Author Interviews

Author Spotlight: Hillary Homzie

By Laurie J. Edwards on March 21, 2016 / Author Interviews, Fiction, For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, MUF Contributor Books

Releases April 5, 2016

Mixed-Up Files contributor Hillary Homzie is joining us today to talk about her latest release, QUEEN OF LIKES. We’re so glad to have her here.

Welcome, Hillary! And here are the questions we have for you…

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

As a child I wanted to be a writer. For as along as I can remember I’ve loved to make up stories. Whether it was let’s pretend with my stuffed animals, or playing with my Barbies, or making my paper dolls (sometimes I’d draw them or, other times, I’d make them from photos of models in the Sears catalogue) or play-acting I was a lost orphan with my best friend Claire in the woods behind our house, stories ruled my world. Sometimes they even got me in trouble. Once my mother gave me an antique china doll with this beautiful wedding dress. The other dolls decided she was much too snobby, and so they all decided to drop her from the top of the staircase. Let’s just say that story didn’t end well!

Oh, my! I can only imagine. So with all that storytelling ability, when did you start writing down your stories?

Hillary, age 7, with sister, Leslie, age 4

Well, my second grade teacher, Mrs. McCrone, had weekly creative writing assignments, so I definitely enjoyed writing stories then, but I didn’t actually start to write entire novels until I was about 23. It was after I took a children’s writing course up at City University in New York with author and poet Pam Laskin.

What made you write Karma’s story?

Probably because I have a house full of teens (and one tween). And I see how much they are on their phones and how much they anticipate and live for the number of LIKES they get after a post. My older boys sometimes even compete with each other in terms of who gets more LIKES. And I just thought it would be interesting to write about a tween who calculated her sense of self-worth by the number of LIKES on her social media account. And what would happen if that social media account got shut down by parents! Ouch!

Yes that definitely was a big OUCH for Karma, and it would be for most people (including adults) who are tied to their phones. Karma’s parents taking away her cell phone is possibly the worst punishment ever for an online social media diva like she was. Speaking of punishments, what was your worst punishment ever?

I was what my mother-in-law calls a goody-goody. I never really received a punishment. Just maybe a talking to (if my sister and I were fighting) and maybe sent to my room. Even when I got called down the principal’s office in seventh grade, the principal himself only spoke with me for five minutes and didn’t call my parents. He was my swim coach, and he knew that I never got in trouble and figured that the teacher had somehow gotten things wrong.

Hmm… well, I won’t ask you if the teacher really had gotten things wrong. Maybe we should go back to talking about QUEEN OF LIKES. So… how are you and Karma (love that name, BTW!) alike and different?

Hillary with her labradoodle

Karma and I are alike in that, yes, we both live on the West Coast. I live in California, however, and Karma lives in the suburbs of Oregon. We’re both Jewish and attend reform synagogues. We both own giant labradoodles. [That’s interesting! I’m glad you sent a picture so we can see what labradoodles look like.] We both check how many LIKES we get on social media far too much. We are different in that Karma has a little brother (I have one younger sister). She had one event that made her social media popularity blow up. That hasn’t happened to me. My number of followers on Twitter, for example, has been slowly growing but there hasn’t been one blow-up event. Karma lives for her LIKES. I’d like to think that I’m a bit more balanced.

Karma ends up in some embarrassing situations. What was your most embarrassing moment?

Probably when a boy stopped to talk to me, and I had a tampon in my hand that I stupidly pulled out of my purse. Sometimes common sense and Hillary don’t go together.

What was middle school like for you?

Oh, gosh. In each grade, I feel like I was very different. In sixth grade, I was very happy, had close friends and a teacher that I loved, Ms. Casey. My friends were the brainy set, but I was also connected with an assortment of kids.

Hillary, age 13

In seventh grade, my best friend was no longer in my classes, and in my core class, all of the girls were paired up with their besties. My core teacher was an odd duck who refused to be photographed unless it was in profile. She didn’t like me too much, and I once got into a roll-on-the floor fight and was sent to the office. My language arts teacher couldn’t write very well, and I didn’t respect her. It was a very blah year.

In eighth grade, I moved for a year to Menlo Park, California, where my dad was a scholar-in-residence at Stanford University. It was hard to be the new eighth grader. Lots of the kids were spoiled, directly aggressive, and even racist. I hated it until halfway through the year when I met an amazing group of girls with whom I’m friends with to this very day. Your greater environment can be icky—but if you have close friends, life is very manageable. At least, it was for me!

Sometimes it’s not easy to make friends when you’re the new kid at school. I’m glad you found friends who helped you feel at home. With all that experience behind you, what advice do you wish you could give to your younger self?

Do what you love to do, and those with similar interests will gravitate towards you. Be friends with the kids who make you feel good and supported, even if they are outsiders. Don’t look at the so-called popular kids and imagine if only you could be them or with them, life would be rosy. During one of my high school reunions, one of those so-called popular girls told me that she wished she was me!

What is one thing you hope readers will take away from your book?

Follow your passions, do what you like. Don’t worry about what others think of you. Don’t live for the approval of others.

What are you working on now? Are there any more Karma books in the works?

I’m a multi-tasker when it comes to writing. I just finished a chapter book, and I’m toggling between a contemporary tween middle grade with a dash of magic and a middle grade science fantasy.

Both of those sound like fun, but since you mentioned fantasy, let’s talk about magic. If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?

That love not hate would bring the world together, the end of racial oppression, world peace.

What wonderful wishes! I hope they all come true. I’m sorry this interview is almost over, but I always like to ask authors one last question, because most of them have lived such fascinating lives. What is something most people don’t know about you?

I used to be a sketch comedian. In my twenties, I performed with the HA! Comedy Duo and Rubber Feet at clubs and theaters all over NYC. I’m a fairly even-keeled person in real life, but up on stage, I can get crazy!

Wow! I’m impressed. No wonder QUEEN OF LIKES is filled with humor. I’m lucky that I had a sneak peek at the book, and I’m sure everyone else will want to buy the book, which is available for preorder now from Aladdin M!X and Amazon. Or you can find it at your local bookstore on April 5, 2016.

ABOUT QUEEN OF LIKES

Karma Cooper is a seventh grader with thousands of followers on SnappyPic. Before Karma became a social media celebrity, she wasn’t part of the in-crowd at Merton Middle School. But thanks to one serendipitous photo, Karma has become a very popular poster on SnappyPic. Besides keeping up with all of her followers, like most kids at MMS, her smartphone—a bejeweled pink number Karma nicknamed Floyd—is like a body part she could never live without.

But after breaking some basic phone rules, Karma’s cruel, cruel parents take Floyd away, and for Karma, her world comes to a screeching halt. Can Karma—who can text, post photos, play soccer, and chew gum all at the same time—learn to go cold turkey and live her life fully unplugged?

ABOUT HILLARY HOMZIE

Hillary is the author of the tween novel, THE HOT LIST (Simon & Schuster/M!X), THINGS ARE GONNA GET UGLY (Simon & Schuster/M!X), a Justice Book-of-the-Month, which was just optioned by Priority Pictures, and the forthcoming QUEEN OF LIKES (Simon & Schuster/Aladdin M!X, April 2016), as well as the humorous chapter book series, ALIEN CLONES FROM OUTER SPACE (Simon & Schuster/Aladdin), which was developed to become an animated television series and was sold to ABC Australia. Hillary holds a master’s degree in education from Temple University and a master’s of arts degree from Hollins University in children’s literature and writing. Currently, she’s a visiting professor of children’s literature and writing at Hollins University.

Thanks for such a fun interview, Hillary. I’m sure readers would love to know where they can find out more about you.

I’m on Facebook, Twitter, and they can check out my website. On my website, there’s info about school visits and speaking at conferences, which I love doing. (And I’m sure you’re educational as well as entertaining, with your comedy background.)

ABOUT THE BLOG AUTHOR

Laurie J. Edwards is the author of more than 2300 articles and 25 books in print or forthcoming. In addition to being a freelance editor and illustrator, she also writes under the pseudonyms Erin Johnson and Rachel J. Good. She is lucky enough to be in the MFA program for Children’s Writing and Illustrating at Hollins University, where she has the privilege of working with Hillary Homzie.

Interview with Dr. Phil Nel

By Mike Hays on March 16, 2016 / Author Interviews

Philip Nel is University Distinguished Professor of English at Kansas State University. His most recent books are the 2013 Eisner Award nominee, Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children’s Literature(2012); Crockett Johnson’s Barnaby Volume One: 1942–1943 (coedited with Eric Reynolds, 2013); and Barnaby Volume Two: 1944–1945 (coedited with Reynolds, 2014). He blogs intelligent and thoughtful pieces at Nine Type of Pie and belongs to the “supergroup” kid lit blogger consortium, The Niblings.

MH: Dr. Nel, thanks for being our guest at From the Mixed-Up Files blog. Can you give us a brief history of how you ended up in academic kid lit?

PN: Sure! Briefest history of how I got into academic kid lit is: Children’s literature made me a reader. Reading, in turn, led me to major in English, and then take the quixotic step of pursuing a Ph.D. in English. Although I could not have told you at the time why I became an English major or enrolled in grad school, kid lit was the reason. And so, long story short, I became a scholar of children’s literature.

MH: Everyone should read your Manifesto piece in the Iowa Review. So inspiring and so relatable for many of us lovers of children’s literature.

PN: The Iowa Review piece expresses most succinctly why I do what I do.

MH: An “I have arrived” moment? The piece had such resonance with how so many of us feel about kid lit.

PN: Gosh, yes, that’s one way to look at it. Sure. I think, mostly, I was pleased that I was able to translate my personal experience with kid lit into something more universal.

MH: What exactly does a professor of children’s literature do all day? Do you sit around with the other professors devising ways to make students’ lives a little more “uncomfortable”? (Evil laugh)

PN: Goodness. How much time do we have? 🙂 Three components of my job are research, teaching, & service. What does that mean, apart from the thin boundary between work and life?

It means that today, for example, I had two meetings, did grading, wrote emails regarding future book project, worked on a talk I’m giving in May. Why work on May talk now? I also have to write May & June conference papers, & (when edits come in for fall book) do them. I am also working on image permissions for fall book (Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: Hidden Racism of Children’s Literature).

I could go on, but I’d further try your patience. So…. next question!

MH: Tell us about how your love of Harold & The Purple Crayon evolved into an academic study of his creator, Crockett Johnson?

PN: Harold and the Purple Crayon is such a deceptively simple idea. Child draws the world in which he lives. The idea always intrigued me — the possibility of the imagination creating reality. But who was Crockett Johnson?

Apart from bios in reference books, there was little on Crockett Johnson. So, I decided to make a website. (Yes, the site is very web 1.0. I created it in the late 1990s. Needs an update.) ANYWAY. The website led to an article. And the article led me to think: Crockett Johnson deserves a book! A monograph? No! A biography! And I’m going to write it!

Yes, I realize that was rather delusional of me. I’d never written a biography before. I’d never written a book before. I started the biography back in 1999/2000. Within a few years, I realized that to tell Johnson’s story, I needed to tell Ruth Krauss’s story. Krauss was Johnson’s wife, & a fascinating talent in her own right. And so,… the book became a double biography.

In sum, the biography derived from a unique combination of ignorance, ambition, and curiosity. In order to write the biography, I needed to not know what I was getting into or how hard it would be. To paraphrase The Phantom Tollbooth, to write a biography, I needed not to know that writing a biography was impossible.

JohnsonKrausscover_sm

MH: It was overdue. He was pivotal in shaping the children’s lit we know today. Simple lines, sharp story & imagination galore.

PN: Exactly. Crockett Johnson’s clean, precise line conveys deep feeling & a profound story.

MH: You do a fantastic job of not only spotlighting kid lit, but also contributing to the issues of diversity & radical children’s literature’s power.

PN: Thanks! I need to do more on both diversity & radical literature. I learn much from Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Zetta Elliott, and others. Well, we all need to do more in promoting, reading, teaching diverse books.

So, on that subject (diverse books), I’ll climb up on my soapbox.

Racism is structural. We thus need structural change to combat it. A few well-intentioned people won’t be sufficient. The kid lit industry needs a systemic long-term commitment to non-white authors, editors, publicists, etc. Teachers need to teach works by non-white authors, and not just in a tokenistic way.

MH: Exactly!

(Dr. Nel climbs down from soapbox. For now.)

MH: Thank you for the wonderful interview and insight into your life as a distinguished professor of children’s literature. Good luck with the release of Was The Cat In The Hat Black?.

PN: Thanks for having me! To quote wizard-rockers, The Remus Lupins,

“Fight evil. Read books.“

A conversation with Mitali Perkins, author and writing mentor

By Barbara Dee on March 13, 2016 / Author Interviews, For Writers, News, Writing

Do you have a middle grade manuscript–and some spare time during the summer? Are you looking for a mentor to provide editorial feedback and guidance? Check out the summer programs at The Highlights Foundation in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. In addition to a middle grade whole novel workshop taught by M. T. Anderson and N. Griffin in August (and now accepting applications), they’re running other classes, including Summer Camp at the Barn: A Week of Creative Mentorship 2016 (July 17-July 23 2016).

One of the faculty mentors participating in the Highlights Foundation’s Summer Camp will be Mitali Perkins, celebrated author of middle grade and YA fiction (Monsoon Summer, Secret Keeper, among other titles). As she looks ahead to her “camp week”, she graciously took some time for an interview with Barbara Dee.

How did you become involved with the Highlights Foundation Summer Camp?

I taught there a few years ago and fell in love with the place. It’s a five-senses experience (the taste of organic, fresh food, lovingly prepared, the sound of laughter around meals, and birdcalls in the woods and a rushing creek, the sight of quiet trees and kind faces, the smell of good coffee, and the feel of your keyboard tapping under your fingers as you write, and write, and write). Highlights Summer Camp is saturated in a deep love for children’s books, which makes it the perfect venue to recharge our creativity and commitment to a unique and important vocation.

What do you hope to accomplish in the one-on-one sessions with your mentees?

My goal is to bring out the best in my mentees, give them the courage to champion their own voices, and challenge them to go deeper and wider in craft. Recently I found myself tagged in a Facebook post by one of my former Highlights mentees, so I’ll excerpt her words as my hope for this summer’s relationships:

“It was my time with Mitali that made me think ‘Maybe I *could* do this….’ She helped guide and hone the story and she said, “Writing a story requires certain things, not just good writing, but characters, and conflict.” Now I had known all this, but not really known it. I didn’t really pay much attention to the craft of telling a story–the method, if you will–of writing an interesting narrative. Our conferences did, in fact, change my life, and helped me clarify what keeps me sane–and that’s writing. Mitali entered my life precisely when I needed her, and in reading my work she gave me a bit of confidence no one else could. When the demons show up to criticize and shout: “What does this matter?”, “This is crap!”, or my least favorite, “Who cares????” I am reminded of Mitali’s words: “You write well…. and you have just as much right to speak as everyone else.” These words don’t slay the demon, but they do shut him up for a bit. I can think of no greater gift to a writer than those words: You have the right to speak.”

What topics will you cover in breakout sessions?

I plan to offer a session on crafting good dialogue as well as one on creating a sense of place. I will also offer tips on using social media as a pre- or post- published writer.

Did you ever have a writing mentor? How did he/she help you with your work?

Not really, but I wish I had. I’m still looking for one! Maybe I’ll find one this summer at Highlights! Essentially, my wonderful agent Laura Rennert has served as my mentor, as have my brilliant editors, like Yolanda Leroy of Charlesbridge.

What’s one thing about being a professional author you think writing students should know?

It takes grit. You have to take risks and make mistakes. Also, if you’re full-time, like I am, it’s like running your own business with you and your work as the product.

What’s the hardest thing about writing MG?

You have to forget about the gatekeepers (parents, teachers, librarians) who have purchasing power and keep writing for the child reader, but that’s hard given that you’re also trying to butter some bread in this profession.

In your view, are there some plots that are overrepresented in MG? Underrepresented?

No, because voice matters. A fresh, unique voice can breathe new life into that same old hero’s journey, making it a page-turner.

Do you feel white authors should avoid writing from the POV of a character of color?

No. I’m alarmed that this question is increasingly asked. As adults who write for and about children, ALL of us have to confront the intersections of our privilege before telling a story. As we honestly explore how we are crossing different kinds of power borders to tell a story, it should become more clear to us whether or not we should proceed with that story. For example, take my RICKSHAW GIRL. Naima, my main character, and I do share the same cultural origin, skin color, and gender — we are both brown-skinned Bengali girls. But she is an uneducated daughter of a Muslim rickshaw puller while I was and am the overeducated daughter of a Hindu engineer. Do Naima and I REALLY have the same POV, as some readers might reverentially gush? It’s tricky, though, as some power differentials shriek with pain in our culture thanks to the realities of American history while others are more muted. Tread carefully, friends, as all of us must in this powerful, mind-shaping vocation, but don’t set up some crazy apartheid system in the realm of stories. Last but not least, ethnicity is a social construct: in a world where we are mixing and melding more than ever, are you going to decide who is a Muggle and who is Pureblood enough to tell a story?

When you read MG, what do you respond to?

Unforgettable characters and a strong sense of place. I want to slip into the skin of my hero and be there, with all five senses (can you tell this is a motif for me?), in his or her life.

Which MGs of the last few years have stood out for you, and why?

I’ve recently read and enjoyed CRENSHAW by Katherine Applegate, ONE CRAZY SUMMER by Rita Williams-Garcia, A TIME TO DANCE by Padma Venkatraman, A LONG WALK TO WATER by Linda Sue Park, and THE CROSSOVER by Kwame Alexander. I like heroes who must overcome obstacles that aren’t typical “first world problems.”

Barbara Dee’s sixth novel for tweens, TRUTH OR DARE, will be published by Aladdin/S&S in September 2016.

Author Interviews