rgz Seattle HOST: Stephanie Guerra on the WA State Book Awards

Hi girlz! A few weeks ago I attended the Washington State Book Awards Ceremony at Richard Hugo House in Seattle. I’m delighted to announce that Katherine Schlick Noe’s Something to Hold won in the middle grade/young adult category—and was also named a Notable Social Studies Trade Book. I covered her launch party here, and it was a joy to see her book get the attention it deserves.

Something to Hold is historical fiction based on Katherine’s experience growing up on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. It’s a warm, provocative, poetic look at a time and place that many of us could never imagine except through stories like Katherine’s. Below, she answers a few questions about writing from real life:

What was it like living on an Indian reservation?

For as long as I can remember, other non-Indians have asked this question.   It’s always been hard to explain.   Like all of the foundational, complex questions of our lives, there are many answers.   They finally began to solidify when I started to write Something to Hold.

This work of fiction is inspired by my memories of living on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in central Oregon in the 1960’s.  Like Kitty’s dad, mine was a forester with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.  He and my mother left Iowa in 1950 to take a job on the Colville Indian Reservation in north-central Washington state.  They didn’t know then that they would spend the rest of their lives working with and living among Indian people.  My brothers and I were born on the Colville Reservation, and we moved every four years, living near Washington, DC and on the Warm Springs and Yakama Reservations.

The years at Warm Springs were pivotal for me, as they are for all children between the ages of seven and eleven.  Something to Hold is grounded in universals.  We all long to find a place to belong, to make friends, to feel connected and rooted.  The book also explores a unique perspective of a non-Indian outsider’s growing awareness of prejudice, including her own.

My writing began with one memory: In the fifth grade at Warm Springs, a classmate I both feared and admired refused to read out loud, and our white teacher took her out into the hall, shook her, and left her there.  Reading out loud, one paragraph at a time, was a normal practice in every school I had attended.  I hated it – so boring to listen to other bored kids read something boring – but I would never have refused.  I couldn’t understand why my classmate would defy this teacher, who allowed no disobedience of any kind, in this way.  That event had a profound impact on me and is one reason that I eventually became a teacher.  No child should be humiliated that way.

That event is also what moved me to write about living at Warm Springs. Having wrestled with the memory for over 30 years, I did what we encourage young writers to do -- started listing all that I could remember about it. Then I began to tell the story. I was writing in order to make sense for myself, to understand why she would dare to do something I would never have had the nerve to consider. But, of course, I couldn’t remember everything, and that’s when the fiction took over.

As Something to Hold took shape, I had a chance to meet my classmate again.  Both of us now grown, we visited over our class photo, talking about how life had turned out.  It was clear that hers had been filled with hardship, so different from my own.  When I asked her about the event that had affected me so deeply, she looked me in the eye and said, “It never happened.”  I knew in that moment that this was not my story to tell. So I took that episode apart, changed the details but kept intact the power and fear and strength of will – all of the emotions that were so influential for me -- and gave them to my two antagonists, Raymond and Jewel.  In the chapter “The Capital of Vermont,” Raymond and Jewel stand up to their teacher and triumph over humiliation.  And Kitty learns something powerful about speaking out for justice. 

Many of the events in Something to Hold are based in truth.  The only way I could begin was to build Kitty’s story around my memories:  a Bible-quoting teacher, the death of a child, a boy who fell through the ceiling of my classroom while working in the school attic, how razor blades horribly derailed an art project.   I created a series of episodes tethered loosely to reality – and then slowly wove in the characters.

This image guided me: A basket maker begins with a tangle of warps and wefts, a mess of strings held in her hand. Carefully, intentionally, and sometimes magically, she weaves them together into something beautiful, powerful, and enduring – just as a writer weaves with words. 

My goal was to create a tapestry of characters that manage to find their own way and also to help each other live with courage and hope – especially when it’s a struggle to do so.  I hope young readers will identify with Kitty, Raymond, Jewel, and Pinky and the ways in which they reach across a chasm of difference to connect with one another.   I have my classmate to thank for getting me started.

Visit Katherine at her website: http://katherineschlicknoe.com

Thanks, Stephanie, for the update, and the fantastic interview!

rgz Seattle HOST: Interview with Amy Ackley!

Our Seattle HOST, Stephanie Guerra, is here with a stellar interview! 

Hi girlz! I attended the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award ceremony in June, and had the pleasure of meeting the 2010 winner, Amy Ackley, author of Sign Language. Amy spoke eloquently about her passion and persistence, and thanked Amazon for giving her a chance to break into a very tough industry.

Did you always want to be a writer?

Growing up, I was that introverted kid that always felt like I was on the outside looking in at life.  I found the world complex and fascinating, and was always looking at a situation and thinking, “What if?”  On long car rides, I would watch out the window as farmhouses and small towns passed by, and imagined I was a girl living in that farm, who had a best friend that went to that church, and they spent hours together playing hide-and-seek in those cornfields … my active imagination ensured that I was never bored or lonely.

I loved to read and write, and, to me, English classes were my reward for getting through math.  My father was a high school English teacher and writer who tried to get his work published to no avail.  He’d send in a story to a magazine, get a rejection letter, and scrap that story to write another.  His only fault may have been his lack of tenacity, or self-confidence.  Early on, this is what prevented me from pursuing a writing career - the fear of not being good enough, and not “making it” as a writer.  That, and the belief that all authors were rich people that lived on the East Coast, or writers with connections in the publishing world. 

I was living on my own at 16.  I worked three jobs while finishing high school, and supported myself by working full time at a courthouse while attending college at night.  When it came time to choose a career, pursuing writing seemed about as practical as becoming a sunscreen salesperson at the North Pole.  I’d eaten enough Ramen Noodles to last me a lifetime, so I decided to pursue a career that would afford me stability and a decent income.  I finished undergraduate and graduate degrees in Human Resources and landed a job as a labor relations specialist with one of the Big 3 automakers.

Yet the desire to write never faded.  It only grew stronger.  When my first daughter was born, I took a leave of absence from work, and to keep my brain from turning to mush I decided to try what I’d always wanted to do: write a novel.

I wrote that first book, and it was terrible.  This writing thing wasn’t as easy as it looked.  I studied the craft, read everything I could get my hands on, and started on another book.  And another.  When I lost two friends to cancer, both of whom had left young children behind, I decided to write about my own experience losing my dad to kidney cancer when I was a teen.  It began as a memoir, but in time the characters took on lives of their own.  SIGN LANGUAGE was born.

I sent an early version of SIGN LANGUAGE to several agents, and after getting many rejections, finally found an agent that wanted to represent me.  She helped me revise the manuscript to make it stronger, and sent it in to a few publishers.  All rejected it, and the agent told me she didn’t think it was going anywhere, so we parted ways.  I wasn’t about to give up on the book, though.  I took the feedback I’d received from the editors at the publishing houses and used it to improve the manuscript.  I then set it aside until I learned that the sponsors of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award were adding a Young Adult Fiction category for 2010.  I dusted the old manuscript off, sent it in, and, long story short, it won the contest and SIGN LANGUAGE was published by Viking Juvenile in August 2011.

I now have an agent for a second young adult book, and am working on a third.  I won’t let the fear of striking out keep me from pursuing my writing dreams.  And I’ve gotten my kids used to eating Ramen Noodles, just in case.

How much of your writing is based on your own experience as a child or teenager?

SIGN LANGUAGE, while fiction, is very much drawn from my own experiences.  I lost my dad to cancer when I was 13.  Losing a parent at such a young age – at any age – is something you never get over, but learn to get through.

In other books I’d read about the death of a parent, the parent was referred to in past tense.  These books focused on the teen’s grief after the parent had passed.  I hadn’t come across a book that focused on the effects on the family when a member is dying of a terminal illness.  When writing SIGN LANGUAGE, I wanted readers to really get to know the dying character as a person, to better understand the void he left when he was gone.  When a family member is terminally ill, the grief process – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance – starts before the actual loss occurs.  I, myself, clung to denial for a long time, as does the main character, Abby, in SIGN LANGUAGE.

Some of the events and details surrounding the father’s illness in SIGN LANGUAGE are taken from my own experience, because it is what I know about cancer and how I recall the reactions of those around me.  The emotions are 100% authentic.  While writing this book, I was able to take myself back to the sad, scared, confused teen I was back when my dad was sick and, looking back through an adult lens, was better able to understand my sometimes erratic behavior after his death.  Losing a family member as a teen is especially difficult, as many of a teen’s peers have never experienced such a loss yet and cannot understand how it changes absolutely everything.  It is my hope that, for some readers, Abby can be that friend that understands. 

The other books I have written and continue to write do not so closely parallel my real life, but there will always be elements of me in the characters.  The most gratifying thing as a writer, for me, is to hear from readers that talk about the characters I write as if they are real people that they can identify with.  To me, that means I have done my job by telling the truth, my truth, in my fiction.  It is so gratifying to learn that others experience the world the way I do. 

Do you have any advice for young writers? 

While I wouldn’t suggest veering as far away from an English degree as I did, having majored in Training and Development in college, I had to write training programs and make hour-long presentations in front of large groups of my peers and professors.  It terrified me, but proved to be extremely beneficial to me as an author.  By forcing myself to gain a level of comfort with public speaking, this introvert was able to break out of her shell, and it has helped me get through, and enjoy, book signings and events.  Get yourself out there in front of others.  Push yourself out of your comfort zone, for that is where the magic happens.  Consider studying communications or marketing in conjunction with writing.  Writing a fantastic book is only half the battle … you have to let people know it exists!

Other advice?  If you’re going the traditional publishing route, try to finish more than one manuscript in a particular genre before submitting to agents or publishers.  Publishers don’t just want to find great books; they want to develop great authors.  Before winning the ABNA award, one editor at a publishing house had asked if I had a second young adult manuscript to submit along with SIGN LANGUAGE.  I didn’t have another YA book that was camera-ready yet, so they weren’t willing to gamble on me.  Having several works to submit proves that you are in it for the long haul.  And the possibility of a multiple-book deal?  You could do worse.

Finally, be persistent.  Keep writing.  Keep submitting.  Remember that every author gets rejected.  Learn to embrace and appreciate criticism.  Getting feedback of others will make your writing even better.

 Are you working on anything now?

I’ve finished a second contemporary YA novel, and am represented by literary agent Jennifer DeChiara.  If all the stars align correctly, I’ll have news about this book to report soon!  In the meantime, I’m working on two other YA manuscripts.

  

How can readers find you?

Website:  http://www.amyackley.com

Twitter:  amyackley73

Facebook page:  Sign Language, Young Adult Fiction

Thanks and congrats, Amy! And thanks, Stephanie!

rgz Seattle HOST: Stephanie Guerra celebrates our own Diva Martha!

Did you know that our very own Martha Brockenbrough has a new book out? That's right -- Devine Intervention released on June 1st, and Seattle HOST Stephanie Guerra is here with the full report.

I'm thrilled to announce the release of Martha Brockenbrough's new book, Devine Intervention, a work of comic genius about the world’s worst guardian angel. Martha’s fabulous launch party was at Secret Garden Books in Seattle (see pictures below). Here are her thoughts about the launch, plus some peeks into her inspiration and writing process. Thank you, Martha, for sharing, and for writing this delectable book!

What were some of your favorite moments at the launch?

I loved the whole thing. Holy cow. I was surrounded by friends and family, delicious food—including an angel food cake from my editor, Arthur Levine—and music from a harpist who played the classic rock songs I referred to in my novel. In my book, I imagine an entertaining sort of heaven, a place where the grass is greener than green, the sky is Tidy Bowl blue, where elderly people frolic to the music performed by a heavenly choir called Nun of the Above. In real life, though, heaven is being surrounded by your favorite people on the day your life's big dream has come true. Confession: I bawled like an infant, but one who made the bad decision to wear non-waterproof mascara.

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind Devine Intervention?

A lot of things came together for me with this book, but the chief inspiration was the loss many years ago of someone I'd known in high school. She was one of those incredible people—beautiful, brilliant, athletic. And then she got cancer and passed away on her twenty-third birthday. During her memorial service, a friend said they used to talk about "when my life begins," referring to some time after graduation when they'd truly be alive. It was a deeply sad thing to hear, and that was the situation I started with, the idea of someone who'd died before she felt like she had a chance to live. I didn't want to write a deeply sad book, though, and was rescued by my character, Jerome, the world's worst guardian angel. I absolutely loved writing him.

Can you tell us something about your writing process?

It took me forever to learn how to write fiction. Even though I was always a good writer in school, and even though I've worked many years as a journalist, creating a world and populating it with human beings is enormously challenging for me. For anyone who feels the same way, keep working. You'll get there! 

But I finally have a system that seems to work. I start with some sort of potent situation and a character I care about. I write a sentence summarizing what the story might be. Then I wrap layers around it—additional details and complications—until I have what feels like a story arc. Then I start writing, to get a handle on the character's voice. I also wrestle with the best point of view to write the story in. 

As I do this, I think of things that will enrich the story, usually scenes that are particularly important, but sometimes lines I know I'd like to use. When I feel ready, I write a chapter-by-chapter summary that I use to guide my writing. I also keep track of the characters' relationships with each other, so these can evolve in an understandable fashion. 

Inevitably, I veer from the outline a bit as I learn more about the characters and the world. As long as the story is getting better, I don't mind that veering at all. Oh, and I sometimes share early drafts with very trusted friends and my agents, but I usually like to have the whole thing finished and cleaned up a bit before I pass it around much beyond that. 

Thanks so much, Stephanie, and congrats again, Martha! 

rgz Seattle HOST: SCBWI and the Inside Story!

Here's host Stephanie Guerra with the latest from Seattle! 

Hi girlz!

Last week SCBWI Western Washington celebrated the bi-annual Inside Story at Mockingbird Books in Seattle. Local authors and illustrators came together to share their recently published books and tell their “inside stories,” including the inspiration behind their works. There was an amazing turn-out with all seats filled and a lively audience of booksellers, teachers, librarians, and fans. Host Martha Brockenbrough (Things That Make Us [Sic], Devine Intervention) upped the fun with literary trivia questions and prizes. Below please find a spotlight on the YA authors who presented, with information about their newest releases. (I was one of the number, and so excited to be a part of it!)

Weaving Magic by Mindy Hardwick

He loves magic. She loves romance. But the biggest illusion is the one Shantel and Christopher perform together.  Sixteen- year- old Christopher fights to stay sober while fifteen-year-old Shantel struggles in the aftermath of her mother’s death and seeks refuge in a fantasy world. But the unacknowledged roots of their problems refuse to stay buried and soon, the two are headed toward a deadly magic trick. Can Shantel and Christopher move beyond magical illusions to find love?

The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats

Cecily’s father has ruined her life. He’s moving them to occupied Wales, where the king needs good strong Englishmen to keep down the vicious Welshmen. At least Cecily will finally be the lady of the house.

Gwenhwyfar knows all about that house. Once she dreamed of being the lady there herself, until the English destroyed the lives of everyone she knows. Now she must wait hand and foot on this bratty English girl.

While Cecily struggles to find her place amongst the snobby English landowners, Gwenhwyfar struggles just to survive. And outside the city walls, tensions are rising ever higher—until finally they must reach the breaking point.

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.
 
When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

The Lost Code: Book One of the Atlanteans by Kevin Emerson

The ozone is ravaged, ocean levels have risen, and the sun is a daily enemy. But global climate change is not something new in the Earth’s history.

No one will know this better than less-than-ordinary Owen Parker, who is about to discover that he is the descendant of a highly advanced ancient race—a race that took their technology too far and almost destroyed the Earth in the process.

Now it is Owen’s turn to make right in his world what went wrong thousands of years ago. If Owen can unlock the lost code in his very genes, he may rediscover the forgotten knowledge of his ancestry…and that less-than-ordinary can evolve into extraordinary.

Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey

Wilde Island is not at peace. The kingdom mourns the dead Pendragon king and awaits the return of his heir; the uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans is strained; and the regent is funding a bloodthirsty witch hunt, hoping to rid the island of half-fey maidens.

Tess, daughter of a blacksmith, has visions of the future, but she still doesn't expect to be accused of witchcraft, forced to flee with her two best friends, or offered shelter by the handsome and enigmatic Garth Huntsman, a warden for Dragonswood. But Garth is the younger prince in disguise and Tess soon learns that her true father was fey, making them the center of an exciting, romantic adventure, and an ancient prophecy that will bring about peace between all three races - dragon, human, and fairy.

Torn by Stephanie Guerra

Stella Chavez is your classic good girl: straight As, clean-cut boyfriends, and soccer trophies . You’d never guess that Stella’s dad was a drug addict who walked out when she was a kid. Or that inside, Stella wishes for something more.

New girl Ruby Caroline seems like Stella’s polar opposite: cursing, smoking, and teetering in sky-high heels . But with Ruby, Stella gets a taste of another world—a world in which parents act like roommates, college men are way more interesting than high school boys, and there is nothing that shouldn’t be tried once.

It’s not long before Stella finds herself torn: between the best friend she’s ever had and the friends she’s known forever, between her family and her own independence, between who she was and who she wants to be.

But Ruby has a darker side, a side she doesn’t show anyone—not even Stella. As Stella watches her friend slowly unravel, she will have to search deep inside herself for the strength to be a true friend, even if it means committing the ultimate betrayal.

The Summer of No Regrets by Katherine Grace Bond

The day Brigitta accidentally flings herself into the lap of a guy she's never met, her friend Natalie is convinced he's Trent Yves, egotistical heartthrob-in-hiding. When the boy, who calls himself Luke, is nearly eaten by a cougar, Brigitta finds herself saving his life, being swept into his spectacular embrace and wondering if she wants Natalie's fantasy to be true.

As the two spend the summer together raising orphaned cougar cubs, Brigitta still can't be sure of his true identity. But then again, since her grandparents' death, her father's sudden urge to give away all their possessions and become a shaman, and her own awkward transition from girlhood into a young woman, she isn't sure of anything. What is the truth? More importantly, can she accept it?

Sounds like a fantastic event! Thanks, Stephanie!

rgz Seattle HOST: An interview with Ally Carter!

Readergirlz Seattle Host Stephanie Guerra recently sat down to chat with Ally Carter, author of the Gallagher Girls series. Here's what they talked about: 

Hi Girlz,

Ally Carter, author of the Gallagher Girls and Heist Society series, came to Third Place Books in Seattle to promote Out of Sight, Out of Time (fifth in the Gallagher GirlsSeries). She was delighted with the crowd, and commented on her enthusiastic, smart readers. I read the book and had the chance to interview Ally, who is funny, articulate, and altogether charming. 

In Out of Sight, Out of Time, Cammie Morgan wakes up in a European convent without a clue about what she has done in the past few months—or what’s been done to her. All she recalls is that she had to leave Gallagher Academy to protect her family and friends from the Circle of Cavan, an ancient terrorist organization. Now she must return home and try to unravel what she’s been through, and whether she can trust her friends, her boyfriend, and even herself.

Carter’s plot is rip-roaring action full of twists and surprises. She’s a master of the cliffhanger, and she writes in clean brushstrokes that keep the spotlight on her characters. Her work has plenty of drama and suspense, but it’s also infused with a spirit of light-heartedness and fun.  

A few words with Ally:

SG: It’s clear there’s an involved history behind the Gallagher family. Can you say anything about your methods for writing that history? How much back-story did you create?

AC: I haven’t actually written it, but know it internally. I’ve considered writing a prequel about the first ten years of the school, and what the culture and climate was like.

SG: Which secondary character in Gallagher Girls is your favorite?

AC: From a writer’s standpoint, Liz is my favorite. She’s smart, great for comic relief, and sort of an “every girl.” Lots of readers identify with her, because she sees the spy world through an outsider’s eyes.”

SG: Can you tell us a little about your writing process, in particular revision? Do you outline?

AC: I am a very fast and dirty rough draft writer. It’s not uncommon for me to write the first draft in 4-6 weeks. But then I do massive revisions. I doubt that there will be a thousand words in the second draft that appeared in the first draft. I change pretty much every sentence in that book. But I have to write that rough first draft just to figure out what the story is. I like to make an analogy to a house: I need to build the foundation and figure out where the rooms are before I worry about hanging up wallpaper or decorating.

SG: How do you feel about the balance between focusing on plot and character?

AC: My plots originate with character, but then it’s my job as the author to mess that character’s life up in the most interesting way possible. For me it’s very much about making sure there’s as much going on externally as there is internally. And those two things need to tie together very tightly. For instance, in the fifth Gallagher Girls, the external tension lies in the fact that Cammie can’t remember what happened to her over the summer. But that has massive internal implications: Can she trust herself and her friends? Is she a good person? Or has she changed in some massive way?

SG: With multiple series underway, do you tend to work on one project at a time or juggle several at once?

AC: I focus on one project exclusively until it’s finished. If I let myself bounce around, I wouldn’t ever finish anything. There’s always an idea that sounds shinier or more exciting than the book you’re two drafts into and hating every word of.

SG: Who are some of your favorite YA authors?

AC: Holly Black is our Yoda; when all else fails go sit at the feet of Holly Black! I also love Emily Lockhart and Rick Riordan.

SG: What was your favorite book as a child?

AC: To Kill A Mockingbird. What’s interesting is that reading it as a kid was so different from what I read as an adult. It changes. You read it as an adult and you realize exactly what Atticus is going through.

SG: Did you always want to be a writer?

AC: I began to think of writing as a possible career when I read the The Outsiders, probably when I was about thirteen or so.

SG: What is your goal as a writer?

AC: Ultimately, my goal is to get better with every book. I never want to rest on my laurels. I am constantly trying to deliver better material, books that are more timely, more relevant.

SG: What's the best piece of advice you ever got on writing?

AC: I got the best advice from my mom, who is an English teacher. I was a kid, sitting at the table trying to start my novel, feeling so distraught because my first page wasn’t as good as the first page of To Kill A Mockingbird. My mom said, “Never compare your first draft to somebody else’s finished draft.”

Great advice -- and a great interview! Thanks, Ally. And thanks Stephanie!