Pandemic Diary Entry #17

Found on Twitter

Good news! Breonna's Law passed last week! No-knock warrants are now illegal in Louisville, Kentucky. But there's still a long way to go. Breonna's murderers haven't yet been charged. #JusticeforBreonna would like you to sign the petition, demanding Louisville's mayor fires and arrests the officers responsible.  #SayHerName

And this law really should be passed all over the country!

Breonna Taylor from justiceforbreonna.org.

Tuesday, June 16 (Day 99):

Still educating myself about BIPOC and Black Lives Matter. And yes, I fully realize what a privilege it is to be doing this, instead of experiencing racial injustice firsthand! 

Here's a comprehensive list of anti-racist children's books from Publishers Weekly. I've read a few so far and have more on order. Can't wait to read Kekla Magoon's How It Went Down. You may remember Kekla from her Facebook post on my earlier pandemic diary entry.

Kekla Magoon from her website

In additon, the pandemic is still very much with us. Here's a quote I feel is important (from the Washington Post, June 16, 2020): 

“I understand how people must be very tired of this at this point,” Francis S. Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health told them. “But the virus doesn’t care that we’re tired. The virus is still out there.”

And it's still the first wave, people! It's not even a second wave yet. Many states, especially in the South and West, are experiencing surges in virus cases since reopening. Stay home if you can. And please continue to take precautions if you must go out. Masks are essential.

Wednesday, June 17 (Day 100):

Yes, we have been sheltering in place for 100 days! Did you ever imagine we'd still be doing this? It seems a lot of Americans think the pandemic is over. But it's not! Some states, like Florida, Texas, and Arizona, have surging numbers since reopening. And no, it's not because of increased testing. 

Was Day 100 any different than any other day? Mostly, not (for me anyway). Had a long phone chat with an older relative who called me. A lovely surprise.

Aside from that, I received an email from my editor at Holiday House, telling me she loves the latest revision (my responses to her line edits, which I sent her in late May) and saying it's a pleasure to work with an author who is flexible about revisions. That gave me a nice feeling!

Helped my husband with the Accidental Garden. This is mostly his project (started after our spruce tree blew down in that wind storm in late April).  No vegetables yet, but everything looks green and healthy. The tomato plants are thriving. 

But only two of our potato plants have grown. Don't know what happened to the other four. My husband hilled up the dirt, as you're supposed to when the plants are six to eight inches high. Glad he knows all this stuff! (Those yellow flowering shrubs in the background are, we believe, St. John's Wort. We didn't plant them. The previous owners did.)

And the peas are starting to climb the fencing, they way they should. 

As for my continuing education, today I read this chart from Vox.com about systemic racism. We white people have so much to learn! 

Thursday, June 18 (Day 101): 

Beautiful sunny day after an early morning rain. It's starting to feel really hot here in southeastern Pennyslvania.

Good news! The Supreme Court upheld DACA! We Need Diverse Books has a list of suggested reading. 

But then I read an alarming article about climate. According to the headline of an article from today's Guardian,  the "world has six months to avert climate crisis." Here are the first two paragraphs (italics mine):

The world has only six months in which to change the course of the climate crisis and prevent a post-lockdown rebound in greenhouse gas emissions that would overwhelm efforts to stave off climate catastrophe, one of the world’s foremost energy experts has warned.

“This year is the last time we have, if we are not to see a carbon rebound,” said Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency.

The report goes on to say that wind and solar power should be the main focus, but we also need to build more energy-efficient buildings.

My photo from our Columbia River trip in May 2017
We saw hundreds of wind turbines in Oregon and Washington State!

Here's another article I found interesting today, one interviewing Dr. Anthony Fauci about the coronavirus. 

Friday, June 19 (Day 102):

Yes, today is Juneteenth. By now you should know what Juneteenth is, if you didn't already. I first learned about it years ago, when I worked at the bookstore. (Everything I know, I learned from children's books!) I hope that in the future, our children will learn about significant events like this in school!

JUNETEENTH  by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and Drew Nelson,
illustrated by Mark Schroder (First Avenue Editions, 2006)

There are, of course, many newer books about Juneteenth, both for children and for adults. Here's a graphic from coloursofus.com: 

I subscribe to the Washington Post and their Friday newsletter "The Five-Minute Fix", usually written by Amber Phillips. But today, she handed it over to Eugene Scott, another writer for the Post.

"There's more fanfare than in years past for Juneteenth, more official recognition by businesses and state and local governments of the day as a holiday than ever before in its long history. That’s the case because it coincides with a national reckoning on race. " 

Scott had conversations with five scholars and activists, including Keisha Blain, history professor at the University of Pittsburgh, and president of the African American Intellectual History Society. I started following her on Twitter. 

Keisha Blain from her website

Blain has this to say in answer to Scott's question, "What is the media getting wrong?":

Blain: "Well, the media has gotten several things wrong. One, they keep calling the uprisings the George Floyd protests. What you’re saying is that people are protesting his death specifically and only. This did not begin with his death. What we can argue is that this particular incident is the straw that broke the camel’s back, but the danger in calling it the George Floyd protest is we minimize the problem and say all we have to do is address police violence and police brutality. But we fail to address the fundamental problem, and that is structural racism — which no one really wants to talk about. From my perspective, we’ll know when we‘re headed in the right direction when we’re no longer feeling comfortable. We have to break free from the comfort zone."

  Good point, Keisha Blain! Let's try to break free from our comfort zone.

For me, the highlight of today was a visit from our younger son, a few days before both Father's Day and our 35th anniversary (this coming Monday). He stayed and talked to us for over two hours. It was threatening rain so we sat on deck chairs inside our garage, more than six feet apart from him.  (Yes, there's room! We sold my car last year because since my second brain aneurysm rupture, I no longer drive. Saves money too!)

While he was here, our son checked out our garden and managed to take a photo of our newest visitor. I suspect this is an antheraea polyphemus, or Polyphemus moth. It's huge! We've lived here for over 28 years and I've never seen one of these before.

Saturday, June 20 (Day 103):

Read an opinion piece this morning from the Washington Post, written by a former Camden (NJ) police chief, J. Scott Thompson. The headline: "As Camden's police chief, I scrapped the police force and started over. It worked." Perhaps other cities might consider following this example. Camden was once considered the most dangerous city in the country. If you can't access the Post or don't want to read the entire article, here's an excerpt (italics mine):

So we started from scratch. We let every city police officer go and created a new department with new rules in 2013. By agreement with Camden County, the city ceased to fund its department and instead paid the county to police the city of Camden. We required all officers to apply as new hires (most officers from the old force got jobs, but not all) and committed to a new relationship between Camden’s police and its citizens, around 95 percent of whom are minorities.

The only thing that bothers me about this? The police chief is white, in a city where 95 percent of the citizens are NOT white! Do you find that odd?

According to today's Guardian article, Florida's Covid-19 surge shows their reopening plan is not working!

COVID-19 World Stats as of June 20 (from WHO):

Confirmed cases: 8,690,140

Confirmed deaths: 461,274

US COVID-19 Stats as of June 20 (from the CDC):

Confirmed cases: 2,215,618

Confirmed deaths: 119,055 

Currently reading: All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely (2015, Scholastic, for ages 14 and up). Two teens, one black and one white, deal with the aftermath of a mistaken shoplifting and a violent act by a cop. It seems as if it was written today, but it's five years old! Told in alternating viewpoints, this is a powerful story so far. 

What are you reading this week? Have you read any good articles you'd like to share? And do you do any gardening?

NOW OR NEVER! by Ray Anthony Shepard for Black History Month

I didn't want to let Black History Month go by without mentioning this hard-hitting, beautifully-written book by Ray Anthony Shepard (whom I was lucky enough to meet at the Highlights Foundation Novel in Verse workshop in 2016).

From the distributor, Penguin Random House

NOW OR NEVER! 54th Massachusetts Infantry's War to End Slavery by Ray Anthony Shepard (October 2017, Calkins Creek, 144 pages, for ages 10 and up)

Synopsis (from the publisher):  Here is the riveting dual biography of two little-known but extraordinary men in Civil War history: George E. Stephens and James Henry Gooding. These Union soldiers not only served in the Massachusetts 54th Infantry, the well-known black regiment, but were also war correspondents who published eyewitness reports of the battlefields. Their dispatches told the truth of their lives at camp, their intense training, and the dangers and tragedies on the battlefield. Like the other thousands of black soldiers in the regiment, they not only fought against the Confederacy and the inhumanity of slavery, but also against injustice in their own army. The regiment’s protest against unfair pay resulted in America’s first major civil rights victory -- equal pay for African American soldiers.

Why I recommend it: I learned so much from this slim volume about a little-known part of American history. Everyone should read this well-researched book, not just teens and pre-teens. Shepard doesn't hold back in telling the sometimes-gruesome, sometimes-infuriating history of the African-Americans who fought and often died for the Union.

Why did I wait until now to read a book from 2017? Ray is such a kind man, when he learned what I had been through in 2017/2018, and that I was awaiting brain surgery in 2019, he told me to hold off until I was fully recovered, saying it's a "hard and sometimes-disturbing Civil War story."  I'm glad I finally read it, though. It's definitely worth it.

Ray Anthony Shepard from his website

Bio (from Ray's website): Ray Anthony Shepard is a grandson of a slave, a former teacher, and retired editor-in-chief of a major education publishing company., He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska College of Education and the Harvard Graduate School of Education where he received a Martin Luther King Jr. Fellowship from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. This is his first work of creative nonfiction.

"I write to provide young readers of any age a fuller (not revisionist) picture of American slavery, a corrective history of the struggle and anguish of courageous individuals in the two-and-a-half-century assault to limit full American citizenship to African Americans by ascribing inferior physical, moral, and intellectual attributes to a set of racial features."

Exclusive interview with Kirby Larson, author of HATTIE EVER AFTER -- and a giveaway!

Hattie Ever After, a sequel to the Newbery-honor winning Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson, pubs tomorrow, and I'm thrilled to be hosting Kirby for an exclusive interview. Don't forget the giveaway at the end of the post.

 Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson (Delacorte Press, February 12, 2013, for ages 10 and up)

Synopsis (from the publisher):  After leaving Uncle Chester's homestead claim, orphan Hattie Brooks throws a lasso around a new dream, even bigger than the Montana sky. She wants to be a big-city reporter. A letter and love token from Uncle Chester's old flame in San Francisco fuels that desire and Hattie jumps at the opportunity to get there by working as a seamstress for a traveling acting troupe. This could be her chance to solve the mystery of her "scoundrel" uncle and, in the process, help her learn more about herself. But Hattie must first tell Charlie that she will not join him in Seattle. Even though her heart approves of Charlie's plan for their marriage, her mind fears that saying yes to him would be saying no to herself. 

Why I liked it: This novel is bursting with historical flavor, so if you're a fan of historical fiction, you'll definitely want to read this. I learned a lot about the time period. And even if you're not into historical fiction, read it for Hattie herself. She's wonderful --  a strong female character full of life and sass and gumption.You'll find yourself cheering her on as if she's a real person. 

You could read this without reading Hattie Big Sky, but it definitely helps to be familiar with the first book. And although it's considered YA and it's all about careers and marriage, there is absolutely nothing too mature about the book. I suspect it's the kind of novel I would have cherished when I was 11 or 12. 

Kirby's website

Follow her on Twitter

Kirby Larson from her website

Hi Kirby!  Welcome to My Brain on Books! In your author note you state that when you wrote Hattie Big Sky, you had no intention of continuing her story. I'm so glad you changed your mind. Can you tell us about the seeds that grew into Hattie Ever After and how much influence your reader fans had on the decision?

I am a firstborn and am very much into following the rules and keeping other people happy. So, even though I thought I had completed Hattie's story, when I kept hearing from readers, I felt compelled to pay attention. And, honestly, who wouldn't like spending a little more time with such a spunky and stubborn orphan? But I knew that if I were to take on a sequel, I couldn't simply do another version of the homestead story. I would need to find something completely different. I was sure Hattie was going to go on a road trip, but she had other ideas. After fighting with her for some time, I finally got the picture: she wanted to be a writer. I certainly knew about that dream! Once that fell into place, so many other things did, too. I think when we completely give ourselves over to a book -- a terrifying experience!-- we will be given what we need to tell the story. At least, that is how it seems to happen for me. 

I love it when a character takes over! Please tell us a little about your journey to publication. Was Hattie Big Sky the first novel you ever wrote? How long did it take you to find an agent?  And how much time passed before you signed your first publishing contract?

[chuckling] First novel? Um, HBS was perhaps my fifth. But, it was my first effort at historical fiction. My first published book, a chapter book, came out in 1994; then I had four more books published, including two ghost written series books. Beginning in 1997, I contracted submission pox -- everything I submitted for the next seven years was rejected. I was ready to pitch it all in and go to work as a Starbucks' barista. Or maybe a Walmart greeter. Then, through a sad and wonderful set of circumstances, I was led to my great-grandmother's story of homesteading in eastern Montana as a young woman and spent four years researching and writing Hattie Big Sky. When the manuscript was ready to submit, I sent it to half a dozen editors--one of whom called me ten days after receiving it to say she wanted to publish it. Though I had had agents (two) earlier in my career, HBS was unsolicited/agentless. After the book won the Newbery Honor, I was introduced to Jennifer Holm's agent, Jill Grinberg, and the rest, as they say, was history. 

That's quite a journey. How amazing that Hattie Big Sky was agentless!  You used to teach writing classes. What advice can you give us on revising a rough draft?

First, celebrate the fact that you have completed a first draft. Most people never make it that far! Have you adequately celebrated? Really? Was there chocolate involved? Okay. Now you can move on. I'd say the first thing to do is find a trusted reader. Mine is my picture book co-author, Mary Nethery, who has earned several jewels in her heavenly crown for nudging me to actually include a plot in my novels. Respond to the concerns of that trusted reader (e.g. in my case, add a plot). Then, scout the manuscript for narrative chunks: such chunks probably indicate telling, rather than scene-building. Convert those sections to scenes and you're most of the way there! Don't forget to take a look at motivation: yes, you need John and Jenny to have a spat in Chapter Four. But why are they having that spat? And does the spat grow organically out of the preceding action? Finally, read EVERY SINGLE WORD aloud. That will save you from all kinds of clunkers and faux pas.

Ah, yes, I did celebrate with chocolate when I finished my first draft, thank you! And thank you for the rest of this great advice too. Do you listen to music while you write? Do you have a theme song that best fits Hattie Ever After? 

Good lord, no. I have to have it very quiet while I write. Theme song? I think Etta James' version of At Last fits almost any situation!
 

Other than music, what's your writing process like? Are you an early morning writer or an evening writer? Do you write in your PJ's? Drink gallons of coffee? Do you chain yourself to a writing desk or take your laptop and spread out on the couch?

I'm an all-day writer because this is my job. In fact, both my husband and I office at home, so are a trifle workaholic. We have resolved for 2013 to quit work earlier a couple of times a week and have some non-writing or acounting kind of fun. Two nights ago we went to the Seattle Opera. The week before that, it was a date to see Silver Linings Playbook. Next week, it's a tour of the newly relocated Seattle Museum of History and Industry. 

As the result of an unfortunate event that occurred when our son was in elementary band, I do not write in my PJs (long story). I get up around 6:30 or 7 and have a cup of coffee and do the NY Times crossword puzzle (on Mondays, I feel like the smartest person in the world!). Then I walk Winston the Wonder Dog and we come back and have breakfast (he eats a bit of kibble with a home-cooked patty of turkey and veggies; I often eat a poached egg and toast). Then we are in my office by no later than 9. I write all day (breaking for lunch and that very important afternoon constitutional for Winston). I now use a Mac mini hooked up to a big monitor so I am pretty much chained to my office. But I do have an iPad so sometimes go to my local coffee shop to play around. I especially like to print out my manuscripts and take those to a coffee shop to work on revisions.

You're so good at writing historical fiction (the Hattie novels, The Friendship Doll and even a Dear America book!). Will your next book also be that genre? Or will you go back to nonfiction picture books like Nubs or The Two Bobbies?  Which is your favorite to write: picture books or novels?

[Thank you for that lovely compliment; I do work very hard on my historical fiction.] Mary and I are dying to find a third narrative non-fiction book together, along the lines of Two Bobbies and Nubs. So I am hoping a book like that is in the not-too-distant future. As for my individual work: I am totally and passionately in love with historical fiction. My next three books will be in that genre, for sure. After that -- who knows? As far as which is my favorite genre: such a thing doesn't exist. It's the story, not the genre, that counts.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. And congratulations on tomorrow's release of Hattie Ever After!

Thank you so much for taking the time to come up with such thoughtful questions! I really appreciate your support and encouragement of my work.

 *   *   *   *   *

Readers, to celebrate Kirby Larson's book launch tomorrow, I'm giving away a package that includes my ARC of Hattie Ever After and a paperback of Hattie Big Sky (in case you haven't read it). To enter, simply be a follower and leave a comment on this post. This giveaway is open internationally and will end at 10 pm EST on Saturday February 23, 2013. Winner to be determined by random.org and will be announced on Monday, February 25. Good luck!

What I've Read So Far -- And a January challenge

Drum roll, please! Here is a list of all the books I've read in 2012 (divided up by months and not counting picture books. And please note that most of these were arcs, unless otherwise noted):

January
1. Cinder - Marissa Meyer
2. The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
3. A Diamond in the Dust - Kathryn Fitzmaurice
4. Chomp - Carl Hiaasen
5. Because of Winn Dixie - Kate DiCamillo
6. Looking for Alaska - John Green
7. Gil Marsh - A.C.E. Bauer
8. Never Fall Down - Patricia McCormick
9. Jake & Lily - Jerry Spinelli




February
10. What the Dog Said - Randi Reisfield
11. So Close to You - Rachel Carter
12. Breathing Lessons - Anne Tyler (paperback purchased from indie bookstore)
13. Wonder - R.J. Palacio
14. Curveball: How I Lost My Grip - Jordan Sonnenblick






March
15. Breath of Eyre - Eve Marie Mont
16. critique partner's MG novel
17. Guy Langman, Crime Scene Procrastinator - Josh Berk
18. Embrace - Jessica Shirvington
19. Insurgent - Veronica Roth
20. Kaspar the Titanic Cat - Michael Morpurgo
21. Small Damages - Beth Kephart
22. The Year of the Book - Andrea Chang
23. Remarkable - Lizzie K. Foley



April
24. The Wicked and the Just - J. Anderson Coats
25. Summer of the Gypsy Moths - Sara Pennypacker
26. Drowned Cities - Paolo Bacigalupi
27. Starters - Lissa Price
28. The False Prince - Jennifer Nielson
29. Chains - Laurie Halse Anderson
30. My Life Next Door - Huntley Fitzpatrick


May
31. Devine Intervention - Martha Brockenbrough
32. The Patron Saint of Beans (now called If You Find Me) - Emily Murdoch
33. Keeping the Castle - Patrice Kindl
34. Don't Turn Around - Michelle Gagnon
35. Gilt - Katherine Longshore
36. Lucid - Adrienne Stolz and Ron Bass
37. The Mapmaker & the Ghost - Sarvenaz Tash
38. A World Away - Nancy Grossman
39. Keeping Safe the Stars - Sheila O'Connor
40. Gold Medal Summer - Donna Freitas
41. The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy - Nikki Loftin
42. This is Not a Drill - Beck McDowell
43. Tiger Lily - Jodi Lynn Anderson


June
44. Jump Into the Sky - Shelley Pearsall
45. Noah's Compass - Anne Tyler (paperback purchased from indie bookstore)
46. What Came From the Stars - Gary D. Schmidt
47. Forge - Laurie Halse Anderson
48. Grave Mercy - Robin LaFevers
49. Son - Lois Lowry
50. Ungifted - Gordon Korman
51. Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein
52. Capture the Flag - Kate Messner
53. Edge of Nowhere - Elizabeth George



July
54. Nerve - Jeanne Ryan
55. Burning Blue - Paul Griffin
56. The Great Unexpected - Sharon Creech
57. Malcolm at Midnight - W. H. Beck
58. Ten - Gretchen McNeil
59. Lindsey Lost - Suzanne Phillips
60. The Diviners - Libba Bray
61. Age of Miracles - Karen Thompson Walker



August
62. What's Left of Me - Kat Zhang
63. critique partner's YA novel
64. Third Grade Angels - Jerry Spinelli
65. Beholding Bee - Kimberly Newton Fusco
66. Space Station Seventh Grade - Jerry Spinelli
67. The Spindlers - Lauren Oliver
68. Every Day - David Levithan


September
69. Empty - K.M. Walton
70. If I Lie - Corrine Jackson
71. True Colors - Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
72. Popular - Alissa Grosso (paperback I purchased at PAYA)
73. Pretty Crooked -- Elisa Ludwig (hardcover I purchased at PAYA)
74. Dying to Know You - Aidan Chambers
75. Seven Tales of Trinket -- Shelley Moore Thomas (hardcover purchased from indie bookstore)
76. Glass Heart -- Amy Garvey
77. Unspoken -- Sarah Rees Brennan
78. Liar & Spy -- Rebecca Stead

October
79. The Voyage of Lucy P. Simmons - Barbara Mariconda
80. Lovely, Dark and Deep -- Amy McNamara (hardcover from S&S)
81. Breathe - Sarah Crossan
82. A Dog Called Homeless -- Sarah Lean
83. Geeks, Girls and Secret Identities -- Mike Jung (hardcover purchased from indie bookstore)
84. Touching the Surface - Kim Sabatini (hardcover from S&S)
85. Ask the Passengers - A.S. King
86. The Secret Underground - Natalie Bahm (paperback purchased to help Baby Jayden)
87. The Brides of Rollrock Island


November
88. Double Vision - F.T. Bradley
89. The Tide-Changers -- Sandy Green (paperback purchased from Amazon)
90. Through to You - Emily Hainsworth
91. The Flight - C.F. Runyan (old paperback I've read before)
92. Circle of Secrets - Kimberley Griffiths Little (hardcover won from Deb Marshall)
93. A Tale of Time City - Diana Wynne Jones (paperback purchased from indie bookstore)
94. A Thunderous Whisper - Christina Diaz Gonzalez (hardcover won from Medeia Sharif)
95. Recipe for Trouble - Sheryl Berk & Carrie Berk (paperback won from Jennifer Rumberger)
96. Hokey Pokey - Jerry Spinelli

December
97. Hattie Ever After - Kirby Larson
98. When We Wake - Karen Healy
99. Dead End in Norvelt - Jack Gantos
100. A String in the Harp - Nancy Bond (paperback lent by a friend)
101. Storm in the Barn - Matt Phelan

So I've read more than 100 books and December isn't over yet. If you have questions about any of these books, feel free to ask!  Which one's my favorite?  Oh gosh, I couldn't possibly pick ONE favorite. For YA, I'd have to say The Fault in Our Stars, but Small Damages and Devine Intervention both hold a special place in my heart. For MG, I love Wonder, but also What Came From the Stars, and Malcolm at Midnight. Of course, I also loved The One and Only Ivan (but I read it last year!). One of those books had better win a Newbery.

For the next few weeks I'll be taking a blogging break to spend time with my family and to work on my third novel. In January,  I hope to be querying my second novel, but I'm also joining Katia Raina's 31-Minute a Day Challenge.  If you've never checked out Katia's blog, you should hop right over there. She's a lovely young writer I met at the New Jersey SCBWI conference last year, and her first novel is coming from namelos in 2013! Join the challenge! All it takes is a commitment to work on your project (whatever it is) for 31 minutes a day, every day, throughout the month of January. And there's a prize for a random winner at the end! Sign up on Katia's blog.
 
See you in a few weeks. Enjoy your holidays!

And the winner of TOUCHING THE SURFACE is...

According to random.org the winner of the hardcover copy of TOUCHING THE SURFACE, Kimberly Sabatini's stunning debut novel, (plus the cool swag) is:

CHRISTINA FIORELLI

Congratulations, Christina!  Expect an email from me asking for your mailing address, so I can get this out to you as soon as possible!

And never fear, there will be other giveaways in the near future. Happy reading.

Class of 2K12 - An Interview with Kimberly Sabatini, author of TOUCHING THE SURFACE -- plus a GIVEAWAY!

Today, I'm honored that for my final Class of 2K12 interview,* I'm talking with Kim Sabatini, a delightful debut author I've actually met in person (at the SCBWI Eastern PA Poconos retreats)!  First, let me tell you about her book:

 

Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini (Simon Pulse, October 30, 2012, for ages 14 and up)

Synopsis (from Indiebound): When Elliot finds herself dead for the third time, she knows she must have messed up, big-time. She doesn’t remember how she landed in the afterlife again, but she knows this is her last chance to get things right. Elliot just wants to move on, but first she will be forced to face her past and delve into the painful memories she’d rather keep buried. Memories of people she’s hurt, people she’s betrayed…and people she’s killed. As she pieces together the secrets and mistakes of her past, Elliot must find a way to earn the forgiveness of the person she’s hurt most, and reveal the truth about herself to the two boys she loves…even if it means losing them both forever.

My take: I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of this book, and I can tell you all, it's a ravishing and unique look at the afterlife. The lives of four characters are woven together in an intricate dance after death.  As the story unfolds, layer by layer, we grow to love Elliot and her friends and realize the truth of E.M. Forster's famous phrase: "Only connect."  Touching the Surface is all about connecting with other lives, and making choices. Even the most minor decision can affect the other people in your life. This is one of those stories you can't stop thinking about long after you've finished the last page. And isn't that cover gorgeous? I'll be giving away my review copy; details at the end of the interview.

Kim's website

Class of 2K12 website

Kim's Pinterest site

From Simon & Schuster's author page

Welcome to my blog, Kim! I'm almost as excited as you are that Touching the Surface makes its official debut in four days!  (And it's already been selling out in bookstores!)

Did the idea for your book spring from your own childhood or from some other source?  And did you start with a character or with an image or phrase or setting?

The idea for my book came mostly from the fact that my father had died recently.  I think I chose to write a story that took place in the afterlife so that I could explore my own feelings about my where my dad had gone and why he had to leave.  It also came from hearing the story of a local girl who had done something “unforgivable.”  I couldn’t stop thinking about her.  I realized that if I’m so hard on myself about small things, I didn’t know how someone could survive making a life-altering mistake.  It made me want to write something that would make her feel better—and make me feel better 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?

I’m a pantser.  A definite fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of a girl when it comes to a written outline, but that doesn’t mean I don’t plan ahead.  I’m a mullet girl at heart.  I mull over my story, characters and plot in my head for long periods of time before I write it down.  Perhaps you could even call it a mental kind of an outline, because when I sit down to write I have very strong ideas about where I’m headed.  But having said that, I’m really open to going where the story leads me.  This is when it’s advantageous to be a mental outliner—it’s very easy to make corrections to the master plan.  I just head in the new direction and start mulling all over again.  I swish my imagination all around until the new ideas are real to me. 

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate while writing?  And where do you write?  Briefly describe your writing space.

HOT CHOCOLATE!!!!  Don’t forget the whipped cream.  I have a cute little desk area with a nice window view that I’ve put together with a couple of folding tables.  But recently I’ve developed some achy spots from running and dancing and I find that sitting at my desk too long makes my legs hurt.  So…I’ve kind of moved my office onto my bed.  In essence, I’ve become my cat.  We get up in the morning, make the bed, do the mom thing, exercise and/or run errands then curl up in a nest on the bed for the afternoon.  Of course the cat gets to sleep on a pillow like a princess and I’m working like a crazy person, but I have hot chocolate with whipped cream—so I’m not complaining.

You were the first author I knew to go on Pinterest, when you posted on your blog about your Touching The Surface board. Can you talk about why you're so enthusiastic about Pinterest? How has it helped your writing? 

I have always been a visual person. As a writer, I very clearly need to see my characters and setting in order to be able to create a believable story. Pinterest is a quick, easy and portable way to visually support my writing. I've always manually built a bulletin board on the wall at home, but now I can write anywhere and access it from any place. I also think it's cool to be able to share an extra layer with readers. Some people don't want to have their own imagery spoiled, which I completely understand, but like myself, many are fascinated with what the author was thinking about when they were writing. I love checking out these kinds of author boards.

What can we expect from you next? What are you writing now?

Right now I'm revising my second novel, THE OPPOSITE OF GRAVITY. I'm really excited about it and I'm hoping that after the launch of TOUCHING THE SURFACE I'll have a little more time to polish it up. I've also decided to do NaNoWriMo for the first time this November. I know this sounds insane considering it kicks off two days after my book launch, but I feel like I've got book three, CHASING ADAPTATION, knocking on my brain right now. If you see me in a puddle on the side of the road in early December, you'll know that my head exploded. LOL!

Ha ha! Good luck with NaNo! And thanks for joining us today, Kimberly!  

Readers, I'm giving away my hardcover copy of Touching the Surface, AND some cool swag from Kim herself! One lucky person gets to win all this, plus the book (and yes, that is an origami crane!):

To enter, you must be a follower and you must comment on this post. International entries welcome!  Extra entries for tweeting, mentioning on facebook or your own blog. Please let me know. This giveaway ends at 10:00 pm EST on Wednesday, November 7, 2012.  Winner to be chosen by random.org. Good luck!

*Special thanks to Caroline Starr Rose, for asking me to participate in the Class of 2K12 interviews/guest posts.  It was an honor.

YA Friday: GLASS HEART by Amy Garvey

Glass Heart by Amy Garvey (Sept 2012, HarperTeen)

Source: review copy from the publisher

Synopsis: Wren is enjoying using her powers to hover a few inches above the floor of the pedestrian tunnel under the train station when two teens notice her. Bay and Fiona are into magic in a big way, and Wren agrees to hang out with them before realizing Bay's powers might be evil. Until now, only her boyfriend Gabriel and her own family knew she could use magic. Even her best friends Jess and Darcia don't know. Over the course of one December, Wren's relationship with Gabriel is complicated by her secret friendship with Bay and Fiona and by Gabriel's insistence that she stop using her powers. Why can't he realize her powers are part of who she is?  

Why I liked it:  Amy Garvey makes magic utterly believable. It's easy to imagine that Wren would get a rush from using her powers, and for the most part she uses them in beautiful ways, like creating a gentle snowfall. I love all the characters in this book, but especially Wren, who touches me in a way few characters in YA do.  She's so real, you begin to feel if you put the book down and walked to the nearest coffee shop, you might run into her.

This is a sequel to Cold Kiss, so if you haven't read that, you definitely need to read it first.  (And here's an excellent write-up of both books by Donna Gambale from the First Novels Club.)

What powers would you wish for?

YA Friday - POPULAR by Alissa Grosso and PRETTY CROOKED by Elisa Ludwig

I was lucky enough to meet these two authors at this year's PAYA festival.  What's PAYA?  Bringing YA to PA is all about raising money for Pennsylvania libraries.  It was started by an ambitious high school student in 2008. There were over 30 authors at this year's festival, some of whom had already signed books for me at the bookstore (like A.S. King, Ellen Jensen Abbott, K.M. Walton, and Beth Kephart!).


Alissa Grosso is the author of POPULAR (and the more recent FEROCITY SUMMER, which I need to read next!).

Elisa Ludwig is the author of PRETTY CROOKED and the sequel PRETTY SLY (Coming March 2013 from Katherine Tegen Books/Harpercollins).


 

Alissa Grosso (from her website)

 Alissa Grosso website

Elisa Ludwig (from her website)

Elisa Ludwig website (Check out her cool book trailer on the main page!)




I'd met Alissa and Elisa once or twice before, but never got a book signed by either, so this was my opportunity. And I'm thrilled that I did. Both books are about high school cliques, but take vastly different approaches.

Popular by Alissa Grosso (Flux, 2011)  

Alissa Grosso manages to pull off an amazing feat: juggling five different points of view from the five high school girls who form a tight clique at Fidelity High.  Hamilton Best is the queen of the clique, and her followers, Olivia, Nordica, Shelly, and Zelda, are squabbling among themselves and fighting to bring her down. Her boyfriend, Alex, seems moody and distant. Or maybe just confused.

But -- hold everything! -- this isn't just another Gossip Girls or Clique novel. The truth is not always what it seems in this fascinating psychological story. I read this in one day. And I was stunned.

Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig (Katherine Tegen Books/Harper, 2012)

Willa Fox's artist mom has finally sold some paintings and they can settle into a real house for once, with the opportunity for Willa to attend a prestigious private school in Arizona. She quickly makes friends with some of the Glitterati of Valley Prep and finds herself swept up in shopping sprees and parties (and attracted to a hot guy).  But when the popular girls prove to be the power behind a mean-spirited website that bullies scholarship students, Willa decides to even the playing field by turning into a modern day version of Robin Hood.  Steal from the rich and go shopping for the poor girls:  what could be so wrong with that?  This is a fun, fast-paced read that isn't afraid to delve into some social issues of class and race differences. 


What recent YA books have stolen your heart?