One of the things I’ve learned about revising a manuscript is that no matter how tight the deadline, I can’t just lock myself in a room and revise 24-7. Much of my rethinking happens away from the keyboard. Leaving my desk provides me with different lenses through which I can view the story — and often makes me consider ideas that wouldn’t have arrived had I stay put to wait for them.

So last weekend, I took my daughter and her friend to see TANGLED.  For those who aren’t familiar with it, it’s the Rapunzel story, spun into a swashbuckling Disney musical. Here are the notes I took out of the theater and back to my desk, along with a few leftover Junior Mints:

• Why are people evil?  They have reasons – seeds planted early that grow until they burst.
• Chase scenes are awesome. So are secrets, surprises,  unexpected discoveries, and treachery.
• Trying over and over and over – and failing over and over – makes success sweeter.
• Sometimes, friends are enemies, and enemies are friends.
• A ticking clocks increase tension.
• Tense, action-packed stories stories need humor, too.
• The best heroines need to have doubts and fears as well as courage.
• Take advantage of the power of slow-motion. When the horse was about to bite Rapunzel’s hair so she couldn’t get away, the scene shifted into slow motion (literally) so that there was a longer period of wondering. Will she make it?   Do my tense scenes need to be slowed down to enhance suspense?
• We love characters who make mistakes in life & find redemption.
• Villains often destroy themselves.

What does all this have to do with my story? Love ’em or hate ’em, you have to admit that the folks at Disney have figured out how to keep kids’ attention, and as writers, we can take those big ideas — ticking clocks, flawed heroines — and use them to reflect on magic in our own stories. 

One last reminder that may help with antagonists…

Thugs in taverns have dreams, too.

In San Diego today, the ALA Youth Media Awards were announced just as I was having my lunch break on the East Coast, so I was able to gobble up every honor and award announcement along with my leftover chicken. I was so happy to see some of my favorite titles from 2010 honored and delighted that some less trumpeted books took away awards, too.

But I know today is also a tough day for some author/illustrator friends who might have been hoping for phone calls that didn’t come. Somehow, I tend to not get as wrapped up in all this as some.  I think it’s because I’ve always celebrated today as a teacher and reader that the author-stress doesn’t kick in as much as it might.  But either way…there are many more books worth celebrating today than just those with the new stickers.

Your book may not have won an award today…but some other pretty amazing things happened.

What Happened to Your Book Today

Somewhere, a child laughed

on that page where you made a joke.

Somewhere, she wiped away a tear,

Just when you thought she might.

 

Somewhere, your book was passed

from one hand to another in a hallway

busy with clanging lockers,

with whispered words,

“You have got to read this.”

And a scribbled note:

O.M.G. SO good.

Give it back when ur done.

 

It’s looking a little more love-worn lately,

rougher around the edges than it did on release day.

There are dog eared pages and Gatorade stains.

Someone smeared maple syrup on the cover

because she read all through breakfast.

Pages 125 and 126 are stuck fast with peanut butter

Because Chapter 10 was even more delicious

than lunch.

 

Somewhere, tiny hands held up your book

And a little voice begged, “Again!”

Somewhere, the answer came,

A grown-up sigh…and a smile…

And the fourteenth read-aloud of the morning.

That same book. Again.

Your book.

 

Somewhere, a kid who has never read a whole book on his own

(Really. Not even one.)

picked up yours and turned a page.

And then another.

And then one more.

And it was pretty cool, turns out.

He brought it back – huge smile on his face –

(and I mean huge)

And asked for another one.

And he read that, too.

 

Somewhere, a teenager who thought she was alone

Opened your pages and discovered she’s not.

And somewhere, somebody who thought about giving up

will keep on trying,

keep on hoping.

Because of that book you wrote.

 

Somewhere tonight – listen closely and you’ll hear–

A child will turn the last page of that book,

That book you wrote,

and sigh.

Can you hear it?

It’s the sound of a story being held close

Right before a young voice says,

“It feels like this was written just for me.”

 

And it was.

Note from Kate: If you love this poem & want to share it on your own blog, website, or Facebook wall, please do not copy and paste the text. Instead, please include a short quote or just the title and then share the rest of the poem by providing a link to my original post here – that way, you can share with your own readers and honor the copyright, too. Here’s the URL:

http://katemessner.com/what-happened-to-your-book-today/

Many thanks for practicing good digital citizenship!

I got a terrific email from a young reader today:

Hi Kate,

I am an ABSOLUTE number 1 fan of your book, The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. I was wondering if there are any other books like that you know of? They don’t have to be yours, just books that you would recommend. I am more of a school story girl… I don’t like violence or spookiness, but I also don’t like really girly stuff about princesses or fairies. I know, I am very picky. Just keep in mind that that means your book is JUST right! I am 11 in about 3 weeks, so my reading level is just like your book T.B.F.O.G.Z. (figure it out!) Can you save me? I love to read, but I just don’t know what to read!

Reply soon,

~Rebecca

I love-love-loved this letter, and of course, I am making a list for her.  Here’s what I have so far:

A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT by Linda Urban
RULES and TOUCH BLUE by Cynthia Lord
ME AND THE PUMPKIN QUEEN by Marlane Kennedy
VIOLET RAINES ALMOST GOT STRUCK BY LIGHTNING by Danette Haworth
THE TOTAL TRAGEDY OF A GIRL NAMED HAMLET by Erin Dionne
THE HARD KIND OF PROMISE by Gina Willner-Pardo
11 BIRTHDAYS by Wendy Mass
OPERATION YES by Sara Lewis Holmes
ANYTHING BUT TYPICAL by Nora Raleigh Baskin
WAITING FOR NORMAL by Leslie Connor
THE STRANGE CASE OF THE ORIGAMI YODA by Tom Angleberger
PENNY DREADFUL by Laurel Snyder
THE CURSE OF ADDY MCMAHON by Katie Davis
EMMA JEAN LAZARUS FELL OUT OF A TREE by Lauren Tarshis
WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead
PROJECT MULBERRY by LInda Sue Park

What else would you recommend?

While battling Beltway traffic to get to the soccer/piano/ballet activity du jour, do you fantasize about a simpler existence for your children? In a snow-dusted small town, perhaps, with cow-pond skating and pancake suppers?

So begins today’s Washington Post review of SUGAR AND ICE, which my editor had told me was coming…but I didn’t know how lovely it would be!   The full review is here.

The last book I read over the holiday break was an e-galley of Gary Schmidt’s OKAY FOR NOW, a fantastic and (is it possible?) even stronger follow-up to THE WEDNESDAY WARS. It’s a companion book, rather than a sequel, since this one is told through the eyes of Holling Hoodhood’s classmate, 14-year-old Doug Swieteck as his family moves to a stupid new town where he has no friends and where everyone seems intent on judging him based on the reputation of his scofflaw older brother. The voice in this book is laugh-out-loud funny, pitch-perfect teen boy, and rings true in all the best ways. I love-love-love the characters that populate these pages, from Doug himself to the stern librarian who begrudingly lets him in every Saturday to ogle the Audobon prints upstairs, to the scary old writer-lady on the delivery route he runs for the local store. (I love that she calls him only "Skinny Delivery Boy" even after they strike up what constitutes an honest-to-goodness friendship.)

Like the WEDNESDAY WARS, the humor in this book makes the poignant scenes even more powerful, and there’s no shortage of them when Doug’s older brother returns from Vietnam seriously hurt and facing all the community attitudes that met returning veterans in that era. OKAY FOR NOW made me laugh and cry, sometimes on the very same page, a sure way for a book to win my heart.  Due out in April from Clarion.

I went back to school today after a lovely, lazy vacation to find the new Scholastic Book Clubs flyer in my mailbox, and look what was inside!

SUGAR AND ICE is a featured title in the January ARROW Book Club, along with THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z.  This made me smile for a few reasons. First, I’m excited that my new book is available to kids at such an affordable price, especially since the regular paperback edition doesn’t come out until December.  And second…I was happy to see my friend Cindy Lord’s wonderful books, TOUCH BLUE and RULES, featured in the same section.  It’s funny how happy that made me…kind of like showing up for a big dinner party full of strangers and finding out you’re seated right next to a friend.

There was a surprise in my mailbox at home recently, too.

A very early hardcover copy of my first-ever picture book, SEA MONSTER’S FIRST DAY. It’s illustrated by Andy Rash, who brought my imaginary monster to life in a more perfect way than I could have imagined.  This book comes out in July from Chronicle Books, but if any of you will be at the International Reading Association Conference in May, I’m told you’ll get a sneak peak, as I’ll be signing some early copies there.

I finished reading Sonia Gensler’s THE REVENANT last night and closed it with a sigh.  You know the feeling of finishing a book that’s just so good you worry that you won’t find another one you love as much for a long time?  It’s one of those books, and while I couldn’t put it down to make it last longer, I was so sad to be finished.

 

THE REVENANT is a delicious blend of historical fiction, mystery, and ghost story set at a Cherokee boarding school near the turn of the century.  When 17-year-old Willemina Hammond arrives to take a teaching position, it’s under false pretenses, but her phony identity soon becomes the least of her concerns when she’s assigned to the bedroom of a former student who might have been murdered.  The students are convinced her ghost haunts the school, and it seems to be growing ever more violent. As she struggles to carry out her role as teacher and gain the respect of her students, Willie is pulled deeper and deeper into the mystery until her very life is at stake.

 

There is so much to love in this story – characters who are complex and multi-faceted, especially the main character, Willie, who is at once strong, spirited, and flawed. Her coming-of-age through the trials of this ghost story/mystery is believable and poignant, and at the same time, the story sacrifices nothing in terms of its harrowing plot. I was turning pages as fast as I could at one point, then found myself going back to appreciate the gorgeous prose once I’d found out what happened.

 

The writing in this book reminds me of the very best of Jennifer Donnelly’s work – stunning and seemingly effortless.  In fact, I was bewildered when my cell phone rang while I was reading yesterday. It took me a minute to remember that I wasn’t actually curled up in the library of a 19^th century boarding school.  I took the book with me when I went to rescue my husband, whose car had died, just in case there were any red lights along the way.

 

Teachers, give this one to Donnelly fans, for sure, but I think it will also appeal to your supernatural romance readers and will be a perfect transition for those who have read their fill of Twlight-esque titles and are looking for something more.

 

You won’t want to miss this book – due out in June from Knopf.

One of the things I love about living where I do is the proximity to Montreal, just a border crossing and an hour or so up the road. Sometimes it’s hard to explain…but the city is always full of unexpected magic.  Like this…

These giant blue spheres lighting up the Place des Arts esplanade are part of an interactive outdoor exhibit called Spheres Polaire. Billed as "light therapy," it’s an installation created by Bernard Duguay and Pierre Gangnon of Lucion Média for what seems to be the sole purpose of  lighting up a cold winter’s night with beauty and fun. The spheres not only light up; they’re equipped with motion sensors to generate images and sounds as you interact with them.

The Spheres Polaires remind me a little of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s The Gates in Central Park, an exhibit I didn’t get a chance to see in person. I love the feeling of joy and play that community-based art like this inspires.

Fair warning… it’s tough to pose for a photo silhouetted against one of these and not give in to the temptation of striking silly poses.

The exhibit will light up all the darkest days of Montreal’s winter, running through February 27th. 

Go see it if you can – it’s just awesome.

I picked up an ARC of this YA novel at NCTE last month – not sharing cover art here because I’m not sure it’s final yet, but oh…what a book.

Lauren Myracle’s SHINE opens with a newspaper report about an apparent hate crime — a gay teen is beaten and left to die, and his former best friend, the story’s narrator, takes it upon herself to look for answers and justice when the town sheriff isn’t doing enough.  This is a powerful page-turner that shines a painful light on the hopelessness and bigotry festering in one small town in rural America. From a reader’s point of view, I was hooked on this YA novel from the first page. It’s as compelling a mystery as I’ve ever read, and the last third of the book so had me turning pages so fast my family stopped reading their own books to stare.

From a writer’s perspective, the craft in this book was amazing. The first-person prose was poetic without ever feeling like an inauthentic voice, and the small-town dialect was pitch perfect — it never felt overdone like I’ve seen in some books set in the south. The characters were so real my heart ached for them, and the language was vivid and evocative. I’m gushing…and I’ll stop now. But I really loved this book. There is one thing that bothered me a little about the ending, but it’s on a personal level — not a writer’s craft issue — and that in itself will make great fodder for literature circles and book club discussions.

My ARC is headed up to the high school tomorrow, for one of my former 7th graders, now a freshman, who still visits for book suggestions from time to time.  She’s going to love it.  This one’s probably best for 8th grade and older, though I do think some of my more mature 7th grade readers will appreciate it. Teachers & librarians, read it first (you’ll want to anyway) and decide. Due out from Amulet in April.