Posts Tagged magical middle grade

World Building with Bestselling #Kidlit Author Lisa McMann

Author Lisa McMann stopped by The Mixed-Up Files Of Middle Grade Authors to talk about hew new middle-grade fantasy, THE FORGOTTEN FIVE: MAP OF FLAMES; world building; and what goes in to writing a series. Here, she shares her process on beginning a new series and what to do about readers who don’t start from the beginning. 

Mixed-Up Files: Tell us about your new book.

The Forgotten Five: Map of Flames by Lisa McMann

Lisa McMann: THE FORGOTTEN FIVE: MAP OF FLAMES is the first book in a middle grade fantasy series. It’s about five supernatural kids, raised in isolation, who enter a hostile-to-supers civilization for the first time to search for their missing criminal parents…and the stash they left behind.

MUF: Let’s talk about world building. How does the shape of a series come about? Do you come up with a single story first, or a world you want to flesh out?

LM: I usually come up with the immediate setting first—where are we when the story begins? In MAP OF FLAMES, it’s a criminals’ hideout on a beach with no electricity, no technology, just a handful of cabins in a lush setting that’s isolated from the modern world. Next I came up with the destination—where are these kids going and what does that look like. I wanted a big contrast between the two things here, so I went with a NYC or Chicago-type of city. When I imagined how the kids would get from one place to the other, the map of southern Europe factored in—I pictured the hideout at the boot heel of Italy, and the big city of Estero at the bottom of Spain (though I brought them closer together so it wouldn’t take so long to get there). So that map was in my head, as well as the contrasting locations. In one of my other series, THE UNWANTEDS, the hidden magical world of Artimé is designed to look like a place where my mother grew up, along the shore of Lake Michigan. I took that real life location and added magic to it.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMannFor me the shape of the series comes from two things: developing flawed characters and their relationships, and introducing a plot in which the antagonists push the protagonists too far, forcing these main characters to take action. Both things drive the series, with all kinds of setbacks as the heroes attempt to overcome evil and build strengthening relationships at the same time. The bigger the world and its problems, and the more troubled the characters and their need to fix themselves, the longer the series can run.

MUF: What are the biggest challenges in writing a series, and how does that compare when you write a stand-alone novel?

LM: Now you’ve got me looking back at my career and realizing I’ve only ever written three stand-alones out of 28 books. So maybe my biggest challenge is being able to write a book and actually tie up all the loose ends!

With a series, you are writing a story arc within each individual book, but also a story arc for the whole series. That can be tricky to get the hang of—parts of the plot need to resolve while other parts need to become more conflicted. It’s definitely something that my editors have helped me see and understand in past series’. It really takes a conscious effort to recognize the two different arcs.

Author Lisa McMann

Lisa McMann, author. Photo by Ryan Nicholson

MUF: Do you expect that readers will always read in order, or do you find that many people jump in in the middle of a series? If that’s the case, how do you provide back story for new readers without turning off anyone who’s started with book #1?

LM: I absolute wish I could force everyone to read the books in order—I’m a bit controlling this way, haha. But I know this doesn’t always happen. In the early pages of every sequel, I try to weave in key elements of things that happened in the past, kind of the same way TV shows give you the recap of important scenes from the previous episodes. I don’t want this to ever feel heavy-handed or annoying for those faithful readers who read the books in order, though. So it’s a delicate balance to inform or remind but not overdo.

MUF: How much collaboration is involved with your editor on a book series?

LM: I think this depends more on the editor than the writer. Some editors want an outline ahead of time that they can contribute to or approve of. Others are fine with letting an author do their thing and being surprised with the way a book turns out. Both ways work. I prefer not having to write an outline, because I feel like doing that takes something away from the creative process of writing the story—it feels limiting. But if that’s what the editor needs, I’m happy to provide it.

MUF: How do you keep track of your characters and their environment so you don’t forget details?

LM: I keep it all in my head. I might jot down a few notes on my phone app—notes about a key sentence that will carry through to the next book. But it’s also not too difficult to search for the information I need in previous books if I can’t remember something. I know many writers keep copious notes and use other means to track everything—they are likely cringing right now. I just work a different way. I can see a picture of things in my mind. I think my book details take up most of the space in my brain because I can’t remember what I had for breakfast.

MUF: If you would like to share any recent/new-ish middle grade books you’ve enjoyed, we’d love to hear your recommendations! 

All Thirteen

LM: I love Kelly Yang’s Front Desk Books. And Christina Soontornvat’s non-fiction All Thirteen. On my nightstand I have A Comb of Wishes by Lisa Stringfellow and The School for Whatnots by Margaret Peterson Haddix—excited to dive in!

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can find Lisa at @lisa_mcmann on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram and /McMannFan on Facebook

THE YEAR I FLEW AWAY~An Interview With Author Marie Arnold + #Giveaway

Welcome to my interview with author Marie Arnold and THE YEAR I FLEW AWAY – a brightly imaginative middle grade novel that will leave you in wonder and awe of a brave girl named Gabrielle.

THE BOOK

THE YEAR IF FLEW AWAY by Marie Arnold
Ages: 9 – 12
Released: February 2021
 

In this magical middle-grade novel, ten-year-old Gabrielle finds out that America isn’t the perfect place she imagined when she moves from Haiti to Brooklyn. With the help of a clever witch, Gabrielle becomes the perfect American — but will she lose herself in the process? Perfect for fans of HURRICANE CHILD and FRONT DESK.

It’s 1985 and ten-year-old Gabrielle is excited to be moving from Haiti to America. Unfortunately, her parents won’t be able to join her yet and she’ll be living in a place called Brooklyn, New York, with relatives she has never met. She promises her parents that she will behave, but life proves to be difficult in the United States, from learning the language to always feeling like she doesn’t fit in to being bullied. So when a witch offers her a chance to speak English perfectly and be “American,” she makes the deal. But soon she realizes how much she has given up by trying to fit in and, along with her two new friends (one of them a talking rat), takes on the witch in an epic battle to try to reverse the spell.

Gabrielle is a funny and engaging heroine you won’t soon forget in this sweet and lyrical novel that’s perfect for fans of Hurricane Child and Front Desk.

THE INTERVIEW

It’s wonderful to have you here with us, Marie! So excited to share Gabrielle’s story with our readers. In five words, give us an inside view into The Year I Flew Away.
Magic. Wonder. Friendship. Home. Family.

These give me the feeling of warmth and safety, but I also something very beautiful.

Gabrielle is a brave girl, immigrating to America and knowing her parents won’t be able to join her for a while. Explain how this must have felt to her and give us an example of how she handled such a challenge.
Coming to America Gabby, was both excited and scared. It was hard to leave the only home she had ever known. One of the ways she handled this new challenge was by seeking out amazing adventures. She decided to make the best of it and try to find her place in this unfamiliar land.

Brave, brave girl.💗💗💗

STORY CHARM

If Gabrielle had a life quote, what would it be?
We are stronger, together!

Such an important message!

What was the hardest part of writing this book?
Not letting Rocky (her bff and sidekick) take over was the hardest!

Haha! 😄 Now that’s funny. Can’t wait for readers to meet Rocky, too. 

You’ve utilized the character of a magical witch in Gabrielle’s story, which I love! What other sort of magic can readers expect to find within the pages?
Thank you! There are all sorts of wonders inside this book: a talking Rat, enchanted snails, and magical water rescue!

I must read this now! So many fun magical things. I highly suspects middle grade readers will love the world you’ve created.

AUTHOR INSIGHTS

How do you hope Gabrielle’s experience in the book can help educate non-immigrant American middle grade readers about the challenges immigrant students face?
I am hoping that non-immigrant readers will start to see that not being from the same place doesn’t mean not having things in common: we all want and deserve kindness and friendship. Also, our differences shouldn’t be made fun of, but something to celebrate.

Do you see yourself in Gabrielle?
Yes! I was always curious how everyone else lived and what made them American.

What makes Gabrielle different?
She’s more courageous than I am. I am more pragmatic, most times.

Share one thing about the story that you’d like readers to know.
I think every reader has what it takes to be the hero of his or her own story, just like Gabby!

Right?!! This is super wise insight.

WRITER’S CORNER

What do you feel is the biggest challenge for writers today? Any advice on how to handle this?
I think the hardest thing is to find a way to drown out all the noise and just focus. There’s always something that needs doing and writing can fall to the bottom of the list. I say make time for it, no matter what. You don’t have to sit for hours, first try writing for just twenty minutes and then add to it every day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marie Arnold was born in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti and came to America at the age of seven. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York alongside her extended family. Marie enjoys creating stories full of adventure, and wonder, which center on girls of color. When she’s not writing, she’s adding to her insanely long Netflix queue and trying not to order pizza. THE YEAR I FLEW AWAY is her debut middle grade novel. She lives in Los Angeles, CA. Stay in touch with Marie on INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Thank you for sharing your latest release with us, Marie. Middle grade readers are in for a treat once the meet Gabrielle!

THE GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway begins today and ends on June 3rd. Winners announced via Twitter! Good luck!