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Super Gear Giveaway!

By on June 16, 2016   /   Book Lists  

Today we have The Mixed-Up Files very own Jennifer Swanson here for an interview and giveaway! Her latest non-fiction book, SUPER GEAR, just released and we’re both super excited to share it with you!

SUPER GEAR is one of the 12 books on the International Literacy Association “Jump Start Your Summer” reading selections:

“This reader-friendly introduction to nanotechnology breaks down the science and describes the processes of nanomanufacturing in a clear and understandable way. Packed with photographs, diagrams, and text boxes, this book will appeal to athletes and sports enthusiasts—and the curious. – Literacy Worldwide

SUPER GEAR FC_final

Cutting-edge science; high-performance sports
How are the sports played by Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, Michelle Wie, and Usain Bolt related? Nanotechnology! Take a close-up look at sports and nanotechnology, the cutting-edge science that manipulates objects at the atomic level. Nanotechnology is used to create high-tech swimsuits, tennis rackets, golf clubs, running shoes, and more.

Back matter includes a glossary, bibliography, list of resources, and index. Perfect for 2016 Summer Olympics displays and celebrations.
Amazon Barnes & Noble IndieBound

Amie: Tell me about your publishing journey and how it started with non-fiction. How long have you been writing non-fiction? What inspired you to take this path?

Jen: I got my first contract to write nonfiction books for kids six years ago. My path is pretty interesting, when I look back on it. I didn’t start out wanting to write science books for kids, at first I wanted to write fiction picture books. Very quickly, I realized that I did not have the talent to do that. A wonderful writer, Elaine Landau suggested that I try science books. After all, I have two degrees in science and am a middle school science teacher. So, I did. It’s been wonderful. I get to write about the things I love and hopefully inspire kids to have the same passion for all things STEM that I do.

And now, 25+ books, myriad of e-books, articles, and conferences later here I am.

Amie: *blinks* TWENTY FIVE BOOKS? Wow! That’s remarkable! Tell me about your inspiration. Does it come in the same or different ways than for fiction? What would you suggest to anyone interested in writing non-fiction?

Jen: Absolutely! Some people think that writing nonfiction is easier than writing fiction and more limiting. I don’t find any of that to be true. Nonfiction kidlit these days is just as creative and thrilling as fiction. Good nonfiction uses lively writing, big, intriguing hooks, great storylines, and engages and excites the reader. I get my inspiration by reading everything I can, newspapers, articles, books, watching TV, and just listening to people talk. That’s the same way most fiction readers get their inspiration.

If you are interested in writing nonfiction, I would suggest opening your mind to inquiry. Ask lots of questions about topics that interest you or others. Investigate things you don’t understand. Most times, you’ll discover that one “gem” that makes you say. “Hmmm… I didn’t know that.” That’s the beginning of your book.

Amie:It’s amazing where we can find inspiration. Speaking of inspiration, where did you get the idea for SUPER GEAR?

Jen: I knew I wanted to write a book about nanotechnology. After all, it’s in practically everything we do and use in our daily lives. But I needed a big hook. One that would capture the attention of a trade publisher. In my house, sports has always been important. As a kid, I grew up in a family with 3 brothers, all of whom loved sports. It was always on the T.V.  Then, when I watched the 2008 Olympics and saw the controversy over the full-body swimsuits, I thought… “There’s something there…” I kept working on the idea until we were watching Disney’s The Incredibles movie. In the movie, Iceman walks around saying, “Where is my super suit?”  And voila the idea stuck. Thus SUPER GEAR was born.  It’s funny when you finally get ideas that work. (Of course, it took me four years to get it ).

Amie:  Fascinating! Sparks of ideas are all around us.  So now we know about your inspiration and where you find it, but why did you decided to write these non-fiction books for the middle grade audience?

Jen:  I think middle grade is the time when kids are really excited about science. If you tap into their enthusiasm and natural inquiry with great books filled with awesome science and engineering, then you can hook them for life. These are the kids that will grow up to become the scientists and engineers that change the world.

Amie: That’s so true. It’s a great time to mold, shape, and inspire these growing minds. One last question. Airplanes or submarines? Spaghetti and meatballs or tacos? Strawberries and cream or peanut butter fudge?

Jen: Airplanes. Submarines are too close quarters.Tacos. Definitely. I could eat Mexican food every night. Strawberries and cream. Strawberry shortcake is my favorite dessert.

Amie: bzzzzt! The correct answer was alien. Thanks for joining us here, Jen and congrats on the release of Super Gear!

Jen: Thanks so much, Amie!

Jennifer Swanson Author Photo

Science Rocks! And so do Jennifer Swanson’s books. She is the award winning author of over 25 nonfiction books for children. Her books in the “How Things Work” series by The Child’s World were named to the 2012 Booklist’s Top 10 Books for Youth. Top reviews include a starred review in Booklist, and recommended reviews from School Librarians Workshop, Library Media Connection, the NSTA and a book in a series that was a JLG Selection. Jennifer’s passion for science resonates in in all her books but especially, BRAIN GAMES (NGKids) and SUPER GEAR: Nanotechnology and Sports Team Up (Charlesbridge). You can visit Jennifer at her website www.JenniferSwansonBooks.com on Facebook or Twitter

If you’d like your very own copy of SUPER GEAR by Jennifer Swanson, all you have to do is enter the giveaway below! You might be our lucky winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Amie Borst is the author of the Cinderskella, Little Dead Riding Hood, and the forthcoming Snow Fright! All three books are part of the Scarily Ever Laughter series.

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10 Ways Writing a Middle-Grade Book is like ZUMBA®

By on June 15, 2016   /   For Writers, Writing  

I recently earned my Zumba Instructor certification and it occurred to me that writing middle-grade books has a lot in common with Zumba.

1.You’re never too old

I never understood why adults think that middle-grade books are beneath them. (Have you ever had anyone ask you when you are going to write a real book?) As for Zumba, you can work at whatever intensity you want. Don’t want to do that jumping move? Don’t. Just step instead. There are Zumba Gold classes especially for those with limited mobility, but if you can put one foot in front of the other, then you can do a regular Zumba class. As for teaching Zumba, suffice it to say that I have both a Zumba Instructor Certification and an AARP card.

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2.You can do it in the pool

There are Aqua  Zumba classes for those who enjoy that kind of thing. It’s especially easy on the joints. I don’t care for them, at least in an indoor pool, because the music echoes so much. As for writing, I do some of my best writing while swimming laps. I don’t bring a computer or notebook into the pool with me, but the meditative action of lap swimming can sometimes help me work out sticky plot points.

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3. Music helps

The Latin and International music is one of the major appeals of Zumba, at least for me. I often need music to write, and coincidentally, it is often International music, because the lyrics are not in English. English lyrics seem to short circuit the neural writing pathways. (Even though I understand French, those lyrics don’t bother me, because I’m writing in English. I haven’t tried the converse experiment—writing in French while listening to English lyrics.)

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(photo credit: John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)

4. Earplugs help, too

Several people I know use earplugs in Zumba classes, especially with some of the younger, more enthusiastic instructors. They like to crank the tunes. Some writers work better when it’s quiet. I know I resorted to earplugs when they tore up my street last summer.

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5.Working together has benefits

Some authors have writing retreats together, and the peer pressure to be writing while your fellow retreaters are writing can increase productivity. Some writers connect online and hold each other accountable. Word sprints are an online productivity tool. You each commit to writing without stopping for a set amount of time, say fifteen minutes, then you report your word count. Sure, you can lie about it, but you don’t. As for Zumba, research has shown that dancing in unison can have health benefits above and beyond simple exercise. Even more benefits than dancing independently to the same music.

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6. You can learn from each other

That’s what critique groups are for. That’s why you go to writers’ conferences. That’s why you read a lot. It’s how you figure out what works for you. Same with Zumba. You go to different classes with different instructors. You watch the choreography videos. To get ideas. To see how other people interpret the same music. That person next to you in class adds a turn or a flourish of the arms to the same step you are all doing. Hmm. What if…?

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7. A marathon session can be painful

The Zumba Instructor Training went from 7:30am to 4:00pm. It started with an hour-long master class, and although we didn’t dance the entire time, there were multiple sessions of learning the steps and variations, warm-ups and cool-downs, and practice putting together choreography. I learned that Zumba uses just about every muscle, because just about every muscle was sore for days. A marathon writing session can also leave me pretzel-like, because I find myself in the vulture position when I am really concentrating.

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8. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

We learn in elementary school language arts class that a story needs a beginning, a middle, and an end. In Zumba, we start with a warmup, to ease the body into the class, get the blood moving, and increase the heart rate. Then at the end, a cool down gradually decreases the heart rate, and stretching helps reduce muscle pain later on.

9. The middle is the hardest part.

In a Zumba class, the most strenuous, fastest songs fall between the warmup and the cool down. Authors refer to the “dreaded middle,” “sagging middle,” “middle muddle,” “sticky, icky middle,” and so on. You know where the book starts, and how you want it to end. The trick is to get your reader to the end without getting bored.

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10. There’s a supportive community

The children’s writing community is one of the most supportive groups I know. Whether it’s a hug at a conference, an email or Facebook post to show an author a photo of their book “in the wild,” or offering goods and services to online auctions to help pay another author’s medical bills, you can count on the kidlit community. There’s a lot of support among Zumba aficionados, too. The instructors sub for each other and get together to run charity Zumbathons. And if you are a regular participant in a class, you are definitely missed when you don’t show up.

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Whether it’s a publishable manuscript or a healthier body you’re after, you can’t just wish for it. You have to work at it. So get your butt in that chair or get your butt to the gym. You’ll feel better for having done it.

Jacqueline Houtman is the author of the middle-grade novel The Reinvention of Edison Thomas (Front Street/Boyds Mills Press 2010) and coauthor, with Walter Naegle and Michael G. Long, of the biography for young (and not-so-young) readers, Bayard Rustin: The Invisible Activist (Quaker Press 2014).

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The Winners of THE FIRST LAST DAY and a critique from Dorian Cirrone are…

By on June 14, 2016   /   Giveaways  

Thank you all for your sweet comments on Dorian’s interview. I loved hearing how she came up with the idea for THE FIRST LAST DAY, and how much revision went into it. She shared so much great advice! Thanks again, Dorian.

The winner of a signed copy of Dorian’s newly published middle grade novel, THE FIRST LAST DAY, is…

The First Last Day Cover

Technology Integration Director

And the winner of a critique from Dorian is…

Mia Wenjen

If you’d like to find out more about Dorian’s huge revision of THE FIRST LAST DAY and read how the first page evolved from the earliest version through several other attempts until Dorian came up with the published version, check out this awesome post on Dorian’s blog.

Congrats to the winners, and thank you all again for commenting on Dorian’s interview and entering the giveaway. Dorian will e-mail the winners soon.

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