One more thing from the Burlington Book Festival…. I don’t post pictures of my kids to my public blog, but I loved this picture and wanted to share it. My E is reading A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT right now, so she was so excited to meet Linda Urban and have her sign her book. Doesn’t this photo just sum it up?
Burlington Book Festival
The sky was sunny, and the air was crisp and Septembery yesterday, and so I was already in a happy mood when we got to the Burlington Book Festival. This was my first real presentation for SPITFIRE, so I was just a little nervous (okay…scared, for those of you keeping score), but as I was setting up,
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and
and my old neighbor Kim walked in with smiles and hugs and “You go, girl!” kinds of sentiments, and all was well.
The nice woman who read my introduction (I’m not sure who wrote it) told the audience that my presentation would be interesting, but gross. (I’m thinking she must have found out about the part where I talk about the flesh-eating bugs on my roof that helped me clean my cow horns for powder horns.)
The kids, teachers, writers, and parents in the audience were enthusiastic and were game to dress up in 18th century garb and taste hardtack and everything. It was so much fun to share the story of SPITFIRE with them, especially some of the kids in the audience who are writers, too.
Then I got to be in the audience for Linda Urban’s presentation on A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT, which was just fantastic. If you’ve ever met Linda, you know how smart and warm and genuine she is, and that all came through in her presentation. My family and I loved listening to Linda read from her book. When Linda read a part where Zoe’s dad strikes up a marching band in the living room, marching around with the lids of pots and pans, E stopped laughing long enough to lean over and whisper, “He’s even crazier than Daddy!”
One more bit of good news… Essex, VT is getting a new independent bookstore! I had a chance to chat with the folks at Phoenix Books, which is opening next month at the Essex Shoppes & Cinema, and they’re promising lots of great events for children. Yay!!
As for the Burlington Book Festival… Congratulations to Rick Kisonak and Elaine Sopchak and everyone else who put this event together. It was a fantastic, fun, inspirational celebration of reading and writing.
Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller
“My heart is singing for joy this morning.”
-Anne Sullivan to Sophia Hopkins, March 1887
So begins one of the chapters in Sarah Miller‘s debut novel Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller, and her quote from Annie Sullivan describes just how I felt when I finished this magical book.
Last spring, I issued an invitation to authors of historical fiction, to send me information about their books for a presentation I’m doing this fall at the New York State Reading Association Conference. I heard from wonderful writers — some whose works I knew and some who were new to me. But one title REALLY caught my eye: Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller. First, it got my attention because the titles of our books are so similar. When I opened it up to start reading, it got my attention in another way — a sweep-you-away-in-the-story kind of way.
Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller tells the story of Annie Sullivan, the young woman who battled beliefs of the time and fought with every ounce of energy she had to give Helen Keller the gift of language. Sarah Miller tells the story in Annie’s voice — and tells it with a passion that speaks to the depth of her research and her pure love for this historical figure. Miss Spitfire not only tells the story we see in The Miracle Worker — the story of Annie’s time with Helen — but also plunges into Annie Sullivan’s past, and in doing so, provides a deeper understanding of the commitment and determination that led to her success.
The portrayals of Annie’s emotional, psychological, and physical struggles with Helen were so vivid that I found myself reading with my brow furrowed in determined solidarity with Annie as she plunked Helen back into her seat at the dining room table for the tenth time. Truly, Annie had to be a spitfire to survive this monumental challenge when she was little more than a girl herself.
The minor characters in this novel sparkle, too. One of my favorite scenes brought Helen together for a lesson with the Kellers’ servant boy Percy. I felt like I was about to burst with pride right along with Annie when Helen began to turn from a student into a teacher, helping Percy with some of the letters. Mr. & Mrs. Keller, too, are painted with a tremendous depth of understanding. It would have been easy to portray Helen’s parents as one-dimensional characters who got in the way of Annie’s work, but instead, Sarah Miller helps us to see their complexity and feel some of their anguish at having a beautiful, broken child.
Early in the book, Annie tells Helen’s mother why her lessons are so vital to Helen.
“Words, Mrs. Keller, words bridge the gap between two minds. Words are a miracle.”
Indeed, they are. And Miss Spitfire will have you believing in that miracle all over again.
Coming soon on my LJ…an interview with the author of Miss Spitfire, Sarah Miller!
More with Linda Urban…
Some of you have already had the pleasure of meeting the author of A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT on
‘s blog this week. If you haven’t seen her interview, it’s terrific. If you did see Kelly’s post, you can consider this your second date with Linda! I’m doing a presentation on my upcoming historical novel SPITFIRE at this weekend’s Burlington Book Festival, and Linda’s talk on CROOKED is right afterwards in the same room, so I wanted to invite her here for a visit first.
Whether they’re adults or kids, people who love reading and writing always want to hear the story of how their favorite books came to be. What was the inspiration for A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT and how did it grow into the middle grade novel it is today?
It started as a picture book. I was telling author/illustrator David Small about my childhood fantasy of playing classical music on a grand piano and how my dad got seduced by the rhythm switches of a mall organ. David said, “I can just see the illustrations for that!” A few weeks later I wrote a picture book, but the voice and pacing were all wrong for a picture book. It wasn’t until two years later that I gave it a try as a novel. That’s when the story took off.
Many of my blog readers are teachers of writing, and they’re always looking for ways to help kids with revision. Would you share with us a few of your favorite revision strategies?
Nothing beats reading your work aloud. That’s when you hear all the word repetition and discover the rhythm of the piece. For me, writing is about capturing a sound, a voice, a mood. I can’t be sure I’ve done that until I actually hear the work.
On to the fun stuff now….
Why Neil Diamond?
Many people think I picked “Forever in Blue Jeans” for some sort of cheese factor, but really it is a very sweet, very earnest song that fit Zoe’s story perfectly. She has to see past the cheese of it, past the disappointment that her competition piece is not the perfect classical composition she had imagined herself playing, and come to love this simple, honest melody. The lyrics underscore that.
We live in such an ironic age, enamored of kitsch and edge. People are made to feel foolish for feeling things with their whole hearts. If there is anything that I can do to let kids know that it is okay to express what honestly matters to them, I’m all for it. Hence, a little Neil Diamond.
The desserts described in A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT sound perfectly delicious. Are you a great dessert chef, a great dessert eater, neither, or both?
I bake some. Cookies and breads mostly. I have a lot of admiration for people who make beautiful desserts. When you and I spend hours on our writing, part of us is thinking that maybe we’ll find a few words that will live on beyond us, bound in a book, available forever and ever and ever. A pastry chef can put her heart into a cake – hours of work – and then the whole thing gets swallowed up and that is that. You really have to care a great deal about making art when you know it is only going to last thirty minutes.
And your favorite dessert is…?
Apple pie. Yum.
What books — for kids or adults — have you read and loved lately?
I just finished Elijah of Buxton, the latest historical by Christopher Paul Curtis. What a genius that man is. He starts by letting us meet Elijah at his most silly and, as his Mama would say “fra-gile”, falling for an elaborate story about “hoop snakes”, playing a practical joke, and getting one played on him in return. It is hysterically funny and perfect for grabbing the attention of young readers. In a few short pages you can’t help but know and love Elijah. And then, slowly, and without losing humor or character, we are introduced into the deep and lasting horrors of slavery that have shaped the lives of the townspeople of Buxton. The effect is devastating. You’ve got to read this book.
What can folks expect if they come to see you at the Burlington Book Festival this weekend?
I plan to read a little from A Crooked Kind of Perfect and talk with kids and grown-ups about writing, perfection, and getting over the fears that stop us from doing those things that really matter to us.
If anyone LJ friends are in the area (or up for a road trip!), I know that Linda and I would both love to meet you. Here’s the scoop on our presentations:
Burlington Book Festival
Waterfront Theatre, Burlington, VT
11:00 AM-12:00 PM
KATE MESSNER
Join Kate Messner for a trip back in time to the American Revolution on Lake Champlain. Kate will read from her middle grade historical novel Spitfire, set during the Battle of Valcour Island in 1776, sign books and present an interactive multimedia slide show about the real 12-year-old who fought in the battle. Kids will be invited to taste the food and try on the clothes of an 18th century sailor, handle artifact replicas and design their own powder horns to take home.
Waterfront Theatre Black Box, 3rd Floor
12:30-1:30 PM
LINDA URBAN
Linda will debut her new book for young readers (ages 8-12), A Crooked Kind of Perfect. Listen to excerpts and find out what it’s like to write and publish a novel for kids.
Waterfront Theatre Black Box, 3rd Floor
Letter Game…
List ten things you like/love/are interested in that start with a certain letter….
I commented on
‘s blog and was cheerfully tagged with letter O. (Vowels are tough, but at least it wasn’t X or Q.) Here’s my list:
1. optimism
2. orchids
3. olive oil (a special kind from a little store in Montreal’s Atwater Market. It’s owned by a man named Renee who uses the word “fabulous” every time I go to visit him.)
4. October
5. oceans
6. Orion Nebula (No, really…. I’m not just choosing it because of the O thing. I saw Orion through a big telescope a few weeks ago and fell in love with the idea of actually seeing a place where stars are born.)
7. organic gardening
8. ornithology
9. oysters
10.oatmeal cookies (with chocolate chips!)
If you want to play, leave me a comment, and I’ll assign you a letter. (Not Q or X unless you make a special request for the challenge!)
SPITFIRE on Amazon.com
Guess what? My book is on Amazon!
I’ve been visiting it online at least every few hours, but it probably gets lonely when I’m not there, so you can click on the image below if you’d like to visit it, too.
Fabulous Zach at North Country books emailed on Friday to let me know that SPITFIRE would be available for pre-order on Amazon within a few days. Sure enough, when I checked yesterday morning, there it was. My mom was visiting, so I got to show off like a kid who just finished a new craft project. I haven’t seen her so proud since I made that clay pot in second grade.
SPITFIRE is available for pre-order and will be in stores on September 25th.
Note to friends who don’t live near me…
North Country Books is a regional publisher, so you should find SPITFIRE in your local bookstore if you live in New York or Vermont. Otherwise, you can find it online or ask your local bookseller to order it through North Country Books.
And one more thing…. Don’t forget to send your entry for the SPITFIRE writers & characters contest! If you’ve ever tried Lake Champlain chocolate, you know that it’s well worth 300 words. Thanks for the entries so far — I’ll start featuring some of them later this week!
September is SPITFIRE Month!
I just got the final word from my editor that SPITFIRE will be available by the end of September! To celebrate the release and the work of all of us who write for young people, I’m hosting a contest and spitfire-of-the-day feature on my blog…
spitfire: (n) A fiery-tempered, passionate person
My middle grade historical novel is called SPITFIRE for two reasons.
1) On the bottom of Lake Champlain today rests the last remaining gunboat of Benedict Arnold’s Revolutionary War fleet. It sank while American vessels were fleeing from the British during the Battle of Valcour Island in October of 1776. Spitfire is the name of that boat and the setting for much of my novel.
2) My main character, Abigail Smith, is a 12-year-old girl who steals a leaky rowboat and runs away to join the American fleet on Lake Champlain. She is brave, passionate, and more than a little impulsive – a spitfire if ever there was one.
On to the contest…
Are you a SPITFIRE?
The more writers I meet, the more convinced I am that you have to be a real spitfire to survive this career choice. With that in mind, write a very short (300 words or less) essay on what makes you a spitfire in your writing life or in some other way that’s entertaining to read about.
OR… (I’m adding this at the request of modest writers who can’t possibly write about themselves that way) write about your favorite spitfire character in a book — yours or someone else’s.
I’ll feature some of the essays on my blog in the days leading up to SPITFIRE’s release, along with an author photo and/or a picture of your latest book if you’re published.
Send entries with the subject line “SPITFIRE CONTEST” to kmessner at katemessner dot com (no spaces). Please include:
-Your name
-A link to your website or blog if you have one
-Your essay pasted into the email, with permission to post on my blog
-A jpeg photo of you and/or your latest book attached if you’d like me to post it on my blog with your Spitfire Writer essay to promote your book
The deadline is September 25. Everyone who sends an essay will be entered in a drawing…and if you let people know about the contest on your website or blog and post a link to this page, I’ll enter you in the drawing twice. Just drop me a comment letting me know you’ve done so.
A winner will be drawn at random from all entries, and that person will receive a signed copy of SPITFIRE, along with a box of Lake Champlain Chocolates. Because everyone needs chocolate. Being a spitfire is hard work.
Night in the Desert
My blog’s been quiet for the past week because I was in San Diego on a family vacation. It was an incredible week in so many ways, but this was the highlight…
I was lucky enough to spend last Monday, the night of the total lunar eclipse, camping in the middle of Anzo-Borrego Desert State Park. Before we left, we found California Overland online and learned that they were offering an overnight desert trip with astronomer Dennis Mammana on the night of the eclipse. I took this picture just as the moon was rising over the mountains on our way to the campsite.
This is Joe from California Overland.
Joe is every bit as cool as he looks and is one of my family’s new favorite people. He organized our trip, cooked our meals, set up our tents, and was an amazing tour guide for the stunning alien landscape he calls home. Our tour started with a drive in a refurbished military vehicle to a spectacular spot called Font’s Point, overlooking the Anzo Borrego Badlands. Joe walked us partway up a hill, then said, “Look down at your feet now, and keep walking toward my voice. Don’t look up until I tell you to.” We trusted Joe by then, so we did this. When he told us to look up, we were at the edge of a cliff looking out at this view.
As the sun went down and the moon came up, we headed to our campsite, near an old homestead that’s been swallowed up by sand dunes and tamarack trees. The tents were already set up, and Joe started cooking dinner. Joe, it turns out, is a better cook in the middle of the desert than I am in my own fully-equipped kitchen. Without running water or electricity or anything but an open fire, he whipped up grilled steak, herb-rubbed salmon, roasted corn on the cob, and a beautiful salad with greens and goat cheese. I like food a lot, so Joe was especially my hero then.
Astronomer Dennis Mammana joined us for dinner and then went off to set up his telescope away from the light of the fire. When the lunar eclipse started in the early hours of the morning, we dozed in a circle of camp chairs around the telescope and took turns snapping pictures through its lens.
The full moon lit the desert so completely that we didn’t need flashlights when it first came up, but as the eclipse began, that light faded into a darkness blacker than any sky I’ve ever seen.
And then there were stars. Stars like I’ve never even imagined. Anzo Borrego has been named one of the best star-watching spots in the country, and now I know why. Dennis turned his telescope every few minutes to point out something new. Jupiter with four moons clearly visible. The Andromeda Galaxy. And my favorite… The Orion Nebula, where new stars are born. And of course, all the while, there was the moon…
This was my last eclipse photo…taken after a 4am hike through the sand with Joe and my son, looking for scorpions and sidewinders. We didn’t find any but enjoyed the quiet and the stars all the same. At about 5:30 the need for a little sleep won out over my desire to see the rest of the moon appear.
When the sun came up, I took a walk away from the campsite a bit to check out the desert plants and see if I could find that elusive scorpion. Here’s a shot looking back at our tents.
After a breakfast of toast, turkey bacon, and omelets with fresh vegetables, it was time to take down the tents. And guess who scuttled out from underneath our tent when we started folding it up…
My 11-year-old has wanted to see a scorpion ever since he read about desert animals when he was four or five, so this guy’s appearance made his trip complete.
The kids were still itching to do some hiking, so the amazing Joe was kind enough to take us on a bonus trip to one of Anzo Borrego’s incredible slot canyons.
The sandstone walls were just a couple feet apart in places, so this was like no other trail I’ve ever hiked. The temperature had crept up to 113 by the time we made it into the canyon, so we stopped often to find shade and drink water. It gave me a dramatic appreciation for how extreme the desert can be and a true respect for the wildlife and plants that survive in this climate.
As I type this, I’m back home at my desk, getting ready for the start of school in a couple days.
Fall comes early to the Champlain Valley. We woke up to a crisp 42-degrees today, so the desert dust and heat are miles and memories away.
But last night, when I realized I’d forgotten to get the mail, I stepped out into the dark. I looked up at the stars, fighting with our streetlights, and a part of me slipped away, back to my camp chair in Anzo-Borrego, home of the sky and the scorpions, and the stars.
I have a million things to do, so…
…I’m photographing my socks.
Why? Because Linda Urban (
) asked me to, and she’s a very cool writer person.
(My mother, who reads my blog, is now saying, “Well, if this lurban person asked you to jump off a bridge, would you do that, too?”)
Well no. Plus, really, this is all about celebrating Linda’s new book, A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT. I loved this middle grade novel, and if my fuzzy striped feet help her get the word out, then it was worth almost falling off the piano bench while I leaned over to take the photo. You can read my review of the book here.
If you check out my friends list, you’ll see just what kind of power Linda has (or how much people like Neil Diamond…hard to tell) because there are cool socks showing up on blogs as far as the eye can see. (Hey, Linda…does this kind of make you want to ask people to do other crazy things to see if they’ll really do it?)
Linda would like to see your socks, too, and if you post them on your website or blog (or send her a photo), she’ll enter you in a contest to win a signed copy of her book, a pair of toe socks, and Neil Diamond’s Greatest Hits. (If you’ve already read CROOKED, you will NOT roll your eyes at that.)
Miranda Mink’s Feast
When I looked out the back door this afternoon, I thought a saw a log in the water.
But it was moving kind of fast. By the time I got out to the deck, the “log” had scurried to shore and hidden behind a rock. It was Miranda — the mink that’s been visiting over the past few weeks. (We named her from THE TEMPEST because she’s not afraid to swim in rough waters…). And she brought a friend for lunch!
Miranda played peekaboo with us around the rock for a while before running off to eat her new friend in one of the pipes where she likes to hang out.
We’ve lived here nine years, and every day, the lake brings something different. Wild lightning and double rainbows. One September, it was a cloud of hundreds of monarch butterflies, flying south along the shore. And one May evening a few years ago, we watched what neighbors swear was Champy, Lake Champlain’s legendary lake monster, swimming back and forth about 40 yards offshore.
What a gift, as a writer, to have new ideas delivered on the waves with every new day.