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Kami Kinard Interview and Giveaway!

By on May 12, 2014   /   Author Interviews, Giveaways  

Welcome Kami Kinard back to the Mixed-up Files!

Kami was last here in 2012 to discuss her debut, The Boy Project, which follows Kara McAllister’s quest to find a boyfriend following scientific principles. Kara is successful *spoiler alert* but finding a boyfriend isn’t necessarily the end of the story – for that, you have to find the right boyfriend.

FC9780545575867Enter The Boy Problem. New this spring, Kami’s latest MG novel puts Kara’s bff, Tabitha Reddy, in the staring role as she looks for true love using symbols, predictions, math equations, and… cupcakes!

Thanks for joining us, Kami. First of all, why did you choose to write the second book from Tabby’s perspective instead of Kara’s?

It’s great to be here, thanks!

I just felt like Kara’s story had come full circle. I didn’t think it’d be very believable for her to start another wacky project to find a boyfriend. Somehow, it seemed like that would take away from her credibility in book one. But it was important to my editor and I that Kara still have a big role in the second book.

Which was easier to write – The Boy Project or The Boy Problem?

It was much easier to write my first book, The Boy Project because I didn’t have any pre-set limits.  Usually a writer can create characters and settings that will help their plots move forward, but a lot of the characters and settings for The Boy Problem were already established! Puzzling in pieces of a new story with an old one can get pretty complicated.

In addition to some new boys, The Boy Project introduced a strong new secondary character, Priyanka, who successfully befriends both Kara and Tabby without creating a problematic triangle. Pri is interesting, well-developed, and likeable.  Any chance she’ll be narrating the next book?

Head Shots from Carpe Diem 003When I wrote my first novel, I thought it would be a stand-alone novel, so I didn’t really set things up for a second novel. I didn’t want to make that same mistake again. In Priyanka, I tried to create a unique character we’d want to spend more time with given the chance. So yes, I hope we get that chance to hear her narrate her own story!

Me too! Any advice or suggestions for authors considering giving a secondary character in one of their books a starring role in the follow-up?

Yes! I have given this a lot of thought. Plan for the future, even if you don’t think you need to! You may not anticipate your book being part of a series, but are you really going to turn your publisher down if offered a contract for another book? Of course not! Here are some ways for you to leave room for a second book.

1. Think about the calendar. When will your story take place? I regretted setting The Boy Project at the end of the school year. This forced the next book to fall in the next year, so teachers changed, when it would have been nice to keep those established characters. (You might notice that The Boy Problem starts on the first day of school. I’m trainable!)

2. Think about the calendar. Yes, I know I just said this, but I want you to think about it in a new way. How many days, weeks, or months will it take for the action to take place in your book? Some middle grade novels have fast moving plots that cover only a few days or weeks. These leave plenty of room for other books to follow with the same characters in the same school year. Smart.

3. Think about the calendar. Is this getting old? Hopefully not, because, you have to do a lot of thinking about this or you will write yourself into a corner in a hurry.  What are your characters’ birthdays? How old will they be at the end of the story? What grade are they in? You don’t want your beloved characters to age out of the action too soon. I had intended for Kara, the main character of my first novel to be in eighth grade. But my publisher asked me to move her down to seventh. Thank goodness.

4. Develop story-worthy secondary characters. (I regretted not giving Kara a younger sister or brother in The Boy Project.) Because I needed to use a character my readers were familiar with for the second book, so I really only left myself one choice. I love the way Tabbi evolved into a main character for The Boy Problem, but if I had planned ahead, I would have set her up for this better.

Great advice, Kami!  Thanks for returning to the Mixed-Up Files.  Good luck with The Boy Problem!

Thanks so much for interviewing me. It’s exciting to have another book on the shelves and I appreciate your being part of the celebration!

To find out more visit Kami’s website and cool blog, Nerdy Chicks Rule.  You can also enter to win a hard cover edition of The Boy Project by following the Rafflecopter widget below. The winner will be announced on Thursday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yolanda Ridge is the author of Trouble in the Trees (Orca Book Publishers, 2011) and Road Block (Orca Book Publishers, 2012), Both stories follow irrepressible, rule bending Brianna Bridges – but her neighbour’s been begging for a book of his own!

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Writers’ Book Review: Writing Fiction for Children by Judy K. Morris

By on May 8, 2014   /   Book Lists  

A book about writing can be, for a writer, a lot like an early romance.  There’s a lot of excitement and promise in the beginning  (“This book will help me fix my plot problems!” “Finally, I’m going to get this character right!”), but then there might be some disappointment (“I didn’t understand the section on voice”).  Some books will stand the test of time, while others might become a faint memory.

I was fortunate enough to have one excellent book recommendation early in writing, which served as my go-to reference as I struggled through my first novel.  The Writer’s Guide to Crafting Stories for Children by Nancy Lamb was my rock and reference, reminding me that action had to spring from the character and to increase the stakes gradually.  This book is well-organized, so that writers can easily dip in and dip out, to get the information and reassurance they need and get back to writing quickly.

Writer's Guide to Crafting Stories for Children

Now working on my third book, I was lucky enough to discover a new (to me) wonderful reference at the library.  Writing Fiction for Children: Stories Only You Can Tell by Judy K. Morris (University of Illinois Press) can be enjoyed by writers at any stage, but I think is of particular benefit to writers who are comfortable with structure but are looking for ways to deepen their stories.  Also, unlike many books for children’s writers which usually cover all genres, this book was written particularly for middle-grade authors in mind.  Morris’ book is divided into six aspects of story: Plot, People and their Places, Making Your Story Whole, Reader as Storyteller, Nitty-Gritty Matters and Finally (Ending).  Each section has 2-4 subjects within that topic, told in a warm, thoughtful manner, with many examples from Morris’ own experience and other books, particularly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Stone Fox and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

Morris writes intelligently about subjects that I have not seen in other books about writing for children but as writers, we intuit should be there.  There is a section, for example, on Setting as a Context for Meaning, where Morris reminds us that every time and place has a cultural, social, political and moral context, and the way the character behaves and thinks will be guided by these rules and expectations, whether it’s the first day of school or a holiday at a grandparent’s house.  Great books do this with great subtlety, and Morris breaks down this idea to allow writers to analyze these factors explicitly and allow the plot and character to strengthen as a result.

Writing Fiction for Children

I must admit, guiltily, that I am not usually one to do the exercises in writing books because I am doubtful of their actual benefit.  However Writing Fiction for Children’s exercises set the book apart as they are particularly creative and well-thought out.  For example, as the first exercise based on your manuscript, Morris urges writers to describe their story for three audiences – the writer, a potential editor or agent, and a child as way to remind yourself that all three people are critical to the story.  Morris then notes, with thoughtfulness and encouragement typical of the book, when each description may be useful to you:

At moments when your writing is going badly or your energy flags, the first description can help you get back to your story’s core…The second description is likely to include something about character and setting.  Editors like an interesting, appealing central character in a new and intriguing situation.  The third description of your story will probably be centered on plot.

As you might have guessed, it didn’t take long after borrowing the book that I decided that I needed to make Writing Fiction for Children a permanent part of my writing library!  It’s true love!  What books have helped you the most?

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Lots o’ Fives

By on May 5, 2014   /   Book Lists  

Being responsible for the MUF post on Cinco de Mayo is a grand responsibility. After all, not only is today the fifth day of the fifth month of the year, but there are a lot of other things that come in fives. For example, like most folks, I have five fingers on each hand, which come in useful when giving high-fives. Last I checked I have five toes on each foot. And just last week I stole five pieces of chocolate from my son’s Easter stash and ate them all in exactly five seconds.

So . . . in celebration of all the fives in my life, here are five lists of five things you can think about in five minutes or less.

churros

Five Foods I’d Like to Eat to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo While Completely Ignoring Caloric Intake:

  1. Burritos
  2. Tortilla chips with salsa con queso
  3. Churros with chocolate sauce
  4. Mexican fried rice
  5. More churros

Five Children’s Novels I’ve Read and Enjoyed in the Past Five Months:

  1. The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage
  2. Scumble by Ingrid Law
  3. The Last Present by Wendy Mass
  4. Al Capone Does My Homework by Gennifer Choldenko
  5. Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington

Five More Children’s Novels I Really Want to Read before the Next Five Months Are Over:

  1. The Summer I Saved the World . . . in 65 Days by fellow-MUF-member Michele Weber Hurwitz
  2. Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue by Tom Angleberger
  3. Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana
  4. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
  5. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass

the summer i saved the world

Five Character Names from My Writing Journal That I Hope to Use Someday:

  1. Abigail Blinsteen
  2. Lucas McShooster
  3. Olivia Ingledue
  4. Shishkabob Stubs
  5. Silas Slump

T. P. Jagger, The 3-Minute Writing Teacher

Five Reasons You Should Visit My New Website at www.tpjagger.com and Tell Your Friends About It, Too:

  1. You can read my bio page and see what an Amazonian treehouse has to do with the day of my birth.
  2. I’ve posted free, original readers’ theatre scripts that middle-grade teachers can download and use to improve students’ reading fluency.
  3. I’ve adopted an alias—“The 3-Minute Writing Teacher”—and begun posting a series of short writing-tips videos that teachers can use with their students (and that beginning writers may find helpful, too).
  4. You can easily subscribe to my e-newsletter to receive automatic updates whenever I post new readers’ theatre scripts or how-to writing-tips videos.
  5. Did I mention the free readers’ theatre scripts and the videos of how-to writing tips from The 3-Minute Writing Teacher? . . .

Well, HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO, loyal MUF readers! Got anything to add to any of my lists? A must-eat Mexican food? A favorite book? A completely different list of five things? Post your comments below.

Along with his MUF posts, T. P. Jagger can be found at www.tpjagger.com, where he provides brief how-to writing-tips videos as The 3-Minute Writing Teacher plus original readers’ theatre scripts for middle-grade teachers.

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