How They Got Here: 2009 Debut Author Erin Dionne

This is the first in 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…Erin Dionne, author of MODELS DON’T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES!

Thirteen-year-old Celeste Harris is no string bean, but comfy sweatpants and a daily chocolate cookie suit her just fine. Her under-the-radar lifestyle could have continued too, if her aunt hadn’t entered her in the HuskyPeach Modeling Challenge. To get out of it, she’s forced to launch Operation Skinny Celeste—because, after all, a thin girl can’t be a fat model! What Celeste never imagined was that losing weight would help her gain a backbone . . . or that all she needed to shine was a spotlight.

Welcome, Erin!  Please tell us about the first thing you ever wrote that made you think maybe you were a writer.

Hmm….I guess it was the short story I wrote in fourth grade about a girl who hid while watching the colonists plan the Boston Tea Party. I loved the feeling of concocting my own version of the story. I still have it.

What books did you love when you were a kid?

Too many to list. Off the top of my head: The Little House on the Prairie series, the Great Brain books, Charlotte’s Web, The Westing Game, Hotel For Dogs; Jennifer, Hecate, William McKinley & Me, Elizabeth…

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

Yes! Mrs. deBaerstrand, my 4th grade teacher encouraged my outrageous reading comprehension skills by giving me books to take home and devour, and she would quiz me on the contents when I finished them–often the next day!

In high school, Mrs. Baron encouraged my writing. I never had her as a teacher, but she was the faculty adviser to the school’s literary magazine, which I edited. She encouraged me to write as much as I could.

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?

Most of the time I write on my laptop, either at the dining room table or in my local library. Since I have a new baby, I write whenever I get the time!

I always listen to music when I’m working–typically mellow, background stuff like Paul Simon, Jack Johnson, or Sting. But I’ll sneak a Red Hot Chili Peppers song or Linkin Park on my playlist to wake me up every so often!

Do you have a favorite strategy for revision?

I have an elaborate kabuki ritual around revision. I wish I were a one-or-two revision writer, but I’m not. In order for my work to be good, I have to go through a lot of steps:

I print the manuscript, make handwritten notes on it and tag the pages with post-it notes. Then I input the changes into the computer, making additional tweaks as I go. I print the manuscript again, make the edits–I did this 7 times when working on MODELS. Then I put each scene on a color-coded index card to evaluate the book as a whole. And I go back to the manuscript two more times.

What’s your best advice for young writers?

Read a lot. Write a lot. Love it!

What’s special about your debut novel?

What’s special to me is that it shows how hard work can really pay off! What’s special to readers…well, I hope readers find something special that they relate to.

What were the best and worst parts of writing it?

The best parts were when the words came in a rush, and when writing some of the scenes I cracked myself up. There weren’t any "worst parts." Going to the keyboard was tougher some days than others, but overall I loved every minute of it.

How did you find your agent and/or editor?

I found my agent through a recommendation from another author, but she wasn’t ready to take on children’s book writers at the time. About a year later, she was adding children’s book writers to her client list, and MODELS was ready to go out. Voila!


Ready to dig into this tasty novel?  You can pick up MODELS DON’T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES 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!

Up next in the "How They Got Here" Debut 2009 series…Saundra Mitchell, author of SHADOWED SUMMER, will be stopping by on Monday, February 16th.

How They Got Here: 2009 Debut Author Sarah MacLean

This is the first in 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…Sarah MacLean, author of THE SEASON!


Seventeen-year-old Lady Alexandra Stafford doesn’t fit into the world of Regency London — she’s strong-willed, sharp-tongued, and she absolutely loathes dress fittings. Unfortunately, her mother has been waiting for years for Alex to be old enough to take part in the social whirlwind of a London Season so she can be married off to someone safe, respectable, wealthy, and almost certainly boring. But Alex is much more interested in adventure than romance.

Between sumptuous balls, lavish dinner parties and country weekends, Alex, along with her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, manages to get entangled in her biggest scrape yet. When the Earl of Blackmoor is killed in a puzzling accident, Alex decides to help his son, the brooding and devilishly handsome Gavin, uncover the truth. It’s a mystery brimming with espionage, murder, and suspicion. As she and Gavin grow closer, will Alex’s heart be stolen in the process?

Romance and danger fill the air, as this year’s Season begins!

Welcome, Sarah!  Please tell us about the first thing you ever wrote that made you think maybe you were a writer.

I’ve wanted to be a romance novelist for as long as I can remember.  When I was 13, I wrote a romance short story for my 7th Grade English class.  I don’t remember much about it, but I do remember the heroine was named Chantel.  My teacher, who was a man, posted it on the bulletin board outside his room, and it became a big gossipy thing in my school because the hero and heroine French kissed.  That’s when I knew I might actually pull this crazy career off someday. 

What books did you love when you were a kid?

I cut my teeth on Roald Dahl (James and the Giant Peach was my favorite book for AGES), Judy Blume, Ann M. Martin and the Sweet Valley High Books.  And then I found Jane Austen, and never looked back.

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

There isn’t one…there are dozens.  I was so very lucky to have a collection of incredible teachers and librarians who encouraged my crazy ideas and were willing to go along for the ride.  Off the top of my head: Ms. Brear (4th Grade); Mr. Sullivan (6th Grade); Mr. Slattery (8th Grade Geography who never once complained when I spent every free moment in his class with a romance novel in my hand); Mrs. Moylan (who made history come alive for me in high school); Ms. Nolette, Mr. Boudreau and Mrs. Deriso (who did the same for literature). And Ms. Long (my high school librarian who is still there…and still a big fan). And that’s all before college! 

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?

I have a day job (like most writers), so things are particularly challenging in my world. 

The short answer is, I write whenever I can. I’m on a really tight schedule for my next books, with one due every 6 months for the next year and a half, so I can’t really afford to have a ritual. Mainly, I write on the subway, waiting in restaurants for friends, at the laundromat, and at my dining room table while my husband watches The West Wing. 

When I am at home, though, my writing almost always involves classical music.  Mozart was really popular in the Regency, so I listen to a lot of that…and Johann Strauss, Jr.’s waltzes always get me in a ballroom-scene-kind-of-mood.

Do you have a favorite strategy for revision?

Trust your gut and slash and burn. If I second guess a sentence or word, it gets cut or rewritten. No questions asked.

What’s your best advice for young writers?

Writing is not a talent.  It’s a skill.  Write every single day and you’ll eventually be a pro.

What’s special about your debut novel?

I hope that Alex and her friends are what’s special about it.  My goal going into it was to create a world and a group of characters who were fun and feisty and, most importantly, good friends to each other.  I hope I accomplished that.  

What were the best and worst parts of writing it?

I’ve said it before…writing The Season was the most fun I’ve ever had.  In my life.  Meeting these characters, spending time with them, enjoying them, it was all so fun.  It wasn’t so fun being on deadline.  And it’s not so fun waiting for reviews and reader response.  But the writing was SO FUN!

How did you find your agent and/or editor?

My editor found me, actually…she knew I was thinking about a Regency novel and suggested I try one for YA. I actually didn’t have an agent for it…but I now have one–best thing I ever did.

Would you like to share part or all of your successful query letter with blog readers?

Again, it was slightly different for me…but here’s the first paragraph of the query I sent for an agent…after the purchase of The Season.

Lavish ballgowns, extravagant parties, juicy romance and a fair share of adventure fill my young adult regency romance series–which follows three best friends as they navigate their first London Season during the spring and summer of 1815. The first of these books, The Season, has already been purchased by Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic, and is set for publication in March of 2009.  I am writing to you with a somewhat strange query; I was unrepresented for The Season  and would like to avoid being so for the next book!

The Regency World of Sarah MacLean. 
Be there…or be talked about.
http://www.macleanspace.com

So…would you rather be there than be talked about?  You can pick up THE SEASON 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!

Up next in the "How They Got Here" Debut 2009 series…Erin Dionne, author of MODELS DON’T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES, will be stopping by on Wednesday, February 11th.

best tracker


The Long Road to 2009

First of all, congratulations are in order again.  Two more of my fellow 2009 debut authors have books on the shelves!

I cannot wait to read these two! Congratulations, Sarah MacLean and Erin Dionne!

I also want to let you know about a series of blog interviews I’ll be hosting with my fellow Debs, 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 a successful query letter or two!)  If you know a teacher or two who might be interested, please share the link!

The series of interviews starts Monday, February 9th with Sarah MacLean, author of The Season.

Thankful Thursday

Much to be thankful for today…

  • My good friend marjorielight  has FINISHED drafting her first YA novel.  For those of you who write, remember how that feels…to finish that first book that seemed like it would go on forever when you started writing?  (Wait…I’m on my fifth novel, and it still feels that way when I start.)  Congratulations, Marjie!  
  • I am FINISHED grading state English tests, which means that instead of being locked in a conference room with bubble scoresheets today, I get to be back in my classroom with my kids.
  • I am still full of major thankfulness for the retreat I attended last weekend, Kindling Words.  I posted pictures earlier this week, but for those who would like to see more (including a shot of me drumming with wayyy too much enthusiasm), you can check out other photographic KW posts from halseanderson , saraclaradara , and eluper .
  • Today started better than yesterday, which began with a broken plate and a mouse in my kitchen, all before 7am.  It is now 7:30, and the kitchen is quiet.

What’s making you feel thankful today?

Winnie’s War by Jenny Moss


Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, so I celebrate any time a great new historical novel shows up in the world.  Tomorrow is cause for celebration indeed because it’s the release day for Winnie’s War (Walker Books for Young Readers) by Jenny Moss.  In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll tell you that Jenny and I share a publisher and are online friends, but I’d be crowing about this book even if I’d never heard of her before.

I had the good fortune to read an ARC of Winnie’s War a few months ago and was absolutely swept away by this story of a small-town Texas girl standing up to try and protect her family from the 1918 Spanish Influenza epidemic. This is the very best kind of historical fiction – full of rich characters, vividly detailed history, the suspense of a threatening pandemic, and even a touch of romance in the form of a sweet little first-kiss scene that made me smile for weeks after I read it.  Teachers of grades 4-8, in particular, will want to snatch this one up for their classrooms and school libraries.

Kindling Words

This weekend, I attended Kindling Words, a retreat for published authors, illustrators, and editors of children’s books.  KW is a little difficult to describe because the whole is so much more than the sum of its parts.  There were workshops and readings and informal discussion.  There was also painting, yoga, South African drumming, a January bonfire, writing time, and lots of dessert.  Together, it added up to four days of magic.

NAC and South Burlington School Visits

Before heading off for a weekend writers’ retreat, I spent Thursday talking books with more than 400 kids spread over three schools in two states.  First thing in the morning, I visited with middle schoolers at Northern Adirondack Central School to talk about my Lake Champlain historical novels, Spitfire and Champlain and the Silent One.  Here are two of my brave volunteers, trying on 18th Century outfits.

Then I hurried next door to the elementary school for two presentations.  The 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders had terrific questions about the American Revolution on Lake Champlain and the encounters between Native Americans and French explorers and fur traders in the early 17th Century.  At the end of my presentation, there was a rush to sample the hardtack!


                                     Not one lost tooth this time!

I also talked with the NAC kindergartners, 1st, and 2nd graders about the process a book goes through to become a book, using my upcoming chapter book, Marty McGuire, Frog Princess (Scholastic, August 2010) as an example.  The kids had lots of questions about ideas and words and illustrations when we talked about picture books, and I showed them some photos of the snowshoe trip where I got the idea for my upcoming picture book, Over and Under the Snow (Chronicle Books, Fall 2010).  The students helped me out with a quick puppet show to illustrate the animals that live under the snow and those that cruise over it, searching for prey. 

There were wonderful questions about book-making and books in general. One girl asked me which books she should read in order to be smart.  I suggested that she read whichever books she loves the best — and lots of them!  Another student asked if I ever have to go back and change things for an editor. (My editors are likely having a good laugh over this now.) She was amazed to hear that Marty McGuire has been through 13 drafts already!  One girl raised her hand and recommended to me that if I’m reading and I don’t know a word, I should try "tapping it out," and I promised her I’ll add that strategy to my toolbox.  All the kids had great questions and thoughts to share, but I have to say one of my favorite moments of the day came from this little guy.

His librarian did a drawing to give away some of my books after the presentation, and when his name was called, I’m not sure he understood exactly what was going on, but he came up to get his book signed.  While I was signing and he was waiting in line, I overheard this conversation:

Boy-who-made-my-day:        You mean this book is mine?  I get to take it home?

Awesome librarian:                Yes!  And the author is going to sign it for you in just a minute.

Boy-who-made-my-day:        And I get to keep it for the rest of my LIFE??
 
I’m going to remember that for the rest of my life.

After school, it was off to South Burlington to meet with a terrific group of kids who read Champlain and the Silent One in with their library book club at Chamberlin School. 

Talk about thoughtful questions!  I was temporarily stumped more than once.   The kids also had a beautiful craft project waiting for me when I arrived.

The students loved how the characters’ names in the book grew out of their histories and personalities, so they made puzzle pieces — collages with images and words that reflected their own personalities. 

After we talked, I tried guessing which puzzle piece matched each student.  (I got at least a few of them right!) 

Many thanks to these friendly book-lovers, Marje Von Ohlsen (left) and Cally Flickinger (right), as well as NAC librarians Jessica Gilmore and Jamie Gilmore, for arranging all this book-magic.  I had such a wonderful day with your kids!