May: What's your heritage?

In this month's roundtable concerning Red Glass, Little Willow asked:

"Anyone want to share their background or nationality? Are there any immigration stories in your immediate family?" Anyone celebrating their Latina heritage?

Sara Easterly on Writing a Graphic Novel, Part 5

This week we have author, readergirlz PR specialist, and former SCBWI WWA co-Regional Advisor Sara Easterly guest-blogging about the process of writing a graphic novel and working with her illustrator co-hort, Jaime Temairik. Today we have Where to Start. (All illustrations are copyright Jaime Temairik!) Welcome, Sara!

*****

While I’m not yet finished with the first (re)draft, the final manuscript page count for this first book in our series is probably going to wind up around 50 or 60 pages… which reminds me that things could’ve been much more catastrophic with the saved-over manuscript. Had I made it to 500 manuscript pages and the same percentage had been deleted, I most certainly would have listened to that bullying inner critic telling me it was a sign to give it up.

In the meantime, I’m reminding myself that countless writers finish a draft (or three) and then start completely over—as a writing exercise! I’ve always thought those kind of writers were a little south of sane, but I’m finding that once I let go and stop trying to recreate every single scene down to the exact word choice, the re-write really does seem stronger. Having a rough sense of where I’m going makes the process faster, too.

Of course, I still need procrastination breaks, so then it’s time for reading. Here are some of my favorite graphic novels and how-to books, in case you’re interested in giving any of them a read:

How-Tos:
Drawing Words and Writing Pictures by Jessica Abel and Matt Madden (First Second)
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel by Nat Gertler and Steve Lieber (Alpha/Penguin)
Writing for Comics with Peter David by Peter David (Impact Books)

Pleasure Reading:
Biker Girl by Misako Rocks! (Hyperion)
Nancy Drew series by Stefan Petrucha and Sho Murase (Papercutz)
Peach Fuzz by Lindsay Cibos and Jard Hodges (TOKYOPOP)
Robot Dreams by Sara Varon (First Second)
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)


*****

This concludes our five-part series - thank you so much, Sara, for guest blogging on graphic novels! Now, to come up with a story...

 

Cover Stories: Evermore by Alyson Noel

EVERMORE, the first book in Alyson Noel's Immortals series, has been #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for weeks on end! This is definitely on my to-read list. And, Alyson shared her cover story on my blog this spring, and now I want to share it with readergirlz (have you guys read the book yet?!):

"I did use some visuals while I wrote. I have this image of a blond girl--this is how I imagined Ever to be. Except Ever has bangs, which are pretty significant in the story. But still, I was drawn to her wistful sadness with a hint of inner strength--that rang very 'Ever' to me!

"And I used this catalogue to decorate the house for a very significant Halloween party in EVERMORE--it was so much fun, I wish I could've done it for real!

"However, I had absolutely no visions for the cover! None. Nada. Zilch. Couldn't even imagine what it might look like. I work this way with all of my books! When my editor (the awesome Rose Hilliard) called one day to ask for my input, I didn't want her to know I hadn't given it the slightest thought, so I quickly mentioned some recent covers I liked, talked about colors (Purple! I love purple!), and mentioned that the tulips are hugely symbolic so we might want to add a few of those too. Then she took our ideas to the Art Department--et voila--a few weeks later, the EVERMORE cover appeared in my e-mail box and it was love at first sight!

"They used a photo-shopped stock photo. I learned this via one of my favorite YA bloggers who noticed they used the same photo on EVERMORE as they did in that gorgeous NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL cover. But they used the photo in such different ways it didn't really bother me at all. Just like it doesn't really bother me when someone is wearing the same dress as me--there's room for us all!

"When I first saw EVERMORE's cover, I thought: WOW! And then I called my husband into the room and we both stared at the computer screen and said a simultaneous: WOW! Like a chorus. Like we'd been practicing our 'wows' or something. I seriously fell in love with it, and I e-mailed my editor right away to tell her so!

"My editor is awesome to work with, and so far we've collaborated on both the EVERMORE and BLUE MOON covers. I'll be revealing BLUE MOON soon--I'm very excited about it! I did see an original for BLUE MOON, and it changed quite a bit--for the better!

"This brunette is the inspiration for two characters (identical twins) who show up in BLUE MOON. Her choppy bangs, her defiant oddness, her playfulness, really summed it up for me!

"The Art Department takes all suggestions to heart! Every single one of them! And I think they did such a tremendous job with both covers, I can't wait to see what they do with UNTITLED BOOK #3!

"I never saw an original version for EVERMORE, only the end result. Here's how I feel about the cover: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!"

I think it's gorgeous too, and I love the purple and red combo--it really stands out. What do you guys think?

Sara Easterly on Writing a Graphic Novel, Part 4

This week we have author, readergirlz PR specialist, and former SCBWI WWA co-Regional Advisor Sara Easterly guest-blogging about the process of writing a graphic novel and working with her illustrator co-hort, Jaime Temairik. Today we have Turning to the Experts. (All illustrations are copyright Jaime Temairik!) Welcome, Sara!

*****

When I interviewed Disney’s comic experts Steve Behling and Rich Thomas for the graphic novel article I mentioned earlier, one of the things that I found most interesting was their vision for the future, where graphic novels won’t fall under a separate category in the publishing world. They’ll simply be another form of storytelling, like novels in verse, for example. The vision, ultimately, is that graphic novels won’t sit on one or two bookshelves in a separate section of the bookstore, but would be intermingled as appropriate with other novels or biographies.

The other thing I really like about writing a graphic novel is the company I’m keeping. I’m stretching it, I know. But it’s pretty cool thinking about all the other great writers who are also writing graphic novels. The iconic Jane Yolen has two graphic novels soon to debut. And Avi, of course, was on the bandwagon early with City of Light, City of Dark, published by Scholastic in 1993.


*****

This will be a five-part series all this week on the why's of writing a graphic novel, illustrator collaboration, graphic wordplay, turning to the experts, and where to start. Tomorrow: Where to start!

 

13-year-old Adele's Literacy Library!

We are excited to hear about the ALL for Books WebStore, created for Adele's Literacy Library, is a non-profit organization founded by 13-year old Adele Taylor. Adele's passion for reading led her to start this organization that aims to donate millions of brand new books and bookmarks to schools, libraries and charitable organizations.

Launched as a joint project between Founder/CEO, Adele Ann Taylor, and a group of business school students from The University of California Irvine, the ALL for Books WebStore lets shoppers purchase books from the "Adele's List of Books to Donate" category and have them shipped directly to Adele's Literacy Library who will put them in the hands of the organizations/groups that need them. Shoppers can also purchase books for themselves or others from the New York Times Best Sellers List, and the proceeds are donated directly to Adele's Literacy Library to help it grow its one simple premise… read and be empowered.

Since December 2008, Adele's Literacy Library has successfully given away hundreds of brand new books and bookmarks to schools, libraries and various organizations. Adele’s goal is to give away millions of books to youth, elderly and disadvantaged individuals regardless of where they live. Ultimately Adele also wants to offer scholarships to high school graduates who want to pursue their educational dreams.

Visit ALL for Books to check it out!

Sara Easterly on Writing a Graphic Novel, Part 3

This week we have author, readergirlz PR specialist, and former SCBWI WWA co-Regional Advisor Sara Easterly guest-blogging about the process of writing a graphic novel and working with her illustrator co-hort, Jaime Temairik. Today we have Wordplay for the Graphic Novelist. (All illustrations are copyright Jaime Temairik!) Welcome, Sara!

*****

With any writing, every word counts. But with a graphic novel, every word really counts! I didn’t realize until trying my hand at the process just how teensy each of those speech balloons is. Naturally long-winded, it’s a real challenge for me to remember that each panel is like a billboard, where I’ve got a max of about 8 words to use—and sometimes that’s pushing it! In fact, some of the best graphic novels are completely barren of words, such as Robot Dreams by Sara Varon (First Second).

While I’ve never written a screenplay, I imagine the script looks somewhat the same—heavy on the dialogue. It’s tricky to look for ways to balance that out. But it’s the fun part, too! That’s where sound effects come in. BRRRAM! YOWWSA! And then there are thought balloons and narrative captions—setting or plot-advancing tools. The writer can also indicate entire panels, pages, or spreads where the plot advances only by the visuals. It’s liberating to learn to think that way.


*****

This will be a five-part series all this week on the why's of writing a graphic novel, illustrator collaboration, graphic wordplay, turning to the experts, and where to start. Tomorrow: Turning to the experts!

 

Graphic Novels on the Illustrator Side

For those of you following Sara Easterly's guest series on writing a graphic novel, check out her illustrator cohort Jaime Temairik's post on creating sketches for their project's main characters, Sana, Mischa, and Dano, pre- and post-pooberty:

(Illustration copyright Jaime Temairik, all rights reserved.)


And here's what she says about them: "In my world, a boy becomes a man when he switches from Super Big Gulps to Tall Americanos."


I totally agree. Read the rest at Jaime's blog!

 

Family: Daphne Grab

There are four members of my family who I have never met and who I most likely will never even set eyes on: the birth parents of my children. We adopted our kids from Kazakhstan four years ago and I think almost daily about the people who created my kids, gave them safe haven before birth and brought them to a place to be cared for when they were no longer able to offer that safety. In their staggering loss they gave me the greatest gift of my life and they are part of our home, our dialogue with our kids about our family, and our hearts. We kept the names given to our kids by their birth moms (and maybe their birth dads?) so that our kids could always have a connection to the parents who were there at the very beginnings of their lives and who will forever be an essential part of our family.

- Daphne Grab

Follow the series of family posts.

Rgz Street Team: Alex reviews Naomi and Ely's No-Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.

Today, Alex reviews Naomi and Ely's No-Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (did you guys know this book is slated to be a movie starring Hayden Panettiere?!):

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List is about a friendship that reaches a breaking point, a girl who likes a guy who likes guys, and college life. Ely and Naomi are best friends who have a “No Kiss List” which is made of up of who they cannot kiss in order to preserve their friendship. When Ely kisses Naomi’s boyfriend, Naomi is furious, not because Ely kissed her boyfriend but because she finally realized that Ely would rather kiss everyone else, but not her. In the end, Naomi finally understands that “gay” is not a choice and that Ely will always love her but as a sister.

This book was AMAZING! I love how it showed more than one side of each story. In life, there is always more than one point of view and it was fascinating to see one event from multiple points of view. It switched from character to character and slowly informed the reader of each character's past and their interests. It revolves around a BFF breakup and reading both Ely's and Naomi's point-of-view made it intense. It really makes one wonder what is going through the minds of others around when they are talking. Perhaps they are feeling the same about an event, perhaps not. One of my favorite lines in the book was said by Gabriel, the nighttime doorman. "Is he brown or yellow, or white, or what?" It appeals to me because I constantly have people asking me "What ARE you?" It also shows rather than states Gabriel's ethnicity and appearance. Books that make you visualize characters and scenes without outright describing them intrigue me.

Guys Lit Wire Book Fair for Boys

You know we love our guys over at GuysLitWire. So let's get the word out about their project full of heart and merit! Check this OUT! And get involved right now. Bravo, GuysLitWire!

Here's an excerpt from their site:

"Today we start the first two week Guys Lit Wire Book Fair for Boys to help the teens incarcerated in the LA County Juvenile Justice System. They have no books - at all - and they need them; they need them desperately.

There are currently about 50,000 incarcerated juveniles in the U.S.....About 300 of those kids (between the age of 12 and 18) are enrolled in voluntary classes through the InsideOut Writers Program. InsideOut is the GLW partner in the Book Fair for Boys.

The Book Fair for Boys is built around a wish list at Powells Books.We have put together what we think is the beginning of a library that will be available for any teens using the classrooms in the LA County system.

GLW intends to build a longterm relationship with IOW and run book fairs on a semi annual basis. We also have invited IOW to assist the boys in submitting book reviews to our site. We hope in this way to show them that their opinions are valued and to also give them a bit of writing and publishing experience.

You access the Book Fair for Boys list through the main wish list page. Enter our email: guyslitwire@gmail.com From there you can survey the list on one page and after you have made your selections, here is the mailing address:

Eve Porinchak
IOW
5850 Brookline Lane
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

The Guys Lit Wire Book Fair for Boys will run for two weeks and we invite everyone who buys a book to please comment on our site or send us an email and let us know your first name, where you are from and what you bought so we can run a list of how the Fair is going.

Hit the wishlist, buy a book and please, let us know what you think of the Book Fair for Boys."

Go to it, rgz! Rock this drop for Guys Lit Wire and incarcerated youth!

Innovations in Reading Award Certificate

Last week readergirlz was thrilled to be awarded the National Book Foundation's Innovations in Reading Prize. Today this fabulous framed certificate arrived in the mail. I feel honored and grateful, as does everyone on the readergirlz team!

Dia Calhoun

Sara Easterly on Writing a Graphic Novel, Part 2

This week we have author, readergirlz PR specialist, and former SCBWI WWA co-Regional Advisor Sara Easterly guest-blogging about the process of writing a graphic novel and working with her illustrator co-hort, Jaime Temairik. Today we have Collaborating with an Illustrator. (All illustrations are copyright Jaime Temairik!) Welcome, Sara!

*****

Unlike with picture books where it’s atypical to collaborate with your illustrator, with graphic novels that’s not always the case. And often, the writer, illustrator, penciler, and letterer are all the same person.

But I’m no Jackie of All Trades. So I collaborate with super-artist Jaime Temairik (cocoastomp.blogspot.com), one of the most creative and funny peeps I know. The best part about working on a book together (for the second time) is all the wacky brainstorming we get to do. We’ve spent countless hours at coffee shops and sushi restaurants, in hotels, over email, and on the phone chatting about our characters, plotlines, sequels, villains, and red herrings.

Then I run away and try to capture it all in words, leaving room—lots of room—for Jaime’s illustrations to finish, and usually make better, the job.

*****

This will be a five-part series all this week on the why's of writing a graphic novel, illustrator collaboration, graphic wordplay, turning to the experts, and where to start. Tomorrow: Graphic Wordplay!

 

May: Unusual Behavior

Each of the characters has an eccentric behavior - Dika holds her red glass, Angel carries his box, Sophie squeezes lime juice . . . Do you or someone you know have unusual behaviors? What might be some deeper reasons behind the behaviors?

Sara Easterly on Writing a Graphic Novel, Part 1

This week we're over the moon to have author, readergirlz PR specialist, and former SCBWI WWA co-Regional Advisor Sara Easterly guest-blogging about the process of writing a graphic novel and working with her illustrator co-hort, Jaime Temairik. I (Holly) am already a huge fan of both Sara and Jaime, having met them both in children's writing/illustrating classes at UW (in fact, I wrote an article five years ago for the SCBWI Bulletin all about meeting Jaime and her amazing drawings). Welcome, Sara!

This will be a five-part series all this week on the why's of writing a graphic novel, illustrator collaboration, graphic wordplay, turning to the experts, and where to start. So we'll start today with The Why's of Writing a Graphic Novel. (All illustrations copyright Jaime Temairik.)

********

Right now I’m writing a middle-grade graphic novel. To be accurate, though, the word is “rewriting.” That’s due to a dumble-fumble where I saved over my almost-finished draft with an older copy, cutting the whole thing back to a whopping nine pages.

But I won’t get into that sob story right now—which would be easy to do, believe me. Nope. Instead, as per Holly’s request, I’ll talk about the process of writing a graphic novel… with a tidbit or two about the exercise of starting over.

Why write a graphic novel? For me, I’d been dipping my toes into graphic novels ever since I wrote an article about them for the SCBWI Bulletin. The initial inspiration started there, but what struck me in the course of research was how with graphic novels, just about anything goes. No rules. No boundaries. No set format, even. I didn’t realize I had a rebellious alter-ego, but it was stirring with excitement at the possibilities.

*****

Tomorrow: Collaborating with an illustrator. Stay tuned!

 

Family: Melissa Walker

What does "family" mean to you?
Family includes the people who will drop everything when you need them -- and the ones who recognize when you really need them (even if you say you don't).

Who do you consider to be the members of your family?
Blood is definitely important - I would call on anyone in my traditional family, and I know they would answer. I also am lucky enough to have some friends - both lifelong and more recent - whom I know would do the same.

- Melissa Walker

Follow the series of family posts.

Reach Out: DREAM Act

All over the country, young students are being forced to give up on their dreams of a college education because of their immigration status. Many states deny in-state tuition benefits to students who entered the U.S. illegally, even if they've been here since they were young and have spent their entire school lives in America. This is an issue that our featured book, Red Glass, touches upon. And it couldn't be more timely.

Right now, Congress is considering The Federal DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act), which would provide undocumented immigrant youth in America with conditional residency and a chance for citizenship if they came to the U.S. before they were 16, graduated from high school or obtained a GED, attended two years of college or joined the military, and have no criminal records.

If the act doesn't pass, "another entire class of outstanding, law-abiding high school students will graduate without being able to plan for the future, and some will be removed from their homes to countries they barely know," says DreamACTivist.org on its site, which is dedicated to the passage of the DREAM Act. "This tragedy will cause America to lose a vital asset: an educated class of promising immigrant students who have demonstrated a commitment to hard work and a strong desire to be contributing members of our society."

Want to take action? Here are some ideas.

May: Special clothes or jewelry that make a difference

Sophie's new white dress and coconut jewelry make her feel like a different person. Do you have any special clothes or jewelry that make you feel different somehow?

Little Willow's Book Bag

This Week's Picks
The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde
The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter (coming out in June)

For Your Younger Siblings
Amy Hodgepodge #2: Happy Birthday to Me by Kim Wayans and Kevin Knotts, illustrated by Soo Jeong
Amy Hodgepodge #3: Lost and Found by Kim Wayans and Kevin Knotts, illustrated by Soo Jeong
Miss Popularity Goes Camping by Francesco Sedita
From the Life Of Willa Havisham: Forget Me Not by Coleen Murtagh Paratore
The Baby-Sitters Club #111: Stacey and the Secret Friend by Ann M. Martin
The Baby-Sitters Club #120: Mary Anne and the Playground Fight by Ann M. Martin
Sweet Dreams of the Wild: Poems for Bedtime by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, illustrated by Aileen Leijten

This Month's Spotlighted Title
Red Glass by Laura Resau

Help Stamp Out Hunger

35 million Americans don't have enough food to eat. Today, May 9th, you can Help Stamp Out Hunger by donating food to the 17th annual nationwide food drive. Simply fill bags with non-perishable food items and leave them next to your mailbox, and your letter carrier will carry them off.

From the official Help Stamp Out Hunger press release:

Nation's Largest One-Day Food Drive Helps The Increasing Number of Americans Struggling with Hunger

CAMDEN, NJ (April 13, 2009) — On Saturday, May 9, Campbell Soup Company will join forces with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) to Stamp Out Hunger!(TM) across America in order to provide assistance to the one in eight Americans who struggle with hunger.

The Stamp Out Hunger! effort is the nation's largest single-day food drive, having collected more than 909 million pounds of food since its inception in 1993. Last year, letter carriers across the country collected a record total of more than 73.1 million pounds of food, but with hunger impacting many Americans – including working families, children and the elderly – help is needed now more than ever before.

To help Stamp Out Hunger! this year, simply leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, like canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal, next to your mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on May 9. Food items should be in non-breakable containers, such as boxes and cans. The nation's 230,000 letter carriers will be collecting donations from homes across the country and delivering them to food bank members of Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network) and other hunger relief organizations in more than 10,000 local communities.

"In these difficult economic times, hunger is an issue that must be addressed in every community across our country," said William H. Young, NALC president. "We see it daily out on our routes. That's why now more than ever before we need everybody’s help to make a real difference."

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 36 million Americans live in food insecure households, and approximately one in every three of these Americans is a child. Additionally, a recent survey of Feeding America food bank members reported a 30 percent increase in requests for emergency food assistance. The reasons cited for this dramatic increase in demand included rising cost of food, increasing unemployment and underemployment, the cost of fuel and the burden of mortgage or rent costs.

Food banks are also notoriously empty during summer months, having exhausted the supply of donations received from food drives conducted during the holidays that are then distributed during spring. Summer donations are even more critical since many children in need no longer have the benefit of their school lunch program.

Read the entire press release.

For more information about the food drive, visit http://www.helpstampouthunger.com and http://www.stampouthunger.info/

Click here to locate your nearby post office and make sure it is participating in the food drive.

Sarah Dessen Celebration

Over at The Sarah Dessen Diarist, the lovely Adele has put together an astonishing thirty days of posts(!) from authors, bloggers, and readergirlz in the month leading up to Sarah Dessen's birthday on June 6th.

Check out this super cute movie put together by our own readergirlz diva Melissa Walker, who grew up in Chapel Hill along with Ms. Dessen herself:



Stay tuned for blogs from an amazing list of authors and bloggers, plus divas Justina Chen Headley and Holly Cupala, and a special post from the readergirlz later in the month!