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You know the compost worms are doing their job when…

…they finish eating the cucumber scraps and seedlings pop up amid the worm castings.

The kids I met during my author visit to Grand Isle School today loved the pictures I showed them of my basement worm farm (it’s research for my second Marty McGuire book!).  That reminded me that I haven’t posted a worm update in a while.

Never fear…the little guys/girls (worms are hermaphrodites) are doing their jobs well and enjoying a new layer of damp shredded newspaper bedding tonight.  The compost you see above is awaiting the end of mud season and will soon be nourishing seedlings in the vegetable garden outside.  

Meanwhile, we’re trying to decide what to plant this year – a big decision at our house since the garden has a number of raised beds, with each family member responsible for planning and tending to his or her own territory. 

Any suggestions?  (We’re Zone 4 on a good day!)  What are your favorite vegetables to grow in the garden?

It’s Sugaring Season!

Where I live, these early April days caught between winter and spring bring a sweet gift. 

Cold nights and warm days mean the sap is running in the sugar maples, and that means old-fashioned pancake breakfasts that put the fanciest hotel brunch to shame. 

We had our annual pancake feast Saturday at Sanger’s Sugar House, where five dollars bought all the pancakes you could eat, plus homemade sausage, applesauce, milk, and coffee.  They put up a big tent attached to the sugar house. And yes…that’s hay on the ground.  It’s so you don’t get your shoes all muddy. 

I love events like this, that are so much a part of a place, and I love the details they can add to the setting of a book.  I was so wishing I’d remembered my notebook Saturday, especially since my new middle grade novel SUGAR ON SNOW is about a girl who lives on a maple farm.  The manuscript is off my desk for the moment and out on submission with one of my editors, but while I wait for news, I’m already thinking about that next round of revisions.  I scribbled down tons of notes when I got home.  The fresh summery smell of that hay. The aluminum pie plates they use to keep the pancakes warm while they go around to see who wants seconds.  How after a while, just about everything feels sticky with syrup.  And how the sweet smell of that syrup stays with you, even as you head back outside into not-quite-spring.

Today is Say Something Nice Day (#peoplesucceed)

I’m posting a rare lunch-hour blog to make a declaration.  By the power granted to me by nobody-in-particular, I declare today, Friday, April 3, to be Say Something Nice Day.  If you are a twittering sort of person, you may use the hash tag #peoplesucceed. 

Recent online rants like #queryfail on Twitter and the #agentfail post at the BookEnds Literary blog made me kind of sad.  I know publishing is a tough, frustrating business for everyone, and I know people occasionally need to vent.  But I also know that some of those posts really  hurt people’s feelings – writers and agents alike.  And here’s the thing… We all fail sometimes.

A couple years ago, at a NE SCBWI Conference, I was in a workshop where the leader asked if anyone would be willing to read from a work in progress.  I was trying really hard at the time to figure out picture book writing, and I stood up and shared the PB manuscript I was working on.  It wasn’t ready.  And it also wasn’t really much of a picture book, for a bunch of reasons I won’t get into here.  I probably shouldn’t have shared it in front of all those people, but I didn’t know, and I wanted to learn, and I figured taking a deep breath and reading would be a way to do that.  Maybe you were there too, and maybe you remember.  Maybe you snickered when I read it,  and if so, I appreciate your snickering quietly enough that I didn’t hear.  The people who said things out loud weren’t mean at all.  They said kind, constructive things, even though I was being one of those clueless writers, reading something that wasn’t ready.  Looking back, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. I was honestly doing my best, trying to figure things out.
 
And I really think most people are doing just that.  We all fail sometimes, but let’s remember to celebrate what people do right, too.  I’ll start:

The band director at my school organized an amazing opportunity for our kids to hear the Air Force big band today.  They were awesome. And the kids were a wonderful audience.

My husband did the grocery shopping while I was teaching on Tuesday and remembered all the stuff I forgot to put on the list. He is also awesome.

My agent made it a point to chat online with her clients last night  (from an airplane, no less) answering all our questions about her meetings with editors in NY.  She is one of the best communicators — agent or otherwise — I have ever met, and I appreciate that.  She’s awesome too.

Who wants to join me in proclaiming this Say Something Nice Day? 

Just leave a comment on this post saying something positive about someone you appreciate, OR say it on your own blog, OR tweet it with a  #peoplesucceed hash tag.  

*Editing to add my thanks and links to the folks participating on their own blogs!  It is always lovely when you try to start a movement and someone actually joins in.  Here are some like-minded bloggers, saying positive things today:

Michelle Knudsen
Mary Pearson
Becky Levine
Katherine Quimby Johnson

How They Got Here: 2009 Debut Author Heather Duffy Stone

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… Heather Duffy Stone, author of THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO TELL YOU!

Fraternal twins Nadio and Noelle share a close connection—and as Noelle’s best friend since they were five, Keeley Shipley fit perfectly into their world. But everything changes after Keeley spends the summer before junior year at Oxford. When Keeley returns, Nadio falls in love with her. Noelle, ripped apart by resentment, sees her as an ungrateful rich girl. But Keeley has a painful story that she can’t tell yet. As Nadio and Keeley hide their romance, Noelle dives into something of her own—a destructive affair with an older boy.

Welcome, Heather! Tell us about the first thing you ever wrote that made you think maybe you were a writer.

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t think I was a writer!

What books did you love when you were a kid?

I absolutely loved anything by Katherine Patterson. Bridge to Terabithia is still one of my favorites. Tuck Everlasting. A Summer to Die. I’ve always favored tragedy over comedy. I think, one day, I may force myself to write a happy ending! And the book that made me want to write YA was Over the Moon by Elissa Haden Guest. It’s a perfect story.

Is there a particular teacher or librarian who was a mentor for you in your reading and writing life?

Jackie Nienow was my second grade teacher. She told me I should be a writer and I’m always thankful for that. Gareth Parizo was an 8th grade teacher who was completely supportive of my melodramatic ramblings. And then in high school I had so many supportive teachers. I wrote my first novel with Paul Lamar, an incredible guide and mentor.

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?  

I write whenever I can. I spend about ten hours a day at my day job, including the commute. In the evenings, if I can summon the energy, I write a little. I always reserve Sundays for writing and school vacations are sort of forced blocks of creativity. I try to write in my apartment but it is rarely successful. I often write at some nearby coffee shops, and I have a writing partner, because that companionship, someone else writing just beside me, is so motivating. I drink black coffee or tea and I listen to sad lyrical music, lately Eliott Smith and Rufus Wainwright—this is what’s working for now anyway!

Best advice for young writers?

Please please do everything in your power not to compare yourself to others. Your voice is unique and your story is your own and with each word you write you are changing and growing as a writer. So write for yourself first, and keep writing through all that is discouraging and distracting and frustrating. Those might be your best times.

What’s special about your debut novel?

That is a tough question. I mean, for me the experience of writing it was so special. But I think the reason this book is the book I sold, the reason I hope people respond to it, is the two voices. I wanted to tell a story about the way we fall in love for the very first time—but there isn’t any one way. And through the twins’ voices and experiences, I tried to represent this experience in a way that was true and that you as a reader could relate to.

What were the best and worst parts of writing it?

It was extremely hard, at first, switching back and forth between the two voices. But once I got going, I really loved writing it. I was so deeply involved with the characters—its actually been really hard to transition to a new project!

How did you find your agent and/or editor?

I was recommended to my editor, Andrew Karre, by a friend, the wonderful prolific chameleon, Micol Ostow. I sent him a query and the whole thing happened pretty fast. I knew I wanted to work with him. When Flux made an offer, I realized I needed an agent. Jenoyne Adams came to me through a series of strange connections and she was the perfect fit.

Would you like to share part or all of your successful query letter with blog readers?

Hmmm. I’ll share the first paragraph!

Dear ;

First (just so you get past line one of this letter) my friend Micol Ostow, , suggested I write to you. It’s true.

There is something about tattoos, and Noelle Carter is trying to figure out what that something is. There is something about the way the crawl up this boy’s arms and tell the story of his life that she wants to figure out. Meanwhile, her twin brother, Nadio, is finding that there is something about Keeley Shipley, lifelong neighbor and best friend to Noelle, that he wants to figure out. As for Keeley Shipley, there is
something about her summer that she does not want to talk about. But maybe, if Nadio is as safe as he seems, he can make the summer take up less space in her brain.

Thanks for sharing your journey, Heather!

You can read more about Heather at her website, and of course, you can ask for THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO TELL YOU at your local independent bookseller.  You can also order it through one of my favorite indies, Flying Pig Bookstore (they ship!), or find an indie near you by checking outIndieBound!

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream

My students can always tell when I’m reading an especially good book during our sustained silent reading time.  I’m a reader who wears her literary heart on her sleeve and I’m not always quiet about it.  The kids heard me gasping in shock as I read Suzanne Collins’ THE HUNGER GAMES, laughing out loud at Erin Dionne’s MODELS DON’T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES, and most recently, grumbling with indignation as I read Tanya Lee Stone’s latest work of nonfiction for middle grade readers, ALMOST ASTRONAUTS: 13 WOMEN WHO DARED TO DREAM.

Known informally as the Mercury 13, these women were the best of the best: pilots who had earned their wings and wanted more.  They fought to prove they were just as qualified to be astronauts as the men being trained by NASA, and they had test data to support that argument. ALMOST ASTRONAUTS tells the story of why they never made it into space – a story that serves as a shocking reminder of how deeply ingrained sexism was in American society in the early 1960s.

This book is loaded with compelling details, from vivid descriptions of the testing and training these women endured to media reports from the time period that illustrate just the kind of bias that kept the women out of space in the end.  Modern students reading this account will be intrigued by the historical and scientific details, outraged at the attitudes of the powerful people who put up roadblocks for the women who might have been America’s first female astronauts, and inspired by the manner in which these women paved the way for others.

Every school year, I’m able to choose just a few books that our full team reads together in class.   These books  are so well-written that I’m willing to read them out loud four times over the course of a few weeks. They have to be important books, amazing books that I know will capture every student’s imagination. This year,  we’ve already read Cynthia Lord’s RULES and Laurie Halse Anderson’s  CHAINS.  ALMOST ASTRONAUTS is going to be our next whole-team book for this year, and I can’t wait to share it with my kids.

Friday Five

1.  Thank you for all the warm and fuzzy comments on my preliminary cover.  I wrote a note to illustrator Joe Cepeda last night trying to put into words what it’s like to have someone capture your main character’s spirit so beautifully.  I’m not sure my words did it justice, but I tried.

2. Watch next week for a chance to win a signed ARC of THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z, complete with a study guide, a fun quiz, and a recipe for Nonna’s funeral cookies in the back.  For now, start thinking about what kind of tree you’d be if you were a tree.  Explanation to come…

3. My 7th grade students are researching and writing historical fiction in a diary format, set in Colonial America.  They chose their own characters, researched every aspect of their lives, and started writing.  Now, they’re finding that sometimes an issue in the middle of writing sends you right back to research.  Questions/comments that came up yesterday:

  • If I’m a servant, might I have to help deliver a baby?  Because I don’t know how to do that.
  • I just found out how they treated yellow fever.  I am SO not getting yellow fever any more.
  • If something caught fire,  how did they put it out?
  • How much am I going to get paid for making shoes for this horse?  (Follow up question:  Mrs. Messner, I just found out I might get paid with a pig or something!  What am I going to do with a pig?)

4. My friend stephanielight is on LJ now, so I hope you’ll  stop by her blog to say hello.  I’ve known Steph since she was 12, a brilliant young reader and writer in my 7th grade classroom.  She is finishing up grad school right now to be  a school librarian, and some school is going to be mighty lucky to have her.

5. A whole bunch of LJ writer-bloggers are posting special challenges to support libraries this weekend. If you drop by and comment on kellyrfineman ‘s LJ, for example, she’s donating money to her local library as well as Books for Africa.  writerjenn  has a full list of bloggers participating.

Have a terrific weekend!

Goodbye, Ice… Hello, ARCs!

Two big things happened while I was at school today, teaching 7th graders how to do a bibliography.  My husband emailed me to hurry home after school because:

1.  The ice on Lake Champlain was breaking up.  I really like to be there when this happens because it’s one of my favorite sounds in the universe.  But by the time I got home this afternoon, I was looking out at open water, and the broken-up ice had drifted north.

2.  The UPS guy had arrived with a box of advance reader copies of THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z!  I haven’t shared my cover here before because there may still be some tweaks, but since the art is final and it’s on the ARC and all….

The incredibly talented Joe Cepeda is the illustrator.  He also created the cover art for ESPERANZA RISING, so I was thrilled when I found out he’d be working on this cover, and I couldn’t be happier with the way he captured Gianna’s spirit and the feeling of autumn in Vermont.  Gianna’s release date, September 1st, doesn’t feel quite so far away tonight.

My Office This Week

If I’m giving a talk about books & writing and I mention that I also teach and have a family, the adults in the audience always ask the same question.  "When do you write?"

If you’re a writer with a family or a day job or both, you already know the answer.  "Whenever I can."

It’s interesting to me, though, how I’ve changed as a writer over the past year or so.  I used to think that I had to have at least two hours of uninterrupted time — either at my desk at home at night or at the library in my secret corner — when NO ONE would even say a word to me.  Otherwise, I couldn’t get deep enough into "the zone" and it wasn’t even worth starting.

The new me thinks that old me was…well…maybe just a bit of a writing prima donna.  For whatever reasons — revision deadlines, writing challenges made to myself — I’ve been learning to do things differently. I’ve figured out that I can write for ten or fifteen minutes. I actually can be interrupted and survive, and I can write in places that aren’t peaceful and quiet.  Which brings me to this…

My evening office for the week. 

My daughter is in a figure skating show on Saturday, with four-hour rehearsals scheduled every night until then.  If you’re looking for me, I’ll be the one in the bleachers, tapping my foot to the "Grease" soundtrack and my fingers on the keyboard.

Catie’s Wish

I get a fair amount of email from people who visit my website or read my blog.  Sometimes it’s interesting.   Sometimes it’s incredibly sad.  Sometimes it’s wonderful and uplifting. Not too long ago, I got a note from Jane, a fellow writer in Pennsylvania, that was all of those things.  

Jane shared the story of the O’briens, a family from her town whose young daughter Catie was fighting, and beginning to lose, a battle with pediatric cancer.  The O’briens had started a blog to keep friends up to date on Catie’s struggle and to raise money for an amazing goal their daughter had set.  She wanted to raise enough money to cover the operating expenses for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital every year on April 23, her birthday.  At eight years old, she understood what a legacy was, and she wanted to leave one behind.

Jane asked some questions about publishing, wondering if getting the O’briens’ story out into the world might help to raise awareness, and I answered them as best I could.  When I checked back at the website to see how things were going, I found that Catie had passed away just days after Jane’s email.  Now, her parents’ blog updates have changed from status updates on their daughter to reflections on grief and requests for help to honor her memory. 

I’m in awe of this family’s strength.   Here’s a newspaper article about their progress so far. If you’d like to be part of their fund raising effort, you can click here for more information.

How They Got Here: 2009 Debut Author Neesha Meminger

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… Neesha Meminger, author of SHINE, COCONUT MOON!

Samar–a.k.a. Sam–is an Indian-American teenager whose mom has kept her away from her old-fashioned family.  It’s never bothered Sam, who is busy with school, friends, and a demanding boyfriend.  But things change after 9/11.  A guy in a turban shows up at Sam’s house–and turns out to be her uncle.  He wants to reconcile the family and teach Sam about her Sikh heritage.  Sam is eager, but when boys attack her uncle, chanting "Go back home, Osama!," Sam realizes she could be in danger–and also discovers how dangerous ignorance is.

Welcome, Neesha! Tell us about the first thing you ever wrote that made you think maybe you were a writer.

It was a poem about teeth. I drew a huge mouth with all the teeth showing and the poem was sort of coming out of the mouth. This was in seventh grade. The teacher put it up and didn’t tell me she had. I noticed it on my way in one morning and thought, "Wow, that’s a really cool poem." It took me a while to realize it was my work.

What books did you love when you were a kid?

I love, love, loved Tuck, Everlasting. LOVED it. And Tiki, Tiki, Tumbo.

Is there a particular teacher or librarian who was a mentor for you in your reading and writing life?

There were several teachers and librarians who "saved" me throughout childhood. The seventh grade teacher was one. Then, in tenth grade my English teacher read several of my short stories out to the class. She was so incredibly sweet and supportive of my work when I had absolutely no confidence in myself, whatsoever. I was quiet and kind of nerdy and tried, for the most part, to blend in to the classroom furniture. I loved my English teachers. They paid attention to me and showed me a part of myself I couldn’t see.

Librarians were my best friends, especially in eighth grade. I *lived* at the library. I’m not kidding. During the summer and on weekends, I was there before they opened the doors in the mornings and left right before they physically removed me from the premises. I knew the librarians all by name and they kept books aside for me based on what I’d read and what I asked for. They were amazing. In fact, Tuck Everlasting was a book one librarian held for me.

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? 

The only ritual I have is sometimes when I get stuck, I have to close my eyes and type. I let whatever thoughts pop into my head flow onto the page (or keyboard) and try to get unstuck that way. Sometimes I have to do it before each writing session — when I’m in a particularly stuck phase.

Do you have a favorite strategy for revision?

I go through the manuscript with a notebook at my side. I jot down changes I’d like to make and places where more needs to be written. I slash as I go along. Then, I go through the manuscript and write new bits as they come. Finally, I change the manuscript for my eyes. In other words, I change its entire look by changing the font and size and line spacing. This way, I can pretend it’s not mine and be more brutal with cutting parts :).

What’s special about your debut novel?

My debut novel is special because it is unique and occupies a space much needed in teen lit. Of course, there are other novels by South Asian and Indian-American authors. What makes mine unique is that it is a Sikh teen’s perspective about discovering her culture and her self in a post-9/11 setting.

What were the best and worst parts of writing it?

The best part of writing was writing it :). The worst part was hearing all the unbridled criticism from agents and editors.

How did you find your agent and/or editor?

I found my agent on a listserv email I had signed up for. He had made a deal for one of his clients and I looked him up. He seemed to like the type of work I produced, so I queried him. He requested the manuscript and while he was reading it, I received an offer of representation from another agent I had queried. I spoke with both agents and went with the one who felt like a better fit at the time.

Thanks for sharing your journey, Neesha!

You can read more about Neesha at her website, and of course, you can ask for SHINE, COCONUT MOON at your local independent bookseller.  You can also order it through one of my favorite indies, Flying Pig Bookstore (they ship!), or find an indie near you by checking out IndieBound!

Up next in the "How They Got Here" Debut 2009 series… Heather Duffy-Stone, author of THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO TELL YOU, will be stopping by on Thursday.