Author Interviews

The Sister Solution Blog Tour Author Interview: Trudi Trueit

By on October 6, 2015   /   Author Interviews, Book Lists, Fiction, For Librarians, For Teachers, For Writers, Writing  

Thanks so much to Trudi Trueit for joining us on The Mixed Up Files today!

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We’re thrilled about Trudi’s new release, The Sister Solution.

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Just so our readers are aware, Trudi and I have known each other for awhile now. I’m so honored to be the one to conduct this interview as part of The Sister Solution Blog Tour!

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Let’s get right to the interview, shall we?

MUF: Trudi, we met when you did a book fair event for our school. It was obvious to me from the start that you love to work with kids. Can you please share with us what you most enjoy about connecting with your readers?

TT: From a young age, I found comfort and power in books and, in particular, writing. I was a shy girl, but through my stories I could be all of the things I thought I wasn’t in real life. I could be brave. I could be strong. I could even be magical! And the more I wrote, the more I started to realize that maybe I wasn’t just those things on the page. Maybe I had little tiny bit of them within me. Writing gave me the confidence to come out of my shell and try new things. It became my passion to write stories, both fiction and nonfiction (I was a journalist before I wrote books for children). So when I get to connect with young readers and writers, the thing that thrills me most is seeing that same light turn on in them. When they have read something that makes them see the world from a different point of view or when they have written something they didn’t even know they had in them, it’s pure joy. I know that, like me, they are forever changed. They are finding all of that potential within themselves. They are brave. They are strong. They are magical.

MUF: Wow, thanks for that answer! As a kid who grew up feeling much the same as you, I deeply appreciate the way you’ve been able to tap into that magic and share it with kids. I’ve seen the lights turn on with kids and your books, and it’s pure joy.

As a school librarian, I know your books well. You write your nonfiction in particular for many ages, but I’d say that your fiction is all for middle grade readers (though Scab appeals to younger kids, too, he is very much loved by 3rd and even 4th graders!). What led to your focus on books for this age group?

TT: Fourth grade was when I found my own voice through writing, so I think that’s why this age group appeals to me. There is something inherently special about being nine or ten years old. You are just beginning to discover who you truly are, what your values are, what you want out of life, and where you want to go. All of these possibilities intrigue me and I find it to be rich with material. To me, it’s the ‘golden age.’

MUF: What a great answer. I find that the Middle Grade age range challenges and feeds me at the same time, as a writer and as a librarian, too. Of course, I’m not sure I’ve ever grown beyond 10 years old myself!

The Sister Solution, like Stealing Popular, is about facing the pressures of school and relationships head on. Where did the idea for this book get its start? Was it an “aha!” moment, or a slow development of an idea?

TT: I do love writing about relationships! I find it fascinating to deconstruct them. It is the journey we all take together. We are all trying to figure out what makes the people around us tick. I’ve known for quite a while I wanted to write about two sisters, who were polar opposites, that had to figure out how to navigate their differences to save their relationship. I started writing the book from the elder sister’s point of view but I wasn’t more than a few chapters in when I knew something was wrong. It was one-sided. I realized that if I truly wanted to explore what each sister was thinking and feeling I had to do it in her words. I switched to alternating points of view and that seemed to do the trick!

MUF: I love this, thanks for sharing your journey to find the right voice for this book. Can you please tell us a little more about your writing process? I happen to know that cats are involved, but beyond that, what does a typical workday look like for you?

TT: As I type this my cat, Pippin, is demanding I play with him so I’ll make it quick, because I am, after all, his servant. My routine is not too exciting. I am usually at my desk by 7:30 a.m. to answer emails and do a few promotional tasks (PR is an essential part of a writer’s job). I will write from 8:30 to about 4:00 p.m., with a few breaks to play with Pippin, check emails, and return phone calls. I might also have a Skype visit with a class. When I have a new book coming out – like now – I will go ride my bike or do a work-out, have dinner and then return to my desk for a few hours to handle some of the tasks that go along with marketing, like updating my website, blog tour interviews, promotional mailings, etc.

MUF: I wonder if we should tell our readers that Pippin has his own Facebook page…

Before you go, the librarian in me always has to ask:

Is there a favorite book you’d like to share from your own middle grade years? We’d love to hear about a book that stuck with you from your childhood.

TT: My favorite book, the one I read again and again, was Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, by E.L. Konigsburg (also, of course, the author of From the Mixed Up Files – another one of my favorites). Elizabeth, the main character, was the first character from a book that I could completely relate to. She got me. And I got her. I wanted to have more friends, and so did she. I wanted to be extraordinary, and so did she. This book is why I love writing realistic fiction so much, because while I could always find pieces of myself in a fantasy realm, I could find ALL of myself in a real one.

MUF: You’ve expressed so well how a book can reach a reader, and why the books you chose reached you – thank you! I want to remember these words when I share my favorites with young readers. It’s so helpful for kids if we don’t assume that favorites are the same for everyone.

Thanks again for visiting with us today, Trudi. We’re very excited for Sister Solution, and we hope you have all kinds of success with it!

We’re so grateful that Trudi could stop by today. You can visit her webpage to find information about the rest of the blog tour and her other books, author visits and more.

You can also download the reader’s guide for The Sister Solution.

Follow Trudi on Twitter, and  keep up with the latest with the hashtag #SisterSolutionBlogTour.

Trudi’s Facebook page .

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Jabberwocky Time Warp Tour

By on September 30, 2015   /   Author Interviews, For Librarians, For Teachers, Giveaways  

Today we welcome not one, not two, but three talented middle grade writers to From the Mixed-Up Files… . Authors Eric Pierpoint, J.B. Cheaney, and Stephanie Bearce are helping us turn back the clock by answering the question: How does writing and researching historical fiction or non-fiction for middle-grade readers differ from writing for adults and how do these writers strive to  bring history to life for young readers? 

Time Warp Tour

 

 

 

 

Eric Pierpoint (The Secret Mission of William Tuck)

The Secret Mission of William TuckTo me, writing historical fiction for younger readers means creating more action and adventure around the facts. What appeals to adults may be boring to middle-graders, so whatever goes into the book must be done in a balanced way that keeps the level of excitement going. There are times where I like to really press on the gas, and then slow it down to make certain points in a different rhythm. I was once told that reading my books was sort of like watching a movie, that they are cinematic. They’re right! I never want to preach history and give too much of a lesson. I’d rather make that history come alive through the eyes of a young person who is caught up in the action of the story. For example, my main character could be in the middle of a scene where our founding fathers are discussing an important topic like prisoner exchange during the Revolutionary War. Rather than explain in long passages to the adult reader the history of prison ships, for a younger audience, my young character would be captured and taken aboard the infamous HMS Jersey and have to figure out a way off. I think it is better to increase excitement while using historical fact rather than spend too much time writing long explanations.

J.B. Cheaney (I Don’t Know How the Story Ends)

I Don't Know How the Story EndsIt doesn’t, much; you just leave out the more lurid details. Researching historical fiction is not just about getting the background facts right; it’s also getting a sense of the people who lived and though in ways we can’t fathom. What was important to them? What did they do for fun? What do we dismiss that they considered of first importance? I think it’s just as important to get those things right for children as it is for adults, because traveling to another time is as mind-expanding as traveling to another country. Kids need to have their minds expanded!

On a more practical level, research is vital for plot development. When the idea for a historical novel is conceived in the author’s fertile brain, she already has a basic idea of the history arc and can match it to her story arc. In 1918, where I set I Don’t Know How the Story Ends, Isobel’s father is serving in France during WWI. I already knew that America officially entered that war in 1917, but didn’t know about the Hollywood war bond rallies (where Isobel impersonates a boy scout), or Charlie Chaplin’s wandering eye (which makes Isobel so nervous about her mother), or D. W. Griffith’s decision to leave Hollywood (which will shift the purpose of Ranger’s film project). Those bits of information added texture and distinctiveness, not to mention important plot developments.

Stephanie Bearce (Top Secret Files)

The Cold WarI love this question because as a teacher it is something I have really worked hard to understand. Teaching or writing about history for children is very different than it is for adults. While an adult may be able to remember different decades, and the styles or fads of each one, a child has a much shorter time perspective. A decade may be longer than their entire life.

Dates and numbers don’t give children any clue as to what was happening at that time period. As adults we read the date 1776 and we can immediately picture men wearing knee breeches and white wigs. Mention Rome in 100B.C. and a grownup knows it’s the time of togas and Roman baths. But those numbers all have to be given context for children.

It’s important to describe what technology was and was not available during the time period. Writers and teachers need to help them understand that during World War One the radio was a brand new invention and airplanes had only been invented a few years earlier. Details about how people lived and how it is different from other time periods are important to give children a sense of the changes that have happened over time. It means telling every story with the idea of how it is different from the modern world of the child.

It’s a challenge, but it’s a fun one!

Want to win a #TimeWarpReads Prize Pack featuring titles from Eric Pierpoint, J.B. Cheaney, and Stephanie Bearce? Enter now!

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Interview with Jonathan Bernstein, author of Bridget Wilder: Spy-in-Training

By on September 9, 2015   /   Author Interviews  

We’re excited to feature an interview with Jonathan Bernstein, author of Bridget Wilder: Spy-in-Training. In Bridget Wilder, middle school meets Mission Impossible in this hilarious spy series for fans of Chris Rylander, Stuart Gibbs, and Ally Carter about a girl whose life is turned upside down when she discovers her father is a superspy.

Mixed-Up Files: How did you come up with the idea for Bridget Wilder: Spy-in-Training?
Jonathan Bernstein: The teen/ tween spy genre is fairly crowded, but the story most commonly told is about the kid with incredible skills who lacks direction in life, and the mysterious spy academy that recruits him/ her and trains him/ her to become an international super spy. I wanted to go in a slightly different direction. Bridget Wilder has no particular skills, and she’s practically invisible both at home and at school, but she’s recruited by a covert department of the CIA because it turns out her biological father is a legendary spy who wants to get to know her better. What happens when someone no one notices becomes a spy and also—no spoilers!— are all these unexpected things that are suddenly happening to Bridget REALLY happening to her? Or is something else going on?

MUF: Are you a fan of spy novels and films? Which ones?
JB: No surprises here: I’m a loyal patron of the Bond and Bourne movies. Mission Impossible is one of the few franchises that actually improves with each passing film. The first two seasons of Alias were a big influence on Bridget Wilder. I heard there were vague plans to reboot that show, which I’d be all in favor of. Also, someone should look into finding a way to bring Chuck back in some capacity. There was an incredibly dark British spy show called Callan which should also be revived. You know what else I like, the post-Bond semi-parody movies from the mid-sixties: the Matt Helm films with Dean Martin and the Derek Flint series with James Coburn. Both very big with middle-grade audiences.

Bridget Wilder: Spy-in-Training

MUF: Are there books for middle schoolers that inspired you when you were writing this?
JB: I’d read a couple of Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls books— do they qualify as middle grade?— but, for me, it’s best to stay away from anything that could be construed as comparable subject matter because i find I’m very easily influenced, even if it’s in a subliminal way.

MUF: What were you hoping readers would take away from the experience of reading this book?
JB: That they found Bridget Wilder relatable and human, even though she was involved in heightened, fantastical situations. That they might want to spend more time in her world.

MUF: Is this your first MG novel? Was it hard after so many years of doing non-fiction reporting to jump into the mind of a 13 year old girl?
JB: I’ve written two YA superhero novels, Hottie, and it’s sequel Burning Ambition—never heard of them? You’re not alone— plus another couple of books that may/may not see the light of day at some point. I don’t know what it says about me, but no, it didn’t seem to be that difficult to assume the identity of a 13 year-old girl. But real middle-graders will be the ultimate judge of whether I actually succeeded or not.

MUF: You’re not a spy, are you? What do you do with your time when you’re not writing MG fiction?
JB: Apart from spying, you mean? Which I don’t do, obviously, because I’m not a spy. But then, that’s the sort of thing a spy would say. In non-spying mode, I write reviews and interviews for two British newspapers, the Telegraph and the Guardian. I once had a screenwriting career of no great distinction, and am currently making attempts to revive it. I am a prodigious podcast listener, and pop culture consumer. And, um, I like to take long walks on the beach?

MUF: What’s next for Bridget? Can you tell us anything without ruining the ending of book one? How many more books are currently planned?
JB: There will definitely be two more. Bridget Wilder: Spy To The Rescue—I wanted to call it Spy 2 The Rescue, because more sequally— comes out next spring and, if you liked the first one, you will REALLY like this one. The trilogy concludes in 2017 with Bridget Wilder: Live Free, Spy Hard which, if you liked the first two, you will REALLY REALLY like (and which features a boy band from my home town of Glasgow). What’s next is bigger action, higher stakes, different locations, scarier viliains, more shocking twists, and at least one love triangle.

Photo credit: Jonathan Bernstein

Photo credit: Jonathan Bernstein

MUF: If there’s anything you would like to add here, feel free to do so!
JB: Thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk to your audience. Check out my website www.jonathanbernsteinwrites.com. Follow me on Twitter @jbpeevish, and Instagram at Peevishjb

 

 

Andrea Pyros is the author of My Year of Epic Rock, a middle grade novel about friends, crushes, food allergies, and a rock band named The EpiPens

 

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