IRL

ARCs have arrived!

I came home to a great surprise on Monday night: a package from Alyson Heller, my editor at Aladdin/S&S. I started ripping it open before I even got up the stairs. Inside, I found:

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ARCs! And a jacket proof–the first peek I’ve gotten at all the true colors and lovely effects (like shiny spot gloss).

I adore the book design–thanks to Laura Lyn DiSiena at Aladdin for making the book look beautiful, and to Robyn Ng for the gorgeous art.

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It’s really cool how the foliage and water continue onto the spine.

Inside, the book is just as lovely–and there’s even a map!

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Maps in books are one of my favorite things, and I’m thrilled that Summer of Lost and Found includes one of Roanoke.

Writing takes so much work, dreaming, and hope–and sometimes uncertainty. It’s kind of amazing when something that started as an idea and was slowly (or very slowly, in my case) nurtured into document finally shows up in your mailbox. It’s a special moment to hold the story, in book form, in your hands.

Fall Update: Copyediting, Review Copies, and Columbus

Happy Halloween!

Fall has been flying by. I’ve been busy with revising a new project (which feels like it might finally be coming together), working on a short story, and copy edits. Apologies to my production editor, but I did end up making quite a few tweaks to the end of Summer:

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But now the copy edits are complete, and Summer is actually available for preorder and digital review copies are up on Edelweiss! You can request a DRC here.

And links to preorder at various retailers are all here, on Simon & Schuster’s website: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Summer-of-Lost-and-Found/Rebecca-Behrens/9781481458962

During copyediting/revising breaks, I’ve been cooking. My husband and I challenged ourselves to eat an unprocessed, plant-based diet for 22 days. It was hard, but we did it–and came away with some new favorite recipes, like this green lentil soup garnished with avocado and tomato. So nice on a chilly fall night–and I found you can get a lot of writing work done in the kitchen, while it simmers.

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This week, I’m heading off to Columbus, OH for AASL 2015. Gayle Rosengren and I have worked hard on our presentation, and we’re looking forward to sharing our ideas about MG historical fiction! If you’re at AASL, please stop by and say hi. I have some shiny new postcards for Summer to hand out, too!

Upcoming Event: AASL 2015

webbadge-PresenterI’m going to AASL 2015 in Columbus!

Friend and fellow Class of 2K14 author Gayle Rosengren and I are presenting on Friday, November 6 from 11:20-12:20 (Room C212). Here’s a little about our presentation:

Making It Real, authors Gayle Rosengren and Rebecca Behrens will suggest creative ways for librarians to help bring history to life as they prepare students to meet Common Core State Standards. Strategies include multimedia displays, interactive library programming, writing workshops, author Skype visits, and outreach with local historic sites. The authors will provide tools such as a multimedia planning template that can be filled out for any title, book talks, and recommended media lists.

We’ve had a lot of fun creating this presentation, and hope you’ll join us if you’re attending the conference.

We’ll also be in the Author Signing Booth from 1:00-1:30 on Friday. Stop by and say hi! I’ll have my first pieces of Summer of Lost and Found swag, and plenty of When Audrey Met Alice bookplates, stickers, and more.

A Visit to Alice’s House

On a warm, nearly cloudless day last week, I took a trip out to Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in Oyster Bay, NY. It wasn’t my first time there–I visited in September 2012, shortly after I found out that When Audrey Met Alice was going to become a book. But during that visit, only the grounds of the Roosevelt family’s sprawling estate were open to the public. The inside–the 23 rooms in which the Roosevelts (and their “zoo” of pets) dined, read, learned, and played–was shuttered and empty. Now, after a three-and-a-half-year and multimillion-dollar renovation, people can walk through the house again. I had to go see it!

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I don’t have any pictures from the tour inside the house–to protect the priceless artifacts, no photography is allowed. So I’ll have to tell, not show, how exciting it was to see Alice’s bedroom view, the 8,000 books in the library she begged to be “let loose” in, and the dining table at which she had to ask each guest three prepared questions. I loved hearing details of family life at Sagamore Hill from the knowledgeable and friendly ranger leading the tour–like that Alice refused to share a bedroom with any of her siblings, but did let her privacy-seeking brother sublet her closet.

Vintage postcard of Alice's  bedroom at Sagamore Hill

Vintage postcard of Alice’s bedroom at Sagamore Hill

At Sagamore there’s also a museum in the Old Orchard building (where Alice’s brother Ted lived). I took this photo of a “picture letter” that Roosevelt wrote his daughter Ethel while he was away. His sketches are so charming, and I love the thought of the president sitting down to create them when he couldn’t make his 4:00 appointment to play with his kids.

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 If you want to visit the house: visit the Sagamore Hill NHS site for more information!

SUMMER, Fun

In my mind, summer is full of lazy days and long nights, salt breeze and shooting stars, fireflies and fireworks. It’s a time for reading in the sunshine, ideally with an ice-cream cone or a Popsicle dripping down one’s hand but not onto the book. Basically, the season of fun and relaxation in a perfect balance.

In reality, it’s also full of busyness. Family visits! Weekend getaways! All while diving back into a story for a deep revision. Which makes it no less enjoyable–perhaps the rewards of summer are even sweeter if you’re working hard, too.

Last week I turned in Summer of Lost and Found, after an intense month of revision. I’m so excited for this story! Here’s how I’ve been rewarding myself for finishing my work:

Reservoir runs

Reservoir runs

Movies on the Hudson

Movies on the Hudson

Sunsets on the sound

Sunsets on the sound

Frozen in the park

Frozen in the park

2 quarts of cherries, pitted (yes, I consider this a reward!)

2 quarts of cherries, pitted (yes, I consider this a reward!)

How have you been celebrating this season?

Time Flies

It’s summer! And if the saying is true, this week the corn will be knee high–it’s almost the Fourth of July. It feels like yesterday I was lamenting Arctic cold and unmelting snowpiles. Now I’m itching mosquito bites as I write.

Last week I traveled back to Wisconsin for a relaxing visit with family, including my favorite picture-book reader:

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I came back to some editorial notes, and now I’m busy revising Summer of Lost and Found. (The heat and humidity is really helping me with the summertime atmosphere.) This is the fifth or sixth draft–I kind of lost track–and right now the document looks like this:

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Writing is editing, right?

Soon I’ll have exciting news like a pub date and jacket copy and maybe even a cover to share. In the meantime, I’m sequestered with my revision.

What’s new with you?

D.C. for a Day

On Wednesday morning I hopped on a bus and headed south so Audrey and Alice could meet some D.C. readers. Once I got into town, I decided to stretch my legs by taking a walk to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

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What Would Alice Do with three free hours in the capital city? Admittedly, she probably would not take a bunch of book selfies. But sneaking onto the roof of the White House wasn’t really an option for me.

Then I took the Metro out to Arlington for a panel event with author friends and fellow 2014 debuts Jen Malone (You’re Invited and At Your Service) and Tara Dairman (All Four Stars and The Stars of Summer) at One More Page, which is the bookstore of my dreams. They have eight book clubs, an awesomely curated selection of books, and incredibly good local and artisanal chocolate. We had a full house for our panel, and the audience asked great questions!

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I also had the chance to meet up with some old friends (thanks for coming, Jocelyn and Lilia!) and to meet writer friend Jennifer Pickrell (who writes wonderful YA) in person, which was great.

Afterward I raced back to Union Station–worrying the whole way because D.C. friends had warned me I wasn’t giving myself quite enough time–and made it with twenty minutes to spare before my train. Unfortunately, my train didn’t make it (it was cancelled) so I had to cool my heels for an hour and a half. I didn’t get back to NYC until after 2:00 a.m., but I had a lot of books to entertain me on Amtrak.

Definitely a day that was worth traveling through five states and D.C., and back–although next time I hope to stick around a little longer!

Happy Spring!

How is it almost May? Somehow this winter seemed both endless (thanks, snowstorms) and super short. Anyway, I’m enjoying the tulips popping up on NYC sidewalks and planning trips to WI this summer. What else is new?

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Bookplates! The lovely Kristin Rae (whose YA debut, Wish You Were Italian, is incredibly charming, and is the perfect read for spring and summer wanderlust) designed some bookplates for me. If you have a copy of When Audrey Met Alice and you’d like a signed bookplate for it, let me know! I’m happy to send one your way.

Speaking of signing books, I’ll be in Arlington, VA, at One More Page bookstore on May 27, with MG author friends Tara Dairman and Jen Malone. So if you live in the DC area, stop by and I can sign your book in person!

I’ll also be at Kids Author Carnival in NYC on Saturday, May 30, at the very cool Jefferson Market Branch of the NYPL.

And I’m excited to share that When Audrey Met Alice was selected for the 2015-2016 Southwest Iowa Battle of the Books. I’m honored to be included among the fantastic titles on the list!

Finally, there’s still time to enter my educator giveaway before the paperback of When Audrey Met Alice releases on May 1: Class Set Giveaway

What’s new with you?

Manatees, an MG dream come true

A lot went on in publishing this week,* but this post isn’t about that. Because the week before, I did something that middle-grade me would’ve been over the moon about:

I met a manatee.

I first read about manatees in a random Sleepover Friends super special (Super Beach Mystery) when I was in elementary school. I couldn’t believe that I’d never heard about this “sea cow” creature before, considering how much I loved marine mammals. The more I read about manatees, the more curious I became. They are vegetarians who eat 10% of their body weight daily! They are related to elephants! The communicate with a language of clicks and chirps! I ended up fundraising for the Save the Manatee club (through which I adopted my first manatee, Boomer), and I even wrote my first “book” about them as a school project, MANATEES: PROBLEMS HELPS.

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My first book

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I am unsure whether I did not know the word “solutions” or whether I didn’t have the right sticker letters for it.

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My early nonfiction writing

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I even wrote manatee poetry.

But being a kid in Wisconsin, there were no manatees near me. Years went by, I never stopped finding them delightful–but I never had a chance to see one.

Last week, my husband and I were in Florida to escape the cold. We took an hour to drive inland from Sanibel Island and found the Manatee Park. I ran down the path (dodging a very realistic statue of an alligator–you would’ve shrieked, too!) and up to a river, and then I saw my first ever manatee.

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Later on in the trip, we took a special tour at the Miami Seaquarium, which is one of three facilities that can rehabilitate injured manatees. (Sadly, part of the reason why manatees are an endangered species is because they are frequently harmed or killed by speeding boats.) That was where I got to meet Julia and Phoenix and feed them some of their favorite treats (sweet potatoes and grapes).

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It was so cool to get to interact with them–manatees are friendly, curious, and smart. They are also HUGE. Somehow, all the photos I’ve seen over the years did not do justice to their size.

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As a thirtysomething it was a great way to spend an afternoon, but I kept thinking about how ridiculously excited middle-grade Rebecca would’ve been about talking to people who care for manatees–and getting to feel manatees’ whiskers as they gobble up lunch. It reminded me how awesomely curious and passionate kids are–one of the many reasons I love writing books for young readers.

Every grown-up should remember something that they loved fiercely or studied enthusiastically as a kid, and reconnect with it. It’s good for the soul.

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*A brief note about the sad news from Egmont USA. Yes, Summer of Lost and Found was affected by the decision to close the US operations. Hopefully, I will be able to share more information on what’s next for my book soon. Until then, I’d like to acknowledge how wonderful it was to be an Egmont author, and what a privilege it was to work with Jordan Hamessley and the rest of the team. Published and Spring 2015 Egmont books will still be distributed by Penguin Random House–go and check them out!

New Year, Random News

I’m taking a break right now from revising–although one could argue that a break would be better spent not writing in another form, right? After this post, I’ll find something good to watch on my Netflix queue. But first, a two bits of news:

Scholastic Scope published my Jackie Mitchell short story in its January 2015 issue–retitled as”Girls Can’t Play!” If your school or library has a subscription, check it out.

When Audrey Met Alice got a Recommended review in the November/December issue of Library Media Connection! Here’s an excerpt: “Becoming empowered and independent with the help of Alice’s journal, Audrey creates a bit of mischief and mayhem of her own. Featuring Alice Roosevelt’s fictional journal entries throughout the story supplies an interesting comparison of Alice’s historical time period versus Audrey’s. Readers will enjoy Alice’s antics and cheer for Audrey’s transformation.”–Nick Petrosino, District Library Coordinator, Ravenna (Ohio) School District

Next week I’ll be trading revising under blankets for revising on a beach towel: I’m visiting family in Florida for the week. I do think it might help my work on this summer-set book to be in a place above freezing–descriptions of muggy days and trips to the beach are hard to visualize when it’s 9 degrees outside! It’s a working vacation, but I’m factoring in plenty of time for fun.

Hope you are staying warm with hot tea and a good book somewhere!

School Visit!

Last week, I had a great time visiting St. Francis Academy in Union City, NJ. I talked with the fifth- and sixth-grade students about historical fiction, life in the White House, the writing process, and more. I was blown away by their insightful and interesting questions–I love it when students give me new ideas and show me different ways of looking at my characters! One of the best moments was walking in to see their When Audrey Met Alice projects lining the wall:

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Aren’t they great? What a welcome!

It is a really special thing to get to talk with a roomful of readers who care about your characters, and to have the chance to spend a day at a school that is such a nurturing environment for young readers and writers. Thanks for the wonderful day, St. Francis Academy!

 

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