, very difficult to achieve. Writing for me is something I’ve always honored as a blessing. A mission. Writing is not a hobby for me. The words find me. Call me. Surprise me. I am the storyteller! Mac was born years ago, his kernel of a being placed in a notebook and I kept that notebook, and him, with me for a very long time. His story rattled around a lot while I was working full time, raising two children, helping my mother through her last years, assisting my father now in his later years. I have two adult children on with their own full lives. I am a grandmother! Full! And all along Mac waited patiently and clearly kept reminding me not to forget him. His story. I did not forget you Macky! Finally, it is your time.
After fully committing to this project in December 2024, I sketched out Mac’s entire world – his family tree, his friends, his sports, academics. His worries, joys, sadness. His challenges and hopes. A full universe created on giant sheets of art paper. I wrote every night and weekend through the winter months and into the spring. I am often asked if any one character I create is any specific person in my life. The truth is my characters are all composites of so many people, so many exchanges and interactions, across my life, as well as the dash of added fiction.
My career has spanned across middle school and high school and on through to college age in teaching and supporting students academically, personally and professionally. The collective reservoir I continue to draw from is rich and endless. I am forever filled with gratitude for the opportunity I was given (and still do) to offer my time, my ears, my heart to young people in helping in some small way on their journeys forward.
With the whole of last summer off, I fully engaged in the manuscript and never let it go. Even amidst travel to Vancouver/Banff and later to San Francisco, and hosting and attending family events, Mac and his story came with me everywhere. Thanks to Google drive I added a scene or edited a page wherever I was! Mac was always right there, his bags packed on trains, jets, cars. He wanted his story told. And now it is all set to paper! Mac’s story is ready to inspire, change, help young readers! I believe in this novel. I hope someone else does too, so that together we can deliver it into the hands of young people, teachers, librarians, and parents. I believe this is a story that needed to be told. A story offering forgiveness and acceptance and a way forward. I feel deeply honored to be the writer on this planet that this idea, these words, came through to.
Lisa Rose Bauer ~ November, 2025
Lisa Rose Bauer 