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From the Island of Misfit Books, Episode One

Remember the Island of Misfit Toys from that animated holiday special on TV? This was a community of sentient toys who predated Pixar, and who had all been exiled together as factory rejects because of a variety of defects. For example, one was a Jack-in-the-box named Charlie, which really shouldn’t have been a disqualification, given the state of the “in-a-box” toy category.

Who's in a box?

…and not a Jack in the bunch!

There was also a bird that swam instead of flying, which again, isn’t necessarily a defect.

Swim, you misfits!

Swim, you marvelous misfits, swim!

But in the special, some toy factory gatekeeper had decided that these toys–along with a spotted elephant, an ostrich-riding cowboy, a train with square wheels, and others–were unfit for general release. Their punishment for existing was a life-sentence on an isolated prison island from which there was no escape. Ominously enough, the fate of the factory workers who created them was never shown.

Meanwhile, out in the world, a group of kids were horribly sad because all their toys were too realistic and practical for creative play. Or because they had no toys at all, and adjusted their expectations downward accordingly. Or something. Fortunately for everyone, by the end of the special, a deer with a filament on his face and a tiny dentist were able to prove the gatekeepers wrong and unite the toys with the children who needed them.

I like to imagine that there’s another island off the coast of this one called the Island of Misfit Books, which is entirely populated by unsalable manuscripts. These are books that have been rejected by every editor in the business, and can’t be published no matter how many times they are revised, rewritten, or polished. Maybe the subject matter is too esoteric. Maybe conventional wisdom says there are already too many dystopian/wizard/vampire books on the shelves. Maybe nobody wants the fourth book in a trilogy.

Many authors are sitting on novels we strongly believe in, even if the rest of the publishing world thinks of these books as polka-dotted elephants. We love our misfit books, and we just know there are readers who would also love them, if only a flying reindeer could deliver them into the right hands.

People have been asking me about the second book in my Galaxy Games series. The first book has a base of fans, who are an awesome bunch by the way, but someone decided there were too few fans to support a sequel, and no other publisher has been interested in starting a series with Book Two. It’s a shame because I think GG#2 is better than GG#1 in many ways–the action is bigger, the stakes are higher, the plot is tighter, and the characters really come into their own. But you’ll have to take my word for it, because poor GG#2 has been sitting on the shore of the Island of Misfit Books, looking mournfully out into the mist.

We can’t count on Rudolph to save the day, but there’s still hope. Apparently there’s this thing called “elf-publishing,” run by Santa’s factory workers in the off-season from an outpost in the Amazon. Or something like that. I’m still in the very early stages of research, but it’s a very promising lead.

At the moment, all I have is a misfit manuscript, an Internet connection, and a dream. Will that be enough to get this book off the island and into your hands? I will keep you informed of my progress.

Greg R. Fishbone is the author of The Penguins of Doom and the Galaxy Games series of middle grade sports and science fiction books, past and future. You can find him on Twitter, Facebook, and the Web.

An Interview with the Authors of Maggie Malone Makes a Splash

Today The Mixed Up Files is thrilled to welcome co-authors of the Maggie Malone series, Jenna McCarthy and Carolyn Evans. They were kind enough to chat with us about how they write as a team, about their characters, and (psssst) future Maggie Malone adventures.  Maggie Malone Makes a Splash, the third book in their Middle Grade series, released on Cinco de Mayo! Congratulations and welcome, Ladies. Thanks so much for stopping by. 

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MUF: We’re curious how your collaborative process works. What does that look like for two authors co-writing a book?

Jenna: In school I was always the person who hated group projects, because I’m a total control freak. I didn’t think I’d enjoy the collaborative process, but Carolyn convinced me to give it a try, and it’s actually been amazing. She and I take turns writing chapters; when one of us is done, we send it to the other and we read it together on the phone. After we howl and squeal and tell the other how awesome she is, we discuss what we think should happen next, and then the other person gets to work on her chapter. It’s exciting to hand off a story mid-plot and then wait to see what your partner does with it. The best part is how seamlessly our voices blend; my kids are always trying to guess who wrote what, and they’re often wrong—which tells me we’re doing a great job! We rarely disagree, but in the event we do, we have a “three veto” policy per book, which essentially means if there’s an impasse, we each get to fight for (and keep) only the three things we feel most strongly about. This way, you push for only what’s most important to you. You know your partner is serious about something when she throws down a veto—and you respect it. Fortunately, Carolyn and I see pretty eye-to-eye on all things Maggie so we rarely have to play the veto card.

MUF: What is it like to spend time with the same characters through more than one book, as you create your series? Are there challenges about that? Do you get tired of them, or do you feel you get to know them better? 

Carolyn: Jenna and I both love getting to know these characters throughout the series and have more fun with them over time. Frank the genie is probably my favorite character and he just gets funnier, grittier (did I mention he’s a cowboy genie?) and more honest, the longer Maggie knows him. We have had a little trouble keeping our minor characters straight between books (was Willis Freedman the long-eared donkey in the Christmas pageant or was that Carl Lumberton?) but lucky for me, Jenna is crazy organized and keeps a running character cheat sheet for us to refer back to. Also, the main part of each book is Maggie’s day in someone else’s shoes, which inevitably involves her meeting new people, so there are always fun, fresh characters to create in every book.

Can you tell us the inspiration for Maggie? Did it come from more than one place?

Carolyn: Jenna and I wanted to collaborate on a series of books for kids, but we weren’t sure exactly what we wanted to write together. We talked on the phone a lot and I mentioned to Jenna that I had been working on an idea for a series that involved a boy main character. I believe she said something like, “No way, man. I got nothing when it comes to boys,” because she has two little girls.” Plus, she’s not a fan of potty humor like I am, so I said, “Fine. What else could we do?” She remembered that she had played around with the idea of magic shoes, but hadn’t come up with what the magic of the shoes should be. I think I said something about that girl in the blue gingham dress from Kansas who had a pair of magic shoes so we might want to steer clear of that kind of magic and also those types of shoes. Jenna agreed. We considered flip-flops and probably clogs, but in the end decided that the magical shoes should be boots.

But we still weren’t sure what the magic of the boots would be. One day I was meditating (I do that a lot, but probably not as much as I should) when the idea of “spending a day in someone else’s shoes” kind of dropped into my head. I love it when that happens. Ideas sometimes drop into my head when I’m in the shower, too, but we don’t have to talk about that. So that’s how the idea for Maggie’s Magical Boots came together. As for Maggie herself, Jenna’s daughter, Sophie, helped us decide on her look—the crazy curly strawberry blonde hair and green—not blue—eyes. Sophie is also an excellent editor for both content (“This makes no sense to me!” or “I’ve never heard this word before in my entire eleven-year-old life!”) and grammar (“You said this word twice!” or “Don’t you mean ‘petal’ and not ‘pedal’?). Thanks Sophie!

You both write a wide array of books, for different ages. Which is more challenging, to write for adults, or for middle grade readers? 

Jenna: I wouldn’t say one is necessarily more challenging than the other, but they’re definitely challenging in their own ways. With middle grade readers, it’s extremely important to get the voice right, and not to use “old lady” words or expressions. (Our kids proofread everything we write for that very reason; if they were reading this, I’m pretty sure they’d tell me not to use the phrase “old lady!”) Because Maggie appeals to a broad age range, there’s also an issue of vocabulary. As writers, we love big words and aren’t afraid to use them, so we always include a glossary in the back in case younger readers are being introduced to a word for the first time. Finally, it was and is extremely important to Carolyn and me that our books have not only strong female characters but also some sort of positive messaging. The trick with that is to do it in a way that readers don’t feel like they’re being lectured or patronized. Throughout the series, we have Maggie facing all sorts of challenges—from bullies to burglars—and no matter whose life she’s in, she never backs down and she always stays true to herself and who she is. Hopefully kids will absorb that messaging and use it in their own lives. [*Crosses fingers.*]

 This is your third book featuring Maggie Malone, right? Can we expect to see more in this fun series?

Jenna: Yes, Maggie Malone Makes a Splash is the third in the series so far. We’ve dreamed up all sorts of exciting adventures for Maggie, and on our website (maggiemalonebooks.com) we invite our readers to suggest lives for her to step into. We’ve gotten lots of incredibly inspired ideas from creative fans and I won’t give them all away, but let’s just say President of the United States is a very popular request. I wanted Maggie to try out being a dog for a day—I could just see her riding in the back seat of the family car with her tongue hanging out and her ears flapping in the breeze, and groaning about having to eat Barker’s Super Duper Gluten-free Kibble again—but Carolyn put the kibosh on that one!

Thank you so much for joining us today, Jenna and Carolyn! Best of luck on the new release!

About the Authors:

Jenna-McCarthy-001

Jenna McCarthy is a writer, speaker, and aspiring drummer who has wanted magical boots since she learned to walk. She lives with her husband, daughters, cats, and dogs in sunny South California.

Carolyn Evans_Mar14

Carolyn Evans is an author, speaker, and singer/song-writers who once opened for Pat Benatar- you can ask your mom who that is. She loves traveling to faraway places but is just as happy at home with her husband and kids, living by a river in South Carolina and dreaming up grand adventures for Maggie Malone.

In fourth grade, Valerie Stein touched an ancient artifact from an archaeological dig. Though she never got to travel the world in search of buried treasure, she ended up journeying to new and exciting places between the pages of books. Now she spends her time researching history, in museums and libraries, which is like archaeology but without the dirt. Valerie’s book, The Best of It: A Journal of Life, Love and Dying, was published in 2009.  Both her current work and an upcoming middle grade series are historical fiction set in Washington State.  Valerie is Proprietor of Homeostasis Press. She blogs at the Best of It.

Mixed-Up Files Goes on Vacation!

 

Hello, Mixed-Up Filers!

Hope everyone is doing well since my last post a short three months ago. Many of you have written to me privately and asked how do I maintain this grueling once-every-three-month pace of posting? Well, I want to let you know that while yes, it is incredibly taxing on me both physically and emotionally, it is all worthwhile in the end when I think of the thousands of kids out there who are eagerly awaiting my post. Their smiling faces as they read. I do it for the children.

kids smiling

So, with that being said, it is time to launch into my post, which is always easier said than                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          done. This time though, with summer being almost upon us and school being nearly over, I found the choice easy. And by easy, I mean I decided around five minutes before I started writing this. But, in any event, I decided to write about books dealing with different places to go on summer vacation.

vacation

A lot of kids get to go away to camp for the summer. However, my own memories of being a camper were not great. I was always jealous of the kids who did get to go and have those great experiences. I always wanted to have those adventures and make those friends who I would look forward to seeing every summer like in the movies, but alas, my own experiences more mirrored Rudy’s from the movie Meatballs, only without winning the deciding race against Camp Mohawk at the end.

meatballs

 

The fondest memories I have from summer camp, come from when I was a counselor instead of as a camper, but since this site isn’t called The Mixed-Up Files of YA authors, I won’t list them and instead talk about the fun things I did get to do over the summer. And that’s go away. I remember going to some really cool places with my family, which I still remember vividly to this day. So, that’s what I decided to write about. Being away in different places. In particular focusing on some of the places where I have been to,

So, without further ad, here we go!

The first one is a bit of a cheat, since I happen to live here now, but when I was a kid, we visited Florida more than anywhere else. Not only did we have family here, but there was the magical place where that mouse with the big ears was. For books based in Florida, you have to start with Carl Hiaasen. Hiaasen is from Florida and bases his books here, with most having some environmental theme. What other thing his books have is a sense of adventure and a whole lot of fun. My favorite book by him is still Hoot.

 

florida

 

Hoot deals with Roy Eberhardt, who has just moved to Florida in the town of Coconut Cove. He is immediately picked on by school bully, Dana Matherson. The book deals with so much more than a story about bullying. During the course of events, Roy meets Beatrice Leep and her step-brother Mullet-Fingers, who show him what’s really going on around Coconut Cove with the endangerment of burrowing owls because a brand new Mother Paula’s All-American Pancake House is going to be built on their nesting grounds. Hoot is a really fun book and I have read it a few times. I also recommend Hiaasen’s other books as well, but Hoot is still my favorite.

The next place I want to stop on our vacation list is where I’m from. New York. Gee, let’s see, I wonder if there are any good middle grade books set in New York? Oh, wait! I think I thought of one. I would probably be sent my termination notice, if I didn’t include the story from where this site takes its name, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigsburg.

mixed up

The story deals with twelve-year-old, Claudia Kincaid and her nine-year-old brother, Jamie, who run away from home and hide out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They sleep there at night and mingle with tour groups during the day to blend in and keep from being discovered. When a new exhibit of an angel, comes in from Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, there is a lot of mystery as to who the sculptor was. The children visit Mrs. Frankweiler at her home in Connecticut to try and uncover the secret. It is also a fun book and gives a feel for being in the museum in New York.

ny

The next stop on our tour is Mexico. I used to go to Mexico quite often and even lived there for a couple of years. I loved visiting and it is a country rich in tradition and history. For this selection, I picked a non-fiction book to learn about some of the life in Mexico. Mexico: New True Books: Geography, by Elaine Landau. I have this book and it is a lot of fun to look through and really brings back good memories of my time there.

mexico

England is like New York in the fact that there are countless stories set there. A certain boy wizard among them. But, for now, I chose to go with an oldie but a goodie and one of my favorites still, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis. The story is about four siblings, the Pevensies, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, who are sent from their London home to the English countryside for safety during WW II. While there, the children discover a magical wardrobe which transports them to the world of Narnia. There, they try to help free the land from the clutches of the White Witch. This is one of my favorite series of books and I still occasionally take all seven books and reread them.

england

These are just a few of the places I’ve been, but it is fun to picture yourself in different settings and places. Reading takes you away to anyplace you are willing to travel. What are some of the places all of you have been and what are good novels set there?