October Moments

My blog posts have been few and far between lately, mostly because I had two editorial letters for two different projects land on my desk last week, so I’ve been keeping my head down to revise.  One of those books — the picture book — is just about ready to go back to my editor and off to its illustrator.  My critique partners say it’s pretty much set, so I’m just giving it a couple more days to brew, to make sure I don’t have "senders’ remorse" when I fire off that email.

The other revision, for my Dec. 2010 MG novel SUGAR ON SNOW, is….bigger.  But I think I’ve figured out a good way to tackle it, and I promise a nice juicy process post about that soon, for those of you who are like me and can’t get enough of the processy details. 

Today, though, a breath of fall — courtesy of my kids, who pulled me away from my laptop for a couple hours, and some other critters we hiked with at Point au Roche State Park.


Wooly bear caterpillars were everywhere, getting ready to hibernate in the next couple weeks.


I apparently got too close because this guy actually coiled up and struck at my camera. I think he fancies himself a rattlesnake.

It’s funny… sometimes when I’m revising, I just need to be locked in a room with my laptop. But sometimes, getting out of that room is even more important to the process for me.  Looking up through the trees, getting close to a caterpillar, close enough to see the green flecks on a snake, gives me new eyes for my story, too.

Wanted: Photos of Marked Up Manuscript Pages

This is a special request for my published author friends to help teachers of writing…

I got an email today from a school principal who works with a large number of economically disadvantaged kids and English language learners, and she’s determined to help them become better writers through the revision process.  She wondered if there was a place online where she could take them to see what published authors’ marked up manuscripts look like when they come back from a critique group or an editor or just when the author is revising on paper.  I don’t know of such a resource, but I told her I’d see if I could pull something together.  I’m hoping to create sort of a revision gallery or series of blog posts with this information:

  • Author’s Name
  • Website
  • JPG of a marked up manuscript page
  • Title of published book (or soon-to-be-published book) from which the page is taken
  • And (optional) paragraph from the author about the revision process

If you’d like to be included, please take a photo of your marked up page and attach it to an email  (kmessner at katemessner dot com) with your name, title of the book, website, and if you’d like, a paragraph about your revision process.  If you’d prefer to post something like this on your own blog, that’s great, too. Just send me a link & I’ll do a round-up post with all of those. The kids using this will be all ages, so if you write for older readers, please make sure the page you share is one that’s a good choice for teachers to share in the classroom.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help out with this.  I think it could be a great resource and help to introduce kids to new authors, too!

Editing to add: I’m hoping to share a blog post and PowerPoint via Slideshare on Tuesday, October 20th to celebrate the National Day on Writing – so I’ll need all photos by this weekend if you’d like to help. Thanks!

How They Got Here: 2009 Debut Author Lauren Bjorkman

This post is part of a year-long series of blog interviews I’ll be hosting with my fellow 2009 Debut Authors, called "How They Got Here." 

It should be an especially helpful series for teens who write, teachers, and anyone who wants to write for kids.  2009 debut authors will be dropping by to talk about how their writing in school shaped the authors they are today, what teachers can do to make a difference, how they revise, and how they found their agents and editors.  (You’ll even be able to read some successful query letters!)  If you know a teacher or two who might be interested, please share the link!

Today…Lauren Bjorkman, author of MY INVENTED LIFE!

With Roz and Eva everything becomes a contest—who can snag the best role in the school play, have the cutest boyfriend, pull off the craziest prank. Still, they’re as close as sisters can be. Until Eva deletes Roz from her life like so much junk e-mail for no reason that Roz understands. Now Eva hangs out with the annoyingly petite cheerleaders, and Roz fantasizes about slipping bovine growth hormone into their Gatorade.

Roz has a suspicion about Eva. In turn, Eva taunts Roz with a dare, which leads to an act of total insanity. Drama geeks clamor for attention, Shakespearean insults fly, and Roz steals the show in Lauren Bjorkman’s hilarious debut novel for teens. (Publishers’ copy)

Welcome, Lauren! Tell us about the first thing you ever wrote that made you think maybe you were a writer.

In third grade, I wrote and illustrated a book called The Lava Monster. My dad laughed his head off when he read it, and that tipped me off.

What books did you love when you were a kid?

I lived on a sailboat with limited shelf space, so I read my favorites over and over–Harriet the Spy, James and the Giant Peach, and The Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Is there a particular teacher or librarian who was a mentor for you in your reading and writing life?

My 10th grade English teacher, Miss Vickers, was somewhat strange and not always popular because of her harsh grading. Yet her passion for stories and how they are told stays with me to this day.

Moving on to the here and now, most writers admit that making time to write can sometimes be a challenge.  When and where do you write?   Do you have any special rituals?  Music?  Food & beverages?

After I drop off my kids in the morning, I make a large cappuccino, prop myself up in bed with a bowl of something snackish next to me–chocolate chips, almonds, and sometimes dry cereal, goof off on the internet for half an hour until the caffeine kicks in, and then write. Yes, I really live it up.

Do you have a favorite strategy for revision?

I’ve tried everything. Over and over seems to be the best strategy 😀
It also helps to pick one aspect (a single character, dialog, a plot element, sentence structure) to revise at a time.

What’s your best advice for young writers?

Know the rules.
And break them when it suits your purpose.

What’s special about your debut novel?

My wacky, exuberant, and sometimes (often) clueless main character.

What were the best and worst parts of writing it?

For me, critique is an essential ingredient to writing well. But the first few post-feedback hours are often painful. Oh no, my baby has a goomba hanging from her nose! Sometimes, though, the critique sparks an idea that will change my novel into something closer to flawless (ha!). That makes me happy.

How did you find your agent and/or editor?

At the end of a five day novel-writing workshop, my instructor offered to refer me to his agent based on the piece I shared with the class. It was a total and wonderful surprise.

Thanks for joining us, Lauren!

You can read more about Lauren at her website. You can pick up your copy of MY INVENTED LIFE at your local independent bookseller, order it through one of my favorite indies, Flying Pig Bookstore (they ship!), or find an indie near you by checking out IndieBound!

Dog Ate My Homework (The bookstore…not the excuse!)

I’ve had a bunch of book signings lately, and this weekend’s was special for a few reasons.  First of all, because it was at the fantastic Dog Ate My Homework Bookstore in Glens Falls, a fun, bright store with friendly owners (and a dog named Macy for a mascot!).  Second, because it was a two-author event with my writer friend Eric Luper, whose YA novel BUG BOY set in 1934 Saratoga is one of the best historical novels I’ve ever read.  Here’s a picture of us with bookstore owners Kim & Mike Smith.


From left to right: Mike, me, Eric, Kim

Eric & I read from our books, answered questions, & were then treated to a Dog Ate My Homework tradition – dog-bone thank you gifts from Macy (chocolate chip cookie style!)

This giant, dog-bone shaped cookie was so delicious that by the time we enjoyed dinner out with Eric’s family and drove home, the only thing left was the "Tha…"   But I’ll finish that word… THANKS, Mike & Kim and everyone at Dog Ate My Homework for a great, great afternoon!

Five Ways to Celebrate National Reading Group Month

October is National Reading Group Month, an initiative of the Women’s National Book Association.  Whether you’re a long time book club fan or just wondering if one might be for you, here are five ideas for how to celebrate!

1. Attend a National Reading Group Month event in a city near you – the signature event is in Nashville, but there’s plenty going on from coast to coast. You can check out  Book Club Girl’s blog for a fantastic list.

2. Are you already in a book club?  Blog about your book group and share the link with Boston Bibliophile, who’s putting together a National Reading Month roundup here.

3. Win books for your mother-daughter book club or school/library book group!  Have you entered THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. book club giveaway yet?  You can click here for all the details.

4. Want to promote reading groups and literature circles at your child’s school?  Head to your favorite indie bookstore and purchase five copies of a great MG or YA title to donate to your child’s classroom or library.

5. What’s your favorite book to recommend as a book club selection?  You get to choose three – one for adults, one for teens, and one for middle grade readers.  Leave your top choices in comments, and I’ll include them in a roundup past later this month!

Thankful Thursday

It’s 3:30 in the morning as I write this, and I’m not particularly thankful to be awake just yet.  But alas, I’m awake, and every cloud has a silver lining, so…

Things to be Thankful for in the Wee Hours of a Thursday

  • Upon waking in the middle of the night, I discovered that the Cybils (Children’s & Young Adult Bloggers Literature Awards) are open for nominations, so I’ve been happily running amok, nominating bunches of my favorite books, while the rest of the world sleeps.  It’s great fun – check out the site if you have favorites from 2009, too!
  • My afternoon class participated in their first Twitter-chat yesterday.  We have a classroom Twitter account (@MessnerEnglish) that we use to share books we like and put questions out there to the world. Yesterday, I saw that Sara Lewis Holmes, author of OPERATION YES, and her editor Cheryl Klein, were having a Twitter chat at noon.  I had it projected on the screen via TweetChat when my kids arrived for class (I had been following for half an hour to make sure all was appropriate), and they were fascinated.  We read a chapter from Sara’s new book, got caught up on the chat about how it was written and edited, and had a chance to ask several questions before moving on to the rest of the day’s agenda.
  • Today and Friday, I get to finish reading Rebecca Stead’s WHEN YOU REACH ME with my students.  I saved the last 40 pages for our final read-aloud session.  I can’t wait to see their faces when we get to the part where…well…if you’ve read it, you know…. 
  • I got the nicest email yesterday from a school librarian in Illinois, asking if I’d like to Skype in to be the guest author for their intergenerational family reading night. They’re reading THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. with their kids and have a whole night of activities relating to family stories & family memories. She’s using the recipe from my website to make Nonna’s Funeral Cookies for refreshments, and they’re having tables set up where families can take the "What Tree Are You?" quiz. My Skype chat with the families will wrap up the evening.  While her email was really only intended to give me the details of the night, it just about made me cry.  After spending 14 years in the classroom, getting exciting about other people’s books and developing cool activities to go with them, it was surreal to hear about someone doing that with my book.  So, so cool.  I’m really looking forward to that Skype visit in November!

Hope you have a great Thursday!

How They Got Here: 2009 Debut Author Sydney Salter

This post is part of a year-long series of blog interviews I’ll be hosting with my fellow 2009 Debut Authors, called "How They Got Here." 


Today…Sydney Salter, author of JUNGLE CROSSING!


Despite her reluctance to go on a family vacation to Mexico, Kat ends up on a teen adventure tour where she meets Nando, a young Mayan guide. As they travel to different Mayan ruins each day, Nando tells Kat the legend of Muluc, a girl who lived in the time of the Ancient Maya. 

This is actually Sydney’s second title released in her debut year, after her YA novel MY BIG NOSE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS – You can read my interview with her on that book here.


Welcome, Sydney! Writing across genres, do you find differences in your process between MG and YA?

Not really. I always try to get inside my characters’ heads and write in their voices no matter what their age. I have found that writing every novel is a unique experience with its own joys and challenges. I guess they’re kind of like people that way–complex and one-of-a-kind!

What did you learn launching your first book that you’ll remember when JUNGLE CROSSING is released?

Hopefully, not to stress out about things I cannot control–like reviews. I do think there’s a big marketing difference between middle-grade and YA. Teen bloggers can really help spread the word about a YA novel they enjoy, but Jungle Crossing will depend much more upon parents, teachers, and librarians.

What’s next for you?

My second YA novel, Swoon At Your Own Risk, comes out in April 2010. But right now I’m exciting about figuring out what to write next! That will always be my favorite part–falling in love with a new character.

Thanks for joining us!

You can learn more about Sydney at her website and check out JUNGLE CROSSING at IndieBound!