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Whether you're in the mood for a creative challenge or you're short on time or attention span, this semi-addictive community is perfect for those who find flash fiction way long. Once you get the hang of it, you won't be able to stop. The prince turned into a frog. The girl ran home to mother. Tough to write. Easy to read. It's a double threesome of fun.

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Delicious, ambitious, and occasionally nutritious dishes make for an eclectic, all-you-can-eat feast. Whether you're searching for recipes for your next dinner party or you're jonesing for a late-night brownie fix, your cravings are sure to be well sated. A warm and inclusive community that welcomes all orientations, from carnivores to vegans, from gourmands to junk-food junkies. Guaranteed bias-free, food-positive, and pan-epicurian.

I know it’s been a banner year for pine cones, since I’ve been stumbling over them in the woods, and I know there’s some scientific explanation about the cycles in which they grow, but I can’t tell you what that is. Yesterday Tamra Wight tamra_wight mentioned on Facebook that scientists say it’s impossible to be sad while looking at the sky.

Add a tree, and you can be ecstatic. Here’s what I saw looking up through a pine and an oak. Thanks, Tami! And there look like more blue skies today.




And a little later in the afternoon.

Learn about Alan Cumyn.

So far, what's the most fun you've ever had working on a book? Why?

I have to say that working on this latest book, Dear Sylvia (Groundwood, 2008)(excerpt), was the most fun.

I often struggle to find the right voice for a particular project, and when I do a sequel (or, in this case, the third of a trilogy) I'm highly conscious of having to be as or more original than the original(s).

The Secret Life of Owen Skye (Groundwood, 2002) I wrote for my girls when they were young, and the natural voice for those linked stories was a hybrid adult/kid third-person narration--they are told in the spirit of a father exaggerating slightly about a loved but distant past.

After Sylvia (Groundwood, 2004) uses the same voice, but it is more of a classic novel in form and story arc.

In Dear Sylvia, Owen is writing letters to his true love, Sylvia Tull, who has moved way, and it felt awkward to be describing the letters in the old narrative voice.

Once I let Owen's direct voice take over, in the letters, the book began to write itself.

Like me at that age, Owen is no boy-genius writer. His spelling is especially idiosyncratic--trooley atroshus--so much so that my agent balked when she tried to read the first draft.

Oh, how I remember the pain and sweat of early boyhood attempts to read and write! Owen's letters get more elaborate as he progresses as a writer, but throughout it's the same fierce, funny, achingly honest heart that was so joyful to tap into.

How have you come to thrive in such a competitive, unpredictable industry?

It comes back to first principles for me, which revolve around love of story. I grew up immersed in stories, I've always turned to stories when trying to figure out this bewildering life, and I expect I will always write or make stories no matter whether I get paid to do it or not.

I've been an athlete longer than I've been a writer--though never a professional--and I know about competition in sports. The rules are defined and agreed upon, score is often scrupulously kept, there is usually a winner and a loser, but afterward you go out for a beer and talk about other things.

In this sense art is not competitive--it carries the same or greater call to excellence, but it's much freer. Any attempt to make it competitive--by giving awards, by counting and comparing sales or advance dollars--is artificial and probably hurts the art.

Who's the better artist, Shakespeare or Mozart? Who cares? Enjoy, ponder, grapple with their works. The question is absurd.

So I "thrive" by not defeating myself. I don't rely on sales entirely for my income. I apply for grants, I teach, I live simply. My kids' education is not wagered on me getting a big advance.

I don't pre-sell a book--I write it for the love of writing it, because it's the book I really want to read that hasn't been created yet. I try to be true to the characters and the problems they're faced with.

When and if the book gets published I do my best to share it with the world, but with the understanding that a large part of reviews, awards, sales, fame will be beyond my control.

Usually soon enough some other story is pulling me back to my desk. I need to write it down so I'll know what happens...

In the video below, Alan reads from Deer/Dear Sylvia. Note: "Featuring Kimba Gifford as Owen Skye. Directed by Jasmine Murray-Bergquist."



Cynsational Notes

The Craft, Career & Cheer series features conversations with children's-YA book creators about positive aspects of their creative and professional lives.

If you've read my blog for any length of time you've probably learned a few things about me.

1. I love writing poetry and books for kids, my dog, my native plant garden, Santa Cruz, and chocolate.

2. A little over a year ago I was laid off from my day job and have spent the last year adjusting and enjoying being a full-time writer.

3. I'm filled with all kinds of doubts and insecurities about who I am, what kind of a writer I'm supposed to be, and if I am ever good enough whatever task is waiting right in front of me. (In other words, I worry a lot about things I should quit worrying about.)

But probably the single thing that tells you the most about me is that I have never known my father. His name, yes, but that's all. I've never met him or anyone in his family. The only pictures I've ever seen were of him as a gawky young man in a white suit at their wedding. He was gone before I was born.

As I kid I used to bug my mom all the time for information about him but she never really said much. No one in the family talked about him and when they did, they never painted the prettiest picture. But here's the thing, I didn't want them to tell me whether the picture was any good or not. I wanted to see for myself. Still families do what they can to protect what they feel needs protecting and by the time I was in the 4th grade and someone asked me if I was Tommy Webb's daughter I said no, without hesitation. I had been trained well.

When you have a hole like that in your life it's like a scab you can't let heal. And people who don't have the same kind of hole often find it difficult to understand why just can't leave it all alone and move on. I can't explain the why. I can only claim the hole. It's grown smaller over the years but it's still there.

Last week I wrote about the distance we need between real life and our stories before we can write about them. In the past I've written about feeling safe enough to write the truth of your story. I believe we should always strive to write with emotional honesty, even when (or especially when) that seems like an impossible task.

That's where Flyboy comes in. Every question I've ever had about my father, about my worth as a person, about how I felt something missing when there was no reason to feel that way because my life was just fine the way it was....all of that has been pouring into Flyboy for, well, over 25 years now.

Characters and plot, I've got them. But to take that emotional plunge into the ice water of my past...I just couldn't make myself do it. I give myself a lot of sleep suggestions about my books, hoping my subconscious will take me where I need to go.

Four years ago I had a dream about my father. In my dream I went to answer the front door and there was a man there, kind of old, his short beard was gray but he had some black hair on his head. He wore a suit that had seen better days. He handed me a box, a white box, like one you might get clothes in or a little bigger. It was tied with string, not a ribbon. I asked him what was in the box. He shook his head. I asked him again to please tell me what was in the box. Nothing. I don't know why I didn't just open it myself but I didn't. Then he walked away. I asked him to wait. He kept walking. Then I asked him who he was. He turned around and said, "I am your father." And then I woke up without opening the box.

Last week for some random reason I decided to check for my father on Classmates.com. I knew where he had gone to high school so I kept hoping that he might show up there. It was a far-fetched hope since people in his generation aren't as into the Internet as I am. Once I had gone there and found nothing I went through my normal little routine, putting in his name, the town he went to school in and the state where he was born. I'd never gotten anything back with that combo before but it was a familiar search I had done many, many times.

This time was different. This time an obituary popped up. I read it and burst into tears then almost as quickly I chastised myself for crying over someone who had never wanted me.

I've pieced together a story from my mom over the years. My father Tommy Webb was born in Arkansas and went to high school in Vallejo, California. His family eventually moved to Concord, to Bonifacio Street, into the little duplex across the street from where my mom lived. He worked at a service station in Walnut Creek, back when they had guys who pumped the gas for you. My grandmother's name was Tina. She was pregnant with my uncle Robert at the same time my mom was pregnant with me. I had an aunt Kitty who was two years older than I am. There was another aunt Janette. That's about it. Except for the not so pretty stories that I'll keep to myself because, as my mom told me today. He could have changed. Turned his life around. People do it all the time.

My father died in Missouri. In January. This year.

In January I was still recovering from being laid off, trying to piece my new life together, trying to figure out how to create a life that nourished my creative soul. I was whole but with rough edges that still needed smoothing. I think if I had found him then it would have been too much. Much too much. Sometimes distance is a good thing. Even if it means we never get the chance to say goodbye.

His obituary mentions my aunts and my uncle. Where they live. It also says he has two sons and a daughter. My half-siblings. And lots of grandchildren. Aunts and Uncles. Bothers and Sisters. Nieces and Nephews. Family or not. It all depends on your point of view. The kind of picture you want to paint.

The obituary does not, of course, mention me.

I keep thinking about that dream I had. How odd to think that my father, who never paid a dime of child support, might give me a gift I've always wanted. Answers to questions that have haunted me for years.

The Internet makes things easy sometimes. Really it took no more than a few hours of searching to locate most of the family. They're not active online. No websites or blogs or Facebook profiles. But mailing addresses. Phone numbers. I have some of them now.

It's a chance. A chance to see at least part of the picture for myself.

http://laurelsnyder.com/2009/11/08/i-think-sometimes/%

http://laurelsnyder.com/?p=479

It’s true, I do!

Tonight  I’m thinking about how a person will often say  they like books that  “make me laugh, and cry.”

I’m pondering that… and realizing that I think it is far easier to write a sad book that chuckles/giggles/guffaws…

Than it is to write a funny book that wimpers/moans/sobs.

I have not, thus far, really accomplished either.  But I think it would be far easier to successfully insert or layer humor into a book with dramatic characters/plot, than to create a sad moment in an otherwise funny book.

The level of ongoing investment it takes to get a single tear from a reader is far greater than the work required to get a smile.

A single out-of-place joke (or a few) can work. It doesn’t require the same level of commitment from the reader.  You really have to CARE about someone to cry for them. You don’t have to care at all to laugh.

Think about it like this…

Even after the death of a loved one, a funeral can be a wonderful place for a really good joke.  It somehow contrasts/underlines the seriousness of the day.  It reminds a mourner of light/life/the next morning.

But a really somber and tragic story, told at a child’s birthday-at-the-circus-party?

Not so much.

Unless you’re a Tom Waits song or something…

(Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to be a Tom Waits song… but that’s another project entirely)

GIANNA Z. and I were part of a HUGE celebration of books and reading at the annual Rochester Chlidren's Book Festival this weekend.  Families crowded into the festival at Monroe Community College to meet 42 authors and illustrators, make bookish crafts, listen to talks and read-alouds, and of course, pick out new books to have signed.   I was lucky enough to attend this festival two years ago and was so excited to be invited back. I mean, really...how can you not love a crowd like this, all cheering for books?



I loved visiting with all the kids, teachers, & librarians, and some LJ friends like deenaml too!  The fantastic people at Lift Bridge Book Shop handled book sales for the event, and I was in awe of how efficient they were, even with such a great crowd.  



Here's Peggy Thomas, my festival next-door neighbor with some of her fantastic, fun picture books.



And more author friends... Rebecca Stead and Michelle Knudsen.  My daughter came with me to the festival and had been talking for weeks about meeting Rebecca because she loved WHEN YOU REACH ME so much.  When she finally got to say hello, she was a little tongue-tied, but did get to have her own copy signed, which made her very, very happy.  We picked up a signed copy of Michelle's new fantasy novel THE DRAGON OF TRELIAN, too - can't wait to read it!



Here are Herm and Mary Jane Auch, one of the friendliest and funniest couples in children's literature.  E and I have been laughing over our signed copy of their picture book THE PLOT CHICKENS all weekend.



And here, from right to left (pay attention...I'm naming people backwards this time) here's author Elizabeth "Sibby" Falk, who organized this year's festival and is one of the kindest, most talented, and most organized people I know. You really had to experience this festival to appreciate the work that must have gone into making everything run so perfectly.  (Thank you, Sibby!) In the middle is another delightful and talented Rochester author, my friend Kathy Blasi. Both Kathy and Sibby write beautiful historical fiction, so if you're a fan of stories from the past and haven't checked out their books, you'll want to do that.  

And finally, on the left in the photo is Sibby's daughter Sarah.  Take note of that purple shirt...the official uniform of the fabulous festival volunteers, who seemed to be everywhere. They set up and broke down the event, passed out programs, ushered authors to their presentations on time, and even came around with cookies at the end of a long day.  The volunteers at this festival were amazing - so thank you, volunteers, if any of you are reading this. You made us all feel so very welcome and appreciated.

I spent an amazing day at the Rochester Children's Book Festival.  I love, love, love this event. Love it.  And I'm so thrilled I could attend this year. My daughter spent the day with me, hanging out at my table and wandering around drinking in all the book-love.  And what a day it was.

I have pictures of lots of author friends who were there and the HUGE crowd and the wonderfulness, and I'll post those when I get home. But tonight, I really want to say a huge THANK YOU to Sibby Falk, an amazing Rochester author who organized this year's festival. 



Sibby's a warm, lovely person, a gifted writer, and an amazing organizer.  The festival was just incredibly well organized - just perfect, and I know how much work went into that.  Thanks, Sibby!

In a year of change for all of us 2k9 writers, and a year when I have traveled to ten states and a Canadian province talking to students about Bull Rider, I have discovered something. We may hope that our books will touch readers, but in fact, the process of writing changes us. And when we share stories, something quiet and magical can happen. We have a moment of intimacy with another human being.

 

Yesterday I was talking to a group of sixth graders in Washington. It was Friday, last hour. The teacher had asked me to do a writing workshop with the class and we’d already met at my presentation. But there was that “are you going to finish so we can go home vibe” about some of them. I knew my workshop was a good one, but I steeled myself for perhaps a mediocre hour. The students followed my prewriting instructions. A few of them warmed up. We got to actual writing and everyone was quiet. Most of their pencils flew – I saw some kids rub their writing hands for relief and continue. I had them. After eight minutes we stopped to share. I had asked them to write about a time they were sad or excited. The students read their stories aloud. One won a basketball game. One went to a slumber party with friends. Then a little girl in the corner, the kind of girl I suspect doesn’t talk much, began reading in a shaky voice. “I will tell you about the day I found my mother had died.” She continued for a full two pages, wiping her eyes occasionally to hold back tears. You could hear the breathing in the room. No one moved. She ended with “And I knew I’d never see my mother again.” Silence. How do you continue after that moment of vulnerability? I said, “Thank you.” More silence. “You know stories can change us. And sharing stories changes us too. You’ve let us feel how you felt and now the sharing will change you. When you share your story it has power – to make us laugh or cry. To heal us. To bring the arms of more people into your world. You have given us a gift. Thank you.” And we went on.

 

At the end of this 2k9 year, I would say that the sharing has been a gift. We’ve be together in the planning and during disappointments, and confusion, and joy, and excitement. And sharing the stories we wrote is magic. They have lives of their own now. In rooms we will never see our books are evoking tears and laughter and fear. They are reaching for our readers, changing them. A year ago, I hadn’t imagined that. But don’t believe readers are the only ones whose lives have been touched. Writing my nonfiction book, the Inuit taught me to listen. Writing Bull Rider taught me to be grateful – for family, for health, and for the sacrifices that military families make in small and heroic ways every day. Being in the Class of 2k9 has taught me that each book and each person has their own journey. They will be different, but they are each equally valid and good.

 

And a last discovery? If we write the books and you don’t read them, we may as well have shredded them when they came off the press. If Bull Rider or Jane in Bloom or any of our 2k9 titles sit on a library shelf or are paper weights on someone’s desk, we might as well have buried  them in the backyard. This story thing takes two – a writer and a reader. We’ve done our bit. Now I ask you to do yours. Read our stories and then pass them on. Our books can speak, but only if you listen. In that sharing, there is magic. Thank you.

Friday Five

1. Tara Lazar had a great idea for the month of November - help picture book authors come up with one new idea per day. She's invited some friends to come help with PiBoldMo with guest blogs. Today it's my turn. Pop on over and take a peek at where I get some of my ideas.

2. Becky Levine has a thoughtful post on her first attempt to write a picture book. I think it's worth you stopping by.

3. Sherwood Smith (aka sartoris ) has a great post on Writers and Creativity.Her posts are the sort I always have to read several times because they make me think.

4. Have you been following the fun of the Exquisite Corpse Adventure? You might be surprised to see which top tier kidlit authors are a part of this online writing project.

5. Over at thru_the_booth you can read about Author Debby Dahl Edwardson and her approach to writing with sensory details. Debby's new book, Blessing's Bead, an artic tale that will take your breath away, will be released by Farrar, Straus and Giroux next week. Spend some time over at the TollBooth. They've been talking about sensory details all week.

By Elizabeth O. Dulemba

I’m in the thick of marketing my newest picture book (and first as author-illustrator)--Soap, soap, soap (Raven Tree, 2009), and I keep getting emails from friends asking how I market, especially online.

To me, marketing is a two-phase process. There’s general marketing (getting my name out there), and then there’s specific marketing (of a particular title).

It’s like building a snowball. When I got into this business eight years ago, my career (AKA snowball) was the size of a pea. But I was willing to put in the work, and had time to make it grow. Hence began my general marketing...

In these economic times, publishers have become interested in creators who already have a platform--a public profile, persona or following. It takes time to build this up, but the Internet has made it easier, so I’ve been working on my platform since before I was published.

I thought of my name as a brand. Dulemba.com became synonymous with Nike or Google - yup. It was my website domain (where I show my portfolio, bio, etc.) and my blog title.

To create consistent blog content, at first I participated in IllustrationFriday.com, which forced me to post once a week. (Writers have groups like Non-fiction Monday and Poetry Friday.)

Now, I follow online trade resources (free via email) like School Library Journal, Shelf Awareness, Publishers Lunch, and Children’s Bookshelf where I always find something interesting to share. They also keep me up on industry news.

To gain visitors, I stepped into the online world of children’s books and started making friends. I joined message boards like SCBWI and the Blue Board [Verla Kay's Children's Writers & Illustrators Message Board], then later, Facebook and Twitter.

I think of them as ongoing parties. I can pop in and say "hi" whenever I want, but the more often I do, the more likely people are to remember me. The support I found was invaluable, and my snowball grew to the size of a kumquat.

Somewhere in there I got published, spoke at some schools, did some book signings and panels. And I went to tons of conferences, but they can get expensive. I found the secret to off-setting fees was to volunteer. It’s more work, but volunteering coincides with discounts and better networking. Heck, my position as Illustrator Coordinator for the SCBWI Southern Breeze region earned me a scholarship to the 2009 summer [national] conference in LA!

In summary, my general marketing plan is give back as much as possible. Within reason. I donate one free school visit a year to a needy school, submit illustrations and articles for the SCBWI Bulletin, support friends during their events, and give away free coloring pages every week on my blog. And while it may not sound like much, the articles position me as an expert and people really do appreciate the support and giveaways.

In fact, my “Coloring Page Tuesdays” has become one of my best marketing tools. I create them for teachers, librarians, booksellers and parents to share with their kids (my demographic) - and they can sign up to receive the coloring pages in their in-box each week (I use YourMailingListProvider.com, but ConstantContact is good too). I now have over 1,000 subscribers and receive over 40,000 hits to my website each month (I can follow through StatCounter.com). These are people who have already expressed interest in me or my creations.

My snowball grew to the size of a basketball, and things started getting exciting.

In this business, your demographic changes as your career grows. When I started out, I was trying to reach an agent or publisher. Once published, I needed to reach people who buy and sell my books--sales reps, booksellers, librarians, parents and community leaders. These are my front line, people who make things happen for me.

The nice thing about snowballs is, when they get big enough, they can roll on their own. As word spread about me, my books, and everything I do, my stats jumped exponentially. People are talking about me (dang do my ears itch) and it’s no longer just me pushing that snowball - groovy!

So, now I have this great support system and I’m applying it to my specific marketing for Soap, soap, soap! I have a Blog Book Tour with interviews and giveaways (most of the bloggers I asked to host me said "yes"). I have a web radio interview and will talk up Soap, soap, soap like crazy through my e-newsletter and Coloring Page Tuesday alerts. I joined the Association of Booksellers for Children and the kidlitosphere where I have gotten to know booksellers and book reviewers, and I’m sending out personal emails to them in which I include links to view my book trailer and an e-galley of Soap, soap, soap online (an experiment).

For those who want review copies, I forward requests to my publisher (we’ve become quite the marketing team). And I promote literacy through online groups and activities - because to sell books, we need to create readers! (Ironically, I volunteered for a literacy organization shortly after college--I’ve come full circle.)

In fact, except for four festivals this fall and a few speaking engagements, most of my promotion for Soap, soap, soap will be online. But that doesn’t mean it’s not personal. Over the years, I’ve created good contacts with people all over the country via the Internet. Because it all comes down to relationships these days, and those don’t happen overnight.

The biggest impact the Internet has had on advertising is you can’t blast people with non-personalized ads anymore. You must establish a following of people who appreciate you and believe in you. I do that by keeping in touch, remaining accessible, and celebrating other people’s successes--just as I hope they’ll support mine and help get the word out about my books.

Of course, in the end, there’s no point in marketing yourself if you have nothing to sell. So, I need to get back to writing and illustrating...



Cynsational Notes

Check out Elizabeth's new iPhone app, "Lula's Brew."

Enter to win one of two author-signed copies of Soap Soap Soap Jabón Jabón Jabón (Raven Tree, 2009), one of three author-signed copies of My Father's House by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by Raul Colón (Viking, 2007), an author-bookplate-signed copy of Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French (Amulet, 2009) and a contributor-signed copy of Immortal: Love Stories with Bite, edited by P.C. Cast (BenBella, Oct. 2009)!

From the promotional copy of Soap Soap Soap Jabón Jabón Jabón:

Hugo's mamá sends him to the store to buy soap. Of course, Hugo takes the long way there which gets him into loads of trouble and plenty of mud. With all his adventures, he keeps forgetting what he’s supposed to buy at the store. But through each mishap he's somehow reminded he needs soap, soap, soap ~ jabón, jabón, jabón! Hugo ends up a muddy mess, but he finally prevails. He buys the soap and returns home only to discover that his mamá plans to use the soap on him!

Soap takes the classic Appalachian Jack Tale and gives it a modern twist. The story now takes place in a small rural town with a sweet little troublemaker named Hugo. The artwork is drawn with graphite and rendered digitally using bright, happy colors reminiscent of this playful tale.

From the promotional copy of My Father's House:

"Oh my father, thank you,

"for all your many mansions. . . ."

From woodland halls to painted desert walls, from mountain porches wrapped in snow to rain forest attics catching clouds, this exquisitely beautiful poetic tribute to Earth’s creator is grand in its gratitude and sure of the love found throughout the natural world.

Filled with award-winning artist Raul Colón’s jewel-toned illustrations, My Father’s House imparts a refreshing and uplifting message that is necessary today more than ever. This is a book both to give and to treasure for years to come.

From the promotional copy of Operation Redwood:

Waking up alone in an abandoned office, Julian Carter-Li intercepts an angry e-mail message meant for his high-powered uncle:

Sibley Carter is a moron and a world-class jerk!

With that, Operation Redwood is set in motion as Julian discovers his Uncle Sibley's plan to log an ancient redwood grove in Northern California. Will there be "consequences" when Sibley discovers Julian's been tampering with his e-mail? Can Julian find out more about Robin, the intriguing girl who sent the message? Can he escape math camp for the summer and help save Big Tree Grove? Is Operation Redwood doomed to failure . . . or is there hope?

Read a Cynsations interview with S. Terrell French.

From the promotional copy of Immortal: Love Stories with Bite:

This edition includes a new short story by Rachel Vincent. This vampire-themed YA anthology also includes short stories by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Kristin Cast, Rachel Caine, Tanith Lee, Nancy Holder, Richelle Mead, Rachel Vincent, and Claudia Gray.

Read a PDF excerpt which highlights my short story, "Haunted Love." The story is set in the same universe as Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007, 2008) and Eternal (Candlewick, 2009) and features new characters.

To enter, email me (scroll and click envelope) with your name and snail/street mail address and type "Soap Soap Soap Jabón Jabón Jabón" and/or "My Father's House" and/or "Operation Redwood" and/or "Immortal" in the subject line (Facebook, JacketFlap, MySpace, and Twitter readers are welcome to just privately message me with the name in the header; I'll contact you if you win). Deadline: midnight CST Nov. 30.

The winner of the Spooky Cynsational October giveaway was Courtney in Pennsylvania! Courtney won Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick, 2009); Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors (Walker, 2009); Far From You by Lisa Schroeder (Simon Pulse, 2009); How to Be a Vampire: A Fangs-On Guide for the Newly Undead by Amy Gray (Candlewick, November 2009); Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey (Harcourt, 2009); Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler (Simon Pulse, 2008); and Vamped by Lucienne Diver (Flux, 2009).

More News

Uncommon Sense- Author Debby Dahl Edwardson and Her Process by Tami Lewis Brown from Through the Tollbooth. Peek: "When it comes to deciding which details to leave in an which to leave out, though, I really like that Janet Burroway quote you posted: 'No amount of concrete detail will move us unless it also implicitly suggests meaning and value.'"

How to Encourage Young Writers? by Carmela A. Martino from Teaching Authors. Discussion of recommended craft books and online resources. Read a Cynsations interview with Carmela.

SPELLBINDERS: Teacher/Librarian Newsletter: A Monthly Newsletter by three Children's/Young Adult authors (Carolee Dean, Kimberley Griffiths Little, Lois Ruby) to help teachers and librarians create lifelong readers. Peek: " Interviews, curriculum ideas, new book buzz, literacy in the community, and lots more!"

George Littlechild's This Land Is My Land (Children's Book Press, 1993): a recommendation by Debbie Reese at American Indians in Children's Literature. Peek: "...he provides teachers with the opportunity to teach children that Native peoples in the U.S. and Canada were and are members of nations."

What Not to Do With Rejection by Tabitha Olson from Writer Musings: A place to ponder books, as well as how the words get on the page. Peek: "There is nothing wrong with having a personal reaction to a rejection. You just need to keep it personal and private."

Let's Get Sensual by Tami Lewis Brown at Through the Tollbooth. Peek: "This week we'll explore sensory detail beyond the basics. How does the right sensory detail build voice? What effects can you create by describing smell, taste, touch, sound and the old standby what your point of view character sees? Do different readers perceive sensory detail differently? How do you avoid sensory overload?" Note: first in a week-long series of posts.

Marvelous Marketer: Wendy Loggia (Delacorte/RHCB) from Shelli at Market My Words. Peek: "Like most editors, the voice is what immediately hooks me. A fast-paced plot doesn’t hurt, either. Think women’s fiction—for teens, a la Sarah Dessen, Meg Cabot. Would like a great paranormal..."

Helping Those Who Talk Less Get Heard More: Self-Promotion for Introverts: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead from Mary Hershey at Shrinking Violet Promotions. Peek: "You also don't have to be an extrovert to do it well; instead, you can let your quiet strengths shine through and do it your way. This book is about helping you find your way. " See also My Comfort Zone (It's Actually Very Tiny) by Kristen Tracy at Crowe's Nest.

Book Review: Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd by Susan Carpenter from the Los Angeles Times. Peek: "The A-list writers are at the top of their game in this young-adult short story collection of all things nerdy." Note: Geektastic (Little, Brown) is edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci and includes my short story "The Wrath of Dawn," co-authored by Greg Leitich Smith.

Seven Questions Over Breakfast with Taeeun Yoo from Jules at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Peek: "...it’s called Only a Witch Can Fly (published by Feiwel & Friends in August), and it’s by the prolific and talented Alison McGhee. The illustrations were done by Taeeun Yoo, who has illustrated enough picture books to count on one hand, but whose work I very much like."

Books & Resources for Native American Heritage Month 2009 from Elaine Magliaro from Wild Rose Reader. A listing of resource links.

Fixing a Stalled Career by Jessica at BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency. Peek: "Earning out your advance only matters to the publisher who paid the advance. What others are going to be interested in is your sales track record." Note: the agency specializes in "adult" literature, and you can't always transfer wisdom from adult to youth publishing, but this post offers global publishing insights that may prove helpful.

The Good Books: Writing Religion for Young Adults by Micol Ostow from Jewish Book Council. Peek: "The best reviews I’ve read have talked about the book taking Judaism and relating it to teens in a contemporary way, as opposed to the canon of didacticism that permeates classic Jewish kid-lit." Read a Cynsations interview with Micol.

Mongoose Madness Classroom Contest from Bruce Hale. Peek: "You can win a virtual author visit (via Skype) with author Bruce Hale, or a classroom set of the Chet Gecko mysteries, or a paperback Chet Gecko mystery for everyone in your class." Deadline: midnight Nov. 13. See details. Read a Cynsations interview with Bruce.

Haven Giveaway from Beverly Patt at the Class of 2k9. Deadline: Nov. 9. From the promotional copy: "With his Christmas wish for an ATV dashed, Rudy Morris isn’t sure how he fits into his family anymore. Latonya Dennis just wants a family to fit into. Their paths cross on Christmas Day, when Latonya ends up as the annual orphan at the Morris household. But Latonya doesn’t disappear from their lives the day after Christmas like the other orphans have. She pulls Rudy and his best friend, Stark, into a scheme to fix up a rusty, old ATV and use it to help her run away from her group home, The Haven. Rudy reluctantly agrees but as the day draws near, his own feelings for her get in the way. What’s a getaway driver to do?" Read a Cynsations interview with Beverly.

Featured Blogger: Jacket Knack's Julie Larios...from Alice's CWIM Blog. Peek: "Julie Larios maintains Jacket Knack along with co-blogger Carol Brendler (a writer with an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts). The pair offer weekly posts focusing on children's books cover art." Read a Cynsations interview with Julie.

Storysleuths: "Writers Allyson Valentine Schrier and Meg Lippert read like writers, investigating award-winning children's literature for clues about how to improve their own writing." Note: new in the kidlitosphere!

A World in Your Backyard: Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me by Jennifer M. Brown from School Library Journal. Peek: "I think that life gets much more complicated at 12. At that age I did have friends who were boys. But what I found was—not so much confusion about whether we were boyfriend and girlfriend or just regular friends—for me, 12 was the age at which things started to change, whether I wanted them to or not." Source: April Henry.

Mean Girls in YA Lit: a multi-voice discussion at Chasing Ray. From contributor Margo Rabb: "As an adult, it's usually fairly easy to brush off criticisms and avoid people who you don't get along with. As a teen, the tiniest comment from an insensitive girl or boy can send you into a tailspin, and you may remember it for the rest of your life."

Cover Stories: Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr from Melissa Walker at readergirlz. Peek: "To me, her face and expression were all wrong. Her hands were too small and delicate. She was too pretty. Just not Deanna." Read a Cynsations interview with Sara.

Stories from Candor: Episode One: Poised: a podcast from author Pam Bachorz to tie into Candor (Egmont, 2009). In this new series of audio podcasts, listen to the secret diary of Campbell Banks as he builds Candor, Florida. In this episode, Campbell discusses last-minute preparations for the first people to move into Candor, including how he'll prepare his own family for moving from Chicago. He also shares details on how he'll brainwash his town's new residents. Note: so far six total podcast episodes have been released. Read a Cynsations interview with Pam.

"I Didn't Know You Liked Wonder Woman" by Robin Friedman, author of The Importance of Wings from Unabridged/Charlesbridge. Peek: "I met the late Paul Zindel... Offhandedly he commented that all of his books are autobiographical." Read a Cynsations interview with Robin.

Anneographies from author Anne Bustard. Highlights picture book biographies for children, each posted on the subject's birthday. Those with unknown birthdays are spliced in throughout the year. Read a Cynsations interview with Anne.

Screening Room

Watch this book trailer for Ivy and Bean: Doomed to Dance by Annie Barrows, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (Chronicle, 2009):



In the video below, Lorraine García-Nakata, Publisher & Executive Director, of Children's Book Press talks about the mission of her house (which is a nonprofit and invites donations). Source: Rene Colato Lainez at La Bloga.



The Multicultural Minute: Food from Renee Ting at Shen's Books. Includes a list of multicultural picture books. See bibliography. Note: I've read several of these titles, and they're well grounded in the depicted cultures.



More Personally

Please note that I'm on revision deadline and wait on sending all non-essential messages until further notice--thanks!

Guest Post: Cynthia Leitich Smith from readergirlz. Peek: "how should I weigh the need to convey a contemporary setting with the risk of dating the book too quickly?" See also Little Willow at Slayground on Getting Dated or Not.

Let Your Inner Werewolf Out: recommended reads, including Tantalize (Candlewick, 2007), by Barbara Bell from the San Jose Examiner. See also recommended children's-YA books with Native American themes, also from Barbara at the Examiner (scroll for list).

Even More Personally

I graduated with a B.S.J. from the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas. Here's a peek from a proud Jayhawk! Peek: "KU's main campus in Lawrence, Kansas occupies 1,000 acres on and around historic Mount Oread in Lawrence, a community of more than 80,000 in the forested hills of eastern Kansas." Note: I'm also a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.



Cynsational Events

"Going with Your Gut:" a presentation by Liz Garton Scanlon at 11 a.m. Nov. 7 at the monthly Austin SCBWI meeting at BookPeople. Peek: "We practice our craft. We study the field. We dot our i’s and cross our t’s. But it’s intuition that guides great art, and sometimes in the course of our careful study and practiced efforts, we ignore our own personal muse at the expense of our best work. Let’s talk about paying attention to the most important voice of all."

SCBWI-Illinois' Fifth Annual Prairie Writer's Day: Brick by Brick: The Architecture of Our Stories will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 14 at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois. Speakers include: Stacy Cantor, associate editor at Walker; Nick Eliopulos, associate editor at Random House; T.S. Ferguson, assistant editor at Little, Brown; Yolanda LeRoy, editorial director at Charlesbridge; Cynthia Leitich Smith, award-winning author and Vermont College of Fine Arts faculty member; and Michael Stearns, agent and co-founder of Upstart Crow Literary.

Destination Publication: An Awesome Austin Conference for Writers and Illustrators is scheduled for Jan. 30 and sponsored by Austin SCBWI. Keynote speakers are Newbery Honor author Kirby Larson and Caldecott Honor author-illustrator Marla Frazee, who will also offer an illustrator breakout and portfolio reviews. Presentations and critiques will be offered by editor Cheryl Klein of Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic, author-editor Lisa Graff of FSG, agent Andrea Cascardi of Transatlantic Literary, agent Mark McVeigh of The McVeigh Agency, and agent Nathan Bransford of Curtis Brown, Ltd. Advanced critique break-out sessions will be led by editor Stacy Cantor of Bloomsbury. In addition, Cheryl and author Sara Lewis Holmes will speak on the editor-and-author relationship, and Marla and author Liz Garton Scanlon will speak on the illustrator-and-author relationship. Note: Sara and Liz also will be offering manuscript critiques. Illustrator Patrice Barton will offer portfolio reviews. Additional authors on the speaker-and-critique faculty include Jessica Lee Anderson, Chris Barton, Shana Burg, P.J. Hoover, Jacqueline Kelly, Philip Yates, Jennifer Ziegler. See registration form, information packet, and conference schedule (all PDF files)!

2010 Houston-SCBWI Conference is scheduled for Feb. 20, 2010, at the Merrell Center in Katy. Registration is now open. The faculty includes author Cynthia Leitich Smith, assistant editor Ruta Rimas of Balzer & Bray/HarperCollins, creative director Patrick Collins of Henry Holt, senior editor Alexandra Cooper of Simon & Schuster, senior editor Lisa Ann Sandell of Scholastic, and agent Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger, Inc.

1. I've not been much of a blogger lately because I have been revising SUGAR ON SNOW, my Fall 2010 middle grade novel with Walker Books. And revising and revising and revising, pretty much into the wee hours of every morning for a few weeks.  But last night right around midnight, I sent SUGAR ON SNOW back to my editor.  I love that about email - you don't have to wait until someone is awake and at work.  And so now, I am stretching and looking around, remembering that I have another book I'm drafting.   And a blog.  It's nice to see you all.

2. I'm finally reading GRACELING by Kristin Cashore.  Now I see what all the fuss has been about. 

3. Tomorrow, I'll be in Rochester for the Rochester Children's Book Festival.  I LOVE this festival & hope to see you there if you're in the area. The full list of authors participating is here, and it includes many favorites and friends - yay!

4. THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. got a Gold Star Award from TeensReadToo this week.  This means a lot to me, as I love this review site for kids. Thank you!!

5. I really only had four, and I have to go finish getting ready for school now. Have a great weekend & I hope to see some of you in Rochester tomorrow!

I just saw the just slightly edited copy of an article about Margarita Engle’s verse novels and histories I wrote for Book Links magazine, to appear in their January issue. It’s called Green Paths and Open Views: The Poet Slave of Cuba, The Surrender Tree, and Tropical Secrets. The editor was so sweet, as was Margarita, who I interviewed by email. Book Links will print that interview with the article, and I’m happy others will get to be inspired by Margarita’s wonderful vision and imagination. I can't say the article was fast to write, still, compared to a book, not so much, and it's satisfying to see something complete.

And I got some possibly fun news about my book, Girls Who Looked Under Rocks. A big movie company wants to feature the book on the set and asked for rights to do so. I would be a proud mom in the audience if this happens. And hope the movie is a good one! Hey, the love interest is a woman naturalist.

Yesterday morning I enjoyed a walk seeing yellow leaves, red sumac, milkweed fluff, winterberry, West Brook, and an intrepid bit of blue someone planted on a bent tree intent on survival.



This morning I’m working hard on revisions, and in the afternoon tackling a presentation, so please join me if you can. Lorraine, I’m happy to hear you pushed past your stuck point yesterday, hanging out with Amy! And I’m ready to roll, after having the pleasure of witnessing Jo – in person! -- finish a draft in Esselon café yesterday. It’s not a myth after all. Even if one draft rolls into another, coming to an end is possible.

Also yesterday I came home with a bag of local apples, as did my husband. So apple crisp might have to be made. Cinnamon, nutmeg, a bit of maple syrup: maybe the smell will coax the muse.

There have been some things going on in my life lately. Some things that have me thinking those deep, dark thoughts that keep you up at night. I found this old post from a few years ago that touches on it somewhat and I thought I'd share it again, (with some editing) because it explains a lot of where my mind is at of late . . . though it helps if you can read between the lines.

* * *
Hemingway said, and I can't remember the exact quote so I'll try to paraphrase it, he said that he couldn't write about Paris when he lived there. He had to leave Paris before he could put the words on the page that would describe his experiences. While living there it was too much, too intense, too something and it skewed his vision. He needed distance and the passage of time before he could tell his story.

Some stories, while not easy, can still be written while you are in the midst of living them. When my kids were little I wrote about events within weeks or months of them happening. It was fun, like putting things in their baby scrapbooks. I recorded their awkward moments, their growth, and many of our special family memories. I told stories about our family and I got paid for it. Now I can go back and reread those old articles and it's like picking up an old teddy bear and paging through a scrapbook of their childhood.

But other stories, perhaps those that touch the most painful parts of us, lay fallow for many years before the words begin to venture forth. I believe our emotions go into self-preservation mode and give us time to heal before we're strong enough to attempt share a piece of ourselves through the telling of a story. My first picture book, Can I Pray With My Eyes Open? rested deep beneath the surface for over 25 years before it burst forth, near fully formed in one sitting. I can tie that story to an exact moment in time, when I was 10 years old, and I know that the book was an answer to a question asked long ago. Another picture book, Oliver's Must-do List , seems, at first, to be a simple story about a mother and a child have a playday together but I can tell you now that it was born of guilt - immense guilt that my children were grown and I couldn't go back and spend more time with them. Hugging the Rock is a novel about fathers and daughters, but more than that, it is about making peace with things you cannot change. I never knew my father and I wondered about him for many years. I can't remember when I finally stopped searching but when I did, I realized that my own story was inching closer to the surface, closer to being ready to be heard.

Hugging the Rock is also about picking up the pieces after a divorce. Though many friends advised me to, I couldn't write about my own divorce in the years immediately after it happened. The pain was too immense, the emotions too raw. But time was a helpful balm. Eventually my emotions bubbled to the surface telling me when it was time to write the story. In the process of the writing there were still some deep and painful moments but because I had waited, I was strong enough to go to the dark places and still come out alive. Enough time had passed that I could accept the blame for what was mine and let go of the blame for anything else. I could see the details through the tears.

There are other childhood events I want to write about someday but they're still simmering and I'm still healing. Those stories will have to wait a bit longer. It's been almost a dozen years but I know I am not yet ready to write about my time in New Orleans. I don't know how long it will take before I am brave enough to face those demons head on. Not all my writing is tied to a piece of my past but I am making an effort to mine the treasures I have within because I do believe that's where the juiciest stories wait to be told.

As many of you know, I'm working on Flyboy's story right now. This project began over 25 years ago when my then-husband and I spent weekends out on the tarmac, our necks straining as we watched the sky at the air shows the way film buffs watch the movies.

What part of my life is like Flyboy's? Where's the connection? What makes it so hard to write? I don't fly planes. I'm not adopted. My dad wasn't famous. But I know what it's like for the main character to obsess about planes the way I obsess about writing. I know what it's like to wonder where you came from and how that might affect where you're going. I know what it's like to feel lonely even in the midst of a family.

When you've been working on a book for over 25 years, like I have with this one, the story becomes so wrapped up in your own life that sometimes it's hard to remember what happened to me and what happened to Flyboy. Was it Flyboy or was it me that found the box that held so many secrets? Was it Flyboy or was it me that met someone who knew their father and answered questions held silent for so long? Was it Flyboy or was it me that finally realized the true meaning of family?

I hope it is both. I hope I can tell that kind of a story, one that feels like it happened to you.

I hope that helping Flyboy find his answers will help me decide what to do with some questions of my own.
 

Sweet World, if you will hear me now:
I may not own a sounding Lyre
And wear my name upon my brow
Like some great jewel quick with fire.

But let me, singing, sit apart,
In tender quiet with a few,
And keep my fame upon my heart,
A little blush-rose wet with dew.

- Envoy by Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt

View all posts tagged as Poetry Friday at Bildungsroman.

Consult the Poetry Friday roundup schedule at Big A, little a.

Learn more about Poetry Friday.

The empire strikes back

In recent weeks, we've taken huge steps towards blocking spam accounts on LiveJournal. In fact, we've suspended as many as 30,000 accounts in a single day! We've implemented several pre-emptive measures to prevent the creation of spam accounts, and we've honed our detection of suspicious content. Spam bots are a crafty lot, so we'll continue to refine our tactics and keep up the good fight to keep you safe from spam attacks on LiveJournal.

RSS feeds again

If you're addicted to xkcd_rss, icanhaschzbrgr, or other syndicated feeds, we're pleased to report that we've resolved the update error that was mucking up your RSS feeds. While content was being pulled correctly, it wasn't being posted to the feeds themselves. Late last week, we finally nailed down what we hope was the root problem, so content should post properly. We thank you for your patience.

Wii have killer CSI Deadly Intent contests!

c_s_i

If you're a gamer who loves CSI, have Wii got news for you! c_s_i is sponsoring killer contests. Simply post a question to a member of the CSI crew. The winner will get a free copy of CSI: Deadly Intent for Nintendo Wii (with a retail value of $39.99) and get their question answered by a member of the CSI writing team! There's also a fantastic monthly contest. To enter, join c_s_i, play the online version of CSI: Deadly Intent, and respond to a two-part query for a chance to win a Wii! Entries will be judged on composition and originality. Sorry, but you must be a U.S. resident and over 18 years old to participate. Check out the rules here.

Enveloped in postcards

Last week, we asked you to send in postcards to help us decorate our drab concrete walls. Here's a photo of the results so far! Thank you so much and please keep them coming! You can mail them to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. Be sure to include your username, since we'll be giving ten random users paid account credits.

Photos of the week

If you haven't visited our new LiveJournal photo community, you're in for an amazing visual trip. LiveJournal users from around the world will take you on a scenic journey to everywhere. Post your own pictures or kick back and enjoy at lj_photophile. You can view some of this week's awesome photos after the jump. Please start tagging with geographic location, since we'd like to track all the places around the world represented in this community. Keep on commenting too!
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I have been so lucky to have shared this last year with my fellow writers in the class of 2k9.  Being a part of this group has been an incredible experience, one which brought many friends and support. 

Ellen Klages, author of The Green Glass Sea, wrote, “No one writes a book in a vacuum.” These words couldn’t be more true, and if everyone who helped me this year and as I wrote my first novel stood alongside me now, you might be surprised to see just how many there were. 

 

Molly O’Neill, one of the editors at HarperCollins who worked on The Year the Swallows Came Early, recently posted something she needed advice about on Twitter. She wrote, “Dear Ghost of Ursula Nordstrom, What should I tell the author who needs help with their plot?” 

  

She later told me she had just finished reading Dear Genius, The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom, which is a book of her editorial letters written to some of the authors she worked with while at Harper Collins. The letters were collected and edited by Leonard Marcus. Molly said she was so inspired by the book, in fact, that she sent me a copy, which I read in two days. 

 

Some of Ms. Nordstrom’s letters start with Dear Laura Ingalls Wilder, or Dear Maurice Sendak, Dear Ruth Krauss, Mary Stolz, Margaret Wise Brown, and even Dear EB White. It was fascinating to read the correspondence between these distinguished authors and their editor. 

  

I imagine that through these many letters, Molly would have been able to see some of her own answers to tough questions as an editor, perhaps by the way Ms. Nordstrom worded a careful yet directive piece of advice, or perhaps by the way she would write NGEFY, which stood for Not Good Enough For You, in the margins of some of her authors when she thought not that the author had failed at his or her work in progress, but that the piece of work in question had somehow failed to rise to his or her own praiseworthy standard. 

 

During this last year, and the year I wrote the first draft of my first novel, I had a lot of help.  My 2k9 classmates answered questions I didn't even know I had.  My critique group gave me serious, thoughtful, loving, frustrating, but perfect feedback.   There are lines in my book that Bev Plass wrote. There are paragraphs that Nancy Russey revised. There are whole chapters inspired by Lori Polydoros’ persistent questions about my main characters inner most needs. How would I ever have known to write these parts had my critique group not told me they were missing? 

 

But like Molly O’ Neill, there is one person, that if I could, I would ask those really tough questions that come up from time to time while I write. That person would be my grandmother, Eleanor Robinson.

 

 

The summer I turned 13, my mother sent me to New York City to visit her. She was a science fiction author in the 70’s, when science fiction was becoming very popular. My grandmother led a very eclectic lifestyle. I remember we never did anything until late afternoon, and then we stayed up until 2 or 3am. Sometimes, we went to dinner as late as 11pm. When we returned, she’d sit down to write until very early in the morning. She told me she did this because the middle of the night was when people said and did things they normally wouldn’t. She had a collection of porcelain owls, because they were creatures of the night. She studied paranormal events. She discussed things like inner motivations and secret desires. She helped me to write my very first story that summer, and stayed up all night typing it so I could have a real story like she had. At thirteen, it was my first real writing lesson. 

 

She worked very hard that summer revising a novel entitled Chrysalis of Death. And one day, we met her literary agent for lunch, and after listening to them discuss how my grandmother could make her characters into whomever she wanted, I decided that someday, I’d like to be a writer, too. So after I announced my decision, my grandmother proceeded to send me books about writing techniques, books by classic authors, and literary essays for every birthday and Christmas holiday after.  

 

One of my favorite books she sent me when I was deep into a teenage poetry stage was a volume of poetry written by Emily Dickinson. Inside she wrote: Dear Kathryn, E. D. is a revered poet. Perhaps the same can be said of K. H. someday. Love, Grandma Eleanor”  When she passed away, she left me a big box with all of her unfinished manuscripts in it, which have been a tremendous inspiration to me.  

 

So because of all of the encouragement she gave me and to honor her, I decided that when I sat down to write my own novel many years later, that I would name my main character after her and give her a grandmother very much like my own. In fact, because I remember her revising Chrysalis of Death the summer I visited, I decided to include it in The Year the Swallows Came Early. So on page 148, my main character and her best friend find this manuscript along with a few of her others stories. I included her book inside my book. 

 

Unfortunately, she never got to read even the first draft of my novel. But I did send it to her agent, Phyllis Westberg, four years ago, who is still alive and working in NYC. After reading it, Ms. Westberg made the comment that she thought my grandmother would have been very happy.

 

In the last few years, I’ve had the opportunity to read all of my grandmother’s books again, some twice.  But it is in her unfinished manuscripts where I see what she was learning, in her handwritten margin notes about characterization and plot and where she thought her story needed something more but she didn’t quite know what it was at that moment. Back then there were no computers, and so any manuscript revision was done with the most careful planning. One could not simply insert a word or a paragraph, or even a comma with the same ease we have today. 

 

And then there are the letters to from agent, where I see glimpses of her disappointments when she was unable to sell a story, and a in her letters to her publisher, where I see her joy, and I know I am walking a similar path when I’ve open rejections letters and ordered copies of my own book from the Harper warehouse. And this brings me back to her apartment in NYC that summer where she sat up all night typing my first story and asking me questions like what is it that your main character wants more than anything, and how exactly would you like me to type your name on the title page? Would you like me to use your initial for your middle name or your full name, because someday, Kathy, she said, with her face full of confidence, this is how you will be known.   

 

I have thought about what I would say to her if we could have a conversation now that I am a published author like she was. But because that is impossible, my twitter post/letter would go something like this:

 

 Dear Ghost of Eleanor Robinson,

 

Would you please tell my grandmother that if she were here today, I would take her to lunch, someplace that served Caesar salads and iced tea, and I would ask her if she thought my own characters were developed enough, and did she like my title, and was my first paragraph enough of a hook to keep her reading.  

 

I would tell her how much I’ve appreciated the books she gave me while I was growing up, especially the one about how to encourage my subconscious while I’m sleeping. I know she thought I didn’t appreciate them when I was younger, but these books about grammar and technique and poetry and plot are treasures to me today. And the places she marked in them, the margins in the chapter about character motivation, and the last chapter about first drafts, they are what I come back to when I don’t know where to turn, when I’m at a loss for what to write next, and needing her advice. They are the tiny dab of glue that keeps me connected to her. 

 

The day she passed away, I tore out the inscription page from the book of Emily Dickinson poems she gave me and framed it. It hangs on the wall of my home office, encouraging me. It is almost like having her here, with its fancy handwriting and loving words of hope, but not quite. 

 

Love,

 

Your granddaughter, Kathryn

 

 

 I would like to say that there are things a writer can be fortunate to have; like family who has encouraged you, and a strong solid critique group who cares about your writing and talks about your characters like they are real people we want to get to know. Then there are things a writer can work toward; like becoming the best they can be by taking classes and going to conferences, talking to other writers, joining groups like this one, and understanding that suggestions and criticism are far more essential than praise. 

 

It is my wish for those of you who are in the position I was two years ago, with a completed manuscript just waiting for an editor, that you will not be disappointed if you receive criticism or suggestions for improvement from an editor, or an agent, a teacher, or a fellow writer, but instead, that you will be full of hope for the writer you are becoming. Because who knows, you may find the very suggestions someone makes about your writing could become the additions that make it as near to perfect as it can be. 

Learn about Deborah Noyes and her new releases, Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists and Other Matters Odd and Magical and African Acrostics: A World in Edgeways with poems by Avis Harley (both Candlewick, 2009).

What do you love most about being an author? Why?

For a daydreamer, there's no better work. I get to be a mental traveler, chair-bound maybe but always on the move, always exploring, discovering, uncovering, collecting, picking characters' psychological and emotional locks.

I'm also crazy about--can't get enough of--historical research, immersing myself in other times and places.

Finally, as a writer, I have an excuse to be alone when I need to be. In our uber-connected world, people think you're nuts (or at least antisocial) when you not only enjoy but require solitude. By its nature, our work lets you retreat and recharge on a regular basis. The time away, the mental travel, makes me a better person, parent, and friend, and lets me be more present when I'm present.

So far, what's the most fun you've ever had working on a book? Why?

Every book has its joys and challenges, but for sheer fun, I'd say my recent picture book with poet Avis Harley, a collection of acrostic poems that I photo-illustrated.

It let me indulge so many creative loves in one project. I think of myself as a writer first and foremost, but I'm also an editor/anthologist and photographer. Maybe because I wear different hats, my favorite part of the process has become, over the years, collaboration itself.

By day I'm an editor at Candlewick, where I work with phenomenal authors and illustrators, but I also collaborate with an amazing team of editors, designers, and art directors.

I've learned nearly everything I know about the creative process from these people, and to work in an unfamiliar area (Acrostics was my first full-on outing as an "illustrator") under their care was a gift.

Likewise to be entrusted with another author's words, to turn my visual eye to Avis's wry and clever poems. My editor even invited me to write a photographer's note, so the writer-me got to participate.

But the most exciting thing was the trip itself, the chance to train my lens on the wild creatures of Namibia. Animals are a huge part of my life and my thinking. They're my favorite photographic subjects and show up--alive or dead, as in The Ghosts of Kerfol (Candlewick, 2008), literally or metaphorically--in almost every book I write.

And while I love my creative work more than I can say, there's a part of me that's always wondered what it would be like to trek around photographing orangutans for "National Geographic" or to do fieldwork like my childhood idols Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey.

With Acrostics, I was able to step over into that "parallel" life while still keeping the other foot firmly planted in this one.

Cynsational Notes

Take a peek at some "outtakes" from African Acrostics, courtesy of Deborah, used with permission. Do not copy.










The Craft, Career & Cheer series features conversations with children's-YA book creators about positive aspects of their creative and professional lives.

5 Questions with Lisa Ann Sandell: "On Our Minds asks [author and] senior editor at Scholastic, Lisa Ann Sandell 5 simple questions about YA and what it's like to be an editor."



Cynsational Notes

Lisa is on the faculty of the 2010 Houston-SCBWI Conference, scheduled for Feb. 20, 2010, at the Merrell Center in Katy. Other faculty members include: Ruta Rimas of Balzar & Bray; Patrick Collins of Henry Holt; Alexandra Cooper of Simon & Schuster; literary agent Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger, Inc.; Nancy Feresten of National Geographic; and author Cynthia Leitich Smith.

Lisa's latest release (as an author) is A Map of the Known World (Scholastic, 2009). Read an excerpt.