Book Launch: Dreaming Anastasia

I'm excited to introduce you to Joy Preble and her debut novel, DREAMING ANASTASIA.

Congratulations on the publication of your novel, DREAMING ANASTASIA. It's a wonderful mix of historical fiction and fantasy. Can you tell us a bit about the story and what inspired it? What was it like working in this mixed genre?

That’s a great question! Actually, it was a lot of fun. I got to work with magic and folklore, but I also got to blend my bits of alternate history with the some of the real historical facts about the Romanovs, and I got to work some with romance, too. Honestly, it was sort of freeing. And I think YA gives authors even more freedom than writing for adults. Teen readers know what they like, but they don’t always have totally set notions about what a story should contain. So they’re the perfect audience for a certain amount of experimentation. Beyond that, one of the most interesting aspects of genre melding for me was making my alternate history feel seamless. There was this great moment when I was re-reading Anastasia’s journal entries and thinking, huh? Did this event she’s talking about really happen? Actually it didn’t! It was something I’d made up. But I loved that it had begun to feel so utterly real.

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

This is actually my very first full length novel for teens. I tried my hand at some picture books a few years back, but I could never really feel that passion I was looking for. Eventually, I realized that I was meant to write YA. I love tapping into that piece of me that’s forever eighteen. All that amazing intensity of experience, all that newness, all that emotion. When I write, I’m back there again and it helps me create my stories. And yes, this novel is not only my first YA, it’s my first novel ever. So I am definitely a debut author in every sense of the word.

Can you describe your path to the publication of DREAMING ANASTASIA?

Obviously I get asked that a lot. When you’re a debut author, everyone wants to know about that journey. I know I always want to know how other authors arrived at where they are now. For me, the main part of the journey began about five years ago when I was, let us say, enormously unhappy about many parts of my life and having a really horrible year at work. I think now that it was simply the universe smashing an anvil on my head and giving me one more opportunity to get busy and do what I’d always dreamed of doing since I was a little girl – which was to write a novel. And so I finally gave in and wrote. Anne’s voice had come to me first – this smart, snarky, inquisitive and very brave girl who thinks she knows it all. For whatever reason, I’d given her my love of the Romanov family saga – that horribly fascinating tragedy of a family that had everything and lost it all – including their lives. And of course the fascination with Anastasia herself – did she die? Did she somehow survive the assassination? I’d been obsessed with her fate since I’d first read about her when I was in junior high. After that, the story just began to unfold, mostly from my question of what if Anne found out that she had the power to change history? What if she encountered this crazily handsome guy with a mysterious past who told her that it was up to her to save Anastasia? And what if that turned out to be true? It took me about a year to write that first draft. I did some early querying of editors and agents, took ten pages to a local SCBWI conference for a critique. But in February of 2006, I finally began querying in earnest. And that’s when my life changed for good. Because this time I heard back something I’d only hoped for. Laura Rennert of Andrea Brown Literary wasn’t interested herself, but she was passing my manuscript on to Michelle Andelman, then a new junior agent.

And that was just the beginning. Michelle and I revised the manuscript until we couldn’t look at it any more. In 2007, Lyron Bennett of Sourcebooks acquired it as their first YA. And in the two years between then and September 1, 2009 when the book releases, both Michelle and Lyron have moved on to other jobs. I am now repped by the amazing Jen Rofe, also of ABLA, and have a new editor, Dan Ehrenhaft. (let me interject here that losing both your agent and your editor in the middle of a project has the potential to turn out badly, so that fact that it did not is a major miracle and something for which I’m very grateful.) Michelle still supports me behind the scenes, and in fact DREAMING ANASTASIA is dedicated to two women – one being my mother, who passed away far too soon to enjoy this all with me, and the other being Michelle to whom I will always be profoundly grateful for giving me the chance to chance to follow my dream.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

Write! You won’t get better without practice. And mostly, read. Not all readers are good writers, but all writers are readers. I’ve had students argue that point with me, but it’s just true. Even if you have a natural talent, you can’t write well in a vacuum. You need to learn from others and you do that by reading voraciously, especially in the genre in which you’d like to write. Beyond that, I would say that you need to believe in yourself, but that you also need to develop a thick skin, be able to accept criticism, and understand early on that writing for publication is by and large a collaborative experience. If you are unable to work with others and take suggestion, then you’d be better off choosing another line of endeavor.

I understand that you're a teacher. Can you tell us something about your personal life – inspirations, plans for the future, goals, etc.?

Yes, I am a teacher, and I’ve taught all grades from seventh through twelfth, although lately I’ve been teaching tenth grade English and Creative Writing. Currently, my goals are to continue writing YA novels and continue growing in my writing career. Short –term, I’d also like to be able to get through this next school year balancing teaching 150 students and being a debut author. Right now, I’m a little unclear about how that’s all going to work out! My biggest inspirations have been the many strong women in my life. I’m blessed to have grown up with some amazing female role models and I think that they really gave me the strength to keep striving even when I was unsure of what it was I was supposed to be doing. My mom had a tough life – she grew up fairly poor; her dad left the family when she was young; her mother – my maternal grandmother – was a prickly sort of person. But my mom was a lady who just never gave up. She had let her driver’s license lapse because we lived in Chicago and pretty much took public transportation everywhere. But when my dad died, she bought a new car and took driver’s ed again at the age of 70!

Do you have any new writing ventures underway?

Because there’s been two years between the sale of DREAMING ANASTASIA and its release, I’ve finished a novel that’s set here in Texas and is about football, faith, love, and the redemptive power of a plate of pecan waffles and hash browns. And I’m working on completing a third novel about a girl whose parents run a bakery. That one’s about love, life, dreams, and pastries! Beyond that, I’d love to continue the DREAMING ANASTASIA series if I get the opportunity. The novel concludes with some definite loose ends, and I’d enjoy exploring them, especially the Anne/Ethan romance. Plus there are so many other Russian folklore figures I’d like to use besides Baba Yaga, including rusalkas, which are these wonderfully bad Slavic mythology mermaids.

Do you have a website where readers can learn more about DREAMING ANASTASIA?

I invite everyone to visit www.joypreble.com If that’s not enough, you can also look at my pages on http://www.classof2k9.com and at Authors Now. I also blog at http://joysnovelidea.blogspot.com And if you’re still in need of more, you can follow me on Twitter as @joypreble.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week

Coming soon!

Here's the skinny on Book Blogger Appreciation Week - which I know about from my friends at Class of 2k9, who are nominees!

This is a great roster of book bloggers, so check out the URL, and their announcement below:

Announcing the Second Annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week September 14-18, 2009

Last year over 400 blogs came together to celebrate the art of book blogging during the first ever Book Blogger Appreciation Week! I am so pleased to announce that the second annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week will be taking place September 14-18.
WHO Anyone who blogs about books is invited to participate. In fact, we want everyone who blogs about books and reading to be a part of this week!
WHAT A week where we come together, celebrate the contribution and hard work of book bloggers in promoting a culture of literacy, connecting readers to books and authors, and recogonizing the best among us with the Second Annual BBAW Awards. There will be special guest posts, daily blogging themes, and giveaways.

WHEN September 14-18, 2009

WHERE Here at the new Book Blogger Appreciation Week Blog! (Please note that this year there are three separate blogs and feeds—one for the main event, one for giveaways, and one for awards.)

WHY Because books matter. In a world full of options, the people talking about books pour hard work, time, energy, and money into creating a community around the written word. I, Amy, the founder of Book Blogger Appreciation Week love this community of bloggers and want to shower my appreciation on you!

http://bookbloggerappreciationweek.com./

Book Launch: The Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate

I'm pleased to announce another author interview with Donna St. Cyr and the book launch of her debut novel THE SECRETS OF THE CHEESE SYNDICATE.

Congratulations on the publication of your novel, SECRETS OF THE CHEESE SYNDICATE. It’s such an intriguing title! Can you tell us a bit about the story and what inspired it?

Well, it all started with a bottle of Sprite and the fact that I really, really like the word “Gorgonzola”. When my children were younger, they came home one day and my daughter tattled on her little brother because he found a bottle of Sprite on the school bus. He opened it and drank some. I was mortified, horrified – and generally possessed all those knee-jerk reactions a good mother should. What if it was drugged? What if he got sick? What about the germs? What if? I ranted about all those possibilities for about thirty minutes – after which he ran off to play and was perfectly fine. Later that evening, while I was writing, I started to think of the literary possibilities for that “What if”. What if a kid found a bottle of a magical elixir on his bus, his sister drank it and began to shrink, and he found out he’d actually been chosen to go on a mission for this shadowy organization called the Secret Cheese Syndicate? The story was born there. Why is it a Cheese Syndicate? I have this thing about words I like and I love the way Gorgonzola sounds – so one day I came up with this character – Madame Gorgonzola. She’s made of cheese and is quite a sight to behold (and she smells bad). She became the leader of this secret organization and recruits Robert, the story’s hero, for his assignment. He’s got to find something called the Mystic Cheese of Eliki while he’s out there battling some pretty hairy creatures. Oh, and his father happens to be an agent for this organization, but Robert didn’t know this – he just thought he’d run off and forgotten the family. So Robert might just find his father while saving the world from evil and bad taste.

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

I began writing about five years ago. The first novel I wrote, while a great idea, was terribly written. After taking some writing instruction I concentrated on magazines for awhile and sold several pieces to children’s magazines such as Boys’ Life, Highlights, and Cricket. The magazine writing was fun and gave me early success that encouraged me to try again with a novel. I’ve also tried my hand at picture book writing. I have one picture book that I’m especially hopeful about currently under consideration by a publisher.

Can you describe your path to the publication of SECRETS OF THE CHEESE SYNDICATE?

I began writing the story as an assignment for my writing class. The instructor loved it and encouraged me to finish and pursue publication with it. It took about a year to write, then another year to rewrite with the help of my critique group. During this time I started attending regional SCBWI conferences and started the whole submission process. I’d sent the cheese story out five times – with five rejections – before I saw a call for manuscripts of Verla Kay’s board. I thought my story fit Blooming Tree’s expectations, so I sent it in. About four months later I received a call – acceptance – YAY! Then another full revision, two rounds of small revisions, copy edits, and waiting, waiting, waiting. It’s like having a baby – only it takes so much longer!

Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

Join a critique group. Develop patience. Don’t take rejections personally, but learn from them. Challenge yourself through writing classes or exercises.

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

My three children are now young adults, so I look forward to shepherding them into independent lives and enjoying a slower pace where I can devote more time to writing. My oldest son has autism and I’m very excited about a project I’m involved with called St. Andrew’s Village. It will be a faith-based integrated community where disabled and nondisabled individuals can live, work, and play. Our goal is to create an environment where individuals have the support they need to live abundantly as accepted and productive members of their neighborhood.

Do you have any new writing ventures underway?

I just finished the first draft of the cheese story’s sequel. It’s called THE MANTICORE'S REVENGE. I also have a project that I’m quite attached to but haven’t worked on in some time. It’s a historical fiction novel about the Grand Derangement or Great Expulsion. This happened in 1755 when the Acadians were kicked out of Nova Scotia and scattered across the American colonies and the Caribbean Islands. Eventually a remnant of those refugees made their way to Louisiana and prospered. Their descendents are the Cajuns of today. I’m from south Louisiana and this story fascinates me. It’s a challenging book to write because it spans a long time period and I don’t think I’ve found the right voice for it yet.

Do you have a website where readers can learn more about SECRETS OF THE CHEESE SYNDICATE?

Yes. It’s www.donnastcyr.com

Book Review: The Chosen One

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I sat down to read this book and didn’t leave my chair until I’d finished it four hours later. Compelling, driving narrative and great characterization combine in this moving novel. I wanted Kyra out of her situation from page one, while I was equally torn by her family loyalty. This is not a black and white book, and the ending is fittingly unresolved. My only quibble is that the antagonists are so dreadful that they border on purely and flatly evil – but that’s a minor flaw in an otherwise rich and fast-paced read.

View all my reviews >>

Until January...

Ah, the come down to earth moment...leaving another Vermont College of Fine Arts residency. Truly, this is a magical experience for a children's writer. We all talk about books, books, our kids, books - the conversations include references to the unreliable narrator, the protagonist's arc, the inciting incident, and the objective correlative. And if you want to find out what those things mean, come to the best college experience you could ever imagine.

Now, those of you who live in or near Texas, there will be an event in Austin: Vermont College in the Lone Star State, on October 2-3. I'll be there, and Kathi Appelt and Sharon Darrow, VCFA faculty, will be there as well as many students and alums. It'll be a mini-mini residency. Here's the blurb:

TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL: A VCFA day in the Lone Star State to challenge what you already know about writing and the writing life and to inspire you to take the next steps in your professional life and education.
The Vermont College of Fine Arts Writing for Children and Young Adults Program intends for this retreat to serve as an opportunity for alumni and their colleagues to reconnect with one another, as well as reigniting their passion for the craft of writing for children.

So, come-on down!

Tales From the Northland...

I'm not sure how she finds the time, but our wonderful resident Poet Extraordinare Julie Larios is blogging regularly on the Vermont College experience. It's a wonderful summary of events. I'll try and put my own spin on things in the next few days - but be assured, this is one of the finest experiences a writer can give him/herself. Intense and extraordinary.

Oh, and my new advisor is Uma Krishnaswami! I am so so so excited. She is brilliant. I hope I can make her proud.

Albert Borris and CRASH INTO ME

As I've written previously, Albert Borris, debut author of CRASH INTO ME and member of the Class of 2k9 authors, suffered a severe stroke last December resulting in aphasia, or an inability to talk. Because of his situation, his fellow 2k9 writers have created a publicity campaign on his behalf, resulting in some extraordinary media and internet attention.

I want to salute Albert - a brave and giving soul who has written a remarkable YA book - and the Class of 2k9. What a wonderful community of writers.

As I'm off to Vermont College tomorrow for two weeks, I may not be posting, unless I find a moment and can fill you all in on the exciting developments there!

Craft Issue #7: On Getting the Job Done

Summertime, and the livin' is easy! - right?

Not for those of us obsessed with writing. I've just received the first edit letter and comments on my novel, FAITHFUL, and I've got a lot of work to do. Nothing horrific - just a lot of polishing and cutting and deep digging to get it right.

Creativity is a tricky thing. You might think that creative artists are lit by a fire from within. That the creative spark is given as a blessing only to some...or that it is given as a blessing only at certain times. I hate to spoil the idea of the creative artist as someone who has it easy, who just receives the messages and lays fingers on the keyboard and out comes glory. Nope. Creativity is like bricklaying. Hard work.



This video, of a talk given by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of EAT, PRAY, LOVE, is inspirational. She evokes in a distinctly original way one of my favorite maxims, which comes courtesy of children's author Jane Yolen: BIC. Behind in Chair, to put it nicely. Like the bricklayer, I get up in the morning and sit down and go to work, laying one brick down at a time, stepping back occasionally to examine the structure, taking a row or two of bricks out (with a hammer), and generally sweating through the effort.

The June 22 issue of THE NEW YORKER magazine has a fascinating peek ("Real Romance", by Lauren Collins) into the working life of best-selling author Nora Roberts, who has written 182 novels at a typical pace of 5 per year. She works 6 to 8 hours a day. 27 Nora Roberts books are sold every minute. This is a lady who definitely keeps BIC. (I like the fact that this picture of Ms. Roberts shows her holding "hearts on fire". Is it about her books? Or about her own writing passion?)

So, I'll be busy this summer. Busy with edits. Busy with my newest work in progress. Oh, and yes, I will be a bit busy enjoying the green mountains and blue sky.

Book Launch: The GIFTED Series by Marilyn Kaye

Nine Teenagers. Nine Secrets. An ordinary Middle School with a few extraordinary exceptions.

Today, I'm pleased to introduce Marilyn Kaye, author of the middle grade series GIFTED. The first two books in the series launched earlier this year, and they are a fun read, and truly teen-friendly.

Thank you for taking the time for an interview! Your new middle grade series, GIFTED, has an intriguing premise involving some supernatural elements. Would you like to elaborate?
The characters in this series might seem very ordinary on the surface, but through various means each has acquired an unusual talent -- telekinesis, mind-reading, an insight into the future, and various other inexplicable abilities. Unfortunately for them, none of these skills came with a guide or a manual, and the young people have to figure out how best to use their remarkable gifts.

Although you incorporate multiple viewpoints, you feature one character in each of the first two books. Do you continue this technique in the remaining books?
Yes; each book features one main character, and also includes the viewpoint of one other character. But all the characters move in and out of each book.


You obviously have a knack for getting into the heads of tween girls. How do you discover your characters? How have you picked up on contemporary teen issues?
Almost all my characters are based on an aspect of people I've known, and sometimes on aspects of myself. Then, I let them evolve in my imagination -- they take on characteristics that just seem to emerge naturally from their personalities and situations. As for contemporary teen issues -- so many of these issues have been around for as long as there's been adolescence. Their budding sexuality, their concerns about appearance, rebellion, peer pressure -- there are dreams, fears, and hopes that are common to this age. Of course, aspects of these concerns change with the times, and I try to keep up with contemporary concerns by staying in contact with young people.

Do you have a favorite character from the series?
I must admit to a particular fondness for Amanda. Superficially, she seems like the stereotype of a typical 'mean girl', but under the surface there's a complicated personality. I like the notion that a girl-you-love-to-hate may have reasons for being the way she is.

In addition to writing a number of successful series for teens, you’ve written single novels (one of which, PENELOPE, was made into a major motion picture.) How does writing series differ from writing single novels? Did you plot out the entire series, or did you plunge into your idea and then discover you had more to say?
When I'm writing a series, I want each book to stand on its own, so that readers don't feel required to read each book. But at the same time, there's an 'arc' to a series, and a theme that continues and grows. Each book tells a complete story, but not every possibility is explored. When I begin a series, I know where it's going to go, so in that sense I plan the entire series in advance. However, elements can emerge in the individual books that might make me change direction slightly. In a single novel, I'm very conscious of answering every question that might arise in the course of telling the story; in a series, some questions remain open.

Your output is amazing. How quickly do you work? How long does it take you to complete a novel?
I try to write every day, and when I'm not actually writing, I'm thinking about what I'm going to write. When I'm writing a series, I have to stay on a schedule, since the books come out at regular intervals. I try to complete each book within two months. A single novel, though, can take much longer.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself – your writing life, how you got started? What were your influences as a young reader?
I've been writing ever since I could string words together. And even before that, I was making up stories and telling them to anyone who would listen. As a child, I loved to read. Even though I was naturally social, I spent many happy hours alone in a library. My favorite authors as a child were Maud Hart Lovelace who wrote the 'Betsy-Tacy' books, and Noel Streatfeild, the English author of Ballet Shoes and many other wonderful books. My love for books like these propelled me into work as a children's librarian, and then as a professor of literature for children and teens. And it seemed only natural that eventually I would try my hand at writing books myself.

Do you have advice for beginning writers?
My only advice for writers is to write. Keep a journal, jot down your thoughts and feelings and experiences. With a little imagination, you'll find that ideas for stories can emerge from the most ordinary situations.

What is the timeline for the remaining books in the series? Are you working on anything to follow GIFTED?
I'm hoping that GIFTED books will continue so that each of the characters can have his or her own story, so I'm planning on at least nine books. I also have a single novel that's coming out in September, called DEMON CHICK. It's about a sixteen year old girl who discovers that she has a very strange and frightening destiny.

Where can readers learn more about you and your books?
I've got a website: www.marilynkaye.com. It includes an email address so that readers can write me directly and ask any questions that aren't answered in the site. And there's a website for 'Gifted': www.giftedseries.com.

Book Launch: Lifting The Sky

I'd like to introduce you to an intriguing new title with a wonderful sense of place from author Mackie d'Arge titled LIFTING THE SKY.

Congratulations on the publication of your novel, LIFTING THE SKY. Can you tell us a bit about the story and what inspired it?
While showing some kids how to feel their energy fields—and seeing how easily they picked it up—I thought, hmmm…I could do a story about this! And then quirky little Blue appeared out of the blue. It was as if I’d uncorked her and she just started chatting away. Blue sees what she calls ‘the lights’ around people and things. When her mom lands a job on an isolated, ramshackle ranch and she’s handed two bum calves to care for, Blue realizes she has a gift for healing. The story is about Blue’s exploration of this gift, her search for her long lost dad, and her relationship with a Native American boy who is also searching for something.

Setting is very important in your book. Would you care to elaborate?
Ever since I moved to the reservation 20 years ago I’ve been fascinated by certain places that are considered to be sacred. Some of these are near our ranch. The canyon with the petroglyphs where the Shoshones go for vision quests is one valley away. There is also a cave similar to the one in my story, although that one was partly inspired by a transforming dream I had years ago. And of course the Little People and Water Ghosts are real--just ask anyone who lives around here!
I was careful about how I wrote about these places. It was with huge relief and pleasure when the book was taken in by the Native American community. It is being used in the school at Fort Washakie as a teaching tool.

Can you describe your path to the publication of LIFTING THE SKY?
I was just lucky. A while back, a friend was going to the Jackson Hole Writers Conference and asked me to come along. I think I’d had too much wine because I said sure! But then I had to write something…. I’m an artist, and I’d only written once in a while in my sketch books. I came up with an autobiographical piece that got me picked up by the agent who read it. I continued on with that for a while but decided it was better as therapy than something I wanted to put out there. Fiction, I thought, would be a lot more fun! I didn’t want to disappoint my sweet agent, Charlotte Sheedy, so I figured I’d better get to work. Half-way through Blue’s story I sent the ms to her and it got picked up by the first editor she sent it to. The editor sent me five pages of notes. I followed her advice as best I could and got rid of one character but kept another, who’d appeared in the story as a ghost. That one I kept alive but sent off to Montana.

So I guess my advice for beginning writers would be to follow your passions, be a bit crazy, drink wine and write something full of feeling, and head for a good writers conference!

Can you tell us something about your personal life—inspirations, plans for the future, goals, etc.?
I seem to take myself off to unusual places and end up living strangely different lives in each case. I was born in Panama and grew up all around the Mediterranean—Turkey, Greece, Morocco, Italy, and France. I’m an artist, and my studies were done in Florence and Paris. Afterward I lived in a village in southern France and on Crete and then in India. I didn’t come to live in the states until I was over 30. So although I write in this book about ranching, I was not born to it. I married a professor, came to Wyoming, and found an isolated ranch on the snowy side of a windblown mountain. Within a short time I was divorced with two young sons to bring up and a rundown ranch to try to make a living on. So believe me, I learned ranching the hard way.

In my book, Blue draws a picture of what she thinks of as her special place, and then she finds it. That actually happened to me, because I drew a picture of the ranch before I even came to Wyoming. The place had been deserted for 20 years, and the house in Blue’s story is the house on that ranch. I’ve used visualizing ever since I was a child, and the amazing places I find myself in come about because of it. I also work with healing touch and am fascinated by how sound, love, and intention can be used for healing.

I recently married my longtime partner, a Wyoming rancher. We’re both in love with this landscape and the people here on the rez.

Do you have any new writing ventures underway?
I’m starting on another story and throwing it across the river to the Badlands.

Do you have a website where readers can learn more about LIFTING THE SKY?
Yes! Please go to www.mackiedarge.com