Hanging on to Wonder

SCBWI SpringMingle - The Skinny on the Fat!

2012-02-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

First and foremost, the best part of the conference was meeting up with Twitter and Verla Kay buddy, Mary Ann Scott aka @ghostgirlwrites. We decided to room together and hang out at the conference. Best. Decision. Ever. So much fun to have a writing buddy to share the experience with. We talked about our families, our manuscripts, our agents, our subbing experience - it was fantastic and we did great as roomies - not that we spent much time there at all!

Kirby Lawson is the cutest, most adorable author ever. She's warm and generous and a super speaker. Her keynote was beyond inspiring! She made a point of making each of us feel as if we were right there on the same level and that her journey was no different than ours. She also did a great panel on finding your voice and would put up one or two first pages sentences than quiz us on what we knew about the character from those snippets - a very telling exercise. I came away from Kirby with a long TBR list:

The Lost Art of Walking (for writer fortitude)
The Principles of Uncertainty (for writer fortitude)
Making a Literary Life by Carolyn See (Kirby has made a practice of writing little, elegant notes to others in the profession as a result of reading this book, and has some very impressive penpals as a result)
Of Mystery and Manners by Flannery O'Connor
Unwind (resonance)
How to Steal A Dog (resonance)
My Life in France by Julia Child (voice)
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (voice)

Mary Kole is a veritable font of information. She knows the business inside and out and gave an incredibly in depth talk on the craft of picture books. As a critiquer of first pages, she holds back no thoughts, and tells it no bones like she sees it. My favorite Mary quote (of which there were plenty, she's sort of an opinionated hoot) was "A publisher is like a bad boyfriend. It's really hard to get them to spend money on you." This quote was in reference to one of her client's picture books, Zoe Gets Ready, and how the publisher is actually going to put glitter on the cover. Something she's very excited about. I went to her all group picture book talk, but not her query talk. Her blog, KidLit.com,

has all her query information. Her big news, however, is that she's publishing a book on writing MG and YA books that will be released within the next year or so.

Another adorable editor - Greg Ferguson at Egmont is like your favorite little brother, funny, smart, and no qualms about swearing in regards to his favorite books. A worthy trait. As an editor he likes "boy books", action/adventure series, and edgy realistic YA. He'd also love to find a narrative non-fiction writer for YA. Egmont is not doing anymore dystopian or paranormal romance at this time. Egmont does not publish picture books.He gave two great talks, one on the process of creating covers within Egmont publishing and the other on making your thrillers thrilling (a genre all three of the industry panelists were interested in). In the cover panel he talked about successes and then used the examples of Bree Despain's The Dark Devine as an example of when the author wasn't happy with the first cover, and Ashes as an example of when a cover didn't send the right message (first cover said Paranormal Romance not dystopian). What I didn't know was that Barnes & Noble actually gets a say in cover design. If during sales meetings, they hate the cover work-up, sometimes publishing houses will go back to the drawing board.

In his thriller workshop, he lamented the lack of good thrillers for teens, but sighted these four ingredients as essential: non-stop action, dangerous situations, hair-raising suspense, and heroic characters. He said the difference between a thriller and a mystery are the level of the stakes for your protagonist. Death makes a thriller! He also said there's more room to be both literary and write a thriller in YA, unlike the formulaic thrillers in adult lit. He cited his new book, The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison, as an example of this.

Kristin Rens of Balzer & Bray gave a wonderful talk on plot and its jigsaw puzzle attributes. What makes her fall for a book is when it grabs her, keeps her riveted, and the promise of the central conflict is kept, ending in a satisfying way. She said that even though your stories should open with a bang, oftentimes authors try to squeeze too much into the first page or paragraph. She said a good first sentence needn't include an explosion but should introduce the voice of the character, and give the reader something to expect. She used the first line of Possess by Gretchen McNeil as an example. (Sorry didn't write down the line!) And like so many others who advise us over and over, start your story on the day things change. Not at the change, necessarily, but on the day it changes. She gives Rampant, a story about man-eating unicorns as an example. By page fifteen, we know the central character comes from a line of unicorn hunters, it's set in modern-day society, and her boyfriend gets gored in the leg by a unicorn, destroying her theory that they're extinct and her skills are no longer needed. And as Kristin put it, "And then you're off." She gave the example of All Alone in the Universe by Lynne Rae Perkins as an example of a 'quiet book' with great plotting and tension.

It was also fun to hear her brag about and pump up my writing friend, Megan Shepherd's, soon to be published book, The Madman's Daughter, for which she is the acquiring editor.

A final shot of the conference presenters: LtoR, Kirby Larson, Mary Kole, Greg Ferguson, Krisin Rens

More twitter friends: @janicefoy @julianalbrandt @jayerobinbrown and @ghostgirlwrites

That's all folks, hope I was able to pass on a little knowledge! JRo

First Drafts and Falling in Love

2012-02-21T20:22:00.001-05:00

Back in the fall, when I was almost through a second pass of my novel, Marks of a Horsekeeper, a new voice popped in my head. She came unbidden, on my way to work, pretty much fully formed. I scrawled down some notes, wrote about six variations on a first page, and put her away. My writer friend, M.A. Scott, blogged of this phenomenon here, how as writers, new ideas often come when we're just about finished with old ideas.

Now, my new protagonist, Amber, has been with me for about three months, telling me her story in first draft form. She's a hillbilly kid, stuck in a small town, trying to find a way out. But her family is dysfunctional and her attempts to change her life are pretty dysfunctional, too. I find myself wondering if anyone is going to like her. She's incredibly flawed. She lies, to others, to herself, but at her heart she's just a kid with unstellar role models and incredible spirit (along with a pretty big sexual appetite), despite her raising.

For the first time, I am absolutely giddy with the thought of revising. This draft is a mess. Plot holes, motivation gaps, too many justs, thats, I's, and me's. But this kid is real. She's messy. She's not perfect. She has aches and hopes and dreams and disappointments. I want to do her justice and it scares me that I won't. And I want her to find peace, inside herself, because as women, isn't that where our strength ultimately rests?

At about 200 pages in, I've passed that horrible page 100 place of feeling like the whole thing is garbage, and am in love. The climax is just around the bend and, hopefully, Amber's going to figure some things out without taking everyone down with her. It's a great feeling, knowing the story is so close to being clutched in your hand. And it's a great feeling, to get to the place of finding the heart of your story.

In revisions, I'll find the heartbeat.

What about you? Love your first drafts? Hate your first drafts? Somewhere in between? When do new ideas come to you?

And don't forget to visit Denise Jaden's blog and sign up for March Madness. Last year I signed on and for the past year have continued it under the Twitter hashtag #wipmadness. It's a great group effort to get the writing work done with encouragement and cheering along the way.

Tag! You're It!

2012-02-18T12:58:00.000-05:00

There's a little game of tag going on in the blogosphere and danged if Meradeth Houston at Write Stuff didn't catch me. Part of the tag was answering her vicious and evil questions. Okay, so not that vicious and evil but difficult, yes.

1. You’re stranded on an island that has plenty of food and water, but no electricity or way to contact the outside world. But you have one object of your choice with you. What is it?
Does my family count as an object? I'm going to say it does. I could not live without my people, dogs, cats, horses, chickens, and goat. Yes, even the goat. Together we would figure out a way for me to scratch stories in the sand and there would be lots of laughter.

2. Which do you like more, Facebook or Twitter?
This one's easy. Twitter. I abandoned Facebook over six months ago and now have an almost religious fervor in regards to staying away from it. Twitter is all about my writing peeps. Facebook is about folks that I knew once, or work with now, but don't really share my passions. (Though I do miss keeping up with my extended family on Facebook)

3. Coffee or tea?
Coffee. Grovels, crawls on knees to the pot. With half 'n half. The real stuff.

4. Pick one word to describe yourself with.
Complex. (Cheater word for not being able to describe myself in one word!)

5. If you had one wish, what would it be? (PS: no fair wishing for more wishes)
That I get to go that island with plenty of food and drink and hang out with my two-legged and four-legged family for all of the hours of all of the days.

And now it's my turn to tag some folks! I'm picking some of my beta reading buddies.
1. Pat Esden
2. Kip Rechea Wilson
3. Lora Rivera

And here are my evil questions for you!
1. What is the best meal you've ever eaten - what, when, and where.
2. What is your earliest memory?
3. If given your choice of a secret rendezvous with any fictional hottie - who would you choose?
4. What is your favorite joke?
5. Pick three words to describe yourself (one is just too hard!)

Memories of High School You - Danette Vigilante

2012-02-15T03:30:00.000-05:00

As a young adult writer, the foundation for most of my writing starts with my own teenage experience. Times, fashion and music have changed but that overall quest-for-self is still the same. So in that spirt, I share these bi-monthly interviews: Memories of High School You. Fellow MG and YA authors will share their own spin on the hallowed halls. If you're interested in participating just drop me a line in the comments.

This week I'm pleased to interview, Danette Vigilante, a fellow Verla Kay Blue Boarder. Danette's book, The Trouble With Half A Moon, was released in January of 2011.
Thirteen year old Dellie lives with the guilt that her little brother's death was her fault. Her mother cries all the time and because she wants Dellie to stay safe, she keeps her inside as much as she can. It doesn't matter that Dellie longs to go outside to be like other girls or that there's a boy she likes and he likes her too. All that matters to her mother is that she's safe at home. So, Dellie has no choice but to watch the world of her housing project through her second story window.

Things start to change soon after new neighbors move in on the first floor. Trouble like this has never happened in Dellie's building before. Now there are men fighting on the stoop, gunshots echoing through the night and Corey, a hungry and abused five year old boy knocking on her door looking for something to eat. Corey reminds Dellie of her brother and even though their friendship is dangerous, she wonders if this time, she'll be able to do what needs to be done. Will she be able to save Corey?

So after that, aren't you curious about the high school Danette? Let's go!

Senior Picture - Danette Vigilante

Tell us about your high school, public or private, size, demographic, location?

I attended John Jay High School; a large urban public school a bus ride away. The school had a bad reputation at the time but I never ran into any trouble, thank goodness!

Were there cliques at your high school? What were they? Who did you hang with?

I was involved with theatre and was part of the Drama Club. We were our own clique, roaming the school and getting into the auditorium whenever we needed to. Mostly, we didn’t “need” to. It was just a ton of fun to goof around on stage.

Danette in a production

Did you have a memorable teacher? Good or bad? How did they influence you?

The teacher I remember most was my typing teacher. Every time I sit at my computer to write, I give her a little thanks. Because of her, my fingers know their places on the home row keys! I don’t think I’d get very far if I was a two finger typist. (How true is that! We had to cover the keys with masking tape. It's a skill that's held well.)

Did you have an inkling as a teenager that you would become a writer?

It wasn’t until I was a young adult that I began to write seriously. My first attempts were to the greeting card market but had no success. Next came short stories that didn’t really fit anywhere. Eventually, I found where I was the most comfortable; writing for young teens.

What book had the biggest impact on you as a high school student? How?

I’d have to say To Kill a Mockingbird. I found it to be very inspirational and moving. I remember feeling as though I was a part of the book. To think that an author could cause that kind of emotion to the reader was just amazing to me. (One of the reasons I'm proud to be from Alabama)

What band could you not get enough of in high school? Were you an album or a CD kid? Cover art you remember?

When I was in High School, it was the needle on the record: albums! Believe it or not, I wasn’t what you’d call a big music lover. Sure, I liked music but I didn’t have one particular band I was crazy for. I was, however, a Rocky Horror fan. Every weekend, some of my friends from drama club acted out part of the show and we’d support them by being in the audience. During my tenth viewing though, I fell asleep and finally called it quits. I still remember most of the lines!

What was the fashion rage - the one article of clothing you either got, or didn’t get that rocked your world?

Oh, man. I kind of had my own style. Jeans, of course, but most of my tops were pink or purple (people sometimes called me their “purple friend”). At the time, a lot of girls were wearing these flat canvas Mary Jane type of shoe that cost about seven bucks. I bet you guessed that I had a pink pair and a purple pair! (Lucky you, I didn't really discover purple till I was all grown up - the color of royalty, ya know?)

What hobbies, activities, sports were you involved in that influence your writing today?

I couldn’t say I’ve been influenced exactly though I really think being in drama helped me to observe people’s mannerisms and actions, kind of pick things apart. This definitely helps a great deal with my writing.

Good kid or wild child or a little of both? Details? (Mwaahaa)

I was a goody-goody. Maybe that’s why I never ran into any trouble!

Did you have a favorite phrase or slang word?

This question makes me giggle. My best friend (whom I’m still close to today, hi, Renee!) used to tease me because I thought everything was “gorgeous.”

Who was your bestie? Your frenemy? Your sworn enemy? Did you ever have one that switched to another? Why?

As I’ve already mentioned, Renee was my bestie. We became friends in junior high (she lived in a purple house!). We used to call her short but loud in high school and no one dared to mess with her. Maybe that carried over to me because I don’t remember having any enemies. All I can say is I was lucky (and thanks, Renee)!

If you could say one thing to your high school you, what would you say?

Do. Not. Take. Your. Eyes. Off. Of. Your. Studies! Study now, play later.

How do we find you now?

I love company! You can visit me at my site: http://danettevigilante.com/ or blog: http://danettevigilante.blogspot.com/ or on twitter: @DanetteVig (J.Ro here - Danette's website is super cute, you should definitely check it out!)

Making the Space to Write - Literally!

2012-02-11T14:28:00.003-05:00

I'm in renovations! Last weekend I bought trim paint (berries and cream - a dark raspberry) to repaint what was my son's room. When his sister moved out in the fall, he took over her room and his room has been sitting idle. Now, it's mine.

Deep pink trim and cream walls , moving in the mahogany desk I inherited from my grandmother, along with my old barrister book case constitutes the first stage. I have an ugly blue filing cabinet to hide in the closet, but a filing cabinet, nevertheless. Curtains are going to be something zany and wild, shades of orange and raspberry (like my blog background!). Eventually I'll add in a comfy chair or small love seat and probably a second bookcase. I'm going to have a bulletin board wall for storyboarding and tons of art. Plus all my craft books and kidlit books will be in ONE ROOM and my nightstand can be designated for the one I'm reading and not some towering TBR pile.

Here's the before pic. Random junk in the room still (including that grey monstrosity of a filing cabinet on the left and that ugly office chair- the cork screw table is an awesome artist-made piece that I'm going to put my old Remington on), trim paint started but not finished. No curtains. I won't be painting over the kids' grow lines on the door frame - too special. Now I'm off to finish painting the trim!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to make your own space to write.

The beginning of the awesome.

High School Tuesday - Don't Sensor the Real Stuff

2012-02-07T15:28:00.002-05:00

It's weird how a microcosm of the world can happen under the smallish roofs of one school. This one week - let me repeat - one week, has included so much in these teenager's lives. A popular senior girl is pregnant. It was all over the school within minutes. (And, yes, it's true) A young woman at a neighboring school committed suicide by slashing her wrists. She died several hours later. Her best friend shared the story of this young woman's abuse at the hands of her father. Abuse that led to her own self-destruction. Another student, proudly gay in this tiny little rural hamlet, went from having his first "real" date (which he was so excited about) to being bullied for waving his hands too much.

So, when I hear about books being banned for violence, or hard realities, I want to shout. There are only 500 students at my school. It's not an inner city school, or a wealthy suburban school rife with designer drugs, this is a conservative country high school. And ALL of this happened in one week. Let me correct that. The weekend (the date) and the last two days.

These young adults need guidance, stories that help them make sense of hard truths. They don't need whitewash and rainbows - correct that. We all need rainbows. But how can we truly KNOW the beauty of that rainbow without the realities of all aspects of life. Decision-Action-Consequence. There lies the learning.

What hard truths do you wish you'd known about as a teen? What book stands out to you as one not afraid to take the risks necessary to answer hard questions?

Ten Random Thoughts on My Writing Life

2012-02-05T08:42:00.001-05:00

A psychic once took a look at my hand, looked up and said, "You know you should write."
I ran into a boy (now man) I dated my junior year in high school. I told him I'd become an artist and a teacher. He shook his head and said, "I always figured you'd be a writer." It surprised me.
I don't remember writing anything but poetry when I was in school.
I had a story about a cat published online when I was in my early thirties. I had no idea it was a significant thing to have happen, same goes for an essay in a horse periodical. Because there was no money involved I just figured they were doing me a kindness. I wish I could go back to being so blissfully ignorant about how it all works.
Most of my story ideas start with a sentence spoken by a friend. Sometimes they start when a voice pops in my head. I never know the themes at that point.
Writing rejection is harder than art rejection at this point in my life. I was rejected from many art shows and fairs over the years, but it never stung quite like a pass on a manuscript.
I've never felt more neurotic or more happy, all at the same time, since I got serious about my writing.
Being a spare-time writer is like having a romance no one else knows about. I go to my day job but there's this special tingly feeling that lives under my skin. It's something alive in me.
I don't ever want to get an MFA in Creative Writing. Unless maybe I could go to Vermont and not go in debt to do it. I think higher education, in any creative field, is often the thing that stifles creativity.
My dream job is to run a little book store that could at least pay for itself, write in spare moments, and have a kids' art studio in the back where I could teach after-school classes without the specter of grading. I'm hanging on to this dream with both teeth and all my fingernails. One day.

What about you? What are the things on your list?

Memories of High School You - Marie Lamba

2012-02-02T11:53:00.001-05:00

Tell us about your high school, public or private, size, demographic, location?

I went to Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes, NJ. It was a suburban public high school with about 1500 kids.

Were there cliques at your high school? What were they? Who did you hang with?

There are always cliques! But I really didn’t pay attention to any of that, and had friends across all different groups…athletes, artists, drama kids, nerds…I was friends with them all. (J.Ro here - I notice as writers this seems to true for a lot of us. I think it must be because we study ways of being to be able to put it into words)

Did you have a memorable teacher? Good or bad? How did they influence you?

My honors social studies teacher Mr. Montana was this brilliant guy with a stern face and the driest humor you’d ever encounter. We called him “the friendly stoic” and tried all year to make him crack a smile or laugh. Once we even all suddenly put on nose masks. These are little 3x3 printed silly faces, with a little punch out section where the nose would be, and, yeah, you hang it on your face so that your nose becomes part of the picture. So we all on cue silently put these masks on when he was writing on the board, and when he turned back to the class, his lips trembled, but no. No smile. (Please put that man in a book!)

How did he influence me? I guess I really respected his intelligence and his sense of restrained humor.

Did you have an inkling as a teenager that you would become a writer?

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was 10 years old, but in high school I was a little discouraged. I got a “C” in journalism, an elective. My parents freaked! And I didn’t win any writing awards and I didn’t score any writing gigs in the town paper like some students did. But I did take honors and AP English classes, and I loved every minute of them.

What book had the biggest impact on you as a high school student? How?

The Once and Future King by T.H. White. If you’ve never read this, you’re in for a treat. The first part of the novel served as the basis of the Disney movie The Sword in the Stone, and this thick novel goes on to chart the life and death of King Arthur. I read this early in high school and was struck by how fun and magical and inventive a novel, even a seriously long one, could be. And for the first time I was filled with sadness when a book ended.

This also set me off on a long-term fascination with King Arthur and the Middle Ages, culminating in me writing my own medieval time-travel novel Drawn.

What band could you not get enough of in high school? Were you an album or a CD kid? Cover art you remember?

Oh dear. Ready for blast from the past stuff? I did the whole mellow music thing, loving James Taylor and Carol King, but I also loved groups like Cheap Trick and Heart. Heart was phenomenal in concert.

Yeah, it was albums all the way. I’ll never forget my poor dad during my freshman move-in day in college carrying milk crates full of albums up five flights of steps. They weighed a ton! Just a year later, everything was cassettes, and much lighter.

As for cover art? The Eagles album. The people in it all looked so hip and sunburned and blonde, and every guy wanted to wear those pukka shell necklaces! Hey, stop laughing. (Not laughing. I actually got to see Cheap Trick my senior year in high school)

What was the fashion rage - the one article of clothing you either got, or didn’t get that rocked your world?

Preppy was starting to come into fashion, so there were lots of button-down collar shirts and boat shoes. For me, it was all about clogs (I still wear clogs). The ugliest trend? Gauchos. Happy to say I never wore those. I tended to do my own thing fashion-wise. One of my favorite looks was wearing an oversized white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. I liked comfort.

What hobbies, activities, sports were you involved in that influence your writing today?

Art. I was really into painting, drawing, print-making. And this definitely influenced my most recent novel Drawn. That book is about a teen artist who draws a ghost. I even did the cover illustration for the book.

I was also a fencer, and this helped with the battle scenes in Drawn. Plus I was involved in theater productions, and oh the drama! Timing and dramatic moments are important in writing tight scenes, so that influenced my writing too.

Good kid or wild child or a little of both? Details? (Mwaahaa)

I’m a second child, the baby in the family. My older sibling was THE wild child, and he was caught most of the time. Watching the effect on the family probably trained me to be more of the good kid, the old soul of the bunch. But there was definitely some wild child too. ’Nough said!

Did you have a favorite phrase or slang word?

How old am I? I actually had to go through my high school yearbook to jog my memory on this one! Jeesh. Okay, we said “just joshin’” a lot, and when we were sarcastic, we’d say “Oh wacka wacka wacka…” Hey, the Muppets were huge back then. I know. Sad, right?

Who was your bestie? Your frenemy? Your sworn enemy? Did you ever have one that switched to another? Why?

One of my besties Margaret was actually my sworn enemy in elementary school, which is interesting. I don’t remember any frenemy or sworn enemy in high school. There was one lousy ex-boyfriend who was a major jerk. Does that count? Absolutely!

I had different groups of close friends throughout high school. I was too busy doing my own thing, and I hate drama (even though I was in the drama club), so I gravitated toward drama-free people. Margaret and I drifted apart, and I became close to the girls on my fencing team. And at the end of high school Richard and Mike (who was my boyfriend at the time) became my besties. We’d go to concerts together and hang out in New York. We’re still in touch.

If you could say one thing to your high school you, what would you say?

Don’t worry about that “C” in journalism or the fact that you didn’t land a single publication credit like a bunch of other kids have. You’ll still go to a decent college, and no one’s going to stop you from writing or from anything else you really want to do. And forget about that jerk ex-boyfriend!

How do we find you now?

On facebook: Marie Lamba, Author

On twitter: marielamba

Website/blog: marielamba.com

Being Vulnerable and Wise Words from Stuart Smalley

2012-01-27T07:25:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, a student asked me. "Why are artists always portrayed as being depressed? And why is it supposedly THE thing that makes them great artists?"

I wish I could say I had a stellar answer to this question. I didn't. Because, you see, I've been feeling a bit vulnerable as an artist myself. A bout with some strange illness left me feeling vulnerable in body while being on submission has left me vulnerable in spirit.

It's not huge. It's not soul eating. I have a better grip on reality than some. But there's still that little ping, like your cell phone announcing a text. A teensy energy zap that snakes out and makes you sit up straighter and listen a little harder. It says, "Oh, so and so's book got bought last week." Zap. "Wow, so and so had a foreign rights deal this week." Zap. "Oh look, so and so's agent is bragging about them on Twitter." Zap.

Enter the black cloud of artist dementors.

No. No. Stop. Blow back breath filled with light and unicorn kisses. Right? We're not supposed to talk about this stuff. We're supposed to be dressed up in little skirts and pompoms and tops that have huge "P's" for Publishing emblazoned on them shouting how great we are. How great they are. How great we all are.

So, for anyone else out there in creative brain land squirming with the swarmy mess that is vulnerability, insecurity, even envy. Stop. Pet some puppies. And by all means, channel Stuart Smalley.

An Interview with the Author of DRAWN - Marie Lamba

2012-01-24T04:00:00.000-05:00

I am so pleased to host author, Marie Lamba, on my blog. Like so many of my writer friends, I first met Marie at Verla Kay's Blue Boards. When I found out about her new release, DRAWN, I jumped at the chance to interview her here. (Plus it allowed me the opportunity to read her novel, pre-release, and I was not disappointed!) As an art teacher, I love books that feature an artistic element and DRAWN definitely falls into this category.

Tell us briefly about your new novel, DRAWN.

Drawn is about Michelle De Freccio, a teen artist from New Jersey who moves to England with her dad in hopes of a more normal life. But once in England, an unknown guy starts appearing in her drawings. And then she meets and falls for him. So the big question is: Exactly how normal can your life be when you fall for a medieval ghost with a sketchy past?

In DRAWN, you use Michelle’s artistic ability as sort of a portal to another dimension. (kind of like the DeLorean in Back to the Future) What led you to this idea?

This idea actually took hold when I myself was a teen artist from New Jersey! In my high school we had this guest visitor who was an artist that painted historic buildings. She showed us spots where ghostly visitors seemed to appear in her work, and was convinced she’d channeled these spirits. The images of people in Colonial dress were woven into the dappled shadows, and it was pretty eerie.

I didn’t exactly believe her, but I thought it would be amazing if it were true. So in Drawn I made it true.

Michelle is gifted in drawing and printmaking. Did you choose these mediums because of a personal reason? Or because they were transportable and have been around for centuries?

You know, I didn’t even think about how these mediums were around for centuries until right this moment when you mentioned it! Actually, I stuck mainly to these because they are my own favorite mediums to work in. I never could quite get the knack of blending colors, but mixing black, white and gray comes easy to me. That’s why the cover is done the way it is. I drew this image specifically for the book, and painted it with a wash of India ink.

At a point in the book, Michelle’s drawings become almost like a crystal ball (and I don’t want to say too much and give story away) - was this intentional or did it grow organically with the story?

My brain tends to organize images into relationships of black and white, and into patterns and connections of lines, if that makes sense. And when I draw something, I start to notice things I never had before. So it was a natural step for me to make Michelle view the world more closely through her art. As she says in the book:

Things make sense when I draw. Everything is angles and texture and relationships. I sketch the pews and the rough wooden beams on the ceiling, which I hadn’t noticed at first, and the bowed heads of the women praying, and the way the light plays against the rough stone walls, and I feel at home.

So, given the idea planted in my brain way back in high school of an artist channeling ghosts, it was a quick leap for me to have her drawings provide a real link to a particular spirit. A spirit that she feels attracted to:

I can’t seem to look away. It’s as if I’m studying him for a portrait. I notice he tends to raise his chin. The very corners of his mouth curve up, making him seem slightly arrogant. And his eyes. Their light color gives them endless depth. Yet they seem so full of…of what?

Longing.

But she’s also frightened by him:

It’s been nearly a week since I’d been at the castle and beside that grave. I had wandered home and found myself sitting on my bed, again trying to sketch with the hopes that it would somehow calm me. With my drawing pad resting on my knees, I had let my pencil wander across the page in free-flowing strokes. An image quickly organized itself of that delusion named Christopher, his teeth bared, his face savage. His sword raised high, about to strike a man who cowered, waiting for the blow. I cowered. And I threw the drawing pad across the room.

As their lives become more and more intimately intertwined, she questions more and more what is real. Should she trust her heart? Should she trust Christopher? Or should she believe the confusing images that she sketches, and the treacherous history she uncovers that points to a savage murder?

Ultimately she must use her own strong powers of observation to draw her own conclusions (pun intended!) and tip the fates.

What role does art-making or creativity play in your own world as an author, other than being able to create so many cute guys for Michelle to choose from!

I always had planned to be a writer AND illustrator, but when I graduated from college, writing seemed more accessible for me, and I devoted myself to that. Honestly, with a busy life and with raising two daughters, I let my art slide.

When it came time to do the cover for Drawn, I was committed to creating the image myself. But I had my doubts. Could I still draw after so many years? It had been so long that many of my art supplies were in ruins. My ink pots dry and crusty. My paint tubes hardened. I had to go to the art store and buy everything anew. But when I sat down to paint the cover, it was with a breath of relief that I found myself connecting with the paper and creating that “delusion known as Christopher.”

But while my actual drawing, etc., has been essentially neglected for many years, the artist’s brain remains, and it has always been a part of my writing. When I picture scenes in my mind, my left hand twitches (I’m a lefty) and my finger traces what I imagine: the line of a jaw, the edge of a church spire, the tilt of a grin.

It’s my hope that this tactile relationship to my thoughts results in world-building that is solid and detailed and real for my readers. I want you to feel that your own eyes are running over Christopher as he leans closer.

This novel is set in Britain and you did a great job with the accents. I’m curious if you spent time there, either to research this novel, or at another time.

You got me there! I spent a semester of college living in a town similar to the one in Drawn. And while there, I kept a detailed journal of my impressions, along with sketches I did of castles and graveyards and churches. When writing the novel, I pulled descriptions from my journal for scenes at Glouchester Cathedral, at the tiny churchyard, at the drafty vast castle, and at the town’s High Street. It was endlessly useful.

I’ve been back to England a number of times since, and I’m a devoted fan of British television, including the edgy slang-laced Skins series. But still, I’m no expert. Because I’ve written the novel from Michelle’s point of view, she’s supposed to get some stuff wrong (like calling a lorry a truck, or a puncture a flat, for example), because it is from her eyes. I tried to be careful with the dialogue used by my British characters. I even had my British sister-in-law scrutinize the language to help me out a bit.

Still, I know that there will be stuff in here that someone from England may read and find not quite right. To them I offer my apologies! I just hope they remember that it’s fiction, and that I tried my best.

You’ve been published by Random House in the past. Tell me about the decision to publish yourself with your subsequent novels. Do you feel this has been a positive career move? Positives? Negatives?

My first self-published novel OVER MY HEAD is actually the sequel to WHAT I MEANT…, and was written under contract for Random House. This novel was completely edited, the cover was designed, and it was ready to go to final copyediting, when my editor left the house and the novel was “orphaned.” With no one to champion it, the sequel was cancelled. This was just 3 weeks before WHAT I MEANT… was released, and before Publisher’s Weekly dubbed it “an impressive debut.” But the book was dead, and this broke my heart. I knew this second novel was even stronger than the first. I loved it, and I felt as if I’d lost a child…

The manuscript sat on my shelf for years. Then along comes serious changes in publishing. Suddenly there is a way to professionally produce a novel and distribute it worldwide. Suddenly reputable authors are validating that this route is okay for serious writers. Suddenly I was able to bring OVER MY HEAD out for readers who have been asking and asking for the sequel. So I decided to take the plunge, and I’m thrilled with the results, as are reviewers, who have overwhelmingly fallen in love with this novel.

Now authors with strong manuscripts have other options. That orphaned book, that out-of-print title can now live on and be enjoyed by our readers forever. What’s not to love about that?

With the publishing industry and the economy contracting, it’s now tougher than ever to nab those big publishing contracts. This means that plenty of fabulous books aren’t reaching the shelves the way they should. DRAWN attracted serious interest from a number of top editors at three of the “Big 6” publishers, which, to me, is a huge nod to the quality of this book. But in this economic climate they are searching for big hits by people with huge past sales. My first book was orphaned, so my sales were respectable, but not smokin’ for that novel. This labeled me a “mid-list” author, so…

But writers write to be read. I’d spent two years researching and writing DRAWN. My agent loves this novel. Top editors love this novel. So I have to believe that readers will love this novel too, and that they’ll be smitten by Michelle and Christopher and their hopeless yet hopeful entanglement.

In short, I decided to go for it.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I want to thank you so much for hosting me on your blog as part of my DRAWN Blog Ghost Tour.

The community of writers and readers and book bloggers is so supportive of great writing, and I can’t begin to tell you what this support means to me. That’s why I want to thank everyone who takes the time to write a review of any book that they love, or to tell others that a certain story is worth reading. This means everything to an author.

This is why great storytelling will always exist, no matter what. And this is why I love to write.

Where can readers find DRAWN and you?

Drawn can be ordered in paperback ($12.99) from any bookstore or through Amazon.com, and it is available in ebook ($2.99) for every format through Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com and Smashwords.com.

Readers can visit me at marielamba.com, find me on twitter at marielamba, and follow me on Facebook on my author page: Marie Lamba, Author. Also, I’m on LibraryThing, Shelfari and Goodreads! And be sure to check out the other stops on the DRAWN Blog Ghost Tour for more interviews, reviews, guest posts and giveaways too!

Marie Lamba (marielamba.com) is author of acclaimed young adult novels including What I Meant… (Random House), Over My Head, and Drawn. When she isn’t writing or trying to remember how to draw, she is working as an Associate Literary Agent at The Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency in NYC.

Choosing our paths in publishing + a contest winner

2012-01-21T08:49:00.000-05:00

First let me say congratulations to Pam Vickers for winning last weekend's giveaway of A MILLION SUNS. Though Rafflecopter did the choosing, I must say I'm pleased because Pam has slogged through a number of my manuscripts and she deserves it.

The publishing world is changing at light speed and I seem to have jumped in at the high point of the swirl. Every week there's news of an imprint closing, or an imprint moving into digital format. The job boards at Publisher's Weekly are chock full of digital-related employment. I still don't own a Kindle - I was the same with my cell phone - a hold out.

And now I'm holding out again. For me, the brass ring has been book board and paper wrapped in a shiny cover. I want the gatekeeper. I want the magic phone call. Good friends ask me why? They send me Amanda Hocking stories and even my own critique partners are choosing digital imprints. But here I sit, squalid in the stress of waiting and yearning.

Why do this to myself? Well, I don't have a degree in English or a creative writing degree. I've pushed through to the point where I have an agent and have been called a talented writer by a big six editor, and now I want that last round of "atta girl." Is it ego? Probably a little bit. But it's more. I dream of having an editor collaboration that will help make my stories sing. Writing is so solitary. Non-writer friends glaze over when you jump into writer speak. I want that give and take and questioning and challenging that a good editor will bring to your pages.

Am I stuck in thinking this is the only way? No. I am aware there are many great manuscripts out there that get overlooked or for whatever reason won't fit a list, a budget, a mandate. At some point, the waiting may prove too much for me and then I'll reconsider. I'm friends with a fine kidlit editor who does freelance editing work and, for a fee, she would help me get to the point of confidence for self-publishing. Just like at some point, I will own a Kindle.

But now. I'll keep waiting. Watching for my agent's name on the phone's screen and reaching for the brass ring.

What about you? Where are you lining up with your publishing goals?

Memories of High School You - Lisa Ann Chickos

2012-01-19T06:03:00.002-05:00

As a young adult writer, the foundation for most of my writing starts with my own teenage experience. Times, fashion and music have changed but that overall quest-for-self is still the same. So in that spirt, I share these bi-monthly interviews: Memories of High School You. Fellow MG and YA authors will share their own spin on the hallowed halls. If you're interested in participating just drop me a line in the comments.

This week I'm pleased to introduce Lisa Ann Chickos. I think I first met Lisa Ann during a summer blogfest. I immediately knew I'd found a kindred spirt when I visited her blog Kicked, Cornered, Bitten and Chased. Not only is Lisa a writer, but she's an animal trainer and does a great weekly blog post called "Wildlife Wednesday." She is represented by Jamie Brenner of Moveable Type Management and I look forward to one day reading her books.

Tell us about your high school, public or private, size, demographic, location? I attended Bay High School of Panama City, FL. It was a medium-sized public school, and it was one of three high schools in my hometown at that time. Each school carried a stereotype: one was filled with rednecks, one was filled with gangsters, and mine was filled with surfer burn-outs. (J.Ro here - so I knew we were connected. I'm a Gulf Coast girl, too. Grew up in Mobile, Alabama on the bay - spent many a formative weekend at Panama City Beach.)

Were there cliques at your high school? What were they? Who did you hang with? There were definitely cliques at my high school, but I was so busy with extracurriculars that I had the fortunate distinction of floating between most of them. The majority of my friends came from my smarty kid classes, but I was also a member of the soccer team, swim team and track team. I was president of the Art Honor Society, and I participated in a handful of plays my senior year, so I think most people just scratched their heads at me and gave me a pass.

Did you have a memorable teacher? Good or bad? How did they influence you? Erik Cobb was my English teacher my sophomore and senior year, and he is one of the single most influential people I’ve ever encountered in my life. He was a total punk rocker, and he wore tweed jackets and had a Rage Against the Machine poster on his classroom wall. He preached “thinking outside the box,” and we read the greatest anti-authority books, like Catch-22, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, The Metamorphosis, On the Road, Catcher in the Rye… We listened to Beat poetry and played the drums, and I learned more in his classes than I did during the rest of high school. (So that is just....cool - Hmmm, wonder if I ever ran into him at the Hangout in Pensacola when I went to go hear punk bands)

Did you have an inkling as a teenager that you would become a writer? Writing a novel was always on my Bucket List, but I took a detour in high school and thought I wanted to be a Disney animator or nature photographer for awhile. I didn’t return to my writing roots until after I graduated college.

What book had the biggest impact on you as a high school student? How? Catch-22. It was and still is one of my favorite books of all time, because it was so brilliant and nonsensical and hilarious and heartbreaking. I also loved the threads of stories winding together, and I loved the risks Joseph Heller took while writing it. (I mean, an almost completely non-chronological book? How fantastic is that??)

What band could you not get enough of in high school? Were you an album or a CD kid? Cover art you remember? Oh my gosh, I was absolutely obsessed with Dave Matthews Band CDs, like most kids my age. But like most kids my age, I also thought I was the only one who “got” the music. So typical, so typical…. ;) (Love Dave Matthews - Crash into You - the ultimate love song)

What was the fashion rage - the one article of clothing you either got, or didn’t get that rocked your world? I graduated high school in 2000, and things weren’t too bizarre back then. But I did love peasant shirts and those baby doll t-shirts with the ridiculous cartoon characters, and I wore my shorts as short as I possibly could. (Ah, to have those legs again!)

What hobbies, activities, sports were you involved in that influence your writing today? Like I said, I was on a number of sports teams, and I definitely draw inspiration from those times—both good and bad. I cherish the camaraderie, loathe the “mean girls,” and have a deeper understanding of both through my experiences. I also loved my time in drama, and I am inspired by the backstage workings of plays as well.

Good kid or wild child or a little of both? Details? (Mwaahaa) Definitely a good kid. I loosened up quite a bit once I got to college, but I was fairly straight-laced through high school. I had a lot of friends, and I went to a lot of parties, but I was generally the one taking care of everybody else.

Did you have a favorite phrase or slang word? For sure. It’s back there somewhere in the recesses of my brain, but I have no idea what it was.

Who was your bestie? Your frenemy? Your sworn enemy? Did you ever have one that switched to another? Why? Lots of besties, and very few frenemies or sworn enemies. I was fairly harmless, and I was definitely a peace maker. I still am, for the most part, but it took me a LONG time to develop a backbone, and I certainly didn’t have one in high school. (There are a handful of mean girls from my soccer team that I’d love to confront now, but I was far too fragile back then.)

If you could say one thing to your high school you, what would you say? “Thanks for the good times, but I’ll pass on going through a second time.” I had a wonderful high school experience, but everyone’s teenage years are just so stressful. I’m thankful to be able to relive my high school days in my novels, but I’m also thankful to be finished with that period of my life. Things are a lot more laid-back these days. (Yep, when I moved from teaching elementary to teaching high school, I thought to myself, "What the .... am I doing?")

How do we find you now? Come visit me in Colorado! Or—if that doesn’t work--find me on my blog, “Kicked, Cornered, Bitten and Chased:” http://lisachickos.blogspot.com. I’m also on Twitter (@LisaAnnChickos), and I’m represented by Jamie Brenner and Brianne Mulligan of Movable Type Management.

Awards and a Giveaway of Beth Revis' A MILLION SUNS

2012-01-13T15:27:00.000-05:00

Last week, Lisa Ann Chickos over at Kicked, Cornered, Bitten and Chased presented me with the Versatile Blogger award.

I thought that was quite an honor coming from the queen of versatility herself. This award comes with a few rules, but unlike a chain letter, if you don't have the time to follow the steps or consider it a burden, you will not blow up in a puff of smoke or die a horrible, mangled death. But if you do want to play, it's a fun way to let folks know trivia about yourself. So here are the rules:

1. In a post on your blog, nominate 15 fellow bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award.(or 5 like me - you will not be smited.)
2. In the same post, add the Versatile Blogger Award.
3. In the same post, thank the blogger who nominated you in a post with a link back to their blog.
4. In the same post, share 7 completely random pieces of information about yourself.
5. In the same post, include this set of rules.
6. Inform each nominated blogger of their nomination by posting a comment on each of their blogs.

So, in honor of Lisa Ann Chickos' writing and animal blog I am giving you seven random animal facts from my life.

1. My first horse was named Josephine. I thought she was fabulous. I even had an outfit to match.

2. I took my first riding lessons at Bit & Spur Stables. One day I was so excited to get there, I opened the car door and got out before my mother had stopped the car. I scared the heck out of her as I rolled across the dirt lot.

3. Once, when vacationing in the Boston area, we ate at a restaurant and Lassie and her handler were there. Because she was a celebrity (the actor dog was a she portraying a he), she was allowed in. I don't think I ate a bite and my parent's had to drag me away from her so her handler could enjoy his meal. I remember getting a paw print autographed trading card. Don't know whatever happened to it.

4. In about 4th grade, we had a class hamster. Each weekend one student had the honor of bringing him home. The weekend it was my turn, my big yellow Labrador, Ryan, grew curious. I still have the scars of being responsible for murdering the class pet. My mother even called our cardiologist neighbor to try and revive him.

5. My grandmother in New York state raised a fawn. Baby Doe, as she was called, slept on my great grandmother's porch until she grew into a doe and eventually was called back to the wild. I think I'm thirteen or fourteen in this photo. My grandfather is at the table.

6. I have rescued 3 horses, countless dogs, and countless cats. I had a litter of five female beagle pups born in my bathroom on St. Patrick's Day (the shelter had Parvo and couldn't take in the very pregnant mother). The mother beagle, Bitsy, is in my Marks of a Horsekeeper manuscript. They all found homes, one pup as far away as Massachusetts.

7. I honestly believe I have a dog that continues to come into my life over, and over, again. First he was Clyde, then he was Peanut, now Hazel. You decide.

So now for the recipients of the Versatile Blogger Award:

The girls at Live to Write, Edit when Necessary - Their blog is always interesting, never dull and with two bloggers, they are indeed versatile.
Anne Stampler at Novel in the Oven, because her posts inspire me and I think we are of the same generation.
Jenna Cooper at Finding the Write Way because of her youth and enthusiasm. She makes me smile.
To Meradeth at Write Stuff because of overall awesomeness and soon-to-be world travels!
To Linda Benson at her blog of the same name - because she's a horse girl like me.

And NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY - THE FIRST ONE EVER ON THIS BLOG - A SIGNED (WITH SECRET MESSAGE) COPY OF BETH REVIS' NEW RELEASE, A MILLION SUNS, ALONG WITH SOME COOL SWAG! (don't forget to click the Rafflecopter boxes!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beth Revis Launch Party Pics and a Contest Hint

2012-01-11T07:35:00.000-05:00

So I'm utterly exhausted this morning - teacher-me has a hard time staying awake past ten on a school night and I didn't get home till ten, then had stuff-to-do. But I promised pics. And, on Saturday, I will be announcing a giveaway of a signed copy of Beth Revis' newest novel, A MILLION SUNS.

I think the line that stuck out most to me last night (besides Stephanie Perkins saying that she had John Lennon's imaginary baby when she was in high school) was Beth Revis telling us a story about receiving a query rejection on the same day she hit the New York Times Bestseller List. Wow. She also wrote ten manuscripts before selling the first of this series, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. So, wherever you are in the publication process, take heart, you are not alone in the struggle.

From left to right: Beth Revis, Stephanie Perkins, Carrie Ryan (in the back, live tweeting in the red shirt, is Beth's husband)

For some reason my eyes shut in photos - Gah. Anyway, here's me being all fan girl with Beth Revis.

High School Tuesday - Do me a solid

2012-01-10T15:18:00.000-05:00

I'm back in the hallowed halls this week and students are abuzz with Christmas gifts and THINGS that happened. Lots of gossip and whisperings. New hook ups - arms slung around new shoulders. People fired from their jobs or hired and excited. Transfers in and transfers out.

For me, it's getting used to a whole new gang of hormones and so far it seems like it's shaping up to be an interesting semester. Not awful, but I'll definitely be kept on my toes.

I'm out of here tonight to head to Fireside Books for the launch of Beth Revis' new book, A MILLION SUNS, and plan to get all fan-girly-girl while there. Hopefully I'll be able to add a photo to this post later.

So I'll keep this brief. The new phrase for this week is "Do me a solid."

A student popped in my room. "Hey Ms. J.Ro, would you do me a solid?"
I'm all like, "huh?"
"Favor," she said. "Do me a favor."
"Ohhhhhh."
Unfortunately I couldn't do the favor she wanted, but I learned a new phrase.

Keep your eyes and ears tuned for a giveaway in the near future!
I'll be asking you to do me a solid and spread the word.

The Only Normal People......

2012-01-08T10:28:00.000-05:00

This is a bad picture of my favorite fridge magnet. And it's so true! Think about your family, your in-laws, your best friend's family. Normal? I doubt it. We are people. In other words, great big balls of mess.

When I read, that's what makes a novel great. The complexity of the characters. I just finished THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson and part of what makes this novel so brilliant (besides the poetic writing) is her characters. A hulking giant of an uncle who smokes lots of pot, is an arborist, charms women from treetops but has been married five times. The grandmother who paints canvas after canvas of women in green, is known for pruning her neighbor's gardens but won't let anyone touch her own. The boyfriend who plays music like a poet but has rigid rules for relationships. The sister's boyfriend who's a mad skate punker but is quiet and can charm animals. Each character had layers upon layers that are slowly revealed as we move through the book.

I love these kinds of stories. Where threads slither along sometimes touching, sometimes crossing, but eventually wind up neatly braided at the end. Because to me, this is life. We are complex. We are hot messes of love, hatred, greed, desire, kindness, and empathy. We are all of these things. It's just the balance that makes us unique. So maybe it's the balance that defines normal rather than a set lifestyle or image. Maybe finding that balance of perfection and imperfection is what makes us human.

Thoughts?

Memories of High School You - Lora Rivera

2012-01-04T21:52:00.000-05:00

Tell us about your high school, public or private, size, demographic, location?
I attended a small Christian high school in Daytona Beach, FL. My graduating class was 42 strong. Small. You couldn’t get away with too many secrets there.

Were there cliques at your high school? What were they? Who did you hang with?
Yes, absolutely. First, there was a divide between those who identified as Christian and those who were merely going to a Christian school. Then from those two groups, the cliques stratified in the usual way, each group having its share of athletes and band geeks, choir kids and outsiders, upstarts, etc.

I was an outsider for most of my high school experience, with few friends though I took part in many clique-forming activities--band, choir, sports, praise team (yeah, that’s right.)

J.Ro here - Praise team? I mean, okay that could be cool, I wouldn't mind a praise team - "Oh Lora, you're so awesome. Your hair is perfect today. Great jeans." Have a hunch that's not what you mean :0)
Did you have a memorable teacher? Good or bad? How did they influence you?
My English teacher. Won’t name her. TERRIBLE. We read Christian cul-de-sac soft romance collections in place of classics. She couldn’t pronounce the word “mix,” always saying “mex.” “Mexed” up “sit” and “set” continually. I think the fact that an educator could be so incapable spurred me to strive for excellence in my own writing.

Did you have an inkling as a teenager that you would become a writer?
Yeah. That or an aerospace engineer :) Wasn’t sure.

What book had the biggest impact on you as a high school student? How?
Honestly, and this is going to sound cheesy, but it might’ve been Harry Potter. First off, we weren’t supposed to read those books. They were bad, evil, demonic, Satan books, after all. I remember going over to my BFF’s house one night to watch Smallville. I noticed her brooding, disaster-prone goth little brother (he went to the neighboring public school), reading the first HP. I asked him about it and was horrified. Witches?? Wizards?? MAGIC??? This boy’s going straight to H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks.

And then, oh, and then! . . . I borrowed it. And oh if there’s a heaven on Earth, I was in it.

Sounds like a classic preacher's kid story :0) Not that I want to get preachy, but really? Really?
What band could you not get enough of in high school? Were you an album or a CD kid? Cover art you remember?
I’m the biggest nerd in history. I loved Broadway musicals. In high school, I could’ve performed the whole Les Mis or Phantom without missing a beat.

What was the fashion rage - the one article of clothing you either got, or didn’t get that rocked your world?
We wore uniforms :< BUT. Because we wore neutral-gender trousers that fastened practically at our armpits, girls would buy larger sizes and wear them unzipped and folded down so they sat snug at the hips. That and hair ribbons...

At my uniform school, shoes were the tell.
What hobbies, activities, sports were you involved in that influence your writing today?
I think the religious experience overall has influenced my writing the most. But that’s a topic for another discussion.

Good kid or wild child or a little of both? Details? (Mwaahaa)
SOOOO embarrassingly good. My hot surfer boyfriend, srsly hottest guy in school with washboard abs, broke up with me because--get this--he went to a party where there’d be drinking and didn’t tell me because he knew I wouldn’t want to go. (Drinking, even off campus, was an expulsion-worthy offense, along with smoking, drugs, sex . . .) When I found out, I was mad and disappointed and told my mom, cuz we were buddies and all, and she (unbeknownst to me) called his mother. This story does not have a happy ending.

Oops.
Did you have a favorite phrase or slang word?
Frick (which was a euphemism and would still land you in detention)

Who was your bestie? Your frenemy? Your sworn enemy? Did you ever have one that switched to another? Why?
Bestie was the girl I took to Napa and SF a few weeks ago :)
Sworn enemy was this gorgeous other outsider girl who was uber-Christian just like me, Drum Major, just like me, singer, um, like me, competing with me for top of the class along with every single one of my boyfriends. And better than me at almost all of the above. I think we were just too similar.

If you could say one thing to your high school you, what would you say?
It’s okay not to be yourself. That’s way too hard right now. Besides, you’re still finding out who you are. So relax, and if you can’t relax, that’s okay too.

How do we find you now?
Twitter: @lroseriver
Blog: http://www.lorariverainsidewriting.blogspot.com

Resolutions and Goals and Overcoming Fear.

2011-12-31T10:18:00.000-05:00

I love the New Year. Each year is like a time capsule, a moment in space and time marked by people, events, animals, emotions. Some are better than others. Some are marked by tragedy. Some marked by joy. Most marked by a little of both.

Chelsea Rose, Me, and Druid, aka "Little Man". Both are old-style Morgan horses.

Because I love resolutions and goals, I'm going to put them here. Maybe we can cheer each other on as we try and do simple or complex things in our lives.

So without further ado - my resolutions and goals:

Work with my horses, regularly, like once a week. This year, I think I was on a horse's back all of three times. I had a bad wreck in the fall of 2009 and have had horsey PTSD since. Plus the two guys pictured above are youngsters. I've started the bay, Chelsea, but have not ridden her out at all and the chestnut, Druid, has been saddled but I've never thrown a leg over. It's time. He's four. I'm even going to chronicle my progress here - a way to hold myself accountable for not letting fear defeat me when it comes to something I love. More to come in a future blog post.
Read many books, again. This year I read 85. I don't have a number goal in sight for 2012, but a content goal. I want at least every other book to be either a 2011 or 2012 release. This is difficult for me because most of my financial extra goes toward feeding the guys in goal #1 and our library isn't so current. But I'm going to try, even if it means heading to Asheville to the library there.
Continue to write for 45 minutes to an hour, five to six days per week. Last year this habit served me well, I want to keep it going.
A cheesy one - I really dislike weight loss and exercise goals, but I did put on weight this year and it's threatening to send me clothing shopping for a larger size. Nope. Nipping that one in the bud. Hopefully Goal 1 will help with Goal 4. I know it will.
Be intentional, thoughtful, and loving with my family and students. This goal is always there.
Keep growing and learning in my craft as a writer.

Then of course, along with resolutions, there are dreams. I had a dream realized last year when I signed with my awesome agent. I had another dream realized when I went out on sub - that's right, my manuscript's on the desks of real-live NYC editors. So of course, my dream for this year, is to actually sell a book, to know that something I wrote is going to wind up in the hands of readers. That would make 2012 a real year to remember. (and hey, let's hope the Mayans are wrong - I'd like to stick around to see if my goals pan out!)

And you - any goals or dreams? Fears that stand in your way of doing something you love?

Interview with Mindy Hardwick, author of Stained Glass Summer

2011-12-27T12:10:00.000-05:00

As an artist, art teacher, and writer, I'm always interested in books that use the arts thematically. So when I heard about Mindy Hardwick's upcoming middle-grade novel, Stained Glass Summer, I took the opportunity to ask her a few questions. I hope you'll take the opportunity to visit her Facebook page and website after stopping in here. And as always - thanks for stopping by!

Tell us briefly about your new book, STAINED GLASS SUMMER.

STAINED GLASS SUMMER is the story of twelve-year old Jasmine who adores her photographer Father and wants to be an artist just like him. But when Dad abandons the family, Jasmine is sent to spend the summer with her Uncle on a Pacific Northwest Island. Soon, Jasmine is learning stained glass from island glass artist, Opal, mentoring five-year-old Sammy, and thinking she might just be developing a crush on island boy, Cole. But, can Jasmine truly let go of her Father and call herself an artist by her own terms?

What led you to use the vehicle of an artistic mentorship to carry your story? Are you an artist?

I am an artist in terms of writers are artists! I also work a bit in collage, mixed-media art journaling—but it’s nothing that I show professionally or sell! Artistic mentorship was something I became interested in during my study at Vermont College. While I was working on my MFA in Writing For Children and Young Adults, I was mentored each semester by a different children’s writer including: Lisa Jahn Clough, Sharon Darrow, Liza Ketchum , and Kathi Appelt. After I graduated from Vermont College, I began facilitating a writing workshop with teens in juvenile detention. I also did some mentoring with local high school kids who were working on their final senior projects in writing. I saw how important mentoring was to the creative process. My role as a mentor for young writers feeds so well into writing for tweens and teens. Mentoring is a win/win, and I really encourage other writers to get involved with mentoring.

You mentioned you took a stained glass course as part of your research for this project. How was the experience for you?

Frustrating! Geometry has never been my strong suit, and all those measurements and fitting the glass to the pattern was hard for me. But, I do think that taking the class helped in writing the story. Jasmine makes a sun-catcher, just like the one I made in my class, and knowing how the process of stained glass works helped me in the writing of those scenes.

I noticed on your website that you use art and writing in your work with detention center youth. How do you think creativity affects young people in general? How does creativity affect your main character, Jasmine?

Art heals is the motto of Jasmine’s story and also for the kids in detention. Creativity gives kids an outlet to express emotions, ideas, and thoughts that they might not be able to express in words. There is a scene in STAINED GLASS SUMMER where Jasmine is snapping glass and five-year-old Sammy is breaking her crayons. Both girls are expressing their emotions about larger situations which they can’t control—namely that their Fathers have either left or died.

Jasmine is the child of a photographer, with the desire to be an artist herself. Does she ever suffer from creative self-doubt? Are there ever moments where she feels like her work just isn’t good enough. I ask this, because I see my own art students struggle with these feelings.

Yes, she suffers from self-doubt. This is a huge part of her story! Jasmine is always comparing herself to her Father. She believes that in order to call herself an artist she must win awards like he does. But, Jasmine can never seem to win an award. Part of Jasmine’s art journey is about learning that she doesn’t have to win awards. Jasmine discovers that her definition of an artist is someone who contributes to her community.

How and when can we find you and STAINED GLASS SUMMER?

STAINED GLASS SUMMER will be released on December 30. It’s available as an e-book, in all formats, at Musa Publishing, and all your favorite on-line bookstores.

A free reader’s discussion guide is available for download at: http://www.mindyhardwick.com/books/stained-glass-summer/

Readers can find me at:

Website: www.mindyhardwick.com

Blog: www.mindyhardwick.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stainedglasssummer

Twitter: @mindyhardwick

Happy Holidays and a Happy Tail (er Tale?)

2011-12-24T08:42:00.000-05:00

These are two of the faces I love. On the left is Bosco. We found Bosco running down the middle of a highway, in the rain, when he was about 8 months old (he's 10 now). Nobody came forward for him, so this lovable goof of a Boxer/Hound mix has been with us ever since. He's the kind of dog that loves everybody and everybody loves him. My kids' friends all pick Bosco as their favorite. He's that kid/dog that can seamlessly work his way through groups and get a clap on the back from everyone.

Next to him, in similar colored clothing, is sweet Hazel. Her story is cool. From college into my 20's, I shared my life with a dog named Peanut. I met him at 3 weeks old, took him home at 6 weeks old, and lived with him for ten years, through single life, married life, divorced life, moving across state lines, finding my soul mate. And then he was poisoned by a cruel neighbor. I was devastated. Two years ago this coming March '12, a neighboring Humane Society posted adoptable pictures. And that face above stared back at me. Holy Reincarnation - that was Peanut! I kid you not.

I called the shelter and the woman told me she'd already put this dog's brothers down because they were feral and fear aggressive. She planned on taking Hazel home over the weekend because she saw a "glimmer" and hoped for the best. I said that I didn't care what happened over the weekend, not to put her down till I could get there on Monday. Of course, I adopted her. And she being a she, was christened Hazelnut. Also known as Biscuit, or Poochanetta (to go with Bosco's Boscarelli), or just Netta. (All animals have multiple names in our home).

For the first week (after she escaped) we couldn't get her in the house. Bosco finally got her in. For the first six months she hid under the bed or under the chair in the office. Bosco gave her confidence. For the next six months, she slowly allowed me to be her mama as long as I made no sudden moves. Bosco told her it would be okay. For the next six months she allowed my partner to get to know her. Bosco said what's the big deal. And now, she cuddles in the bed ('cause Bosco does), she wags her tail at my son (a big deal because she's terrified of men), and yesterday she begrudgingly gave in to a Christmas bath - without fear. Then she gave me one paw at a time to towel off. Bosco smiled and said, "See, I told you it'd be all right."

So Happy Holidays from Boscarelli and Poochanetta - Italian Love Hounds, also known as Mutt and Jeff, Smooth and Scruffy, Goofy Dog and Little Dog, Bosco and Hazelnut. Oh and yes, Happy Holidays from me!

High School Tuesday - The Teacher, Friend or Foe?

2011-12-20T07:55:00.001-05:00

Friend or Foe - Do teachers work for or against your YA characters? As I’m finishing my first semester as a real life high school teacher, I’ve thought a lot about this idea. Prior to this, I’d been teaching K-8, where the art teacher is generally well-liked. I was nervous about high school. All of a sudden, I was one of THEM. The infamous THEM.

I think of John Green’s LOOKING FOR ALASKA - the teachers at Pudge’s boarding school were merely road bumps in the way of living a true and good boarding school life. In Laurie Halse Anderson’s SPEAK, Mr. Freeman, the over-zealous art teacher, helps the MC work to let her inner tree grow and blossom and speak. In UNDONE, by Brooke Taylor, Doc Ramsey is both concerned, interesting teacher and worrisome meddler.

Middle Grade books I think of (Mrs. Granger in FRINDLE and the wonderful faculty at Hogwarts) tend to show more well-rounded teachers, real people, with bumps and bruises, warts and smiles, but usually with the student’s best interest at heart.

So how is it in real life? This is what I’ve figured out from my one semester.

Teenagers can spot a phony.
Teenagers will laugh at you if you try and show off a tramp stamp or wear a thong - but they think small piercings and small tattoos are super cool on a teacher. (in other words - act your age - not theirs)
Teenagers want to be heard.
Teenagers can tell if you’re truly seeing them - and that matters.
Teenagers don’t want to be talked down to.
Fair matters, but most understand that fair does not equal same.
Teens are reasonable (usually) if given reasonable logic.
Teenagers know if you care and if you care about their learning.
Teenagers appreciate laughter and the chance to socialize.
Teenagers respect teachers we will admit mistakes.
Teenagers respect teachers we are firm with their policies (if those policies makes sense).

So, if a teacher can remember and act on the above- you end up a Mr. Freeman or a Doc Ramsey. But if you’re not, you end up foe.

Can you think of fictional teachers that fall into these categories?

Sick Day Contemplations - What I've had to give up to be a writer

2011-12-17T16:46:00.000-05:00

Today, the day I was supposed to be baking copious quantities of bon-bon cookies, preparing my great--grandmother, Baba's, cardamon bread recipe and writing 1k in the new WIP, I am instead, in bed, sick with a coldy-fluey thing. I am not happy. I am a terrible sick person. Why? Because I'm a go, go, go-er.

So, I've thought about all the things from this year. And am dividing it into two categories. The Things I Did and The Things I Had to Let Slide.

THE THINGS I DID

Finished a Young Adult manuscript, CAST IN GOLD
Graduated a daughter from high school (no mean feat since she was illiterate when she came to us at age 13)
Took two creative writing courses with Joy Neaves
Taught 350 3rd-5th graders in an open studio art room, 5 day x week, December-June
Interviewed and got the high school art position in my county
Joined the #wipmadness gang on Twitter
Taught an art summer camp
Signed with a literary agent.
Watched my daughter make some really bad, game-changing decisions and learned to live with the worry while realizing she has to live her own life
Cleaned out a thirty-year teacher's art room and made it my own
Finished an Upper Middle Grade manuscript, MARKS OF A HORSEKEEPER
Started teaching high school
Read 77 books as of today's count
Critted for lots of CP's
Blogged regularly
Took care of family
Went out on submission
Celebrated my son's soccer achievement as Goalkeeper of the Year for his conference
Celebrated his acceptance to his college of choice
And all the everyday stuff like grocery shopping, animal husbandry, finding time for friends

THE THINGS I HAD TO LET SLIDE

So the above list is impressive and because of it, there are a few things gone (for now) from my life. It makes me sad and my goal for next year is to pull at least the horses back in more. A new job has added stressors, as has my daughter. Son will leave in the fall for college, but he's a huge help on the farm. But here's what I've had to give up to be a writer:

personal Facebook - there is just no time.
Volunteer duties at our local Humane Society - I was responsible for photographing all the animals for adoption and though I loved the job, the bi-weekly all-day event finally just proved to be more than I could keep up with
training my two young horses. I have two oldster retirees and two babies. I can't ride till I get the babies trained. This wasn't the year. But at my age, a year off from riding is not a good thing.
Friends - I've been so myopic it's been hard to do things like get birthday cards or calls done, or even quick hello's. Facebook helped with that, but to write, teach, and take care of a farm - that's all there is.
personal health - agh - 6 pounds more of me. This has got to change.
My own artwork - see first list.

Now, if you've read all the way through to the end of this self-indulgent list - thanks. It helps sometimes to get it all down in writing. To see what you have done, and where you want to go for the next year...but that will come on New Years!

What have you had to give up to follow your dream of writing?

Memories of High School You - Pat Esden

2011-12-14T21:25:00.000-05:00

As a young adult writer, the foundation for most of my writing starts with my own teenage experience. Times, fashion, and music have changed but that overall quest for self is still the same. So in that spirt, I share these bi-monthly interviews: Memories of High School You. Fellow MG and YA authors will share their own spin on the hallowed halls. If you're interested in participating just drop me a line in the comments.

This week it gives me great pleasure to introduce you to Pat Esden. I first met Patty on Verla Kay's Blue Boards last winter. Since then, she's become my go-to critique partner. And fabulous she is, both in helping out her fellow writers and in the gothic and thrilling stories she crafts. I can't wait to celebrate her successes in the near future. Patty go be found on her own blog and at the group blog, Cabinet of Curiosities. But without further ado, here's high school Pat!

Tell us about your high school, public or private, size, demographic, location?

I went to Burr and Burton Seminary in Manchester, Vermont. It’s a private school which was founded in 1829. However, all the local kids attend Burr and Burton because there’s no local high school. The really cool thing about this is that, as a private school, Burr and Burton doesn’t have to follow the same regulations as public schools. In other words, we had some awesome teachers like retired college professors who’d come in to teach fulltime or to work with a few students—aka great teachers and professionals who don’t necessarily have the certification to teach in public schools.

My graduating class was under 100 kids. And we had an open campus—which meant we could leave the school and go anywhere during study halls and lunchtime. http://www.burrburton.org/

Were there cliques at your high school? What were they? Who did you hang with?

I floated between cliques from the rednecks and farm kids, to the pot-heads, jocks, outcasts and greasers. It always struck me odd that there were a lot of kids I like to hang out with that I didn’t get to see much of because I was in the college prep/ AP classes and they were doing fun stuff like tech classes or smoking in butt alley.

Also, in Vermont there is a distinction between Vermonters and out-of-staters (and it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in Vermont, you are never a Vermonter unless you were born here). I had lots of Vermonter friends, but I was born in Western Massachusetts so that was one clique I never could belong to. I did however marry a full blood Vermonter.

(J.Ro here - that reminds me of growing up in the South and now living in Appalachia - being born somewhere is the mark of being a "from here.")

Did you have a memorable teacher? Good or bad? How did they influence you?

I had a calculus teacher who was a young, single guy and a coach. There weren’t very many girls in the class and he spent a lot of time talking to the football guys about things like how gross it was when girls didn’t shave the backs of their legs. I never shave my legs without thinking about that class. (This made me laugh so hard!)

In freshman year, I had an English teacher who gave me a bit of practical advice which was life altering. He told me that my hand writing was holding me back. He suggested I buy a typewriter and take typing class. His idea was that if I typed all my papers, my grades would go up significantly and I’d be a better speller because I’d be able to see my mistakes. He was right—and that was before computers were common place.

Did you have an inkling as a teenager that you would become a writer?

Yes. When I was deciding what to major in for college it was a toss-up between English or Plant and Soil Science. The publishing world was not as accessible as it is now and so I chose the more practical degree. Once I got to college, I took creative writing for several years and went on to take it as independent study, so I could fit it in with my Plant and Soil classes. But I had a professor who was convinced fantasy was trash, so I put the writing aside. I respected him and was too easily brainwashed by the idea there was no future in writing the genre I loved.

What book had the biggest impact on you as a high school student? How?

Oh, my. This is a tough one. On my own, I devoured Georgette Heyer, Victoria Holt, Mary Stuart and any book with a vampire or werewolf in it. In class, I read oodles of classics. In my senior year, I did an independent study of Irish writers and had a fairly long love affair with James Joyce’s Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man (I blame him for some of my comma issues) and John Fowles’ Magus. Hermann Hesse’ books appealed to my teenager-ish desire to think about the esoteric. And pretty much any book which had a sex scene in it—they were the best. (You mean I can blame someone else for my comma errors? Oh, freedom!)

I think all the books I read taught me a joy of playing with words and language, and about the wide variety of ways stories can be told.

What band could you not get enough of in high school? Were you an album or a CD kid? Cover art you remember?

This is pretty much like the clique question. I listened to all kinds of music depending on which crowd I was with at the time, everything from country to acid rock, rhythm and blues. Wild outdoor concerts and fiddler contests (I’m talking serious weekend long parties of public drinking, drugs and braless dancing) were common when I was a teen, so there were a lot of popular local musicians.

The album cover is an easy question. One Christmas, my best friend’s brother got a copy of a Linda Ronstadt album (at least I think it was her). His mother claimed she was aghast because Ronstadt’s nipples showed through her shirt, so Mom put two Band-Aids on the album cover before giving it to him. It actually was a fairly tame cover as I recall.

Kate and Anna McGarrible were one of my favorites when I was in a tragic no-one-will-ever-love-me teenager mood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Enc8KEzdYY

I recall my father banging on the wall and telling me to stop playing this song—like for the 1000^th time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjZ5Hkk2fvI&feature=related

What was the fashion rage - the one article of clothing you either got, or didn’t get that rocked your world?

I wouldn’t say it was all the rage, but my low-cut black leotard rocked my world. That last You Tube with Linda Ronstadt pretty much summed up my high school wardrobe--except for the really short dress, I never went for shorter hemlines.

What hobbies, activities, sports were you involved in that influence your writing today?

I wasn’t ever into organized sports. I belonged to the drama club, the archeology club, student council and the haunted house club (which was supposed to explore the paranormal). Also I was worked on the school newspaper. After school, I put time in at my parents’ gift and greenhouse business. On weekends, I cooked at the drive-in movie theater and sometimes sold stuff at flea markets. I also had a love of bird watching. Those years definitely influenced my writing. (A haunted house club? How cool is that! And having been privy to your manuscripts, I can see all this early stuff play into your writing.)

Good kid or wild child or a little of both? Details? (Mwaahaa)

Both. I probably wasn’t as good of student as I could have been because I had other things on my mind—like partying. I never had a full-fledged high school boyfriend; in fact I went to dances stag, except for my senior prom when I went with a guy friend who shortly afterwards came out of the closet. I turned eighteen early in my senior year (legal drinking age at the time), and after that got into the bar scene and older guys.

Who was your bestie? Your frenemy? Your sworn enemy? Did you ever have one that switched to another? Why?

I had several best friends in different cliques, but I never recall having any enemies of any kind—sorry (Nothing to apologize for there!)

If you could say one thing to your high school you, what would you say?

Forget about the older guys. The high school guys you have the hots for are just chicken shit, ask them out! And ask Mom for some cash to go clothes shopping—and don’t take Mom with you, take a friend to help you pick out some cool outfits and buy those funky boots you always wanted. ;O)

How do we find you now?

I’m around Twitter @PatEsden

My main blog is here: http://patesden.livejournal.com/

I also belong to a group blog: http://fivecuriosities.blogspot.com/

What's in a name?

2011-12-10T11:50:00.001-05:00

This week I had a book sitting on my desk that I'd just finished reading. A student picked it up and looked at the cover.

"Is this any good?" she asked.
"Freaky scary good," I replied.

She returned it to the library and checked it back out and returned to the classroom. After a minute she said, "Can I go take this back."

"What, you're not going to read it?"
"No, I don't like the names."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't like the names, they're like Carlos and Joey and Alex."

I was stumped. This is a cool kid, not likely to be turned off by ethnicity other than her own.

"Is it because they're Hispanic? Boys?"
"No, it's not that. I just don't like the names so I don't want to read it."

When I think about the books I've read and loved this year and the protagonist's names I come up with Katsa and Katniss and Marcelo, Peeta, and Gael. Names are grittier in lots of ways. Unusual. Even in my own WIP - I have Roan and Slight and Whisper - names I don't hear in the halls at school. Susan's and Gordy's don't show up much in MG or YA fiction these days.

Think about Katsa and Katniss - both start with crisp, strong consonants. The 's' sound is like a hiss or a slither. They sound strong. They sound otherworldly. And maybe that's what it's about. When we read we want to escape, to experience life or another world through someone else's skin.

What are your favorite names from this year's fiction? Do you think names make a difference? Are you surprised by my student? Do you think it's true of most young readers? Looking forward to your thoughts!

Fah-git-a-bout-it!! (Yeah, right)

2011-12-06T19:37:00.001-05:00

So this is a break from my normal High School Tuesday post. The reason is simple.

I'M ON SUBMISSION!!!!!

And though I should take my own advice and forget about it, I'm finding it to be nigh unto impossible. It's like this wormy anxiety that's living just under the surface of my skin. I try to ignore it, but it's like a constant bleep or brain worm or a tic.

Friends ask me, "Aren't you nervous?" And no, nervous isn't really the right word, because I'm still so completely flabbergasted that I'm at this point. Sometimes I just giggle at the surrealness of it all. Me, an agent? Me, completed manuscripts? Me, on submission? That in itself, ladies and gentlemen, is akin to winning the lottery these days.

And then I remember, "Uh, lady, lest you forget you sat butt in chair every morning for a good year and a half - religiously - no breaks for good behavior." Right. I did work hard. And for years before that I stuck my toes in and out of the water before I finally committed 100% to this writing thing.

But like that kid I was who would tear away the corner of the Christmas wrapping so I would KNOW what I was receiving (hi mom :0)), now I'm an adult who can't stand to wait. And this waiting is killing me! What's more, I really, really want to know if I get to keep writing about the world and characters I created in this novel. Because my real hope is, this book will lead to two more.

So fingers and toes crossed, good karma thrown to the wind, whispers, dreams, luck, and maybe a smidge of magic that my horsegirl and her horse will live to see readers.

In the meantime, I'm going to try and forget about it by working on something completely different.

And you, how do you deal with the waiting game of the kidlit world?

Memories of High School You - Kip Wilson Rechea

2011-12-01T19:57:00.001-05:00

As a young adult writer, the foundation for most of my writing starts with my own teenage experience. Times, fashion, and music have changed but that overall quest for self is still the same. So in that spirt, I share these bi-monthly interviews: Memories of High School You. Fellow MG and YA authors will share their own spin on the hallowed halls. If you're interested in participating just drop me a line in the comments.

This week I'm pleased to introduce Twitter, Blue Board, WIPMadness, and Critique partner extraordinaire - Kip Wilson Rechea, aka Kiperoo. Kip is a fabulous YA author whose books I know we'll be plucking off book store shelves sooner rather than later. But in the meantime, I'm ready to read about high school Kip. How about you?

Tell us about your high school, public or private, size, demographic, location?

I went to an almost stereotypical rich girls' boarding school, in Troy, NY (outside of Albany). But no, my dad isn't a diplomat or anything. :-P Both my parents were chemists, and my mom was the school's chemistry teacher, so I got to go there for free. We had a small class—about 90 girls from all over the world.

(J.Ro here - Oh man, I escaped all girl's school after ten years (K-9). Teenage girls in groups can be tough!)

Were there cliques at your high school? What were they? Who did you hang with?

Not really. People hung out with other girls on their residence halls, and I was a day student, so I mostly hung out with other day students. Other than that, it was really easy to talk to most anyone you met, in classes, sports, activities etc. I didn't “do” sports, but ballet was my “sport” and it was a lot of fun.

Did you have a memorable teacher? Good or bad? How did they influence you?

Yes! My high school German teacher was so good that it made me want to continue with German and study other languages. I ended up going all the way (hahaha) with German, getting my Ph.D. in it.

(I love this story - must have been an amazing teacher)

Did you have an inkling as a teenager that you would become a writer?

Not really. I loved to read, and I loved languages. I had written a fair amount in my earlier years, but once I hit high school, I was having too much fun to write.

What book had the biggest impact on you as a high school student? How?

Two things, both from German class! I read about the White Rose resistance movement, which I found fascinating (university students in Germany, including a girl, who were captured and killed by the Nazis for distributing anti-Hitler leaflets). And I also got my taste of real German literature. I first read some Goethe, Rilke, and Kafka, which totally blew my mind.

What band could you not get enough of in high school? Were you an album or a CD kid? Cover art you remember?

At first, J. Geils Band, especially the blues stuff, Beatles, the Clash, Led Zeppelin. Later I got into everything from electronic stuff like OMD and hardcore punk like Suicidal Tendencies and Black Flag. Oh yeah. All I wanted was a Pepsi.

(Okay, you could have ridden in my car and brought your tapes)

What was the fashion rage - the one article of clothing you either got, or didn’t get that rocked your world?

OK, this might sound weird, but I pretty much wear a lot of the same stuff. I was never into trends, so my favorite clothes back then were my army cargo pants and black turtlenecks, and I still wear tons of army clothes and black now. The colors of the olive!

What hobbies, activities, sports were you involved in that influence your writing today?

Ballet! I've got a ballet thread in my current WIP. I would have done yoga had it been around then—love yoga now! I hate sports (except I love watching the Red Sox), so I doubt I'd ever be able to pull off a sporty character. I loved music, and spent hours playing guitar or just listening to music.

Good kid or wild child or a little of both? Details? (Mwaahaa)

I was good about my academics. *coughs* Got good grades and really liked my language classes. But I was definitely wild too. I had a Very Cool Aunt who introduced me to Interesting Things, and I loved to experiment. My world also revolved around my boyfriend senior year. We totally had the same taste in music, moshed in the pit together, and both got really into photography. Plus other secret stuff. Which our parents found out about. Which got us in trouble. Sssssshhh.

(teenage J.Ro is giggling and wants you to tell her all about it after school)

Did you have a favorite phrase or slang word?

I'm sure lots of things were “wicked” or “wicked awesome,” but they still are now, right? RIGHT?

Who was your bestie? Your frenemy? Your sworn enemy? Did you ever have one that switched to another? Why?

I had a few people I considered my bestie. Probably my best friend through most of the high school years was another tall, skinny chick like me. We spent our time talking about boys, wild hair, music, and stuff like that. One of my other best friends was a really funny Filipino girl who loved—and still loves—good clean fun. She's still one of my best friends today. Then of course there was my boyfriend, who totally rocked my world. We went out for my senior year of high school and freshman year of college. He was the first person who really understood me. We had a blast!

If you could say one thing to your high school you, what would you say?

Just keep doing what you're doing. :-)

How do we find you now?

http://twitter.com/#!/kiperoo

http://kiperoo.wordpress.com/

The problem with (bad) adult fiction

2011-11-26T17:14:00.001-05:00

My father is a voracious reader and I grew up in a household where stacks of books on open surfaces were considered decorator chic. His taste runs toward history, mystery, and science-fiction. Occasionally, when I'm visiting, I'll read one of his books.

This trip home he gave me a sci-fi novel - post apocalyptic that is set at the moment the "change" occurs, when all technology as we know it disappears. Since there are some similarities to my Upper MG novel being shopped, I thought, "hmmm, this might be an interesting read."

I got exactly to the bottom third of the first page when I realized I could never stomach the book. I will paraphrase what I read.

"He pulled his car into the parking lot, locked up, and swung his case over his shoulder."
"He walked quickly to the door and opened it with his third finger, a nudge, and a grunt."
"He opened his jacket and stuffed his cap into it."
"He smoothed his hair down with his hand."

OMG - What in monkey scratch land is going to happen? By the bottom of the first page in any MG or YA book, I have a hint of the conflict, both internal and external. I usually have a bit of information about the protagonist. I have voice. And I don't have to contemplate any freaking navels to get there or read jacket flap to figure it out.

So there my friends is why I love YA and MG fiction. It makes me want to turn the page. Why do you love youth fiction?

High School Tuesday (or the schizophrenia of youth)

2011-11-22T18:36:00.001-05:00

The thing that is the most fun about teenagers is you truly NEVER know where the conversation will go.

Today, my rowdy sophomore boys were hanging out by my desk, goofing on the computers since all their work was turned in. One boy, plops down right on my desktop and starts looking at my bulletin board where he sees the list for the Santa Tree kid I chose. My kid is 15, a girl, and wants a toy plate set, a baby doll, and a teddy bear.

I had assumed she was a special needs kid and said this to the boy. Another boy piped up and said, "Yeah, but maybe she just never had the childhood she wanted."
Boy on my desk says, "Yeah, I still pull out my Buzz Lightyear every now and then."
Other Boy replies "Yeah, when days are really boring, I'll still play with my Hot Wheels."
Third boy pipes up, "And you can never watch Toy Story too many times."

I think my mouth was hanging open, because, literally, moments before, Boy on Desktop was stressing about the courses he'd need to take to get into Super University and how in the world he (podunk town kid) was going to be able to compete with some kid from some place as cool as Japan.

So as writers - we need to remember that as much as the angst and the pain and the heartbreak and peer pressure and questions exist, there is also the quiet Saturday afternoon where a childhood toy just might make a reappearance in a fifteen year old's life.

Word for the Week
Derrrrfy - As in someone who says "Derrrrr" a lot. Synonoms, dork, nerdy, goofy. It is by no means derrrfy to pull out Buzz Lightyear if you're feeling blue. (And # of r's is up to the user)

Bittersweet Days

2011-11-20T08:42:00.001-05:00

My son is graduating from high school this year. He didn't become my son until he was ten, so there were always lots of unknowns.

Like, what will happen as he grows up?

I'm so proud of him. He's just been brave and awesome and full of perseverance.

Yesterday we went on our first college tour. Yes, college. I can't say I ever knew for sure it would happen. But he's been accepted, and what's more, he has a soccer tryout with the coach on Monday for a goalkeeper spot on the team. And the college is close enough I could go see his home games.

This kid lives for his team. Lives for the sport. He was so depressed after his final senior game. If he makes it, gets a spot on the college team, I feel confident he will not only graduate from high school, but also from college. Wow.

And then it makes me sad. He'll be gone. The last chicken flown the coop. As hard as parenting has been, it seems harder to think of not parenting again.

Maybe I should adopt another one. (Just kidding)

Memories of High School You - Angelina C. Hansen

2011-11-17T13:38:00.001-05:00

As a young adult writer, the foundation for most of my writing starts with my own teenage experience. Times, fashion, and music have changed but that overall quest for self is still the same. So in that spirt, I share these bi-monthly interviews: Memories of High School You. Fellow MG and YA authors will share their own spin on the hallowed halls. If you're interested in participating just drop me a line in the comments.

This week, may I introduce Angelina C. Hansen. Angelina is another Twitter friend and #wipmadness participant. She is represented by Katie Grimm of Don Congdon Associates. She can be found at her blog, YAScribe. Without further ado, please meet teenage Angelina!

Tell us about your high school, public or private, size, demographic, location?

I went to public high school in a small artsy theatre town in Southern Oregon. I think our graduating class was around 200.

Were there cliques at your high school? What were they? Who did you hang with?

Cliques? I suppose there were the usual groups. But I was able to fit in with whomever I chose to hang out with. I’ve always preferred unusual individuals and my hometown bred them. ^_^ Being different was the norm.

(J.Ro here - that sounds like an amazing place to be a teenager)

Did you have a memorable teacher? Good or bad? How did they influence you?

My French teacher, who was also a close friend’s mom, was a burly Norwegian who had lived all over the world. When a severe illness blew my plans for college during my senior year, she suggested I take a year off and work as an au pair in Paris. And so I did.

Did you have an inkling as a teenager that you would become a writer?

I had those inklngs as a child, but as a teenager I aspired to International Politics—diplomacy. As it turns out, I got my BA in International Affairs.

What book had the biggest impact on you as a high school student? How?

Not so much a book, but a group of writers—Emerson and Thoreau. The Transcendentalist philosophy sang to my soul.

(Geez - and I thought Tom Robbins was intellectual when I was 16)

What band could you not get enough of in high school? Were you an album or a CD kid? Cover art you remember?

My tastes, even in high school, have always been eclectic from Pop to Opera. But I went through a phase where I couldn’t’ get enough of The Scorpions. Cassettes, baby.

(But didn't you despise having to roll them back up when your tape player ate them?)

What was the fashion rage - the one article of clothing you either got, or didn’t get that rocked your world?

As I mentioned earlier, the spirit of my hometown encouraged individualism, plus I never was one to pay much attention to fashion or trends. The one item of clothing I got that rocked my world was a very expensive hand-knitted fisherman’s sweater from Ireland. I still wear it! Oh and a pair of skin-tight black leather pants. Outgrew those.

What hobbies, activities, sports were you involved in that influence your writing today?

I played jazz trumpet, composed music for piano, and played basketball and tennis. But it’s the music composition that most influences my writing today. My writing has to sound right and my creative process is very similar.

Good kid or wild child or a little of both? Details? (Mwaahaa)

For appearance sake, I was the good kid (4.0 GPA, home by curfew, never in trouble). But in reality, I was a wild child who was adept at lying and not getting caught.

Did you have a favorite phrase or slang word?

For some reason, this is a really hard question. The only word that comes to mind is “bitchin”.

Who was your bestie? Your frenemy? Your sworn enemy? Did you ever have one that switched to another? Why?

I had a few besties, but I also dated an older guy the whole time I was in high school which meant I didn’t spend a lot of time outside of school with my friends. No enemies. My dad taught me to look for the good in everyone and be peaceable with all sorts.

If you could say one thing to your high school you, what would you say?

Listen to your intuition and keep your mouth shut.

(Sounds like a story in that line....)

How do we find you now?

My blog: http://yascribe.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/AngelinaCHansen

High School Tuesday (on Wednesday) - It's Nifty!

2011-11-09T11:56:00.000-05:00

Fashions spin round and round (has anyone noticed the proliferation of mid-thigh wildly-patterned polyester dresses - ala early 70's? ). Teenagers tend to modernize whatever look it was their parents wore, while at the same time professing how uncool same parents are now.

"Wow, Mom, what happened? You were like, so awesome when you were my age."

It happens with words, too. The latest pair making the rounds at my school are nifty and spiffy. Meanings haven't changed, though I guess it's the intent of meaning we should examine.

Girl gets new glasses.
Boy says, "Wow, Girl, those are so nifty."

Emphasis placed on the so. Not quite sarcasm, but not true admiration either. A hinterland compliment - ala - said as if an adult or parent would say it, therein making fun of self-same adult or parent.

Spiffy is so fresh and new that a giggle is often added at the end. "Hey Girl, did you see New Boy? He's really spiffy." Giggle, giggle, giggle. "I called him spiffy." "Well he is spiffy."

What recycled trends are you noticing these days?

When Your Beta Readers Sing.

2011-11-05T13:53:00.000-04:00

Abundance and Blessings.

That's what comes to mind when I think of beta readers. When I started this writing journey I made every first time writer snafu.

Send off first draft to entirely inappropriate publisher. Check.
Send off second draft to entirely inappropriate agent. Check
Send out queries before I knew what the hell I was doing. Check.

But then, I discovered Verla Kay's Blue Boards. I read. I lurked. I finally joined in the party.

And my world changed.

I scoured posts. Went to a conference. Got craft books. Honed my natural love for writing. Found a great class with Joy Neaves of the Great Smokies Writer's Program through UNC-Asheville. Rewrote an old manuscript. Rewrote a slightly newer manuscript. Got brave and started swapping with fellow BB'ers. Joined a crit group.

To this day, and I'm not sure she's even aware how much she helped me, I'm indebted to Angela Ackerman at The Bookshelf Muse. She gave me a scathing critique of a seriously flawed chapter book. But what did I know? My aunt loved it. That painful critique kicked me in the rear. Luckily, I didn't get all wounded by it. I took it as a challenge to improve.

I wrote two more manuscripts - each a little better than the one before. And I started acquiring readers.

Now with my fifth manuscript - I'm hoping I have a winner. And those abundant blessings I call beta readers - they seem to think so, too.

Folks - Beta Readers are golden. If you want a good relationship with a fellow writer, be honest. Remember to highlight writing strengths as well as places to improve. Be timely. Communicate. And be thankful. Thankful for the community with other people who build words and create stories. Thankful for readers who suddenly have a relationship with your characters. And thankful that there are people in the world who want you to succeed.

Thank you (you know who you are :0))

Memories of High School You - Featuring Lori Parker

2011-11-03T06:05:00.000-04:00

Tell us about your high school, public or private, size, demographic, location?

Phoenix High School. My class was only about 125 kids. And this is Phoenix, Oregon, so we’re talking verra small town.

Were there cliques at your high school? What were they? Who did you hang with?

All the usual culprits were there: The pretties, the “I’m too cool to care” crowd, the band kids, the farmer/Ag boys, the “curb-suckers” (druggies and smokers), the athletes… I was in the band kids.

(J.Ro here - curb-suckers is a new term to me! And as a teacher, I love my band kids - figure they'll grow up to be interesting adults)

Did you have a memorable teacher? Good or bad? How did they influence you?

Mrs. Entinger, or Mrs. E. She was sophomore English and Journalism. I loved her enthusiasm and she sat me down once and explained why a story I’d written wasn’t “a story” because the point was never made. That turned me around.

Our social sciences teacher was a joke. Can’t remember his name, but we could get him off the subject with one well-executed question, and we all knew it. I also don’t believe he knew the material at all. Ugh.

The geometry teacher was a cop on weekends. We lived in fear of being pulled over by Mr. Hines.

Did you have an inkling as a teenager that you would become a writer?

I hoped I would. But I’ve always been practical, so to this day, writing comes after work.

What book had the biggest impact on you as a high school student? How?

“The Mayor of Casterbridge” by Thomas Hardy is the first time I woke up to a theme and how a character plays a part in pushing the story. I wrote an essay called “How Elizabeth was Used,” or something like that, and my teacher loved it.

What band could you not get enough of in high school? Were you an album or a CD kid? Cover art you remember?

Bon Jovi and Journey… I still can’t get enough of them! I loved the “danger” of Billy Idol. Oh, and I remember how, at one school dance, the gym floor was empty until they played “Rock Me Amadeus.” It packed out instantly.

(Ha! I had a senior kid telling me about the albums he was "archiving" in his basement - how old they were - there was even Rock Me Amadeus!)

What was the fashion rage - the one article of clothing you either got, or didn’t get that rocked your world?

Preppy and England Rocker were fighting it out in our hallways. I generally went preppy, but one time I got a pair of black parachute pants. (Good lord!) And I believe I was dumb enough to wear them twice! I also got a bang out of wearing my cheerleading uniform (in freshman year). But then I got “too cool” to be a cheerleader. Ha!

(Thank goodness for the demise of the parachute pant!)

What hobbies, activities, sports were you involved in that influence your writing today?

Journalism and band, for sure. They were a place where you didn’t have to push yourself to be uber-cool. Also, I worked after school all four years in child care and once at a retirement home. Excellent story ideas in both places.

Good kid or wild child or a little of both? Details? (Mwaahaa)

Hopelessly good kid, with a tendency towards being a tattle-tale. I once watched my two-year-old sister eat an entire bottle of children’s aspirin, which I got down for her. I waited till she was done before going to tell on her. An emergency room stomach pumping ensued. I was only four, but I felt terrible.

Once, I was 45 minutes late on my curfew. Mom was waiting for me. I tried to tell her they burned the pizza, which was a lie. I was kissing a boy in the backseat. Anyway, she didn’t buy it. She ordered me to sit on the sofa. She returned to her armchair, where she was watching JAWS on TV. Every time there was a commercial break, she got up, walked behind me, whacked me in the head with a rolled up newspaper, then sat down. For the next hour, I watched people dying by shark attack, waiting…

It didn’t hurt, but it left an impression. I wasn’t late after that. And I’m scared to death of sharks. Now I always stop and watch JAWS whenever it comes on. Hilarious!!

(I'll never forget, the opening of JAWS was on my birthday - all those dark ominous previews with "Coming to a theatre near you on June 16th" - and I lived on the Gulf of Mexico)

Did you have a favorite phrase or slang word?

“Tubuler” happened in eighth grade. After that, I think it was just “awesome.”

Who was your bestie? Your frenemy? Your sworn enemy? Did you ever have one that switched to another? Why?

Annie was my best friend for three years. But when I got a boyfriend my junior year, she tried to block my becoming the next Flag Team Captain after her, telling everyone I wouldn’t “have time.” And she was graduating, so what did she care?! She also had a boyfriend all four years. Anyways, I was still nominated and we won awards that year. So there!

(ooooh, Bad Annie)

If you could say one thing to your high school you, what would you say?

I’d like to thank the teachers. They worked much harder than I ever realized. To the rest: “Read to your kids!”

How do we find you now?

Http://www.girlparker.typepad.com

Twitter @girlparker1

Saturday Ramblings (on Sunday)

2011-10-30T21:05:00.001-04:00

This week has been a day behind kind of week. And a week when I realized there's no way I can blog more than twice a week. So High School Tuesdays now are going to an every other Tuesday format and starting this Thursday, I'll unveil "Memories of High School You" interviews with blogosphere writer friends. It should be fun!

I finished revisions on Marks of a Horseman, my future-past-post-apocolyptic-fantasy-horse-girl-adventure mash up. It's sent on to beta readers with the hopes of quickly sending it on to my agent. Some of you may remember me writing about the fact that I was working on something, eek, commercial. Well, this is it. I'm having a little bit of trouble not getting exciting for the what if's - definitely some dreaming involved.

I also spent the week reading Chime - recommended for its voice and world building. It's one of the first books I haven't finished all the way through in a long time. I put it on the list to the left because I did manage to get almost all the way to the end, then skimmed to uncover what happened. It's not that I didn't like it. I did. Franny Billingsley's use of language is exquisite - but it's not a snappy read. I found I had to work at it. Maybe because I wanted to taste every morsel, but like a too rich piece of cake, sometimes you just can't eat the last few bites. There are sentences I had to reread and savor. But the story got lost sometimes in the gurgle and slurp of her swamp. Maybe it's my lack of sophistication, but I think, like my preference for clean-lined clothing and sturdy cars, the frills of those adjectives took me out of the action. Funny how genius is not always where you want to hang out. And I do think the book is genius - just not my total cup of tea. I'm washing it down with a reread of The Hunger Games.

What about you? How do you react when a book doesn't live up the expectations you've been led to believe? Do you finish it - all the way to the bitter end?

Please stop back on Thursday when I will unveil my "Memories of High School You" interviews. The first interview will be with one of my #wipmadness partners from Twitter: Lori Parker.

Have a fabulous writing week!

High School Tuesday (on Wednesday)

2011-10-26T09:08:00.000-04:00

This week, in Art II, we've been working on a project about Gothic art - we've talked about how in history, Gothic Art was religious in nature and highlighted both the darkness and light of humanity.

I asked the students to come up with two lists - good and evil. It follows.

Good Evil

Boyfriends                                                 Divorce  

Friends                                                        Love  

Food Night
Family Death
Girlfriends Depression
Animals (Pets) Mental Illness
Roosters Bad Health
The mall Family
Love Frenemies
Roller coasters Pain
Swimming Loneliness
Sunshine Heart Ache
Money Racism
Sleeping Fighting
Church Inner Demons
Music Money

This list struck me, because the good list had so much to do with exterior, where as the evil list was all about the interior. As a writer, this just reminded me that YA novels really should be about that interior world - so many more questions there.

Word of the Day: B.A. - acronym for Bad Ass - which can mean awesome, amazing, tough, hardcore, as in "He is so B.A." or "That song is so B.A."

Held Hostage in Hunting Season

2011-10-22T20:50:00.000-04:00

Every year, from early September till mid-December we are held hostage. Properties on every side of our little 14 acre burb are used by deer hunters.

Now, here's my PC public service announcement, many hunters are great ecologists and even environmentalists, many actually count on the meat for their winter pantry, but there are just as many who are a teensy bit rude and irresponsible.

Unfortunately we dealt with one of the latter this week.

My partner and son came home Thursday and saw a doe fallen next to the creek. At first glance they thought she was dead. At second glance they saw she was still breathing, with a wounding bullet shot to the back. Horrors.

We are all animal people. Heart-aching animal people. So seeing a beautiful doe fallen in your yard, left to suffer, is just, well, no fun. My son called a buddy. The buddy brought his dad, rifle in hand, and my son watched while they let her go, misery eased.

The dad said she'd been shot from above, someone in a tree stand. Why didn't they track her? Too lazy to crawl their fat bottoms down and man up? That'd be my guess. We have a hunch who did it - only one neighbor uses a stand. So we called, all polite like, wouldn't they like to come get her and use the meat. But, oh no, their freezers were full.

So, in the night, sweet doe was ravaged by dogs and coyotes. Someone stopped and cut off her tail. And we were left to clean up the mess. To apologize for the brutality of a hunter who didn't finish what he started and to burn her body on a pyre of fall leaves and locust logs.

Good night sweet doe.

High School Tuesday (This one's R rated)

2011-10-18T09:37:00.000-04:00

So as I've mentioned before, I teach in the buckle of the Bible belt. Lots of wonderful devout folks around here. And like me, some who are deeply faithful but not so churchy, and certainly a few who are firm doubters or firm unbelievers. But I'm a firm believer in to each his own.

My kids have a word for the super devout. It's a new kind of superhero - the Super Christian. Every time I hear a student say it, I envision a Bible carrying, cape wearing, psalm spouting wonderkid with the ability to fast track you to heaven or hell or into your next incarnation.

In this morning's class, one of my Super Christian superhero kids was busy making clay demons and dragons - wild looking critters with flair and terror. My super smart senior girl with a wit so dry it will sap all the moisture from a humid room said to me:

"J.Ro, do you know why religion is like a penis?"

"Um, no, future president, I don't."

"Because, it's okay to have one. It's even okay to be proud of it. But for God's sake, don't try and shove it down my throat."

There you have it. From the mouths of just over the limit, eighteen year old babes.

Word of the Day: Super Christian: A new kind of super hero, one who can set you on the path to redemption with a well-placed word, or send you on the path to hades with some well-placed gossip. Depending on who you are, this is a species to be adored or feared.

What Doodling leads to...character development

2011-10-14T17:53:00.000-04:00

In a particularly brain-intensive (aka boring) workshop I sketched four of my main characters from Marks of a Horseman on post-it notes.

May I introduce Roan, my protagonist. Ledger (who's better looking than this sketch), her brother. Slight and Phillipa.....

High School Tuesday

2011-10-11T14:06:00.000-04:00

So I teach in a teensy rural county in the heart of Appalachia. The movie, Deliverance, has gained a reputation for a reason, but the thing is these teens 'round here know of their celebrated reputation. Just like in other social stratosphere, there's a level to hillbilly-ism. Though of course, only they can call each other hillbillies.

The thriving metropolis, the county seat, is where the city kids live (yep, about all 3000 residents, so maybe 50 teenagers?), then there are the suburbs, and then there's BillyJoe town (name changed to protect the innocent). This little berg is on the farthest edge of the county, home to not much besides 4-wheelers, black bears, moonshines stills, and meth labs.

I have two adorable girls from BillyJoe town in my Art I class. This morning they got into a long conversation about being from BillyJoe town. (Picture two adorable sophomore cheerleader types that could plop down into any high school in the country - well except for the conversation that follows)

"Yep, you know they say we're all married to our cousins out there."
"I know, and some of it's true."
"Well yeah, maybe way back."
"Oh come on, you know our trees ain't got much fork."
"No, can't get much shade from our family trees."

Laughter.
Then.

"Do you know Bobby Joe (name changed)?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Cause he's for real, legit in-bred."
"Really?"
"Yes really, legit in-bred, like his daddy's his uncle or some shit."
"Does he have like a third arm?"
"No. Does that really happen?"

So here's your vocabulary word for the day:

Legit In-Bred - a term used by Appalachian teens to go a step beyond kissing cousins. (Gross!)

Realizing you have an inner writer

2011-10-09T10:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was driving along the river on my way to work and the light was amazing. Sort of hazy and creamy - and it made me think of forest fires and fall (which is definitely here) and then I found myself thinking, how would I write this light? Then I started looking around and quizzing myself on how I would write other things I saw on my commute.

With people, it's characterization and suddenly I'm guilty of the thing that has always bugged me about my over-effusive actress neighbor (Oh my God! You shave your legs? I had no idea! - she said this to a friend of mine that she had somehow perceived as more of a granola - it didn't fit her characterization of this friend as "character.") I notice the quirks, the anomalies, the things that don't fit in stereotypical jigsaw puzzles. (Like my ginger-haired, snake bite pierced Art II kid who also happens to be a straight A student that gets upset if marked tardy, even when tardy).

Eavesdropping - yep, guilty. But not so much the words as the rhythm of speech, the cadence, and well okay, honest truth, dialogue, too.

So what are your tells? What marks you as a writer?

High School Tuesday (or why hs students are tricky)

2011-10-04T14:44:00.000-04:00

"Ms. J.Ro do you smoke pot?"

"Ms. J.Ro have you ever smoked pot?"

"Ms. J.Ro were you a partier?"

"Have you ever tried Kahlua?"

"What's your favorite beer?"

"Ms. J.Ro do you think this looks like an acid trip?"

Daily reality as the high school art teacher. Perhaps it's my frizzy hair or the slightly rumpled look of my clothing. Maybe it's the propensity to say Dude, or No way, or Right. Teachers who are not stick figures get pushed, tested, questioned. Cause, you know, teens are like, checking the boundaries you know, feeling out adulthood in the safe confinement of their high school.

I've managed to evade these questions - alcohol questions I say, "Come back and talk to me when you're 21, then we can discuss liquor flavors." Drugs, are a little trickier. Because - they know I went to more than 10 Dead shows. But whatever my past, my present is that I don't and I can't condone it.

But they find ways to blow your cover. Like today, when a student made a cute little chicken that I immediately recognized as a pipe and called him on it. Well, let's just say there was much speculation on how Ms. J.Ro figured that out. Do you think they'll believe it was because there's a great big art teacher catalog in the sky with a page entitled - ALL THE WAYS YOUR STUDENTS WILL TRY TO GET CONTRABAND PAST YOU INTO THE CERAMICS KILN - will they?

Word for the Day: Hoodie - As in a sweatshirt with a hood, a mating symbol, a symbol of ownership, something that cannot be passed freely from your boyfriend to another girl or vice-versa without the serious risk of a hair-tearing fight.

The Creative Mind - Where Ideas come from

2011-10-01T12:25:00.000-04:00

I had a conversation on Friday with a student who showed me her senior project video. She'd choreographed the big cheer/dance number for homecoming.

"Where did you get the inspiration?" I asked.

She smiled and told me she was getting nothing from the Homecoming theme song but found this other song and one 8-beat step popped in her head. That step ended up being the middle of her number. From there she worked to the end, then backtracked to the beginning. She said she could picture it in her head. The routine was flawless and she managed to teach it successfully to the whole squad.

My partner works with found materials and scrap yard iron to make beautiful sculpture. Random bits of metal speak to her when she walks through her studio, telling her what they want to become. Things that look like garbage become horses or birds or leaning figures. Inanimate objects are imbued with personality.

Writing is like this, too. Often you hear of writers who have ideas come fully formed in dreams (think Twilight) or they hear some snippet on the news that spurs the idea or a friend throws out a single sentence (Beauty Queens). 'What if' questions generate story lines, as do overheard conversations or memories of childhood.

My current project, the post-apocolyptic horse girl story, came about with all this talk of the end of the world. I started thinking what if the world ended today. I live way down a very crooked mountain road and I imagined all the possible road crumblings and bridge fallings. Then I said to myself, well I have horses, at least that's something. The story took off from there and grew legs and hooves of its own.

The creative mind is an endless fascination. That these solid bodies can disappear into crevices of our mind and pull forth song, story, art, and dance is, to me, the main gift of being human.

Where do you find your inspiration?

High School Tuesday

2011-09-27T15:36:00.000-04:00

When you open the dictionary to look for the definition of male brooding teenager - you see a picture of my Art II student that I will call Mr. No.

Mr. No is tall and handsome with large girl-catching eyes and hair that falls at just the right angle. Mr. No is always seen in classic rock t-shirts, Pink Floyd, Nirvana (classic to him), or Led Zeppelin. Mr. No is also a negative nancy, just because. Anything, and I mean anything, people bring up it's always (with an Elvis snarl), "No, I don't like that." Or "No, that's lame." Or "No, I don't want to do that, go there, or date her." I think you could hand him Avril Lavigne naked on a platter and he'd say "No" out of principle.

Which brings up our interesting conversation today. Mr. No said, in all seriousness - of course - "I think we're all like, whatever, because we have to be here. Like it's a law. It's not like a job where you've got a choice. So if we have to be here it's a whole lot better to do nothing than to do something so, whatever." (Verbatim, adding in appropriate eye rolls and exhalations)

Teacher sigh. But it got me thinking, what if high school were a choice? What if kids had more say in the matter, what would they say? How would they structure it? I think once the free fall of chaos stopped, they'd step to the plate. My dream high school would have looked like this:

10a.m.-11a.m. - Silent Reading
11a.m.-12p.m. - Socializing
12p.m. - 12:30 - Lunch
12:30 - 3:00 Art
3:00-3:30 French
3:30-5:00 Socialize, Snack, Eat, Ride Horses
5:00-7:00 Creative Writing
7:00-Sleep Eat, Socialize, Draw, Paint

What about you? What would your dream schedule have been? (And btw, that's still pretty much my dream schedule, though my writing time would be flipped to the early a.m. hours now)

High School Definition of the Day - Screamo - A form of music combining soul-growling screams performed by people that look like emos. More devilish sounding than punk. Prounounced with a long e. Much loved by my Art II student with the snake bite piercings.

Wikipedia definition: Screamo is a music genre which predominantly evolved from emo, among other genres, in the early 1990s. The term "screamo" was initially applied to a more aggressive offshoot of emo that developed in San Diego in 1991, which used short songs that grafted "spastic intensity to willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics."^[1] Screamo is a particularly dissonant style of emo influenced by hardcore punk^[2] and uses typical rock instrumentation, but is noted for its brief compositions, chaotic execution, and screaming vocals. The genre is "generally based in the aggressive side of the overarching punk-revival scene,"^[2] although the term can be vague,^[2] and other styles of music, such as post-hardcore and metalcore, are often mislabeled "screamo".^[3] In addition to straightforward screamo bands, this list includes bands which playfusion genres such as crunkcore.

Week 4 Check-In - WIPMadness

2011-09-26T03:00:00.000-04:00

Hi my mad, mad friends - it's the last month of September, how'd you do with your writing goals?

I had a fairly productive month even spending some time making notes for a shiny new YA idea, but am still firmly ensconced in revision land and seem as though I'll be there for a while, with both manuscripts. Two of our fellow madness friends' blog posts really hit home with me this weekend.

@ghostgirl aka MaryAnn over at Haunting the Broken Tree posted about "All Her WIP Children" She dished on her manuscripts personalities and I found myself resonating with the perfectionist. My new manuscript has been labeled "special and unique" by secret agent man, but also "needing work on voice and world-building and in today's publishing world it needs to be amazing." No pressure there, nope, none at all. But you heard it here first, I am actually having fun with revisions. I think this manuscript is creating more of an inner writer than any before. But can you say anal? This word. No wait. That word. No wait. That word. And on and on, ad nauseum.

@lroseriver aka Lora Rivera at her blog of the same name posted a fascinated entry on Decision Fatigue. She gave the example of a parole judge faced with three inmates up for parole. The first gets it granted, the second two, well here's hoping you get the morning slot next time. Her post confirmed for me what I already know about myself, I write best in the morning. We make millions of decisions while revising, many of them miniscule, so being fresh, fed, watered, and well-rested do make a difference. So take care of yourself WIP friends!

This is my final hosting post. Next month we will convene with @ls_taylor on her blog, What I Learned Today. Thanks for joining me for the encouragement!

Making the Bad Guys Bad and the Protagonists Stupid.

2011-09-24T15:18:00.000-04:00

Okay, so maybe not stupid, but blinded in the moment?

I'm reading Elizabeth Bunce's A CURSE AS DARK AS GOLD and thinking about my own WIP, Marks of a Horseman, as I read. As I'm in the revision stages of a novel that is part fantasy, part dystopian, part touchy-feely, and 100% adventure, I find myself reading more as a writer than a reader these days.

How are authors getting across the particular voice of their characters? Why do we feel so deeply for certain characters and not for others?

Here are my conclusions. The bad guys must be really janky (see previous post for definition). They must give us a visceral, gut-wrenching, want to tear their eyeballs out feeling as we read them on the page. In the case of Bunce's book, it's Uncle Wheeler. He is a complex, secretive, dandy of a man who I have grown to hate with a ferocity that might have spurred me to murder if I was actually in Shearing. But what's interesting is when we met him, we weren't sure. It was possible he might be okay, but as we're led through the book, he just gets jankier and jankier. He's a great villain.

And as for Charlotte, the MC, Bunce does a fantastic job showing the reader the error of Charlotte's ways while keeping her superbly blinded to her own flaws. I find myself screaming at her, saying "No, don't be stupid!", yet she can't hear me and she steps forward into a big kettle of losing the things and ones she loves stew. But isn't that what makes us read on - we care what happens to the character? We don't want them to make those mistakes. We want things to turn out sunny, or at least resolved in a satisfactory way (which isn't always unicorns on rainbow clouds but that can be okay, too).

So in conclusion, I've decided as I revise that I'm going to look for those opportunities to pepper my antagonists with evil and sprinkle my protagonists with stupid dust. At least in the moment.

And what does it say about me as a writer that I'm rubbing my hands in anticipation of the havoc I'm about to wreak? What about you? Delivered any torture to your kind characters lately?

High School Tuesday (on Wednesday)

2011-09-21T10:24:00.000-04:00

It's been another wild week round the old high school frontier. Just today as a matter of fact.

The fire alarm got pulled - but the idiot pulled it during Break time instead of during class. Not much thinking there.

We've had a rash of girl fights. One in the stair well that resulted in five day suspensions for both girls (both softball players I might add). Another with one of my very own art students on the bus day before yesterday. My student laid out yesterday, worried she'd be charged with fighting, though she didn't start it. Then when she found out the other girl was running her mouth, saying she'd kicked my art student's tail, my art student came back bruising for another fight. Oh my. Boy fights this year have been practically nill. Art student got suspension from the bus for a week - way to get the parents pissed I think.

My favorite new word is "jank." As in, "Ms. J.Ro don't give me that jank paint, I want the good stuff."

Jank (adj.) long a pronunciation, rhymes with stank. Meaning - bad, nasty, definitely not wanted. (also rhymes with skank)

There you have it, YA writers, news from the hallowed halls. Use what you may. And happy writing!

Week 3 Check-In - WIP Madness

2011-09-18T09:46:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone has had a productive writing week. I sort of took a week off. Not really, but I didn't do my writing mornings and changed my alarm clock from 5:00 am to 5:45 am.

What I did manage was sending my YA off to two new beta readers after mostly completed revisions. Then I managed to prowl back through one more time and fix minor ticks, including one paragraph that took an entire hour to get just right. But I'm thinking it's a good sign that I still have the stamina to read this book from beginning to end and still like it. Only problem, during the revisions I cut the scene that had the title in it. Oops. When I hear back from my readers and see their suggestions, this puppy goes back to Secret Agent Man and then hopefully will start being shopped. Fingers crossed - I need to get our tractor fixed before winter!

My agent got back to me on the first 50 of my upper MG and although he says "I'm on to something" he had some suggestions to make it sparkle. I'm glad to have some direction to approach my revisions and now that the first draft has been sitting for almost a month, it's time to reset the alarm clock for 5:00 a.m.

In other news, Homecoming was a smash success. I did a rousing rendition of "Baby Got Back" with the lyrics "I like big books" that included a surprise booty grind with our steamy hot assistant football coach. The kids went wild and afterwards I had two of my students approach me and put there hands at chest level and say "Ms. J.Ro, you were here for us before." Then they raised their hands way above their heads and said, "Now you're here." Another girl found me and said, "Ms. J.Ro, who knew you had a WILD side." Nothing like a little out and out tomfoolery to make kids laugh.

So, what about all of you? Successes? Smashes? Wish I would of's? Twitter has seemed sort of quiet this week, so I'm curious to hear from each of you!

Talking with Teens about books.

2011-09-17T12:21:00.000-04:00

What a lucky week.

One of our students decided to start a literary club for his senior project, so I decided to check it out, let him know of my "secret" life outside of being an art teacher and see if I could lend a hand. I hadn't planned on staying, but did. And it was so much fun.

3 teen girls, 1 teen guy, myself and our guidance counselor sharing our love of literature. Twilight was discussed, as were the Hunger Games Trilogy - unanimous yes by all to the latter. But then we talked about why we loved young adult fiction. Fast plots, raw emotions, and storytelling were all mentioned. And in a nod to the currently maligned contemporary genre, each kid said they really liked the opportunity to look inside someone else's life. Someone who might not be just like them.

Later in the week I asked another student, why the post-apocolypse was so compelling to young people, besides the obvious media hype of Mayan calendars, Revelations and movies like 2012. His answer was, "Sometimes I think Americans are really cocky. Some kind of catastrophe would make us all equals again. It would make things fair."

I've already decided that I'm going to help keep this club alive even after our fearless senior leader graduates. It's just too cool. And I feel so honored they want me to be a part of it. And I look forward to sharing the insights I gain from these readers. Our readers.

High School Tuesday

2011-09-13T14:53:00.000-04:00

I've been searching for what I can do on my blog to make it be different, unique, special. Yadda. Yadda. Mostly I just like to run my mouth. But then, I realized, one thing I have going for me is I actually teach at a high school. I actually deal with those we write YA for everyday.

So here are some things I've noticed this week.

There are still obnoxious underclassmen girls who care about nothing more than having a senior guy for a boyfriend causing much consternation among the senior girls. (That girl is such a whore!)

If a guy has any waxing done, it's called manscaping. Yep. New one for me.

When your art teacher plays you her lame 80's music that was once cool (Echo and the Bunnymen, The Tom Tom Club, Elvis Costello) you must bump her music on GrooveShark with your own Lil' Wayne, Death for my Valentine, and Avril Lavigne songs. Then act shocked when your teacher actually goes along with it.

The cliques are still alive and well. Preps still have money. Goths still have attitude. Band kids are still band kids.

Boyfriends and girlfriends are made and unmade in a day.

Gay kids are far more accepted. Some are out, some are just known, some are bad-mouthed, but at least at my school, they are just part of the fabric.

Everybody wants to know if Lady Gaga is really a man. Do you know?

WIP Madness - September Week 2 Check-In

2011-09-11T21:04:00.001-04:00

Hello Weeps? Wips? Mad-Hatters? No, cross all those out.

Fellow travelers on the path.

Ah, whatever. It's late. I am gearing up for Homecoming week at my high school where hormones will be as fragrant as the hot dogs cooked up by the FFA club. We have dress up days and door decoration contests and celebrations and blow-up jumpy games and lest we not forget the reason for the madness - a football game. I am deep in the South, where in a rural town, the high school games are as close as you get to the pros. These folks take their football serious. Me...yeah, you guessed right. *looks left, then right, then whispers* I could care less.

But - I love my students and this week is all about them and so it is with great joy, I can say I actually finished my YA revisions. I thought it was going to be way more intense but I managed to get all the way through the manuscript in about 3 weeks total. I lost 1000 words and the scene that contained the title, but hey, it's off to two beta readers and then hopefully back to El Agento.

So my goal for this week - take a little break if I can because I'll need all my energy for my job and the teenagers. Oh I imagine, the upper MG will pull me back to poke and pry at its inner workings and I have beta reading to do in the evening, but I'm sort of enjoying the concept of some chill time. And of course, introducing the advanced color wheel.

Speak fellow travelers! Tell me of your journeys! And if you ask real nice, I'll post pictures of my door decorations and me in my "I Like Big Books - Info-Maniac" t-shirt that the Drama teacher had made for our faculty parody of the song, "I Like Big Butts." How in blue blazes did I end up back in high school?

Thanks Ladies!

2011-09-10T21:08:00.000-04:00

This past week I had the great, good fortune to receive not one, but two blog awards. And I am so utterly overwhelmed between Homecoming week at school and revising two manuscripts for my agent, along with reading for a few friends (which is work of the heart and I can't give it up!), I just can't play along and pass along.

I DO want say go check out these blogs!

WIPMadness Tweep, Girl Parker, awarded me the Leibster award. You can find her at her GirlParker Typepad blog.

WIPMadness and Blogfest pal, Lora Rivera, awarded me with the 7x7 Link Award. You can find her at Lora Rivera: Inside Writing.

Thanks again for thinking of me!

The Goofy Inside Revealed

2011-09-07T19:55:00.000-04:00

It's confession time again. Where I come clean to all of cyber-land or at least the sweet handful of followers, known as you.

Here it is.

I. Love. Getting. E-mails. From. MY. AGENT.

That's it. Even when it's a gang e-mail informing all of his clients that he's going to be out of the office and that he's just had his first post-summer offer and that we should all 'Keep Writing!' I LOVE IT.

So in honor of my sugary-cry-at-Hallmark-commercial-happiness, please enjoy one of my

favorite songs.

Our Labors of Love

2011-09-05T10:28:00.000-04:00

Hello WIP Madness peeps and tweeps - I realize it's only been four days since we stated our goals, but I thought Labor Day was a perfect place to start our weekly check-in's. I know from watching on Twitter that some of you made word count progress, there were race-to-the-end challenges, and some frustrations.

I'm knee deep in what has thus far been the ickiest part of the job to me - revisions - but I'm faring well with mixed feelings. Marks of a Horseman, my upper MG adventure, is really becoming strong thanks to incredibly insightful critique partners with spot-on suggestions and observations. I should be able to get that first 50 pages sent to my agent by the end of next week and I'm really excited to hear what he says. Unlike the other things I've written, MOH falls on the commercial end of the spectrum and in today's market that makes me hopeful. I still have another 200 pages to revise, but it's a start.

My other manuscript, my YA LGBT book - CAST IN GOLD - is also in revision stages based on some of my agent's suggestions. But here I'm faced with uncertainty and doubt. Are the motivations clear? Is there enough of an axis for the novel to spin around? It is contemporary and somewhat quiet - there are no demons to slay - so the revision is more difficult. An uttered phrase here, an interjection there, it is the tiny points that will make or break this one and it is terrifying. I adore my main character and I want to give her the best chance possible to be introduced to readers.

So, did anyone get any work done since last Thursday? I'm done for the day and am actually going to spend some time in a darkened movie theatre this afternoon. I've been angsting to see THE HELP and today's the day. Loving my three day weekend!

Welcome to WIPMADNESS

2011-09-01T11:46:00.000-04:00

September has arrived and it is time for me to take the torch from the lovely Angelina C. Hansen at the YAScribe blog.

I joined WIP Madness back in March when Denise Jaden first posted about it at Verla Kay's Blue Boards. This tool for networking, encouragement, and accountability has helped me finish two manuscripts, gain critique partners, and get an agent.

I love checking the Twitter hashtag, #wipmadness, to see how each of you are doing with your books.

This month, my goals are to get the first 50 pages of my most recent WIP whipped in to great enough shape to send to my agent and brainstorm story arcs for the next two books of a potential trilogy. I'm also doing light revisions on another YA that I'm about halfway through. Of course I'd love to finish both, but with a new job at our high school (having moved from elementary) I'm finding my time is really pressed between just planning and doing stuff with the art club.

So how about you? What are your goals? Your challenges? Your roadblocks? I look forward to hearing from you all in our journey along the MADNESS path.

Collaboration

2011-08-28T16:17:00.000-04:00

I'm reading WILL GRAYSON,WILL GRAYSON by John Green and David Levithan currently and am amazed.

How cool is that to do a collaborative novel, to feel so confident that you can pick up the threads and the story that arrives will work.

I will do this one day.

Ice Cream versus Exercise or why Revision is so Hard.

2011-08-24T20:21:00.000-04:00

Okay, I admit it. I adore first drafts. I love the free fall of words on the page and getting to know my characters. I love the crazy and surprising places my stories take me. I could write draft after draft after draft and have oodles of folders in my Writing Folder with names like Cool Story and This is The One and Next Great Thing.

Writing first drafts is like digging into a heaping pint of Ben & Jerry's rich butterfat ice cream - so good in the moment, but often causing a mess afterwards.

And that's where the dreaded revision (aka exercise) comes in. Time to trim the fat. Not to complain, at all, about being agented but as they say in the south -- It's time for the shit to hit the fan. It means, this lover of drafting, hater of revision, has to spend the next few months revising and I am not allowed to write any new stories until I have the two manuscripts my agent is waiting to shop, in tip-top shape.

I guess in the meantime, I better eat a whole lot of ice cream. Oh wait, I mean, hit the treadmill!

The Impact of Our Writing

2011-08-18T19:58:00.000-04:00

On the way home from work today I heard an interview with a black historian discussing the book, THE HELP. Perhaps there are those of you who don't know the book, but it's set in the 60's and is about black housekeepers and one emerging feminist white college student. The setting is Jackson, Mississippi which parallels my own hometown of Mobile, Alabama in many ways.

I loved the book. I thought it was a treatise on the South during a certain era. What's more, having been a child in the late 60's and 70's, I felt like I not only knew the story but I knew those women, both the maids and their employers. I thought it portrayed both sides well, white and black. Apparently, because the author is white and it is being billed as a black woman's story, there's a bit of controversy surrounding it.

Which got me thinking, how much does an author consider the impact of her story? When writing fiction are we just spinning a fun yarn, or making comments on a broader world that might have implications in ways we never expected. In my current WIP, I have some themes about the world emerging. I'm still sorting them out, but I'm also just writing a good yarn. Is it subconscious and we aren't even aware of our intentions or is it intentional?

Food for thought on a Thursday evening commute by the river.

And Now For the Rest of the Story

2011-08-13T17:30:00.000-04:00

So I've promised and promised to tell the whole story to break it down in numbers, so here goes.

First Middle Grade Novel, LUKE'S LUCKY BREAK

written 10 years ago
sent out 2 queries to adult publishers after 1st draft (Oops)
one children's writing workshop at WildAcres

Four Year Pause From Writing in Which My Partner and I adopted two children, aged 11 and 12.

Four Years Ago

Took writing from memory workshop at NCCAT (North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching) with Peggy Payne, author of SISTER INDIA
Got the seed of an idea and sample pages for a chapter book

Two Years Ago

Declared myself a writer, which included sending a postcard of affirmation to a dear friend and having business cards printed that said "Writer, Art Educator, Equestrian." For real, I really did this.

Year and a Half Ago

Dusted off the first MG manuscript and started rewriting
Joined Verla Kay's Blue Boards
Began to draft the aforementioned chapter book

One Year Ago

Went to my first SCBWI conference
Finished GENUINE AMERICAN COWGIRL, my fatally flawed chapter book though I praise her for teaching me the fine art of harsh but geniune critiques and how to go from beginning to end and for my Aunt Sara who loved every flawed word of it.
Finished rewriting first MG and learned some more about critiquing.

Eleven Months Ago

Began work on a new MG manuscript, THE HAPPY KIND

Nine months Ago

Was blessed with an abundance of snow days and finished manuscript.
Got a critique group
Found beta readers
Finished THE HAPPY KIND and began revising as beta comments rolled in.

Eight months ago

Received a scholarship from the Candy Fund to attend a class with Joy Neaves of Front Street Press through the Great Smokies Writing Program
Started my LGBT YA, CAST IN GOLD.
Workshopped CAST IN GOLD with Joy and my class

Four Months Ago

Finished revisions on THE HAPPY KIND and began querying
Total Stats on THE HAPPY KIND: 29 queries sent. 16 rejections. 11 Closed/No Response. 2 Full Requests - One rejected, One passed when offer came

Two and a Half Months Ago

Finished revisions on CAST IN GOLD and began querying
Total Stats: 20 rejections. 17 closed/no response. 5 partial requests - 2 rejected, 2 turned to full requests, 1 passed on notification of offer. 3 full requests: One offer, 2 passed upon notification of offer

Two Months Ago

started new WIP
signed up for another class with Joy Neaves
Continued to call myself a writer, now with more confidence.

So the time line as far as communication with Steven Chudney went something like this (according to Query Tracker - pay the $25 - it's awesome to see how your query falls in line and how different agents respond)

I sent my query to him on 6/22
He requested a partial on 6/23 (snail mail first 50 pages)
I mailed the partial on 6/27
On 7/08 I received an e-mail saying "he'd very much liked what I'd sent and he'd be more than happy to read the rest of the novel."
Mailed the remaining pages on that same day
On 7/20 I received an e-mail saying he'd like more information, a rough synopsis on my current WIP. It was at this point I started to get giddy.
On 7/26 I received an e-mail to schedule a phone call.
On 7/28 we spoke on the phone, he gave me the weekend/week to think it over
On 8/2 we spoke again and agreed to work with one another
On 8/9 (my first day back to work after the summer off) I put the contract back in the mail to him.

So there it is - my timeline is easier than some, harder than others, but perfectly mine. The biggest relief has been to stop obsessively pouring over the Query Tracker stats, agent tweets, and agent blog posts. Because now I have an agent and can just work on writing.

And honestly, I feel so incredibly blessed to be at this part of the game, because although talent and the right story play into the picture, perseverance and learning the rules of how you pursue publishing are as much a part of making it to this point as anything else. I still don't think of myself as the most amazing writer. I plan to continue taking courses and learning and growing.

But I also plan to do a little dreaming and hoping about one day having my books in the hands of readers who connect with my characters.

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share my tale.

Today was Official Contract Day!

2011-08-08T20:48:00.000-04:00

See that happy smile?

That's the smile of a hard-working kid lit author signing her agency contract.

I am pleased to announce I am now represented by Steven Chudney of The Chudney Agency.

I am still too underwater with school starting (I teach) to tell all the nitty gritty numbers and details of the query journey, but I will before the week is out.

Never give up people. It happens!

Thanks to Laura B! And I promise the "I've got an agent" post soon!

2011-08-07T11:40:00.000-04:00

I am the recent recipient of the Liebster award given to me by Laura Barnes at her Laura B Writer blog.

The goal of this award is to spotlight up and coming bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers. The rules of the award are:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all - have bloggity-blog fun!

My pics are as follows:

1. Jenna Cooper at Finding the Write Way : I like her easy writing style and fun posts. Plus she gave me an award some time back and I was just too busy to follow through with passing it on. So she gets one here :-)

2. Angelina C. Hansen at the YAScribe blog : Angelina has started a great series of interviews of her "Partners on the Path", other kidlit authors serious about publication but still on the road to becoming agented or published.

3. The folks at Cabinet of Curiosities which includes my friend and critique partner, Pat Esden. This is a new blog of five different children's authors.

4. E.R. King at Get Busy Writing who I "met" during Deana Barnhart's blogfest week. She is storming the blog scene in a quick hurry and has some really interesting posts including a recent interview with Casey McCormick of Literary Rambles fame.

5. LisaAnn at Kicked, Cornered, Bitten, and Chased who I see has already gotten this award, so I release her from passing it on unless she chooses to. I just love her blog and adventures as an animal trainer. I remember visiting Shackleford Island on the Outer Banks of NC and meeting a woman who was a wildlife biologist with a specialty in feral horses. My thought was "wait, how come nobody told me that was a job? I might have done more work in science class!" Anyway, enjoy this up and coming writer's blog about animals and writing.

So Much to Post, So Little Time

2011-08-06T21:38:00.000-04:00

So this week has been a madcap romp of highs and lows and I want to write about all of the high points, but time, oh time, is so not on my side.

I have news of new-to-me cars, fantastic reads, a gifted Blog Award, and the biggie - signing with an agent!

I'll try and at least get some of it up tomorrow!

J.Ro

The End of Summer and How I Write During the School Year.

2011-07-30T10:40:00.000-04:00

I know, I know - you're thinking -- "Wait? It's only July 30th, summer's not over."

But for me, in my current life of part-time writer, full-time teacher it is the sad, sad truth. Every Saturday from now till next June will be relished for its no-alarm-clock properties and the ability to have more than stolen moments with my manuscripts. Next Thursday, August 4th, is my first official teacher workday with students arriving August 9th.

Don't get me wrong. I love my job. I really love the kids. Obviously, I write for them. But it sure does put a damper on word count and blogging time.

So you ask, "How do you do it?" The simple answer is coffee. Hook up the I.V., slap the vein, plug her in. Because that alarm clock goes off at 5:00 a.m.. I do a five minute snooze, then I shuffle zombie style to the kitchen, stepping over various dogs, cats, and things left on the floor till I reach the nectar of alertness. With coffee cup in hand, I shuffle back to my computer and write until 6:00 a.m. Most days, I'm able to get in between 500-750 words, some days more, but if I'm consistent and write four mornings during the week and both weekend days (when I shoot for 1.2K) that adds up to a minimum of 4.5k per week or 18K per month. I'm like that proverbial tortoise in Aesop's fable.

Drafting happens in the morning when I'm in that hitherland state - revisions I can do at night when I really need to think.

What about you, how do you get it done, are you the tortoise or the hare?

GUTGA - BlogFest First 200 words Entry

2011-07-25T10:49:00.000-04:00

It's the last week of Deana Barnhart's Blogfest - Gearing Up to Get an Agent week. So this is the first 200 words of my Middle Grade novel, The Happy Kind. Looking forward to your feedback!

Thanks everybody but I went ahead and took the snippet down - I had great feedback but was starting to feel like my waters were getting muddied. It's the double-edged sword of having piles of readers!! But I TRULY appreciate each of you who took the time to read and comment. You're the best.

Jaye

The Dog Days of July?

2011-07-24T13:14:00.000-04:00

Record heat waves around the country are cooler in the Appalachians, but, hey, I don't have air conditioning, so even high 80's is torture.

Fortunately, my next-door neighbor (the 25 acres next to our 14 acres so not like city next-door neighbors) has river frontage that she's willing to share. Bad Dog Henry likes to cool his tootsies and even though we sweat bullets climbing back up from the river - that cold mountain water is sure nice when you're in it.

Henry is a Great Pyrenees dog. A breed known for guarding goats and sheep and lesser known for one other unique trait. Stubbornness. Bad Dog Henry got his name for his propensity to roam, jump in other people's cars, then try and bite them if they asked him to get out. So this big dufus is a leash dog now. Bad Dog Henry.

Great Pyrenees are one of three breeds making an appearance in my current WIP. I guess I love them since I'm sort of stubborn myself.

Off to see HP 7.2 in a bit - Hope you're beating the heat in equally fun ways.

Tire Shop Adventures

2011-07-22T11:43:00.000-04:00

Living in the rural Appalachians never ceases to astound me. When I first moved from big city Atlanta, I was a bit unnerved. The accent was markedly different from the rest of the South, the pace decidedly slower, and the options more limited.

But after close to fifteen years, the beauty of this place - including its delicious quirks - is something I rarely tire of. Even something as mundane as a trip to the tire shop can hold little jewels.

So. Tires. One of the things I truly hate spending money on, but on curvy mountain roads it is an all too often necessity. After lots of phone calls trying to find the very best deal, I made an appointment. This tire shop was new to me, and really, the guy that owns it seems to be more into hotrods than selling tires.

Within the first three minutes of hanging out in the clean lobby while his grandson worked on my car, Tire Shop Guy, started telling me a story about his dog. A Chi-Poo, which he pronounced "She-poo".

"I love that little dog," he said. "Now my wife, she likes a clean house, so I bought some little booties for my dog. I'll come home and take her out to do her business. She never ever messes. And when she comes in, she jumps from one chair to another to a little table I built just for her. Then she holds up each paw for me to take off her shoes."

A guy pulls up in a purple dune buggy and comes in. He glances at me then starts talking to Tire Shop Guy. If you've never lived in the country, men of a certain age tend to "loaf" at the establishments of their buddies. There are no neighborhood bars, as this is deep Baptist woods, so the feed store, the tire shop, the barber are hang-outs.

Within minutes, Earl (the new guy) and Tire Shop Guy are deep into a discussion about Facebook. TSG is showing Earl the like button. "See here, this little place that says like. You press that if you agree with what someone is saying. This here girl, I can read all about what's she's a doing and where she's a going. I think I'm gonna post something from today from that Chinese guy. You know like, "Confusion says learn to fly before going on a plane, learn to swim before going to the pool." The he looks at me, "You think, they'll think I don't know it's really Confucious if I type Confusion?" I nod.

Earl grabs hold of me, pulling his chair up in my bubble. "Me and my wife we got kicked out of our church. " Then for a full twenty minutes I was given a story about church politics and back stabbing and ostracization. When he left to go check out the tires I was getting, TSG says "Old Earl, he's really bothered by that church business. Happened over a year ago, but he tells everybody that will listen. I think he ought a just let it go."

Earl comes back and asks me "Did you know TSG is one of the best bluegrass pickers around?" "No," I say. "Yep," Earl says. "See that up there." He points to a framed certificate from the governor of NC hanging above the shiny rims. "Old TSG he got that for going to the World's Fair in 1964."

TSG steps in. "Yep, they went around the state scouting talent to represent the state and me and my brother got picked. You ever heard of Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt?" I nod. "Well, me and my brother we used to open up for them every time they came around. One time, Earl, wasn't that in Tn?"

Earl nods, "Yep, over in TN they outsold old Earl and Lester with records."

TSG says, "45's. Old little 45's"

They're standing in front of me at this point, performing, their voices like sermons, their eyes twinkling, whisked back to their teenage years. And I just smiled and watched because living in a place where people still tell strangers their stories and take the time to share, well, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

The Moping Middles otherwise known as the Head Monkeys

2011-07-15T21:32:00.000-04:00

A critique partner of mine refers to the doubts that plague writers as The Head Monkeys. I laugh at this phrase. It brings up memories of the Wizard of Oz and those little actors dressed up in monkey suits.

But it's real and right now, at 25K into a new WIP, I've got a bad case of the head monkeys. The first stage was well planned out - I knew the physical foibles my MC would encounter (emotional is always more intuitive) - but now mid-way through, I'm floundering a bit. My muses have turned to monkeys. I keep plugging away, willing myself to put words to paper, allowing myself that really cruddy first draft, but the monkeys are chattering and demanding bananas. I'm choosing to put my hands over my ears, eyes and mouth and act like a different set of monkeys.

When do your Head Monkeys appear? Drafting? Revising? Querying? And what's more, how do you banish them?

Hope your writing weeks are going well! Happy weekend.

BlogFest Story Chain

2011-07-12T23:07:00.000-04:00

If you're just stopping in Deana Barnhart is hosting Blogfest this month. This week, the goal is to write a chain story, we've been given an assignment. Mine is no -ly adverbs, and I must use the words-- Science Fiction, cramps, and snag-- in what I write. Below you will find first a link to the blog with the story bit before mine, then after my writing, the link to the blog where the story continues. Have fun!

Angelina Hansen's YA Scribe Blog

Dio's head spun. My parents, not dead? But it was hard to think locked in the trunk of a rusty, old Cadillac with cramps in her legs. She glanced around.

Spare tire. Check.

Fix-a-flat. Check.

Discarded fast food wrappers. Wait, in the trunk? Gross.

Maybe that's where the smell was coming from. But something snagged her brain. Something familiar. A smell like sulfur and day-old breakfast. She didn't think it was the left-over egg and bacon biscuit.

Could it be? Her eyes darted around the trunk, dim light seeping in through rust holes. Was he here? Life could sometimes be stranger than science fiction.

"Roddern?" she whispered.

Nicole Zoltack's Blog

Is Fasnizzle a word?

2011-07-10T09:40:00.000-04:00

I don't care if it is or isn't. I'm in a fasnizzle. My young adult novel, CAST IN GOLD, is feeling some agent love and I'm in that knotted stomach, do I want to throw up or eat massive amounts of chocolate stage.

It's waaaaaaaaaay too soon to crow. I'm just at that step on my journey where I've passed the following stages.

Lots of beginner writer mistakes
Falsely self-confident
Can't write a query to save my soul
Yay, I'm getting query rejections so I'm a real writer
Wow, I'm getting partial requests so now I'm really a real writer and I can write a query!

To now being at the

Holy cowabunga, I'm sending out a full! Could I, would I, should I, oh please.......

stage.

And being the utter Pollyanna pragmatist that I am, I know that getting an agent is only the gateway to the second circle of hell - going on submission - but you must have an agent to walk through the biggest doors to the hot fire that is publishing. And, please oh powers greater than me, forgive me if I'm in a fasnizzle over this. It's just, well, so, COOL!!!!!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to check my e-mail again.

So call me a cheater, why don't you?

2011-07-07T22:28:00.000-04:00

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. I know. One burning question. But here's the thing - I've got a whopping 14 new followers from my two days of participation in Blogfest and I had another question.

Drumroll please.

So - when you see query replies in your mail box. How many of you automatically just say

"Ah, it's a rejection. Whatever."
"Oh, where is my significant other, I can't look at this alone."
"This is the one, I know it's the one, I can feel it in my bones."
"Somebody bring me the vodka!"

I will admit to being a 1 mostly, and occasionally a 2, 3, and 4. Just a crazy thought while perusing my daily Querytracker stats. Thanks for humoring me!

My Burning Question for Blogfest Week One

2011-07-06T10:09:00.000-04:00

I am deep into the very fun part of a new WIP. It's a middle-grade post-apocolyptic horse girl adventure set right here in the Appalachian mountains. Though I love my new protagonist, she still has much to learn in life. However, I am so in love with two supporting characters that are not even in the story yet, they are all I can think about.

One of the characters is deaf and I can't wait to write him. I love dialogue. Dialogue is one of my strengths, yet I am giving myself a character who will not use words to communicate. This guy is a nod to my first cousin, who is deaf in real life and I feel blessed every day that I had the great fortune to grow up with him. In the next chapter I write he comes to life and I cannot wait for the challenge.

The other character is the deaf boy's father and he is a hoot. He's a collector. Of things, words, dogs, and people. He's crusty and gnarly and missing teeth, but I am totally in love with this guy.

So here's the question - WHAT MAKES YOU FALL COMPLETELY IN LOVE WITH ONE OF YOUR CHARACTERS? IS IT THEIR BEHAVIOR, THEIR HABITS, THE CHALLENGE OF WRITING THEM? DO THEY COME TO YOU IN YOUR DREAMS AND WHISPER THEMSELVES TO LIFE?

For me, this process of falling in love, is what wakes me up in the morning and gets me quickly to my computer to write them real. I can't wait to hear your answers. And Welcome! It's nice to know you!

Baby you're a firework!

2011-07-04T13:38:00.000-04:00

Today is Independence day for our dear country, the good old U.S.ofA. And what am I thinking about? I'm thinking about Katie Perry's song, Firework.

"Uh, dude?" you may ask. "How come you're thinking about that chick's song on the Fourth of July, well other than the fireworks of course?"

"Well, dude." I might respond. "I'm thinking of that song because of fireworks, but also because I love the message."

Huh? The message? In a pop song?

Damn straight. That song is about the independence to be yourself. To believe in yourself. And if you're like me - out there on the front lines working hard to get an agent. Putting your sweet little creative soul on the chopping block day after day, you need some fireworks. And some pop music. And some belief. In yourself.

So this is for you fellow writers! You are a freakin' firework!!!!!!!! Exclamation points and all.

A Surfeit of Skunks

2011-07-01T21:55:00.000-04:00

The other night, the S.O. and I were driving home from a late night out with a friend. We rounded the corner of our long, wiggly road and the headlights hit glowing eyes in the dark. Being animal lovers, we slowed down, concerned it was a stray dog, or kitten. We realized there were LOTS of glowing eyes.

As we got closer we saw whatever it was, was fuzzy and excited and moving and wiggling all over the grass. Puppies! we thought. Oh boy, we get to pick up some puppies and love on them for a night or two before taking them to our awesome Humane Society. But wait a minute, those aren't puppies.....

Skunks. Six skunks on the roadside having some kind of meeting of the minds. S.O. was driving and started to back up saying, "Take a picture, take a picture." Me saying, "Are you out of your mind, I'm not rolling down that freaking window!" Fortunately the skunks decided on their own to high tail it down the bank and out of camera range.

So did you know a group of skunks is called a surfeit of skunks? Thanks Pam for tweeting me that bit of trivia! Rural living at its finest.

What you notice

2011-06-26T13:42:00.000-04:00

Some days I struggle with where I live. Hiding parts of myself away from the world just to make life easier in this conservative environment is trying. But it's necessary, I have a great job teaching and I want it to stay that way until I'm ready to make a shift. I don't want it forced on me by narrow minded bigots. I've recently been holding the hand of a colleague who has been dealing with this and it has weighed on my mind.

So instead of being a Debbie Downer, I decided to keep a visual journal in my mind of lovely images seen in the countryside. Here are a few tidbits from yesterday:

A cute older couple carrying handfuls of vegetables out of their large garden

A ponytailed girl leaning over a fence talking to her paint pony

A friend who decided to celebrate her ice-maker by having a cold drinks party

A trip to the grocery store that took an hour because I kept seeing people I knew

A feral cat following a deer across a field

A neighbor sitting under the shade of weeping willow rubbing his dog's belly

These little slices of life, combined with the mouth-dropping background of the Blue Ridge mountains make all the little vagaries of small-mindedness seem less significant. It's like a meditation, this noticing. When I can be intentional about noticing the tiny interactions between people, animals, even nature itself, it makes my store of knowledge broader. And broader knowledge of humanity translates to fodder for writing. So my gift to you today is to suggest that you go forth and notice. Notice everything. Then write it down.

World Building with Wee Ones

2011-06-21T10:02:00.000-04:00

So my new WIP involves some world building. It's a post-apocolyptic tween horse girl adventure. I'm having to figure out exactly what happened to our Earth, what technology remains (not much), what has changed, how governments work, and more. I've drawn maps that include routes taken. I've likened my MC's journey from her sheltered community to someone leaving the quiet wilds of Appalachia to the bustle of Calcutta. And all the time I'm trying to see the visuals.

So it's no wonder that on some sub-conscious level when I proposed a summer kid's camp to our local craft school that I proposed a world building course. What does this mean? Well today and tomorrow we are working on dioramas - so far I've got an enchanted fairy house, Dracula's coffin on wheels, a mermaid's treasure room, an enchanted apple orchard and more. Today we'll be checking in and talking about details of our worlds - what is self-explanatory, what needs more work, what's missing?

I think they'll finish these worlds today, so I'm thinking tomorrow's project will be hidden worlds. Using 2 layers of construction paper (think advent calendars) we will create dwellings with windows and doors that open to reveal these hidden worlds. This might be cool.

If time, we will spend a day in nature building outdoor worlds - a la Andy Goldsworthy - and I know my fairy girls (one of whom is author Alan Gratz's daughter) will be in heaven.

Kids get it. They already understand that even the most fanciful worlds have some sort of inherent structure, a set of rules and laws to guide the inhabitants. They may have nothing to do with our world, but a world they create.

So, enjoy your world today!

Please Indulge Me

2011-06-16T08:01:00.000-04:00

Today is my birthday. I am significantly older than 17 but you could add an odd number ending in 0 to reach my current age. It's depressing. By the time I get published I could be seriously old in number years. Fortunately though, I'm a big old goofball at heart.

So, in order to celebrate, I am allowing myself one completely self-indulgent birthday blog post. I am creating a list of things I want. And the rules are I can't list anything for the greater good, like world peace or the end of economic depravity, because that is what I usually do. Nope today, it's me...Me....ME!!

So, if a genie appeared and said *Poof* anything you wish is my command today - here's what she'd hear.

Faster Internet hookup - seriously this air card is better than dial-up but it's still creaky.

A Super Cute Fuel Efficient car that doesn't drive like a tin can.

4 months with a horse trainer - 2 months each for my 2 youngsters

A shopping spree in Asheville for all new, not thrift store, clothes.

The end of the pay freeze for NC teachers

A clean house

A weeded garden

A trip to France and Italy and Portugal

A magic e-mail - one that says YES, I LOVE IT, I CAN SELL THIS!

So not too much to ask for, har har.

Thank you for indulging me.

Don't be Hating On-Line

2011-06-13T14:19:00.000-04:00

On Twitter today there was a link to a blog, agent Sarah Davies at Greenhouse Literary wrote about on-line presence. You can find it here: http://greenhouseliterary.com/index.php/site/comments/the_perils_of_social_networking_especially_regarding_underpants/

Because of my job as a teacher, I've been warned numerous times about the face we present on Facebook. I don't "friend" my students until they graduate. I'm cautious about the parents I friend. It's not that my life is so wild and crazy, but I love irreverant humor, I like to curse, and I'm not an avid Baptist like many of my neighbors, and in a county filled with Republicans, well, I am not. In a word or two, I'm cautious about that on-line presence.

But last winter, I had a number of minor ailments. I guess I complained one or two times. So what happened? I ran into an acquaintance who said to me, "Wow, you sure were sick a lot this winter." I was like, "What are you talking about?" It was all because of Facebook. I will never mention a sore toe, throat, or ear again.

On the Blueboards, I learned this weekend (when I met another Blueboarder) that my persona there is funny. Cool. I like funny. Funny works. Success.

On Twitter, I already decided I never want to be represented by Agent X - the reason is because of the tone of this agent's tweets. Negative. Hating. Sarcastic and not funny sarcasm but mean sarcasm. But the thing is, said agent may be a lovely person admired and loved by said agent's clients, but in my mind, definitely a hater.

So what about you? What's been a cool thing to happen because of the on-line you, you've created. Something that surprised you? Made you want to change your ways? Do you feel the need for an on-line presence, love it or hate it?

Chime in! Say hi! I don't bite (and I promise I won't complain about my sore fingers!).

SCBWI Editor's Day in Lexington, KY

2011-06-12T10:46:00.000-04:00

Maggie Lehrman of Abrams Books

So yesterday I was lucky enough to attend the SCBWI Editor's Day held in Lexington, KY. This one day event hosted two editors: Maggie Lehrman of Abrams Books and Kate Larken of Motes Books. In addition to informative talks from these lovely ladies, every person attending (I think about 56 of us) had our first pages read and critiqued. I chose to turn in CAST IN GOLD's first page just because it's so polished. I was thrilled when both ladies were super enthusiastic and both said they'd read on. When I asked Maggie if she was open to LBGT YA, she gave an enthusiastic, "Yes. Send it on." So did Kate Larken, though for now, I'm still gunning for the big houses.

We got a little talk at the beginning on intellectual property rights and SCBWI, so I am not able to go into great detail about the details of the day, but I'm happy to share the bullet points from Maggie Lehrman's talk on "Stand-Out Ideas". She listed five things that she thinks about when manuscripts cross her desk and these are:

Voice (choose your POV for the best fit)

Story (kids' books must have plots - stuff must happen!)

Originality (tell your story)

Reader Appeal (she reads from a child's perspective)

Holes in the List (the one thing out of our control and yes she told us what her hole was but if I wrote it here, I'd have to kill you)

Kate Larken talked about why you might choose a small press, and what that means to the author (basically no advance but higher payout). She's a feisty broad who is passionate about what she does. My writing buddy and I shared a lunch table with her and she would be very fun to work with.

Then the afternoon talk from Maggie Lehrman was about the "backstage drama" of getting a manuscript to publication. Super informative.

So here's the rub. If you want the inside skinny on good juice like this - you've got to join SCBWI and go to these conferences! Totally worth it, and those of us who went get a free submission pass to Maggie Lehrman (who anyone would be very lucky to have as an editor, she's smart, adorable, and friendly) at closed house Abrams.

So there it is - all the good stuff!

If you ever fancied yourself a writer.....

2011-06-05T16:59:00.000-04:00

Then by all means DO NOT read THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak. It is brilliant. I am reading the story but also thinking to myself, "How, what, oh my, brilliant, wow."
This bit of writing makes me stop and reread sentences like Toni Morrison did when I first read her work. Or some of Barbara Kingsolver's sentences. Or Mary Oliver's poetry. This young man, for he does look really young in his author photo, has got to be a genius, or the reincarnation of some long dead AMAZING writer. Every single page is rife with words strung together in ways most people can't think to put them.

Just a random sampling - I am opening pages and picking - keep in mind I'm only on page 83 out of 550.

P. 50 - "The moon was undone now, free to move and rise and fall and drip on the boy's face, making him nice and murky, like his thoughts."

p. 42 - "Inside it, a woman with startled eyes, hair like fluff, and the posture of defeat stood in front of her."

p. 14 - "I hang suspended, until a septic truth bleeds toward clarity."

p. 33 - "In fact, you could say that Rosa Hubermann had a face decorated with constant fury."

p. 55 - "He adjusted his position and his bones creaked like itchy floorboards."

I did not have to hunt for any of these sentences, just opened a page and there they were. This is like drinking cream that has soaked over strawberries. Decadent, lush, unbelievable.

If you think of yourself as a writer, all I can say is, think twice before losing yourself in this book. Amazing.

Summer's Here and the Writing is Fine

2011-06-02T18:01:00.000-04:00

One of the paybacks of teaching for a living is summers. It's an illusion really, because most teachers will tell you they spend a whole lot of time working, both at their teaching career and following some secondary passion.

For me, secondary passions include my horses and writing. Horses ground me. They smell great. They're beautiful. They're intuitive and decisive. Writing feeds me. I love the creative process of weaving a story.

This summer means I get to start weaving a new one. From the big book of story ideas, a middle grade future-set horse girl adventure has sung the loudest. I've mulled it. I've mapped it. I've plotted it out, emotions and actions. I'm ready to go. In fact I have the first two chapters and my crit partners are all giving me big thumbs ups.

So summer, bring it on, I'll be riding horses in real-time and fiction-time. In real-time I'll be challenged by gnats, biting deer flies, and two young horses that need to get going under saddle. In fiction-time I'll be challenged by panthers, dog packs, and rogue motorcycle gangs.

Gonna be fun! Grab a watermelon and ice cream and join me for the ride!

First Page of CAST IN GOLD for the Shelley Watters contest

2011-05-24T21:24:00.000-04:00

Here you go blogger writer world - take it away -

CAST IN GOLD
Young Adult Contemporary

The lined notebook paper was beginning to tear in the crease. I folded it carefully and slipped it back into the pocket of my jeans.

“Sadie!” Miss Myra hollered.

“Coming!” I yelled and pulled my thick hair into a ponytail.

I hopped down the stairs two at a time, careful not to land in one of the laundry baskets dotting the risers. At the bottom, I almost collided with Katherine.

Of all the caseworkers I’d had - eight if you count the “still with birth mom” time -I liked Katherine the best. She was fresh out of graduate school and had told me she was determined I would be her first adoption, her special case. Difficult case would be more like it. Because, come on, who was going to adopt a mixed-race sixteen-year-old, and a lesbian at that?

“Any news?” I asked.

Katherine was already headed back to the cramped utility room that Miss Myra had outfitted as an office, just for these kinds of visits. I followed and tried to see into her briefcase, the manila file folders jammed in so tight I doubted she could zip it shut.

She slung it onto the small table and motioned for me to sit down.

“Well, did they call you? Have you heard anything?” My feet tapped a nervous rhythm on the bottom rung of the chair.

“Sadie, I spoke to Mrs. Tucker earlier this week. She said your brothers are doing great, they’re happy at school.” Then she sighed.

Contest Alert

2011-05-24T21:20:00.000-04:00

So YA author and blogger, Shelley Watters is hosting a Made of Awesome contest from her Is it Hot In Here or Is It This Book blog. Go check her out at www.shelleywatters.blogspot.com

And check back here on May 28th for my entry.

The Joy of the Ride

2011-05-23T21:32:00.000-04:00

Now, this blog title is the Joy of the Ride - talking about that wild ride which is wanna-be authordom. Don't get me wrong, I want to reach the destination (published, shiny cover), but for now the ride is FUN!

It's all of you - the tweeterers, the bloggers, the blue-boarders, critique partners, workshop classmates - YOU are what makes this ride heart-pounding and soul-satisfying. And it's YOU that help make writers - because if I could show you my first manuscripts compared to my now manuscripts, you'd know you deserved an A+ in mentoring.

So, raise your hands in the air like you don't care and ride on writers.

And P.S. - My revisions are cooking and the YA is getting sparkly and what's more...I have an AWESOME new MG idea that is not only a horse story, but possibly that nastiest of words.....commercial. What me? Commercial? Say it ain't so.

Goodbye Cupid. Goodbye Beaker.

2011-05-21T10:22:00.000-04:00

This week has been a week of goodbyes. One sad, one happy.

On the farm we had three ducks. I've written about them before. Ducks are funny and cool and strange. But our boy duck, Cupid, disappeared this week. Potential suspects range from coyote to bobcat to great horned owl. So now we're down to two ducks and a little less waddle in the weeds. I hope it was quick and painless dear Cupid. (That's him in front with the white head)

On a happier note - my cockatiel, Beaker, went to live with one of my third grade students and her family. With my impending move to the high school, I just figured having a class pet at that level, was pretty much wishing kidnapping or worse on the sweet little bird. I'll miss his stunning rendition of the Andy Griffith theme song and nobody cat calls the way he does.

One of my student's collages of Beaker.

Other than that it's writing, revising, and reading. With two more weeks in the school year, I'm looking forward to down time and life at home on the farm.

Shhhhh!

2011-05-17T20:54:00.000-04:00

Okay, don't tell a soul, but I'm having a bout of writer insecurity. Yes, it's true, sadly true, but I'm in one of those places where I'm seriously questioning my ability to turn a handy phrase.

I love my books. I love my characters. But every now and then when I reread them and then - eek! - compare them to someone else's work, they just feel so, well, juvenile.

I started reading Chris Crutcher's DEADLINE tonight and it's a book that makes me realize there is still so much to learn. His voice is smart and witty and certain phrases make me laugh out loud. Plus he sprinkles references like candies on a cupcake. I can't remember if I brushed my teeth in the morning, much less be able to quote Bill Bryson (who is highly quotable and a great read)as I'm writing.

But, time will tell, if I'm not ready, I'm not ready. But it's hard to judge your own work, so in the meantime, in the words of Nemo, "Just keep swimming."

Revisions

2011-05-10T20:16:00.000-04:00

My YA CAST IN GOLD is now in revisions and I'm enjoying going back through my beta reader's notes, as well as my crit groups notes. I picked up a copy of Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King and don't understand why it's taken me so long to read it. It's really great, and has wonderful straightforward advice on how to comb back through your manuscript.

Critiquing others work and having your own critiqued is truly the best way to improve your own writing. Well, that and reading. I really love all three! Guess that's good.

Happy Revisions.

Draft of my YA is complete

2011-05-01T14:39:00.000-04:00

I am happy to announce that today, May first, I completed this draft of my YA novel, Cast in Gold. Whew, now I can sleep late for a few days!

Throwing a Leg Over

2011-04-24T21:24:00.000-04:00

At forty-ahem-ahem, riding horses is no longer as carefree as I wish it was. I've had a couple of bone-breaking falls and the ground just doesn't forgive as much as it did when I was younger.

But...I bought Chelsea as a yearling from a friend of mine and she and I bonded. Tight. Unlike Zena, my other "my" horse, Chelsea will leave the herd to be with me, drops her head willingly in the halter, and all in all trusts me.

So I made the decision that I would be the first to ride her, and I accomplished that amazing goal last summer. Having ridden for most of my life, I'd never actually trained a horse from the ground up.

Well, she and I have had the entire winter off and in honor of this day of rebirth, I decided it was time to throw a leg over again. I spent the last few weeks reminding her about work and learning, then saddled her yesterday and worked with her and today we did it. Back in the saddle again.

Is this like writing? Yes and no. Every day I approach my WIP it is like fear, excitement, and can I do this all rolled into one. Riding is like that too. You must trust your instincts, listen to your horse, and remember, one small step at a time gets you where you need to be.

Happy Easter.

Serendipity or why Social Media is important

2011-04-20T22:27:00.000-04:00

It's been a madcap crazy writing month.

I'm going to tell you a tale of WHY social media is important. So here goes. In December, I sent an e-mail to amazing agent who is closed to queries, BUT, AA had done an interview citing that AA was looking for just my type of book. In said e-mail, I said "May I query you?"

So, with permission, I queried with first chapter in February. Nada. Zip. Nunca.

In March, I joined the March Madness writing challenge which turned into April WIP Madness writing challenge. Another participant reached out to me and said "Hey there! You seem cool. Let's swap fulls or partials."

Since I thought the manuscript I'd sent was dead in the water I sent this to my new BFF from social media. Two days later, I kid you not, I got an e-mail from Amazing Agent saying "I'd like to read more. Send the full."

So, feeling like maybe I just had a teensy bit of tweaking to do. I e-mailed new social media BFF and said "You ain't ever gonna believe this...."

Then she e-mailed me back and said "You ain't ever gonna believe this but a couple of my crit partners are AA's clients and one of my real life BFF's is AA's co-agent."

Weird. Right? Right. So, she did me a favor and did a speed crit of my manuscript and I did a flurry of last minute tweaking. And even if it never gets past this point, this moment of serendipity has been very cool.

And that is why social media is important. You make BFF's. And rub shoulders with people who know people who know Amazing Agents. And your work gets read. And people like it. And that is good. Yes. Good.

Maybe, one day, I'll be able to say, I got AA because of social media. But until then, it's back to the WIP and the waiting.

Peace out.

Just your typical Saturday

2011-04-09T21:27:00.000-04:00

It did start out typical. I swear. Woke up, drank lots of coffee, pleased to have half and half rather than milk in the house, got my Saturday writing done (which is usually 1500 words over my week day 500) including fun romance scene. Was it foreshadowing? I mean a girl on girl YA is not that out there, but what I saw in the barnyard. Oh my.

So, I put on my farm shoes, keep on my pajamas, don't bother with my glasses or my hair or my teeth, and go out to a-feed the cats, b-give the horses hay, and c-open the door to the Taj Ma Cluck, our uber cute chicken/duck/guinea shack. And that's when it happened. The fowl came rolling out around me, like I was the stone in the stream. They raced down the bank, the chickens intent on cat food, the guineas intent on trees, the ducks intent on the pond. Except for the teal-headed male duck. It seems, he was rather intent on a hen. That's right, a chicken. And she didn't seem to mind him so much. And right in front of me, no modesty, I swear, they did the deed, the down and dirty, the wild thing. It was hot drake on hen action. Inter-species mating in action. Until another hen saw, and she flew all over that duck like he was satan, she saw him as the sinner he was and pecked without mercy. But by this point, it didn't matter, in the words of Ray Stevens "It was too late, she'd already got a free shot."

And how was your Saturday?

Story Ideas from the mouths of babes

2011-04-07T20:57:00.000-04:00

Being a teacher and a writer gives me unique advantages. I hear a lot of stories. Stories I can sequester into the recesses of my brain and pluck to mold for my own one day use. Here are some I heard this week.

Vampire mates with werewolf, has strange mutant one-off spawn. Strange spawn miraculously finds the only other mutant vampire werewolf and they mate, producing offspring that can't be killed. (3rd grade girl)

Cousin hopped up on drugs slept out back in the trailer used for storing hay. Took a big dump in the non-functioning toilet. Mom chased him off with a shotgun. You know, he just wasn't raised right. Even his own Mama hates him. (5th grade boy)

Flubbernuggets are taking over the world. There is a cereal killer that has invaded Flubberland, attacking Mr. Cheerios and Hot Cocoa Puffs. We're going to create Flubber News. (group of 5th grade girls)

There's a grey and white cat. It looks like the moon. (3rd grade - ESL girl)

A boy has a sick mother. He decided to go to the rainforest to look for a potion. There he finds a miracle monkey who leads him to a cure. But when he gets back his mother is even more ill and he has to return but he can't find the monkey. His mother dies. (5th grade boy)

This is just this week, what I can remember off the top of my head. I love the imagination of children.