Marvelous Middle Grade Monday -- THE CABINET OF EARTHS

The Cabinet of Earths by Anne Nesbet (January 3, 2012, Harpercollins, for ages 10 and up)

Author's website

Source:  advanced reading copy from publisher

Synopsis: Maya and her perfect little brother James move to Paris with their father, a chemist, and their mother, a cancer survivor. There, Maya meets a mysterious old uncle Henri and a sinister young uncle also, strangely enough, named Henri. With the help of an almost-invisible cousin Louise, and a classmate named Valko, Maya begins to learn of a supernatural underworld in which the beautiful people stay young forever.  Most importantly, Maya discovers the Cabinet of Earths, kept by the old Uncle Henri. The extraordinary cabinet seems to hold the secret of immortality and it wants Maya to be its new Keeper.

Why I liked it: A thoroughly original fantasy, mystery, and horror novel rolled into one impressive book. As I read this, I had to remind myself it was a debut novel.  This is a winner!  Anne Nesbet has done an excellent job of world-building.  She writes with a sure hand.  The publisher calls this a fantasy and compares it to Coraline, and I could understand that. But at its heart, Cabinet of Earths is a moving story about a girl who's worried about her mother.  It's written in third person close, which totally works for this. There's a strong sense of place (maybe it helps that I've been to Paris -- but I suspect even if you haven't you'll sense the charm of the City of Light).  The mystery is perfectly paced, a little complex and a bit scary, which is why it may not be suitable for younger readers.

What's your favorite middle-grade fantasy?

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Messenger. Other regulars include (but are not limited to):

Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster at The Night Writer
Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero at Somewhere in the Middle
Deb Marshall at Just Deb
Barbara Watson at her blog
Anita Laydon Miller at her middle grade blog
Michael Gettel-Gilmartin at Middle Grade Mafioso
Pam Torres at So I'm Fifty

Ms. Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads

Danika Dinsmore at The Accidental Novelist

Jennifer Rumberger at her blog

Akoss at Nye Louwon--My Spirit
Gabrielle Prendergast at angelhorn
Sheri Larsen at her blog
Gina Carey at her blog

Has this ever happened to you?

Photo source

Imagine this is the view from my car, as I drive home on a recent Thursday evening from work.  It's 9:20 pm (yes, sometimes I work until 9 pm), there's no one around, and I drive slowly across a bridge, heading south on a major road. I'm listening to a CD.

Okay, okay, it's a CD of Mozart piano concertos.  Yes, I'm a nerd. Don't judge me (hey, they say Mozart is good for the brain).

I have the volume cranked up.  I'm thinking about my current MG novel.  To me, an important part of writing is mulling over my WIP.  Ideas usually come to me in the car, or in the shower, or when I least expect it.   But it's all part of the process.

In my MG novel, the rough draft of which is a complete mess, I know something is missing, and on my lonely drive home it hits me like a collision: the protagonist isn't solving the mystery near the end; it merely unfolds in front of him.  I need to rewrite those last two chapters and make him more involved in piecing together those final clues.

And then -- flashing lights behind me!  Agghh!

Photo source

According to the very nice officer who stopped me,  apparently I "failed to come to a complete stop at the stop sign before the bridge."

Thankfully, he let me off with a warning.

Has this ever happened to you?  Have you ever been so caught up in thinking through your WIP -- or listening to a stirring piece of music -- that you, uh, got pulled over?  Did you get a ticket?  'Fess up!

Kathryn Fitzmaurice's A DIAMOND IN THE DESERT for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

The ALA Youth Media Awards will be announced in Dallas today at 7:45 AM CST.  I'll be listening in (here's their webcast site) to see what wins.  They'll also be tweeting (@ALAyma).  


In the meantime, here's a future Newbery possibility: 

A Diamond in the Desert by Kathryn Fitzmaurice (Coming February 16, 2012 from Viking, 9780670012923, ages 10 and up, $16.99)

Visit the Author's website

Source: advanced reading copy from publisher

Synopsis (from Indiebound): For Tetsu, baseball is so much more than just a game.

On December 6, 1941, Tetsu is a twelve-year-old California boy who loves baseball. On December 7, 1941, everything changes. The bombing of Pearl Harbor means Tetsu's Japanese-American family will be relocated to an internment camp.

Gila River camp isn't technically a prison, but with nowhere to go, nothing to do, and no time frame for leaving, it might as well be. So when someone has the idea of building a baseball diamond and starting a team, Tetsu is overjoyed. But then his sister gets dangerously sick, forcing him to choose between his family and his love of the game. This is an impeccably researched, lyrical story about baseball, honor, and a turbulent period in U.S. history.

Why I liked it: Kathryn Fitzmaurice's luminous prose verges on the poetic.  Many of the chapters are short, more like vignettes of life in Gila River.  So it should appeal to reluctant readers, especially if they like baseball.

But even if you're not a baseball fanatic, you'll still find many reasons to read about Tetsu and his family and the harsh conditions at the internment camp.  Note that this is for upper middle grade.  Fitzmaurice doesn't gloss over the difficulties.  This is a work of fiction, but she did staggering amounts of research and interviewed the real Tetsu who played baseball at that internment camp.

I learned a lot from reading this book.  Imagine being forced to leave your home and your dog and move to a reservation in the middle of the desert, with sparsely-furnished barracks and nothing to do, not even a school at first.  Imagine fifty-six families sharing one latrine.  Imagine dust storms that sicken people.  It's hard to believe today.  But it really happened. 

My mother grew up in Los Angeles and was about the same age as Tetsu in 1942.  She well remembers some of her classmates who were Japanese-Americans being in class one day and not the next.  It was a dark time in our history.  Kathryn Fitzmaurice, author of The Year the Swallows Came Early, shines a brilliant light on that time period and makes us realize what Japanese-Americans endured then.

What middle grade historical fiction are you passionate about?

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Messenger. Other regulars include (but are not limited to):

Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster at The Night Writer
Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero at Somewhere in the Middle
Deb Marshall at Just Deb
Barbara Watson at her blog
Anita Laydon Miller at her middle grade blog
Michael Gettel-Gilmartin at Middle Grade Mafioso
Pam Torres at So I'm Fifty

Ms. Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads

Danika Dinsmore at The Accidental Novelist

Jennifer Rumberger at her blog

Akoss at Nye Louwon--My Spirit
Gabrielle Prendergast at angelhorn
Sheri Larsen at her blog

A WINNER -- Plus a Resolution That May Surprise You!

The winner of the arc of The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges, according to random.org is:

*KATIA RAINA*

 

YAY!  Congrats, Katia!  Expect an email from me asking for your mailing address.

*  *  *  *  *

I've noticed a lot of posts this month in which book bloggers talk about their New Year's Resolutions to read more in 2012 than they did in 2011.

Well, I hereby resolve... 

to read fewer books.  

(Gasp!)  

Why?  Because I broke my own record.  In 2008 I read 101 books.  In 2009, I read 107 books.  In 2010, I read 105 books.  But in 2011, I managed to read a whopping 110 books.  I also blogged more often in 2011 (86 posts) than I did in 2010 (56 posts) and finally settled on a regular schedule of Mondays and Fridays (with occasional special posts popping up).

But did I meet my writing goals?

In short:  No.

I failed to finish the rough draft of my second MG novel by Dec 1, 2011.  I didn't even finish it by Dec 31, 2011.  I've now finished it (yay!), but we're well into January 2012.  And I haven't even started revising my first novel or my second, so I'm still too far away from my original plan of querying agents beginning in February.  I'll have to put it off until at least April at this rate!  Grrr...  So while book bloggers all over the blogosphere are resolving to read more and write more, I'm going to try to write and revise more, but spend less time reading.  I think 80 to 90 books a year is a fine number to aim for.  If I read more, great.  And if I don't, that's also fine.  I'll miss keeping up with all the latest releases, but I'll get there eventually.

To recap my reading list from 2011 (and keep in mind most of these are advanced reading copies from the publisher):

In January, I read:
1. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate -- Jacqueline Kelly
2. Words in the Dust -- Trent Reedy
3. Darkest Mercy -- Melissa Marr
4. Ship Breaker -- Paolo Bacigalupi
5. Cliff Hanger: Mysteries in Our National Parks -- Gloria Skurzynski
6. Season of Secrets -- Sally Nichols
7. The Great Wall of Lucy Wu -- Wendy Wan-Long Shang
8. An Abundance of Katherines -- John Green
9. All You Get is Me -- Yvonne Prinz
10. Drought -- Pam Bachorz
11. See What I See -- Gloria Whelan


In February, I read:
12. Cloaked -- Alex Flinn
13.The Wonder of Charlie Anne -- Kimberly Newton Fusco
14. Tending to Grace -- Kimberly Newton Fusco
15. The Last Sacrifice -- Richelle Mead
16. What Happened to Goodbye -- Sarah Dessen
17. Awaken -- Katie Kacvinsky
18. Strings Attached -- Judy Blundell
19. Like Mandarin -- Kirsten Hubbard
20. Small as an Elephant -- Jennifer Richard Jacobson
21. Wither -- Lauren DeStefano
22. Turtle in Paradise -- Jennifer Holm


Here's what I read in March:
23. The Trouble with Chickens -- Doreen Cronin
24. That Girl Lucy Moon -- Timberlake
25. Warp Speed -- Lisa Yee
26. Desires of the Dead -- Kimberly Derting
27. Out of the Dust -- Karen Hesse
28. Flip -- Martyn Bedford
29. The Great Hamster Massacre -- Katie Davies
30. The Last Little Blue Envelope -- Maureen Johnson
31. Sparrow Road -- Sheila O'Connor
32. Divergent -- Veronica Roth
33. Flutter -- Erin Moulton
34. The Resisters -- Eric Nylund

In April, I read:
35. My Not-So-Still Life -- Liz Gallagher
36. You'll Like it Here (Everybody Does) -- Ruth White
37. Beauty Queens -- Libba Bray
38. Tighter -- Adele Griffin
39. A Tale of Two Castles -- Gail Carson Levine
40. Daddy Long Legs -- Jean Webster
41. The Lemonade Crime -- Jacqueline Davies
42. The Penderwicks at Point Mouette -- Jeanne Birdsall
43. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda -- Tom Angleberger


 Here's what I read in May:
44. Dogsled Dreams -- Terry Lynn Johson (I won the book from Natalie Aguirre)
45. Brimstone Key - Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis
46. Liar Society -- Lisa and Laura Roecker
47. Possession -- Elana Johnson
48. Sharks and Boys -- Kristen Tracy
49. The Friendship Doll -- Kirby Larson
50. The Name of the Star -- Maureen Johnson
51. Second Fiddle -- Rosanne Parry (again, won from Natalie!)

And in June:
52. Bigger Than a Breadbox -- Laurel Snyder
53. 8th Grade Super Zero -- Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (free copy from the author! Thanks, Bemi!)
54. The Summer I Learned to Fly -- Dana Reinhardt
55. The Chronicles of Harris Burdick -- Van Allsburg, etc
56. Relic Master -- Catherine Fisher
57. Juniper Berry -- M. P. Kozlowski
58. The Emerald Atlas -- John Stephens

In July I read these books:
59. Forever -- Maggie Stiefvater
60. The Centaur's Daughter -- Ellen Jensen Abbott
61. The Help --  Kathryn Stockett (paperback purchased for vacation reading)
62.  a manuscript of a YA novel by one of my CPs
63. City of Lies -- Lian Tanner
64. Cold Kiss -- Amy Garvey

In August I read:
65. The Elegance of the Hedgehog -- Muriel Barberry (paperback purchased for vacation reading)
66. Supernaturally -- Kiersten White
67. Mostly True Story of Jack -- Kelly Barnhill
68. The Future of Us -- Jay Asher/Carolyn Mackler
69. A Need So Beautiful -- Suzanne Young
70. Everybody Sees the Ants -- A. S. King
71. The Fox Inheritance -- Mary Pearson
72. Bad Taste in Boys -- Carrie Harris
73. 13 Gifts -- Wendy Mass


Here's what I read in September:
74. Imaginary Girls -- Nova Ren Suma
75. Secrets at Sea -- Richard Peck
76. The Beginning of After -- Jennifer Castle
77. Starstruck -- Cyn Balog
78. Year Without Autumn -- Liz Kessler
79. The Wave -- Todd Strasser (old paperback)
80. Pie -- Sarah Weeks
81. Island's End -- Padma Venkatraman
82. Impulse -- Ellen Hopkins (paperback I purchased)
83. Goliath -- Scott Westerfeld

October's reads:
84. Hound Dog True -- Linda Urban
85. Crossed -- Ally Condie
86. Invisible Inkling -- Emily Jenkins
87. Legend -- Marie Lu
88. The Lost Songs -- Caroline B. Cooney
89. May B -- Caroline Starr Rose
90. Cracked -- K.M. Walton
91. Winterling -- Sarah Prineas
92. Under the Never Sky -- Veronica Rossi
93. Darkfall -- Janice Hardy
94. Liesl & Po -- Lauren Oliver
95. Darth Paper Strikes Back -- Tom Angleberger
96. Variant -- Robison Wells

And now for November:
97. Scorpio Races -- Maggie Stiefvater
98. Daughter of Smoke and Bone -- Laini Taylor
99.  Unraveling -- Elizabeth Norris
100. Becoming Naomi Leon -- Pam Munoz Ryan
101. Try Not to Breathe -- Jennifer R. Hubbard
102. Diary of a Wimpy Kid #6 Cabin Fever -- Jeff Kinney
103. The Great Rabbit Rescue -- Katie Davies
104. The Cabinet of Earths -- Anne Nesbet
105. The Catastrophic History of You and Me - Jess Rothenberg
106.  Partials -- Dan Wells

Finally, in December I managed to read a few books:
107. Don't Expect Magic -- Kathy McCullough
108. The Mighty Miss Malone -- Christopher Paul Curtis
109. Tunnel Vision -- Susan Shaw
110.  Glory Be -- Augusta Scattergood

So I topped my previous record, but at what cost?

Do you keep a reading list? And if you're a writer, do you ever feel you're spending too much time reading (or blogging or tweeting...) and not enough time writing?

If you've read this far, you've reached the best part!  You can watch what happens in a bookstore after hours in this clever and imaginative video made by a Toronto bookshop owner.  

A Winner! And a new Christopher Paul Curtis book for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

I have a winner to announce!  According to random.org, the winner of the hardcover copy of MAY B. by Caroline Starr Rose is...

VIVIEN 

Congrats, Vivien!  Expect an email from me asking for your mailing address! (Readers, this is a great example of persistence paying off.  I think Vivien has entered every giveaway I've ever had and this is the first time she's won.)

Now on to today's MMGM, a new book from Christopher Paul Curtis!

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis (January 10, 2012, Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, 9780385734912, for ages 9 to 12)

Source:  advanced reading copy from publisher

Synopsis (my own this time!): Deza Malone loves words and reading and is the smartest girl in her class.  She has a strong and loving family: a father who enjoys using alliteration (“Dearest Daughter Deza”), a mother who quotes Robert Burns, and an older brother who can’t read very well but who sings like an angel. She also has a best friend who goes to the library with her every day.  If the Great Depression hadn’t come along and made Father lose his job, life in Gary, Indiana would still be wonderful.

The year is 1936, and times are tough for everyone, but especially for African-Americans.  Father goes to Detroit to find work -- and disappears. When Mother loses her job too, the Malones have to move into temporary housing.  They can only take what they can carry. 

Christopher Paul Curtis is the award-winning author of Bud, Not Buddy, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, and other fine novels.  According to the included author note, during school visits kids always asked when he was going to write about a girl.  He kept putting it off, until he spoke at a mother-daughter book club in Detroit. Some of the women berated him for including a scene in Bud, Not Buddy, in which a girl in the Hooverville kissed Bud Caldwell, a total stranger!  Mr. Curtis came up with an interesting reply. And this book, a companion but not a sequel, was born.

Why I liked it:  The characters are complex and real and engaging. Even if you’ve never read Bud, Not Buddy, you’ll still enjoy reading about the irrepressible Mighty Miss Malone.  You'll gasp at the hardships her family endures, and cheer at the way they support each other through the tough times.

The Newbery awards will be announced next Monday (here's the ALA Youth Media Award website).  This book came out too late for a 2012 award, but keep it in mind for 2013.  I predict it will win at least an honor.

What do you think will win the Newbery medal and honor awards this year?  I'd like to see Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy win an honor.  See?  I'll bet you've forgotten that book already.  It came out last January and I reviewed it at this post.  I also hope Hound Dog True will win an honor (reviewed here).  But I'm at a loss as to what will win the gold.   Wonderstruck?  R My Name is Rachel?  What are your guesses?

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Messenger. Other regulars include (but are not limited to):

Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster at The Night Writer
Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero at Somewhere in the Middle
Deb Marshall at Just Deb
Barbara Watson at her blog
Anita Laydon Miller at her middle grade blog
Michael G-G at Middle Grade Mafioso
Pam Torres at So I'm Fifty

Ms. Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads

Danika Dinsmore at The Accidental Novelist

Jennifer Rumberger at her blog

Akoss at Nye Louwon--My Spirit
Gabrielle Prendergast at angelhorn

Sheri Larsen at her blog

Class of 2K12 - Megan Bostic, NEVER EIGHTEEN

Today, I'm interviewing Megan Bostic, debut author of NEVER EIGHTEEN  (January 17, 2012, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for ages 12 and up)

Synopsis (from Indiebound): Austin Parker is on a journey to bring truth, beauty, and meaning to his life. Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. The doctors say his chances of surviving are slim to none even with treatment, so he’s decided it’s time to let go. 

But before he goes, Austin wants to mend the broken fences in his life.  So with the help of his best friend, Kaylee, Austin visits very person in his life who touched him in a special way.  He journeys to places he's loved and those he's never seen.  And what starts as a way to say goodbye turns into a personal journey that brings love, acceptance, and meaning to Austin's life.

 Watch this book trailer from the publisher:


 

About the author (from the Class of 2K12 website): Megan (that’s with a long “e”) Bostic is a mere human trying to find her place in the universe and an all-around great girl. Despite the rain and gray (she’s truly solar powered) making her extremely angsty, she’s lived in the Pacific Northwest her whole life, and still does, with her two crazy beautiful girls.

She thrives on the challenges faced in her journey to publication and has documented it vlog style. You can find her Chronicles of an Aspiring Writer on Youtube.

Megan Bostic

To learn more about Megan:

-- Her website
-- Class of 2K12 website
-- Her blog

Now to the interview!

Do you outline before you write? If so, does it end up changing before you finish the first draft? What change surprised you the most?

I am probably the most unorganized writer on the face of the planet.  I do not outline.  I rely on endless sticky notes and notepads, and my brain (which isn’t always reliable) to get me from point A to point B.

I'm so glad to hear that.  I don't outline either! Do you revise one novel while writing another? Or do you feel you need to write and revise one novel and get it as polished as possible before moving on to your shiny new idea?

This drives me crazy, but I can only work on one project at a time.  And while I’m working on that project I come up with five ideas which makes me want to hurry and get done so I can start them.  I try not to, though.  It’s important to come away with as polished a project as possible before moving onto the next one, for me at least. 

I understand that completely!  So... coffee, tea, or hot chocolate while writing? And where do you write? Briefly describe your writing space.

Definitely coffee.  Right now I’m writing at my kitchen table on my laptop, next to my sliding glass door.  I like to write in a place that has the most natural light humanly possible (without having to go outside).

Do you listen to music while writing or at least while thinking about and planning a book? What song or album had the most influence on this novel?

I can’t have any distractions while writing, so no music.  However, I do draw inspiration from music.  Indie always gets me going, especially with this particular novel.  A couple songs come to mind, I Will Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie, Weighty Ghost by Wintersleep, and New Slang by The Shins.

Tell us what darling you had to kill that you really really wish you could have kept.

There is a character in the book, Scott McPhee, who was a promising young athlete that became a wastoid.  In the original manuscript, I reveal the why’s behind his transformation, and it would be a bit of a surprise to the reader.  However, my agent wanted his secrets to remain just that, secret.

Ooo!  That really makes me want to read the book!  Thanks so much for joining us today, Megan!

I'll have more Class of 2K12 interviews and guest posts in February and March, so please remember to check back.  What young adult novel are you excited about this month?

 

The brilliance of John Green

Go. Buy a copy of this book.  NOW!

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green (Dutton, 9780525478812, $17.99, for ages 14 and up)

From the publisher: Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.


One of the perks of being a bookseller is often you get to read a book before the general public.  This is one of those times I was truly honored (I have a bound manuscript). You will laugh and cry and ache for the characters in this book.  John Green is a genius.  Who else can have a teen character spout the phrase "metaphorical resonance" and make it believable -- and sexy?  Who else can make you think while making you laugh?  Or sprinkle obscure facts about the Netherlands and quotes from Shakespeare and T.S. Eliot throughout a contemporary teen novel?

Be forewarned: you will never again hear Yoda's famous quote ("There is no try.  Only do.") without it ripping your heart out.

Just so you know.  Okay?  Okay.

Now go.  Read.  And come back and tell me what you thought!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: The One and Only Ivan -- by Katherine Applegate

The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Patricia Castelao (coming January 17, 2012 from HarperCollins, 9780061992254, $16.99, ages 8 to 12)

Source:  advanced reading copy from publisher

Synopsis (from Indiebound): Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.
  
Why I liked it:  Based on a true story, this is far different from all the middle grade novels I've read recently. The prose is deceptively spare and simple, told from Ivan's point of view.  Yet it reverberates with deeper meaning, with wisdom and humor and heartache.  If caged animals could talk, imagine what they would tell us.  Katherine Applegate has imagined that, and done it beautifully.  This is one of those books that kids will latch onto and want to read again and again.

Has anyone read this yet?  If not, what animal stories have touched your heart?

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Whitney Messenger. Other regulars include (but are not limited to):

Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster at The Night Writer
Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero at Somewhere in the Middle
Deb Marshall at Just Deb
Barbara Watson at her blog
Anita Laydon Miller at her middle grade blog
Michael G-G at Middle Grade Mafioso
Pam Torres at So I'm Fifty

Ms. Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads

Danika Dinsmore at The Accidental Novelist

Jennifer Rumberger at her blog

Akoss at Nye Louwon--My Spirit
Gabrielle Prendergast at angelhorn
Sheri Larsen at her blog

Don't forget my giveaways!  

Go to this post to win a hardcover copy of May B. 

Go to this post to win an arc of The Gathering Storm. 

Good luck!

Class of 2K12 -- Interview with Robin Bridges, THE GATHERING STORM -- and an ARC giveaway

Welcome! Today, I'm thrilled to be interviewing Robin Bridges, author of the debut YA novel, THE GATHERING STORM,  which pubs January 10, 2012, from Delacorte Press.

 Book One of the Katerina Trilogy
Book One of the Katerina Trilogy

In the midst of superstitious and dangerous 1880's Russia, Katerina of Oldenburg hides a dark secret: she can raise the dead.  Here's the official trailer from Random House to show you more:

Wow!  That's a cool trailer and a  beautiful cover.  And what a great premise!  Robin, did you start with a character or with an image or phrase or setting?  This story actually started with the setting.  I’ve always loved Russian history and wanted to write a fantasy based in a Slavic-type kingdom.

I love Russian history too! Do you outline before you write? If so, does it end up changing before you finish the first draft? What change surprised you the most?  Yes and no.  I have a road map, a list of scenes I want to include, and then I write and rewrite trying to figure out exactly what happens.

 Robin Bridges (photo by Erin Glisson)

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate while writing? And where do you write? Briefly describe your writing space. Diet Coke is my poison of choice.  My writing space is a computer nook off of my living room.  I only get to write when the rest of the family is asleep or at school/ work and the living room is quiet.

Do you listen to music while writing or at least while thinking about and planning a book? What song or album had the most influence on this novel?  Katerina’s playlist was mostly classical Russian composers like Tchaikovsky and Glinka, but it’s kinda eclectic:

A Life for the Tsar: Polonaise and Mazurka by Glinka

Eugene Onegin: Polonaise by Tchaikovsky

Queen of Spades: Overture and Lisa’s Aria by Tchaikovsky

Kol Slaven

Black Eyes (old Russian love song)

Chrysanthemums (old Russian love song)

Skazhite Yey (Tell Her) (old Russian love song)

Russian Easter Festival Overture by Rimsky-Korsakov

Forestalling the Morning (and other Russian Orthodox chants)

Snow White Queen and Lacrymosa by Evanescence

Transylvanian Concubine by Rasputina

Second Waltz by Shostakovich (written past Katerina’s time but I still love it)

That's an amazing song list, Robin.  Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite composers!  And my son introduced me to Rasputina.  I studied Russian in college and I love that your novel has so much Russian influence.   

Thank you so much for joining us today, Robin!  And happy launch day next week!  

To learn more about Robin, visit her website or the Class of 2K12 website.

*  *  *  *  *

Readers, I'm happy to tell you I have an ARC of The Gathering Storm to give away.  It's simple: be a follower and leave a comment on this post.  This giveaway is open internationally and will close at 11:59 pm EST on Wednesday, January 18.  Don't forget my other giveaway of a middle grade novel, MAY B. by Caroline Starr Rose.  Go to this post to enter (edited to add the link!).

Visit My Brain on Books next Friday for another interview with a debut YA author, Megan Bostic, author of NEVER EIGHTEEN.

Happy Publication Day to K.M. Walton!

 

CRACKED officially launches today!  

Here's the Indiebound page.  Here's Kate's really cool website.  If you missed my review and interview with her, you can find it at this post. And here's the page I created on my employer's website.

CONGRATULATIONS, KATE!

If you're anywhere near the Philadelphia area and you want to meet Kate and buy a signed copy, come to the Official Launch Party at Chester County Book & Music Company in West Chester, PA on Saturday, January 7 at 7 pm.

Class of 2K12 Interview with Caroline Starr Rose -- Debut Author of MAY B. -- AND a giveaway!

Happy New Year, Everyone! 

And welcome back. Today, I'm doing something a little different for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday!

I'm thrilled to be interviewing Caroline Starr Rose. You may remember my review of her debut novel-in-verse, MAY B. from November, 2011 (if not, you can find it via my own blog and actually also here at Random Acts of Reading).  This lovely novel is being pubbed by Schwartz & Wade (for ages 9 to 12) and it launches on January 10, 2012.  Only a little over a week!  YAY!  Congrats, Caroline! 

Caroline Starr Rose

Q.   Do you outline before you write?  If so, does it end up changing before you finish the first draft?  What change surprised you the most?

A.  I don’t really outline, but I do try to plot some key moments/turning points in the storyline, knowing things will probably change. When I started May B., I had a sense how it would end, but I wasn’t sure exactly how the story would get there. I have this weird belief that the story itself will answer all questions I have about it, if I just dig deep enough. When I get to a rough patch, I go back and ask questions about a character’s motivation, limitations, etc., trusting the answers are there for me to unearth, that the one logical way the character and her story will play out will come to me somehow. Sometimes I need an outsider’s perspective to see the answers, but so far, this has worked for me.

Q. How long did it take to go from the idea for the book to the draft your editor accepted?  Was it months or years?  Did you go through endless revisions, beta readers, etc, before starting the submission process?  Did you ever want to pull out your hair?

A.  I started May B. the summer of 2007 and finished the first draft the following summer (I was teaching at the time and found any sort of creative work outside the classroom virtually impossible during the school year). Really, from the start I had the sense that it was the strongest thing I’d ever written because it felt so honest. While drafting, I shared it with my critique group, two adult writers who’d never even heard of a verse novel but were nonetheless able to help me move forward.

I taught another year, doing some revision while school was in session. In the spring of 2009, I entered May B. in a novel excerpt contest at the Jambalaya Writer’s Conference, a local event sponsored by a nearby university. May won first place, and part of the prize was to meet with an editor one-on-one. After taking one look at my work, she asked why I didn’t have an agent yet. As crazy as it sounds, I decided -- without any prospects -- to stop teaching and write full time. I met writer Natalie Bahm through her blog and asked her to read my manuscript. She asked me one simple question that completely changed the ending of the book, making it stronger. In October, I signed with my agent, Michelle Humphrey. We did one more round of revisions, and May B. sold, at auction, in March 2010.

May started with Random House Children’s Books imprint, Tricycle Press. I went through 4-5 vigorous rounds of edits with my editor and was weeks from the ARC printing when I discovered Random House had decided to close Tricycle. All titles slated for Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 were put on hold. For six weeks, none of us knew if our books would stay with Random House or if we’d have to shop them elsewhere. Let’s call this my hair-pulling stage! It was a really painful time for me, not only to (possibly) lose my book but to see my editor lose her job and watch this beloved imprint close. May was one of five Tricycle titles kept on with Random House. I moved to the imprint Schwartz and Wade, and my publication date switched from September 2011 to January 2012. My new editor and I went through three more intense rounds of edits.

For a book of 15,000 words, that’s a lot of editing! As stressful as it was to have my book in jeopardy, I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work with two talented editors who challenged me and drew out my writing in different ways.

A few weeks ago I got a call from the woman who heads up the Jambalaya Writer’s Conference. She’s asked me to come speak next spring. I never would have guessed three years ago of this full-circle way things have played out.

Wow!  That's quite a journey!  And I'm so glad Random House kept you on when Tricycle closed.  

Q.  How much of your main character is you in disguise?

A. Very little of May is me in disguise. She’s much braver than I, and I’ve drawn a lot of strength from her, especially those weeks when I wasn’t sure what would ultimately happen to my book. As silly as it sounds, while running half marathons (something I do not with a lot of speed or grace but with a lot of heart) I often think of May for inspiration during those hard miles at the end.

Thank you so much for joining us today, Caroline!  I'm looking forward to handselling your book next week!

Caroline's website can be found here.  And this is her blog.  


Here's the official website of the Class of 2K12.

  

(Please note that most of the other Class of 2K12 interviews I have coming up will be for YA books, so I'll be posting them on FRIDAYS, as part of my semi-regular YA Friday posts!  This Friday, January 6, I'm interviewing Robin Bridges, author of The Gathering Storm! All my interviews will come under the heading of Class of 2K12 so you'll be able to find them easily. Thanks.)

AND NOW...

I love Caroline's book so much I'm giving away one hardcover copy!  All you have to do to enter this giveaway is be a follower and leave a comment on this post, although I will give you extra points if you tweet it, blog about it, or mention on facebook -- just let me know.  On Twitter, I'm @booksnbrains.   This giveaway is open internationally and will close at 11:59 pm EST on Saturday, January 14, 2012.  Winner will be announced on Monday January 16, 2012.  Good luck!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Whitney Messenger. Other regulars include (but are not limited to):

Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming
Myrna Foster at The Night Writer
Natalie Aguirre at Literary Rambles
Brooke Favero at Somewhere in the Middle
Deb Marshall at Just Deb
Barbara Watson at her blog
Anita Laydon Miller at her middle grade blog
Michael G-G at Middle Grade Mafioso
Pam Torres at So I'm Fifty

Ms. Yingling at Ms. Yingling Reads

Danika Dinsmore at The Accidental Novelist

Jennifer Rumberger at her blog

Akoss at Nye Louwon--My Spirit
Gabrielle Prendergast at angelhorn
Sheri Larsen at her blog