Teen Writers Bloc

Hello Teen Writers Bloc readers! I’ve plugged it at every opportunity, to the point where you are probably thinking, yes, Mary, we know about the stupid book. But for realz, y’all, it’s almost here!

To celebrate the release of Wuftoom on May 8, I’m having a public book release party at the fantastic McNally Jackson Books, here in Manhattan. Please come and bring your friends, family, children, and any random people you meet. Subterranean monsters are also welcome, though if they stink up the place, we’ll charge a special cleaning fee.

• What: Wuftoom Book Release Party
• Where: McNally Jackson Books, 52 Prince St. New York, NY
• When: Sunday, May 13, 2012, 4:00 p.m.
• Details: I will be reading from the book and having a conversation with The Boneshaker and The Broken Lands author (and friend of Teen Writers Bloc!) Kate Milford. Then we will be eating fun and gross worm-themed desserts, drinking wine/soda, and generally having a good time.

If that’s not enough for you, I’m also reading THIS SUNDAY, MAY 6 at Books of Wonder along with several fantastic teen sci-fi/fantasy authors.

• What: Teen Sci Fi/Fantasy/Dystopian/Supernatural Event with me, Paolo Bacigalupi, David MacInnis Gill, Alethea Kontis, Galaxy Craze, Kate Klimo, and Elizabeth Norris
• Where: Books of Wonder, 18 W 18th St., New York, NY
• When: Sunday, May 6, 2012, 1:00 p.m.
• Details: Come meet some fabulous teen sci-fi and fantasy authors, including Hugo and Nebula award winner and National Book Award finalist Paolo Bacigalupi.

Finally, I’m running a giveaway on Goodreads from now until May 15^th. Enter to win a signed copy of Wuftoom!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Enter to win

Cover Image courtesy Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Popularity: 10%

Writer’s conferences are like a quick fix of creative adrenaline. A concentrated take on the craft and business of writing, they can really get the creative juices flowing, and get you right into the thick of things, whether or not you’re a natural-born networker, like our own Dhonielle.

But there is a right time to go — and not every conference is a great fit for everyone. That’s why, when you’re budgeting your networking dollars, it’s a smart idea to take a really close look at what your options are. Especially given that, these days, you could probably find a writers’ conference in your area any given weekend. But which are worth the investment? And when should you go?

It all depends on you and where you are with your writing. A few of us here at Teen Writers Bloc, for example, are gearing up for the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators conference in New York City this month. But others among us know that, as much as we’d like to go, we’re nowhere near ready. Perhaps a summer conference would be a better bet for those folks.

What writers conference will give you the most bang for your buck? Only you can decide. But since it’s a new year (and hopefully, new budget!), we’ve rounded up a few of the best bets for your perusal — and we’ve tried to stick to conferences that would be fruitful for teen and middle grade writers. Maybe we’ll see you there!

Writers Digest Conference
New York, New York; January 20 – 22
Cost: $525 for the full conference, $375 for Saturday only — and there’s even a $275 student option
With lots of big picture overview, including keynotes on the where publishing is headed, e-publishing, author-entrepreneurship,  self-publishing and marketing yourself and your work online, this conference, sponsored by industry magazine Writer’s Digest, is taking writers’ straight into the future of the book business. There’s also an intensive three-hour pitch slam, a sort of speed dating with agents, including YA and kid lit champions Brandi Bowles (Foundry), Susan Hawk (The Bent Agency), Molly Jaffa (Folio Literary Management), Mary Kole (Andrea Brown Lit), Sarah LaPolla (Curtis Brown) and Holly McGhee (Pippin Properties), amongst many others.

Society of Children’s Book Writers And Illustrators
New York, New York; January 27 – 29
Cost: $385 for members, $485 for non-members
Highlights: The SCBWI annual winter conference is the scene and be seen event for children’s book writers. This year, teen favorites like Cassandra Clare, National Book Award winner Kathryn Erskine and Sophie Blackall are amongst the speakers, and there are plenty of big agent and editor names on the panels on craft and marketing, too. But conference vet Dhonielle says the best part of doing the SCBWI events is meeting like-minded writers. She’s found critique group members — and life-long friends — at these events. If you can’t make this one, SCBWI has mini-events across the country — and another biggie in L.A. this summer.

San Diego State University Writers’ Conference
San Diego, Ca.; January 27 – 29
Cost: $435; one-on-one consult appointments are $50 each
If you’re working it on the West coast (or trying to get out of the snow here on the East Coast), then you can’t beat the San Diego State University Writers’ Conference at the end of January. The event seems chock full of opportunities for teen fiction writers, including meet-n-greets with editors looking for YA at Harper, Tor Teen, and St. Martin’s, amongst others.

Algonkian NYC Pitch and Shop
New York, New York; March 22 – 25
Cost: $595 before March 1, $695 after
This quarterly, application-only conference, held in New York City every spring, summer, fall and winter, is focused on getting writers in strong shape to sell their novels, offering novel deconstruction and analysis from agents and editors from major houses (including ICM YA champion Tina Wexler). Writers refine their works via panels and intimate workshop groups, then have the opportunity to pitch up to four industry professionals, including editors from Grand Central, Random House, Broadway Books and others.

Backspace Writers Conference
New York, NY; May 24 – 26
Cost: Early Bird registration (pre-Feb 1) $595 for Conference and Agent-Author Day
The conference spin-off of the stellar online writers’ community BKSP.org, this three-day event is super-focused on making connections with agents, with panels on querying, crafting stellar opening pages, and what agents are looking for. So if that’s the stage you’re approaching, it might just be the perfect way to network yourself into a deal. YA and women’s fiction star Lauren Baratz-Logsted is the keynote this year, and given the NYC location, the publishing industry insiders will no doubt turn up in spades.

Rutgers University Council on Children’s Literature One-On-One Plus Conference
Piscataway, New Jersey; October 2012
Cost: $195 for the one-day event, including breakfast and lunch
This application-only event pairs a small number of skilled writers one-on-one with a children’s writing professional — agent, editor, or writer. The plus? Each writer and mentor pair gets to network with several others at round-table discussions about writing, editing and publishing — a great, low-pressure way to network, and it’s very likely you’ll come out of the event with long-term relationships. As an attending at the 2011, I met editors and agents and authors — plus, many of my fellow aspiring writers, too.

What writer’s conferences will you be attending this year? What are your best tips for getting the most bang for your buck at these networking events?

Popularity: 24%

So yesterday, I was going to write this post about literary Halloween costumes and how once, when I was younger, I rocked the braids and freckles to dress up as Pippi Longstocking.

Then I was going to write about how these days, the literary Halloween costume I should be wearing is one that simply implies “writer,” since I haven’t been feeling much like one in actuality these days (yes, day job and all).

But then last night, something happened, something that reminded me that, for those of us that are thusly afflicted — and you know who you are — there’s a reason for it. The reason is: you have a story to tell — and only you can tell it.

Sometimes that doesn’t feel like it’s the case. Sometimes it can feel like writers — or the wannabe versions anyway, the ones that are always aspiring, always trying, always reaching — are a dime a dozen. There are so many of us out there, toiling away, working on craft, on story, on writing and rewriting and then taking the whole thing apart and putting it back together again. Spending months, years, even decades on that same sad manuscript. And some of us will never get there. And there’s that question buried deep somewhere inside each of  us, the fear that maybe we’re one of them. One of the ones who will never make it in the publishing game, whose work will never see the light of day.

And yet, we forge ahead. We have to. Because like I said — you have a story to tell. And only you can tell it. Even if that means you throw away those countless hours writing. Even if that tangible goal — the published book sitting in the palm of your hand — never comes to be.

But back to that thing. The one that happened last night. See, that thing made me realize, yes, I could toil away forever, painstakingly writing a line, then deleting it, then rewriting it. Then starting again. But there are people out there. People who are waiting to read what I write. People who are sharing in my dream. People who won’t be there forever. And honestly, so much of this has been all about me. But I can’t let them down. Because as much as I’d like to feel the dream come to life, to see my book in my hards — I really can’t wait to see it theirs.

So here’s my call to action. It’s November 1. It’s NaNoWriMo. You know you wanna. I’m going to. Won’t you join me?  

Popularity: 16%

Tomorrow’s the big day.

For months now, I’ve been gearing up for the Rutgers One-On-One Plus Conference, an annual application-only event hosted by the Rutgers University Council on Children’s Literature. My TeenWritersBloc buddy Dhonielle told me about the conference, which she attended last year. She said it was amongst the best out there for kid lit and YA writers because it’s so intimate: for every aspiring author, there is one industry professional, whether it be an author, agent or editor. That’s pretty cool. At Rutgers, you’re pretty much guaranteed to absorb tons and tons of information about how all this industry stuff works, because a) you’re paired up with a mentor who chats with you one-on-one about your work and b) you’re also grouped with five other mentees at a round-table question-and-answer session with five other mentors. And then there are keynotes and a panel to boot.

But because the conference is so small, it’s best to be prepared going in. So what have I done to prepare? I’ll admit, not as much as I’d like. But I have been to many conferences (screenwriting and journalism) in the past, so here’s my to-do list for Rutgers Prep:

1. Be Professional. Yeah, it’s a Saturday. And yeah, it’s a children’s literature conference. But publishing is a business, and as such, I plan to go to the event rocking a professional vibe — in the way I dress, in the way I approach people, in the way I take notes. Which isn’t to say I won’t have fun. What’s the point of being in a room full of like-minded people if you can’t relax and enjoy their company a bit?

2.Do Your Research. The Rutgers Council posted the names of many of the mentors — agents, authors and editors — who will be attending. But we won’t get our background packet till tomorrow morning, at registration. So I’ve started looking up and making notes on a few people I’d love to have the opportunity to meet. I’ve also asked some of my in-the-know pals if there’s anyone I should specifically hope to introduce myself to.

3. Know How to Define Your Work — And Yourself. Marketing yourself is hard work. But given my screenwriting background, I know I can rock out a quick two-sentence pitch on my W-I-P — and myself — without stumbling or hesitation.

4. Be Open. I may interview people for a living, but when it comes to networking, I suck. It just feels so forced and fake to me. But when I get to the conference tomorrow, I’m really going to make an effort to be open to talking to people, the agents, editors, and authors — but also my fellow writers. Because again, most of the people there will there for the same reason: because they’re passionate about writing books for kids and teens.

5. Take Notes. Tomorrow’s sure to be action and information-packed. That’s why I plan to take plenty of notes. It’s hard to absorb it all not the spot, but Dhonielle says her packet from last year is like an industry bible, chock full of details about people and publishing that she’ll use for years to come. I’m also prepping a bit with specific questions in mind for both my one-on-one mentor and the five-on-five folks, so I can get the most out of both sessions.

6. Enjoy! I’ve turned the event into such a big deal in my head, I have to remember that it’s supposed to be fun as much as it educational. So tomorrow, I’ll have to remind myself to relax and enjoy the moment. Because it will all be over before I know it. And then it’s back to the work at hand, which is really the most important thing, in the end.

Phew. That’s a lot to remember. Luckily, I asked for conference vet Dhonielle for a few of her own pointers for tomorrow’s event (and a lot of them echo my plan-of-action — YAY!). Here’s what she has to say:

Dhonielle’s Tips for Rutgers:

Popularity: 22%

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the This is Teen Live event in New York City, featuring the amazing YA authors Libba Bray, Meg Cabot and Maggie Stiefvater. I also had the distinct pleasure of taking several of the students from the school where I am a librarian to meet the authors. These students are readers — they are required to finish at least 50 books a year, and many of them have doubled that — and to them meeting the authors whose names adorn the books in their library was akin to meeting movie stars.

The event was very successful. The Scholastic Store was full to the brim with avid teen and adult readers. The authors were entertaining and honest in their answers and the Q and A was brief and to-the-point.

The highlight of the experience for me was when one of our students was called on to ask a question, not merely because it was fun to see him with a microphone in front of these authors, but because of their honest and powerful answers. He asked, “What do you hope teens will learn from your books?”

Libba Bray, author of the newly published Beauty Queens and many other books for young adults, fielded this question first with an answer that I thought was truly inspire. In short, she said: “Whatever they want.” She pointed out that she is writing to tell a story, not to teach teens about the world. She wants all of her readers — teens and adults alike — to feel that they own the book at the end.

I was so blown away but the honesty and respect in her answer that I was unsure if the other two panelists could possibly have anything to add. But they did.

Meg Cabot said she agreed fully with Ms. Bray, but with the one caveat that she wants her readers to understand they aren’t alone. She wants her readers to recognize the truth behind the emotions in her fiction and realize that other people have been though the same trials they go through. For example, in her new book, Abandon, the main character dates someone her mother does not like — the God of the Underworld.

While Ms. Cabot — and presumably all of her readers — have never faced the trial of dating someone literally out of Hades, the emotions there are ones to which almost all humanity can relate. But Ms. Cabot also pointed out that writing for adults, young adults, or middle-grade children — all of which she has done in her long career — is essentially the same thing.

Finally, Maggie Stiefvater reminded us that reading is a form of entertainment. The message she has been putting subliminally on each page is simple — “buy the next book.” And, it’s working. That’s why so many people will be flocking to book stores the minute Forever hits shelves in July.

I was thrilled that the young readers who attended this event with me were able to hear such honesty from the authors of the books they devour. They were spoken to like people instead of like little people. After meeting the three authors and getting signed copies of the books for our library, all of them were leaving feeling special and respected. And, of course, looking forward to the next This is Teen Live event!

Popularity: 27%

On Saturday afternoon I went with fellow Teen Writers Bloc member, Sona Charaipotra, to Books of Wonder for the “Diversity in YA” blog tour. Authors Jacqueline Woodson, Cindy Pon, Malinda Lo, Neesha Meminger, Matt de la Pena, Kekla Magoon, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich joined editor Cheryl Klein in a discussion about diversity and diverse book titles in the Young Adult market. I was very excited to be in the same room with people who have influenced my own writing and made me desire to become a successful children’s book author.

Question: Why do you write for teens?

Neesha Meminger, author of Shine, Coconut Moon and Jazz in Love, said when she first started writing she wrote a large, multi-generational tome because she thought that’s what South Asians wrote about. Then she sent it around to agents and received some rejections, but one woman pointed out that her favorite part of the book was the teen character, so she decided to write it as a teen book and found her place in the teen world.

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, author of Eighth Grade SuperZero, said she always knew she wanted to write for children and teens because she was working with children in various roles, and wanted to write about transformation and change and what better way to write about it than for kids.

Jacqueline Woodson, author of over 40 books for young people such as Feathers, believes that she writes books from the age she’s stuck in, where she’s trying to work things out.

Question: Do you identify strictly as an African-American, Latino American, Asian-American, LGBTQ etc…? Do you feel like you have to “represent” the group?

Malinda Lo, author of Ash and Huntress, admits to resisting labels as a young person. “I’m American,” she said to the many people who asked where she was from. She hated that question growing up because it insinuated that an Asian face didn’t mean she was born and raised in America. As she aged, she wanted to be just a writer without any qualifiers, but then she started realizing the power of qualifiers, and being out in the world as an “Asian writer”, “lesbian writer”, “feminist writer” etc, gave her a sense of power.

Neesha Meminger doesn’t feel like she has to represent her identity, but writes about a particular experience that happens to fall within a certain ethnic or racial group. She writes from this experience and vantage point because she desperately needed to see her experience as a South Asian on the page, so she writes them. She said she is, “Writing herself into existence.”

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich said she was a black author who liked cheese, and she represents all the things she loves. She wanted to write about the varied and diverse experiences of people of color, and for her it is all about the character.

Kekla Magoon, author of The Rock and the River and Camo Girl, said she finds it important to write about African-American and black kids and to have their faces on the book covers for kids looking to read something with characters in it that look like them. Writing about the brown/black experience is more than just about skin color, and as a multiracial person it is the line she stands on.

Jacqueline Woodson said she writes from her vantage point as a black person and a queer person because it comes from the sense of trying to legitimize ourselves on this planet through writing. She wants to bring to the page what has been historically invisible. She starts with the “otherness” of the character and then gets to the humanity of the character and their human experience.

Cheryl Klein said something powerful that she’d read: “Kids need windows and mirrors. Windows into other experiences and mirrors to reflect back their own experiences.”

Question: What challenges and pleasures have you faced in publishing diverse characters?

Cindy Pon disliked the preconceived notions she encountered about fantasy with Asian characters in it. And that her books needed kung fu and things of that sort. Or that her books would only interest an Asian American audience.

Neesha Meminger spoke about the disconnect between the “business” of publishing and the art of writing. She reflected on the many polite rejections she received that said, “Great book but no market for it.” She knew there were kids out there that wanted and needed to read her stories. And it reinforced that she believed there was a huge fissure between creativity and commerce, and how many publishing houses are afraid of risks.

Malinda Lo lamented that she’s had an overwhelmingly positive experience publishing her lesbian retelling of Cinderella Ash, and feels like the exception to the rule.

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich said the most disappointing thing she’s experienced is overhearing parents discuss her book. She told a story of how she would be at book fairs and book expos and kids would pick up her book Eighth Grade SuperZero, and ask their parents to buy it. The parent would scan the paragraph on the back and reach the word “Jamaician” and say something to the effect of, “This book isn’t for us.” She wrote this book for kids just like her and those not like her, and thus the parents’ reaction was disheartening. She finds that kids are grateful to read about themselves, as well as others.

Kekla Magoon says kids are way more open-minded about diversity than adults. And most of the problem seems to be the “gatekeepers” of children’s literature: librarians, teachers, publishers, and parents.

Matt de la Pena, author of I Will Save You, Mexican White Boy and others, reiterated that the business of writing and the art form of writing are so separate. He doesn’t want to be the “Hispanic” author to fulfill some sort of quota, and feels like his books are about being biracial and “not being Mexican enough”. Most times he feels like a sell-out.

Question: What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Malindo Lo: “Write whatever you want to write and make it as gay as you want to. Tell your stories the way you want to tell them.”

Kekla Magoon: “Believe in your voice. You’re going to get a lot of feedback, criticism, and input on plot, characters and structure, but cling to that unchangeable essence of your voice.”

Jacqueline Woodson: “Just write all the time. Don’t be afraid of what you’re writing. And surround yourself with people who “get” it . Sit on the ‘stoop’ with other writers.”

Thanks to Cheryl Klein and the Diversity in YA group of authors for their creative works and great answers. However, I will say that I was disappointed in the preparations taken by Books of Wonder for their tour stop. There were only 13 chairs for audience members, leaving a huge gap in the back of the store. People had to sit on the floor or were unable to hear. I have attended lots of events at this bookstore and have seen the entire back area filled with chairs and ready for other events. It is just a shame that the attention to detail and presentation reflected at other events wasn’t mirrored during this particular event. I couldn’t stop shaking my head, because of course, an event featuring writers of color wouldn’t look like the other events I’ve attended at the same store. Epicfail Books of Wonder. Shame on you!

Popularity: 23%

A writer's conference can put you right into the heart of the publishing business.

There’s nothing like being amongst your fellow writers to get you energized about your work — whether it be writing or selling. Luckily, I’ve got my buddies at the New School’s MFA program to motivate me. But sometimes you just need that extra kick in the pants (MFA or not).

That’s why writer’s conferences are like a quick fix of creative adrenaline. A concentrated take on the craft and business of writing, they can really get the creative juices flowing, and get you right into the thick of things, whether or not you’re a natural-born networker, like our own Dhonielle.

But there is a right time to go — and not every conference is a great fit for everyone. That’s why, when you’re budgeting your networking dollars, it’s a smart idea to take a really close look at what your options are. Especially given that, these days, you could probably find a writers’ conference in your area any given weekend. But which are worth the investment? And when should you go?

It all depends on you and where you are with your writing. A few of us here at Teen Writers Bloc, for example, are gearing up for the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators conference in New York City this month. But others among us — like me — know that, as much as we’d like to go, we’re nowhere near ready. Which is why I’ll be saving my conference dollars for the summer.

What writers conference will give you the most bang for your buck? Only you can decide. But since it’s a new year (and hopefully, new budget!), we’ve rounded up a few of the best bets for your perusal — and we’ve tried to stick to conferences that would be fruitful for teen and middle grade writers. Maybe we’ll see you there!

Writers Digest Conference
New York, New York; January 21 – 23
Cost: $495 for the full conference, $345 for Saturday only
With lots of big picture overview, including keynotes on the where publishing is headed, marketing in the digital age, social media strategy, apps for writers and even a Kindle publishing workshop, this conference, sponsored by industry magazine Writer’s Digest, is taking writers’ straight into the future of the book business. There’s also an intensive two-hour pitch slam, a sort of speed dating with agents, including YA champions Brandi Bowles (Foundry), Jennifer DiChiara, Molly Jaffa (Folio), Mary Kole (Andrea Brown Lit), Suzie Townsend (FinePrint) and Joanna Volpe (Nancy Coffey Lit).

Society of Children’s Book Writers And Illustrators
New York, New York; January 28 – 31
Cost: $375 for members, $415 for non-members
Highlights: The SCBWI annual winter conference is the scene and be seen event for children’s book writers. This year, teen favorites like Lois Lowry, Sara Zarr and R.L. Stine are amongst the keynote speakers, and there are plenty of big agent and editor names on the panels on craft and marketing, too. But conference vet Dhonielle says the best part of doing the SCBWI events is meeting like-minded writers. She’s found critique group members — and life-long friends — at these events. If you can’t make this one, SCBWI has mini-events across the country — and another biggie in L.A. this summer.

San Diego State University Writers’ Conference
San Diego, Ca.; January 28 – 30
Cost: $399; one-on-one consult appointments are $50 each
If you’re working it on the West coast (or trying to get out of the snow here on the East Coast), then you can’t beat the San Diego State University Writers’ Conference at the end of January. The event seems chock full of opportunities for teen fiction writers, including meet-n-greets with editors from Tor Teen for fantasy, and editors looking for YA at St. Martin’s, Grove/Atlantic, and Simon/Pulse, amongst others. Plus, there will be panels on revising your middle grade or teen novel, the “white-hot” YA category, and even making the transition to writing for screen and television.

Algonkian NYC Pitch and Shop
New York, New York; March 17 – 20
Cost: $595 before March 1, $695 after
This quarterly, application-only conference, held in New York City every spring, summer, fall and winter, is focused on getting writers in strong shape to sell their novels, offering novel deconstruction and analysis from agents and editors from major houses (including ICM YA champion Tina Wexler). Writers refine their works via panels and intimate workshop groups, then have the opportunity to pitch up to four industry professionals, including editors from Grand Central, Random House, Broadway Books and others.

PennWriters Career & Craft Conference
Pittsburgh, Pa; May 13 – 15
Cost: $275 for three days; $194 for one
No, it’s not New York City. But that’s why PennWriters was able to score commercial fiction biggie — and Pennsylvania native — Jennifer Weiner as their keynote speaker this year. So don’t let the location fool you. The PennWriters’ line-up is chock full of publishing heavyweights, like agents Janet Reid and Jenny Bent (who are teaching useful workshops on social networking and contracts, respectively), Sleepless and Fairy Tale author Cyn Balog, who’ll be teaching workshops on YA and hooking the reader, HarperCollins Children’s senior VP and editorial director Barbara Lalicki (who edits Beverly Cleary) and iconic fantasy writer Jonathan Maberry, who’ll be showing you how to put chills and thrills into your own work.

Backspace Writers Conference
New York, NY; May 26 – 28
Cost: Early Bird registration is $450 (two full days), $550 after Feb. 1
The conference spin-off of the stellar online writers’ community BKSP.org, this three-day event is super-focused on making connections with agents, with panels on querying, crafting stellar opening pages, and what agents are looking for. So if that’s the stage you’re approaching, it might just be the perfect way to network yourself into a deal. Bram Stoker Award-winning author Jonathan Maberry is the keynote this year, and given the NYC location, the publishing industry insiders will no doubt turn up in spades.

Rutgers University Council on Children’s Literature One-On-One Plus Conference
Piscataway, New Jersey; October 15, 2011
Cost: $195 for the one-day event, including breakfast and lunch
This application-only event pairs a small number of skilled writers one-on-one with a children’s writing professional — agent, editor, or writer. The plus? Each writer and mentor pair gets to network with several others at round-table discussions about writing, editing and publishing — a great, low-pressure way to network, and it’s very likely you’ll come out of the event with long-term relationships.

What writer’s conferences will you be attending this year? What are your best tips for getting the most bang for your buck at these networking events?

Popularity: 37%

On Saturday, I attended a panel discussion at the Children’s Literary Salon in New York City with Adam Gidwitz, author of  A Tale Dark and Grimm, Kate Milford, author of The Boneshaker (that’s my great and fabulous friend!) and Michael Teitelbaum, author of  The Scary States of America.

I had read about The Children’s Literary Salon in the current SCBWI bulletin and how they had free ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies) available, which fellow Teen Writers Bloc member Mary and I plundered. I took this wonderful opportunity to see my pal Kate “in action” discussing the horror elements of her book, as well as getting the scoop on The Children’s Literary Salon.The panel addressed the horror genre elements of the authors’ novels.

Kate Milford’s The Boneshaker ” follows Natalie Minks, 13, who likes machines — the way they make sense, the way all the gears and cogs fit together to make something happen. When Dr. Jake Limberleg’s Nostrum Fair and Technological Medicine Show stops in at her father’s bicycle repair shop because a wagon wheel has fallen off and disappeared, Natalie knows that the man is not meant to fit into the machinery of her life. Her ailing mother has told her stories of bargains made with the Devil, and of besting wickedness by looking it right in the face. Limberleg has a collection of clockwork figures that work without being wound up and never seem to run down. When Natalie begins to have inexplicable visions of the malevolent forces facing Arcane, MO, she isn’t convinced that she is equipped to fight the evil at hand. Soon almost everyone is taken in by Limberleg’s promises of miraculous healing and snake-oil cures, and it becomes clear to Natalie that she is their only hope of survival. Enhanced by full-page drawings, this intricate story, set in the early 20th century, unfolds with the almost audible click of puzzle pieces coming together. In the Gothic tradition of Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes (S & S, 1962), The Boneshaker will earn itself a place in the annals of stories about children and the struggle between good and evil” (from School Library Journal, plucked from Amazon.com. It does so well with summaries! I need not even worry myself with trying to synthesize).

Adam Gidwitz “reweaves some of the most shocking and bloody stories that the Brothers Grimm collected into a novel that’s almost addictively compelling, with a disarming delicacy and an unexpected good cheer. He gives fair warning that this is no prettified, animated version of the old stories. “Are there any small children in the room now?” he asks midway through the first tale. “If so, it would be best if we just…hurried them off to bed. Because this is where things start to get, well…awesome.” Many of humanity’s least attractive, most primal emotions are on display: greed, jealousy, lust, and cowardice. But mostly it’s the unspeakable betrayal by bad parents and their children’s journey to maturation and forgiveness that are at the heart of the book. Anyone who’s ever questioned why Hansel and Gretel’s father is so readily complicit in their probable deaths, and why the brother and sister nonetheless return home after their harrowing travails, will find satisfying explanations here. Gidwitz is terrifying and funny at the same time. His storytelling is so assured that it’s hard to believe this is his debut novel. And his treatment of the Grimms’ tales is a whole new thing. It’s equally easy to imagine parents keeping their kids up late so they can read just one more chapter aloud, kids finishing it off under the covers with a flashlight, and parents sneaking into their kids’ rooms to grab it off the nightstand and finish it themselves” . (from School Library Journal, another summary yanked from Amazon.com)

Michael Teitelbaum weaves stories full of “aliens, ghosts, and monsters that haunt the pages of this eerie trip around the Scary States of America. With Jason Specter — the nation’s unofficial collector of all things paranormal — as your guide, you meet the girl in Illinois who can start fires with her mind, the Skunk Ape of Florida that knocks victims flat with its stench, the mischievous Shadow People of Arkansas, the Jersey Devil, the extraterrestrials who take human organs as a souvenir of their trip to Washington, and the wailing ghost of a teenage girl trapped forever in an Oregon lighthouse. Some of these visitors from other worlds don’t mean to hurt anyone . . . and some of them do.” (plucked from Amazon.com)

Each author came to writing children’s books in a different way. Kate Milford started out writing plays and then challenged her mother, a budding children’s book author, to finish book projects to enter into a contest. They both had to finish projects, which pushed her mother to get hers finished. Alas, Milford didn’t win the contest, but started the early text of what was to be The Boneshaker. Adam Gidwitz was teaching the 1st grade when he started telling stories. The tales were so good, his students followed him around in little huddles begging him for a story (even neglecting their lunches, which all of you elementary school teachers know is a HUGE deal). Michael Teitelbaum started out in comic books and worked in a building down the hall from a children’s book publisher. After the comic book imprint he worked for closed up shop, he headed down the hall and worked as an editor at that publisher.

The wonderfully quirky and sarcastic MC, Elizabeth Bird, a powerful force to be reckoned with in the children’s/teen book market with a fantastic blog, asked a slew of interesting, thought-provoking questions. Here are some of the highlights:

Question: Why did you write the books in the way you did?

Kate loves all things creepy and the strange instances in American history that she didn’t learn in middle school such as medicine shows and patent medicines. And she loves Ray Bradbury and his book Something Wicked This Way Comes. Adam implemented a curriculum on storytelling at his school and became interested in the goriness and darkness of the Grimm fairy tales. Michael was a huge Twilight Zone fan and started taking the nuggets of spooky legends and fleshing them out into stories.

Question: Are these books children’s horror? How does horror intersect with children’s books?

Kate revealed that in most of the feedback she’s gotten from kids and parents, that the parents think its horror, but not the kids themselves. Kids have told her they find the book creepy and were drawn to the oddities in her book. She believes horror enters the children’s book genre with the sense of the uncanny and when something that looks easily explainable takes on an element of the unexplainable.

Adam admits that he didn’t think of his book as horror. He revealed that he didn’t like horror until later in life and recently went through a flurry of re-watching horror films like Misery, The Shining, and The Exorcist and could see how they related to his book. He discovered the connection between fairy tales and how the horror genre takes a human anxiety that the reader or viewer has and then manifests it in the real world. He gave an example using Cinderella. The fairy tale takes the feeling of under-appreciation and gives it symbol, action, and character and realizes that fear within the structure of a story.

Michael discussed how the definition of a horror story has changed and evolved from Wolfman, Frankenstein, and Dracula to a genre where horror is synonymous with bloody, in the new tradition of Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy Kruger, etc…He prefers the term “scary” story rather than “horror” story because it captures the shift from the normal into the strange.

All three authors expressed that they’ve gotten some criticism about the age-appropriateness of their books for the intended middle grade audience. Kate Milford describes the process of how they shopped her book around. First, it went around as a young adult novel, then morphed to 10 and older because adults felt 9 year-olds were too young. But Kate believes that everyone translates things differently, especially when it comes to scary stories. She also slide in that she feels parents are wimpier than their kids and she thinks there is a benefit for kids to experience fear. Adam Gidwitz put his email on the book jacket and receives great feedback from kids, but polarized adult responses. Many adults loved it and others didn’t like the intrusive narrator presence that serves as a story-telling device because his book is really full of oral stories that have been written. Michael Teitelbaum said he has been in children’s books for nearly 20 years and still doesn’t understand the age labels. He hasn’t received any criticism about the appropriateness of his book, but runs a blog where kids submit scary stories from their towns, and he says the age sweet spot is 11 and most of the kids ask: “Are these really true stories?”

Of course, I couldn’t resist and I had to ask the last question of the panel: Are you concerned about using the devil in your books and having the religious nuts after you?

(Full disclosure: This was a self-serving question since the devil makes an appearance in my book!) Each author has the devil in their respective books.

Kate emphasized that she extricated her devil from his religious constraints and uses him in the same way he shows up in American folklore as the ultimate trickster figure. She believes his presence is weaved into the fabric of America in a way that is separate than his role in religion and the Bible. Adam also agreed and his use of the devil was as a manifestation of humans’ greatest fears. A Jersey Devil shows up in Michael’s text and he concurred that the devil is part of America.

Question: So, what’s next for these authors? Will they continue to ride the train of blood, bones and gore?

Kate Milford says it’s, “Where I’m stuck for awhile.” She loves all things creepy and weird and has a prequel to The Boneshaker called Broken Lands coming out next year. Adam Gidwitz says he’s stuck in fairy tales and thinks the form is fun and loves “translating anxieties into blood.” Next up for him is another collection of retellings featuring the grandchildren of Hansel and Gretel, from A Tale Dark and Grimm, named Jack and Jill. Michael Teitelbaum will be hopping around a bit, he’s got a sports book coming out as well as other projects, but assures all that more creepy stories will be coming our way.

Popularity: 38%

After reading an article about mixed race or biracial characters in children’s and teen fiction, it made me reconsider or rethink my own project. I am writing a middle grade historical steampunk novel with a biracial main protagonist. Questions swirled in my head: Why did I choose a biracial identity for the main character? What did I gain by doing that? Or what could my future gains be?

The author of the article was reviewing two picture books that profile biracial children, Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids and Spork. Kip Fulbeck’s Mixed book reminds me of a coffee table book full of pictures of happy biracial children. The second book, Kyo Maclear’s Spork, shows the offspring of a fork and a spoon and symbolizes an interracial union. These picture books made me think about multiracial or biracial teens and tweens in teen and middle grade fiction. Would my protagonist be lonesome? Or a perfect intersection of cultures to boost sales? Not too brown to impede sales?

There has been little press devoted to the fact that the main characters in Rick Riordian’s The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles) are, in fact, biracial. Sadie and Carter are the children of a dead white woman and a black Egyptologist father. Sadie looks white and has been living with her mother’s parents in London, only getting the opportunity to see her father and brother a couple times a year. Carter looks more like his father and lives with him, traveling all over the world. Their racial identity doesn’t inform the text or become a thematic element, but there is a scene where Carter’s father has a serious conversation with him about being African-American. Here is a snippet:

“Carter, you’re getting older. You’re an African American man. People will judge you more harshly, and so you must always look impeccable.”

“That’s not fair!” I insisted.

“Fairness does not mean everyone gets the same,” Dad said. “Fairness means everyone gets what they need. And the only way to get what you need is to make it happen yourself. “  (67)

Last month, at an event at New York City’s Books of Wonder featuring the National Book Award Nominees Walter Dean Myers, Rita Williams-Gracia, Katherine Erskine, and Paolo Bacigalupi, I polled the illustrious panel of authors with the following question: Do books with brown faces on them sell?

Rita Williams-Garcia and Walter Dean Myers both answered that it has been hard, but you must persevere and write the book in your heart. The owner of Books of Wonder, Peter Glassman, said that he has often found that white parents don’t buy books with brown faces on them for their kids — and that it is an unfortunate fact. Rita reminded the audience of the publishing hoopla caused by the cover of Justine Labarastier’s book Liar, and how the first cover featured a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl when the main protagonist was in fact a black female.

Paolo Bacigalupi commented that the main protagonist in his futuristic novel Shipbreaker is mixed race and based on his own child’s ethnicity. He said that his publishers didn’t put his face on the cover and that could say something, but that it is a fact often overlooked when the novel is reviewed. When reviewers neglect to mention the ethnic and/or racial identity of main characters in successful books, does it add to the feeling that biracial characters are invisible in the teen market? Are they doing the book a disservice, even if it isn’t central to the plot?

My historical steampunk novel would be complicated by the race relations of the late 1800s if I made my character full-blood African-American, so I chose to give myself some freedom by making her only half. Additionally, I think that it enhances the tension in the novel to have her be able to pass for white, but also be confronted with the racism her mother faces. The novel is not about race and it’s not a sub-plot or part of the thematic content of the novel. But it is mentioned to add another layer of isolation and tension to the main character’s journey and how she came about. I do worry about whether this decision will effect the book’s marketability and whether my main character’s biraciality will be swept under the rug in reviews and marketing. And sadly, I can’t help but wonder, is that for the best? Peter Glassman’s words haunt my subconscious.

Even though this book hasn’t been sold yet, I find myself already thinking about its racial implications. What is gained by making a character biracial? What is lost? Will my heroine still be considered a multicultural heroine? Will she speak to the child I was? Will all middle-grade girls find a connection with her?

Does anyone know of other middle grade and teen texts with biracial main characters where the novel is not about race? I’d love hear about them.

Popularity: 37%

Last Monday I got the opportunity to tag along with my good friend and published author J.A. Yang, writer of Exclusively Chloe, to Books of Wonder‘s private holiday party.

I can’t say enough fabulous things about this Chelsea bookstore. I often visit it when I hate writing my current project or am re-thinking my chosen career path as a writer. I wander the aisles, running my fingers over the colorful hardcover titles. I read all of the back-flap summaries of the entire middle grade row and eventually make my way to the back of the store to gawk into the rare children’s books case. Being surrounded by only children’s and teen books fills me with a magical feeling, like I’ve lifted off in a hot air balloon to an unknown destination.

Jon and I met at the party around 6:30 pm. I timidly followed him inside, unsure of what to expect. I am usually a social butterfly, diving in head first, ready to chat. But walking into this party was different. It buzzed with dozens of authors sipping wine, nibbling on snack foods, and talking about the current market. I nervously stared and wandered around bookshelves in awe. I spent most of the night awkwardly gazing at peoples’ bellies to get a look at their name tags. Then my mind frantically tried to connect authors’ names with their books. I secretly googled people on my iPhone to pin down their titles. These people were my celebrities. They were living the dream. The life I covet: a published, working author in the casual, cozy company of other authors.

I stuffed carrots in my mouth and watched them drift by. Here were some of my sightings: Deborah Heiligman, whom I’d heard speak at Rutgers and was still in awe of from her inspiring kick-in-the-butt speech. Sheldon Fogelman of The Sheldon Fogelman Agency, whose clients are some of the top children’s book writers and illustrators, Jerry Pinkney, Mo Willems, Richard Peck, and Maurice Sendak, and not to forget my former Hollins University writing professor, Alexandria La Faye. Barry Lyga, author of one of my favorite books, The Astonishing Adventures of Fan Boy and Goth Girl. Judy Blundell, National Book Award winner and an author who had just come to my Teen Lit class with David Levithan as part of his author panel. She remembered signing my book! Dave Horowitz, a prolific picture book author and artist that my four-year-old niece adores. He has titles such as Duck, Duck Moose and Five Little Gefiltes. Courtney Sheinmel, who was the Rutgers One-On-Obe mentor of our fabulous logo designer Lisa Amowitz and the author of a powerful books titled Positively, about an HIV-positive teen. And that’s just to name a few!

There were countless others, but I couldn’t get to them all before having to rush off to Monday workshop. Needless to say, attending these types of events boosts my morale and makes the dream of being a writer seem a tangible reality that is coming closer and closer. Maybe one day soon I’ll get to attend the Books of Wonder party again, but as a published author.

Popularity: 24%