I don’t talk politics much here, but if you know me in the real world, you probably know that I have strong opinions. These opinions are not shared by everyone I like or by everyone I love – and that’s okay. I enjoy a good debate. But I feel like election season in the age of social media has made the dialogue that’s always taken place a little more pointed, a little more sharp-edged. It got me thinking…
What We Have In Common
by Kate Messner, Copyright 2012
For just a minute, let’s look at the leaves together.
Do you see how this one blushes pink around the edges?
How that one is all red, its neighbor halfway gold?
I like the way it is leaning toward autumn
But isn’t quite ready to leap.
And you know, I love the smell of pencils in September
I remembered just how much
When I saw that first-day-of-school photo you posted,
I’ve been juggling a number of projects this summer, but I’ve spent the past week immersed in a book I haven’t started writing yet. MANHUNT (coming in Spring 2014) is the third title in my Silver Jaguar Society mystery series with Scholastic. It’s a follow-up to CAPTURE THE FLAG (July 2012) and HIDE AND SEEK (coming in April 2013). Like the first two books, MANHUNT features Anna, José, and Henry – three twelve-year-old kids whose families are part of a secret society bound to protect the world’s artifacts.
In their first adventure, CAPTURE THE FLAG, the original Star-Spangled Banner is stolen from the Smithsonian, and the kids race through a snowed-in D.C. airport trying to track down the thieves.
In HIDE AND SEEK, Anna, José, and Henry and their families will explore the rainforest of Costa Rica as they search for a stolen goblet that’s also a sacred piece of Silver Jaguar Society history.
And in the third book, MANHUNT, Anna, José, and Henry will again come face to face with the the Silver Jaguar Society’s arch enemies during a multi-faceted, international heist that begins in Boston and ends here…
Yep – I’ve been “working” in Paris for the past week. (I’m pretty sure you are required to include quotation marks around the word “working” when your week has also included consuming Nutella-banana crepes and copious amounts of gelato.)
When it comes to this trip, I’m going to save my words for the book I’ll be writing this fall and winter…but here are a few photos to give you some hints about Anna, Henry, and Jose’s third adventure!
August is a busy time for the Scholastic Book Fair teams who set up carts and carts of books in schools all over the country. Titles for the fall fairs have been selected, and it’s time for the field representatives to learn everything they can about the books so that they can help teachers & librarians find “just right” books for their students. I’m writing in the Charlotte, NC airport right now after spending the past couple days at Scholastic’s Eastern Zone Season Kick-Off meeting, and I’m still swimming in happy book-talk feelings.
I got a sneak peek at the fall Book Fair titles and spotted three of my own books as well as many that I’ve loved as a reader.
And I had the opportunity to speak to the Scholastic Book Fairs team, too. There’s nothing quite like arriving for an early-morning breakfast to find this…
..along with books on every chair.
I got to meet so many members of the Book Fairs team, along with a special guest…
This is Book-Man (aka Mike Weaver, a principal from New Jersey who’s part of Scholastic’s principals’ advisory board.) He’s an incredible advocate for literacy at his school and left me wishing that every school could have a Book-Man in the main office. (Plus, I’ve never had my picture taken with a super-hero before, and that was pretty cool.)
Here’s Robin Hoffman of Scholastic Book Fairs book-talking EYE OF THE STORM before my talk. She did such a great job, she made ME want to read it again. And I already know how it ends.
I was so thankful for the opportunity to spend time with the book fair crew, both here and in St. Louis last week. Growing up in a small town with no bookstore, I was always bursting with anticipation on the day our Scholastic Book Club orders arrived at school. Overnight, it seemed, our classroom was transformed into a bookstore, and it always felt like magic. These days, my books are included in the clubs and fairs, but inside, I’m still very much that ten-year-old kid, and it still feels like magic. Traveling to St. Louis last week and then Charlotte, and meeting the wizards who make it all happen was pretty magical, too. Thanks, Scholastic Book Fairs family, for the warm welcome and for all that you do for readers!
Well, hi there! It’s good to see you…and good to see my living room again, too. August has been a busy month so far, full of travel and terrific people. Here are some highlights.
At the beginning of the month, I flew out to Los Angeles for the annual SCBWI Conference (that’s the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, for the uninitiated) because OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW won the Golden Kite Award for Best Picture Book Text, which was…well…amazing. This award comes from fellow authors, so it means so, so much. Here’s a photo of me speaking to 1200+ people at the awards luncheon. (I love still photos because they don’t show shaking hands.)
I was also part of the faculty for this conference, giving a presentation called “Picture Books: The Magical Unexpected.” I talked about lots of picture books that I love and how they all incorporate different kinds of “unexpecteds.” You can see the list of books I talked about here.
The most amazing thing about this conference was getting to spend time with other children’s writers and illustrators. Lin Oliver, executive director of SCBWI, likes to refer to the big mob of creativity as “the tribe,” and it’s such a great description because coming to a conference like this really feels like coming home. Here’s a photo of Lin welcoming the group.
And here’s a photo of a children’s author snapping a photo of her stuffed Peep with Lin.
My family came with me on this trip, and we also managed to sneak in some classic California fun like this tour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Do you recognize this famous landmark?
We didn’t either. But it is apparently Tom Cruise’s flag. “And if you look carefully,” our driver said, pointing, “you can kind of see his chimney, too.”
From L.A., I flew straight to Pennsylvania, where I spoke at the PA Writing Institute at Millersville University. This is a five-day institute full of incredible teacher-writers who dedicate their week to practicing what they preach.
They were an amazingly kind, smart, and creative group, and I wish I could have spent a full week writing with them!
I ran into a little snafu with the TSA on my flight home from LA and Pennsylvania. The agents pulled my suitcase aside for searching, and they asked if there was “something sharp” in there.
“Well,” I said, “I won this award, and it has a kite that’s maybe a little pointy.”
They unpacked it and studied it and frowned at it for a little while.
Finally, one agent said, “What’s Over and Under the Snow?”
“It’s a…picture book.”
“Did you write it?”
“Yes. I did.”
(More frowning & studying.)
“We’re going to run this through the machine once more.”
They did. And then they swiped it to check for explosives but found none, I gather, since I was allowed to take it home.
After a day’s break, I flew to St. Louis to be the guest author at the Scholastic Book Fairs seasonal kick-off meeting for that region. When I was a kid and the Scholastic Book Club orders arrived, I was always under the impression that something magic must have happened overnight in my classroom. Book Fairs came along later on and work that same magic now, in so many communities like mine that don’t have their own bookstores. It was so much fun to meet the people (the wizards!) who make this happen for kids and classrooms.
Here I am with my fantastic (and fun!) Scholastic Book Fairs hosts, Kerri Mills and Rose Schovanec. (Photo from Kerri’s FB page – thanks, Kerri!)
I’ll be visiting another Scholastic Book Fairs kick-off meeting in Charlotte later this week, then taking a research trip for book #3 in the Silver Jaguar Society mystery series, and then – home to finish summer deadlines and get the kids ready for a new school year. Hope your August has been full of sunshine and magic, too!
Revising a book — or any piece of writing — can be messy work.
The word REVISION breaks down into re-vision…or seeing again. And in order to see something again, in a new way, we have to look away from it for a little while first. Sometimes, the very best ideas for revising a piece of writing happen not when we’re staring at that piece of writing but when we’ve set it aside to write on a different sheet of paper or type in a new document. Here are 65 off-draft writing prompts that can help writers of all ages get thinking in new directions.
65 Off-Draft Writing Prompts to Kick-Start Revision
1. Describe your main character’s bedroom. Don’t forget to look in drawers and closets, and under the bed.
2. Write a letter to your main character from another character who loves him or her.
3. Write a letter to your main character from someone who doesn’t like him or her.
4. Write a poem in your main character’s voice, using a metaphor to describe a secondary character who matters to him or her.
5. Write a journal entry from your main character that starts with “I’m my own worst enemy because…”
6. Write a journal entry from your main character that starts with “I’ll never share this with anyone, but the truth is…”
7. Write a journal entry from your main character that starts with “Deep down inside, I’m afraid…”
8. Complete this sentence in your main character’s voice. Everybody thinks my dream is _____________________, but really, it’s _____________________.
9. Write a journal entry from your antagonist that starts with, “The best thing about me is…”
10. Write your main character’s obituary.
11. Take a blank piece of paper & doodle on it, as your main character
12. Write about your antagonist’s greatest regret in life.
13. If your main character could get a do-over on one day of his or her life, which day would he or she choose, and why?
14. Write a letter from your main character to you (the author!) Start like this: The thing you’re not understanding about me is…
15. If your antagonist were on trial, what would be his/her defense?
16. Describe a place where your main character feels safe.
17. Write a letter from your main character at the end of the book to your main character at the beginning of the book. What advice, warnings, and words of wisdom would he or she give?
18. Writing as your main character, describe the setting of each scene, spending a few minutes on each sense exclusively – sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch.
19. Do the same thing – but as your antagonist. How might he or she perceive things differently?
20. Writing as your main character, look out your bedroom window and describe in detail what you see.
21. How does your main character feel when the phone rings?
22. What are some distinct body language cues, verbal habits, and quirks that your main character displays when he or she is angry? Excited? Embarrassed? Nervous? Scared? Happy? Disappointed?
23. Create a music playlist for your main character.
24. Now create one for your antagonist.
25. If the two had one common song on those playlists, what would it be and why?
26. If your main character eavesdropped on his/her parents having a conversation, what would he or she hear?
27. What’s in your main character’s refrigerator?
28. What’s in the antagonist’s refrigerator?
29. Move your main character from where he or she lives to another state or country…a different landscape. How would life be different?
30. What would the most minor character in your book have to say about the conflict?
31. What’s your main character’s favorite weather? Least favorite? (and have you included both in the book?)
32. In your main character’s voice, write a poem about a place he or she loves.
33. What’s your main character’s favorite smell, and why?
34. Write about the rules of the society your main character lives in – the spoken, written-down rules and the unspoken ones, too. What are the consequences when these rules are broken?
35. Describe a sunrise/sunset in your main character’s setting.
36. What would it look like, sound like, and feel like in your main character’s house/school/other favorite place in the middle of a huge storm?
37. Imagine the most uncomfortable situation your main character could possibly be in. Put him or her there, and write everything going through his or her head. What does the character say? What does he or she think but not speak aloud?
38. What happens when your antagonist sees a spider?
39. Make an imaginary Facebook wall for a character you need to understand better.
40. Make a list of everything in your main character’s closet. What should have been thrown out but wasn’t? What’s right in front?
41. What’s in the newspaper in your main character’s home town. Front page news? Classified ads? Sports section? Weather forecast?
42. If your book’s characters could all vote in the upcoming presidential election, for whom would they vote, and why?
43. If all the characters in your book were in a running race, what would happen? Who would come in first? Last? How would they act at the end?
44. What’s on your antagonist’s bookshelf?
45. What plants/animals live in your main character’s part of the world? Choose three & describe them in detail.
46. Rewrite a scene from your antagonist’s point of view.
47. Rewrite a scene from a minor character’s point of view
48. What historical events happened in the community where your main character lived, and how have those events shaped the character of the community?
49. What was the worst day in your main character’s life? The best?
50. What was the worst day of your antagonist’s life? The best?
51. What kinds of pictures are in a character’s family album? Family shots? Landscapes? Who took most of the photos, and who is featured?
52. What would your character’s Pinterest boards be about?
53. What’s your character’s favorite font and why?
54. Write a journal entry from a character, describing your earliest life memory.
55. If you chose a famous quote to represent your book, what would it be?
56. If you could choose one song to go along with your book, what would it be, and why?
57. If this book were made into a movie, who might play the main parts? What body language, characteristics, and quirks do they have that might help round out your characters?
58. If your manuscript could talk to you, what would it say?
59. What’s the most boring part of your manuscript?
60. What’s the best thing about your manuscript? How could you add more of the best stuff?
61. Why is your title your title?
62. You’re a book reviewer who LOVES this book but isn’t allowed to turn in a review without three critical comments. What criticism will you offer?
63. What part of this book would a reluctant reader be tempted to skip or skim?
64. Fill in the blanks in this sentence. My book is kind of like ________ (title of another book) because __________ but it’s different in that ________________________.
65. Stephen King said that “Fiction is the truth inside the lie.” What is the truth your book is telling, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction?
I have to admit that when summer rolls around, all the rules go out the window at our place. Everyone stays up too late and eats too many s’mores. Other than posts for Teachers Write, the virtual summer writing camp I started for teachers & librarians, I haven’t been blogging as regularly as I usually do, but I’ve been busy doing other stuff.
I found out one of my other books is a finalist for an award.
OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW is up for the Cardozo Award for Children’s Literature. There are other beautiful books up for the award, too, and I’d love it if you’d click here and vote for your favorite – it doesn’t have to be mine – to support their program.
I wrote a book.
It is about a third grader named Marty, which means that I can finally answer all the people who have been asking, “Is there going to be another Marty McGuire book?” Yes. Yes indeed. I’ll share more about Book 3 when I have all the details about launch dates and final titles and whatnot. But for now…yay!
I caught this fish.
I caught some other ones, too, but they were mostly tiny and so no one went running for the camera when they showed up.
I revised a book.
HIDE AND SEEK is the sequel to CAPTURE THE FLAG and has gone off to copy edits. It comes out in April ’13.
I’m revising another book now.
WAKE UP MISSING is my middle grade thriller set in the Everglades, and it comes out in Fall 2013. Which is really soon. So I’d better get back to it. If you need me, I’ll be revising, or hanging out here.
…and thanks to all the readers who came by my CAPTURE THE FLAG book signing or ordered personalized books from afar. You made it such a magical afternoon!
Here I am with Sarah, co-owner of The Bookstore Plus and one of the nicest, smartest book people you’ll ever meet. She and the rest of the staff had me set up at a table on Main Street, the perfect place to meet lots of readers. Many, many thanks to everyone who stopped by or sent good wishes from afar. You truly made it a Star-Spangled celebration!
CAPTURE THE FLAG, my new mystery for middle grade readers is out today!
There’s already been some exciting news about this book – it’s a Junior Library Guild Selection for the Mystery/Adventure category and won a Spring 2012 Parents Choice “Fun Stuff” Award…
“Characters are big and bold, from Senator Snickerbottom and his slippery crew to the mysterious tattooed man to Vincent Goosen, aka the Serpentine Prince, the Jaguar Society’s longtime nemesis. The unique environment provides a perfect setting for mayhem. There are baggage belts to ride, carts to steal and shampoo to dump on floors to trip the villains up. It’s a good mystery with lots of action and a nice friendship theme. The race to the end is exciting and leaves plenty of room for a sequel. A fun summer read – especially in an election year.” ~Parents Choice Awards (Full review here)
“Just in time for the Fourth of July, a sparkling start for a promising new series.” ~Kirkus (full review here)
Here’s more about the book:
Anna, José, and Henry are complete strangers with more in common than they realize. Snowed in together at a chaotic Washington DC airport, they encounter a mysterious tattooed man, a flamboyant politician, and a rambunctious poodle named for an ancient king. Even stranger…news stations everywhere have announced that the famous flag that inspired “The Star-Spangled Banner” has been stolen! Anna, certain that the culprits must be snowed in, too, recruits Henry and José to help catch the thieves and bring them to justice.
But unexpected enemies lurk around every corner, and when accusations start flying, the kids soon realize there’s more than a national treasure at stake.
And as of today, you can find CAPTURE THE FLAG at your favorite local bookstore or order a personalized, signed copy through one of my favorite indies, The Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid (Their number is 518-523-2950 – you’d need to call Monday morning, 7/2 before my signing that afternoon!)
I’ve done hundred of virtual author visits, and I’m running a virtual writing camp for teachers this summer, so why not a virtual book signing for my new mystery for kids, CAPTURE THE FLAG?
Monday, July 2nd is one day after CAPTURE THE FLAG’s birthday, one day before my birthday and two days before America’s (cue the fireworks!) so it seemed like the perfect day to celebrate with a book launch event at one of my favorite independent bookstores, The Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid, NY. Of course, if you live nearby, I’d love to see you there in person (it’s from 4-6pm), but the fantastic folks at The Bookstore Plus have arranged for far-away friends to order personalized, signed books, too. Here’s how…
If you’d like to order personalized, signed copies of any of my books for kids, call The Bookstore Plus at 518-523-2950.
Let them know which books you’d like to order, how many copies you want, and how you’d like them signed. They have a form to write everything down. If you’re part of the Teachers Write community, please let them know that, too (I have a special inscription for you!) They’ll take your order, I’ll sign your books on July 2nd, and they’ll ship them out that week. Shipping is free on orders over $50 and reasonable on smaller orders, too.
Here are the books they’ll have available. You can click on titles for more information.
CAPTURE THE FLAG – Mystery/Adventure – best for ages 8-12 (Hardcover – $16.99 – Scholastic)
EYE OF THE STORM – Science Thriller – best for ages 10-14 (Hardcover – $6.99 – Walker/Bloomsbury)
SUGAR AND ICE – Figure skating novel – best for ages 8-12 (Paperback – $7.99/Hardcover – $16.99 – Walker/Bloomsbury)
THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. – School novel – best for ages 8-12 (Paperback – $6.99/Hardcover – $16.99 – Walker/Bloomsbury)
OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW – Nature picture book – best for all ages to share aloud – (Hardcover – $16.99 – Chronicle Books)
SEA MONSTER’S FIRST DAY – 1st day of school picture book – best for ages 3-7 – (Hardcover – $16.99- Chronicle Books)
So…if you’d like to order signed books for yourself, or your classroom or library, or for a summer birthday present or hostess gift, or back-to-school surprise — or just because summer is for reading — call The Bookstore Plus at 518-523-2950. And if you do live nearby or you’re up for a drive in the mountains, I’d love to see you in Lake Placid on July 2nd!
The magical and wonder-filled Adirondack Mountains are the setting for OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW, the picture book that I wrote and Christopher Silas Neal illustrated. So it was beyond exciting when our book won the Adirondack Literary Award for Children’s Literature in Blue Mountain Lake this weekend. And what a setting for the event!
View from the Blue Mountain Center
It was so much fun to hear about all the other award-winning titles, too. Best Fiction went to author Steven Millhauser for We Others: New and Selected Stories, Best Memoir to Earth, Air, Fire, & Waterby Jean Rikhoff. An Elegant Wilderness: Great Camps and Grand Lodges of the Adirondacks by Gladys Montgomery won for Best Nonfiction. Best edited collection went to Heaven Up-h’isted-ness! The History of the Adirondack Forty-Sixers and the High Peaks of the Adirondacks edited bySuzanne Lance. The Best Book of Poetry went to Paul Pines for Reflections in a Smoking Mirror. And the People’s Choice Award went to Questions for the Sphinx by Stuart Bartow.
One of my favorite parts of the day was listening to author, storyteller, and poet Joseph Bruchac read aloud from some of the nominated fiction and poetry. You know how some people are just amazing at reading aloud? He’s like that. I wish you could hear…
Toward the end of the event, I discovered that my husband and kids had…well…disappeared. I went looking for them down by the lake (always a good place to start with my family). I found them in the boathouse playing ping pong and joined in for a game or two before it was time to go home.
Thanks, Adirondack Center for Writing and Blue Mountain Center, for a wonderful celebration of words and a magical clouds-in-the-water afternoon.
