Lupine Seeds

Out of the Writer's Cave

2012-02-08T07:21:00.000-08:00

I’ve emerged from my writer hibernation, blinking a bit in strong light of day. My series is complete, and I’m eager to return to other projects that have been put on hold.

I have some wonderful guests scheduled on my blog in the months ahead. Illustrator, Hazel Mitchell, will be stopping by February 23rd to discuss her just-released Hidden New Jersey (Charlesbridge). In honor of her visit, I’ll be holding my first-ever contest, giving away a copy of her book. The winner will be chosen at random from one of the commenters on Hazel Mitchell’s post. You can view a trailer of Mitchell’s book at her website at http://hazelmitchell.com/

Right now, I’m preparing for the New England SCBWI Nonfiction Academy, held as part of the region’s annual conference this spring, April 20-22 in Springfield, MA. http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1033118. I’ve been checking out recently released nonfiction titles that have garnered some acclaim.

Last night I read two books where the illustrations beautifully supported the text, making these books to experience, not just read. The first was Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen. Sidman’s poems evoke the mystery of the creatures of the night while Allen’s hand-colored prints are luminous, glowing in the darkness.

The second was Can We Save the Tiger? written by Martin Jenkins and illustrated by Vicky White. Jenkins makes a powerful case for working to save the creatures that share our planet. And White’s creatures loom out at you with a few strokes of her pencil. These books exemplify the best in picture book nonfiction.

Interview with Diane Mayr, author of Kids of the Homefront Army

2011-12-01T05:30:00.000-08:00

Today I have a special guest, Diane Mayr, here to talk about her online poetry collection, Kids of the Homefront Army: Poems of World War II America.

Diane is a multi-talented author, with a varied career. Before we get into your poetry collection, you just received some exciting news about your Thanksgiving book, Run Turkey, Run?

Yes, that's right. Run, Turkey, Run! will be opening off Broadway as a musical in the fall of 2012. By "off Broadway" I mean way, way, way off--downtown Portsmouth, NH! It will be performed at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre http://www.seacoastrep.org/. A talented young man by the name of Miles Burns, is the director of the children's program there. He used my book as a starting point and wrote a script and a score. It should be a fun production! I'm sure to have more news closer to the opening, so stay tuned...

Can you tell us about Run, Turkey, Run?

I was a children's librarian from 1986 though 1997 (I'm now an adult services librarian/assistant director). Back then, there wasn't a whole lot available for the story hour crowd that I thought my preschoolers would understand. Books about thankfulness went over their heads. The same for books about pilgrims. I wanted something that would be fun, and that would allow little listeners to participate. Since I couldn't find the book I needed, I wrote it myself! Ask my critique group--during my children's librarian days, I wrote a lot of holiday books! Basically the story is very simple--turkey needs to hide from the farmer, so he looks for places right in the farmyard. When that doesn't work, he heads for the woods. The book has everything you need for a preschool audience--it's silly, it requires the listener to answer questions, it's repetitive, and it has a happy ending. The illustrations by Laura Rader are perfectly suited to the story.

(Here's a little something for beginning writers--if you believe in your work, continue to submit it. Run, Turkey, Run! was rejected more than 2 dozen times! I used to say to myself, “If I ever get it published, I could die happy.” I believed in the book. I knew it would be perfect for story hour. And I wanted to die happy, so I kept submitting it.)

Our readers might want to check out Diane’s Littlebat’s Halloween Story, too.

Diane, you also have a number of nonfiction books available on a range of topics from apples to money. I wondered how you balance writing fiction and nonfiction. Is your approach to each genre different? Which do you prefer?

At the risk of sounding flaky, I'll say that fiction is a gift. Sometimes it seems as if fiction and poetry come from someone I don't know--”Did I write that?” Nonfiction is more like work. But, since I love research, it's fun work. I definitely prefer fiction and poetry right now. Writing nonfiction releases my “timidity” demons--Will I be able to research as much as I think is necessary? What if I leave something out? What if I write something and someone says, “Hey, you got it all wrong!” How scary is that?

Of course, if you're writing historical fiction, you have to get the history right, too! But the pressure is more intense with nonfiction, and, as most of the nonfiction work is on assignment, there's the added pressure of guidelines and deadlines.

Diane eschewed print with her current project, Kids of the Homefront Army: Poems of World War II America. Instead, she is using new technology to revisit history and publishing this collection of WWII poetry as a blog. Diane, could you tell us a little about why you chose this medium?

The truth? I could no longer wait to be discovered by an editor who shared my vision.

Before I wrote the book, I was in contact with many people who were kids during the war years. Some of those I interviewed, or those who filled out questionnaires for me, have passed away. I felt like I was letting them down by not getting the work published. I wanted to tell their stories, and to repay the favor they did for me by sharing their stories.

I started on the project in 2001. I had planned on writing a simple nonfiction book about kids during WW II. I abandoned the project for a while, and then had an “aha!” moment in 2006 when I realized that the story I needed to tell had to be told through poems. Everything fell in place and I wrote like crazy--sort of like I was possessed. (I warned you about sounding flaky! Linda, I was glad to read your interview with Padma Venkatraman who also mentioned being possessed!) I tried to sell the book to trade publishers and a lovely local publisher, but I ended up thinking that the editors' visions weren't the same as mine. I decided to remain true to my vision for the book and that if I were to die happy, I'd have to do it on my own. So, being a fan of blogs (I have a number of them), I decided to post the book serially. I publish two poems a week, on Mondays and Fridays, at www.homefrontarmy.com.

Diane’s poems take on a variety of viewpoints. Some are written through the eyes of a child. For example, we hear young Eddy’s voice in A General. Can you share that poem with us and tell us a little of what inspired it?

Eddie

A GENERAL

I’ve been working real hard.
It’s nearly the end of the school year
and if I can earn a few more points,
I’ll get to be a one-star general!

Won’t Mom beam when she sees that!
She’ll say it was worth all those hours
helping me tie up bundles of papers
and crushing tin cans.

Grandpa will get tears in his eyes
when he sees my commission.
It was because he bought
so many savings stamps off me!

But I’ll be proudest of all!
Who cares if I got a D in 'rithmetic?
Or that teacher wrote on my report card,
"Eddie needs to pay attention."

No one will care
when I’m a general!

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

WW II was truly a shared experience. Everyone participated in the war in one way or another. For a kid, especially one who may not have excelled in other areas, there was the opportunity to make a contribution. That's the feeling I wanted to relay with Eddie.

All of the poems are from the point of view of a different child. They range in age from about 8 up through the teens.

In another poem, we hear Sylvie who is leaving school and heading to California to work. She’s bursting with anticipation. Can you tell us about that poem?

Again, as with Eddie, Sylvie was presented with the chance to do something out of the ordinary and to make a difference. There's a lot of hard work ahead of her, but there's also the romantic notion California. The Hollywood Canteen and all those boys await! For someone who may not have cared for school, the increased need for women workers was the perfect excuse for leaving and going to work.

Some of your poems speak of sacrifice and the sorrow of lives lost, but others show another side of war. I was particularly struck by Marguerite’s poem, When The Lights Go On Again… Can you tell our readers a little about it?

This poem was inspired by a memory that someone shared with me. This person, a teen during the war, was able to get a good job only because the normal labor force was employed in the armed services. He told me that at the end of the war, while others were celebrating, he was thinking about how his job would be gone shortly. It was the same for women workers who were expected to go back to being girlfriends, wives, and mothers once the men came home from war. When I came across the photo of a young black woman worker, the poem came together. Who would have a job once the war was over? Not Marguerite.

Kids of the Homefront Army is illustrated with marvelous photographs, posters, and ads from the 40’s. Where did you find all this wonderful material? Did the photos spark the poems or did you start with the poems and hunt for photos to illustrate them?

Ebay! I started collecting WW II memorabilia, postcards, magazines, etc. almost as soon as I started thinking about the project in 2001. As for the photographs, most are from the Office of War Information collection of the Library of Congress. We are so lucky to have the Library of Congress make these materials available online. Great sources for the ubiquitous governmental posters are the online collections of the University of Maryland and Northwestern University Library. The internet is truly a wonder!

Many of the poems were inspired by the photos. Others were written based on stories I was told, and then, I would search out photos to illustrate them.

It's amazing to me how much I didn't know about the early 1940s before I started researching the WW II homefront. The photographs provide a visual for today's kids who are unfamiliar with the social life during the war.

Things that kids take for granted today didn't exist back then. Shortages made life more difficult. Imagine life without rubber for the elastic in your underwear! (I've got a poem coming up on that topic!) Or being limited in the number of pairs of shoes you could purchase. Or imagine writing letters! How many kids today write letters outside of school assignments? It was a different world.

When did you begin Homefront Army? How long do you think your blog will run?

I wrote 80 or so poems in 2006, but I'm still adding new ones as I go along. I started posting in June of this year. I post about 8 a month. There are now about 90 poems, so, it will be nearly a year before they're all on the site.

Do you have any ideas for future blog projects?

Not at this point, although I started a book of poems about the great New England Hurricane of September 1938. I won't finish it because it is too depressing--so much death and destruction occurred. In 1938 there was no FEMA to help people recover and rebuild.

I'm using a Facebook page to augment the Kids of the Homefront Army blog: www:facebook.com/homefrontarmy . On the page I add related videos and links. Social media is a handy tool!

Are you working on any projects for traditional media?

No. What I'm working on most often is haiga (illustrated haiku and other short form poems). Some I post on my blog, www.randomnoodling.com, some are published in online haiku journals such as Notes from the Gean www.notesfromthegean.com.

Thanks so much for stopping by! We enjoyed hearing more about Diane Mayr’s work and about Kids of the Homefront Army.

Thanks for the opportunity to speak to your readers, Linda, I hope they will visit Kids of the Homefront Army, http://homefrontarmy.blogspot.com/and share it with others!

Thanksgiving Game

2011-11-25T11:09:00.001-08:00

In honor of my upcoming guest, poet Diane Mayr, I thought I'd share this holiday poem with you:

Thanksgiving Game
By Linda Crotta Brennan

Whap! He whales the whiffle ball into the neighbor’s bushes
And runs wrong-way round invisible bases.
His thin body, stretched by a recent growth spurt
Can’t contain the life in his swinging arms and pumping legs.
Just before first base, he swerves,
Pouncing on the lounging golden retriever.
Boy and dog wriggle, wrestle, roll in the grass,
Then the boy pops up and continues his counterclockwise circuit.
Home run!

Diane Mayr will be stopping by on December 1, when she'll be talking about her online poetry collection: Kids of the Homefront Army: Poems of World War II, http://homefrontarmy.blogspot.com/.

Padma Venkatraman's Island's End

2011-11-16T06:18:00.000-08:00

Today I’d like to welcome Padma Venkatraman, author of the award-winning novel, Climbing the Stairs. She’s here today to discuss her new book, Island’s End. Thank you for joining us, Padma!

I’m fascinated by your far-ranging physical and spiritual journeys. You weren’t originally a writer. In fact, at nineteen, your passion for mathematics and science led you to leave your native India to pursue a graduate degree in Oceanography in the United States.

As an oceanographer, you conducted research on crocodiles in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands off the coast of India. Your contact with the tribal people of these islands inspired Island’s End. Can you tell us about your stay on these remote islands and the people you met there? (The photos on this blog are from Padma's trip to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.)
Living on the Islands was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. Life had a different pace there - it felt calmer - and when I lived there in a tiny little cottage near the rainforest with next to no possessions, I felt far more satisfied than I imagined I could be. I loved the simplicity and warmth of the people I met while I was there.

Though you were a scientist, you always had a great love of literature. Your first books were nonfiction, biographies of women mathematicians and scientists. You also wrote folktales and eventually you evolved to writing novels. Could you tell us about your transformation from scientist to writer?
My love of words was and is far deeper than my love of numbers (though I do love that world as well). But at first, writing was a sort of hobby to me - something I enjoyed doing in my sparetime. And I don't consider anything that was published before my debut novel, CLIMBING THE STAIRS, appeared to be examples of me as a writer. I only took myself seriously as a "writer" during and after CLIMBING THE STAIRS appeared - and the novel is of a far higher standard (in my opinion) than any piece I did before it -I call it my first book because it feels like my first real work as a writer - what I did before seems like play, and just not comparable with my novels - which reflect the real writer me. And now that ISLAND'S END is here, I know for sure, I'll always see myself as a writer. Science fulfilled my intellect alone, writing fulfills me more deeply and completely.

You were the only woman on the research team to the Andaman Islands, and both your novels have featured strong female heroines. Do you feel a kinship between Vidya in Climbing the Stairs and Uido in Island’s End? Do you see echoes of these girls in your own life?
Undoubtedly, my experiences as a woman in a male-dominated field enter my writing. When I was writing ISLAND'S END, I was going through a lot of self-doubt about my writing abilities - and I think Uido's initial concerns might reflect my own lack of confidence. Then again, I wrote ISLAND'S END because I felt like I was hearing a voice that was telling me her story - an almost surreal experience - so sometimes I feel like "the voice" wrote the story - that it doesn't really "belong" to me - though it was through me that the story was written. I love the process of writing - especially this "hearing voices" thing. Sometime I think writers are schizophrenics who shut themselves up with a computer when they hear voices...

In some ways, Uido is the opposite of a scientist. As a shaman-to-be, she learns through dreams and spirit guides. What do you see as the relationship between science and spirit? How have these two ways of viewing the world informed your writing?
My time on the ISLANDS opened up my mind - and expanded my world view - and taught me to respect and give credence to ideas/experiences/cultures that existed beyond the mind-set and framework of science. I think I've inherited, from the Hindu tradition, a sense of spirituality that embraces and respects all paths to the higher goal of living a better life and being a better person. Spirituality and philosophy interest me - and I have a sort of scientific curiosity about different ideas of spiritual truth and reality. My scientific training also gave me the gifts of questioning and rewriting. My characters often embody questions that interest me - and as I rewrite I ask my characters lots of questions so I feel like I deeply know them - questioning helps me occupy their emotional space.

Can you tell us about your process in writing Island’s End?
Writing ISLAND'S END was different from writing my first novel - in part because I had a child (who took up a lot of my time and energy, so "real life" often intervened and it was a challenging to find the time and mental space to live inside Uido and her world). But then again, writing it felt magical, because I had the incredible feeling like I could hear the voice - a voice that sort of possessed me - in a marvelous and refreshing sort of way.

You’ve already begun another novel. Could you tell us a little about it?
My third novel, tentatively titled A TIME TO DANCE, is inspired by someone I knew - a dancer who overcame physical disability to excel at what she loved most. I'm working on it with my wonderful editor Nancy Paulsen (who also helped ISLAND'S END come alive) - and the novel will appear on her list (Nancy Paulsen Books).

Do you have any final words for our readers?
I fell in love with the process of writing as I wrote my two novels - so that's when I started to consider myself a writer. To me, equating publication with being a writer is as silly as confusing marriage with true love. Just as marriage isn't necessary for true love to exist - publication isn't a necessity for a writer. Publication - and everything that goes along with it, like acclaim and awards are a wonderful gift for a writer - but shouldn't be any writer's end goal. A writer's goal should be to remain eternally in love with the writing process.

I'd love to invite your readers to stop by my website www.padmasbooks.com - and to download the virtual lesson plan I created and the fabulous discussion guide my publisher Penguin created. Even if they aren't thinking of using ISLAND's END in a classroom or book club setting, I think some of the exercises are fun - my favorite is one that I did because a teacher who read my book pointed this out to me. Uido, Lah-ame, Danna and Ashu - were, in my head, associated with water, air, earth and fire - and interestingly, the language I ended up using (metaphors, verbs etc) to bring alive each of these characters keeps the association with these 4 "elements" - a really interesting aspect of pattern in the novel that I enjoyed (re-)discovering! Thanks again, Linda, for inviting me to be on your blog!
Thanks so much for stopping by! I know our readers will enjoy Island’s End.

ISLAND'S END (my 2nd bk) trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUcrpFNFNiQ
* "consistently engrosses...refreshingly hopeful and beautifully written"
- Starred review KIRKUS
* "a lovely novel...offering an enticing blend of mystic tradition and imaginative speculation"
- Starred review PW
* "Vividly written and expertly paced ...a moving story that will stay with readers long after the end"
- Starred review SLJ
* "succeeds spectacularly...an intricate yet wholly accessible story"
-Starred review BOOKLIST
Dr. Padma Venkatraman's author website with free downloadable resources: www.padmasbooks.com

Poetry Challenge and Padma Interview

2011-11-10T14:30:00.000-08:00

Today I completed my poetry challenge, writing a poem a day for a month. I can't say I came up with anything extraordinary, but I enlarged my knowledge of language and how it can be used to specific effect. I became more attentive to the world around me. I plan to keep up this practice of poetry, with the help of a book recommended by Kim Newton Fusco http://www.kimberlynewtonfusco.com/, In the Palm of Your Hand by Steve Kowit.

Here is one of my better poetic attempts:

Zucchini like zeppelins
My table sags under their weight.
We slice them,
Stuff them,
Grate them,
Bake them.
Zucchini breads,
Zucchini cakes,
Zucchini pies,
Until the vine shrivels up and dies.

While I'm continuing my poetry, I'm going to have to take a break from blogging due to a writing assignment. But before I go into writer's hibernation, I have one more author interview to share with you. On November 16th, I'll be talking with Padma Venkatraman http://www.padmasbooks.com/ about her latest book, Island's End. Hope you can stop by!

Picture Books in Peril

2011-11-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

I recently read Roger Sutton’s editorial in Horn Book www.hbook.com about how the picture book is in trouble. Sales are down. Parents are shunning picture books and reading chapter books to their preschoolers instead. Sutton believes that “there is a disconnection between what is in our hearts and what we are publishing for children.” I wonder if part of the problem is the demise of the picture story book. When I started in this business twenty plus years ago, the average length of a picture book was 1200 words. And it was common to have picture books of over 1500 words. But current editorial wisdom says that families with two working parents are too busy to read such lengthy books. The cut-off for picture book manuscripts keeps getting shorter and shorter. Jennifer Laughran, agent at Andrea Brown Literary recently wrote on her blog that 300-550 words is the “sweet spot” for picture books. She advises her clients not to submit books over 800 words. http://literaticat.blogspot.com/2011/05/wordcount-dracula.html Now talented writers have been able to create incredible works of art within these tight constraints. But some stories need more elbow room. And while 300-550 word stories may be fine for the three year old, many that are being published today don’t have the depth to hold up to hundreds of readings by a five or six year old. I imagine parents in these tough economic times flipping through a book with a dozen words per page and wondering if it’s worth $16.99. Perhaps it’s time to bring back the picture story book. In a culture that is so visually oriented, wouldn’t it be wonderful to create longer, richer texts with luxurious illustrations that can bridge the gap between the short picture book and the chapter book. As for those busy parents, surely if they have time to read a chapter to their preschoolers, they’ll find time to read a 1200 word picture story book.

Greg Fishbone's Galaxy Games Tour

2011-10-28T02:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome, Greg. Thanks for dropping by my blog on your whirlwind tour!
Greg’s latest book, Galaxy Games: The Challengers, is a madcap space adventure, starring Tyler Sato, his Tokyo cousins, and the tentacled captain of the Mrendarian team, M’Frozza. I happen to know at least one kid who will absolutely love this book. Happy Birthday, Daniel! (And belated birthday to Hannah!)And now, Greg, could you tell our readers a little about the book and what inspired you to write it? Sure, Linda. The book is about how Earth gets invited to field a team in a sports tournament against kids from all over the galaxy. The main character, Tyler Sato, is a boy who gets a star named after him on his 11th birthday--except that it’s not really a star. At first, it seems to be an asteroid on a collision course with Earth, and then it turns out to be an alien spaceship! The cool part is that I get to put together a team of kids from all over the world to represent the entire planet.You spent some time in Japan, could you tell us a little about that? How did your experiences there feed into this book?I lived in Japan during an interesting time. There was a major earthquake in Osaka as well as a doomsday cult that released a batch of nerve gas on the subway in Tokyo! When I was first plotting a story where the characters thought the world was about to end, I couldn’t help thinking first of my experiences in Japan. Where did you get the idea for the young Mrendarian girl, M’Frozza? Will you tell us how she became her planet’s captain in one of your future books? M’Frozza is a fun character to write because she’s so proactive. She’s been groomed from birth to lead her team in the Galaxy Games--so there’s not really a story about how that happened--but suddenly she found herself unable to bring her team to the tournament. She could have moped around more but instead she found a way to avoid dishonor and really kick-started the entire series in the process. M’Frozza and Tyler assembled an Earth team for the galaxy games comprised of kids from around the world. Can you tell us a little about each of them? Do you see yourself in any of your characters?In the first book we have a luchador named El Gatito from Mexico, who wears a blue cat-shaped mask to hide his identity even from other members of the team. We also have a soccer player named Felix from Germany, whose previous experience has been mainly as a team mascot. There’s another soccer player from Brazil, named Weez, who’s a total conspiracy buff and believes that aliens abducted his younger brother. There’s a Chinese gymnast named Ling-Wa who gives up everything to join the team, and a Japanese judo champion named Tomoko that we get to know pretty well throughout the book because she’s a friend of Tyler’s cousin in Tokyo. There will be additional characters from other countries that we’ll get to meet in future books.I don’t know that I see myself in all of them, but there are probably bits and pieces of me in there somewhere. Personally, I identify most with Tyler. You seemed to have a lot of fun writing this—giving free rein to all the wacky turns of your zany imagination. What was the most enjoyable part of writing this book? Were some parts more of a slog?I spent a lot of time editing and revising this book to get it just right. That could have been a slog but it was actually a lot of fun as well, coming up with little ways to make things better and better. Do you have any advice for folks who’d like to write a series of their own?Some of the last changes I made in The Challengers were meant to provide hooks into future books in the series, and I nearly painted myself into a corner when it came time to pick up those hooks and run with them in the second book. My advice would be to do your advance planning as well as you can but feel free to pitch the plans out the window if you come up with something even better.

I’m cackling now as I think of what’s coming up in Book #2. :DThanks so much for stopping by! To find out more about Greg and his books, go to his website at http://gfishbone.com/ and the Galaxy Games series site at http://galaxygamesseries.comAnd for all our treasure hunting readers, here is the next clue in the Galaxy Game!

---Greg R. Fishbone, Author - gfishbone.com - Twitter @tem2The Challengers - Book #1 in the Galaxy Games SeriesFollow the Galaxy Games Blog Tour, all October long!

Poem a Day

2011-10-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

Inspired by my interview with Kim Newton Fusco www.kimberlynewtonfusco.com, I have committed to writing a poem a day for a month. If I succeed, I may even go longer. (Jane Yolen http://janeyolen.com/ has been writing a poem a day for over a year!) Why? I hope to learn how to put words together in an effective way. I hope to learn how to capture the emotion of a moment. I hope to learn how to truly see. I'm using Cindy Rogers' book, Word Magic for Writers to guide me through a Greek welter of rhetorical techniques--alliteration and onomatopeoia, polysyndeton and asyndeton, anaphora and epistrophe.So far, none of these poems has been fit for publication. But I'm exercising my writing muscles, building verbal strength and flexibility.If anyone of you has made a similar commitment, I'd love to hear from you. I'd also like to know of other books to help me hone my poetic skills.And just a reminder, Greg Fishbone http://gfishbone.com/ will be dropping by on October 28 to talk about his latest book, Galaxy Games: The Challenges. I'm also delighted to announce that Padma Venkatraman http://www.padmasbooks.com has agreed to come and discuss her latest title, Island's End. I'll have a date for that visit soon.

Interview with Kim Newton Fusco

2011-10-11T01:00:00.000-07:00

Kim Newton Fusco's first novel, Tending to Grace, won the American Library Association’s Schneider Family Book Award. According to Booklist's review, “Like Katherine Paterson’s classic The Great Gilly Hopkins…this quiet, beautiful first novel makes the search for home a searing drama.” The Wonder of Charlie Anne is Kim's latest title, and according to Kirkus, “Fusco’s mellifluous style often sounds like singing: “Go do this, the new mama tells me, and I do it, just because.” When the story opens, 11-year-old Charlie Anne is furious that her papa and older brother are leaving to find work. It’s the Great Depression and times are tough and Charlie Anne, who has a supernatural way of interacting with the world (her recently buried mother, the river, the molasses-eyed cows and even the clothesline) is stuck at home with her siblings and the overbearing, much-older cousin Mirabel, who insists on ladylike behavior and “The Charm of Fine Manners.” But things begin to brighten for Charlie Anne when new neighbors move in — a white woman (who wears red pepper red pants) and her African-American adopted daughter, Phoebe. Two conflicts loom largest: dyslexic Charlie Anne’s battle with “jumbled letters” and her controversial friendship with Phoebe, which stirs up the town’s “backwater” hatred. “We’ll just see about that!” becomes Charlie Anne’s battle cry.Welcome, Kim! It's a pleasure to have you here. Could you tell our readers what drove you to write The Wonder of Charlie Anne?I wanted to write something hopeful because I was very discouraged. I had published Tending to Grace and it had done very well, but the years were passing. I had one novel sitting on my editor’s desk in NYC, but, despite two revisions, it wasn’t going anywhere. I started getting up at 5 a.m. and working on another novel as a way to get a positive start on my day before getting my children off to school. That draft was a study in sheer determination. Then spring came and the snow melted and I started hiking along the brook that ran behind my house and I got to thinking about a little girl who lived across the road from my grandparents' farm in Maine. She had a pony, which I wanted to ride very badly, but she had to watch her little brother and do chores from morning until night (or so it seemed to me). I thought a lot about all those chores and I knew how I would have acted: I would have REBELLED.That’s when I heard Charlie Anne's voice for the first time, and I scrapped that other draft because Charlie Anne's voice was so powerful and strong. She was a spirited, tough little nut. There was no looking back.Charlie Anne’s voice is so memorable. I loved listening to her speak. Her voice was lyrical, yet she always sounded like a child. How did you work such a miracle?Thank you. When I heard her voice in my head I was so excited I ran to my computer and let her talk and start telling her story in a stream-of-consciousness sort of way. Each day when I sat down to write I would reread one of the early chapters, like the first chapter or the one about her cow, Belle, getting stuck in the brier patch. Sometimes I would retype whole sections of her feisty voice so I could absorb it and keep going. You are also a poet. Does your poetry feed your prose? I read a lot of poetry for inspiration and I write poetry to improve my prose. I find that writing a poem is a wonderful way to delve deeply into my character’s emotions. The first page of The Wonder of Charlie Anne began as a poem.Most of the chapters in Tending to Grace began as poems and then I rewrote them into prose. That’s one of the reasons the chapters are so short.One example comes from the first page. I could have written that my main character, Cornelia, had a really rotten life. But when I wrote a poem about what it feels like to have a hard life, this is what came out:“I want to jump out of the car as it rushes along and wrap myself in a row of sheets hanging so low their feet tap the grass. I want to hide because my life, if it were a clothesline, would be the one with a sweater dangling by one sleeve, a blanket dragging in the mud, and a sock, unpaired and alone, tumbling to the road with the wind at its heel.”The river, Charlie Anne’s dead mother, the cow Anna May, and even the fence talk to Charlie Anne. This feels totally reasonable from Charlie Anne’s POV as the anthropomorphizing of a child. Yet it is more than that. It is real. Charlie Anne’s dead mother alerts her when Phoebe is hurt and leads Charlie Anne to her friend. Can you talk a little about this aspect of the book?When I was writing I was Charlie Anne and in order to make the supernatural parts of the book believable I absolutely knew they were happening. Charlie Anne is talking to her mama and her mama is talking to her. I know no other way to approach a book. Phoebe is African-American and one of the strands of your book is how Phoebe is treated when she arrives in this all-white northern town. As a white writer, how did you approach this issue?I approached this as Charlie Anne would. She has an interesting and very smart girl her own age move in across the road. They have a great deal in common. They see their differences, and misstep many times, but ultimately learn to concentrate on their similarities. One of the themes of the book is when Charlie Anne tells the townspeople, “You can’t love somebody if you don’t know somebody.” She’s talking about empathy, about walking a mile in someone else’s moccasins, about how once we really get to know somebody, walls that separate us start crashing down. The book is set during the depression. Could yet tell us a little about your research for the book? I read a lot of history. I scrolled through Library of Congress archives and listened to audio stories of the Great Depression. I love reading old cookbooks and sifting through old recipes. I think they are a window to another time. I found Dorothea Lange photos of girls from the 1930s who looked like my idea of Charlie Anne and Phoebe. I pasted these to the top of my manuscript so I could look at them every day. Here they are:

As a former journalist, I know that the difference between a great story and a lousy one is research, and that the very best research usually comes from a great interview. I was thrilled when two women who attended a one-room schoolhouse in Rehoboth, MA, sat down with me and talked about life during the Great Depression. Where else could I have found the “standing in the trash bucket” punishment?Your first book, Tending to Grace, won the American Library Association's Schneider Family Book Award. Could you tell us a bit about this book? How did the experience of writing it compare to writing The Wonder of Charlie Anne? I wrote Tending to Grace after I met my editor, Michelle Frey of Knopf/Random House, at an SCBWI conference. I had submitted ten pages of a different novel and she told me that I had written a plot-driven novel, and that Knopf only publishes character-driven novels. “But I think you could write the kind of literary novel we publish. So if you go home and try again, I’ll take another look.”I don’t think my feet touched the ground for the next month. Then I started wondering, how exactly am I going to do this? I knew a character-driven novel features a protagonist who changes internally, and I was rather surprised I hadn’t accomplished this on my first try, but when I reread it, I knew Michelle was right. After a while I realized that if I had any hope of writing a character-driven novel, I needed a character that faced adversity and changed because of it. And then it hit me: I knew something about that! And that’s when I decided to write about stuttering, which is something I battled as a child.I remember the moment I walked over to my computer and closed my file that held that old novel, opened a new file, and started over. It took a lot of courage to write each day because I was writing about something I had tried to keep hidden. A lot of the things that happened to Cornelia in school happened to me. And then one day I wrote a scene where her Aunt Agatha says: “You know what I say? I say that when you got a voice, you damn well better tell the world who you are. Or somebody else will.” I realized that was exactly what I was doing by writing, and I better keep going. It paid off, because three months after I mailed the completed manuscript off to NYC, Michelle Frey called and offered me a contract and she’s been my editor since. Are you working on any other books? Could you tell us a bit about them?Yes, my next novel is scheduled for publication in 2013. The idea came from a little girl I met while I was writing about a carnival back in my reporter days.Do you have any final thoughts for our readers? Many people have asked for the recipe for vinegar pie. I found this one during my research. If you close your eyes, a “hard times vinegar pie” really does taste a lot like lemon.VINEGAR PIE1/2 c. butter, softened1 1/4 c. sugar3 eggs2 tbsp. cider vinegar1 tsp. vanilla1 (8-inch) unbaked pie shellCream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until inserted knife comes out clean.To find out more about Kim and her books, visit her website at http://www.kimberlynewtonfusco.com/

Overcoming Challenges

2011-10-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I attended “Overcoming Challenges,” an event sponsored by SCBWI New England http://www.nescbwi.org at the Danforth Museum of Art http://www.danforthmuseum.org/. The speakers included two Newbery medalists, Lois Lowry http://www.loislowry.com/and Kathryn Lasky http://www.kathrynlasky.com/KK/Home.html, plus acclaimed author Jacqueline Davis http://www.jacquelinedavies.net/ and award-winning illustrator Bill Thompson http://billthomson.com/. Unlike most conferences, where each speaker has an hour on stage, this event had a panel format, and our faculty spent four hours discussing their life and work. Moderator, Melissa Stewart http://www.melissa-stewart.com/ asked probing questions. What was the biggest challenge you faced in your career? In your writing? How do you know when a book is done? What is your definition of success? At first, they were rather stiff and formal, reading prepared speeches. But as the day unfolded, an intimacy grew between speakers and audience. I stopped taking notes and leaned forward to listen as the speakers shared the stories behind their stories. Here is just a sampling:Kathryn Lasky is trying to force her way past a barrier of silence to tell the story of gypsy children from concentration camps who were filmed during WWII.Early in his career, Bill Thompson took on an illustration assignment for a book he wasn’t particularly excited about, until he envisioned his subject from a whole new angle, looking up from a child’s perspective. Lois Lowry decided to write a book about the boy in one of her aunt’s photographs and then realized her character couldn’t speak. The book became The Silent Boy.Jackie Davis took ten years to discover what she was writing about in her book, Lost. After it was published, she was faced with her own grief. She reread the book to glean the wisdom of her former self. Thanks to Bill, Lois, Jackie and Kathryn for their generosity in sharing these stories, and to Melissa for gathering together such a stellar faculty. Please stop by next Tuesday, October 11, when I’ll be interviewing award-winning author Kim Newton Fusco http://www.kimberlynewtonfusco.com/ about her book, The Wonder of Charlie Anne.

Galaxy Games Tour Launches

2011-10-01T00:30:00.000-07:00

Celebrate the release of The Challengers by Greg R. Fishbone! This is the first book of the Galaxy Games series, published by the Tu Books imprint of Lee & Low Books. In this hilarious middle-grade romp through space, eleven-year-old Tyler Sato leads a team of kids representing all of Earth in a sports tournament against alien kids from across the galaxy.

Great Galactic Blog Tour

Join Greg during the month of October for the Great Galactic Blog Tour! Every day for 31 days, Greg will spotlight a different children's literature blog with book giveaways, author interviews, in-character interviews, excerpts, deleted scenes, and more. Happening right now is the Launch Day Giveaway. There are lots of ways to enter!

Puzzle Piece #1

The site of the day will also feature one of 31 "puzzle pieces" that will lead one reader to a grand prize. Here is the first piece in the contest:

Book Info

Series: Galaxy Games
Title: The Challengers
Hardcover ISBN: 978-60060-660-1
Author: Greg R. Fishbone
Illustrator: Ethen Beavers
Publisher: Tu Books / Lee & Low Books
Ages: 9-12

The Challengers is available now from online and offline booksellers and as an ebook. Read more about the Galaxy Games series and be sure to follow the Blog Tour!

Kara LaReau

2011-09-27T03:51:00.000-07:00

Kara LaReau http://karalareau.com/ is the author of Snowbaby Could Not Sleep, illustrated by Jim Ishikawa; the Rocko and Spanky stories, illustrated by Jenna LaReau; and Ugly Fish, Rabbit and Squirrel, and OTTO: The Boy Who Loved Cars, illustrated by Scott Magoon. She has a Master of Fine Arts degree in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College. She worked as an editor at Candlewick Press and Scholastic Press. She also did freelance editing through her creative consulting firm, Bluebird Works.

Welcome,to my blog, Kara! Thanks, Linda! Great to be here!I’ve just finished reading your newest picture book, OTTO: The Boy Who Loved Cars to my grandson. His response? “That was a funny book. Let’s read it again!” (Of course I did!)Can you tell us a little about the book and what inspired it?I’m glad your grandson liked it. OTTO is the story of a boy who loves cars so much, he turns into one! As he spends time as a car, he realizes how limiting it is, and how much he misses all the things he can do as a boy. The story was inspired by my husband, who is a car fanatic — but maybe a little less fanatical than Otto!It was illustrated by Scott Magoon. He’s done some of your other titles, as well. Can you talk about his illustrations for Otto and what it’s like working with him?Scott and I were friends and colleagues (we met when we were both working at Candlewick Press) before we ever started working together on our own books, so we already knew we liked each other and shared the same sense of humor. Now we get to harness all of that great creative energy! I find I write many of my picture book texts with Scott in mind now; for instance, when I mentioned that Otto’s favorite cereal would be “Wheelies” (a play on Wheaties), Scott went ahead and included all sorts of other funny car-related paraphernalia (or as we call it, car-aphernalia) throughout the book, to give kids something extra to notice as they read. You’ll see that Otto’s teacher, Mrs. Dodge, has a hairdo that looks a lot like the Dodge Ram logo, and one of the book spines on Otto’s shelf reads “Karfka,” a play on Kafka’s Metamorphosis. Both of those were ideas Scott came up with on his own; the more I get to know how his mind works, the more I try to leave room in the story for him to play. We’re lucky we share the same sensibility (and love of bad puns); I think that energy really shines through.Your sister, Jenna LaReau, has also illustrated some of your books. How did your collaboration process work? When Jenna and I were making books together, were living together, so we were sharing much more than just creative sensibility! It’s a pleasure making books with Jenna, because we have a lifetime of common history, and we trust each other implicitly. Often, she’d come up with an idea for a visual, and I’d say, “You know, if I changed the text just a bit, it would allow you to make that image even funnier.” And of course, the reverse of the scenario happened just as often. We play off of each other, which enriches our creative efforts — and makes them a lot more fun!You began your career in children’s books as an editor at Candlewick Press. You’ve also worked at Scholastic and been a freelance editor with your own company, Bluebird Works. Can you discuss your career as an editor?I acquired and edited children’s books for more than ten years, and then spent a bit of time editing on my own. It was an incredibly gratifying experience, and it allowed me to work with brilliant authors and illustrators and make extraordinary books. I’m so thankful to have had that opportunity.You recently made a life-changing decision. Can you tell us about that? I’ve decided to retire from editing and focus on my own writing full-time. It was a difficult decision to make, since I love editing so much, but it feels right for me.As an author, do you usually work alone or with the help of a critique group or first readers?When I first draft something, I keep it to myself; I just need that time to be alone with the work and figure out what I want it to be. But once I have that first draft under my belt, I share it with a couple of people close to me; I call them my Trusted Readers. I know they have my best interests in mind, and they have great imaginations and are innovative thinkers, so they always give me constructive and inspiring feedback. Some writers feel more comfortable in a larger writing group environment; so far, I’ve preferred a more intimate dynamic.Would you like to share something about your current work in progress? I have a new picture book coming out at the end of the year called Mr. Prickles: A Quill-Fated Love Story, about a socially-maladjusted porcupine. And in 2013 I have a picture book about table manners coming out with Disney. In the meantime, I’ve been writing for an older audience. My most current work-in-progress is a middle grade novel about summer camp. I’ve just finished my first round of revision, and I’m waiting to hear from my Trusted Readers (fingers crossed)!Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers? Thanks so much for your interest in me and my work! Happy reading!

Sense of Place

2011-09-20T05:59:00.000-07:00

I savor a book with a deep sense of place, one that can transport me through time and space. When I discover one of my writing students comes from far away, I sit up with anticipation, looking forward to where they can take me. Often I am disappointed. For the student’s home ground is so familiar to them that they cease to see it. Instead that village in the Philippines or that city on the coast of Brazil has faded to a blank backdrop for the student’s stories. A tourist can be more aware of what makes a place unique than a resident of that place. As writers we need to learn to see our home place with a tourist’s fresh eyes. Don't forget, next week, picture book author Kara LaReau http://www.karalareau.com will be a guest on my blog.

Guest Author Schedule

2011-09-13T04:31:00.000-07:00

Some wonderful authors will be dropping by my blog this fall. Here is the schedule of events. Drum roll please!September 27:Kara LaReau http://karalareau.com/ the author of Snowbaby Could Not Sleep, illustrated by Jim Ishikawa; the Rocko and Spanky stories, illustrated by Jenna LaReau; and Ugly Fish, Rabbit and Squirrel, and OTTO: The Boy Who Loved Cars, illustrated by Scott Magoon.

October 11:Kim Fusco http://http://www.kimberlynewtonfusco.com/ author of Tending to Grace and The Wonder of Charlie Anne.October 28:Greg Fishbone http://www.http://gfishbone.com/ author of Penguins of Doom and the Galaxy Games series.

Animated Cars, Galaxy Games, and Wonder

2011-09-06T07:08:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to announce that I'll be hosting a number of children's authors in the coming weeks. This is my line-up so far:
Kara LaReau, author of a number of picture books including OTTO, THE BOY WHO LOVED CARS http://www.karalareau.com/
Kim Newton Fusco, author of the middle grade novel, THE WONDER OF CHARLIE ANNE http://www.kimberlynewtonfusco.com/
Greg Fishbone, author of the new GALAXY GAMES series, who will be stopping by on his web tour. http://gfishbone.com/
I'll have dates and further information soon!

Robin Hood Found Guilty!

2011-08-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

100 years ago today, Richard Packard, bookkeeper for Harris Brothers & Bartlett, was found guilty of embezzling over $6,000. He gave all the money to the poor. He told the judge that he just wanted to be known as a "good fellow."

I found this gem in the Library of Congress' digital historical newspapers, www.loc.gov

New book is born!

2011-08-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

As a proud mama, I want to announce the publication of my newest book, History Digs: The Birth of the United States. You can find out more about it, and purchase a copy at www.cherrylakepublishing.com/shop/show/10573.

Here's the cover and a peek inside:

Reason for Being

2011-08-17T06:58:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been ripping out one of my novel's plot strands, redesigning it,and knitting it back in again. It can be a painstaking process.
I was stymied by one particular scene. I had moved the setting back in time, and Jane, my main character, was learning how to bake biscuits in an old fireplace. I'd done my research, and managed to get in the steps involved without overwhelming the reader with information and bogging down the pacing. But something was missing. What on earth was it?
I was reading an article in the SCBWI Bulletin www.scbwi.org about putting emotion into illustrations when I realized that was what was lacking. The scene wasn't about Jane baking biscuits, it was about how Jane felt baking those biscuits. My scene finally had a reason for being.

Revision Routes

2011-08-09T07:02:00.000-07:00

Long time, no post. But I have been busy.
I’ve been using Anita Nolan’s book mapping strategy (www.anitanolan.com/theend.html) to get a visual picture of my novel.
I discovered a weak subplot and set about revising to make it stronger. Of course, changing one part of a novel always affects another section…

I’d love to hear from anyone about strategies they use in revision.

Ladies of the Rolling Pin

2011-05-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

So Morris Dancers don't just bludgeon each other with clubs, they sometimes dust their victims with flour!
Spent a lovely day at the Lilac Festival at Arnold Arboretum http://arboretum.harvard.edu/ watching the Ladies of the Rolling Pin perform.www.ladies-of-the-rolling-pin.org

Second Sight

2011-05-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

I've been reading Cheryl Klein's (http://cherylklein.com/) book, Second Sight: An Editor Talks on Writing and Revising and Publishing Books for Children and Young Adults very slowly. It has so many gems, I need to sift through carefully to make sure I catch them all.
One of her unique suggestions is to list five roles (daughter, friend, worker, etc.) that your character has in declining order of their importance to him/her at the beginning and end of the book. It made me think of my MC's story journey in a whole new way.

Notable Women

2011-05-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

After writing bios for four books in the American Notable Women series, I've been thinking about what makes a woman notable. Is it because she is the first of her sex to accomplish something? Is it because she's done something to make life better for others?
And what drives a woman to excel in a culture that downgrades her abilities?

Cusp of Seasons Haiku

2011-03-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

The purple crocus
purses its lips against the snow
refusing winter
---Linda Crotta Brennan

Housework for Writer's Block

2011-02-27T12:54:00.000-08:00

Most people say they hate housework. I used to hate it too. But I've realized that it's rhythmic mindless can clear and release the mind. When I hit a block in my writing, I read the problem section over, then get up and start cleaning. Usually, by the time a room is half-done, I'm running back to my computer with a solution.
Rabia of Basra (717-801) said it much more poetically:
It helps
putting my hands on a pot, on a broom,
in a wash
pail.
I
tried painting
but it was easier to fly slicing
potatoes.

Poetic Prose

2011-02-20T13:46:00.000-08:00

I love poetic prose, whether it's in a lyrical picture book or a YA novel. But it's hard to do without having the author's voice intrude, without sounding too "writerly."
Two authors, whose books I've read recently, have been able to pull it off beautifully. Both women are also poets.
Kim Fusco in The Wonder of Charlie Ann and
Pat Lowery Collins in Daughter of Winter.
Both books are historical novels, and I wonder if readers are more accepting of poetic language in the mouth of of a historical character. Daughter of Winter is written in third person, and I do think poetic prose is easier to carry off in third person.
But The Wonder of Charlie Ann is written in first person. Yet Charlie always sounds like a kid. The reader always believes in her voice. Remarkable!
I need to exercise, flex my own poetic voice--and not be so afraid of it.

Leftovers Recycled

2011-02-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

Writing a book like When Rivers Burned: The Earth Day Story has made me hyper-sensitive to environmental issues. Americans throw so much food away. Wouldn't it be valuable to come up with new ways to recycle leftovers?
So here's my contribution:
Take leftover rice. Add brown sugar, raisins, milk, and a touch of cinnamon. Heat it in the microwave for 45 seconds.
Presto, delicious breakfast!

New book!

2011-02-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

Despite my best intentions, it's been a while since I posted on my blog. That's because I've been busy writing--a good excuse, I'd say.
I just finished a new book on the Revolutionary War--History Digs: Revolution and the New Nation (Cherry Lake Publishing).
I've also been working on biographies for Women of the Ocean State: 25 Rhode Island Women You Should Know. Princess Red Wing is my next lady. She was a dynamic spokesperson for her people, the Wampanoag and Narragansetts.

Study or Savor?

2010-12-15T05:47:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while I come across writing that takes my breath away. Listen to this passage from "The Oar: A Summer in Three Acts" by Chris Dombrowski which appeared in the December 2010 issue of The Sun. http://www.thesunmagazine.org/
I cast into the glare-coated water and watched the lure pause on a cushion of current before the trout plucked it from the surface. I caught a small cutthroat with dark bars on its scales--an indication that it was still a parr and too young to go to sea. Luca asked me to let the palm-sized, parr-marked fish go. Little parr-marked boy, wild and pure.
Part of me wants to pull this passage apart to figure out what made it work so well. But another part just wants to sit with it and savor its light.

Thanksgiving musings

2010-12-02T12:34:00.000-08:00

I was recently reminded of my gratitude as a new writer, who had never been published, for the great gift that writing gave me of living life attentively.
No future bestseller, no grand award, would ever be as wondrous as this.
I think poet Lisa Starr speaks to that same sense of paying attention in her poem "Because," recently published in the Providence Journal.
Here is the link:
http://www.projo.com/books/content/Rhode-Nov.-poem_11-21-10_7DKNBM6_v11.18cd915.html

Turkey Chorus

2010-11-21T12:15:00.000-08:00

Did you know that turkeys gobble in a chorus?
I just returned from picking up my turkey at Laurel Leaf Farm.
There was a pen full of survivors, who eyed us suspiciously as we walked by. If anyone took one step too close to them they let loose a gobble warning, in unison.
One of those concrete details I would never know without first hand experience.
The glory is in the details, writers!
Happy Thanksgiving!

The Fourth Wall

2010-11-07T15:29:00.000-08:00

I was reading an article in THE CHILDREN'S WRITER about how more and more plays are breaking through the "fourth wall" between the actors and the audience. The trend began when Peter Pan first asked the audience, "Do you believe in fairies? If you believe, clap your hands."
It seems to me that many books for children also broach that fourth wall by having the author directly address the reader. Kate DiCamillo does this brilliantly in The Tale of Despereaux.
Do any of you know of other books that break through the fourth wall?
What effect does this have on the reader's experience of the story?
When should a writer broach the fourth wall? When shouldn't s/he?
It seems to me that this technique is most successful when the character or narrator speaking to the reader has a distinctive persona.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Bargain Prices

2010-10-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

Writing When Rivers Burned: The Earth Day Story transformed my thinking in a number of ways.
I recently found a sweater on sale--great styling at a bargain price.
But after the initial joy of purchasing it, I got to thinking. The sweater didn't cost me much, but how much did it cost the environment?
It cost vegetation in feeding the sheep for its wool. It cost petroleum in manufacturing the synthetic component of the yarn. It cost energy in spinning the yarn. Someone had to sew it. What were conditions like in that factory? Then it was shipped here from China, unloaded at the docks, and sent through the mail to me.
Did I really need a sweater that cost so much?

Resurfacing

2010-10-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

I just finished When Rivers Burned: The Earth Day Story. I'm elated, but whatever will I do with all my time now?
Blog on a more regular basis!
Of course there are sure to be revisions ahead, but they won't be quite so all consuming.
But then it won't be long until I need to dive into my next American Notable Women book, Women of the Ocean State. My first lady is Ann Franklin, printer related to you know who.
Still, I hope to post more frequently, weekly even...

Early Morning Musings

2010-07-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

Oak branches reach out their leaf-hands
Baptizing my head with dew.

Animal Action

2010-06-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

I went to the zoo this week and that got me thinking of animal verbs.
Stop horsing around!
He weaseled his way in.
He snaked it through the pipe.

I thought it might be fun to create my own animal verbs:
He rhinoed his way into the room.
She swanned up to him.
She kangarooed across the dance floor.

Anybody want to share an animal verb?

Flowers bedded

2010-05-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend setting out all the flowers I grew from seed over the winter. It's lovely to see them nestled in their garden beds. I have a vision in my mind's eye of all their contrasting colors and textures.
As I do my research for my Earth Day book, I'm hyper aware of the environment around me, and my impact upon it. Every time I go to turn on a light, use a disposable, or have the urge to buy something, I ask myself, "Do I really need that?"
What ways have others found to lower their impact on the earth?

If you participated in the first Earth Day, I'd still love to hear from you. You can email me through my website

And the new and shiny tentative title for the book is: When Rivers Burned: Gaylord Nelson and Earth Day.

Earth Day Request

2010-05-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy couple of months. I completed revisions on a fiction project and finished my bios for Women of the Prairie State. (It will be part of Apprentice Shop Books' American Notable Women series.) Plus I worked up a proposal for a new book.

Great news! My proposal was accepted! I'll be writing a book for grades seven and up, tentatively entitled, Gaylord Nelson and Earth Day for Apprentice Shop's new Once in America series.

The book will focus on the first Earth Day and its impact. I'm looking to interview folks from around the country who participated in that first Earth Day. (Since there were 20,000,000 demonstrators, some of you must be out there!) Please email me through my website if you're willing to share your Earth Day experiences with me. My website is: www.lindacrottabrennan.com
Thanks!

Historical Preservation Panel

2010-03-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

I've been invited to take part in a Historical Preservation Panel as the local "noted author of children's history books." Here are the details:

Western RI Civic Historical Society is hosting a panel discussion on Preservation of Coventry History.

The panel will include Suzanna Prull of Preserve RI, historian Don Carpenter, Park Ranger Bob Grandchamp, Linda Crotta Brennan noted author of history books for children, the Coventry Town Manager Tom Hoover, and Guy Lefebvre of Parks and Recreation.

It will be held on April 14 from 7-9 p.m. at the Coventry Town Hall Annex, 1675 Flat River Road, Coventry, RI.

Pat Lowery Collins Interview--HIDDEN VOICES

2010-03-19T01:27:00.000-07:00

Your main characters are three very different young women. You attended a boarding school as a day student. Were these characters based on your experiences there? How were their lives similar and how were they different?
My characters were totally from my imagination, but their interaction and the internal workings and life of the orphanage were based in part on what I know of boarding schools that house girls far away from home. In an all girls’ school there are always those who get crushes on other girls. Anetta’s crush is a good deal more serious than most of these and definitely not a phase. The girls where I went to school usually had two parents and more freedom than my characters, especially the day students. They did not need to rely so heavily on one another. And there was certainly not the emphasis on music (in fact there was very little of that as I recall) or the so-called womanly arts, although we did have to attend something called “Social Forms” and were required to wear very unattractive uniforms and obey some fairly strict rules.

Each girl has a different fate within the confines of her times and social circumstances. Yet none lives out the Cinderella version of happily ever after. Was that a deliberate choice?
It was not a deliberate choice. As with most of my other books, although I have a fairly good grasp of the characters at the beginning of the process, I have no idea where the story is going and certainly not what the ending will be. I did intend that the ending leave something to the imagination and provide realistic outcomes for all three girls.

Most books portray orphanages as harsh, evil places, yet here the orphanage was a refuge which provided vast opportunities to young girls without families. Could you tell us a little about that?
I had a decision to make at the beginning as to whether or not I wanted the drama in my story to be caused by a restrictive institution or if, as it seemed to me from all that I had read, I should characterize the ospedale as a nurturing place. I decided on the latter and on allowing the girls to live out their own story, make their own choices, and provide their own theatrics.

You went to Venice to research this book. Could you tell us a little about that?
It seemed absolutely necessary that I go to where these ospedales had been prevalent and see as much as I could of the city of Venice first hand. I found the Hotel Metropole on the site of the old Ospedale della Pietá, observed the views from the windows that the girls would have looked through, saw the birthplace of Vivaldi where he lived through much of his adulthood and the streets he would have taken to arrive at work. I also toured the nearby doge’s palace, St. Mark’s Church and square, and the Cá Rezzonico, a museum of the 18th century. The character, Rosalba, was actually named for a famous pastel artist of the time whose work adorns the museum. There were so many things –surprises such as an original covered gondola from the period and an exhibit of 18th century instruments - that I would not have known about if I hadn’t taken this trip. In short, I would not have been able to write this particular book without such on site research.

What drew you to 18th century Venice?
When I first heard about Vivaldi’s role in the life of these girls and learned about the foundling wheel, I knew there was a story there that I wanted to tell. That, and my love of baroque music, drew me to 18th Century Venice.

What was the “Social Service System” in the Republic of Venice under the doge?
There were many foundling children in Venice – often bastards of profligate dukes – at the time of my story. The orphanages, or ospedales, took in older youngsters and answered the Republic’s problem with abandoned babies. By virtue of the foundling wheel, where infants were deposited with no questions asked, the girls and boys had the promise of a better life than being raised by a single woman or extremely poor family. The social service system of the time instituted a board of governers who oversaw these orphanages and made the rules. Music was an integral part of the life of Venice and of other Italian cities that had similar institutions, and it was decided that a musical education would be provided to some degree for all the children in these establishments and, to a greater degree, for those who had special gifts. Though Italy was a Catholic country, from what I could gather from my research, these were not convents and I tried not to portray it as such.

Vivaldi and his music are a central part of this book. What drew you to this man and his music? How have teen readers responded to this aspect of the book?
A popular composer, Vivaldi’s music is played daily on classical music stations that I listen to. I have always loved the Baroque, and the things that I was beginning to learn about him and his position at the Ospedale della Pieta intrigued me.

It is a little early to tell about the response. Teens and adults who are musicians seem to be drawn to it. Others read it for the story itself and the history.

This book concentrates on a small slice of Vivaldi’s life. Can you tell us what happened to him afterwards?
I purposely set the story during the early years of Vivaldi’s career when his own growing celebrity didn’t take him away from the Ospedale for long periods. During this, the earliest part of the 18th century, he was already becoming known in the world of opera, but it did not yet consume him. Later, he traveled throughout Europe with two of his students and there was a hint of a love affair with one of them. I really didn’t want to deal with that. As I say in my author’s notes, I wanted to focus on the orphans.

What do you think modern teens can take away from HIDDEN VOICES?
I hope that modern teens will learn from this story that in spite of cultural differences and the idiosyncrasies of other times and places, people’s emotions, needs and aspirations are basically the same. Deep friendships were formed then as they are today; a woman’s place in society was dominated by a male perspective, but there were opportunities for these girls none the less, often more so than in other periods of history.

How does this book fit in with your other titles? What are you working on now?
“Just Imagine” was my first book of historical fiction. It required little research because I was born shortly after the years of the Great Depression that I write about. If I needed to know about a detail or fact, I could usually find the answer by asking an older member of my family. “The Fattening Hut” was set on a mythical island, but based on a real place, Anguilla, that I traveled to in an effort to learn about the history, topography, and the flora and fawna. All of these figured into what I now think of as an historical fantasy.
“Hidden Voices” required more research than any of my other books except the one coming out in the fall called “Daughter of Winter”. That book is set in Essex, MA, in 1849. Essex is the next town over, so I didn’t have to travel far, but I probably did more intensive research for this book than for any other. Some of my picture books are also set in real places, but only two of them required much research – “Waiting for Baby Joe” and “Schooner”. In fact, some of the research that I did for “Schooner” was useful when I wrote “Daughter of Winter.” Presently I’m working on a memoir of my years as a child radio actress in Hollywood. It’s also a coming-of-age story and portrait of an ambitious and quirky family and magical place.

Could you tell us more about “Daughter of Winter”?
It's another historical novel - this time set in Essex, MA in 1849. The protagonist is a twelve year old girl whose father has sailed by schooner for the goldfields of California. Left completely alone when her mother and brother die, she keeps the deaths to herself until such time as the townsfolk discover the ruse and come to get her. She runs away before they arrive, however, choosing to try to survive by herself in the harsh winter landscape of the ship yards and Hog Island, where, with the help of a displaced Wampanoag Indian woman and an ancient ceremony, she eventually learns profound secrets about herself.

Is there something you’d like to say that I haven’t asked about?
Other writers may be interested in the way the story is told in three voices. I read many books written from multiple points of view to see how this could be done successfully. From the reviews I’ve seen, most readers feel the girls have very distinct voices. I had been worried about this because I was using the syntax and idioms of another time and society.

Thank you so much for joining me here. It's been a pleasure! If you'd like to find out more about Pat and her books, you can visit her website at www.patlowerycollins.com

Voice--out in the open and hidden

2010-03-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

I had the most remarkable discussion with my good friend, and talented author/illustrator Cheryl Kirk Noll about voice. We discussed books that had it, and how we might develop distinctive voice in our characters. Cheryl has noticed that in novels with strong voice, the character's particular way of speaking is carried into the narrative, even in third person. She pointed to Katherine Patterson's Bridge to Terebithia as an example.

That brings me to Hidden Voices, a wonderful YA novel set in Baroque Venice. I'll be interviewing the author, Pat Lowery Collins, this Friday on my blog. Hope you can join us!

Pat Lowery Collins Interview

2010-03-02T12:56:00.000-08:00

I'm delighted to announce that I'll be interviewing author Pat Lowery Collins on her new book, Hidden Voices, on March 19th.

Please join us!

Novels in Verse

2010-02-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

I recently wrote a narrative poem, which is picture book length, but a bit advanced for the picture book set. An editor suggested I might build it into a novel. That idea is a bit daunting, but I've been reading novels in verse to explore the possibilities.

I fell in love with Diamond Willow by Helen Frost. It's quite unusual, with a shape poem on each page based on the shape of the "diamond willow" pattern. Apparently, in the far north, willows that have been scarred sometimes develop a diamond pattern around the wound. This wood is often used to create special objects.

The main character in the book is named Diamond Willow, and the painful scars of her life develop into beautiful new patterns.

Play on Titles

2010-02-21T11:08:00.000-08:00

Today I read an article on how a title can help sell your book, to an agent, an editor, or a reader. The article went on to talk about how the title must suit the genre. So I decided to play with giving common phrases a new twist to convert them into titles. I wondered what type of books these might be:
U-Maul--a suspense thriller?
Sky Queen--biography of a female aviator?
Surf's Down--murder mystery of a beach bum?
Moondoggle--expose of a scam at NASA?
The Spice is Right--cookbook?
I'd love to see what others can come up with.

School visits and creative nonfiction

2010-02-09T13:52:00.000-08:00

I just returned from doing a school visit to Paine School in Foster, RI. I've been invited to speak there year after year. It's always a pleasure to return. The school has such an upbeat and creative culture. Today was the hundredth day of school, a big celebration for the younger grades. The upper grades were playing a science Jeopardy Game to prepare for an upcoming quiz.

I gave my talk on THE BLACK REGIMENT OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. And I was reminded of how honored I feel to have been chosen to tell this important story. One student asked me whether I prefer to write nonfiction, fiction, or poetry and I realized I couldn't chose one over the other. I love the creative freedom of fiction. I love playing with words and images through poetry. And I love learning about a new topic and figuring out how to tell my subject's story so that the reader can see its beating heart.

Perhaps the piece of writing that I'm proudest of is my biography of Dian Fossey in WOMEN OF THE GOLDEN STATE: 25 CALIFORNIA WOMEN YOU SHOULD KNOW.

RARI and YRARI

2010-01-31T08:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I volunteered to help at the kick-off conference for Read Across Rhode Island, one state, one book. Our title this year is the delightful The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society The book takes place in England, just after the close of WWII. The Guernsey Islands off the cost were occupied by the Germans. This is a tale of the island people's resilience and recovery. Written in letters, the main character, Juliet is a witty and endearing observer.
This year, there will also be a Youth Read Across Rhode Island, which will be launched this spring. In the meantime, our committee is busy reading the titles under consideration.
Anyone know of worthy books aimed at 4-5th grade that would appeal to both boys and girls?

Email again!

2010-01-28T08:28:00.000-08:00

I was alarmed to discover this week that emails sent through my website were not reaching me. But the problem has been fixed. Hurray for Mouseworks! (www.mouseworks.net)
If you recently tried to reach me through my website and I haven't responded, please email me again. Thanks!

When Illinois was the frontier

2010-01-22T13:00:00.000-08:00

Whew! I just finished my biography of Christiana Holmes Tillson for WOMEN OF THE PRAIRIE STATE. This remarkable woman wrote an account of her years as a pioneer in Illinois. Just getting out there was trial...and she makes some rather acerbic observations of the backwoodsmen she encountered along the way. But when she arrived at her log cabin home, she discovered someone else had taken up residence and all her baggage was lost. She stuck a fresh made candle on a nail and soldiered on.

Just the Right Size

2009-12-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

Think of a book about mathematical theory and physics. Now imagine people passing it around at a party. Well that's what happened with Just the Right Size by Nicola Davies. I handed it to one friend to read, he passed it along to someone else. I could tell who had it by following the guffaws and chuckles. This is a very funny book for kids based on very good science.

The Heart of a Shepherd

2009-12-20T11:13:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite recent middle grade novels, The Heart of a Shepherd, was named one of the year's best by Horn Book. I'm thrilled. The book has just the right combination of action, adventure, drama, and humor. Yet it also has a character-driven plot, and raises questions about life, death, and faith.
I wish I could pull this off so well!

Fact or Truth

2009-12-08T16:19:00.000-08:00

Stephen Koch has an interesting discussion of facts vs. truth in his book Writer's Workshop: A Guide to the Craft of Fiction. (I'm loving this book.) He says that whether you're writing fiction or nonfiction, facts alone don't make it. You have to get "possession" of the facts. Internalize them, find their inner truth. It doesn't matter where the "facts" came from, whether they came from they came from reality or your imagination (as in making up a character). John Keats said it this way, "A fact is not a truth until you love it."

I can totally relate to this in writing biographies for children. It wasn't the facts, it was the truth that I found in them, that made middle schoolers tear up when I read aloud Dian Fossey's biography from Women of the Golden State.

Thanks to the Alan Shawn Feinstein Middle School for inviting me to take part in their readathon.

Gratitude

2009-11-30T13:43:00.000-08:00

Last week my yoga instructor's class focused on gratitude. Practicing gratitude is more than just reciting a list of what you're grateful for. It is a way of approaching life.
We are such a goal-oriented society. Sometimes we are so busy striving for what we don't have that we forget all that we do have.
So when you feel bombarded by the media message of "buy, buy, buy," this season, take a moment to reflect on your bounty of blessings.

Despite what I said earlier about gratitude being more than a list, here are some things that make me grateful:
Family and friends
The russet gold of New England November
My ongoing assignments with the American Notable Women Series. (I just got my list of Illinois ladies.)
Early morning walks with my golden retriever, Willow, even when it's raining.
And my wonderful yoga teacher--Ellen Schaeffer www.youphoria.biz/

Heaven to Betsey!

2009-11-22T18:08:00.000-08:00

I recently returned from a Florida trip. I had picked up a couple of paperbacks to read on the plane. I was drawn to one by its quaint cover and Anna Quinlen's plug--"There are three authors whose body of work I have reread more than once over my adult life: Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and Maud Hart Lovelace."
So I was surprised to discover that this title was actually a children's book--the high school (two books in one) sequels to the Betsy-Tacy series, HEAVEN TO BETSY and BETSY IN SPITE OF HERSELF.
The books were very quiet. I'm not sure they'd be published today. Betsy's small problems were readily solved. Yet I was totally caught up in her character by the end of the books, enough so that I ordered the first title in the series from my library. I'm not sure what made Betsy so captivating, but I mean to find out!

Recuperative Reading

2009-10-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

I've been laid low by a nasty upper respiratory infection. The good side of this is that I've had the chance to catch up on three wonderful middle grade novels, Avi's Poppy and Ereth, the hilarious Mississippi gambling Crows & Cards by Joseph Helgerson, and my favorite, Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry.

Let me warn you now, there are some spoilers here.
As usual, I like to figure out what makes a book work so well...
Avi is a master storyteller, and his use of multiple POV in Poppy and Ereth is phenomenal. He opens with Poppy and Rye, enjoying a cozy winter snooze together. Then he switches to Rye's POV as he forges out into the snow to write a lovely winter poem. Rye returns coughing. Next chapter Avi switches to Junior, the son. Junior is pounding on Ereth's door to inform him that Rye died.
Wow! Who kills off a main character in the second chapter? But Avi cushions the blow by pulling back and telling us the news through Junior's perspective. Amazing.

Celebrate

2009-10-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

As it snowzles outside my window this raw October day, I keep warm thinking about last night's meeting of the Story Spinners critique group. We talked about finding new ways to celebrate one another.
The Story Spinners always broke out the champagne when someone published, but we decided we also needed to celebrate rejection letters--hey we were brave enough to send that baby out, and we got a response.
That naturally flowed into celebrating submissions--five of us submitted something lately.
Most of all we celebrated the gifts each of us bring to group. Apparently I'm the mother/nurturer of Story Spinners. Sweet!

Women of the Golden State Launch and Negative Space

2009-10-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I drove to New Hampshire for the Book Launch Brunch for Women of The Golden State. Apprentice Shop Book's (http://www.apprenticeshopbooks.com) publisher, Muriel Dubois, put out a delicious spread. I relished the chance to meet the other authors who worked on this project. They are an interesting bunch!

At my table Joyce Ray and her husband talked about their upcoming trip to Japan, volunteering with an organization that teaches sustainable farming techniques. Janet Buell shared information about her Time Traveler series of books on mummies, including the Ice Maidens of the Andes. I also had a chance to meet some of the folks who work behind the scenes at Apprentice Shop, like the all-important bookkeeper.

One of the best parts of the trip was driving up with Sarah Hemenway. She's an artist as well as a writer and provoked me into thinking of writing in new ways. Artists often draw the "negative space," but what is negative space in writing? Is it the subtext, the things hinted at but unsaid? Anyone have comments to add on this topic?

Humor scene?

2009-10-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, ready or not, here's my answer to the humor challenge, feeble though it is. Somehow it seemed funnier when I first wrote it. Funny is hard!

Holly and Alex stood panting on the dock, watching the boat carrying their classmates get smaller in the distance.
“The ferry left without us. What will we do?” cried Holly.
“My scout leader says that in any survival situation, you should first take stock of your supplies.”
Holly rummaged in her backpack. “I have a camera, my water bottle, and half a smooshed peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
“At least we won’t go hungry,” said Alex. “I have my keys, a notebook, and a self-inflatable dinosaur.”
“A self-inflatable dinosaur! What on earth are you doing with that?”
“My dad gave it to me. He’s the IT guy at the Museum of Natural History.” Alex looked at the sky. “Storm’s coming. The dinosaur could provide shelter.”
“How big is that thing?”
Alex hefted his backpack on his shoulder. “I’ll show you. If I remember correctly, there’s an empty field at the end of this street.”
The two trudged past tourist shops and up a hill to a grassy space surrounding a lighthouse.
Alex took a large rubber rectangle out of his backpack and uncocked the self-inflating mechanism.
It hissed and whistled and wheezed as the dinosaur took shape. The head was as big as Holly’s bedroom. The neck looked like a tree trunk. The body was as big as a school bus.
“A tyrannosaurus!”
“Indeed,” said Alex. “Dad thought it was an appropriate choice for his son, Alex Rex.”
There was a sudden gust of wind from the sea. The dinosaur bucked.
“Don’t let it blow away!” cried Alex, wrapping his arms around its neck.
Holly grabbed a floppy foot.
They tumbled across the field, bounced over the trees, and came to a shuddering stop against a tall stone arch.
“The dinosaur’s head stuck in the entrance to the labyrinth at the top of the island,” announced Alex.
“A-mazing,” said Holly.

Humor Challenge

2009-09-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

I don't usually see myself as a funny writer, but Ellen Wittlinger's (http://www.ellenwittlinger.com/) talk at SCBWI's Encore on humor got me thinking.
She says that humor often has:
1. exageration,
2. surprise
3. recognition.
So I challenge thee and me to come up with a humorous scene by next weekend.

Plot Challenge Review

2009-09-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

This plot challenge really helped me over a hump. In his book Writer's Workshop, Stephen Koch says you have to write your way through writer's block and this exercise helped me to do that.
So let's all think on our keyboards!

More plot ideas

2009-09-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

I even came up with an extra plot idea--of course they're not equally enticing, but here goes:

Plot #2: Aggie and her mom often laugh about how uncoordinated they are, but it's not funny when Aggie's mom slips on the ice and ends up in traction. Aggie's father's sister, figure skater Celina Valska, comes to take care of Aggie. Aunt Celina, who missed an Olympic medal by a tenth of a point, and was knocked out of this season's competition due to an injury, has issues of her own.

Plot #3: When Lester carves the top off of his halloween pumpkin, a little man pops out who gleefully cries, "I'm free!" and scampers away. An army of beings tramp through Lester's kitchen. They tell Lester that he's released a Puckling and recruit him to track down the prankster. Chaos ensues, but in the end, Lester realises that life is more interesting spiced with a bit of mischief.

Plot #4: Shy Shannon's outgoing online persona couldn't be more different than her real personality. Pretending to be someone she isn't is fun until her online buddy Connor announces he will be attending Shannon's cousin's wedding. Who will the real Shannon Walton be when her worlds collide?

Plot Idea # 1

2009-09-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, here's my first plot idea:
Nine year old Jack Ward wakes up to discover his wandering tinker family has vanished, leaving him alone with his pony. He sets off across the Burren to the tiny coastal town where a small girl once offered him a kindness, in search of his family and who or what caused their disappearance.

I'm not sure that this qualifies as "high concept," but it grabbed me...

Women of the Golden State

2009-09-17T05:36:00.000-07:00

Finally figured out how to post the cover of my latest book!

"High Concept" Plot Challenge

2009-09-17T05:32:00.000-07:00

At last Saturday's Encore! author/editor Lisa Papademetriou gave a terrific talk on writing the middle grade series. She said that her boss once asked her to come up with three book ideas in two days...Her trick in getting this done was to come up with a character idea and an inciting incident.
Lisa also spoke about how editors were on the lookout for "High Concept" plots, or ones with wide commercial appeal.
So here's my challenge--by Tuesday, come up with three high concept book ideas...notice that I'm giving you more time than Lisa's editor did!

Women of the Golden State

2009-09-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

I opened my mailbox and what was inside? The advance copy of my latest book, Women of the Golden State: 25 California Women You Should Know. It was so exciting to hold this first copy in my hands. I waved down the neighbors driving by, bursting to share my news.
The cover announces that the book was written by Linda Crotta Brennan and others--this was a collaborative effort. I wrote three of the biographies in the book, Dian Fossey: Protector of the Mountain Gorilla, Dorothea Lange: Changing the World Through Photography, and Maud Younger: Millionaire Waitress.
You can find out more about Women of the Golden State, and the other titles in the American Notable Women Series at the Apprentice Shop Books website, http://www.apprenticeshopbooks.com

Encore and Writers' Salons

2009-08-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

Oh, I wanted to let people know about two wonderful SCBWI New England events coming up. (I'm helping out with both.) You can find out more about these events at http://www.nescbwi.org

Encore Details: On Saturday, September 12, SCBWI in Southern New England will host ENCORE 2009, a day of four workshops by faculty from recent past regional conferences. Workshops include: "Choices in Narrative Voices" given by author and editor J. L. Bell, "What's so Funny and Why" given by award winning author Ellen Wittlinger, "Writing the Middle Grade Series" given by editor and author Lisa Papademetriou, and "Before and After" given by Houghton editor, Erica Zappy.

For this event, SCBWI New England is teaming with the Alliance for the Study and Teaching of Adolescent Literature (ASTAL) at Rhode Island College in Providence. The registration fee of $50 includes a continental breakfast and buffet lunch.

For information and a simple registration form, download this PDF file, print it, fill it out, and mail it in. Additional information on the workshops and presenters is below. The registration deadline is September 1st.

Writers' Salon details:

Taking Your School Visits to the Next Level: Q&A with Two School Visit Coordinators

AND

Passion and Process vs. Product and Promotion: A Group Discussion

Saturday, September 19, 2009, 10:00 - 2:30, in Acton, Massachusetts

An event for published authors and illustrators of books for children

SCBWI Salons are gatherings for published authors and illustrators of children's books...

To share ideas, triumphs, and struggles
To discuss what SCBWI-NE can do to help us as published members
To grow as artists
To be inspired by experts in the field
To get connected

The topics for the 19 September Salon are--

Taking Your School Visits to the Next Level: Q&A with Two School Visit Coordinators

Two experienced school visit coordinators describe their idea of the perfect author/illustrator visit and offer advice for making your programs better than ever.

Passion and Process vs. Product and Promotion: A Group Discussion

Passion led us to become authors and illustrators and we spend hours of time creating our works, but sending them out into the world is a job most of us weren't expecting. We will discuss how to balance time spent making books and time spent marketing them.

Schedule:
10:00-10:30 Registration and Networking
10:30-12:00 Presentation and Group Discussion
12:00-1:00 Lunch and Networking
1:00-2:30 Presentation and Group Discussion

Location:
Faulkner Room, Acton Town Hall
472 Main St., Acton, MA (directions below)

It's done!

2009-08-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted, but my middle grade novel, Paper Doll Ghosts, is done and on the agent's desk!
Ta-da!
Now I have to get to work on revising my School Visit fliers and getting them in the mail.

The Art of Knowing

2009-07-05T05:40:00.001-07:00

I just finished reading the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of Julia Gillian and the Art of Knowing by Alison McGhee. Geared for kids aged 9-12, it is deceptively simple and childlike, following Julia Gillian's everyday life with her two caring parents and beloved dog. But then Julia picks up a book she thinks she'll like, until she gets midway through and decides she doesn't want to read the ending. She throws the book out on the fire escape, but she knows it's there, so she hides it with a tower of toys...
this is a profound book on facing our greatest fears.

Beginner's Mind

2009-06-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I gave the workshop, Reaching Your Audience: Writing for Magazines, at RIC's Summer Writing Institute. A dynamic group of students of all ages attended. They had exciting ideas and projects to share.
Part of the joy of being on faculty was getting to hear the other speakers. Patricia McCormick was our luncheon speaker. She talked about how blessed the students were to have "beginner's mind" as yet unsullied by the experts' rules on writing. Then this morning, I was reading Writing from the Heart by Nancy Slonim Aronie. She writes about trying to return to the place before the judging and labeling and narrowing of vision. She has a great line-Don't should on me!
My bible study for today curiously echoed this idea, in opening one's life to the Holy Spirit.
So for today, I'm going to practice being and seeing with fresh eyes.

Summer Institute at RIC

2009-06-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

I'll be part of the faculty for this year's Summer Writing Institute at Rhode Island College. Here are the details:

“Calling All Writers!”
Putting Your Talent To Work!

3rd Annual ASTAL Summer Institute Writing for Young People
June 24, 25, 26, 27, 29 & 30, 2009

Once again this summer the Alliance for the Study and Teaching of Adolescent Literature (ASTAL) at Rhode Island College is offering an institute for people who are interested in learning to write for young people. Participants will write and interact for six days of working with award-winning authors who serve as their instructor/mentors; they will also attend presentations about book publishing featuring editors and publishers and they will meet and hear from guest authors. The instructor/mentor to student ratio will not exceed 1:8 to provide maximum opportunities for individualized instruction and feedback during work sessions. Enrollment will be limited and students will be accepted in the order that we receive the applications by the strand indicated.

HOW CAN I PARTICIAPTE?
Option 1 Full registration
Participants will enjoy everything the Institute has to offer!
Cost: $894 for credit $750 for non-credit

Option 2 "Cashing in on Your Imagination: Becoming a Freelance Writer," June 27, one day workshops
Participants will join Institute participants for a day long program exploring aspects of freelance writing to turn talent into cash in these difficult economic times. Cost: $100

Option 3 Speakers Only
Participants will have the opportunity to attend the author presentations from 9-10 on June 24, 25, 26, & 29 and Luncheon on June 27. Cost: $70

Option 4 Luncheon, June 27
Participants will get to enjoy a luncheon with speaker and book fair with discounted prices. Cost: $30

For more information or to register for this event please visit
www.astal-ric.org/summerinstitute.htm

Novel Writing

2009-06-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

I've been reading up on novel writing, in preparation for leading a workshop for my critique group. We all seem to struggle with how to structure such and long, unwieldy beast.
One helpful hint that I've found is to launch the book with an "inciting incident," one that threatens the MC's basic sense of self. Then craft "set pieces," or scenes with high emotional impact, turning points along your character's path to the "inner cave," crisis point, and resolution. Jot these all scenes down on index cards that you can shuffle, remove, or add to until your plot line makes sense.

Jane again

2009-05-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

My big brother Chris said my last post was rude.
So... what are your hobbies?
I collect gravestones.
Jane

Meet Jane!

2009-05-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

I recently read an article called "Inspiration to Speak, Reason to Read: Ways to Find Voice" by Mindy Hardwick in Children's Writer Guide to 2009. Mindy suggests allowing your character to blog, and seeing what s/he will say as a means to discovering your character's voice.

So, meet Jane Lombardi, the almost 11 year old lead in my current work-in-progress, Paper Doll Ghosts:

Stop looking at me!
Jane

Delta Kappa Gamma

2009-05-13T06:11:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to speak to a group of educators last night from the Beta Chapter of RI's Delta Kappa Gamma. They are a lively group of women, active in their community. They sponsor scholarships and educational programs for students and teachers. Here's a link to their great organization:
http://www.deltakappagamma.net/

After a yummy Italian dinner at Spumoni's, I spoke to them about creating The Black Regiment of the American Revolution.

Interview with Children's Author, Jeannine Atkins

2009-04-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

I want to welcome Jeannine Atkins to my blog for my first ever author interview.

Jeannine Atkins is the author of picture books including AANI AND THE TREE HUGGERS, MARY ANNING AND THE SEA DRAGON, and most recently ANNE HUTCHINSON’S WAY, which was named to Booklist’s 2007 Top Ten Religion Books for Youth.

In 1643, the Hutchinson family sailed from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, hoping to find religious freedom. Soon Anne Hutchinson was forbidden to speak about Scripture in her home. She spoke anyway, and was put in jail. The picture book, told from the point of view of her young, proud, and worried daughter, Susanna, shows Anne’s strong faith as she practices and defends free speech.

What about Anne Hutchinson attracted you? Why did you decide to write about her?

I was aware of Anne Hutchinson growing up in Massachusetts, and she kept returning to my attention as years passed, as if nudging me to learn more about her. At last I paid attention to the nudges and read biographies to understand some of her special qualities.

Why did you choose to write a picture book about her instead of a longer book?

I love the way a picture book may capture the essence of a person by focusing on a few important incidents. And of course I love the way great pictures can quickly fill in a lot about a time that’s so different from what’s familiar to us. While all the details of Anne Hutchinson’s story are important, I wanted to distill from what’s known to highlight her courage and its price.

Anne had a very complex life. She held firmly to her beliefs, though they differed from others. She refused to be silenced, even at great cost to herself and her family. How did you present Anne’s life so that would be accessible picture book readers?

I chose to tell Anne’s story through the point of view of one of her children, to focus on the pride they surely felt along with a yearning to have more safe time with her. I think that mixed feeling of being glad your parent has a good life in the world, while wanting more ordinary time just to be with them, is something many children feel, though not to this extent.

Was it a challenge to talk about religious issues in a secular book? You did so with such grace—how did you approach this?

The difficulties were in trying to find simplicity in what’s complex, which is often the task of the picture book writer. There are many huge books outlining interpretations of scripture that tore apart some communities, and I didn’t want to go there! I struggled to define Puritanism in a sentence.

What special difficulties did you face in writing this book?

I wanted to make the language sound as if it had been spoken a long time ago, yet still be easy enough to understand. And as you mentioned, this book is about a religious drama but it’s intended for readers from any religious background or none. It’s set in a time when religion shaped almost all life choices and consequences. I wanted to convey that without going into the intricacies of theological differences that most children wouldn’t know about.

There is some debate about where the line should be drawn between fiction and nonfiction. What are your thoughts on this? What is your definition of “creative nonfiction”?

I’m an advocate of taking historical facts and working them into scenes based on what we know about a person and a time. I think strategies such as inventing dialogue help readers feel as if they were there, and then, having made that emotional connection, perhaps go on to explore views of history.

How was this book similar or different than the other books you’ve written?

I’ve often been attracted to theme of learning what is true for you and staying loyal to it; that’s something that starts for us when we’re young and continues all our lives. And growing up when women weren’t featured much in history texts, I try to “write women back into history.”

What were your special joys in writing this book?

It is a joy to answer the nudge I mentioned at the beginning of this interview. To say – all right, I’ll pay attention! And then to get to spend months with such a heroic woman and family; that was a joy and an honor.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Thank you for asking such interesting questions, Linda! Oh, and there’s always: what’s next? In April 2010, Henry Holt Books for Young Readers will publish my first book of poetry, Borrowed Names: Poems of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madam C. J. Walker, Marie Curie and their Daughters. You can learn more on my website at www.Jeannineatkins.com or read my blog, View from a Window Seat, at http://jeannineatkins.livejournal.com

Rescheduled interview with Jeannine Atkins

2009-04-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

If you were anticipating my interview with Jeannine Atkins, I apologize. I was called away precipitously when my father became seriously ill. He passed away this Tuesday after a long and love-filled life.
Jeannine and I have rescheduled her interview for Friday, May 1st. We'd love to have you join us.

Interview with author Jeannine Atkins

2009-04-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

On Friday, April 17, I'll be hosting a blog interview with children's author, Jeannine Atkins. Her titles include Aani and the Tree Huggers, Mary Anning and the Sea Dragon, and most recently, Anne Hutchinson's Way. You can visit her website to find out more about her at www.jeannineatkins.com
Hope you'll join us!

Sample Watercolor

2009-04-04T08:51:00.000-07:00

I figured out how to add an image! Hurray for me!
Here's a sample of my art from the show.

Gallery Opening

2009-04-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

I always said that when I retired, I wanted to paint bad watercolors. Well, I haven't retired yet, but my husband bought me paint and I took a few lessons. You can see the results and judge for yourself!
Two of my paintings will be hung in Carole Berren's show:
Please join Carole Berren and her students for our annual exhibition:
Cranston Public Library Art Gallery
140 Sockanosset Cross Road
Cranston, RI 02920
(401) 943- 9080
Opening Reception: Sunday, April 5, 2009 2-4 PM
Exhibition on view through April 30, 2009
Hours: M-Th. 9AM - 8PM; F-S 9AM - 5PM; Sun. 1- 5PM

Morale boosters

2009-03-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

I've enjoyed two wonderful morale boosters this week. First was a marvelous luncheon sponsored by RIC's ASTAL, (http://www.astal-ric.org/2009-03-21.htm) and organized by the inimitable Dr. Jean Brown.
We enjoyed a preview of author Kim Newton Fusco's (http://www.kimberlynewtonfusco.com/) and Peter Johnson's (http://www.petejohnsonauthor.com/) new books , heard about Beatrice Grombley's (http://beatricegormley.com/) adventures writing simultaneous biographies of John McCain and Barak Obama, and heard a sampling from Padma Venkatraman's Climbing the Stairs.

The second was the fat file folder of thank you notes sent by the children of Sullivan School. You've gotta love kids who say they hope you write a cajillion more books and promise to read them all!

A Life in the Wild

2009-03-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

I firmly believe that nonfiction books deserve time in the spotlight, so I'm going to shine my light on Pamela Turner's A Life in the Wild: George Schaller's Struggle to Save the Last Great Beasts. This is an exquisitely written book. And George Schaller is a great and fascinating man who has contributed much to conservation efforts around the world.
The book won the Golden Kite, a well deserved honor!
Find out more at Pamela Turner's website: http://www.pamelasturner.com/
And you can find out more about George Schaller's efforts to save our wild places at:
http://www.savingwildplaces.com/swp-home/swp-overview/swp-staff/238989

Writer's Salon and ASTAL

2009-03-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I attended a wonderful Writers' Salon on managing your writing career.
It included talks by author/illustrator Nancy Poydar http://www.nancypoydar.com
and YA author Nancy Werlin http://www.nancywerlin.com/
The outcome of the discussion is that each of us has a unique career path and that all are equally valid.
Thanks to New England SCBWI http://www.nescbwi.org and Melissa Stewart http://www.melissa-stewart.com/for organizing these events. There will be another Writers' Salon in June. Don't miss it!

Next Saturday, I will be at the ASTAL Luncheon at RI College. Speakers will include Kim Fusco, Beatrice Gormley, Peter Johnson, and Padma Venkatraman. For more information and to register, go to http://www.astal-ric.org/2009-03-21.htm.

Newport Historical Society Signing

2009-03-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

My illustrator, Cheryl Kirk Noll, and I will be signing copies of The Black Regiment of the American Revolution on Tuesday, April 14 from 1-3 at the Newport Historical Society Museum & Shop at Brick Market, which is located at 127 Thames St in downtown Newport (across the street from Banana Republic and next to Coldwater Creek). If you're in the neighborhood, we'd love to see you there!

Way of the Owl

2009-03-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading an adult book, about "a girl and her owl." Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien really made me rethink the intelligence of our nonhuman neighbors and how we relate to them.
Humans might do better if they followed "The Way of the Owl."
Check out Stacey and Wesley's website at
http://wesleytheowl.com/

Afghan Dreams

2009-03-01T11:10:00.000-08:00

At March Into Reading at Salve Regina University in Newport yesterday, I sat next to author/photographer Tony O'Brien. He is a photo-journalist and the head of Documentary Studies at the College of Santa Fe, so children's books aren't his normal stock in trade. But he traveled across Afghanistan, photographing children and asking them about their hopes and dreams. The result was the thought-provoking book, AFGHAN DREAMS.

March Into Reading

2009-02-22T08:23:00.000-08:00

I'm participating in an exciting event next weekend, Aquidneck Island's March into Reading. Friday I'll be visiting three island schools and speaking about THE BLACK REGIMENT OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. One of the major battles in the book takes place on the island, so this is local history!
Then Saturday I'll be joining other wonderful authors and illustrators at Salve Regina University for a celebration of reading. Here are the details:

Saturday, February 28, 2009

9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Presentations, Book Sales & Signings, Activities for all ages
O'Hare Academic Center, Ochre Point Ave., Salve Regina University
Free & Open to the Public

Meet the Authors & Illustrators!

David Macaulay
Michael Dooling
Janet Taylor Lisle
Mary Jane Begin
Linda Crotta-Brennan
Tony O'Brien
Jeannine Atkins
John Brennan
Lucinda Landon

Saturday's Schedule of Events

Revolutionary War Reenactors with the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment
9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Presenters
10:00 a.m. - Mary Jane Begin, Jeannine Atkins
11:00 a.m. - David Macaulay, Janet Taylor Lisle
12:00 p.m. - Michael Dooling, Tony O'Brien

Guest Reader
John Brennan, "The Ghosts of Newport ": 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The Reading Room for Young Children
9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. - Enjoy a quiet break with a read aloud story.

Children's Discovery Rooms
9:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. - Medieval Life, The Rainforest, Ancient Egypt

Family & Community Centers
9:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. - Pick up a passport to "Aquidneck History 2009" free admission for children to local historical attractons.

Book Sales
9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Book Signings
10:00 a.m. - Michael Dooling, Tony O'Brien, Linda Crotta-Brennan
11:00 a.m. - Mary Jane Begin, Jeannine Atkins, John Brennan
12:00 p.m. - David Macaulay, Janet Taylor Lisle, Lucinda Landon

Perspective

2009-02-18T05:45:00.000-08:00

I've been reading Elizabeth Lyon's insightful book, A Writer's Guide to Fiction. She talks about the difference between objective and subjective POV, something I'd never heard discussed before. But it makes so much sense. It's easy to slip into the objective POV, to describe a scene as a camera would, devoid of personality:
The snow still lay thick on one lawn, shaded by pines to the south. Two doors down a robin sang in the tree.
But to capture a character, use subjective POV, including that character's sensory experience and their emotions and reactions to what they see:
As Willow and I walked past Mr. Stickles' house, I shivered. The snow formed a thick crust across his yard, where Willow's friend Baron used to romp. I hurried past to Sasha's house, where a robin sang in the budding dogwood tree.

Barrington Books

2009-02-16T17:38:00.000-08:00

The Kids Heart Books event on Valentine's Day was terrific. Barrington Books is a fabulous place, if you ever have a chance to stop in, do it. They just expanded into a new space--obviously Dana, the owner, is doing something right.
Mary Jane Begin, Chris and Anika Denise, and Liz Dubois joined me for the signing. It was quite the party. Liz convinced me to join facebook. And I'm just recovering from the barage of new friends...
A special thanks is in order to Matali Perkins, who took time away from her writing to organize the Kids Heart Books event!

Out and about!

2009-02-13T16:26:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that I'll be at Barrington Books http://www.barringtonbooks.com/ tomorrow from 10-12 signing books for the New England-wide, Kids Heart Authors event http:/www.kidsheartauthors.com/
I'll be in good company with:

Mary Jane Begin
Anika and Christopher Denise
Liz Goulet Dubois

Hope to see you there!

Then at the end of the month, I'll be taking part in March Into Reading, an Aquidneck Island event. (That's where Newport RI is, for out of staters.) There is a stellar line-up of authors and illustrators:

David Macaulay
Michael Dooling
Janet Taylor Lisle
Mary Jane Begin
Linda Crotta-Brennan
Tony O'Brien
Jeannine Atkins
John Brennan
Lucinda Landon

We'll be fanning out across the island on Friday, visiting elementary and middle schools. Then we'll join together at Salve Regina University on Saturday for a grand family-oriented event.
For more information go to http://www.salve.edu/departments/edc/ace/march.cfm

Kids Heart Authors

2009-02-06T06:41:00.000-08:00

I'm joining with other authors and illustrators celebrating Valentines Day in an exciting event called Kids Heart Authors. We'll be appearing in independent bookstores across New England and New York .

I will be doing a reading and signing the wonderful
Barrington Books
184 County Road
Barrington, RI
http://www.barringtonbooks.com
on Saturday February 14 from 10 a.m. -12

To find out more about this event, go to
http://www.kidsheartauthors.com/

Every day events transformed to fiction

2009-01-25T18:03:00.000-08:00

I was reading A WRITER'S GUIDE TO FICTION by Elizabeth Lyon. She discusses the difference between a series of events and a cohesive plot, first listing unrelated incidents, then turning them into plot with an overarching emotional context. Intriguing, I thought.
I decided to try it myself. I took some incidents that had happened to me the day before, shot them through with emotional context--in my case, insecurity--and chango-presto, I had plot.
Try it for yourself and see what happens.

Africa Doesn't Matter

2009-01-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

Usually I review children's books here, but I just finished AFRICA DOESN'T MATTER: How the West Has Failed the Poorest Continent and What We Can Do About It by Giles Bolton. It's an eye-opening book. In the midst of the financial crisis, we tend to get caught up with our own concerns here in the States, but in Africa people live in incredible poverty--even when the rest of the world is prospering. And now, during financial crisis, we worry about losing jobs, while they worry about eating.
Ireland, China, and India have shown us how a country can lift itself out of poverty, given the chance. It would take very little, comparitively, of the world's resources to give the African nations their chance.

The Dragonfly Pool

2009-01-17T13:58:00.000-08:00

This Intermediate novel by Eva Ibbotson breaks the rules. It begins in the adults' point of view. They will miss their beloved Tilly when she's gone! Tilly, the main character, never seems to have problems of her own. She just takes on everyone else's problem. And I'm not really sure if Tilly or Prince Karil is really the protagonist. Tilly doesn't change, but Prince Karil does. Still this book set during WWII is engrossing, as Tilly and her friends smuggle the prince out his tiny country and away from Hitler's clutches. It reminded me of THE SILVER SWORD, a book I read over and over and over again as a child.
I stayed up late to finish it, even though I was fighting a cold--a bad choice health-wise. But when I was done, I did realize that though I admired Tilly, and I enjoyed sharing her adventure with her prince, I felt distant from her. That was the risk of running around in other people's POV for a good part of the book. But I'm not sure kids would care.

first lines and a heavenly book

2009-01-13T09:45:00.000-08:00

My writer's group has been playing with first lines for the last week or so, emailing off a new first line each day. At the end of the exercise, we asked each other what made a great first line.
We discussed how a first line should pique curiosity, dive into action, etc. But I found as I read everyone's lines that the ones that appealed to me most introduced engaging characters that I wanted to get to know better.
Anyone else have thoughts on those all-important first lines?

Also, I just finished a heavenly book, THE POSSIBILITIES OF SAINTHOOD. Antonia Lucia Labella wrestles with catholic school uniforms, making homemade pasta for her family's grocery store downstairs, and being a fifteen year old who has never been kissed. But her real goal in life is to be the church's first living saint, and she petitions the Vatican weekly. The book is funny and poignant, a must read.

Journaling

2009-01-03T11:50:00.000-08:00

Since the new year's begun, I've started each day with my journal. I do a writing exercise or two. Right now I'm using prompts from Elizabeth Berg's book, ESCAPING INTO THE OPEN.
I've also issued a writing challenge to my group--to come up with an opening line every day this week.
This morning I was reading over my responses to the prompts and thinking that they were pitiful, but I reminded myself that they didn't have to be good. They were just warm-ups.
A few minutes later I realized the worth of what I was doing. As I spooned sugar into my second cup of coffee, a drop stained the sugar in the bowl and my grandmother returned to me in a rush. I never would have been attentive to that small detail if I hadn't done the exercises first.

Resolutions and thoughts on the journey

2008-12-29T13:38:00.000-08:00

My Writer's Group has a holiday party every year. In the past, we've shared favorite Christmas stories, or created a round robin group story. This year we decided to do something different. First we shared all our writing accomplishments for the past year. Then we made an intention, stating what we plan to accomplish in the coming year.
For me, sharing my accomplishments was the most worthwhile. I'd been feeling barren and unproductive, but when I listed all I'd done, I realized that this past year has been a fertile one.
As for my writing resolutions, I'll be more likely to follow through on them, with twelve other people holding me accountable. So what are my resolutions? That I tip the balance of time I spend teaching and writing more toward the writing side.

Writing is a journey, and I decided to reread one of my favorite "journey" books this past week. THE RAMSAY SCALLOP by Frances Temple is set in the year 1300 AD. It follows young Lady Elenor and Thomas, her betrothed, as they make the pilgrimage to Santiago. I love how the author evokes Elenor in the opening lines, clutching her too-long cloak around her, wrapping her fingers in its edges to keep them warm, and standing on tiptoe in her borrowed shoes to catch a glimpse of a beggar musician. Thomas has been off fighting the crusades, and all Elenor remembers of him is that he once locked her in the henhouse.
I'm fascinated by how the author moves Elenor and Thomas across the channel, through France, and into Spain. She uses an omniscient viewpoint, spending most of her time with Elenor, but dipping into the heads of others along the way, the priest that sends them on their pilgrimage, the people they meet along the way, and of course, Thomas, who thinks of Elenor as "the brat."
The author knows how to use a few short bits of description to get the feel of the swamp, or the dessicated landscape, or the mountains. She even manages to project Elenor and Thomas' journey home, without toiling through the actual journey. She's a master!
Wishing you all good journeys in the coming new year!

Outside Beauty

2008-12-15T14:18:00.000-08:00

I recently finished OUTSIDE BEAUTY by Cynthia Kadohata. Kadohata already won the Newbery for her KIRA KIRA. I think she has another contender here. Her voice is unerring and she somehow manages to debunk the notion that "outside beauty" is all-important while following the tumultuously lives of four sisters whose mother believes that men care about nothing else. Main character Shelby adores her narcissic mother, and barely knows her faraway father. But she has her sisters to cling to, and that's all she needs, until catastrophe strikes.

Hannah's Dream

2008-12-02T14:27:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I seem to be reading a lot of books about elephants lately. Big topic, I guess. :-)
But I loved Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond, even if it is an adult book.
The characters are beautifully realized. I loved the subtle ironies, like how one character's ex-wife keeps accusing him of being deadly boring while he's in the middle of secreting an elephant out of a zoo. There is much to learn from this book on the art of crafting a distinctive voice for each character.
The book is remarkable for a literary adult novel--the characters are likable, and the ending is uplifting.
Plus I could believe in the people Hammond creates and the politics that whorl around Hannah the elephant because of the years Hammond spent as spokesperson for Keiko the Killer Whale.

Encore! and my predictions

2008-11-16T07:16:00.000-08:00

I was at RI College yesterday for SCBWI and ASTAL's Encore! Event. It was a meaty workshop, offering writers of all levels great tools for improving their craft and marketing skills. I'd thank the wonderful committee for putting on this event, but that would be a bit awkward, since I was part of it. :-) But here's a quick overview.

Act 1: John Bell http://ozandends.blogstpot.com began with a workshop on plotting, explaining how the powerful and the plausible must be balanced in a plot. He offered techniques for getting past plotting roadblocks. For my work in progress, WITNESS TREE, I'll be looking for ways to make two story problems work against each other....Thanks, John!

Act 2: Mark Peter Hughes www.markpeterhughes.com led us through character development exercises, defining and shaping our characters through showing, dialogue, and voice. While I can show my character, and get her to talk, I'm going to need to work on that "voice" stuff...

Act 3: Padma Venkatraman www.climbingthestairsbook.com taught us how to write a terrific query letter that made an editor want to read more. So now I'm wishing I could snatch back the query I mailed out Friday, and tailor my bio more specifically to match the project...

Act 4: Sarah Shumway, recently editor at Dutton, currently Senior Editor at Katherine Tegen Books http://www.harpercollins.com, taught us how to make connections between good writing and writing that sells well in pitching our manuscripts to editors.
In speaking about current trends, she feels that vampire books are done, and she's seeing more romances that deal with other supernatural creatures. But she said that those who want to jump on this new trend are probably already too late.

*So here is my prediction for future trends in children's literature. Remember, you heard it first here! After the recent election, we'll be seeing a greater call for multicultural books. And with the downturn in the economy, there will be a move toward sweeter, gentler, even nostalgic children's books.

Missing Keet and Savvy

2008-11-12T12:17:00.000-08:00

I've been a bit frantic lately. My parakeet, Kiwi, went missing. He simply disappeared. We've always given him the "fly" of the house, but he usually sticks fairly close to his cage. He's a conservative sort. But Saturday morning I woke up and no parakeet.
He hadn't been looking well lately, sitting on his perch all fluffed up. He is an elderly bird. But where could he have gone? My husband and I searched everywhere. Any ideas anyone? Any similar experiences?
I've had Kiwi for years and years, so the house feels very odd without his cheerful chirp. Even my puppy, Willow, keeps going over to his cage to look for him. Sigh!

On a more cheerful note, I recently finished a marvelous book. It's SAVVY by Ingrid Law. Mibs Beaumont is just about to turn 13, that ominous birthday when a Beaumont's savvy strikes. She doesn't know if she'll have the power to roil up hurricanes like brother Fish or create new ground like grandpa. But maybe her savvy will help her save her father, who was in a terrible accident...Mibs twangy narrative is ripe with surprises and humorous twists in this unique coming of age novel.
Editors tell us that its an author's unique voice that often sells a manuscript. I can certainly see why Dial took this wonderful novel.

New England SCBWI Writer's Salon

2008-11-03T06:19:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, I attended a New England SCBWI Writers' Salon on improving your public speaking. It was led by the dynamic Charlesbridge editor, Yolanda LeRoy. (In her other life, she's a performer.)
Yolanda had all sorts of great tips--keep that mike two fingers away from your mouth! And I even received a personal critique of a speech about THE BLACK REGIMENT OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION that I've prepared for a group of retired Naval Officers.
But perhaps the best part of the event was the chance to meet and mingle with other authors and illustrators looking to advance their careers.
Thank you so much, Melissa Stewart, for organizing these Salons! For a list of future Writers' Salon topics and dates, visit the New England SCBWI website at www.nescbwi.org.

And I also have a personal announcement. My new website is up and running. Take a look and let me know what you think at www.lindacrottabrennan.com.

Nikki Grimes' Barack Obama

2008-10-31T13:59:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season for political campaigning, so I decided to check out Nikki Grimes' new picture book, BARACK OBAMA: SON OF PROMISE, CHILD OF HOPE. It's received some wonderful reviews and she covers this man's complex personality and history well, condensing his essence into this picture book's 32 pages.
But one of the things that struck me is that she used a device that I've always been told to avoid in nonfiction--the fictional narrator. A fictional young boy asks his mother about Obama, and the mother tells Obama's story.
And of course, that violates another "rule" of writing children's literature--having the wise adult--in this case the mother who knows so much about Obama--take over and upstage the child.
But somehow it works, perhaps because it takes a man who is larger than life, everywhere you look right now--tv screens, newspapers, road signs, radio, and relates the man's life to this young boy's.

I'd be interested to know how other people felt about this book, and about the "rules" of writing children's literature.