Book Launch: The Year The Swallows Came Early

In my continuing series of interview with debut writers I'm featuring Kathryn Fitzmaurice, author of The Year The Swallows Came Early, which debuts one week from today. This is another lovely novel from an author you're sure to hear about. And today is the debut day for Rosanne Parry's Heart of a Shepherd - scroll down to read that interview.

Congratulations on the publication of your novel, THE YEAR THE SWALLOWS CAME EARLY. What specifically inspired it?
When I was thirteen, I spent the summer with my grandmother in New York. She wrote science fiction novels, and showed me how to write my first story that summer. She taught me to write what I know. The Year the Swallows Came Early is a story about how much easier one’s life can be when you choose to forgive someone who has wronged you.

The voice in THE YEAR THE SWALLOWS CAME EARLY is lovely and compelling. Is Groovy familiar to you?
I used to be an elementary school teacher. Groovy is a combination of two students I had one year, with a little bit of me mixed in. Her name, however, came from my next door neighbor friend when I was a little girl. Her parents called her Groovy because she danced all the time. No one ever called her by her real name.

How long have you been writing for children/teens? Have you written other books or is this your first effort?
I have been writing full time for five years. This is my first novel to be published. Currently, I’ve been working on a companion book to The Year the Swallows Came Early and an historical fiction book set during WWII.

Can you describe your path to the publication of THE YEAR THE SWALLOWS CAME EARLY?
My path to publication was a daily mix of doubt and hope. After three years of writing Swallows, I finally found an agent, Jennifer Rofe, at the Andrea Brown Agency, who believed in my writing. I’d still be wandering about without her help. She helped to direct me and showed me the gaps in my story. I had submitted manuscripts to editors on my own, and had some personal feedback, but, for me, having an agent was a way to get to publishers who wouldn’t look at my work otherwise.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers?
My advice for beginning writers is simple: join a critique group. I believe a critique group is the most valuable way to get objective feedback before submitting your work to an agent or an editor. Other writers can see the parts you’ve missed. They are able to pull out the story in you that you may not know is there.

Can you tell us something about your personal life – inspirations, plans for the future, goals, etc.?
I look forward to writing every day. Sometimes an entire goes by and suddenly, my boys are home from school. If I’m lucky, I’ll still be writing, wondering where the day went, many years from now. My grandmother’s books are on my shelf in my home office. I’d feel extremely fortunate if I was able to publish as many as she did.

Congratulations to All the Winners!

The ALA announced its annual awards this morning, and the exciting news (for me personally) is the Newbery Honor designation to Kathi Appelt for The Underneath. Yeah Kathi!

Here's a clip from the press release:

DENVER, Jan. 26, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Library Association (ALA) today announced the top books, videos and audiobooks for children and young adults -- including the Caldecott, King, Newbery, Schneider Family and Printz awards -- at its Midwinter Meeting in Denver.

In addition, the ALA celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards and introduced a new award, the William C. Morris Award. It is also the first year that the Pura Belpre Award will be given annually.

The following is a list of all ALA Youth Media Awards for 2009:
John Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to children's literature. Neil Gaiman, author of ``The Graveyard Book,'' illustrated by Dave McKean and published by HarperCollins Children's Books, is the 2009 Newbery Medal winner.

Four Newbery Honor Books were named: ``The Underneath,'' by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by David Small, and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; ``The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom,'' by Margarita Engle and published by Henry Holt and Company LLC; ``Savvy,'' by Ingrid Law and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group in partnership with Walden Media, LLC; ``After Tupac & D Foster,'' by Jacqueline Woodson and published by G. P. Putnam's Sons, a division of Penguin Books for Young Readers.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children. Beth Krommes, illustrator of ``The House in the Night,'' written by Susan Marie Swanson and published by Houghton Mifflin Company, is the 2009 Caldecott Medal Winner.

Three Caldecott Honor Books were named: ``A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever,'' written and illustrated by Marla Frazee and published by Harcourt, Inc.; ``How I Learned Geography,'' written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz and published by Farrar Straus Giroux; ``A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams,'' illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant and published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults. Melina Marchetta, author of ``Jellicoe Road,'' is the 2009 Printz Award winner. The book is published by HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Four Printz Honor Books also were named: ``The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II, The Kingdom on the Waves,'' by M.T. Anderson, published by Candlewick Press; ``The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks,'' by E. Lockhart, published by Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group; ``Nation,'' by Terry Pratchett, published by HarperCollins Children's Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers; and ``Tender Morsels,'' by Margo Lanagan, published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

Coretta Scott King Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults. ``We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball,'' written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, is the King Author Book winner. The book is published by Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group. ``The Blacker the Berry,'' illustrated by Floyd Cooper, written by Joyce Carol Thomas and published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, is the King Illustrator Book winner.

Three King Author Honor Books were selected: ``The Blacker the Berry,'' by Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Floyd Cooper and published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; ``Keeping the Night Watch,'' by Hope Anita Smith, illustrated by E.B. Lewis and published by Henry Holt and Company; and ``Becoming Billie Holiday,'' by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper and published by Wordsong, an imprint of Boyds Mills Press, Inc.

Three Illustrator Honor Books were selected: ``We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball,'' written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, published by Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group; ``Before John Was a Jazz Giant,'' by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Sean Qualls, published by Henry Holt and Company; and ``The Moon Over Star'' by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award. Shadra Strickland, illustrator of ``Bird,'' written by Zetta Elliott, is the Steptoe winner. The book is published by Lee & Low Books.

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody the artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. ``Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum,'' written and illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker and published by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, won the award for young children. Leslie Connor is the winner of the middle-school award for ``Waiting for Normal,'' published by HarperCollins Children's Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers. The teen award winner is ``Jerk, California,'' written by Jonathan Friesen and published by Speak, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished book for beginning readers. ``Are You Ready to Play Outside?'' written and illustrated by Mo Willems and published by Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group, is the 2009 Geisel Award winner.

Four Geisel Honor Books were named: ``Chicken said, 'Cluck!''' by Judyann Ackerman Grant, illustrated by Sue Truesdell and published by HarperCollins Children's Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers; ``One Boy,'' written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, a Neal Porter Book published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership; ``Stinky,'' written and illustrated by Eleanor Davis and published by The Little Lit Library, a division of RAW Junior, LLC; and ``Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator'' by Sarah C. Campbell, with photographs by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell, published by Boyds Mills Press.

Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. Laurie Halse Anderson is the recipient of the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her outstanding lifetime contribution to writing for teens for ``Catalyst,'' published by Viking Children's Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, ``Fever 1793,'' published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing and ``Speak,'' a 2000 Printz Honor Book, published by Puffin Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.

Pura Belpre Awards honoring Latino authors and illustrators whose work best portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in children's books. ``Just in Case,'' illustrated by Yuyi Morales, is the winner of the 2009 Belpre Illustrator Award. It is a Neal Porter Book published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership. ``The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom,'' by Margarita Engle, is the winner of the 2009 Belpre Author Award. The book is published by Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

Three Belpre Illustrator Honor Books for illustration were named: ``Papa and Me,'' illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez, written by Arthur Dorros, published by Rayo, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; ``The Storyteller's Candle / La velita de los cuentos,'' illustrated by Lulu Delacre, written by Lucia Gonzalez, published by Children's Book Press; and ``What Can You Do with a Rebozo?'' illustrated by Amy Cordova, written by Carmen Tafolla, published by Tricycle Press, an imprint of Ten Speed Press.

Three Belpre Author Honor Books were named: to ``Just in Case,'' written by Yuyi Morales, a Neal Porter Book published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership; ``Reaching Out,'' written by Francisco Jimenez, published by Houghton Mifflin Company; and ``The Storyteller's Candle / La velita de los cuentos,'' written by Lucia Gonzalez and published by Children's Book Press.

Robert F. Sibert Medal for most distinguished informational book for children. ``We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball,'' by author and illustrator Kadir Nelson, is the winner of the 2009 Sibert Medal. The book is published by Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group.

Two Sibert Honor Books were named: ``Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and Rediscovery of The Past,'' written by James M. Deem and published by Houghton Mifflin Company; and ``What to Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!'' written by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.

Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children's video. Paul R. Gagne and Melissa Reilly of Weston Woods Studios, producers of ``March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World,'' are the 2009 Carnegie Medal recipients.

Mildred L. Batchelder Award for the most outstanding children's book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States. ``Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit,'' originally published in Japanese, written by Nahoko Uehashi and translated by Cathy Hirano, is the winner of the 2009 Mildred L. Batchelder Award. The book is published by Arthur A. Levine, an imprint of Scholastic.

Two Batchelder Honor Books were named: ``Garmann's Summer,'' originally published in Norwegian, written by Stian Hole, translated by Don Bartlett, and published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.; and ``Tiger Moon,'' originally published in German, written by Antonia Michaelis, translated by Anthea Bell, and published by Amulet, an imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production. Recorded Books, producer of the audiobook ``The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,'' written and narrated by Sherman Alexie and produced by Recorded Books, LLC., is the winner of the 2009 Odyssey Award.

Five Odyssey Honor Audiobooks were named: ``Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady,'' written by L.A. Meyer, narrated by Katherine Kellgren and produced by Listen & Live Audio, Inc.; ``Elijah of Buxton,'' written by Christopher Paul Curtis, narrated by Mirron Willis and produced by Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group; ``I'm Dirty!'' written by Kate & Jim McMullan, narrated by Steve Buscemi and produced by Weston Woods Studios, Inc./Scholastic; ``Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale,'' written and narrated by Carmen Agra Deedy and produced by Peachtree Publishers; ``Nation,'' written by Terry Pratchett, narrated by Stephen Briggs and produced by HarperChildren's Audio/HarperCollins Publishers.

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences. The following winners for 2009 were named: ``City of Thieves,'' by David Benioff, published by Viking Penguin, A Member of Penguin Group; ``The Dragons of Babel,'' by Michael Swanwick, A Tor Book published by Tom Doherty Associates; ``Finding Nouf,'' by Zoe Ferraris published by Houghton Mifflin Company; ``The Good Thief,'' by Hannah Tinti, published by The Dial Press, A Division of Random House; ``Just After Sunset: Stories,'' by Stephen King, published by Scribner, A Division of Simon & Schuster; ``Mudbound,'' by Hillary Jordan, published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill; ``Over and Under,'' by Todd Tucker, published by Thomas Dunne Books, An Imprint of St. Martin's Press; ``The Oxford Project,'' by Stephen G. Bloom, photographed by Peter Feldstein, published by Welcome Books; ``Sharp Teeth,'' by Toby Barlow, published by Harper, An Imprint of HarperCollins; and ``Three Girls and Their Brother,'' by Theresa Rebeck, published by Shaye Areheart Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House.

May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture recognizing an individual who shall prepare a paper considered to be a significant contribution to the field of children's literature, and then present the lecture at a winning host site. The 2010 Arbuthnot Lecture will be delivered by Kathleen T. Horning, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC).

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, established in 1954, honors an author or illustrator whose books are published in the United States and have made a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children. Ashley Bryan has been named the 2009 Wilder Award winner. His numerous works include ``Dancing Granny,'' ``Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum,'' and ``Beautiful Blackbird.''

William C. Morris Award. ``A Curse Dark as Gold,'' written by Elizabeth C. Bunce and published by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc., is the winner of the first Morris Award.

HEART OF A SHEPHERD Book Launch

This is the first of what will be a continuing series of book launch interviews. Rosanne Parry's debut fiction, HEART OF A SHEPHERD, launches next week to what I believe will be monumental fanfare. Enjoy this interview with the author - and be sure to check out this lovely book.

Congratulations on the publication of your novel, HEART OF A SHEPHERD. It is a rich coming-of-age story. What specifically inspired it?

Thanks, Janet.
There are many things in my life that have worked their way into the story. My Dad taught my son to play chess. My husband is a veteran. I have taught in rural and small town schools. I bottle fed a lamb once. Those experiences, plus a little research, plus a lot of making stuff up gave me the frame of the story, but without the core understanding of what was at stake for my main character, the frame was nothing special. The story didn’t really come together until I’d thought about my character long enough to understood why Brother wanted to be just like his dad. That understanding is what I think of as the core inspiration for the story and that didn’t come until after I’d written several drafts.

The setting for HEART OF A SHEPHERD is central to the story. Is this a setting familiar to you?

I’ve only been to Malheur County a few times, maybe a half dozen. However, it’s a striking landscape, and I have a retentive memory. I have friends who live there and in neighboring counties. The larger towns and physical features in the story, the Strawberry Mountains for example, are real places, but Brother’s home town, the river, and the reservoir are entirely fictional. I got a topographical map of the region and picked a spot that was convenient to the needs of my story.

I have to say, I love the cover my designer Jan Gerardi and my artist Jonathan Barkat came up with. It’s so evocative of the place and the mood of the story. What a great kid! And even though the landscape is actually Colorado, it’s very like the views of the Strawberry Mountains and the Blues and the Wallowas that I remember from eastern Oregon. I’ve included a picture of my own so you can see how close they’ve gotten to the real landscape.

Did you face any specific challenges in the writing of this book?

I faced the completely pedestrian yet nearly insurmountable challenges every writing mother faces. I won’t bore you with the recitation of my schedule. I am blessed with a supportive family full of avid readers and an editor willing to spend the amount of time a story needs to take its proper shape. Also, my house is quite messy.


How long have you been writing for children/teens? Have you written other books or is this your first effort?

I’ve been writing for many years but Heart of a Shepherd is my first novel to be published. My first picture book, Daddy’s Home, will be out on the 15th of March. It’s a sweet bedtime rhyme illustrated by David Leonard and published by Candy Cane Press.
I love working on picture books. I have to read a picture book aloud a thousand times (especially if it rhymes) and work the meter of an individual line in 20 or 30 variations until I get the right one. It helps me to remember that I should read the novel out loud, too, and make it sound as good as it looks. Sometimes when a scene is not working, rewriting it in iambic pentameter gives me a fresh look at the structure.

Can you describe your path to the publication of HEART OF A SHEPHERD?

I met my editor, Jim Thomas from Random House at the Oregon SCBWI Fall Retreat about six years ago. He critiqued something of mine and asked to see the whole thing, so I sent it in and he eventually wrote back saying, “This is great! Send me something else.” –so annoying! I yelled and threw things at him. (Fortunately, there is a continent between us. ☺) I have come to appreciate very much that Jim has never asked me to revise something on spec. He either wants the story or he doesn’t. He’s not doing me a favor by buying work he doesn’t think he can sell. Besides, I needed time to become a better writer. My children needed to be a little older, so we could manage the extra work of being an author, and Jim needed to find a story of mine he had confidence in. He picked Heart of a Shepherd, and he’s been behind it 100%--everyone at Random House has. It’s pretty amazing.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

I’ve always been fond of this quote from Winston Churchill. “Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.”

Can you tell us something about your personal life – inspirations, plans for the future, goals, etc.?

My personal life, I’m sorry to say, is as dull as unbuttered toast. I see a great deal of laundry in my future, also dishes and carpooling. ☺ I’m planning to write stories for the next 40 or 50 years at least, and that is hair-raising enough.

Do you have any new writing ventures underway?
I’m fortunate enough to be working on another novel with my editor at Random House. This one is very different from Heart of a Shepherd. It’s still a work in progress, and we haven’t settled on the right title yet, but I can tell you it’s about three girl musicians who live in Berlin and run away to Paris. It’s been lots of fun to write.

Libraries in Need

Here is an important post from Cynthia Leitich Smith regarding libraries in Texas in need:

Dear Friends:

As I'm sure most of you know, the Texas coast (and some of its libraries) took quite a beating this past year.

The Rosenberg Library in Galveston has been hit especially hard: http://rosenberg-library.org/


Take a Chance on Art: purchase one or more $5 raffle tickets to enter to win illustrator Don Tate's painting "Duke Ellington," (the image is above) and support the Texas Library Association Disaster Relief Fund. Note: it's especially important this year in light of devastation caused by Hurricane Ike. To learn more, read interviews with TLA librarian Jeanette Larson and illustrator Don Tate.

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2008/10/librarian-interview-jeanette-larson-on.html

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2008/10/illustrator-interview-don-tate-on-duke.html

PS!

Check out the 2k9 debut novelists' blog:

http://community.livejournal.com/classof2k9

They have a contest going to give away some of the great books you'll see on shelves in 2009! Woo-hoo!

Fear and Loathing

Okay, maybe not loathing, except that I hate packing. I always forget something.

I'm trying to figure out how to pack for 10 days of Vermont College residency plus a short family visit plus another week in Manhattan partially at the NY SCBWI conference. Yikes! And it's winter so I need boots and overcoats and all that other stuff...

I'm so excited to be heading back to the residency, though. I know that by this time next week I'll be in the bliss of exhaustion with my head crammed with ideas and inspiration and challenges. And surrounded by some of the best writers in the children's book world. Whee!

New Year and VCFA!

As the new year rolls in, I'm beginning to get ready for the next residency at VCFA. I've gotten my booklet of fellow student workshop works and read about half of them, and - wow - I continue to be impressed with the quality of the writing here. The workshops are, for me, one of the highlights of the residency: nerve-wracking at times, when you are being critiqued (you have to remain silent the entire time); and challenging as you look for ways to say what you really mean about someone else's work.

Just like last time, I'm a little nervous about the residency. Why? Who knows? I love the people; I love the place; I love the intensity. Maybe it's the feeling of being surrounded by such talent. I ask myself all the time - why didn't I do this earlier?

Well, it was impossible earlier. My son is just now of an age that he can manage entirely on his own. I'm really proud of him - he had some challenges and he's risen above them.

Happy New Year everyone - may you be as blessed as I feel!