Author Interviews

Monica Sherwood, Author of THE ICE HOUSE + Giveaway!

By on November 17, 2021   /   Articles, Author Interviews  

Today at the Mixed-Up Files, we’re delighted to introduce you to Monica Sherwood and her debut novel The Ice House, which was published by Little, Brown Books For Young Readers on November 16.

Monica is a former elementary school special education teacher in New York. She holds a master’s degree in Childhood and Special Education and currently works in edTech, designing digital products for teachers and students.

For a chance to win a copy of The Ice House, click on the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post and then leave a comment below, share this interview on your social media, tweet about it, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to increase your chances of becoming the lucky winner.

Click on the title of the book to order from Bookshop.org.

For more about Monica, check out her website.

 

Dorian: Can you tell us a little bit about The Ice House?

Monica: The Ice House tells the story of twelve-year-old Louisa, whose life has been upended by the Freeze, a dangerous global climate event that caused her grandmother’s death. She’s been snowed-in to her apartment for months with her grieving mother, her annoying little brother, and her firefighter father, who is increasingly stressed by the Freeze’s treacherous conditions. Her downstairs neighbor (and former friend) Luke is the only kid her age in the building, and when his dad is seriously injured, she’s forced to keep him company.

A mutual desperation to escape their scary new realities brings Louisa and Luke outside, where they build a massive snow fort in their yard. In the ice house, they share with each other what they want most: for Louisa’s mom to recover from her grief, and for Luke’s dad’s memory to return. When they begin to see visions of their families happy and healed, they embark on a mission to stop the Freeze and bring about this better future they’ve envisioned.

 

Inspiration and Influences

Dorian: What was the inspiration for the story?

Monica: I started writing The Ice House during an especially freezing winter that felt never-ending. I began wondering what life would be like if the snow never melted. I was teaching in Brooklyn at the time, and I started imagining what it might be like for a kid to be snowed-in with no end in sight.

The emotional turmoil Louisa and Luke are facing was inspired in part by my own personal experiences with grief as a child. When I was a kid, I didn’t have a book that represented what I was experiencing. If I had, I think I would have felt less alone.

(The trees to the left, which provided much inspiration, are what Monica looked out at as she began writing The Ice House.)

 

Dorian: What middle-grade books inspired you to become a writer, and what about these stories did you appreciate most?

Monica: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff, and PS. Longer Letter Later by Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin were some of my favorite books growing up, and each of them inspired me to want to be a writer.

Although each of these books are very different, they are all clever and handle serious subject matter thoughtfully.  They each have their own charm, uniquely capturing the nuanced details that captivate kid readers. I distinctly remember getting lost in each of these books, a feeling I still chase when I read today.

 

Dorian: You’ve mentioned that you wrote The Ice House before the pandemic, but I’m wondering if there were similarities between the events in the book and how you later got through the pandemic?

Monica: Yes, definitely. One of the biggest similarities between Louisa and Luke’s experience during the Freeze and my own during the pandemic was the sense of camaraderie that formed in the face of the unknown. I definitely forged closer bonds with the people in my life I quarantined with and was comforted by the desire we shared to have life as we knew it return.

Dorian: What kind of research did you have to do for the authenticity of the novel?

Monica: I researched the Inuit people and the origins of the igloo, as well as the science behind igloo formation. To create the theories proposed by climate experts in The Ice House, I researched some aspects of climate science. I also did research into memory loss associated with traumatic brain injuries.

 

Writing for the Middle-Grade Audience

Dorian: What made you want to write for the middle-grade audience? And how has your background in education influenced you?

Monica: Middle grade readers are some of the best to write for because of their passion and their curiosity; when they love a book, they really love it. I so appreciate their hunger for strong, nuanced characters, and meaningful stories.

As a teacher I always wanted to lead with honesty, because, in my experience, kids have a strong ability to tell when someone is keeping the truth from them. It’s why I didn’t want to shy away from the darker realities tackled in the story. My time as an educator taught me that kids deserve truthful depictions of the experiences they have had or one day might have. Sadly, kids do experience grief every day, and I hope that those who do can point to Louisa and Luke’s story to feel less alone.

Dorian: What do you hope readers take away from the novel?

Monica: Many kids find themselves in circumstances where they lack agency, or feel as though they have no control over their lives. I hope that The Ice House helps kids see that this feeling won’t last forever, and that they can make decisions that have a positive impact even though they aren’t adults yet.

I would also love for readers to realize that whatever they’re going through, they aren’t alone. We don’t talk to kids enough about what grief, trauma, or depression can be like, which makes it easy for them to feel isolated.

Most of all, I hope readers walk away with the knowledge that envisioning a better future and working to achieve it, even if their dreams feel out of reach at first, is brave.

 

Writing Tips

Dorian: What are two of your best writing tips?

Monica:

1. You are your book’s first audience member. If you aren’t writing a book that you would enjoy, it will eventually become very challenging to complete your manuscript.

2. One tactical piece of editing advice that was enlightening while editing The Ice House is to search for the high frequency words you’ve reused in your manuscript. It’s easy to repeat certain words or terms way too many times without realizing it. Chances are you can cut out about half of the instances of repetition (if not more) which can strengthen the clarity of your prose.

Thanks so much, Monica, for taking the time out to talk to us! We look forward to hearing about your future work.

For a chance to win a copy of The Ice House, click on the Rafflecopter link below and follow the directions. A winner will be chosen on Sunday. (U.S. Only)

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WNDMG-Interview With Ann Clare LeZotte

By on November 9, 2021   /   Author Interviews, WNDMG  

I am delighted to welcome Ann Clare LeZotte to The Mixed-Up Files blog to talk about her award-winning book, SHOW ME A SIGN and her new release, SET ME FREE. I’ve never met Ann in person, but we are Twitter friends, and I’m a big fan, so I jumped at the chance to get to know her a little better.  

Let’s do this! 

Lisa: Tell us about Show Me A Sign and Set Me Free.

Ann: They are the first two books in a trilogy about a girl named Mary Lambert who lives in Martha’s Vineyard in the early 1800s. Mary is deaf, but that’s not unusual. In her town of Chilmark, hereditary deafness is common (I in 4 are born deaf) and all the descendants of English colonists speak a special form of sign language, which we now call Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL). But we see that people outside of her community view deaf people as inferior. Both books include members of the Wampanoag Nation who are fighting to keep their land. Mary is very curious and independent and had many exciting and some frightening experiences. The books are a combination of (if I may say so) well-researched historical fiction and adventure stories.

Lisa: How did you come to learn about the deaf community in Martha’s Vineyard?

Ann: I lived on Cape Cod in the 1990s and I visited Martha’s Vineyard for the first time in the winter. It was a cab driver from the airport to my bed and breakfast who told me about the island’s history of deafness. I became immediately fascinated!

Lisa: How did you research this project?

Ann: On that first trip, I visited the Chilmark Free Public Library and local bookstores. I asked a lot of questions—using my pen and pad, I wasn’t using oral speech at the time. Everyone was very friendly. From there, I visited the island other times. I walked the land I was going to write about. I studied many texts and old maps. I had sensitivity readers whose input was crucial in understanding all the perspectives in the community. I believe in showing characters in an engaging but also realistic way, prejudices and all.

Lisa: How do your life experiences impact the stories you tell?

I grew up on a different island—Long Island, New York. Like Mary, I was a beachcomber from a young age. I’m Deaf, and it’s important for me to share my history, language and culture in books. Deaf people experience a great deal of prejudice, called ableism or audism, which must be acknowledged and dismantled. There are some painful personal echoes in the books. Like Mary, I lost my brother too young. Like Ladybird, I was the victim of childhood abuse and neglect.

Lisa: How did you decide the best way to translate sign language into written text?

Ann: Many people describe what signs looks like. I think that’s fine, but I try not to do it too much. Sign languages are fluid languages and I prefer to describe character’s styles of signing. It shows the individual personality. Like Ezra Brewer whose hand are “old and gnarled” but he “gathers words out of the air.” Anytime I was stuck in a conversation (and I have to always remember to situate everyone correctly and have an interpreter in sight) I’d put myself in the scene and it naturally worked out.

Lisa: What books did you like to read when you were growing up? Do those books influence your writing?

Ann: I was language deprived as a small child. That’s not uncommon, especially as I was born deaf in the 1960s, but, sadly, even today. My parents tried to include me in the reading experience in creative ways—like the ways Mary and Ben find to communicate nonverbally. I had a book of Aesop’s fables from my grandmother. I was fascinated by the not exceptional illustrations of the animals—Jerry Pinkney did them perfectly later in my life– and made up my own story. But I was a poor student, and it took years for me to catch up. Oddly, the first middle grade novel I could easily read from cover to cover was Daniel Pinkwater’s Lizard Music.

Lisa: When did you decide you wanted to become a writer and why children’s books?

Ann: I said I was going to become a writer before I could do it—very daring! I started writing short, lyric poetry in college. That was the first time anyone told me that I could write. Once I started working at the library, with a focus on marginalized kids and teens, I saw what was and what wasn’t on the shelves. I saw kids searching for themselves and not finding good representation. Then I realized (many years later) what I’d do with that initial Martha’s Vineyard research and how I could share Deaf history with all young readers.

Lisa: What advice would you give twelve-year-old Ann?

Ann: Don’t give up! Twelve was an awful year. I was so badly bullied and ill from my pulmonary disability that the school paid for me to stay home with tutors. I felt alien, like the world somehow disallowed me. I never thought any of this was possible. It took a long time, but I somehow didn’t give up. I’d tell myself that my experiences and my story mattered and eventually someone would see it.

Lisa: What do you hope readers will take away from Show Me A Sign and Set Me Free? 

Ann: One thing I’ve asked kids for years is, which is the problem? That I can’t hear or how people treat me because I can’t hear? I want to create not just compassion but respect for d/Deaf kids. We’re capable (even remarkable) if given the chance. I like that Mary is a helper. She could stay at home after Show Me a Sign and hide from the outside world. But she learns of a deaf girl who is in a terrible situation, and she feels she has to go. She’s not a perfect tutor, by any means. At age fourteen, she’s more stubborn and passionate than ever. But she can and does make a difference. Make the leap, especially in service to others. You can be a hero too.

Lisa: What are you working on now?

Ann: There will be a third and last Show Me a Sign book in 2023, if all goes as planned. I’m working in a totally different medium, which is challenging and exciting. I can’t say anything yet. Keep your eye out.

Thank you and kiss-fist!

About Ann:

Ann Le Zotte is completely deaf and a bilingual-bicultural (ASL/English) member of Deaf community. Ann supports every kind of D/deaf person and the choices they make in terms of communication (she is oral and lipreads) and assistive hearing devices (she doesn’t wear any).

She has worked in public library youth services for over twelve years, with a focus on intergenerational ASL literacy and inclusive programming. An inclusive cis lesbian (she/her), she was a pioneer in working with LGBTQIAP+ teens in her district. She loves helping young patrons find books they like and they’ve taught her how to play Minecraft.

Born and raised in Long Island, NY, Ann has travelled widely and lived in Athens, Greece and Cape Cod, MA. She currently resides with her family in Gainesville, FL. She had a Hearing Dog named May who worked at the library with her for many years. Her bundle of joy is a small rescue dog named Perkins. He rarely barks, because he knows it won’t get Ann’s attention.

Ann’s Social Media Links:

Website

Twitter

Instagram

 

 

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Danielle Joseph’s SYDNEY A. FRANKEL’S SUMMER MIX-UP + Giveaway!!

By on October 27, 2021   /   Articles, Author Interviews  

Today I’m so delighted to introduce Mixed-Up Files readers to Danielle Joseph, author of everything from picture books to young adult novels. We recently spoke about her middle-grade debut, Sydney A. Frankel’s Summer Mix-Up, which will be published this coming Tuesday, November 1. Danielle has generously offered a signed copy of the book along with some swag to one lucky winner. So don’t forget to click on the Rafflecopter at the bottom and follow the prompts for a chance to win. (USA only.)

About Danielle

Danielle is the author of the picture book, I Want to Ride the Tap Tap (Macmillan, 2020) and the young adult novels Shrinking Violet, Indigo Blues, and Pure Red. Shrinking Violet was adapted into the 2012 Disney Channel movie, Radio Rebel starring Debby Ryan. Danielle is a former middle school creative writing teacher and has been teaching writing workshops for more than ten years. She was born in Cape Town, South Africa and currently lives in Maryland with her husband and three children. Visit www.daniellejoseph.com for more information about her and her books.

 

About the Book

Dorian: Please tell us a little about Sydney A. Frankel’s Summer Mix-Up.

Danielle: Sydney A. Frankel’s Summer Mix-Up is about best friends, summer shenanigans, and overcoming your fears. It’s also about navigating the transition before starting middle school. Most importantly, this book is for anyone that has ever felt a little different from the crowd.

 

Dorian: Sounds great! What was the inspiration behind this book?

Danielle: The original idea for this book actually came from a conversation I had with my eldest son. He was in fifth grade at the time, and he told me he didn’t want to enter the school spelling bee because he didn’t want to win. The winner would have to represent the whole school at the county spelling bee. Just like Sydney Frankel, my son didn’t like being in the limelight. This was the little nugget that I needed to get this story rolling.

 


Dorian: I can definitely relate. Were there any autobiographical elements in the book?

Danielle: Like my son, I was also very shy growing up, so I was definitely able to draw from some of my own experiences while writing this book. I was also a very tall kid who grew early, like Sydney, so some of those details are from my own experiences.

 

Dorian: What would you like readers to take away after reading Sydney A. Frankel’s Summer Mix-Up?

Danielle: I would love readers to connect with the characters in the book. I want them to know that they are not alone and that we all have different anxieties and fears. That things aren’t always what they seem on the surface and that even the most confident seeming person has their own struggles.

 

Dorian: What were some of your favorite middle-grade books when you were a kid?

Danielle: As a kid, I always wanted to be Judy Blume or Beverly Cleary. They were my literary heroes because their characters jumped off the pages and their humor was spot on. I was also a big fan of Bridge to Terabithia, Harriet the Spy, and Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter.

 

Dorian: You’ve written novels for the young adult audience and a picture book as well. What did you find was different about writing for the middle-grade reader?

Danielle: My process of writing is similar for everything I work on, I like to write a skeleton draft and then weave in everything that is missing. But when writing for the middle-grade reader, I really tried to make sure there was someone in the book that everyone could connect to on some level. For some kids this might be the first time they’re reading a novel completely on their own, and it was important to me that they could easily relate to the story.

 

Writing Tips and Rituals

Dorian: I love that idea! Did you run into any stumbling blocks while writing Sydney A. Frankel’s Summer Mix-Up or was it smooth sailing as you wrote?

Danielle: I definitely had stumbling blocks. I always get stuck in the soggy middle. I want to hurry up and get to the finish line. When this happens, I leave notes for myself in the manuscript about things that will happen in later chapters. Then when I actually get to those scenes, I’m happy to have some ideas already laid out.

 

Dorian: Do you have any writing rituals regarding where you write, whether you listen to a certain type of music, what beverages or food you must have next to you, etc.?

Danielle: I love to have a hot beverage while I write, either coffee or tea depending on the time of day. And I will never say no to chocolate.

I play music often when I’m drafting but like silence when I’m revising. And since I work from a laptop, I work from different spots—my patio, family room couch, dining room table and home office. In non-Covid times I love to write from cafes. But these days, it’s usually all about my dog Ringo, a two-year-old mini doodle. We move spots when he gets bored.

 

Dorian: So cute!! What are two of your best tips for our readers who also write?

Danielle: One of the best things you can do is listen to the world around you. By that I mean, sit in an outdoor setting, and listen to people passing by. How do they talk? What are they saying? This is especially important when you are an adult writing for kids. Don’t lose touch with how kids communicate today.

The other thing is to give yourself a break. So often writers want everything that they put on the page to be perfect. Allow yourself to brain dump and free flow write. No one has to see your first or even second draft . . . Often, I’ll sit down and write and think everything I just wrote is trash. However, when I read it over the next day, I usually find plenty to keep me going.

 

Dorian: Great tips! Can you tell us a little about the turtle pin that’s one of your swag items and how it fits into the novel?

Danielle: The turtle is a starring pet in Sydney Frankel. I don’t want to give too much away but readers will meet the turtle! He belongs to a friend of Sydney’s and gets his own pin because he’s cute!

 

Dorian: Do you have anything else in the works that you’d like to tell us about?

Danielle: It hasn’t been announced just yet, but I do have an upcoming picture book biography about a female freedom fighter that I am so excited to share with my readers.

Dorian: That’s wonderful! Thanks so much for talking with us and for donating a signed copy of Sydney A. Frankel’s Summer Mix-Up along with a bookmark and turtle pin. 

Readers: Don’t forget to try your luck below from now until Saturday at midnight.

 

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