I'm back from a fantastic trip to Chicago and delighted to be able to feature Liesl Shurtliff on the blog today! Her debut, RUMP, is a take on the Rumplestiltskin tale - which happened to be one of my favorites as a kid. I am *really* looking forward to reading this one. Here's Liesl:
Congratulations on the publication of your
novel, RUMP. Can you tell us a bit about the story and what inspired it?
Thanks! RUMP is a retelling of
Rumpelstiltskin, but instead of the villain, he’s an unlikely, yet loveable
hero. As for the inspiration, I was actually brainstorming another story idea
when I imagined a world where names are much more than just a title, but a
person’s destiny. Instantly my mind gravitated toward the Rumpelstiltskin tale,
for if there was ever a name of great importance in a story, it’s that one. And
yet, for the crucial role he and his name play in the story, we know so little
of Rumpelstiltskin in the traditional tale. We know nothing of where he comes
from, what his name means, how he learned to spin straw into gold, or why on
earth he would want someone’s first born child. I wanted to tell a story from
his point-of-view, not only so we would understand Rumpelstiltskin, but also
love him. Shortening his name to Rump got me on the right track and everything
grew from there.
How long have you been writing for
children/teens? Have you written other books or is this your first effort?
I’ve been writing seriously (with the
goal to publish) for nearly ten years now. I wrote a little for newspapers and
magazines, which was great experience, and then I turned to novels. I wrote two
before I wrote RUMP, and they will both remain shelved for the foreseeable
future.
I so agree that newspaper and magazine writing can be invaluable preparation for novel writing. Can you describe your path to the
publication of RUMP?
I decided early on that I wanted an agent.
It’s not totally necessary; I have friends that get books published with good
houses without an agent, but it can certainly speed up the process and a good
agent can help in more ways than just selling your work. I researched agents
and the querying process while I was working on RUMP. (Querying is a skill in
and of itself!) After a month of querying I signed with Michelle Andelman at
Regal Literary. We revised together for a month before we went on submission,
and then a month after that we had an offer from Katherine Harrison at Knopf.
It wasn’t as hellish a process as some stories I’ve heard. Some of that is
luck, but some is simply doing your homework, both in your craft and business.
Do you have any advice for beginning
writers?
I would say follow your gut and don’t
let anybody push you around too much. One piece of advice might be great for
one person but totally wrong for another, so as you’re learning and sifting
through all the advice out there, don’t be afraid to toss some of it out the
window and figure out what’s right for your situation. There are “rules” in
this business, but this is also a business that delights in a rule
fantastically broken.
Can you tell us something about your
personal life – inspirations, plans for the future, goals, etc.?
I’m a mother of three young children and
it’s both a blessing and a challenge when it comes to writing. I’m extremely
invested in both writing for children and the raising of my own, so it can be
tricky to balance that. Thankfully I have an amazingly supportive husband and
we manage it all pretty well.
One day I would really like to live in
Europe, or at least go there! Everyone in my family has traveled there except
me! (Talk about the black sheep of the family.)
Do you have any new writing ventures
underway?
I am currently working on two new projects,
one MG and one YA. I’m kind of shy about discussing works-in-progress until I
know it’s going to work out. Not everything I write pans out, but I have high
hopes for both projects. Fingers crossed as I write and I’ll be sure to shout
it off tops at some point, so stay tuned.
Fingers crossed here, too! Do you have a website where readers can
learn more about RUMP?
www.lieslshurtliff.com has all sorts of fun stuff, including a trailer for
RUMP. Go check it out!
I did - and added it above - lovely!!
4 comments:
Janet you continue to bring us the spiffiest news.
Liesl Shurtliff's inventive take on this classic is bound to be a must-read for all us fans of oldtime tales. And the trailer - who animated/scripted that? It makes me wish there is a animated movie of RUMP, before even reading story. Who is doing the voiceover.
Brava to debut author Liesl & also to you Janet, go-to gal for best news in children's literature.
Glad Chicago was a great trip.
Thanks so much, Jan!! Yes, I LOVE revisited fairy tales. (There was a great panel at AWP in Boston this year saying that tales like RUMP are making a big comeback.) Liesl's book is sure to be a winner!
Hugs - j
Oh this sounds wonderful! I'll add it to my wish list! I love a retold fairy tale.
And I was so sorry to miss you here in Illinois!
Thanks, Linda!! Yes, I was sorry you couldn't be there, too. But I'll be back...:)
Hugs!
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