Children's Writers for Room to Read

Last January Janelle over on her blog Writermorphosis challenged writers to donate cash to Room to Read based on how many words they write between February and April this year.  She discovered that it costs about $2500 to build a library, and so she felt if enough children's writers pitched in we could raise enough funds to build one.

I just went to the Writermorphosis site and used her link to contribute funds (it takes you directly to the Room to Read site, and it shows that the funds are part of the Children's Writers United group).  I found it very interesting to keep track of word count.  In the first month I wrote quite a few words a day, but in the second month I wrote fewer words since I was doing more research and revision than new writing.

I'm sure it's not too late to contribute, if you've been looking for a way to donate some cash to a literary cause.

The Writers' Well: A Weekly Recap of the Best Kidslit Blog Posts

Yah, it's Friday!  Let's plunge right into the Writers' Well.

Writers everywhere are coming up with inventive ways to help save local libraries.  Jennifer R. Hubbard talks about How to Help Your Library on her blog writerjenn.  If you go to Melissa Walker's blog and make a comment on this post she'll give some cash to her local library.  So will Angela De Groot, Janet Fox, and C. J. Omololu.  Susan Patron discusses the LA Library situation on Tales from the Rushmore Kid.

There's yet another donation challenge.  This one is at My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters.  For ever comment on this post by March 28th, she'll donate a dollar to Room to Read (this is the same organization that I'll be donating to at the end of this month).

There were some great posts on Writing Craft this week, too.  On the blog Pen and Ink, Hilde Garcia has notes on Jordan Brown's talk on Revision.  Anita Nolan had a three part series on Writing in Scenes (part 1, part 2, part 3).  Yesterday, she had a post on How to Research Historical Fiction.

Samantha Clarke was a guest blogger at Jordon McCollum, and she discusses How to Get the Most out of Conferences.

There were lots of great interviews this week.  Dave Patneaude (author Epitaph Road) was interviewed by Kirby Larson on her blog Kirby's Lane.  There's an interview with debut author Christy Raedeke (Prophecy of Days) on Holly Schindler's blog.  Beth Kephart discusses her novel The Heart is not a Size on the HipWriterMama blog.  There's also a donation challenge (all you have to do is leave a comment).  Kephart was interviewed over at Holly Cupala's blog, too.  D. M. Cunningham has an interview with Tom Angleberger, author of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda.


I really enjoyed this post at the YA 5.  K. A. Holt discusses the misconception that writing YA novels is less work than writing a book marketed to adults.
Libba Bray talks about her experiences at the NYC Teen Author Festival.

If you love Carrie Ryan's zombie novels, check out Holly Cupala's blog for videos and photos of Ryan's tour for Dead-Tossed Waves.

Lee Wind has an update on the School that Canceled Prom rather than let a lesbian student bring her girlfriend.

Every day in April is 30 Poets/30 Days on GottaBook.  Check out this post for details.

Tara Lazar has an inspirational post on What Figure Skating Taught her about Writing.

As a Snoopy fan, I must point to Peg Kehret's post on Snoopy Moments.

That's it for this week.  Have a wonderful weekend!

March Madness Continues

Sorry, I was way too busy biting my nails as I watched the Kansas State v Xavier Basketball game to blog.  It went into double overtime!  Kansas State finally pulled out the win--which is exactly what I needed.  Whew!  I'm still in the running to win the Office Pool.  [Grin]

Writing: The Badness Climax

My hubby and I went to a free movie prescreening.  It was described as an Alfred Hitchcock type of murder mystery and had a superb list of actors.  I'm not going to divulge a title or too many details, because it's possible that they will fix some of the problems before it hits the big screen.  IF it ever gets to the big screen.  The plot was so awful I'm not sure they will let anyone ever see this film again.

I tried to keep an open mind, but as the film continued it got worse.  Plot hole after plot hole emerged until it culminated in supreme badness.  I can tell you the exact moment when the badness peaked.  There was a scene where the con artists look at each other and ask, "Where's his cell phone?"  Then they cut to a grave site where the phone is ringing.  The entire theater (which was full, by the way) started laughing.  It was as if all of the badness of the movie hit a level that was so high, we couldn't not laugh.  Even the most polite audience member had to giggle at the outrageous plot.  I call this the badness climax.

I felt really sorry for the actors.  They tried their best, but the writing was so bad it was almost painful to watch them uttering nonsense.  This film really pointed out for me how important it is not to have plot holes and not to ever talk down to your audience.

In the first ten minutes of the film, we learn the protagonist's secret.  Yet, a detective who is interested in her (because she is so eccentric) pursues a clue to her past.  Towards the end of the movie the detective discovers what this clue means.  Unfortunately for the audience members, we already had the information.  So lesson number one for us writers: if we have someone working on solving a clue, the solution needs to add something to the story.  If it doesn't, we need to take the entire thread out.

There was a lot of redundancy in the movie as well.  A couple mentions a cell phone, and then we hear the cell phone, and then we hear the cell phone again, and then there's a close-up of the cell phone.  WE GET IT!  The cell phone's in the grave!  Lesson number two for us writers: trust our readers.

The plot just didn't work.  I can't say too much without giving away what movie I'm referring to.  Let's just say there was no reason that a murder needed to happen.  It was possible to do the con in a much easier manner, many years before the movie occurs.  Sometimes I'll get an idea for a scene or maybe a cool ending, but I can't get the rest of the story to work right.  This movie felt like someone wanted to write a cool mystery, but didn't take the time to make it believable.  One thing I learned during revisions of The Shaman Apprentice is that if I thought long enough I could find a solution to a problem.  The one thing we can't be afraid of is confronting plot holes in our work.

There was one thing that I winced at because it was a large part of my first revision of The Shaman Apprentice.  In the movie, there wasn't a definitive reason for the protagonist's main struggle.  At times it pointed to one reason, and then at other times it pointed to another.  There was great potential for character development, but it didn't work simply because there was too much confusion.  Our protagonists need to have a focused motivation for what they want to achieve.

It's always easier to see problems in another's work than it is in our own.  Still, we have to try to look realistically at our fiction--whether we're writing a murder mystery, a vampire romance, or a science fiction novel.

Writing & Basketball: The Wow Factor

I'm a college basketball fan, so this is an exciting time for me.  For those who aren't into it, the NCAA Basketball Tournament (aka March Madness) is underway.  This year it truly has been madness.  Kansas, the top rated seed in the tournament (that's 1 out of 64) lost in the 2nd round to Northern Iowa.  Now Northern Iowa is in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time ever.  This isn't the only upset to happen so far.  If you want drama, check out the tournament.

It made me think of a few things we novelists can learn from March Madness:

1. The Wow Factor
Despite the fact that Kansas losing has hurt me in the office pool, there was something awesome about Northern Iowa beating Kansas.  It was so entirely unexpected that I (and every sports commentator) can't stop talking about it.  If you think back to your favorite novel, there usually is a spot where you have to put the book down for a second and say, "Wow!"  Then you tell your friends they have to read the book.  That's the wow factor.

2.  No Cheap Tricks
While it's cool to see a few upsets, if every game is an upset then we audience members become disgruntled.  We bash the committee who chooses the seeds.  We create conspiracy theories.  We feel used.  I think if there are too many twists in a novel it feels cheap.  Some things do need to be predictable.

3.  Tension, Tension, Tension
The most entertaining games to watch are the ones where you don't know which team is going to win.  Maybe one team is up by four points, but then a minute later the other team rallies and suddenly they are ahead.  You can't stop watching the game, because you aren't sure who the victor will be.  Of course, the opposite is true for games where a team is fifteen or more points ahead.  You can turn the channel or even leave the game early, because you're sure of the outcome.  Novels are the same way.  If you can keep the tension high throughout the book, a reader has no choice but to continue reading to the end.

Now that I've discussed writing I can get back to talking about basketball.  Despite the fall of Kansas (who saw that coming?), I'm still in the running to win my office pool.  I need Kansas State, Kentucky, and Duke to be in the Final Four, and I need Duke to win it all.  That's not too much to ask, right?

Anyone else betting on the games?  What are your picks for the Final Four and the National Championship?

New Follower Widgets

If you visit often, you might notice something new on the side panel: follow me widgets.

I've been slow to add the follow widgets to my blog because, well, I just didn't see the point of it.  I felt the same way about Facebook at first.  My hubby kept telling me I needed to try it, but I didn't understand why you would spend so much time on a website that didn't seem to do anything.  Then I tried it and realized what a wonderful way it was to connect with people I hardly see.  So I've decided to give the Follow widgets a try.  If it helps to connect more people to my blog and me to the readers, then that's a great thing.

The Writers' Well: A Weekly Recap of the Best Kidslit Blog Posts

There are some weeks where every day brings new challenges and you find yourself muttering, "Is it Friday yet?"  I started asking that question on Monday.  Today, though, it truly is Friday so I'm doing the happy dance.

The good news is that there were a lot of great writer posts this week!  Let's plunge into the writers' well:

You'd think by now a lesbian couple attending Prom wouldn't be a big deal, but unfortunately some schools are still enforcing opposite gender only rules.  Lee Wind has a post about a school in Mississippi that has canceled their Prom to avoid letting a lesbian couple attend.  Read his post for more information, and you can also sign a petition to encourage the high school to hold the Prom.

There are several interviews this week to be aware of.  Janet Fox interviews debut author Swati Avasthi about her novel Split, and Fox also interviews Mara Purnhagen (author of Tagged).  This interview with Editor of the new Tu Imprint at Lee & Low Stacy Whitman is inspiring.  There's an amusing interview with two teens about their recent reads at On Beyond Words & Pictures.  Cynthia Omololu is interviewed on the Teen Author blog.  Holly Cupala interviews Elizabeth Scott (author of The Unwritten Rule).  You can check out alternate book covers of The Unwritten Rule on Melissa Walker's website.

If an author is interviewed on video is that then a vinterview?  Just kidding.  Market My Words has a vlog interview with Naughty List author Suzanne Young.  There's a new book trailer over at My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters for Sydney Salter's new novel Swoon at Your Own Risk.

Maggie Stiefvater (author of Shiver) has an interesting post on why it's important to do something more than just write.  This is probably the first time I've heard a writer say that having a day job is conducive to writing.  She makes some interesting points, though.

There's a great post on Laini Taylor's blog about The Zero Draft.  It's not even the first draft, it's something even more primitive.  I love the concept.

Day by Day Writer discusses novels written in Present tense first person.  Cynthia Jaynes Omololu writes about endings.

It's so inspirational when you hear about a writer get that first deal...especially when that deal involves three books and a comparison to Hunger Games.  Congrats, Beth Revis!  I heard about it first on Day by Day Writer, and then read it for myself here. 

The Dee Scribe blog has tips on how to conduct teen writing workshops.

Kelly Barnhill on The YA 5 blog describes mistakes she made, but also how her boldness made her successful.

Anita Nolan has great advice on how to deliver your comments at live Critique sessions.

If you need a break from writing longer fiction try writing six word memoirs.  Check out Tara Lazar's blog to see how it works.

That's it for this week.  Have a wonderful weekend!

The End of Publishing

I originally saw this video on Barry Lyga's website.  There's a special twist that happens halfway through so be sure to watch it all the way to the end.  It's so true!  Take a look.

Write Like the White Stripes

Last Thursday evening my husband and I watched The White Stripes movie based on their Canadian Tour, Under Great White Northern Lights.  In case you don't know, The White Stripes is a band made up of two members: Jack and Meggin White (they refer to themselves as brother and sister, though some evidence shows they are no relation and were married at one point).  Yep, I said two members.  They don't add muscians to their band when they tour, either.  Yet when I listen to their music I don't miss the other instruments.  As I watched their film, I started thinking about how much of their philosophies translates to writing.  The White Stripes have been together for over ten years and have produced six albums.  I think we can learn a lot from them.

1.  Keep it Challenging
Remember how I said there's only two of them?  Jack White stated the reason for the band's small numbers is that he wanted to make it difficult for himself.  If he had a bass player, then he would have to work a lot less to produce a song, and in his mind, this ease produces laziness.  He also uses guitars that are over ten years old and are difficult to keep tuned up.  He purposely positions instruments far from each other on the stage so he has to work hard to get to each one.

2.  Give Your Muse a Tight Deadline
The White Stripes philosophy is that if you don't give yourself a deadline to produce an album, then you'll take a year or more to finish it.  Jack White believes the best way to get your mind to be creative is to give it a short time to produce good work.  They give themselves 4 to 5 days to produce an album.  That's it.  Jack White believes that creativity is about hard work, so don't let your muse dawdle.

3.  Image can be Premeditated; Art Never Should Be
The White Stripes' brother-sister image and red and white striped outfits were definitely premeditated, but their music evolves with time.  I think writers should be careful with branding themselves.  Marketing and sales people love it, but we want to always make sure that we're pushing ourselves to grow and we're still passionate about whatever project we're working on.  For some writers that means changing up styles (like M. T. Anderson).  Every story we write should be one that we are inspired to tell, not simply one that we believe will sell to the biggest market.

4.  Innovate, Don't Imitate
I don't think the White Stripes are like any other band.  Even when they do a cover of a another artist's work they make it uniquely their own.  Every album is different as well.  It's as if they are trying to set themselves apart even from their own work.  I will admit that I don't love all of their songs.  In all cases, though, the work is innovative from the lyrics to the instrumentation to the voice.

5.  Prove Your Critics Wrong
Jack White said in the film that critics early on said they were good, but they wouldn't be able to sustain it.  Other critics said they would be a fad.  Ten years later, The White Stripes still are producing music and still have a loyal following.  I think the critics words were a motivator for Jack and Meggin White.  They were intent on proving that the band wasn't going to fade away after a couple of albums.

6.  Don't Restrict Yourself to the Ordinary, and Extraordinary Things Can Happen
The White Stripes decided to do a tour of every province in Canada including some small towns that usually get ignored by major artists.  They also made sure that during the day they would do free impromptu concerts.  One time they played on a bus, another time they chose a tiny diner, and on a different occasion they played outside to about 250 town people.  Jack White said the reason for playing in small towns and giving impromptu concerts was that he wanted something special to happen.  The only way to have something special happen is to do something out of the ordinary.  For writers, maybe it's grabbing a pad of paper or your laptop and writing somewhere strange like a bus depot or a park.  Maybe it's giving a reading for an audience that you wouldn't normally think would suit your work.  Push yourself to think outside of the norm, and something unusual may happen.

and finally...

7.  Be Passionate about Your Work
Not everyone is going to want to perform the way The White Stripes do, but if there's one thing to be taken from their style it is their passion.  If you listen to Jack White talk about music you can hear the passion that he has for it.  You can see it in Meggin White as she moves to the music as she strikes the drums.  Passion is the thing that can't be faked or found by following a set of rules in a writing manual.  It's inside you.  Don't ever let anything take that away.

A Potentially Humiliating Encounter

Yesterday, I had a terrible migraine (actually that's repetitive, since migraines are by definition terrible), and couldn't bear to stare at a computer screen when I got home.  So no blogging for me!

But I did get a wonderful surprise in my mailbox.  My Vermont College of Fine Arts packet!  I spent my evening going through the winter residency schedule to see what an average day is like (busy!), and reading the manual and other literature they provided.  Then this morning I found out that Holly Black and Gregory Maguire are going to be the Writers in Residence this July.  I'm so excited!  I hope I'll be able to get out a coherent sentence when I speak to Holly Black.  I had a horrible experience at the Big Sur Workshop where my friends forced me to sit next to a writer they knew I admired and I swear I think I said two words the entire breakfast.  Later, I thought of a ton of witty things I could have said, but at the time I was so in awe I couldn't formulate a thought.

Well, at least I have several months to think about what to say.  Maybe I'll jot down some one-liners on my palm so that even if my brain stops working I can just read and repeat.  Or maybe not.  Doesn't that sound like a scene from a sitcom?  Beverley looks down at her palm, but since some of the words are now erased she ends up saying something offensive by accident.

Yep, that's exactly what would happen.

I suppose I'll just have to wing it, and hope for the best.  If it's really bad, at least I'll have something to blog about.

The Writers' Well: A Weekly Recap of the Best Kidslit Blog Posts

This week sped by for me.  Yet here we are again, ready for another Writers' Well.  There are a lot of great writer posts this week as you'll see!

There are talks of cutting the LA Public Library budget.  Lee Wind interviewed a librarian who explains the crisis and what can be done about it.

There are several great posts on Writing craft.  Ben Esch (author of Sophomore Undercover) answers the question of how he gets ideas in an amusing way.  There's a similar post on Teaching Authors that focuses on choosing what to write about. There's a sampling of writing advice on Laini Taylor's blog.  My favorite is by Peter S. Beagle: "Invest in a comfortable pad for the chair in which you work."  Teaching Authors has an interesting post on Character's Voice.  The question, "Is it vital to write everyday?" is answered on the Dee Scribewriting blog.  D. M. Cunningham discusses how Art inspires creativity.

Georgia McBride has a YALitChat followup (YALitChat is a weekly Twitter session) on her blog.  It gives some fantastic information on the publishing industry.  Day by Day Writer shows how Young Adult book sales are still up (Yah!).  On Market My Words, Shelli has some great marketing tips.

There's an inspiring post on Cynsations with guest blogger Tom Angleberger author of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda.

I thought this post on the blog "I'm Here, I'm Queer, What the hell do I read?" was really cute.  Lee Wind gives dad's 3 Secrets to Reading to Your Daughter.  My favorite is number one: You Gotta Get Over Your Sparkle-Fairy-Pixie-Dust-Pink-Glitter Allergy.


There were a ton of fabulous interviews this week.  On Cynsations, Cynthia Leitich Smith interviews M. T. Anderson on Writing Across Formats.  It's a very interesting interview, especially if you've had thoughts on branding.  If you're wondering what young adults actually think about YA novels, then you'll be interested in this interview.  Holly Schindler interviews teen blogger/writer Sam of One Sparkling Star.  Through the Wardrobe has an interview with Jan Godown Annino (author of She Sang Promise).  Holly Cupala interviews Allan Stratton about his new novel Borderline.  YA Fresh interviews Elizabeth Scott (author of The Unwritten Rule).  Johanna Hurwitz (author of Amazing Monty) is interviewed on the Teaching Authors blog.  Finding Wonderland and Writing with a Broken Tusk have posts on how Tu books is now an imprint of Lee & Low Books.  The Enchanted Inkpot interviews editorial director of Tu Books, Stacy Whitman.

Georgia McBride reviews The Reinvention of Edison Thomas by Jaqueline Houtman.  There's a funny review of Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth (recently published in paperback) on the Paranormal Point of View blog.

YA author Marlene Perez announces some fabulous news.  The first three novels in her Dead Is... series has been optioned to the Disney Channel!

If you want funny, it's hard to beat Kiersten Writes blog.  I especially enjoyed her Teen! Drama! parody.

If there's a post you think other's would enjoy that didn't make it onto my list, please feel free to share it in the comments section.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Yesterday, I was honored to have received the One Lovely Blog Award from Megan Abrahams on her blog On Beyond Words & Pictures.  It's nice to be appreciated for the work I do here.  There are so many wonderful blogs out there, I think it's a great idea to send a little love out to them this week.

Now it's my turn to honor 15 lovely kid lit blogs. If your blog is on my list - here's the drill:

1. Mention this award in your blog - as a new post or on your sidebar.

2. Give the award to 15 other lovely bloggers.

3. Send them a message or comment to let them know.

1. Day by Day Writer
2. Sheryl Scarborough
3. Edith Cohn
4. Writermorphosis
5. The Bookshelf Muse
6. C. J. Omololu
7. Suzanne Young
8. The Journal of Laini Taylor
9. Kiersten Writes
10. Teaching Authors
11. Holly Cupala
12. Through the Wardrobe
13. Sara Wilson Etienne
14. Tales from the Rushmore Kid
15. Writerjenn

VCFA MFA in Writing for Children and YA

I have some exciting news.  I've been accepted into the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) MFA in Writing for Children and YA program!  I got the good news yesterday.  For those unaware of the program, it's low-residency, which means I won't have to move to Vermont.  I'll be traveling there twice a year, for ten day stretches.  In between times I'll be corresponding with a faculty member.

It was difficult blogging on Monday, because I wanted to discuss the lunch I attended for prospective students, but at the same time didn't want to announce that I'd applied to the program.  I didn't want to jinx myself, by talking about it.  I think I did pretty well keeping that a secret.

Here's another photograph of the campus.  Isn't it beautiful?

Tuesday Releases: The Dead-Tossed Waves and Hourglass

Yah, the day has arrived!  The Dead-Tossed Waves and Hourglass have arrived in bookstores!  A couple of friends at work and I have an informal YA book club.  We have been pining for the sequels to these two series for quite some time.  The only problem will be which one will we read first?  Ah, decisions, decisions.

THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES by Carrie Ryan (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)

HOURGLASS (Evernight series) by Claudia Gray (HarperTeen)







I know there are some other fabulous sounding YA novels released today.  It's hard, too, since I have a shelf full of novels I've purchased and haven't read yet.  That never seems to stop me from buying more, though!

BORDERLINE by Allan Stratton (HarperTeen)
THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson (Dial Books for Young Readers)
SPLIT by Swati Avasthi (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
VINTAGE VERONICA by Erica S. Perl (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
KEEP SWEET by Michele Dominguez Greene (Simon Pulse)
FLIRTING WITH DISASTER by Rhonda Stapleton (Simon Pulse)
POISONED HONEY: A STORY OF MARY MAGDALENE by Betrice Gormley (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
SAVING MADDIE by Varian Johnson (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)

Happy reading!

Writer2Writer Event with Nancy Bo Flood

 

Yesterday, I attended the Writer2Writer event hosted by Catherine Linka at the Flintridge Bookstore.   The guest speaker was Nancy Bo Flood, author of Warriors In the Crossfire, a historical novel based on the dual invasions of the U.S. and Japan on the island Saipan.  Here's a book trailer:

Before the Writer2Writer event there was a lunch for Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in Children's Writing prospective students.  Nancy Bo Flood and Catherine Linka are alum of the program, and there were several other alumna there ready to answer questions and share their experiences.  Interestingly, one of the topics that came up was how writing for children trains you to write novels with a strong story, which translates well into writing for adults.  At the Writer2Writer event, Flood emphasized how the story is more important than the history.

She asked us to think of historical novels we had read and to think about what we think of first: the story or the history in which the events take place.  The history should be in the background, and the story front and center.  Flood emphasized, though, that the history needs to be absolutely accurate.  This might be the only source a child uses for that particular piece of history, so you need to make sure that what you are giving them is authentic.

The culture of the place also reflects on the character.  The decisions that characters make and how they think is depended on the culture they are from.  If you're writing about a character that is breaking their culture's taboos make sure that you show how that affects the people around them (for instance, their family and friends).  What are the consequences of their actions?

It was a wonderful event, and made me think hard about my own work.  The Shaman Apprentice, while completely fictional, is set in a place where various events bring about a war.  Have I emphasized the history over story?  I'll be considering this in the future.

The Writers' Well: The Recap of this Week's Best Kidslit Blogs

I don't know about you, but I'm thrilled that it's Friday.  I'm also excited about my new writers' well photo I downloaded from istock.  Isn't it delightfully witchy?  It's the Chalice Well in Glastonbury, a Sacred site for all people and maintained by a local group. The water of this well is believed to contain healing properties.

On another exciting note, I've reached my 10,000 word goal almost a month early!  I'll still be keeping track of my word count to see how much I'll be giving to Room to Read in April.  I've pledged to give one cent for every two words I write in February and March.

Now onto this week's coverage of the kidslit writer blogs:

March seems to be becoming the Dig in and Write month.  Maybe it's because it's the beginning of Spring, so writers want a fresh beginning?  Or perhaps it's the NCAA Basketball Tournament inspires a sense of competition.  If you'd like to make a firm goal to commit to this month, join with Cuppa Jolie, Grow Wings, Denise Jaden, and Blogzone for some companionship and support.

This post by Carrie Jones (author of Need) really touched me.  She talks about how when she's on tour she is constantly speaking about herself, and how that honesty helps other children to share their experiences with her.

Several of the writer posts were on upcoming author events.  YA Authors Beth Kephart (The Heart is Not a Size), Elizabeth Eulberg (The Lonely Hearts Club) and Patrick Carman (Skeleton Creek and Trackers) will be on a panel at the Philadelphia Book Festival on April 18th.  Kephart talks about it here.  Maggie Stiefvater (author of Shiver) posts about her appearances in March including Charlottesville, Virginia, the NYC Teen Author Festival, and Books of Wonder (NYC).  Amy Brecount will be interviewed on the Live Blog Radio show A Book and a Chat tomorrow, and she asks that you call in with your questions.

There were a whole lot of interviews to report, and I'm sure I probably missed a couple.  But here goes!

Georgia McBride interviewed Dirty Little Secrets author Cynthia J. Omololu.  One of the things you learn is how Omololu met her agent in an elevator.  Read the interview to hear the entire story.  And in a strange coincidence (in the same week even!), Swati Avasthi (author of Split) confesses that she met her agent in an elevator as well!  The morale here is don't be shy.  Stalk prospective agents in elevators!  I'm just kidding folks.  Avasthi was interviewed by Holly Cupala, and she discussed more than just her penchant for elevator networking.

Day by Day writer continues to post her notes from the Houston SCBWI conference including talks from Editor Nancy Feresten.  Sydney Salter interviews Shani Petroff (author of the Bedeviled series).  Author of Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs Ron Koertg is interviewed by Janet Fox on her Through the Wardrobe blog.  National Book Award Nominee Deborah Heiligman is interviewed by Tina Nichols Coury.  Nancy Sanders interviews Syeda Mleeha Shah (author of Peace in my World). Here's something different: One of Kathy McCullough's characters (Delaney Collins, F.G.) discusses How to Write using a Teen Voice on Randy Russell's blog.

You can bid on a critique from Cynthia Leitich Smith (New York Times Bestselling author of Eternal and Professor at the prestigious Vermont College of Fine Arts) at the YA & Kids Books Central Auction.  Read about it on her blog Cynsations.

Okay, this isn't really about writing or children's lit but it's really cool.  Jay Asher (author of 13 Reasons Why) posted two videos made by students at their high schools.  Talk about some talented kids!  Also, don't miss Laurie Halse Anderson's first vlog.  She answers questions, talks about some Library promos she will be making, and her dislike of the word vlog (among other things).  Speaking of first's, watch the video of the Beginning of the YA 5 blog.

Peg Kehret (author of Small Steps) discusses how she responds to children when they ask how much she gets paid.

Every Wednesday, Suzanne Young (author of The Naughty List) will be posting an excerpt from unfinished works in her novel graveyard (her words, not mine).  This week's excerpt was hilarious and superbly written.  We all wish our scrap pile was that good.

If you watch American Idol, you'll enjoy the post Rejection Lessons from American Idol on the Market My Words blog.

If you're interested in the mix of comic books and novels check out the Illustra-Novella post on Literary Asylum.

I always find it interesting to learn about a particular writer's process.  Barry Lyga discusses his method for writing novels here.

I applaud Maggie Stiefvater (author of Shiver) for her rebuttal to an ignorant blogger's assertion that YA literature is going down the toilet.

I love Libba Bray's blog.  She went for awhile without posting, but now we have two delightful posts in a row.  First, she shares with us about her harrowing experience of (almost) breaking Holly Black's coffee pot.  Second, Bray gives us tips on how to avoid being an easy Serial Killer target (yeah, she's joking, of course).   She's currently on a writer's retreat with some friends of hers.  Last year, some of my writer friends and I did the same thing.  We rented a house for a week to write in.  During the day we'd each go in our own corner to write, and in the evenings we'd eat dinner and stay up late talking.  I highly recommend the experience.

Well, that's it for this week!  Please share more blogs in the comments section.  Have a wonderful weekend!

A Few Excellent Agent Posts Today

There were several important agent blogs today I think are worth your time:

Mandy Hubbard explains the reasons she rejected recent submissions.

Jill Corcoran has updated her submission policy.

Kristin Nelson continues to discuss how contracts must be visited due to the recent changes in business models (and how certain publishers are being slow to respond to these changes).

Enjoy!  Tomorrow is the Writers' Well, when I recap the best kidslit writers' blogs from this week.

Save the LA Public Library

It's no surprise that the city of Los Angeles is facing budget cuts.  This, sadly, is true for most cities in the U.S. this year.  When politicians are looking for ways to cut, it's important for us to voice what we feel shouldn't be cut.

The Save the LA Public Library website makes it easy to tell the politicians to not cut the library budget.  There's a an email tool that sends a message to the decision makers of Los Angeles.  It just takes a second to send, so please check it out.

If you want to see what wonderful programs would be loss through budget cuts, check out the Los Angeles Public Library website.  They have a really cool YA website, too.

Think you can balance the budget?  Take the Los Angeles Budget Challenge.  I was happy that I was able to balance the budget without touching the library dollars (even if it was just in a virtual world).

Writing: Archetype v Cliche (Nathan Bransford's Post)

Nathan Bransford's blog is usually a great place to spend some time.  Today's post, Archetype v Cliche, is excellent.  In essence, he's saying that writers shouldn't try to imitate a popular work like Harry Potter or Twilight, but instead create an original take on a common plot.  So true!

Writing Simply: How the A-Team Tackled (Blew Up and Obliterated) Bullying

Okay, I'll admit it.  When I think of the A-Team the first thing that comes to mind is a giant explosion.  One of the fun aspects of the 1980's television show was how the problem was always solved through blowing something up, yet no one ever got hurt.  I watched a few episodes over the weekend and laughed when cars were shot at, crashed, and rolled until they were smashed yet the bad guys got out unscathed.  I don't think that the special effects (though cool) are the only reason the show was so loved.  I think it has to do with two things: first, the main characters are simply drawn with distinct traits; second, the A-Team unfailingly uses their finesse to free good people from bullies.

There were four main characters that made up the A-Team: Col. John "Hannibal" Smith, "Howling Mad" Murdock, B. A. (Bad Attitude) Baracus, and Templeston "Faceman" Peck.  Each character had a specific role to play on the show and on the team.

Hannibal is the leader with the plan so crazy it has to be effective.  He's always got a grin on his face while biting down on a cigar.  The other team members respect him as well as have a healthy fear for his ideas (even though they always work).

Murdock is the mad genius.  The team has to break him out of a psychiatric ward.  The Vietnam War played a part in his madness.  It's a light-hearted take on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  His value on the team is that he seems to be able to fly any plane or helicopter there is.  He's also the comic effect guy as he teases B. A. and assists Face with stealing the supplies they need straight from the bad guys storerooms.


B.A. is played by Mr. T.  Not only did we know he was tough by the 30 pounds of gold necklaces he wore in every episode, but by the crazy things he could lift.  B.A.'s the lovable giant, the guy who is constantly manipulated by clever Hannibal, and teased mercilessly by Murdock (because B.A. is scared of flying).


Face is the handsome guy who is constantly hitting on the ladies at the same time he's swindling the crooks.  He's also a bit more selfish than the other guys, always emphasizing that they're helping people for money.


The A-Team is made up of simple, yet heroic, figures that we can count on not to change episode after episode.  This simplicity wouldn't work for every show, but for their purposes (which involves the strong A-Team freeing the innocent from bullies) it works well.


Bullying is about a person or persons using brute force or verbal abuse to subjugate an individual or group of people.  The A-Team almost always were hired to combat bullies that would not (or could not) be removed through legal channels.  At the beginning of every episode an announcer would say, "If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... The A-Team."

Even though they were being paid to help the victims, that never tarnished their image.  There was always danger, and whatever they were paid wasn't usually enough to provide all of the ammo necessary to deal with the bullies.  One of the episodes I saw this weekend featured a scene where Face and Murdock con dynamite from one of the suppliers that they were trying to take down.  It helps that there's never anything nebulous about the side they are on.  The A-Team always represents the innocent, and the other side is always clearly wrong.  The producers of the show never worry too much over realism.  That, truly, would have ruined the whole concept.

There is an A-Team movie being made, and the timing of it is interesting to me.  The current trend is towards showing imperfect heroes that face every day challenges.  The A-Team never was about the every day.  It was about freeing the innocent using wit, muscle, and dynamite.