Posts Tagged middle grade books

When a project is finally complete: some thoughts on the imminent release of my debut novel

By on August 22, 2022   /   Articles, For Writers, MUF Contributor Books  

Started knitting this sweater July 2021, completed July 2022. It fits perfectly 👌(Which never happens when you’re short, so yay! 😀)

My sweater

Sometimes it feels like everything takes me a long time to accomplish. Knitting this sweater-jacket took me a year! A story I often tell myself is that things take me longer than other people. But when I’m being more honest I know that often within this are choices that I’ve made. During the year I was knitting this sweater I also crocheted a kippa, knit a cardigan for my daughter, learned how to darn, continued to work on an ongoing not-yet-completed needlepoint project, started knitting a hat and started crocheting a toy giraffe.

 

Sure it would have gone faster if I’d just concentrated on this one thing. But it suited me to complete several smaller projects while I was working on this larger one. There are several reasons for this:

1. It’s very satisfying to finish something. It makes me feel in control and that I’ve accomplished something.

2. It’s fun to start something new! Choosing colors and patterns for a small project that I know won’t take me too long offers a break from the longer project.

3. Starting and completing a smaller project deliberately prolongs the longer one; it can be bittersweet to say goodbye to something I’ve been working on for a long time.

 

 

My book

I wish I could say this is an exact metaphor for the journey of my debut novel, Honey and Me, which I wrote the first draft of 10 summers ago! It has been a long journey with this novel. And unlike knitting a sweater, it hasn’t always been a matter of how much I worked on it or if I put it aside for a little while to work on something else, or that I worked on it alongside other writing projects. Yes, I have been working on other projects which I hope I get to share with readers at some point, but Honey and Me’s journey was mostly not a question of choices of what to focus on, and many aspects of it were far beyond my control.

Which is comforting in the sense of thinking about a writers journey: no matter how much you will it or want it, it is not under your control how long it might take an agent to read your query letter, and if they decide they want to read your whole manuscript, you don’t have control over how long that takes them. When you do get an agent you can do your best to take their suggestions to get it ready for submission to editors, but you have zero control after that in terms of if/when an editor reads your work, sends it to the editorial committee, makes an offer… And even once you get the magic offer, a whole journey begins anew, again with many aspects beyond one’s control.

What you do have control over

But what you do have is control over the quality of your work. Barring life circumstances that might get in your way—health, other jobs (in which I include running a home, raising children, caring for elderly parents…)—when it’s in your lap you have control over when and how long it takes to write, rewrite, revise, incorporate editorial notes. You have control over what you put into it. You also have control over how you try to get it out into the world. No one can see it if it stays as a file on your computer. Sure, you can’t be rejected if you never give anyone the opportunity to reject it. But then of course you can’t have the opportunity for someone to say, ‘wow I love this so much, let’s go on this journey together!’

Belief in your work

Even when I just couldn’t quite get to where I was trying to go in the journey of Honey and Me, even when there were roadblocks, stumbling blocks, dead ends, and scenic routes, I believed wholeheartedly in my story, my setting, and my characters, Milla and Honey. If I hadn’t, I don’t think I would have had the capacity for perseverance and tenacity that finally getting to see my book about to be published required.

What happens when the sweater is finished?

Now I get to wear it! I can’t wait. What happens when my book is published on October 18th and it goes out into the world—into readers hands? I don’t know!
I can’t wait for readers to read it. I can’t wait to talk about it with people. I can’t wait to go into schools and do author visits and presentations (but oh my god am I nervous about that. Excited! But nervous.)

Will they like it?

My sweater is for me. Someone might see it and compliment it. But basically if I like it and get use out of it, I’ll be happy with it. My book is a different beast altogether. Actually, it’s not a beast, and it’s not a garment either. It’s very much itself: a book.
Making art and specifically writing a book is a complicated enterprise: yes, we write for ourselves, because we have a story to tell, because we have art to make. But we write with an audience in mind. We want an audience. We write to tell readers a story. We write to give readers something.

What if they don’t like it?

What if reviewers say it sucks?* What if no one finds out about it? What if the tree falls in the forest and no one hears?

I don’t have the answers. I don’t know if seasoned published authors have the answers either. For me right now there’s this interplay going on between wanting to be seen, and wanting to hide. Wanting to talk to tons of kids and have public speaking opportunities (both of which I LOVE to do), is fighting with the feeling of wanting to pull a hoodie up over my head.

So all I can say is wish me luck and stay tuned! Honey and Me comes out with Scholastic on October 18th 2022 and is available for preorder wherever fine books can be found.

* but OMG, Kirkus has given it a starred review!!!! ⭐️

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TALES TO KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT ~ An Interview With Author Dan Poblocki

By on August 18, 2022   /   Author Interviews  

Welcome to my interview with Author Dan Poblocki and his latest release *cue booming voice* TALES TO KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT. This book has it all – an endearing main character, a creepy attic, and a suspense-filled world made up of multiple tales!

**Make sure you scroll to the end of this interview to enter for your chance to win your very own copy of this book!

THE BOOK

TALES TO KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT by DAN POBLOCKI

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Release Date: August 16, 2022

Amelia is cleaning out her grandmother’s attic when she stumbles across a book: Tales to Keep You Up at Night. But when she goes to the library to return it, she’s told that the book never belonged there. Curious, she starts to read the stories: tales of strange incidents in nearby towns, journal entries chronicling endless, twisting pumpkin vines, birthday parties gone awry, and cursed tarot decks. At the center of the stories lies a family of witches. And witches, she’s told, can look like anyone. As elements from the stories begin to come to life around her, and their eerie connections become clear, Amelia begins to realize that she may be in a spooky story of her own.


TALES TO KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT is the perfect next–read for fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark!. An excellent addition to Halloween round ups, middle grade readers will be glued to the pages, up way past their bedtimes, reading with flashlights, as they explore each of these interconnected stories. With frightening artwork at the start of each chapter, this book keeps readers engaged and terrified from beginning to end.

THE INTERVIEW🎙️

Hello Dan! It’s wonderful to have you join us. I am a huge fan of spooky books, so when I saw this book I knew I just had to chat with you about it. How about we start with – Can you describe Tales To Keep You Up At Night in five words?

Five words? I’ll try. How about these: Amelia’s tales comes to life!

Haha! It sure does.

Share a few insights into the story world you’ve created for your main character Amelia.

Amelia’s world is very much based on my own childhood growing up in the northeastern US. There was a time when my friends and I would ride bikes around our neighborhoods after school, occasionally pausing to relay some kind of legend to one another about some particular place we’d stumbled upon. Ravines. Deep forests. Strangers in grumbling cars. Spooky old houses. All of these elements felt like classic elements of scary tales, so I used them to fill Amelia’s world and set the stage.

Ooh . . . I think we might have lived in similar neighborhoods.

Tales To Keep You Up At Night is like a story – well, more like a bunch of stories – within the main story. How did keep all the details that weave the inner stories to the main story straight?

I use writing software called Scrivener, which allows me to sort each chapter into its own file. While I was writing one story, the software allowed me to pull up the other stories. This helped me remember what was what. Also, keeping lists and notes of which characters appeared in each tale helped me keep things straight. It was a challenge!

That’s a fantastic writing tool. I’m sure some of our writing readers use it.

Okay, random question: Picture Amelia standing in a grocery store. What three snacky foods will she purchase to eat while she’s reading from the old book in the attic?

Mmm. Snacks and devouring a book go hand in hand. Amelia’s the type who would probably grab a pack of strawberry Twizzlers, some chocolate milk, and maybe some Teddy Grahams or a bunch of grapes. 🥛

STORY CHARM 🌟

Why will middle grade readers relate to Amelia and Tales To Keep You Up At Night?

I hope that the readers will see themselves in Amelia in the way she cares for and worries about her family. This part of her personality is what drives her to do what she does, to fight for them, and to try and survive the scary troubles that arise.

Aw, she definitely will touch the hearts of readers.💚💚💚

What do you hope readers will take with them after reading this tale?

A whole bunch of different ideas. But most important: To look closer. To question what’s presented as the Absolute Truth.

AUTHOR INSIGHT 🔍

What is it about writing stories that moves you to keep writing?

My brain just keeps demanding I put my ideas on the page, and so far, I’ve listened.

Were you a reader as a kid?

I liked reading. But even more, I loved exploring book stores and the library. All the possibilities of the worlds on the shelves made me curious. Early on, what I loved most were comic strips: Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, The Family Circus. Anything that gave me a sense of accomplishment. This is kind of why I wanted to write in the short-story format – to appeal to readers (like myself) who might feel intimidated by longer work, but whose attention would be rewarded if they choose to read ALL the stories.

Did you have any favorite books to read when you were a kid?

I loved books by John Bellairs, Mary Downing Hahn, Bruce Coville, Shel Silverstein, and Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Favorites include The House With a Clock in Its Walls, Wait Till Helen Comes, The Monster’s Ring, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and The Headless Cupid. Then, of course, came RL Stine and Christopher Pike and Lois Duncan – whose books were like candy. I ate them right up.

Do you have any advice or suggestions to share with librarians, teachers, and parents of how to encourage a love of reading in their middle grader?

I’m not a librarian, teacher, or parent, but I have a distinct memory of being a middle grader. What I wanted at that time was access to books, all kinds of books, because I never knew what I might find myself in the mood for. Also, I loved when I was allowed to read what I wanted to read. I will say that I’ve gotten much mail from parents and teachers who’ve shared that kids who’ve never wanted to pick up a book before ended up LOVING some of mine. Scary stories can be a gateway for reluctant readers to step into worlds of literature, so maybe, start there!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author Dan PoblockiDan Poblocki is the co–author with Neil Patrick Harris of the #1 New York Times
bestselling series The Magic Misfits (writing under the pen–name Alec Azam). He’s also the author of The
Stone Child, The Nightmarys, and the Mysterious Four series. His recent books, The Ghost of Graylock
and The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe, were Junior Library Guild selections and made the American Library
Association’s Best Fiction for Young Adults list in 2013 and 2014. Dan lives in Saugerties, New York, with
two scaredy–cats and a growing collection of very creepy toys.


About the illustrator: Marie Bergeron was born and raised in Montreal. After studying cinematography,
she attended École de Design. Her style is inspired by many things, including films and games,
contrasting a more graphic approach with organic strokes. Her clients have included Marvel Studios,
Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Fox Entertainment, and more.

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enter for your chanced to WIN a copy of TALES TO KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT. Giveaway runs through August 24th. Winner will be announced on Twitter (and in the comments below) on August 25th. Good Luck!🍀🍀🍀And if you like spooky books, feel free to check out more HERE and HERE! Thank you for stopping by to support Dan. Your visits are always appreciated.

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Books of Hope for Uvalde’s Kids

By on July 21, 2022   /   Articles, For Librarians, For Teachers, For Writers  

Today’s post features e.E. Charlton-Trujillo and Never Counted Out’s  project to provide “600 Books of Hope” for Uvalde children. All of us felt sick to hear of the mass slaughter of children at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas in May. We wished we could do

something for that traumatized community. San Antonio children’s author, filmmaker, and youth activist e.E. Charlton-Trujillo (www.eecharlton-trujillo.com) felt much the same, but found inspiration after reading about Uvalde public librarian Martha Carreon who decided to continue with story hour scheduled for the day after the shooting.

When Trujillo shared this with children’s author and fellow literacy activist G. Neri, the two discussed how to convert their feelings of hopelessness into something productive. “We could give money, sign petitions, and vent our outrage, but it didn’t feel like enough,” Neri said. “We needed to focus on the kids.”

The IDEA

Through Trujillo’s nonprofit Never Counted Out, they put out an appeal to the children’s book world called #600BooksOfHope. The original goal was to give every child in Robb Elementary School a new book, so they would know others supported them. Soon the goal expanded to an additional 1,300 books, one for every elementary school child in town. As books began to arrive, Never Counted Out expanded their request to included middle grade, YA, board books and graphic novels, hoping to gift every child in the city with at least one book of hope. Because there wasn’t one child who wasn’t impacted by the horrors of that day.

“What you see here is a Wall of Hope!”

THEN. . .

The response has been tremendous! Authors, illustrators, educators, and book lovers from all over the U.S., from Canada, from the UK, and from France have sent children’s books—their own or favorites by others. “This experience has reminded me of the power of what we can do collectively when we might feel we can do so little on our own,” Trujillo said. “Story allows us to seek refuge, to feel seen, to feel inspired – it also provides a way to reclaim our own narrative.” (I hope e.E. included their own children’s books in the collection: her just released picture book LUPE LOPEZ, ROCK STAR RULES; her middle grade novel, prizefighter en mi casa; and her FAT ANGIE Young Adult novels. )

Trujillo’s belief in the power of story and young people was the focus of the award-winning documentary At-Risk Summer which acted as the launching point for founding Never Counted Out. An organization dedicated to access to books and creative mentorship.

There has also been a great response from publishers.  BiblioKids, Candlewick Press, Charlesbridge, Chronicle, Cameron-Kids Abrams, Little Brown, MacMillan Publishers, Penguin Random House, Pesi Publishing, Simon & Schuster, and others have sent numerous cartons of their books for free.

Gia Gordon, COO for Never Counted Out says, “From publishers to partnerships with nonprofits Family Service, Reading Is Fundamental, the educational group Edmentum and others, we are witnessing in real-time the power of what people believe story can do. It’s remarkable.”

AND NOW. . .

Never Counted Out hopes to work with the Uvalde school district and public library to host a day of free author and illustrator visits for school age kids followed by a day for book distribution and author meet and greets. While there are a lot of moving parts, the 600 Books of Hope team is offering, as Trujillo says, “their time in service of the young people. To honor those that were lost at Robb Elementary School and empower those who remain through literacy and tools of storytelling.”

Because children’s books can create hope and healing in the face of all kinds of injustices and disasters. 600 Books of Hope has shown us there is something we can do. If you want to support the efforts of #600BooksOf Hope or would like more information, visit: https://www.eecharlton-trujillo.com/600booksofhope

———————————————-

e.E. Charlton-Trujillo and Gia Gordon are authors and the cofounders of  Never Counted Out, which seeks to empower at-risk youth through  book access and the arts. Never Counted Out has conducted other book donation projects in response to need or disaster such as #KidLitForCampFire in the wake of one of the deadliest fires in California history and Project Pulse after the tragic shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. To learn more about them go to https://belatina.com/combats-pain-through-expression-voice/ Instagram: @nevercountedout_nonprofit
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nevercountedoutnonprofit

G. Neri is the Artist Program Coordinator for #600BooksOfHope. He is the Coretta Scott King honor-winner for his  YUMMY:THE LAST DAYS OF A SOUTHSIDE SHORTY and GHETTO COWBOY. GHETTO COWBOY, adapted as “Concrete Cowboy” starring Idris Elba, debuted at #1 on Netflix in 2021.  In 2017, he was awarded the first of two National Science Foundation grants that sent him to Antarctica which has inspired two forth coming books for middle graders.

                                                                –e.E. Charlton-Trujillo

 

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