Linda Urban’s fantastic picture book MOUSE WAS MAD is officially out this week, and she’s hosting a contest on her blog. If you visit , you can win a signed copy, along with some Lake Champlain Chocolate Truffles. As someone who has enjoyed both Linda’s book and Lake Champlain Truffles, I can tell you that both are darn close to perfect.
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on Linda’s blog, saying what makes you mad and how you feel better. For example, yesterday, I had one of those terrible, horrible, no-good, etc. etc. days…ala Judith Viorst. Eating chocolate often makes me feel better, but since I’m trying to be healthy at the moment, I went outside and shot baskets. I discovered that I am a remarkably good shot when I’m miffed, and I was wishing my husband had been there to play HORSE because we are competitive with things like that, and I am certain I would have beaten him without even racking up an H.
In my upcoming middle grade novel The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z, the main character has a monster leaf collection due. It’s a project she’s put off to the last minute, and now everything that can possibly go wrong…does. If only she’d had access to this iPhone application, I might have written a whole different story. The scientists developing this particular app say if all goes well, you’ll be able to identify a plant from a photo of its leaves that’s then uploaded to a database. Ultimately, they say it could help researchers learn more about climate change and changes in biodiversity. And of course…it would make those school leaf collection projects a walk in the park. Thanks to for the link!
This post is part of a year-long series of blog interviews I’ll be hosting with my fellow 2009 Debut Authors, called "How They Got Here."
It should be an especially helpful series for teens who write, teachers, and anyone who wants to write for kids. 2009 debut authors will be dropping by to talk about how their writing in school shaped the authors they are today, what teachers can do to make a difference, how they revise, and how they found their agents and editors. (You’ll even be able to read some successful query letters!) If you know a teacher or two who might be interested, please share the link!
Today…Aprilynne Pike, author of WINGS! Aprilynne Pike’s WINGS is the first of four books about an ordinary girl named Laurel who discovers she is a faerie sent among humans to guard the gateway to Avalon. When Laurel is thrust into the midst of a centuries-old battle between faeries and trolls, she’s torn between a human and a faerie love, as well as her loyalties to both worlds.
Welcome, Aprilynne! Tell us about the first thing you ever wrote that made you think maybe you were a writer.
I had a fiction instructor in college who would occasionally, at the end of a short-story critique, say, "Clean it up; send it out." It was the highest of compliments, and something she didn’t say often. I was part of an extremely talented class and I didn’t (still don’t) think my stuff was as good as theirs. But I had one story that I really liked and worked really hard on. And at the end of the class critique, my professor looked at me, met my eyes, and say, "Clean it up; send it out." That was the moment I thought it just might be possible to someday get something published.
What books did you love when you were a kid?
I loved way too many books to list here, but some of my most memorable ones were The Boxcar Children, anything by VC Andrews, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks, and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.
Is there a particular teacher or librarian who was a mentor for you in your reading and writing life?
Janet Cain; my junior English teacher. She taught me to love literature, Not just books, and not just modern texts, she taught me to love all well-written literature. I read more classic literature in her class than any other I’ve ever taken . . . and half of it was unassigned!:)
Moving on to the here and now, most writers admit that making time to write can sometimes be a challenge. When and where do you write? Do you have any special rituals? Music? Food & beverages?
I have three young children and–until recently–a husband in law school. So I write when I can. Ideally, I like to lock myself in my office and get comfy with my laptop, but that’s not always possible. I like drinks and snacks while working, because I’ve learned that writing takes a degree of physical stamina as well as mental. I don’t generally listen to music, because I find myself typing the lyrics instead of my story.:) But I am a Diet Root Beer junkie and often have a cup of tea at hand as well.
Do you have a favorite strategy for revision?
I know a lot of authors who save everything they cut out of their manuscripts, just in case. I have found that I do better revisions when I just delete stuff. After all, if I decide later that I really do need that paragraph that I cut, I can probably write it better the second time anyway. I have to just move forward and not dwell on what parts of my original baby aren’t there anymore. I don’t hang on to them. (Unless they’d make a really fun deleted scene; I give myself one of those per book. Everything else goes.)
What’s your best advice for young writers?
Read. You will never learn more about story and plot than by reading. I think that authors who either don’t read, or don’t read much, are missing out.
What’s special about your debut novel?
I have faeries like no faeries you’ve ever seen before. It’s one of the things I am proudest of!
What were the best and worst parts of writing it?
The best part of writing my book was discovering the perfect ending.
The worst part was discovering that the previous ending that I thought was perfect, well, wasn’t. Not being able to write the right ending on WINGS was the first time I ever cried about my writing. How did you find your agent and/or editor?
I was lucky enough to have a recommendation for my agent, however, there was a mix-up in the office and she didn’t actually get it for over ten months. During that time, I did the query thing. I got rejections (lots of them) and several requests for partials and fulls . . . and more rejections.;) Even though I ended up signing with the first agent I sent stuff to, I feel like experiencing the full gamut of querying was really good for me. Every author should be intimately acquainted with the sting of rejection. Then they are less likely to forget just how sweet that first yes is.
My Friday started early, with a rocky, bumpy ferry ride to Vermont for the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Conference. I don’t think I’ve ever been on the lake when it was this rough.
This is my windshield. There was no fog & It was not raining…just a sheet of lake water coming over the front of the boat.
Truth be told, it was kind of fun and exciting. Part of me wanted to get out of the car, cling to a railing and shout, "Batten down the hatches!!" But I’m not sure they have hatches on the ferry and I would have gotten my conference clothes all wet, so I refrained.
The conference was held at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, Vermont. This has to be one of the prettiest views I’ve ever had from a workshop room.
I loved visiting with the teachers & librarians in my workshop, and one of them made me laugh at the end, when I shared the news that the nice folks at Bloomsbury/Walker had sent along ARCs of my new book, The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z, for everyone who attended my presentation.
"Oh!" she said. "It’s just like Oprah!"
Not quite…but there was a celebrity on hand, of near-Oprah status.
Caldecott Medalist David Macauley, who gave the morning keynote address, was gracious enough to sign books for my kids.
We had David’s new book, The Way We Work, out at the Messner house just last night. We were talking about the swine flu, and my son was trying to explain to my daughter how a virus isn’t really a living thing. "Hold on," I said…and sure enough, we found a fantastic illustration of an influenza virus, along with a great explanation of why it needs a host cell to reproduce.
Vermont’s DCF Committee did a phenomenal job with this conference, and it was lovely to spend the whole day talking about books with people who love them so much. Thanks, Vermont teachers & librarians, for a terrific day!
May just might be my new favorite month. Not only are my tulips about to burst into bloom, but it’s also Reading Celebration Month at Peru Intermediate School. I’m their guest author, which means I get to spend time talking books with a crew of excited kids who love to read.
This poster in the front hallway made me smile. I’m so glad I could visit on an outdoor recess day!
What could be better? More than 500 enthusiastic Peru kids were at the assembly where I spoke this afternoon to kick off their May reading extravaganza.
Note: That’s not me up front. It’s Mr. Storms, the principal of Peru Intermediate, who chose David Wisniewski’s GOLEM as his favorite book for the faculty/staff slideshow. This is, in my book, solid evidence that he is a very cool principal.
I love how this school has set up its reading incentive program, making room for all kinds of readers. Students are meeting with their teachers to decide on their own individual reading goals. When they meet their goals, which they can choose to make public or keep private, they get to put their names up on one of these way-cool ships in the front entrance display.
Why ships? The theme for this year’s reading incentive program is Lake Champlain. Since my historical novels are set on the lake, all of the classes are reading at least one of them. I’ll be spending a full day with the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders later on this month to talk about the research and stories behind Spitfire and Champlain and the Silent One. They’ll also get a super-sneak preview of my new book, The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z (Walker, Fall ’09), which is set near the lake in modern times.
Today, though, it was all about the reading. After a slideshow of their teachers’ favorite books, I talked about some of my favorites, past and present. We talked about how books let us travel through time, show us ourselves, and bring us together. And I shared my own reading goals for the month of May. I’m planning to read a mix of picture books, poetry, novels for younger kids, high school novels, and books for adults. Mary Anning and the Sea Dragon by Jeannine Atkins (I have a shiny new, signed copy from the NESCBWI Conference!) Masterpiece by Elise Broach (I’ve been wanting to read this for ages – can’t wait!) Border Songs by Jim Lynch (I loved his novel The Highest Tide and was happy to pick up this advance copy of his latest.) The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry (I read an early draft of this book and can’t wait to dig into the final version!) Bug Boy by Eric Luper (Is it cheating that I’ve already started reading this ARC? I was going to save it, but it just didn’t work out.) Nine Horses by Billy Collins (This is the book of poetry that I was so excited to find on the library book sale cart for fifty cents.)
I’ll be sure to post some thoughts as I finish each one. And if you’re a Peru student reading this…know that as I work my way through my pile of books, I’m cheering for you to meet your goal, too!
Tomorrow, I’m the author guest at Peru Intermediate School‘s Reading Celebration Kickoff for the month of May. (That’s Peru, NY…not Peru, South America. If you want to hear about the South America Peru, you should visit , who just had a school visit there!) I’m excited to meet the kids, talk about some books I loved when I was younger, and share our reading goals for the month.
Friday, I’m presenting a workshop at Vermont’s DCF Conference: Celebrating 400 Years on Lake Champlain: Author and English teacher Kate Messner discusses her two historical novels set on Lake Champlain as well as her upcoming book The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z (Walker, Fall ’09). Kate will share her research and writing process as well as strategies for using her books in the classroom to help celebrate the history and natural landscape of Vermont.
I’m looking forward to spending the day at the conference. I’ll get to hang out with cool librarians and hear talks from David Macauley, whose new book The Way We Work is just so cool, and Beth Kanell, whose historical YA novel The Darkness Under the Water is wonderfully haunting.
And now, some places you might want to go and people you might want to visit…
First of all, have you read Winnie’s War by Jenny Moss? This historical novel, set during the 1918 influenza epidemic, is terrific and suddenly feels very timely. I’m on a panel with Jenny at the 2009 NCTE conference, talking about pairing fiction and nonfiction in the classroom, so we chat online from time to time. She was telling me that she has a school visit coming up soon, and I can just imagine the questions she’ll be getting. It’s a great title for teachers who want to explore the changes in medicine, disease preparedness, and technology over the past century.
Kristy Dempsey’s picture book Me With You is on its way to bookstores as we speak, and if you’ve had a peek at the book trailer on her website, you know how cute this one is. The illustrations by Christopher Denise are just charming. Kristy is running a contest where you can win a copy over at .
Linda Urban is reading and signing copies of her new picture book Mouse Was Mad, illustrated by Henry Cole, at Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne, VT Saturday morning at 11. I already have my signed copy and have read it at least a dozen times since Saturday. I’ve laughed every single time.
And finally, my friend has a new hedgehog. Seriously. Go visit and help her name the prickly critter.
At the request of some folks on Twitter, I’m posting the handout from last weekend’s NESCBWI panel discussion, "Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Agents…But Were Afraid to Ask." I participated in the panel, along with my agent Jennifer Laughran of ABLA, author Jo Knowles and her agent Barry Goldblatt, and author/illustrator Carlyn Beccia and her agent Tracey Adams. We talked about many elements of the agent-author relationship Saturday afternoon and promised more on how to query an agent in the handout. Some of it will seem obvious, but believe it or not, agents see query letters that don’t follow guidelines all the time. Tips for Querying Agents
1. Do your homework. Make sure you know what kind of work the agent generally represents. Spell the name correctly. Make sure your manuscript is ready to submit. Then follow the submission guidelines exactly. Why is this important? Because you’re asking someone to represent you as a professional in a career where you will frequently need to follow directions and do things a certain way. Prove that you can do it up front. Don’t give an agent a reason to say no.
2. When you write your query letter:
a. Address the agent by his or her name, i.e. Dear Mr. Goldblatt
b. Write a very brief first paragraph explaining why you are writing (to see if the agent is interested in representing your project) and why you chose that agent in particular. Did you read that the agent was looking for paranormal romance? Does he or she represent an author you love?
c. It’s fine to say you’ve met one of the agent’s clients or admire their books, but don’t make it sound like you were referred to an agent unless an author specifically referred you and offered to contact the agent to say so. Agents will check on this, and you’ll look unprofessional if you’ve stretched the truth.
d. In your next paragraph or two, give a brief summary of your book. This summary should read more like jacket copy than a book report. It’s meant give a quick overview to entice the agent to request your manuscript and does not need to include every little plot element. It does need to be clear, concise, and well written. If your book is funny, it helps if your query is funny, too.
e. In your last paragraph, give a brief closing. You might say to whom your book would appeal or how you think it fits into the market. Thank the agent and offer to send your manuscript along at his or her request.
3. Give it time. Agents are incredibly busy and may take weeks or months to respond to your query. Status query only after three months or whatever the agent’s guidelines suggest.
Keep in mind, there’s a lot of advice out there on querying, and this is just one take on the process. There are no magic query potions. If you’re interested in learning more about what to do and especially what not to do, you’ll want to check out this post from Scholastic editor Cheryl Klein.
10. An unreliable narrator — one who doesn’t tell the truth for any number of reasons — can add tension to a story. In her workshop called "You Lying Scumbag" (love that title!), Jacqueline Davies read a bit from her new historical novel LOST and shared an Ian McEwan quote that stuck with me. "Narrative tension is primarily about the withholding of information."
9. Being sort of scared to write about race, for fear of messing up, is not a good reason to avoid it. Mitali Perkins challenged her workshop participants to include more diversity in their casts of characters, and not in just superficial ways.
8. Along those same lines…a quote from Floyd Cooper during the diversity panel… "A good multicultural book should start as a good book."
7. It is possible to remain calm, cool, collected, and friendly while coordinating a conference for hundreds of writers. Co-directors Anna Boll and Anindita Basu Sempere proved it over and over again.
6. My agent is just as terrific in person as she is online. We met for the first time Friday and got to spend lots of time talking and laughing over the weekend.
5. Agents in general — at least the good ones — are incredibly committed to good books. I was impressed when an audience member at our panel discussion on agents & authors asked how long an agent will shop a manuscript before it’s dead in the water. The answer? A really, really long time, if they believe in the manuscript. Barry Goldblatt told the story of a book he sold after seven or eight YEARS of trying on and off, and Tracey Adams shared a similar experience. Sometimes, depending on what the market is like, they’ll put a story on the back burner for a while, but that doesn’t always mean giving up on it.
4. The Nashua Crowne Plaza has very good chocolate chip muffins, but it’s impossible to eat them without making a mess. There are chocolate smudges on half of my notebook pages.
3. Sometimes, when I am really busy and having lots of fun, I forget to take all the great pictures I intended to take. But I have these…
Saturday night dinner at The Peddler’s Daughter in Nashua
What we had for dinner there, which brings me to….
2. I do like fish & chips! I do, I like them, Sam-I-Am. Actually, that would be Linda-I-Am, since it was who told me I really ought to order them, since they are the specialty of this great Nashua pub and come all wrapped up in newspaper. The meal was fantastic, as was the company.
1. Children’s writers & illustrators and the editors and agents who work with them are some of the friendliest, funniest, smartest, most supportive and generous people on the planet. I so loved meeting new writer-friends and spending time with people I usually talk with online, including my agent and online critique buddies. Truth be told, I knew that before this weekend, but every time I attend an event like this, I’m reminded of it, so it’s still #1.
I was part of the panel discussion "Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Agents…But Were Afraid to Ask," along with my agent Jennifer Laughran, Jo Knowles and her agent Barry Goldblatt, and Carlyn Beccia and her agent Tracey Adams. This was my first time presenting at an SCBWI Conference, so I was a little nervous, but having so many smart, nice people on the panel made it a million times easier. We had great questions. Can a first-time novelist still find an agent? (Yes!) How do you usually communicate with your agent? (Email, mostly. It was interesting to note that two of the three agents on the panel had met their clients in person for the very first time just this weekend!) More on the panel, questions & answers later on. And if you were at the panel, thank you so much for coming and for your great questions! Watch your email for the handout later this week!
I loved looking at the posters for the illustrator showcase. I’m always in awe of illustrators, and the folks who created work for us all to enjoy in the conference lobby deserve a big thanks!
Fish & Chips! At a local pub so loud my ears are still kind of ringing. With homemade ketchup… Mmmmm….
I stayed up wayyyyy too late talking with friends in the hotel lobby. To that end…. time for coffee. I’ll post some photos later in the week!
Cynthia Lord’s keynote talk at NESCBWI this morning was…well…it was everything that Cynthia is. Smart and warm and inspiring and nurturing and wonderful. If you’ve met Cindy or know her on LJ, you know exactly what I mean. And she was right…we did need the Kleenex when she shared some of the letters she’s received from kids about RULES.
Other highlights… Jacqueline Davies got us thinking about the different kinds of unreliable narrators in her workshop whose title, "You Lying Scumbag," should probably be in the running for most intriguing workshop title ever.
Linda Urban’s fantastic picture book MOUSE WAS MAD is officially out this week, and she’s hosting a contest on her blog. If you visit 
This is just too cool. 
Today…Aprilynne Pike, author of WINGS!
