Teen Writers Bloc

We are super excited here at TWB to be hosting Polly Holyoke whose middle grade science fiction debut, THE NEPTUNE PROJECT hit shelves yesterday! Polly has a lot to say about writing and reading and being a wonderful super-nerd so let’s “dive” right into her interview!

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to be a writer? What did you do before you officially became a writer? What made you want to be a writer? Do you write full time now?

I was a social studies teacher for many years. As much as I loved my students, I REALLY didn’t want to teach summer school. I’d always been a huge reader and loved books that took me to different worlds. So when I had those wonderful summers free, I finally decided to see if I could write a book that transported my readers to other realities, and I hope that’s what THE NEPTUNE PROJECT does. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to write full time now.

Can you give us a quick synopsis of THE NEPTUNE PROJECT? How did you come up with the concept for the book? Can you talk a bit about your process from conception to publication?

THE NEPTUNE PROJECT is set in a future where global warming is out of control. As people fight over scarce resources like food and water, a group of desperate scientists genetically alter their own children to live in the sea. TNP is the story of shy Nere Hanson who suddenly has to give up her life on land. The idea for this story grew in the back of my mind over several years. It seems so obvious to me that we are messing up both our land and our climate at a disastrous rate. If we wreck the planet, our species won’t have enough resources left to escape to other solar systems. That leaves us with the oceans as our last possible retreat. I wrote TNP in about six months, and it sold quickly after it was finished.

What is your writing process? What does a typical writing day look like? When/where do you write? Where does your inspiration come from?

I’m a big daydreamer (one of the best parts of my job). I try to imagine around 20 different scenes in my story, and then I write out a rough synopsis of where I think my story is headed. I love to write in my office in my comfy chair at my desk which is littered with knickknacks like seashells and small rocks I’ve picked up hiking. I’m disciplined when I’m working on a rough draft and write between 4-6 pages a day at least 5 days a week. That way the story stays vivid in my mind and I remain connected to my characters. I read tons of fiction and non-fiction. I know this is going to make me sound like a super-nerd, but I love NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and the way its stories so vividly depict people around the world living in realities so different from our own (noticing a theme here yet)??? I get two or three story ideas from every issue I read!

What has your path to publication been like? What’s been the most surprising part of the writing/publishing process for you?

I’m a big believer in agents. Whenever I’ve had a good agent, my books have sold relatively quickly. I’m still a bit shocked by how much of my day is spent blogging, tweeting and using social media to reach out to potential readers. It’s fun, but it’s also a huge time-sucker. I LOVE to write, and I wish I could spend more of my day creating new stories.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever gotten? What advice would you yourself give to aspiring writers?

The single best piece of writing advice I’ve ever heard came from Nora Roberts. She said in her pithy, direct way that the secret to being a productive writer is to, “Keep your butt in the chair.” She went on to explain that when she’s writing that first draft and she sits down at her computer, she ONLY reads over the last paragraph she wrote and drives the story forward from there. I can’t always make myself follow that advice, but when I do, it does help me to write more quickly.

My best advice to aspiring authors is to make sure you write the kind of book which YOU love to read. I enjoy stories in which smart, capable heroines get to save the day, and in THE NEPTUNE PROJECT, my shy heroine becomes a leader and guides her group through the dangerous sea to safety.

What was your favorite book when you were a kid/teenager? What are you reading now?

It’s tough to name a single favorite because I had so many, but I will say that I read THE BLUE SWORD by Robin McKinley so many times that my old copy is falling apart. In this wonderful story, a shy but brave heroine gets to learn how to ride and fight with a sword, and guess what? In the end, she gets to save the day! Right now I’m having great fun reading tons of ARC’s from my fellow 2013 debut children’s authors. I’m amazed and so impressed with the breadth and the originality of the stories my new friends have to tell.

What’s next for you writing-wise?

I’m hoping Hyperion and Puffin UK will both buy the third and final book in my Neptune series because I’m dying to write it! I’m also working on a YA tourist fantasy trilogy.

Do you believe in being part of a block of writers? Are critique groups and writing communities helpful for you? 

Members of The Lucky 13’s and The Class of 2k13 both have been so supportive and generous about sharing information. I’ve also been in the same critique group for eight years now, and every time I take a chapter to them to be critiqued, they always find lots of ways to improve it.

THE NEPTUNE PROJECT is full of all sorts of creatures that we’re guessing you don’t come across very often in your daily life. How did you come up the descriptions for all the living obstacles Nere has to face? Was there one creature that was the most fun to write about?

We are a little short on oceans here in Dallas! I used to go scuba diving in the kelp forests in the Channel Islands, though, so those scenes in the first half of THE NEPTUNE PROJECT I could describe from memory. But I also spent lots of time on dive sites and NOAA’s fabulous website to find out what marine life lives in the waters up north around Vancouver Island. Dolphins are hands down THE coolest animals I researched. I could go on for hours about them, but I’ll just share a few of my favorite facts. They have the greatest brain-to-body ratio of any mammal except for us, so of course, they are highly intelligent. They are very family-oriented and love to play. While writing TNP I was surprised and delighted by how much Nere’s dolphins became important characters in this story.

It’s a super-wonderful-exciting day at Teen Writers Bloc—release day for Jessica Verdi‘s My Life After Now! 

What now?

Lucy just had the worst week ever. Seriously, mega bad. And suddenly, it’s all too much—she wants out. Out of her house, out of her head, out of her life. She wants to be a whole new Lucy. So she does something the old Lucy would never dream of.

And now her life will never be the same. Now, how will she be able to have a boyfriend? What will she tell her friends? How will she face her family?

Now her life is completely different…every moment is a gift. Because now she might not have many moments left.

Jessica stared writing this gripping, startling, heart-wrenching, yet hopeful novel during our second semester at The New School and by the time we read the first few pages of her first draft, we all knew she had started something special. Turns out the folks at Sourcebooks Fire agreed with us and, at long last, now you can too! Trust me, you’ll want to get your hands on this book!

Even better, if you’re in the New York area, come and celebrate Jess’s release with us next Tuesday, April 9 at 7:00PM at powerHouse Arena in Brooklyn! You can enjoy wine, a reading, a book talk, and get a signed copy (if you can wait that long to get your hands on it!)

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have published the results of a groundbreaking longitudinal study in this month’s Journal of Psychology and Education. According the study, which followed six thousand children from ages seven through thirty-five, reading reduces both educational and career outcomes over a person’s lifetime and is linked with an increase in criminal behavior. The scientists measured the amount of reading done by the children using self-reports and parental reports as well as by monitoring the children’s library card usage. The results show that library use is particularly pernicious—there was a direct correlation between the number of books checked out per year at ages seven through fourteen and the number of arrests suffered by the children as adults. One in five of the heaviest readers (one hundred or more books per year) failed to graduate from high school, while those who read the least (zero to five books) were the most likely to have a graduate degree. Readers were also more likely to be divorced and less likely to have health insurance. Teen Writers Bloc spoke with Dr. Ralph Schumaker, the lead author of the study.

“Some people might find the results surprising,” said Dr. Schumaker, “but we’ve always known that reading impedes children’s development of social skills. Since success in life is based on likeability and not intelligence, we can expect to see some disadvantages. Readers get frustrated by their inability to connect with their TV-watching peers, and they retreat into lives of vice and crime.” Dr. Schumaker then described the life of one study participant, Paul Fletcher, who read two hundred books per year as a child and is now incarcerated in Federal prison. “His wife left him for a normal TV-watcher, and he lost it and went on a bank robbery spree,” said Dr. Schumaker. “He wore a mask with giant glasses painted on it. I guess he was making some kind of statement, but you know, it’s sad. If he had just read fewer books, he could be making a good living.”

The study also revealed that the heaviest readers tended to get pooped on by birds more regularly than non-readers, but the authors note that causation in that case has not been proved.

What does this mean for children’s authors like the members of Teen Writers Bloc? “We’re all in shock,” said Teen Writers Bloc member Alyson Gerber. “We love writing books, but we don’t want to be responsible for bank robbery or bird poop. We’re going to have to think long and hard about what to do now.”

What do you think? Should we stop writing children’s books and burn our library cards? Tell us in the comments!

Photo credit: Phaitoon

“So, serious question,” David Levithan asked the five authors who were on his panel on realistic YA fiction at WORD in Brooklyn last night. “How many of you have had sex for clothing?”

That question was inspired by our own Jessica Verdi who had just read from her debut novel, My Life After Now, about a girl who has HIV. (And, no, Jess’s character and Jess herself have not had sex for clothing either.) Jess’s book does not technically hit shelves until April 2nd, but patrons who were present last night got to buy the earliest signed copies.

Other highlights of the panel included Ellen Hopkins (Crank, Tricks, and so many more) giving us all a sneak peek (sneak listen?) of a project she’s working on for Spring 2014; Tim Decker (The Punk Ethic) discussing how his project went from graphic novel to standard form; Crissa-Jean Chappell (Narc) talking about writing across gender lines; and Amy McNamara’s (Lovely, Dark and Deep) story about standing up to genre-snobbery among her poetry friends.

In addition to a few pages of each of these saucy, clever and intriguing books (which included our own Jessica saying “sex” about 37 times—go Jess!) listeners like me were treated to a discussion on proces. And there’s nothing I love more than hearing how other writers manage to make the magic happen!

I especially liked David’s question about how a project starts. In response, it felt like each panel member had a recipe for what makes a story.

In fact, Tim said he pictures his work-in-progress like a petri dish: he puts a few things in there together and sees how they will react. Crissa-Jean defined author as “being evil all the time” because she takes a character she likes, then tries to make him uncomfortable for hundreds of pages. That’s, of course, the only way he’ll change. Amy said that, for her, a story becomes a story when she has a character and a place she can put together. And Jess said she started with the issue before she even knew the gender or race of her character.

I’m always amazed by how many different answers a question like that can produce!

Other pearls of wisdom I’m going to take away include Crissa-Jean addressing her self-censor. She said that sometimes when she’s drafting she hears an “inner voice” telling her she’s gone “too far”—but she calls that voice a “green light.” I love that idea. Push through that inner voice and go further than even you as the writer are comfortable with to get to the truth.

Jessica said focusing on her character and her character’s own individual experience helped her to avoid sounding preachy.

Ellen Hopkins told us not to read reviews of your own writing. (But it’s so hard, Ellen!) Apparently there are some silly people out there who think all of her characters are the same, which is just, you know, ridiculous.

And David Levithan, our moderator and the mastermind behind the Teen Author Festival (and one of our valued professors from The New School) said that when you find your comfort zone as a writer, you have to run in the other direction!

There are so many more awesome book events this week as part of the Teen Author Festival! Check out the full schedule here!

Also, you can see our own Mary G. Thompson on Friday at 4:40 where she’ll be part of a panel on Alternate World vs. Imaginary world.

And, you can see me, Caela Carter, on Friday at 3:00 on a panel discussing teens and bad choices.

Jess, Mary and Caela will all be signing books at Books of Wonder on Sunday along with about 90 other authors!

Hello Teen Writers Bloc readers! This week is the annual Teen Author Festival, hosted by none other than our former professor/bestselling author/Scholastic super-editor David Levithan. There will be more than ninety fantastic authors participating this year, and for the first time, the festival will include three of our own: Caela Carter, Jessica Verdi, and me (Mary G. Thompson)! You can find the entire schedule of events (starting today!) at the Teen Author Festival Facebook page. You’ll want go to as many of the events as you can, because there’s going to be a whole lot of awesome!

You can find us at the following times and places:

Jessica Verdi (My Life After Now):

Tuesday, March 19, 7:00-8:30, Word Bookstore, 126 Franklin St., Greenpoint.

The only way out is through: Engaging truth through YA.

—also featuring Crissa Chappell, Tim Decker, Ellen Hopkins, Amy McNamara, and moderator David Levithan

Caela Carter (Me, Him, Them, and It):

Friday, March 22, 3:00-4:00, 42^nd St. New York Public Library, Berger Forum, 2^nd Floor

Taking a Turn: YA Characters Dealing with Bad and Unexpected Choices

—also featuring Eireann Corrigan, Alissa Grosso, Terra Elan McVoy, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Elizabeth Scott, K. M. Walton, and moderator Aaron Hartzler

Mary G. Thompson (Wuftoom):

Friday, March 22, 4:40-5:30, 42^nd St. New York Public Library, Berger Forum, 2^nd Floor

Alternate World vs. Imaginary World

—also featuring Sarah Beth Durst, Jeff Hirsch, Emmy Laybourne, Lauren Miller, E. C. Myers, Diana Peterfreund, and moderator Chris Shoemaker

All three of us will be signing at Books of Wonder, 18 W 18th St., on Sunday, March 24^th! Caela will be there from 1:00-1:45, and Jess and I will be there from 3:15-4:00 (yes, Jess and I have been separated from Caela by the dreaded alphabetical order bias. Curses!).

Please check out the list of the events and support your favorite NYC authors! There are so many awesome people involved, you can’t help but find something you’ll love!

My book is a fantasy novel and I wanted every location to feel rich with details to make it seem like a real place. Because I wanted to give my fantasy roots in reality, I had to make it seem like I knew what it’s like to live in a desert region, even though I had never been there. I knew I could only make up so much before the reader loses the ability to suspend their disbelief, so I had to do some research.

I come from the Midwest, where it snows and rains and the temperatures can reach in the triple digits, but it’s accompanied by humidity. We have tons of trees and grassy hills, not sand, sand dunes, and more sand. At the beginning, all I knew about deserts was that they are hot and sandy. I had a lot of work to do. The only way to write the desert sections of my novel with any sort of authenticity was to immerse myself in the desert as much as I could from my apartment in NYC.

Tip #1: Use Google. Google image search became my best friend. Not only could I see the desert, but I found images of villages and the people who live there. I used these images to give myself a visual and then I turned to texts and movies for the rest of the experience.

Tip #2: Movies and books are fun ways to do research. I watched Sahara (starring Humphrey Bogart), Lawrence of Arabia, and Walkabout, a brilliant Australian film about two children who must survive in the harsh outback after their father dies. Then I watched dozens of documentaries on television that dealt with deserts, from Biblical stories to lost desert civilizations. If it had anything to do with the desert, I watched it.

I researched the foods desert people eat, which crops they grow, and which plants thrive in arid conditions. Then I learned about the types of building materials they use, where they get water, and which animals are native to the desert. I learned how people travel across the desert, what signs to look for when searching for water, and realized that the desert was a much more interesting place than I had first assumed. I read graphic novels, like Habibi by Craig Thompson and Cairo by G. Willow Wilson, to see how others dealt with the desert in a visual and text medium.

Tip #3: Take notes from unexpected resources. What surprised me most during my research was the odd places where I found useful information. While reading a book about Alexander the Great for my own personal enjoyment, I learned that he traveled through the desert by following birds as they migrated from one oasis to the next. And in a show about ancient battles, I learned about caravans and how they survived for weeks at a time in the desert.

Tip #4: Put yourself there. Once all of the researchwais done I had to imagine myself in the desert in order to write about it. I thought about the sights, sounds, and smells that would overwhelm my senses if I was dropped on top of a sand dune in the middle of the desert. If I can’t imagine it, then neither will my reader.

Writing about a place I’ve never been is daunting, but it can be done. With a bit of research and a great imagination, no one will ever know that the only time I’ve ever been to the desert is when I write about it in my novel.

Image courtesy of wallpaperpassion.com

According to Hollywood, our culture’s largest purveyor of populist storytelling, the general wisdom on making a successful sequel is “the same, but more,” with the operative word being “more.” It’s pretty easy to see this in action (A Good Day to Die Hard is a recent example). Now, I’m not saying you can’t tell a big, enjoyable escapist story with this formula. However, one can also look at a sequel as a chance to expand and deepen the experience of the first installment.

In writing What We Become, a sequel of my book Those That Wake, I tried to adhere to three general rules to construct as compelling and satisfying a continuation as I could.

1. Deepen your themes and pay off your ideas – Presumably you’ve laid out your themes clearly the first time around, so rather than simply repeating them, delve more deeply into them and get below the more obvious conclusions. A famous sequel that did this extremely well, I think, was The Empire Strikes Back, in which the themes of heroism and fighting tyranny were deepened from the first movie as the narrative delved into the anguish, pain and sacrifice that heroism requires and how a victory may only be the first step in a more arduous struggle. Similarly, ideas and concepts introduced in a first part no longer have the novelty of the new and should be “paid off” with surprising and satisfying new applications.  Again, The Empire Strikes Back does a nifty job of this, by taking the idea of the Jedi and the Force introduced in Star Wars and immersing its main character in the philosophy of these ideas and showing off to audiences a wider array of functions.

In What We Become, I have taken the theme of not giving up, central to Those That Wake, and plunged in as far as it will take me. What happens when you can’t stop fighting?  What is the final cost of never giving up? What is the third choice, the one that is not about fighting or giving up? I’ve also given a new perspective to the theme of a world manipulated from behind the scenes by moving away from the more fantastical take on it in Those That Wake to one that, while still stranger than pure reality, is more grounded in the real world and recent history. Meanwhile, some of my Big Ideas, like the Librarian and the Global Dynamic, are taken to their natural fruition and have their origins and intricacies revealed in unexpected ways.

 2. Grow your characters – Hopefully, your characters had a full and satisfying arc the first time around.  So where does that leave you to go with them?  Well, an arc is just the narrative of a character’s growing understanding.  Coming to understand things always leads to seeing a larger world, greater possibilities and how much more there could still be left to understand.  Those initial arcs can flow organically into larger and more expansive arcs.  Characters in stories get to grow more neatly than actual humans, whose experiences and understanding are not divided into clear, narrative sections.  But a good fictional character should keep searching and growing as long as they live, just like actual people.

While Mal was the ostensible hero of Those that Wake, his arc in that book was very much about showing him his limitations. Laura, meanwhile, had a more classic arc, essentially moving from dependence to self-sufficiency. I have, in what I hope are interesting and surprising ways, reversed their roles for What We Become. Laura takes on more classically heroic characteristics here, even going on a physical quest for something crucial, Mal has his arc ultimately and completely fulfilled.  Using his arc in the first book as a mere first step, I push Mal to those aforementioned limitations and see what he has to do to actually break through them.

I’ve also introduced two new characters to share the main spotlight, whose own development as characters serves not only to flesh them out, but to highlight other aspects of Mal and Laura, making all four of them into more fully-formed and psychologically complex and authentic characters.

3. Don’t take your readers for granted or leave them behind – If things went right, you’re going to have some returning readers. Some of them may remember the details of the story very well and some may only remember a few key moments and strong characters. At the same time, you’ve got to assume that there are going to be at least a few people who wandered into your story right in the middle. So, you’ve got to be able to gently recap crucial information without being intrusive or artificial about it. You’ve got to integrate the recap naturally into the flow of the new story.

Having new characters caught up in the ongoing adventure helps with this considerably, as they will need to be brought up to speed even as events proceed at an engaging pace. In What We Become, I have also tied some of the revelations into the mysteries of Those That Wake, not so that you need to understand what came before, but so that if you do, the current story will take on multiple layers, and revelations will have a larger impact. At the same time, I have also worked hard to create echoes of elements from the first book: character moments, lines of dialog, situations, even tricks I play with chapter titles. For those who went through the first part, you want the second part to recall it and to connect with it to create a larger, more complete structure, but not necessarily be dependent on it. That’s why, I figure, they put the word “companion” on the cover of What We Become, rather than “sequel.”

You always want to give your readers a deeper, more expansive experience. In a sequel, the most effective way to do this is to give them something they haven’t seen before but that improves and is improved by what they have seen before. In other words “more, but not the same.”

Jesse Karp is the author of Those That Wake, the sequel What We Become, and the non-fiction work Graphic Novels in Your School Library. He is also a school librarian in Manhattan, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.  Please visit him at beyondwhereyoustand.com.

“Always remember that it is of no consequence to you what other people think of you. What matters is what you think of them. That is how you live your life.” – Gore Vidal

When I heard Gore Vidal give this advice on Charlie Rose, I didn’t just pause my DVR. I swear, I felt my life pause. He seemed to be talking directly to me—writer/secret seventh grader (posing as an adult) who worries and wonders way too much about what other people think. I know I am not alone in the self-doubt department, especially among authors. But the idea that my perspective matters the most and that the way I see things is how I live my life—that got me thinking—not just about my personal point of view, but also about the characters I write and their perspectives.

Why are some characters able to hold our attention? Is it the way they see other people? Themselves? Their world? Is it the choices they make? And when a story requires more than one perspective, how can all the points of view matter? Do they have to matter equally?

I’ve done my best to read most of the new releases in Middle Grade and YA, and from what I’ve learned, there is no formula to writing a believable, engaging perspective. There isn’t one way to tell a story. Anything goes, as long as it is done well. But the way your characters see things—regardless of the first, second, or third person—matters a lot. It’s like any magic potion—lots of love, a pinch of common sense, and a few funny, unexpected ingredients.

Before I read The List by Siobhan Vivian, I was skeptical about a book told from 8 points of view. Anyone else feel that way? I wasn’t sure I’d be able to connect with the characters or follow all of the story lines. I have trouble juggling so many details. But it works. I was surprised as I read along that I didn’t get lost or have to flip back and re-read. I liked having the chance to dip into different people’s minds, to see the story of The List their way, and experience how each of them viewed the world around them. I liked that the novel belonged to each of them for a moment. For me, it solidified Vidal’s point, that what matters most is the way you see things—your point of view.

Book cover image courtesy of PUSH

This month we’re talking about our favorite characters. I recently had the pleasure of reading Clare Vanderpool’s new historical middle grade Navigating Early. The book takes place at the end of WWII, and I loved that even though the book is set in a certain era, there were no hit-you-over-the-head era clichés. I’ve found obvious era markers to be a problem in some children’s historical books, and once I saw that this book wasn’t going that way, I knew it was going to be something special. But the real reason the book is special isn’t the setting or even the narrator and ostensible main character, Jack. Jack, who at the beginning of the book is dropped off at boarding school feeling lost and alone, is sympathetic but not particularly unique. It’s when Jack meets Early that the story really gains its heart.

If Early were growing up today, he’d probably be diagnosed with some form of autism, but in the world of the 1940s, he’s not a kid with a “disorder”—he’s just weird. He sits in the basement room he’s commandeered listening to music and doing whatever he feels like, since no one forces him to go to class. He has to listen to Billie Holiday when it’s raining, and he takes everything literally, and he’s always sure he’s right, but he’s also the most friendly and open person Jack meets. We soon learn that Early is obsessed with the number pi and a story he tells about it, and what happens to the numbers as they go on. I confess that I didn’t like the pi story or some of the parallels between it and the main story. I’m just not a fan of coincidences. But I loved Early’s insistence on his story, and how he knew exactly what he had to do, and how he was such a good friend and so earnest and likeable that Jack just had to go along with it. I love it when the weird kid is the hero, and I love seeing a character who could be seen as disabled portrayed as uniquely loveable and intelligent and strong-willed. I understood why Jack was willing to follow Early on his crazy quest into the wilderness because I probably would have done it too!

Cover image: Delacorte Press

It’s release day for another of our author-friends here at Teen Writers Bloc and Tamera Wissinger was kind enough to stop by and chat with us about her debut children’s book, GONE FISHING, writing-in-verse, and the joys of being outside! 

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became a writer? 

From the time I was very young, I’ve loved rhythm and rhyme, stories and storytelling. After I studied English in college, I went into the most illogical field: Human Resource Management. During that time I did a great deal of business writing, and I wrote stories and poetry at nights and on weekends. Eventually, the call of poetry and story writing became stronger. I’m fortunate to now be able to pursue writing full time.

Can you give us a quick synopsis of Gone Fishing? How did you come up with the concept for the book? 

Gone Fishing is about a young boy, Sam, who is excited for a fun fishing day with his dad, but when Sam’s little sister Lucy wants to come along, he’s afraid she’ll ruin the fun. There is also a section of nonfiction end matter called The Poet’s Tackle Box, where I’ve included tips and information on poetry writing and poetic forms.

The story is told through a series of poems, and it came to me in pieces, first as a single poem that is the opening to the book, and then a few other poems that created a poetry collection. Sam and his dad were the two main characters. Once Lucy came into the picture, the conflict began to develop and the story started to take shape. Even though the characters are fictional, I did draw on my fun memories of fishing with my own family when I was young.

What’s your writing process? What does a typical writing day look like? 

I’m usually an early riser, and my preferred habit is to wake up, eat breakfast, workout, get ready, and be at work in my home office by 9 a.m. It doesn’t always work out that way, but it’s my ideal since my most creative energy is in the morning. If I’ve had a productive morning, and/or am not on a deadline, I’ll do something else in the afternoon, maybe research for submissions, market, or my favorite non-writing activity: read. If I’m on deadline, I’ll keep writing in the afternoon or after dinner, even, to try and push through to the end.

My inspiration comes from a combination of my imagination, my memories and experiences, and my surroundings. Wherever I am, being outside and feeling connected to nature helps spark my creativity. I’m lucky to live in south Florida where there is an abundance of flora and fauna to feed my artistic side.

What has your path to publication been like? What’s been the most surprising part of the writing/publishing process for you? 

I just came across notes from the first children’s writing workshop that I took and was surprised to see that it was ten years ago! After that I joined SCBWI, met a network of fellow authors, became brave enough to receive feedback on my work, took more classes, and eventually attended and became a graduate of Hamline University’s MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. All of those interactions helped prepare me for work on Gone Fishing.

As far as the book, the opening poem that I mentioned was published as a stand-alone in a magazine in 2007, so technically I began work on this story more than five years ago. Houghton Mifflin accepted the book in 2011, and my editor and I worked on it together from there.

The most surprising part of the process is really a confirmation of something that I believed: that there is a warm and welcoming community of publishing professionals, booksellers, librarians, teachers, and authors who all value placing quality stories into the hands of children.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever gotten? What advice would you yourself give aspiring authors?

Something that my husband told me: “If you want to write, then write.”

To that, I would add: give yourself what you need to be successful. Learn, connect, join a critique group, immerse yourself in reading and studying children’s literature, write and rewrite until you have a story that’s polished and then think about connecting with an agent or editor.

What was your favorite book when you were a kid/teenager? What are you reading now?

When I was a middle grade reader I was a huge fan of Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren, and I still love Pippi. While Pippi is comical as an independent, strong, rich, and often inappropriate girl, at the heart of the story she’s also lonely and vulnerable, which made me love her even more.

I just finished a wonderful novel by debut author Tim Federle called Better Nate Than Never. It’s about a boy who runs away to New York City to try out for the lead in E.T. The Musical. Tim writes with a striking balance of passion, wit, and tenderness.

What’s next for you writing-wise (and otherwise!)?

Because much of my work is short, I go back and forth between several projects at a time. Right now I’m writing more poetry, a couple of quirky picture books, and a middle grade novel. I recently learned that my first picture book, a counting concept book, will be published by Sky Pony Press!

Aside from writing, I received a stand up paddleboard for Christmas and I’m learning how to maneuver that on the water. There is an art and science to doing it well.

Do you believe in being part of a “bloc” of writers? Are critique groups and writing communities helpful to you?

I think that both critique groups and writing communities are helpful and essential to writers. Because writing is almost always a solitary act, we don’t have the usual social outlets, quality checks, and direction that come with a traditional work environment. Critique groups and writing communities help fill that void, both as a quality and directional check on our work, and as a way to simply be connected with others who understand the challenges and joys of being an author.

What made you decide to write a novel-in-verse? What challenges did you face that might be unique to writing in verse as opposed to traditional prose? 

When I originally submitted the story, there were about twenty poems – enough for a picture book length story. My editor had the brilliant idea of trying to expand the number of poems to tell a deeper, broader story, and move the book from a picture book format to a novel in verse format. That meant doubling the poetry to around forty poems, and also adding the end matter poetry descriptions. I was all for it and went to work.

The biggest challenges as the story evolved were to make sure that the new poems helped advance the story, and that those poems offered an additional variety of poetic forms. It was almost like putting together a puzzle, with every subsequent piece becoming more challenging to put into place.

It was great to learn about Gone Fishing! We’ll have to get our hands on it. Thanks for stopping by, Tamera! 

Thank you for hosting me at Teen Writer’s Bloc today, Caela!