Month: May 2007

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend brought a trip to the Finger Lakes to visit family on Canandaigua and Keuka Lakes, both lovely and swimming with activity (and both warmer than Lake Champlain, I might add!).  Weekend highlights include:

  • Shopping with Mom and Sis in a belated Mother’s Day celebration.
  • Eating an ice cream cone every day.
  • Catching three fish.
  • Joyfully watching J and E play with rowdy, fun cousins.
  • Laughing at husband and brother-in-law wearing wet suits to help install dock (no pictures…even though they were entertaining).
  • Visiting the grave site of one of my main characters in SPITFIRE…
    My historical novel SPITFIRE has two main characters – a fictional 12-year-old girl who disguises herself as a boy to fight in a Revolutionary War naval battle on Lake Champlain, and a real 12-year-old boy who was a documented crew member on board one of the vessels in the Battle of Valcour Island.  His name is Pascal de Angelis, and after that battle, he went on to do some privateering as the Revolution continued, spent some time in a British prison, and ultimately, settled down to found a village in Oneida County, NY.  That village, Holland Patent, is along Route 365 — one of the roads that leads from my house on Lake Champlain to our parents’ homes in the Finger Lakes.

    On Saturday, we stopped in Holland Patent to visit Pascal, who is buried in a cemetery not far from his old house.  It’s the first time I’ve been there since I spent a day at the Holland Patent Free Library, researching his life as I prepared to write SPITFIRE more than five years ago.  It’s also the first time my family has been with me to “meet” Pascal. It was like introducing them to an old friend.

    Today, Holland Patent is a pretty community with tree-lined streets and friendly people who are passionate about remembering their past.  The village green showcases a memorial to veterans, dating all the way back to the American Revolution. 

    P.C.J. is our Pascal.  (The CJ stands for Charles Joseph.  His son shared the same name.)

    If you keep driving along Route 365 through town, you come to the house where Pascal de Angelis lived when the village first began.  It’s easy for me to imagine the spirited young boy from SPITFIRE growing old here with his wife Elizabeth and their children.

    Not far from the house is the cemetery where Pascal and his family are buried.  It is truly a lovely resting place, full of tall old trees and creeping vines, and Pascal is surrounded by family and early villagers in this place that he made his home.

    This cemetery is beautifully tended, but somehow the flag that marks the graves of veterans had fallen down and blown from Pascal’s grave.  I’m not family, but I feel like I know him well enough that it bothered me, so I made sure it was back in the ground, secure, before we left.

    It may sound silly, but I told him about his book, too.  It seemed like the right thing to do.  Here was a boy who had already seen some rough waters at the age of twelve.  His father had died on a ship as the family moved from the Caribbean to the Northern Colonies.  The captain of that ship married Pascal’s mother almost immediately, and then when he got Benedict Arnold’s call for seamen on Lake Champlain, he took 12-year-old Pascal along with him.  The boy marked his 13th birthday on the day the  American ships were fleeing up the lake, with the British in hot pursuit.  Quite a coming of age.

    I wish Pascal had left behind more documents to tell the story of what kind of man he became, but unfortunately a journal from his days on Lake Champlain and a pension document at the end of his military career were all I could find.  I would love to know more about the man he became when the guns were quiet.  For this Memorial Day, though, it was enough to drop in and say hello, to let him know that children will soon be reading his story, and to honor the boy who grew up too quickly so many years ago on the waters that I now call home.


Brrrrr….

Question: Where are there three sets of wet clothes hanging up in my bathroom tonight?

Answer:  It was hot here today. Really hot.  The kids and I went to sit on the steps that lead down to Lake Champlain to feel how cold the water was (47 degrees was the official reading in Burlington).  Here’s how it went:

Firstborn child: I wish I could swim.
Snarky mother who thinks he is bluffing:  Go ahead.
Firstborn  leaves before snarky mother has chance to explain that she didn’t mean it, reappears with swimsuit and towel.  He jumps in.  It’s cold.  He jumps out.
Secondborn child:  I want to swim, too.
Mother (sighing because fair is fair):   Go ahead.  We’ll dry your clothes later.
Secondborn jumps in.  It’s cold.  She jumps out.  Firstborn points out that her hair is not wet, so she doesn’t get credit.  She jumps back in.  Wets hair.  Still cold.  Jumps out.
Firstborn:  Who do you think will be last in our family?  You or Dad?

At this point, a well-adjusted grownup chuckles and collects the towels to head back to the house.  An overgrown kid removes sneakers, jumps into lake, dives under (so it counts), and returns home with wet hair and wet children to await Dad’s arrival for bragging fest.  My legs are still numb, but it was worth it.

It’s supposed to hit 90 degrees tomorrow.  Anyone up for a swim?

It’s exciting, but…

Hurray!  SPITFIRE has been mentioned on a website that’s not mine!  I’m presenting this November at the NYS Reading Association Conference, and the workshop description is posted online now.  I’m workshop #110.  There’s just one problem….

The title of my book has been changed from Spitfire to Spitfir.  Makes it sound like I’ve written a story about a diabolical evergreen that lurks in the forest waiting to hock loogies at unsuspecting hikers. 

I sent an email to the conference organizer, thanking her for the listing and asking if my title could be fixed. She promised to have their web person deal with it soon.  I thought I’d share the moment, though, since it made me laugh.

An Invitation

Last weekend at NE SCBWI, I learned more about the Class of 2k7, the group of talented debut authors who got together to promote their books.  It got me thinking about how writers can work together to promote reading and books.  During my morning run today, I realized that I have a great opportunity this fall.  In November, I’ll be presenting a workshop at the New York State Reading Association Annual Conference in Saratoga Springs. The topic is “Historical Fiction as a Bridge to Content Area Reading.”  I designed the workshop as a way to share my Revolutionary War novel SPITFIRE and its study guide with teachers, but I’m also going to talk about other works of historical fiction that would work well in the classroom.

Here’s the invitation part. If you have a work of historical fiction that’s been published with a traditional publisher and you’d like me to include your book in the workshop, please let me know. At the very least, I’ll display it and include it in my handout, and I’ll feature some of the books in my multimedia presentation as well. I already have a list of books prepared, but I know there are so many more fantastic titles out there, and I don’t want to waste an opportunity to promote them. The presentation is part of the middle school strand of the conference,so I’m interested in MG and YA novels, as well as older picture books and picture book biographies that could be used with grades 4-8.

If you’re interested, let me know in an email or comment so that I can contact you.  Include the title of your book, your publisher, a brief synopsis, and a link to your website.  If you have writer friends who might be interested, feel free to share this link with them. 

Can’t forget about Bruce!

How in the world did Bruce Coville get left out of my NE SCBWI conference photos?  What an incredible speaker. I heard him at the World of Children’s Literature Conference in Lake Placid, NY six years ago and couldn’t wait to see him at SCBWI last weekend. He was funny and smart and worth every minute of waiting.

NESCBWI Photo Album

Memories for those who were present – a vicarious trip to Nashua, NH for those who weren’t…

Friday supper company that made my son SO jealous…   From left, Nancy Werlin, Peter and Jo Knowles
(

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), Cindy Faughnan, and Cindy Lord (

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)  We had a terrific conversation about book covers and how they come to be, with PhotoShop, stock images, and chain store input.  It was fascinating (and somewhat alarming for an author whose first title is coming out this fall, cover TBA!). 


Stephen Fraser with the Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency chats with a SCBWI conference goer.


Tanya Lee Stone shows off her latest YA novel.


Alexis O’Neill (on the left… that’s me helping her hold books) gave a terrific and energetic program on
school visits.  I’d love to be a kid at one of her presentations!


From the “you-never-know-who-you’ll-run-into” file….  Julie Berry, on the right, walked up to me at the conference to re-introduce herself.  Her older sister Joanna Gardner, also a talented writer, was my best friend when we were kids.  We lost touch after high school and reconnected just a few weeks ago when I found her website.  Julie and her friend Ginger live and write in Massachusetts now, and Julie’s “first line” won terrific praise from the editors and agent who responded to it.  (Conference attendees, remember the one that started with the girl in the willow tree, saying “You didn’t come…”)  Way to go, Julie!  And way to go, Joanna, whose poetry is getting well-deserved attention.  She was a great writer in 7th grade, too…


Sid Fleischman, a gifted writer AND magician, worked his magic on us at his Saturday keynote.


SCBWI members shared their new titles at the Members’ Book Display outside the ballroom.


How cool is a conference that sets out a MOUNTAIN of brownies during the break? 


Jo Knowles, Carrie  Jones, and Cindy Faughnan take time to catch up during a break.


The book signing room was a busy place on Saturday afternoon!

It was AMAZING to meet so many LJ friends in person.  Have a great writing week!

New England SCBWI

What a whirlwind!  I got home from the New England SCBWI Conference late last night, sleepy but inspired.  I’m a huge fan of Letterman’s Top Ten lists, so here are:

THE TOP TEN PEARLS OF WISDOM FROM THE NEW ENGLAND SCBWI CONFERENCE


10.  “A good manuscript will find a home.”  Quoted from Stephen Fraser‘s Friday keynote address, this is a great reminder that we don’t need to worry about bells, whistles, or fancy letterhead when sending work to an agent.  The writing speaks for itself.

9.  Agents ARE looking for a good concept, uncharted territory, strong story, great characters, and an attitude that is professional, confident, and humble.

8.  Unless you’re J.K. Rowling, be prepared to market your own book.  (More on that in my notes.)

7.  Remember that you’re not marketing for the moment.  Your marketing should focus on how you want to be known as a writer. Susan Raab of Raab Associates had great advice on how to approach this.

Now the top of the list…the actual writing tips!

6. There are two ways to fail with a children’s book, according to Bruce Coville.  (who has a NEW website!)
    -Make it so rich and dense it doesn’t get their attention.
    -Go right where the kids are and get their attention, but don’t take them anywhere else, to a higher level.

5.  If you want to write picture books, read a hundred of them, then choose your ten favorites  and copy them by hand.  Coville says you’ll learn the rhythm that way and learn how it works.

4.  Coville’s recipe for a good story:  Take someone you like and get him or her in trouble. Then let your character solve the problem himself or herself at the end.

3.  Less is more.  Pat Lowery Collins reminded us to eliminate everything that doesn’t move the plot forward or reveal character.

2.  When you’re writing backstory, Sarah Aronson suggests two ground rules.
    -Think about content. Is it really worth interrupting your story for this?
    -Think about length.  Keep it short!

1. Children listen to stories.  (I’m back to Bruce Coville — one of the most incredible storytellers I’ve ever met.)  Stories lead us to have more empathy for one another, and as a result, stories have the potential to save us and heal our world.  What better reason to write.

If you weren’t at the conference but would like more, you can read my conference notes.  These are by no means a full transcript — just some tidbits that I found useful, or inspirational, or interesting.

Keynote Address: Stephen Fraser, The Jennifer DiChiara Literary Agency

  • A good manuscript will find a home.  Often, when you send out a terrific piece, one editor will “get it,” and that editor will call very quickly.
  • When editors ask for a revision before there’s a contract on the table, it only leads to a contract about 50% of the time. However, editors do this out of a sincere desire to make the manuscript better and possibly acquire it.
  • Write an “elevator pitch” for your book — a one-minute pitch that you could explain in an elevator ride with an agent or editor.
  • Authors need to self-promote.  Brett Hartinger is a great example of what can be done.
  • What’s selling right now?  Funny picture books (under 1000 words), chapter books with strong characters and strong plot (7500-10,000 words), middle grade fiction (especially for girls, 25,000-35,000 words), some historical fiction but not set  in the recent past, and strong teen fiction.
  • What’s getting old?  Trilogies, very edgy YA books, books written in verse.
  • Nonfiction is more difficult to sell because kids are turning to the Internet for information.
  • Tween literature is growing.  Simon & Schuster’s new imprint Aladdin MIX targets this audience.
  • When you’re revising, cut anything banal. If it doesn’t move your story forward or reveal character, get rid of it.
  • A clear, linear narrative is best.  Multi-layered, multi-voiced stories have been done a lot.  Don’t let style get in the way of a good story.
  • Recommended Books:
  • Don’t overwrite your picture books. Leave room for the illustrator.
  • Poetry is a tough sell, but it’s out there. It’s good to have an overarching theme that connects the poems in an interesting way.

Susan Raab, Raab Associates – Your Marketing Playbook: Start Early to Get in the Game

  • Look at marketing holistically, not just about the moment.
  • Think about what you’ll be known for.
  • Make yourself contact lists for media, teachers & librarians, booksellers, friends, and industry (publisher, agent, publicist).
  • Libraries are asking for more craft ideas & activities that relate to books, games for kids, book club guides,  ideas for after-school events, and homework help on websites.
  • Try to make your website a destination.
  • Consider tying in with a charity.  See Berenstain Bears example in the April 19th press release.
  • Remember to let your publisher know results of your promotions.

Marketing Questions & Answers Panel with Stephen Fraser, Alexandra Penfold from Simon & Schuster, Yolanda LeRoy from Charlesbridge, and Theresa Howell from Rising Moon & Luna Rising.

  • Rising Moon is a small to medium press.  Theresa Howell says she’s looking for picture books for ages 4-8 (but no retelling of folktales). Luna Rising is looking for bilingual (English & Spanish) picture books of no more than 800 words.
  • Yolanda LeRoy from Charlesbridge is still accepting unsolicited manuscripts and asks that writers offer them as exclusive for three months.  After that, they’re free to send elsewhere, even if they haven’t heard back.
  • Alexandra Penfold says her imprint is no longer accepting unsolicited manuscripts, but people who heard her speak at the conference are free to submit.  She’s looking for funny picture books for young children and middle grade novels.

Sarah Aronson – Back Talk!  The Art of Backstory and the Simple but Elegant Flashback

  • Sarah suggests examining current YA literature to see how talented authors handle flashback. She read to us from Chris Crutcher’s work as well as from her own book, Head Case, due out this fall.
  • Dialogue needs to be convincing if a character is using it to reveal backstory.  There needs to be a reason for the character to tell the story to the other characters.
  • Check your manuscript for phrases like “I remember” and “I thought back…”  Sometimes, they’re necessary, but often, there’s a more elegant way to segue into the past.
  • A happy flashback can help to break tension if an edgy YA novel is getting too intense and readers feel too claustrophobic.
  • Remember clarity. Be obvious where you are in time (past or present).


Wahoo!!!

The New England SCBWI Conference starts tomorrow!  Yay!!

I’ve had so many late writing nights this week that I just fell asleep in the middle of a sentence while I was reading the first Harry Potter aloud to my daughter.  (Right at the part where Hagrid shows up at the door of the shack in the storm, too!)  I still have to pack clothes, charge my laptop and phone, Mapquest the hotel, and a lot of other things that I wrote down on a list that I seem to have misplaced.  Ohhh!

Look for a long post with lots of pictures when I get back!

Cheers to Chris Bohjalian!

Book Club Nirvana!
Our middle school faculty & staff book club choice for May was The Double Bind by Vermont author Chris Bohjalian. He was gracious enough to meet with our group in Burlington tonight to talk about the book and his writing process.  Life would be perfect if every time you finished reading an incredible novel, you could sit down with the author and talk with him about his research, revisions, and thoughts while writing the book.  (Chris is the literary-looking guy in the middle.)

If you haven’t read The Double Bind, it’s a literary psychological thriller — the kind of book where you make prediction after prediction and smile smugly to yourself, only to fall on the floor when you find out the real deal.  As soon as I finished reading, I was compelled to look back at about five different parts of the book. 

It was fabulous to talk with Chris about our thoughts and connections with his novel — and even greater to hear how this amazing book came to life.  Chris told us about the eight drafts and four different points of view that he worked through before putting this book to bed.  It was worth every minute of revision. 

We’re planning our next field trip — to hear Chris read from his current work-in-progress at the Burlington Book Festival on September 15th.  (I’m reading from my middle grades historical novel Spitfire  and presenting a families workshop the next day as part of the children’s strand of the festival, and I still can’t quite get over the fact that my name will be on the same  program!) 

On top of his gift for writing, Chris is one of the most interesting, down-to-earth, and genuine people I’ve ever met.   What a terrific night.  I’m convinced the world would be a happier, more peaceful place if we’d all sit around and talk about books more often. 

Spring hike – new, new, NEW!

Today was a perfect hiking day in the Adirondacks.  Nice and cool.  No bugs yet. And not too muddy.  We climbed Rattlesnake Mountain, in Willsboro — one of our favorites because the summit has a great view of Lake Champlain.  The woods are so new right now, full of baby plants and wildflowers that only last a couple weeks.  What a gift to have spent time with them today.

I love these tiny fern plants.  They remind me of newborn babies — all alien-looking and new.



These pictures just captures the spirit of the Adirondacks — flowers growing on a rock! 


We saw these gorgeous dark red Trillium plants all over.

There were a couple other cars at the trailhead, but we ended up having the summit to ourselves.

Check out the colors in these clouds!

On a hike around the summit, we found another rocky clearing where someone had created a garden of rock sculptures.  It reminded me of a trip my husband and I took to Vancouver, BC.  When we were biking around Stanley Park, we turned a corner and saw an incredible inuksuk (We didn’t know what it was called at the time; we thought it was just a big fancy pile of rocks.)  It’s an Inuit tradition used as a directional marker.  Sometimes today, we were told, they ‘re built for spiritual reasons, too, to remember and honor people. 

Cool, huh?  We added a few stones to these and left them to surprise another group of hikers.