Author of award-winning, adventurous realistic and historical fiction

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Friday Five

Mar 21, 2014 | , , , , , , , , , , ,

1. This has been a long winter. (That seems like an understatement.) I got some relief from the snow, cold, and gray last week when I went on a nice warm trip. I read a lot of books; I even hung out in a hammock. It was excellent.

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2. But now it’s back to work! I’ve started research for a brand new book (lips zipped on what it’s about, for now) and I’m doing some revising on a less-brand-new one.

3. This Saturday, I’ll be back at Books of Wonder in NYC for a panel with Laura Marx Fitzgerald (UNDER THE EGG) and Aaron Starmer (THE RIVERMAN). More info here: Great Middle Grade Reads!

4. This past week, I’ve gotten my first pieces of mail from readers. There is nothing quite like the joy of opening a card from a young reader. Thank you to Annabelle and Erin for making my day with their notes!

5. When Audrey Met Alice was featured in the March/April issue of Middle Shelf magazine! Check out the whole issue for great interviews, articles, and reviews.Middle Shelf_Last Words

6. Okay, I lied. It’s not Friday Five. It’s Friday Six.* But because I like alliteration, I’m not changing the title of this post. Anyway–huge congrats to my friend Jessica Love, who sold another book this week! Read all about In Real Life here.

*See my inability to cut content? This is why I have my lovely and talented editor. 🙂

WI Whirlwind

Mar 7, 2014 | , , , , , , , , ,

I had the best time in Wisconsin last week, talking to friends and family, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and readers about WHEN AUDREY MET ALICE. Some highlights of my whirlwind trip:

–Meeting the great readers at EAGLE School in Fitchburg. My very first school visit was a success! I really enjoyed talking books with Ellen Bunn, the library/media specialist and a fellow historical-fiction fan. Thanks to Ellen and Mr. Gallo for hosting me, and thanks to the students at EAGLE for being such an enthusiastic and smart audience!

–And speaking with the great readers at Elm Lawn Elementary in Middleton. I spoke to about 200 fourth- and fifth-graders, and I was blown away by their great questions. My favorite part? When I told them a little bit about my book-in-progress, which tells about what might’ve really happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke. It turns out the kids at Elm Lawn are writing fiction right now about . . . the Lost Colony of Roanoke! What a cool coincidence, and it was so memorable to have that connection with young writers. Thanks to Joan Anderson and the fourth- and fifth-grade teachers for hosting me!

–Seeing so many friends and family at the Barnes & Noble in Madison, including my fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Gerlach. Yes, I did tear up when I saw her smiling face–I have so many wonderful memories of Mrs. G’s class, and I credit her with sparking and encouraging my love of historical fiction. I also got to see my high-school art teacher, Mr. McConnell–it was his class that actually inspired the first manuscript I wrote. Books connect people in many ways, but I’m especially grateful that my book event led to some happy reunions.

–Meeting author friends in person for the first time. Wendy McClure, Gayle Rosengren, and I spoke on a historical MG panel at Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee on Sunday. It was fun to share about our books and have a discussion about writing and reading MG. And two of Gayle and my Class of 2K14 classmates came to see us: Amy Zhang and Liz Czukas!

Hopefully I’ll get some pictures of the visit on my Facebook page soon. In the meantime, I’m already making plans for the next one. 🙂

Hello, Wisconsin!

Feb 27, 2014 | , , , , ,

I’m so excited to head back to my hometown tonight for a few book events.

If everything goes according to plan, I’ll be doing my first two school visits tomorrow. I’ve got my powerpoint and my stickers ready. 🙂

Then, on Saturday at 1:00 pm, I’ll be signing books at the Barnes and Noble at West Towne in Madison. Event details here: B&N Author Events: When Audrey Met Alice

On Sunday at 3:00 pm, I’ll be part of a fun historical MG panel with fellow Class of 2K14 author Gayle Rosengren and Wendy McClure at Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee. More info about that is here: Boswell Book Company: Upcoming Events

Hope to see you there!

What’s Up Wednesday, 1/29

Jan 29, 2014 | , , , , , , , ,

WUW7What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme that helps readers and writers touch base with blog friends. You can find the link widget (and cute buttons!) on Jaime’s and Erin’s blog posts.

What I’m Reading 
I finished  Tiger Lily, which I loved. I also read Brandy Colbert’s Pointe, which was incredible. Bookanista rec for that to come next month! Now I’m reading the great MG Esperanza Rising.

What I’m Writing   
I made some slow progress with revising over the past week. I also wrote a short story, kind of randomly. It was an idea that I’d been circling for a while, and I found myself with some extra time on the couch (more on that below), so I just sat down and wrote it. Which was incredibly fun and refreshing.

What Inspires Me Right Now

Cheering for the winners of the ALA Youth Media Awards (and watching my TBR list grow and grow). Celebrating the book birthdays of fellow Class of 2K14-mates and OneFour Kid Lit writers. And anticipating my own book birthday next week (eep!)!

What Else I’ve Been Up To 
Remember my last What’s Up Wednesday post, when I said I did something to my hip in yoga? Well, apparently I’m not so great at anatomy, because it wasn’t actually my hip–a doctor’s visit confirmed that I have a hamstring injury, from some combination of overuse in running and yoga. It’s been a bit of a bummer–I spent the first week after figuring out what was wrong with me doing nothing but rest and ice. Being sedentary and me don’t agree, and it will be quite a while before I can run again. But if there is a bright side, it’s that I’m learning to slow down a little. Actually, a lot. Being kind to myself is working, and I’m already feeling a lot better. I’m looking forward to running again this spring when I’m good as new (or as “new” as a thirtysomething can be!)–hopefully we’ll be rid of Polar Vortexes by then. 🙂

So what have you been up to lately?

My Word for 2014

Jan 5, 2014 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Last year, my word for 2013 was balance. While I do think that having that word at the forefront of my mind helped me take at least a few steps toward a more balanced life, I still have a lot of work to do with that word. But 2014 is a new year, so I needed a new word.

For 2014, I’m choosing: open.

As I look back over my 2013 posts, I realize that I didn’t blog much about what’s been going on in my writing life. That’s partly because after starting a new job last January, I found I had a lot less time for blogging and social media in general (sad face). But honestly, I think it’s also that as I moved further into the publishing process, the more I found myself retreating a bit, at least online. Working toward publishing When Audrey Met Alice has been a joyful experience, by and large–but like any big life thing, it’s brought some stressors along with the good stuff. I found myself nervous about sharing both the many good things (I guess I have that Midwestern sensibility of not tooting one’s own horn) and the few things that scared me. The thing I’m starting to realize, though, is that writing with a goal of publication means putting yourself out there in the world, and that’s an okay thing. You have to be open to the possibilities. And I truly believe that the best writing comes from an open mind and an open heart, and I want to keep improving my craft this year.

Perhaps because I often felt overwhelmed by juggling day-job work, writing work, a move, and everything else last year, I found myself closing off a little in other ways. Sometimes I met invitations and opportunities with a cringe (Where am I going to find the time for that!) instead of an excited or appreciative smile. Sometimes I just got really anxious, or exhausted-cranky. I’d like to shift that attitude a bit, and show thankfulness for all of the great things in my life by approaching it by being a little more receptive.

I’ve never been super comfortable with sharing too much personal stuff online (hello, introversion), and I don’t think that’s going to change. But I feel such gratitude for all the honest posts I’ve read from writers at various stages of the publishing process the past two weeks. So in addition to trying to approach IRL things with a spirit of openness, I want to approach online life with a bit more of that, too. Like by saying right now that as excited as I am for my book to come out in less than a month(!), I’m pretty nervous, too.

So, hello, 2014. I am taking deep breath and doing a stretchy yoga move, and trying to greet everything that’s in store for me this year with . . . openness.

(What’s your word for this new year?)

What’s Up Wednesday, 10/30

Oct 30, 2013 | , , , , , , , , ,

 

WUWAutumn

What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme that helps readers and writers touch base with blog friends. If you’d like to join in, you can find the link widget on Jaime’s and Erin’s blog posts. I love this idea because it gives a structured, easy way for me to keep up with blogging. Also, the buttons are cute. Thanks for the idea, Jaime and Erin! 

What I’m Reading 
Last week I read Steve Martin’s An Object of Beauty, which was a story of high art, love, money, and ambition–told in a very readable Steve Martin-y voice. Now I’m finally reading Alison Cherry’s Red! Truth: It’s making me want to dye my hair.

A 2014 debut author photo, taken by Ghenet!

A photo from Alison’s Red launch party, taken by Ghenet! (l to r, Michelle Schusterman, Lauren Magaziner, Emery Lord, me, and Kim Liggett)

What I’m Writing   
I’ve decided to work on a “palate cleanser” project–something just for fun, and for me–and I think I might try to NaNo to finish it. Which definitely makes me an unofficial NaNoer. But I’m excited to try to push myself to write as close to 50K words as I can next month!

What Inspires Me Right Now   
Still loving the Halloween time of year. Last weekend I went on a Ghost Tour of Greenwich Village, and it was super fun. (Super touristy, yes, but I strongly believe that sometimes tourists know how to have a really good time, and there is no shame in joining them.) The stories the guide told as we scuffed through leaves on the quiet, dark Village streets were fascinating–and inspiring. Not only did I have a total “I heart NY” night, but it gave me lots of ideas. (Okay, some of those ideas might have made me afraid of my basement. And convinced that the sound of a trailing vine scritch-scratching the window at night is actually a skeleton’s hand. I love ghost stories, but I also scare ridiculously easily.)

What Else I’ve Been Up To 
Becoming an aunt! My nephew was born in the wee hours on Monday morning. He’s adorable, and I am counting the days until I hop a plane to meet him.

So what have you been up to lately?

 

What’s Up Wednesday 10/16

Oct 16, 2013 | , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

WUWAutumn

What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme that helps readers and writers touch base with blog friends. If you’d like to join in, you can find the link widget on Jaime’s and Erin’s blog posts. I love this idea because it gives a structured, easy way for me to keep up with blogging. Also, the buttons are cute. Thanks for the idea, Jaime and Erin!

What I’m Reading 
Last week I read Just One Year in just one day. I loved getting to see the other side of the story; I’ll say nothing else because I don’t want to spoil anything. Then I lucked into an ARC of Nikki Loftin’s Nightingale’s Nest. It’s beautiful and unique and haunting, and I’m savoring every word.

What I’m Writing   
Still doing odds and ends for the business side of writing. When I’m not doing that, I am playing around with a new idea. This is a project I’d maybe like to work on for NaNo in some form. I guess for now I’m treating it more like a writing exercise and less like a WIP, if that makes sense. Sometimes you need space to play with words in order to work with them.

What Inspires Me Right Now   
I had the day off on Monday, so I went up to the Bronx Zoo. A lot of little kids were running around in their adorable Halloween costumes.  Dime-store capes and some face paint are all it takes to let them create adventures for themselves.  It’s always fun to see children being imaginative and playful, and I find the creativity surrounding Halloween really inspiring–that’s probably why it’s one of my favorite holidays. (Also the candy. Mmm, candy. I think I might actually get trick-or-treaters this year, so I have an excuse to stock up.)

What Else I’ve Been Up To
Last Friday I went to Alison Cherry’s launch party for her debut, Red! It was at the lovely BookCourt in Brooklyn, and it was a fabulous time.

And in other news, there’s a Goodreads ARC giveaway for When Audrey Met Alice going on right now. You can sign up here!

So what have you been up to lately?

 

Inspiration spots, bubbles, and ideal readers

Jun 24, 2013 | , , , , , , , , , ,

I have many writing spots, in my apartment, from the desk to the couch to the kitchen table, and writing spots in other places scattered around the city and back in America’s Dairyland, too. But I also have an inspiration spot, one for daydreaming and brainstorming and problem-solving, both for writing problems and sometimes IRL problems.
I wasn’t until I started cultivating my inspiration spot that I realized how important a place–or mental space–that is for writers, too. As important as an ergonomic desk chair.

Anyway, my inspiration spot in a makeshift windowseat. From it I get a nice, sunny view of the sidewalk below my apartment. It makes for good people-watching, as they walk to and from the park or in and out of the candy-and-lotto bodega.

In one of the little walkup buildings on my street lives a nice young family. Their daughter looks like she’s about ten or eleven. Her mom or dad sits on the stoop as she and her puppy play on the sidewalk out front. A lot of times she plays with a simple bubble wand. She twirls around the sidewalk, spinning and marveling at the bubbles floating up into the trees. Her parents join in. It’s really charming. I kind of adore Bubble Girl. (Hopefully it doesn’t sound creepy that I watch her play.)

I write books for young readers, but I don’t have kids. Which is fine, because as that quote from legendary children’s book editor Ursula Nordstrom goes,”I am a former child, and I haven’t forgotten a thing.” But sometimes it’s good to let kids remind me, a little more immediately, of being at the age at which bubbles were all I needed to have a happy afternoon. I smile and watch Bubble Girl play, and I wonder what she’d want to read about. I remind myself that it’s actually her I’m writing for. I’d like to write a book that will make her smile or think or laugh.

Generally, I don’t like to give directives, because really how do I know what anyone else needs to get his or her writing groove on. But I do think it’s helpful for most writers to have a reminder of your ideal reader. Bubble Girl is mine.

And I hope I do right by her.

On Moving and Books

Mar 19, 2013 | , , , , , ,

I’m currently packing up my apartment. In the process, I’ve determined that books comprise about 40% of what I own. (Sorry, robbers. If you don’t want paperbacks or old T-shirts or shoes with an odd wear pattern because apparently I walk funny–you’re out of luck.) Right now they are strewn across the floor of our living room/office/storage area/guest room (life in small spaces, yo) and slowly making their way into poorly packed boxes.

A poorly packed box.

I think books might actually be the Very Worst Thing to Pack. Worse than glassware. Hear me out: books are heavy, they come in wildly variant trim sizes, and they are dusty (at least if they belong to someone who hates dusting, like me). Putting them into boxes feels like the world’s most frustrating game of Tetris. There’s always ONE art book that is super long and won’t fit in the box and screws everything up, so another box full of tcotchkes that normally could live in the back of a closet in the new place (never to be unpacked–almost as good as actually dealing with the clutter) now contains a book and therefore has to get unpacked and dealt with.

Anyway. Can you tell that I’m at the point of moving at which I wish someone would hit me over the head with one of my rarely used kitchen appliances, or the copy of Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia that I haven’t opened since college, and I could wake up once we’re settled again?

I love print books. Always have, probably always will. Given the choice, I will opt to read in print form as opposed to on my iPad. But damn it if moving doesn’t make me want to bring my entire collection to the Strand and go digital. To think I could have every book in the mountain of brown boxes that currently prevents me from walking from my desk to the closet door on my 0.68-pound tablet . . .

What about you? Does moving (or dealing with piles of books in your home on a regular basis) make you want to convert to e-reading?

Seeing your Settings

Oct 24, 2012 | , , , , , ,

The White House Social Fall Garden Tour was an incredible experience for a lot of reasons: meeting the very cool and accomplished other attendees; hearing White House administration staff and officials speak on a variety of topics; viewing the beautiful gardens; and, you know, getting to explore the White House, or at least its grounds! But it was also a very special day for me because I got to visit one of my settings in person (and it was a setting I thought it would be unlikely for me to ever experience firsthand).

Writing When Audrey Met Alice and revising it (many times), I spent hours researching the White House: poring over every photo I could find; reading books and websites and blogs; watching films and TV shows set and filmed there; studying maps and floor plans. Although I hope the WH I created in my story is authentic, it’s definitely a fictional place. Despite all that research, I still had to make tons of stuff up. Sometimes that was because I just didn’t have access to information and other times it was in the interest of good storytelling.

My brief visit to the White House grounds gave me some of the firsthand knowledge I couldn’t get from my research: How the area smells; what the ambient sounds are like; how open or closed the outdoor spaces feel when you’re in them. I got a taste of the oxymoronic atmosphere: the White House is serene at the same time it’s bustling. There are people everywhere working (administration officials, secret service agents, landscapers and groundskeepers, etc.), but it feels very calm and controlled (at least to a visitor). I witnessed the security procedures for guests, from the info you disclose prior to your visit to the metal detectors to scanning a badge to let you leave.

One of my characters has a joyride in a golf cart at the WH.
I saw the vehicle in this photo and pictured her on it. Awesome!

I also uncovered some details more directly related to my writing about a fictional and a historical first girl. When asked a (pretty benign) question about the habits of Sasha and Malia, the administration staff politely declined to answer–they maintain the privacy of the girls, even when it comes to matters like “do they like eating their vegetables from the garden.” I have to admit that I was really pleased at that response–it’s great that the WH staff are so protective of the rightful privacy of first kids! (I know my characters would have appreciated that.)

Some settings are easier to visit than others and some downright impossible–a fictional planet, the 16th century, the inside of a volcano. But whenever possible, it’s important to visit the places that inspire our stories. Not only for the authenticity it can give one’s writing, but for the way it can energize and reinvigorate. Looking ahead to edits on my book, I can’t wait to incorporate some of what I experienced last Friday into the book. I’ve totally reconnected with my setting, and that’s a wonderful thing.

WH Garden Tour in Pictures

Oct 22, 2012 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Last Friday I attended the White House Fall Social Garden Tour. In short, it was awesome. You can read more about how I lucked into the Social here, and you can see a wrap-up from the White House here: A Fall Social in the #WHGarden. (Excuse me while I freak out that my name/tweets/photos are on the White House’s web site.) My twitter feed from Friday is also chock full of observations and photos.

I’ll be posting some of my thoughts about visiting the setting of my book later in the week. But first, here are some of my favorite photos from the day:

 
The quiet before the public tour starts
The view from the South Lawn
The White House Beehive. Best quote of the day, from Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses: They didn’t add a second hive because then the bees might fight each other for territory and, “we didn’t want any more conflict in Washington.”
Veggies growing in the Kitchen Garden
The swing set. How badly did I want to go for a swing? (Badly!) See the Oval Office behind it.
The Oval Office. Guess who was inside working?
Me, thrilled to be in the Rose Garden and standing in front of the West Wing (Eisenhower Executive Office Building in the background, too)
Crowds of people outside
Who knew there were so many grills at the White House?

ETA: Thanks for all of the compliments on my dress! It was nice to fold up my writerly pajama pants for a day. 🙂 That dress was a gift from my mother in law, and she made it!

White House Garden Tour!

Oct 18, 2012 | , , , , , ,

Tonight I’m heading down to D.C. so I can attend the White House Social Fall Garden Tour tomorrow!
(Which is a special Tweetup tour of the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, Rose Garden, and the South Lawn, including the White House Kitchen Garden and beehive.)

How did I get to do this? I follow White House social media accounts on Twitter, and I applied through the White House Social website.

Needless to say, I’m really excited about seeing the grounds and being in a place that I have spent so much time imagining (particularly for fiction purposes).

I’ll be tweeting throughout the tour tomorrow, so if you’d like to follow along find me on Twitter (or check out the hashtag #WHGarden). The events start at 7:30 am EST, so look for WH tweets from me starting around that time. We are having a question and answer session with Administration officials around 10:00 am EST, so tweet me any questions you’d like to ask! Or leave them in the comments below.

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