The Unread - Interview with Julie Hedlund

It's been a long time since I've done any Unread interviews, but I enjoy them so much and have missed them! I mean hey, I love asking writers questions plus it's so fun to watch writers go from unread to read! Mike Jung, Ame Dyckman, and Tara Lazar will all be published this year. Woohoo! Now we can look back at their interviews and see what they thought way back when before they were published.

For the first interview in my Unread revival I am delighted to have Julie Hedlund as my guest. She is the creative host of the popular 12x12 in 2012 Picture Book Writing Challenge that has brought many wonderful picture book writers together and she's just back from what I'm certain was a fabulous trip to SCBWI Bologna! Even with all she has going on in her busy life, Julie was kind enough to take some time out and talk to me about her writing. But Julie is just nice like that!


So Julie, how did you come up with 12x12 in 2012?

After PiBoIdMo in 2010, I had 30 shiny new PB ideas, but I only wrote one manuscript based on those ideas (although I was still working on others). I decided I needed to dramatically increase my writing output. I am very deadline-driven, so I came up with 12 x 12 as a way to make sure I wrote at least one new story a month. Then I decided to invite others to join in for additional accountability.


Why do you think it’s important for unpublished writers to promote themselves?

I don’t think promotion is important so much as building a network and an online presence. It takes a while to learn the skills associated with all things social media – blogging, Facebooking, Tweeting, etc. It’s better to experiment and move through your learning curve with a couple dozen followers versus hundreds.

In addition, you want to build a network organically and authentically, and that doesn’t happen overnight. So I think it’s best to start early so you have a strong foundation once your book is published.


Has anything amazing happened because of 12x12 so far?


Yes! The 12 x 12, and another post on my blog, caught Katie Davis’ attention. She invited me to come on her podcast at the beginning of the year and then to be a monthly contributor on the show.
I hope I’ll start hearing lots of 12 x 12 success stories from other participants as the challenge proceeds.


Why did you decide you focus on writing for children, and on picture books in particular?

I didn’t really decide. Like many mothers, I was inspired by my kids and the books I was reading to them. I found I had a lot of my own stories I wanted to tell. I fell in love with the picture book genre and the rest, as they say, is history. BUT, I do plan to write in other genres down the road.


What types of stories do you write?

I write primarily in rhyme, but I’ve been experimenting more with prose. I’ve written completely original stories, fractured fairy tales, and take-offs on common legends. I’d say one common theme to my stories is humor. I like funny and “punny” stories.


What do you think is the hardest part about writing? What’s the easiest?

The hardest part is deciding that something is “finished” and ready for submission. I’m not sure there is an easiest part – LOL! If I had to choose something I’d say writing a first draft because there is no pressure to make it great (yet).


Do you belong to a critique group? How has it helped you?

I belong to two critique groups – one online and one in-person. Getting critiques from other writers is essential for everyone. You simply cannot be as objective as you need to be about your own work.


You plan to write 12 complete picture book drafts this year as part of your 12x12 challenge. How is it going so far?

So far, so good. I’m writing this post in February, and I have 2 drafts completed. I hope by the time this interview goes live I’ll have my March draft finished too!


What do you do with your completed manuscripts? Do you have a submission strategy?

My goal this year is to submit a minimum of 5 queries a month for my picture books. I didn’t meet that goal in January, but I did in February. I’m sure I’m not alone in that I hate querying, but there’s no way to sell a book without sending queries!


With all that’s involved with holding an even like 12x12 in 2012, how are you managing to find the time to write and submit?

This year I set concrete writing and submission goals. I keep them open on my desktop and check them off. Even though the 12 x 12 challenge is a lot of work, it’s also a huge motivator. What would it look like if the organizer didn’t “win” her own challenge? :-)


You post some of your work on your blog. Have you ever gotten any interest that way?

Not yet, but a girl can hope! :-)


And the question I always want to know the answer to, if you could live in any book which one would it be and why?

Fun question! I guess I’d have to say Middle Earth because Aragorn is one of my biggest literary crushes. I would love to have been one of the members of the “Fellowship.”

You can learn lots more about Julie at her blog: Write Up My Life. You can also follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook where she's recently shared lots of great tips from her SCBWI Bologna trip!

The Unread - Interview with Paul Greci

Paul Greci is a supercool guy. I met him through Twitter when I started talking about random mountain stuff like baking potatoes in the woodstove and skiing to my car to go to town. Paul is sympathetic to my strange mountain lifestyle, he lives in Alaska where things aren't always easy, but he loves the outdoors and where better to experience it! Just wait until you read about his bicycle riding. Now that's dedication! Paul is also a great supporter of writers, sharing his knowledge and expertise when needed. He's certainly helped me before. Paul is a full-time writer of Young Adult novels and is represented by Jennifer De Chiara. He's my next victim on The Unread...

You were a teacher for fifteen years. What sorts of things did you learn from the kids that made you decide to start writing?

I taught English in an alternative school for at-risk teens. I discovered YA fiction while searching for books that my reluctant reader students would actually read, and I fell in love with the genre.

My students were also reluctant writers so we started writing scenes using characters from the novels we were reading. I figured if the characters were already developed my students may have less resistance to writing. Plus, I wanted to make it fun.

So, we’d all write these scenes and then read them out loud. I’m the kind of teacher that participates in the things I assign so I wrote, too. And, I loved it.

(See, I told you he was supercool.)


What types of stories do you write?

So far I’ve written wilderness survival stories, and edgy school stories that have a touch of humor. I have five WIPs. A couple of those I might end up mining for parts, but for now they are intact.


How did you get your agent?

I met my agent at a fund-raiser for starving artists. No, wait. That was a dream I had.

Actually, I sent Jennifer a query letter.

But really, how I got my agent is that I kept rewriting my novel. It took six weeks to write the first draft, then about a year and a half to revise it to get it into querying shape.

(That is a great example of how important revising is!)


Why did you choose to go with Jennifer De Chiara for representation?

I chose to sign with Jennifer because out of the five agents who offered representation I felt like she best understood my writing. She made it clear that she wanted to represent me and not just the one book of mine she’d read. She has a really great reputation, she’s a talented editor, and she doesn’t give up. She totally believes in people going after their dreams. And, she’s fun to work with.

(Five offers! Your book must be awesome!)


How has having an agent changed your writing life?

Having an agent has changed my writing life in a couple of ways: I run ideas by Jennifer before starting a new project. And, I think I’m more motivated to write well. I mean, here’s this amazing person who has offered to work with me on building a writing career. I want to give her the best writing I can. I feel totally fortunate to be in partnership with her.


What do you think is the hardest part about writing? What’s the easiest?

The hardest and easiest parts of writing change for me. When I don’t have an idea for a new story, coming up with an idea feels like the hardest part. When my wrist and thumb rebel from too much keyboard time, or my neck turns to cement, or my eyes ache, the physical act of writing feels the hardest. It constantly changes.


Do you think living in the wilds of Alaska gives you a different point of view than most people? Does this make its way into your writing?

Living in Alaska definitely makes its way into my writing. Two of my five WIPs are set in Alaska. All of my mistakes and misjudgments and close calls in the wilderness are good fodder for stories.

(Well now, that makes me wonder about these wilderness survival stories even more! Eek!)


You have a spot for your computer on your treadmill, how the heck did you come up with this awesome contraption?

My treadmill desk was inspired by pain.

After I left my teaching job to write full-time, my body started rebelling against the countless hours of sitting.

I used to ride my bike to and from work year-round, even when the temperatures dipped to forty below. And, I’d participate in gym class three times a week. Over the years I injured my shoulder playing dodge-ball, cracked a rib playing touch football, pulled various leg muscles, jammed my fingers… the list of injuries goes on. But staying at home and writing was pretty brutal.

A physical therapist suggested a treadmill desk. I had a treadmill because I’m kind of an exercise addict, so I took a piece of plywood and cut a pattern with a jigsaw so it would slide right on. I was pretty amazed that it fit as well as it did. Usually things I build don’t really come out the way I think they should and this actually did.

I spend about half of my writing time walking very slowly and typing. The other half I’m often slouched in a glider-rocking chair by the wood stove with my laptop, basically cancelling out all the good-posture-points I’ve earned. I figure as long as I don’t have a negative balance I’ll do okay.


Can you run and type at the same time?

That sounds like a pretty scary combination of activities. Although I don’t have a cell phone, I’m guessing it’d be like texting while driving, and there’s a law against that.

(Hee hee. I imagined that the faster you ran the faster you could type, whipping up stories at great speed like some writing superhero! Okay, enough of my fantasies, back to Paul's interview.)

What are you working on now?

I just finished a first draft of a YA adventure story set in a post-oil era, global-warming-affected Alaska. It’s still what I’d call realistic fiction even though it is set a tiny bit into the future.


How far would you go to get your book published?

You know, although I definitely obsess about having a book going on submission, I try to tell myself to remember what I do and don’t have control over. I have control over my writing, not how other people respond to it.

So, how far would I go? I think I’ll just keep on writing regardless of whether I get published, but hopefully my writing will continue to improve if I keep pushing myself, and an editor will fall in love with one of my books.

(Well, you should get major points for riding your bike in forty below temperatures, imho.)


If you could live in any book, which one would it be and why?


I never know how to answer this question. But today, I think I’d choose Tuck Everlasting. To be able to travel through time with your family sounds pretty cool. There was something about the combination of magic and realism that sucked me in to the story. Mostly, I read realistic fiction but Tuck Everlasting has stayed with me for years and years and years.

(What? You've had to answer this question before? Maybe I need a new end-of-interview question. And yup, I would have probably drank the water too. It would be so hard to resist!)

Thanks for having me here today, Heather. This was fun!

Thank you, Paul! I was so glad to finally get to ask you some nosy, in depth writing questions! :-)

You can find out lots more about Paul and his Alaskan adventures at his blog: Northwriter. You can also follow Paul on Twitter. He's very nice to talk to.

The Unread - Interview with Dana Carey

Dana Carey is an aspiring children's book writer and illustrator living in France. She's an active SCBWI member, goes to Paris for vacation, and plays badminton! I'm so happy to have met her via Twitter. I just know if we lived closer we'd totally hang out and try to kick each others butts in badminton while discussing writing and subbing and all those good things kidlit writers love to talk about. It would be awesome! She may be too far away for that, but I'm happy to have connected with her, and I couldn't resist asking her to be the next victim of The Unread so I could learn more about her...


How long have you been writing and illustrating for children? What made you decide to do so?

I started dipping my toe in around 8 years ago but I didn't have any clear goals until about 5 years ago. I've always been interested in art and books; these are constants in my life. I was a graphic designer then (after I moved to France and had a child) I began teaching English as a second language. And like so many people, while reading tons of books with my daughter, I became more and more fascinated by kids' books. So I feel like everything in my life sort of converged and here I am.


©Dana Carey


What types of stories do you like to create?

Basically, I'm up for making all kinds of picture books: character-based or concept books, serious or irreverent.


Where do you find inspiration?

Memories. I remember a lot from my childhood so I start there but the story usually turns out quite differently from the initial memory. But stories come from other sources too. For example, when I did Picture Book Idea Month I took cues from Tara Lazar and her guest bloggers; they suggested lots of things to spark ideas such as listening to music which worked for me.


Do you hope to create your own books entirely or would you like to write and illustrate for others as well?

I'd always consider every opportunity that came my way.


Do you feel you have an illustration style, or is it still developing?

Style is such a difficult question. I started out painting and that style developed very quickly and very organically. When I started illustrating my own stories I felt the need to adapt how I paint to the particular story so "having a style" that I always have to adhere to might be detrimental to the work I want to do. There's a lot said online about style and portfolios. I've spent time worrying about developing a style for kids' books and working up a general portfolio. But I've decided to concentrate on writing and making my dummy books. It's a struggle at times but I think I'm getting somewhere.

©Dana Carey


You’re an active member of SCBWI France. How has participating in SCBWI helped you?

SCBWI has helped enormously. I've learned so much there. In fact when I was "dipping my toe in" I went to a talk organized by SCBWI France at the American Library. Writer/illustrator Doug Cushman was presenting his work and I thought the whole evening, his presentation and the group was so great that I kept attending their events then signed up as a member. Now I'm the Assistant Regional Advisor. I've learned about the industry and how it works by attending events (and taking lots of notes) but volunteering has helped me to get to know the group. Contact with people who care about the same things you care about is wonderful.


What’s the best piece of knowledge you’ve learned about the children’s publishing industry so far?

That there are rules. Some that you can't ever break, some that you can't break until you've earned the privilege.


Do you belong to a critique group? How has it helped you? If you don’t: How do you do it without one?

I live in northwestern France, far from a sizable anglophone community so unfortunately face-to-face crit groups are hard to come by. I've tried online groups twice and they always fell apart; I think it's easier for people to shrug off responsibilty when they don't have to face the group. But I know there are groups out there that function very well online so I haven't given up hope. When I was in my first group, I realized how much I needed to learn so when it ended I took a one-month intensive picture book writing class with Anastasia Suen online. This helped me progress in my writing and taught me so much about the publishing industry. Now I make up for the lack of a crit group with individual reviews at SCBWI.

©Dana Carey


I’ve read about writer’s concerns with subbing overseas. Do you find that it creates obstacles when sending out submissions?

I think the industry is global so I hesitate to say there are obstacles. A lot happens in email. The only thing is sending out dummy books; if I want them back I need stamps for an SASE from the country I'm sending to. I've had interesting conversations with postal workers in England while trying to buy stamps online from outside the UK (you can't but you can buy stamps from their stamp collecting department!)


If you could live in any book, which one would it be and why?

"The Hello, Goodbye Window" by Norton Juster and Chris Raschka. I love this book and I think living with Nanna and Poppy in that big kitchen would be heaven. There's stuff in the drawers, you can color at the big table and eat oatmeal with bananas and raisins. This is one of those books where the words and the pictures stand alone and come together perfectly.


Want to hear more from Dana? You can find her at her blog, UP IN THE ATTIC LATELY, where she promises she'll be posting more come September. You can also connect with her on Twitter where she's @DanaFR.

Two Sales and Two Agents

No, they're not my sales or agents, but I couldn't be more excited! Three of the great people that let me interview them for The Unread have news. Big news!




Ame Dyckman was my first Unread interviewee who had an agent. She is also the first one who sold a book! Her debut picture book BOY AND BOT will be released spring 2012 from Alfred A. Knopf & Crown BFYR. I can't wait to see it!

The bold and powerful ruler of #mikesempire, the great Mike Jung has signed with a fabulous agent, (I'm sure his mind control powers had nothing to do with it) Ammi-Joan Paquette of Erin Murphy Literary Agency. I will not be surprised if we hear of his first book sale very soon. He has also started a most excellent blog. Righteous!

Not only did Tara Lazar obtain an agent. (also Ammi-Joan. Wait, that makes it one agent, two people. Just ignore my post title.) Tara's debut picture book, THE MONSTORE is coming Summer 2012 from Aladdin/Simon & Schuster. A monster book! I am so excited!

Hip hip hooray! Three cheers for three fabulous kidlit writers!

I know, I haven't posted any Unread interviews in a while, but take heart, I have a new one lined up and we'll get it done as soon as we can take a break from our summer fun. See, she's hanging out in Paris. Me, well, I've been spending a lot of time at the lake. Glamorous, I know. There haven't been too many dead fish on the shore lately, and the lake weed is pretty much collecting in one corner now, so there's lots free space for swimming while I contemplate who will be the next victim of...The Unread.

The Unread - Interview with Marci Dunn

Marci Dunn is a writer in the heart of the Bluegrass State. She's a single mom to an amazing nine year old artist. (His work is featured as her Twitter background.) She loves to travel. Her favorite city is New Orleans for its historical beauty. Her favorite moment (outside anything to do with her son) was sitting at Glacier Point, in Yosemite, looking out at Half Dome where she realized how incredibly small we really are and how beautiful the world we live in is. I met Marci on Twitter, where we tend to hang out just a little too much I dare say. I wanted to know more about her writing so I asked her to be this month's victim for the Unread.

When did you start writing and why in the world would you want to do such a thing?

I started seriously putting words on paper about four years ago and I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner. It is so freeing to get the stories out of my head and stored somewhere else. You might say I have an over-active imagination.


How do you make the time to write? Don’t you have other things to do?

I write whenever I have a spare second: my son’s tutoring lessons, football practice, soccer practice, basketball practice…you get the picture. Right now I get some of my best stuff done at night after he goes to bed.

Since completing my first NaNoWriMo last November, I’ve been training myself to write at home, butt firmly planed in chair. In the past I’ve had to leave my house to write, too many distractions at home. But if NaNo taught me anything it was that I can write at home. I can block out distractions or at least learn to move through them.


What sorts of stories do you write?

I write YA Fantasy. I’ve been making up stories in my head ever since I first saw PETER PAN as a child. I love creating new worlds totally different than the normal hum drum one I live in. I guess you could say I love the escapism… it is very freeing.


Do you do much submitting?

I’ve not submitted anything yet. I hope to finish revisions on my current WIP by summer so that I can begin the submitting process. The thought of writing a query letter makes me break out in hives. Summarizing 75K words on one page is very overwhelming to me.


There’s little glory for unpublished writers. What keeps you going?

I was talking with friend about this just last night. Yes there may be little glory for most, but if I could spend the rest of my life creating my art and possibly making others happy by sharing it with them then that is all the glory I need. I make very little money now so there is big deal there.


What do you enjoy most about writing?

It is mine and mine alone. I love the fact that I create something that was not there before. I love watching my characters come to life. They seem so real to me... they are real to me. I can remember, I cried when I finished my WIP. It was as if I took the journey with them. I shared their joy, their sadness, their exhaustion. I was so happy to see them to the end of their journey.


What are your writing goals and what have you done to further them?

My first “big girl goal” was to finish my current WIP, and I have done that. I now am suffering through revisions. They are nowhere near as fun as the initial writing process, but necessary. I’ve got to get a thicker skin to handle the criticism needed to make my story better. I’m getting better… I realize it is all part of the process.


Do you have any favorite writing websites?

I would have to say Twitter is my favorite. I say this because through Twitter I am introduced to so much knowledge. I have learned so much in the last nine months about the publishing industry. There are so many helpful people.


Care to tell us a bit about what you’re working on now?

My current project is a four part YA Fantasy called the CISTINE MEDALLION. The first book is THE GREAT PROPHECY. It is a total adventure story set in my little world of Armor. Three teens run for their lives and attempt to answer the age old question of destiny vs. choice.


How far would you go to get your book published?

I’m not sure how to answer this. I know being a writer is what I’m meant to do…nothing else has ever felt this right.

(Marci! You're just supposed to say you'll eat raw fish guts or would jump off a diving board into a pool of cheese whiz or something like that. ;-)


And here’s what I really want to know, if you could live in any book which one would it be and why?




Oh I’m going to get mushy here… Pride & Prejudice. I would so be Elizabeth Bennet in a heartbeat.

You can connect with Marci on Twitter where she's MRDunn12. She also has a blog she shows little love to at marcidunn.wordpress.com But hey, writing has to come first!

The Unread - Interview with Karen Akins

Karen Akins does a lot of her writing while her little one is asleep. I think a lot of us moms can relate to sneaking writing time in whenever we can, so I asked Karen if she'd be my guest for this month's Unread. I'm all for spreading the mommy writer love! Karen writes kidlit in Northwest Arkansas where she lives with her husband, son, a.k.a The Pea, and one mischevious dog. She holds a M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from John Brown University and is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She also runs a great blog called Novels During Naptime. How appropriate!


Finding time to write can be hard to do, especially when you have small children. How do you manage to sneak in the time?

You know those women who pop out of bed before the rooster and squeeze two hours of writing in before their children wake up? I am not one of them. Night Karen holds way too much power, so that’s when I get the majority of my writing done—after the Pea goes to bed. But I think you hit the nail on the head about “sneaking” in time to write. I keep a notebook handy to jot down ideas, snippets of dialogue, a few sentences here and there. It adds up.

(I'm not sure those women who get up and write in the morning before the children get up exist. If they do, they have super powers and I want some. -H)


How does your family feel about your writing?

I could not have asked for a more supportive husband. He also pushes me to make the most of my time and take risks. And all he asks in return is that I write the next Twilight. The Pea…well, the Pea is a toddler (i.e. a benevolent dictator), so his mind is tied up with more important things right now. Like how many goldfish crackers he can feed the dog before mommy catches him and how many times in a row he can talk me into reading his current favorite book. (“Llama! Llama!” The current record is 4.)

(Go Pea!)


When did you start writing? Is there a reason you did?

This is a tough question. I’ve always been a storyteller by nature, whether it was with my dolls, skits with friends, or making up vignettes in my own mind. In middle school, I cranked out a few half-hearted picture books so I could get out of school for the day and attend the local young writers’ conference. (The keynote speakers were S.E. Hinton and Judith Viorst. Yes, you read that right. Yes, I regret my lack of note-taking.) But I didn’t have any real writing aspirations until after I graduated college. I scribbled some plot notes and a few scenes for a couple picture books and a novel, then tucked them away in a box.

Flash forward ten years. After the Pea was born, I started reading more picture books. It reawakened a passion for children’s literature, and I wrote a few (looking back…plotless, horrible, near-rhyming) picture books. I went online and every reputable website pointed me towards SCBWI. I’m a cheapskate frugal so rather than just join, I entered their writing contest to win a membership. And I did! With four words. The contest was to summarize a classic children’s book in four words. Mine was “Corduroy: Obsessive Bear Seeks Closure”.

And I’ve been writing consistently ever since.


What keeps you going?

My faith, my family, my friends. And feedback (I promise I did not plan those f’s).

(Freakin' fabulous!)


What types of stories do you write? Care to tell us what you’re working on now?

Hubbykins is in marketing, so he’s always reminding me to “brand myself”, but my imagination isn’t very cooperative in being confined to one genre. I write quirky, humorous picture books with twist endings. I also write humorous chick lit. Humor. I like humor.

Most of my picture books feature objects or animals acting in ways they shouldn’t. I have one particularly feisty sheep who’s been playing the kazoo in one of my current WIPs.


How do you find that belonging to a critique group helps you?

The better question would be, “How did I ever manage without my critique group?” They are my cheerleaders, editors, taskmasters, muses.

(You're right. That's a much better question! I don't know how I ever managed without mine either.)


What part of writing do you enjoy most?

The initial rush of creativity that comes with a new idea. I imagine that’s what a runner’s high must feel like. (This is sheer conjecture as I haven’t run a full mile since the Presidential Fitness Test in sixth grade.)

(Ew. The Presidential Fitness exam was the bain of my elementary school existence. That and the kid that picked his nose constantly.)


What are your writing goals and what have you done to further them?

My top goal as a writer is to glorify God through my work. That being said, my writing doesn’t fall under the specific sub-genre of “Christian fiction” though I hope the reader would find themes of my faith (forgiveness, redemption, joy, etc.) woven throughout. And, of course, an ongoing goal is skill improvement. There are so many aspects of the publishing business that are out of my control. But I can control how many conferences I attend, how much time I spend writing (okay, the Pea has a say in that as well), and how often I submit my stories.

(I should have asked you about submitting too! It's a whole 'nother challenge on the mommy front. It's hard to find time for everything.)


How far would you go to get your book published?

You’re asking this of the girl who once ate a carrot out of a kid’s nose in an attempt to get a laugh out of him. Granted, I was a camp counselor and getting paid the big bucks to do such things…something like 17 cents an hour.

But, hmmmm. I’m open to suggestions.

(Eating a carrot out of a kid's nose should definitely be far enough! Where's that contract already? What? They don't give publishing contracts for eating things out of people's noses? Darn. I'll cross that one off my list.)


And here’s what I really want to know, if you could live in any book which one would it be and why?

***not skipping a beat*** Anne of Green Gables. Hubbykins took me on a dream trip to Prince Edward Island a few years ago, and even he was taken in by the Island’s charms. It would be a step back to simpler times, but not so far back as to not have access to important things like raspberry cordial and syrup of ipecac.



Runner up: Would love to hang out at Hogwarts except I know the Sorting Hat would stick me in Hufflepuff. And nothing interesting ever seems to happen in that house.

(Ha! Just realized I gave the exact same answers as Deb Marshall.)

(Ding ding ding! We have made a reading match!)


You can read more from Karen at her great blog: Novels Durning Naptime. You can also find her on Twitter where she goes by the handle naptimewriter.

The Unread - Interview with Deb Marshall

Deb Marshall is one lucky lady. This is a photo of her at a writing re-TREAT that her husband gave her. He treated her to a stay in the mountains of Canmore, Canada for a couple days. Just Deb, her computer, and her wips! (Those are works in progress people!) A writers dream come true!

Not only does Deb work hard on her writing, she has worked in the field of literature for children and teens since 1986, when she began working for Calgary Public Library. Out of that grew her love of storytelling which she now does with her company, Storyworks. She finds stories everywhere and in everything, writing them into picture books, poetry, and novels for young adults.

Writing is a tough job, why did you choose it?

I feel as though I am in a constant state of storytelling in my head. I have to get those words out to make room for everything. An exploded head would be unpleasant. Plus, I love the feeling of seeing an idea, a spark, an overheard conversation, a first line become a story with a beginning, middle and end! It’s quite a gratifying experience.


Do you think your background in the library and a storyteller helps you as a writer?

Absolutely. It helped me find my voice as a writer, and gives me a sense of what I love to do, how to shape a story that will work in story time, and define the kind of stories I like to tell. If not for the library and working with books and materials for kids and teens my passion and knowledge would not be there. When I look at my evolution as a writer I know being a part of the library and working as a storyteller was an important part of that. And might I add…libraries ROCK.


What kinds of stories do you write?

You know, every now and then I go through this who-am-I-as-a-writer stage because I do tend to write all over the map. Picture books, poetry, novels for kids and teens. It’s at those times I have to remind myself I write whatever story comes to me, sometimes it is a story best suited to a short poem, sometimes a story for picture book, sometimes a novel. My picture books range from quiet and sweet to wild and ridiculous. I have a YA paranormal (think neat freak ghost meets girl seeking happily ever after) and a Middle Grade about a girl giving herself an extreme personality makeover.


What are you working on now?

Right now I am working on revisions for my young adult (KEEPER) and revisions on a picture book called EMILY WHO LOVED TO SING. If I’m not singing along with Emily thinking what a sweet little girl she is, I’m scaring myself with thoughts that my house might be haunted. It’s amazing what bumps in the night you hear when making a ghost in a book come to life. (heh heh…ghost come to life…)


What do you think is the hardest part about writing? What part of writing do you enjoy most?

The hardest part for me is revision. I enjoy coming up with the initial idea and creating (once I think the idea can go somewhere) a beginning, middle and end. The rush of getting that first draft down is fantastic. And also really, really enjoy the final stages of revision, when you know the story is there and done, and you are just tweaking line by line. But, the early revising is killer for me. I struggle with thinking I can’t make the words work, I can’t tell the story in my head, I can’t make the words sing, I can’t, I can’t. In other words, it is a battle royale with an internal editor! It’s a tough slog, but worth it because in the end you have a story.


What keeps you going?

The love of story and being part of a community of writers and readers that are passionate about books, kids and sharing those stories with them. Plus, the knowledge that someday I might actually go into a school to do an author visit, talk to the kids about my books and be a part of encouraging them to read and write.


You belong to two great critique groups. How do you find your critique groups help you?

They give you honest feedback, they want you to write the best story you can and critique accordingly. Those extra sets of eyes are vital, even when you think you have nailed a story, they can help you make it even better.

Plus, you can brainstorm ideas, get help with first drafts if you wish, share market information, discuss issues related to the book industry and books for teens and kids in particular, talk about the craft of writing. All of these things make me a better writer.

Best of all you get to be a part of your fellow critters journey, help them get closer to their dreams, celebrate the ups and be there for the downs.


I hear you’ve been to quite a few conferences and workshops. How do you find that they help you as a writer?

What helps me the most is what I learn about the craft and how other writers develop the stories they want to tell. I come away inspired and ready to write, which is one of the reasons I like to try and stay an extra day when I can. Back in the hotel room I can capitalize and focus on everything I’ve learned and apply it immediately to my works in progress. My writing has improved because of them.


What have you done with the manuscripts you’ve written? Do you have a submission strategy?

I do. I am looking for an agent. Although finding one, especially for picture books in this market, is difficult. It’s the path I want to take because I want to work on a team. I believe I still need to know the market, be aware of what is happening in our industry, but with an agent I can really focus on my writing and they take care of the submissions, making the contacts.


How far would you go to get your book published?

Bribery. I make a pretty mean fudge, life time supply promised on signing of contract. So, agents with a sweet tooth? Call me.


All right, I have to know, if you could live in any book which one would it be and why?



I would live in Harry Potter’s book because I want to go to Hogwarts, I belong there, amongst all the magic and learning. The other reason I would chose this book is because I need to go shopping in Diagon Alley and be assigned my wand. Of course, the other book (I know, you didn’t ask, but I couldn’t help myself) is Anne of Green Gables—I'm pretty sure I am a kindred spirit and I want to meet Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, sit in their kitchen, eat oatmeal, drink tea and just talk with them, and not just because my middle name is Ann(with an E).



Want to see more from Deb? You can find her at www.debamarshall.com.

The Unread - Interview with Lisha Cauthen

This month I used my wonder twin powers to transform Lisha Cauthen into a person who would let me ask her tons of questions and take an actual real life picture of herself so it could be posted on my blog. Didn't you know? Lisha is my twin. But watch out she's my evil twin and things may get, well, evil. Luckily she's evil in a Doofensmirtz kind of way. What? You don't know who Heinz Doofensmirtz is? Shame on you. He does evil stuff like try to move Big Ben to the Tri-State area so he doesn't have to go shopping for a wrist watch. Yup, that's the kind of evil twin I have. Here, see for yourself:


Okay Lisha, how long have you been writing, and why in the world would you want to do such a thing?

Really? Does anybody give a rat’s patootie how long I’ve been writing? The pathetic answer is: I wrote, illustrated and submitted a picture book when I was 12, which was (mumble) years ago. That’s when we literally banged our words out on manual typewriters--the ones where you had to slap the carriage back with your bare hand. And we used carbon paper. Yes my dears, dinosaurs roamed the land, and the Earth’s crust wasn’t quite solid yet.

Would you believe several of those editors answered me? I wish I still had those letters. I made half-hearted stabs at writing over the years as I raised my kids and did all the stuff you’ve got to do in life. But when the nest began to empty and I started to have time to think about what I wanted to do, I ran across a flyer for an SCBWI conference. I figured after years of supporting everybody else’s dreams, it was my turn, baby. (Cue inspirational, slightly defiant music. Mike Jung could probably help us out here.)


What kinds of stories do you write?

Heh. You kind of caught me. If you go to my blog or read The Sunflower Scoop or read my article on the ICL website or articles in the In The Wind KSCBWI newsletter or follow me on Twitter or meet me in a bar, you might assume I write humor. I don’t.

I write older YA. Geez, let’s not argue about whether “older” YA is a genre. I write “edgy” YA for boys that girls like to read too. With an unflinching point of view. I am not gratuitous, but I am honest. If the story needs a naughty word, one will be provided for you. If sex is called for, it will happen. But it will not be porn. Violence where conditions warrant. I belong to several excellent critique groups, and they have helped me see that a lot of the stuff you think you read in my WIP isn’t really on the page. It’s only hinted at—you make the rest up in your head.

Good job.

Of course, there’s some humor in my writing, just like there’s humor in every-day life. If there wasn’t, I doubt you’d make it to the last page in one piece.


Do you want to tell us what you’re working on now?

Tell me, has anyone said “no” to this question? What would you do, if they did? Leave a big blank space? Or has anyone misunderstood the question, and said, “Well, Heather, I’m painting my toenails a lovely shade of periwinkle.” Or maybe you’ve had a real smart aleck who said, “Working on right now? These questions!” I bet Mike Jung said that. Because I was really tempted to say that.

I am about to wrap up an urban paranormal YA I’ve got going. Boy point of view. I think this is the one. I have some interest generated from first page critiques at our KSCBWI conference. My critique buddies think this MS is light-years ahead of what I’ve done before, and I agree.

(Okay smartypants, Mike Jung, he knew what I was talking about because he's one of my peeps. Anyway, I'm just trying to toughen you all up for the real world of ambiguous questions when you get famous.)


What do you think is the hardest part about writing? What part of writing do you enjoy most?

The hardest part about writing is getting off Twitter. No question. Second hardest: convincing all non-writers that I AM WORKING WHEN I AM WRITING. THIS IS MY JOB. MY JOB IS AS IMPORTANT AS YOUR JOB.

I love writing when you are totally in the zone, and you are living the story, and everything else falls away. It’s like channeling, I suppose. Your fingers tippity-type away at the vision while you live it in real-time. Then you kind of “come to” and it’s been 3 hours.

Now that’s writing.


So, how many manuscripts have you written and what have you done with them? Do you have a submission strategy?

OMG. This is like True Confessions of the Shamefully Unpublished. Fine, Heather, just…. Fine.

This will be my fourth finished MS. The first was a woefully painful picture book manuscript, a hilariously awful rhyming little ditty about a boy who redecorates his room. (Please! No more rubber hose, Heather! I’ve told you everything I know!)

The second was a first-love, love story. A genre that I am wholly unsuited to write. But I must say I am still fond of those characters. It was the first novel I wrote, and it was a great accomplishment to put together a coherent story and finish it. I boxed it up with all its permutations and there it stays. I heartily recommend that everybody start with such a book, and go so over-the-top you get a nosebleed. When you speak of it, and you will, you will remember your first writing attempt with kindness.

The third was a fantasy YA that I submitted to about 20 agents and got some good feedback. It has its flaws, however. I have withdrawn it from consideration, and have several ideas for revision. I intend to totally revamp it after marketing my current MS. That’s the thing about writing. You’re always getting better, if you’re doing it right.

I saw Kate DiCamillo this summer, and she said she never read her own books after they were published, because she found too many things she wanted to go back and fix!

(Thank you. I will put away the hose now.)


I know you’re daring. How far would you go to get your book published?

Did you all see how she slipped that little “I know you’re daring” thing in there? Goading me to be outrageous, just to sell blogs?

Well, it worked.

I would take candy from a baby.
I would eat green eggs and ham.
I would marry Edward. No, wait a minute. Some things even I won’t do. Jacob. I’d marry Jacob.
I would spend an inordinate time trying to overthrow #mikesempire @lishacauthen on Twitter.
I would perform a haunting rendition of “Proud Mary” on the nose whistle.
I would bungee jump, if I retained all foreign rights.

(You are soooo easy.)

You are the editor of the very informative Kansas Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (KSCBWI) weekly newsletter: Sunflower Scoop. How do you manage to keep so on top of the writing world?

I could tell you, but then there would be this big tornado, you would age 30 years, and you would become the new Guardian of the Sunflower Scoop. Is that really what you want? I don’t think so.

It’s just a lot easier to subscribe. Free to any SCBWI member, $5 a YEAR if you’re not.


You’re also on the KSCBWI Advisory Committee, how has being such a big part of your local SCBWI chapter helped you?

Okay, I’ll try to get through this part without sobbing like a baby.

Believe it or not, I am by nature a shy person.

Really.

I had to go to two conferences before I had the nerve to go to a smaller gathering where I would have to (gasp!) talk to someone. At a workshop Sue Ford, the Kansas regional advisor, announced that they were looking for someone to do the weekly e-letter. Having working in PTA, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, I know that the way to get to know people is VOLUNTEER TO DO SOMETHING. So I raised my trembling hand.

Sue very kindly showed me how to do all the technical stuff and set me up for success.

Doing the newsletter put me on The Committee.

Which means I met people.

And I have made some dear, dear friends.

*blubber*

All these friends are writers, who talk about writing. One of us might come across a tidbit about an agent that will help someone else market a MS. Or we help each other work out plot points, or even role-play dialogue. You can’t do this stuff with normal people. I remember one day Sue Ford, Jenn Bailey and I sat around for 15 minutes discussing the sound a dryer would make if you stood on it and the metal depressed, then you got off and the metal sprang back. Who else talks about stuff like this?

There are perks that come with being behind the scenes. When you put together conferences, you are naturally going to have more time with the editors and agents who come to those conferences. Who do you think drives them to and from the airport and their hotels? Takes them to dinner?

I have made a few presentations, one of which was in front of Bruce Coville! The other presentation turned into my ICL article.

I could go on and on, but I think I already have. SCBWI, Rah! Sue Ford, Regional Advisor, Maximus.

(I have tears.)


Okay, this is getting ridiculous. You’re also a member of Heartland Writers for Kids and Teens as well as several other critique groups! Are you superwoman? Do you ever sleep?

Hey. I can’t live by your rules, man.

Heartland Writers for Kids and Teens is a group whose roots go back to 1967. It is a loose consortium of kidlit writers.

The main critique group meets Wednesday mornings, which is how I got involved. Lots of books coming out of that group. (Elizabeth C. Bunce…A Curse Dark as Gold, anyone?) (And by the way, she is delightful, self-effacing, and talks pretty much the way she writes.)

I also head a monthly YA critique group that we had to close to new members…you get to a saturation point. It’s an interesting mix of newbies to on-the-vergers. But don’t ever turn your nose up at a newbie, writers. They may tell you three things about your MS that make you nod politely, but the fourth thing might knock you right on your ass. New does not = dumb.

I bow to your complete dedication to the kidlit writing lifestyle. Do you have any advice for those of us who aren’t such a big part of the publishing world as you?

Ummm…. maybe you aren’t as weak-willed as I am. I’ve got to surround myself with motivation, or I start to wilt and feel like publication is an impossible goal, attained only by the lottery winners of the literary world.

If you are a fellow-wilter, one way to stay motivated is to read books like Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird.

Get connected online at The Blue Boards. It’s a very knowledgeable and supportive community.

If there’s any way you can finagle it, a critique group makes a huge difference in how fast your writing will improve.


All right, I have to know, if you could live in any book which one would it be and why?

Wowzer. This is a toughie. Do I get editing privileges? And can I choose which character I am? Because if you’re in Gone With the Wind, it’s a hell of a lot cooler to be the often-married and land-on-her-feet Katie Scarlett O’Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler than the pale, doomed, Melanie Hamilton Wilkes.



Alex, I’m going to have to go with Swiss Family Robinson. Does anybody read this book anymore? I know it’s rather stilted for today’s readers, but God, I loved this book. I probably read it three dozen times when I was a kid. Shipwrecked! Tigers! Pirates! My fantasy writer’s cottage is still a treehouse.

But then, you knew it would be something weird like that, didn’t you?

Yes I did.

Thank you Lisha for letting me torture you today. It was quite enjoyable. Besides all the amazing things Lisha does, she has a blog too, The Imaginal Realm. We should all go over there and give her a hard time.

The Unread - Interview with Ame Dyckman

<----See this chick in the photo here? That's Ame Dyckman. Isn't she adorable! Well, not only is she as cute as can be, Ame Dyckman is a picture book lover and writer, plus she blogs about peanut butter. Ame is knee deep in PB and is here to tell us about her writing, of course, but also a little about her agent. She's my first Unread interviewee who's represented. All right, all right, everyone stop drooling. Ame has been snatched up by Scott Treimel at S©ott Treimel NY. I know you want an agent too, but I told you people, stop drooling! You're going to ruin your computer! We'd better hurry up and get on to the interview.

Ame, when did you start writing and why in the world would you want to do such a thing?

I started 2 1/2 years ago. But for ages before that, a squeaky little voice in my head constantly pestered, “Ame! Go write children’s books! Ame! Go write children’s books!” I finally gave in so it would just shut up.


What is your writing schedule like?

I usually write in the mornings after MonkeyKid gets on the school bus and Mad Scientist Husband Guy leaves for the lab, and it’s just me and the menagerie (two mutant cats, two hermit crabs, a handicapped fish, and a part-time squirrel.) When I really must finish something without distractions, I pack up for “my” cubicle at the library. But I jot all day long, everywhere, on anything jot-able.


MONKEYKID: Mommy, why are there words on your jeans?”

ME: It’s the latest Mommy-fashion.

MONKEYKID: Can I do it?

ME: No.


What kinds of stories do you like to write?

Short and quirky picture books where the protagonists are different or have a different, innocent way of looking at the world. (With a little weirdness sprinkled on top.) And I love boy-energy stories!


So, how many manuscripts have you written and what have you done with them?

I have several terrible manuscripts keeping each other company in a padlocked trunk buried somewhere on my property. Super Agent Scott (Scott Treimel, S©ott Treimel NY) has submitted two of my good manuscripts, Boy and Bot and The Runaway Goldfish, to editors.


What are you working on now?

I’m just finishing two “sequel” Boy and Bot stories (tales of a boy who befriends a robot) for a marvelous editor who liked the original. And I’m doing revisions on a brand-new PB manuscript, Dragon Cake, which opens with a little boy hoarding meat in his closet.


What do you think is the hardest part about writing? What’s the easiest?

The hardest part has been convincing my 9-to-5 neighbors that I’m not just sitting around in my jammies. (The easiest part is that while I’m writing, I get to sit around in my jammies!)

Seriously, the hardest part is always being “on” to act on a shining idea whenever it smacks you in the head, before it dims away to “Now, what was that thought I had earlier?” The easiest part? Anything I do now is “research,” so I can get away with doing a lot of goofy stuff!


HUSBAND GUY: Ame, why is there a wading pool full of cereal in the front yard?

ME: It’s research.

HUSBAND GUY: Uh, okay. When’s dinner?

ME: Now. Grab a spoon. I’ll meet you in the yard.


You have a fabulous agent, I know it was talent, but how did you get so lucky?

I owe it all to NJ SCBWI. (New Jersey chapter, Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.) Over the past year or so, I took Boy and Bot to various NJ SCBWI events (First Page Sessions, Mentoring Workshops, etc.). The suggestions I received were pure gold. The agent pitching tips I received were pure gold. The camaraderie and support I received were (you guessed it) pure gold. At the NJ SCBWI Annual Conference last June, I pitched the revised Boy and Bot to Scott, and he liked it! So… (climbs nearby mountain, grabs megaphone): “JOIN YOUR LOCAL SCBWI CHAPTER! IT WORKS!”


How has your writing life changed since you got an agent?

It’s fantastically improved! Scott has made my work a gazillion times better than before. (Five seconds into our first brainstorming session, he had a genius suggestion. He’s still having them.) Plus, he knows just about everyone in the business, he’s worked with just about everyone in the business, and I’m saving a fortune because I’m no longer buying fancy paperclips and eye-catching stamps. (Y’all know what I’m talking about. You know you do.) Bonus: he’s a great excuse for getting out of housework.


ME: Scott called! He wants revisions ASAP. Can you do the dishes?


(Sometimes, when I say this, Scott actually called.)


How far would you go to get your book published?

I’d wrestle a shark. Or Christopher Walken. (I’m equally afraid of them both.) I might even wrestle Christopher Walken while he’s riding a shark. (Shaking a little now.)


You have a great peanut butter-centric blog. Why peanut butter? (And what’s your favorite kind? I only eat Adams!)

Peanut butter is the quintessential kid food. (I mean, food that kids eat. Not food made out of kids. That would be gross.) It just goes with picture books. (Sometimes, in them. Sorry, librarians!) Voila! “PB Planet: Picture Books with a Side of Peanut Butter.”

My favorite kind? Reduced Fat Jif Creamy. (I think they replace the removed fat with sugar. It’s my vroom! fuel.) And, I like the kind inside mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but everybody gets annoyed when I gut them.


HUSBAND GUY: Who sucked the insides out of this candy?

ME: I dunno.

MONKEYKID: Daddy, she’s hiding the straw behind her back!


Oh. I just Googled Adams PB. Organic. All-Natural. Very healthy. Lo, I am shamed!


If you could live in any book which one would it be and why?

Where the Wild Things Are. I’d love to live in a world where I could wild-rumpus all day long, and I’d never have to shave my legs.



So, what have we all learned today? That we desperately need agents so we can get out of housework, pants make a good paper replacement, and it is possible to suck peanut butter through a straw. Good stuff to know! You can visit Ame anytime over in her world a.k.a PB Planet. You can also follow her on twitter where she's bound to make you laugh. I would bet a barrel of peanut butter that Ame's picture books are going to be fun to read. Hopefully we'll find out soon!

The Unread - Interview with Mike Jung

Today for The Unread, for a mere moment in time, I've managed to corral the fun and crazy guy known as Mike Jung. Some of you may know Mike from Verla Kay's Blueboards where he's one of the great administrators, or from Facebook where he's bound to crack you up, or on Twitter where you can read his contributions to the wacky and disturbing tale of #flatulenteye. And if you don't know Mike, you should! His mixture of snark and humor have made me snort-laugh alone, in front of my computer more times than I care to admit. So why am I still talking? Let's get to Mike!


When did you start writing and why in the world would you want to do such a thing?

I’m sorely tempted to go into the usual “I started writing stories about butterflies and piglets in the womb and was born with a quill pen between my teeth” song and dance – both of those things are true, by the way – but I’ll just say I really started writing stories for children (as opposed to merely thinking about them) right after my daughter was born in the summer of 2006.

It is also true, however, that after my emergence into the world, rumpled butterfly & piglet tales in hand, quill pen clenched in my bicuspids, I embarked on a lifetime of varied writing activities purely for giggles and grins. An old and dear friend of mine still has a stack of nonsensical letters I wrote to her during college: no doubt she’ll spring them on a horrified world if I ever achieve fame and fortune, badly disillusioning my loyal readers.

In 1997 I got the notion in my head to write children’s books, partly because I was working with preschoolers and really loved reading to them, and partly because my own reading choices had by then resulted in quite a few years of “hey, isn’t that a book for kids?” questioning from random irritating people. In classic wrongheaded fashion I took a class in children’s book illustration at UC Berkeley extension, realized that I’m not even close to being a pro-caliber illustrator, and spent the next nine years idly dreaming about being a children’s writer while living my life in other ways. When my little girl was born I thought, “Oh, crap. Suddenly I have colossal reasons to NOT start writing for another 18 years. How badly do I want to do this?” I finally realized that I want to do this very, very, very badly. So I started doing it.


How do you make the time to write? Don’t you have other things to do?

Well, that whole “go to work and earn a paycheck” thing constantly gets in the way, and of course my family sits atop my priority ladder with a comfortable amount of space between them and the next step down. My daughter generates enough energy to power an entire advanced civilization, so I drag my aging carcass around after her as quickly as I’m able. There are also indispensable activities like writing snarky updates on Facebook, sending cryptic messages out to the world on Twitter, overreacting to posts on Verla Kay’s Blueboards, etc. The things I end up sacrificing the most in favor of writing are recreational activities, time with friends, and sleep.

I used to play music a lot and don’t really do it at all anymore, which is sad, but between writing and making music it’s clear which one is higher priority. Social time is important, of course, so I make sure and get my squinting countenance out there in the world and actually visit with people, but I’m a believer in the sanctity of my writing time. When push comes to shove writing wins out. I try to go easy on the loss of sleep because it screws up my ability to write, along with every other way I need to function during the day. When it’s necessary I can also do that peculiar fast-twitch kind of notepad writing while standing in line at Costco or sitting in the waiting room at the dentist’s office – the usefulness of the fast-twitch stuff really depends on how deeply in the writing groove I am overall, however.


There’s little glory for unpublished writers. What keeps you going?

What do you mean?? THAT GUY AT THE SEMINAR PROMISED ME ALL KINDS OF—oh wait, he was a little sleazy. This might be a sign of arrogance, hubris, delusion, what have you, but I think I actually have a little glory in my future. I know it’ll take as long as it takes, but I feel confident in my writing abilities and about my prospects for getting published, and if/when that happens, well, that would be pretty darned glorious, dontcha think? The writing is enjoyable and fulfilling for its own sake, but honestly, representation and publication are my next big goals. I love writing fiction and I want to do it in a professional capacity, with all the processes, frustrations, rewards and new horizons that entails.


What kinds of stories do you like to write? Are your books going to make us laugh?

Currently I like writing middle grade, and my focus is on stories that I think would have been cool or fun or interesting during my own middle grade years. Okay, that’s an incomplete truth – those stories would also be cool or fun or interesting to me NOW. So I write about 12-year-old kids, and superheroes, and aliens, and giant robots, and dashing interdimensional botanists. I’m not actually writing that last one yet, it’s just an idea. So is the one about the mad scientist and his family. Also the one about the boy whose father works for a supervillain containment facility. And there’s this goofy Twitter-inspired story idea called OWEN AND THE EYE OF FLATULENCE about an ancient, evil, sentient, gassy orifice and the young boy it seduces into doing its fetid bidding, but I’m sensing it would face some marketing challenges. Plus I’d have to give Lisha Cauthen, Ellen Oh and Cindy Pon partial credit, and don’t I have enough competition without these other aggravatingly talented writers getting all up in my business? And if you’re not already following me on Twitter you should be! Follow me on Twitter! Follow me! LOVE ME! I NEED LOVE…

Will my books make you laugh? Hmmm. I hesitate to answer this because humor is so subjective, and making these metacognitive statements about the laughter-inducing potential of my own work is—YES. YES, THEY WILL. Partly because if you don’t laugh, I will find you, and I will destroy you. Okay, I’m just kidding about that last part - I don’t have to find you, I CAN DESTROY YOU FROM A DISTANCE.


So, how many manuscripts have you written and what have you done with them? What are you working on now?

I’ve only written one full manuscript, which is still the one I’m focused on. It’s called THE CAPTAIN STUPENDOUS FAN CLUB. It’s a middle grade novel, 35k words or so, about a 12-year-old boy named Vincent Wu who discovers that the alter ego of his hometown’s legendary, muscle-bound, six-foot-five superhero is actually a girl. I’m about to send it out on submission. I also have the previously mentioned works-in-progress – botanists, mad scientist, villain containment – but they’re all in a very embryonic state.


Have you had any close calls?

I have had one close call so far, an agent at a pretty highfalutin’ house did my manuscript consultation at SCBWI LA in 2008 and requested the full. I actually hadn’t finished the manuscript at that point, so I churned out the rest of it in a raging panic, and ended up doing a round of revisions with this agent over a 6 month period. Ultimately she passed on the MS, but I was (and am) hugely grateful for that opportunity regardless of her final decision. It showed me that my writing ability is actually good enough to draw an agent’s attention, which was not something I’d even tried to do before then. When I walked out of that conference I no longer saw myself as a clueless wannabe: I was a WRITER, and one with new confidence. The agent revision process was a potent source of motivation, and it improved my manuscript by leaps and bounds. I think I would have loved being represented by this person, so it was disappointing to get the pass, but I made so much more progress than I would have on my own. I’ll always consider it a watershed experience.


What’s your submission strategy?

CAPTAIN STUPENDOUS is out to my beta readers right now. My plan is to look closely through their feedback, apply one last coat of gloss, and start querying agents in a crafty and deliberate manner within the next month or so. If there’s a general hue and cry about some catastrophically large element I’ll dig in and fix it, of course, but I think the book is in good shape, so I’m prepared for that but I don’t anticipate it happening. I have a list of about 8 agents who I think might be a good fit, including a couple of referrals that I’ve been lucky enough to snare along the way, and I think my query letter is strong. So I’ll ship it out, then I’ll hunker down for the next however many months and get back to one of those zygote WIPs in order to avoid going stark raving mad from impatience and curiosity.


How does your family feel about your writing?

The Facebook update that’s probably received the most positive comments was about something my wife said to me. (And are all of you my Facebook friends yet? No? Why not? Go friend me on Facebook now! DO IT NOW! AAAAAAHHHH…)

Err, sorry – anyway, my wife and I have read some of the same writing-related books, including Stephen King’s ON WRITING, and she referenced that book one day. She thought about the period in Stephen King’s life when he and his wife were both toiling away at day jobs, raising their kids, and how he would go write in his laundry room after the end of day. Then the moment arrived where the paperback rights to CARRIE were sold for a gigantic amount, making his wife burst out in tears and sending his career into the stratosphere. My wife said that’s how she thinks of this period in OUR lives. We’re working hard, raising our little girl, making ends meet, and it’s the time just before I publish my book, launch a successful writing career, and change our lives forever. I will never forget that, and I think it says everything there is to say about the support she gives me.

My daughter, on the other hand, is still too young to really grasp what I’m doing – everything I do on the computer is “checking email” to her.


What do you think is the hardest part about writing? What’s the easiest?

There are days when I think it’s all masochistic and impossible, but plotting is fiendishly hard for me. Like many writers I’m faaaabulous at coming up with random scenes with high entertainment potential, but stitching them together into a coherent narrative that propels the story forward in the right way is a challenge. And I suppose I’m an example of the classic “voice v. plot” dichotomy in writers, because voice is definitely the thing I’m best at. I can project personality, tone, emotion and rhythm very well, which I think comes from all those years of random, self-amused writing. I’m one of those dinosaurs who used to write honest-to-gosh ink-on-paper letters, and I’ve continued that practice with email, and now with all the social media technology we have there’s no end to the opportunities to write random things quickly and frequently, and I think quick, frequent practice is crucial for developing one’s voice.


How far would you go to get your book published?

I’ve already bribed you for this interview, haven’t I? I still think you demanded too much money… this “writing for kids” thing isn’t the fast track to millions, you know…

(Chocolate, Mike, it was chocolate. Must I keep reminding you!?!)

It seems like the writers I have at least a nodding acquaintance with all go pretty far with their efforts to get published. Blogging, tweeting, doing interviews, attending readings and publishing hootenannies, participating in online communities like the Blueboards and the Enchanted Inkpot, joining SCBWI, researching the industry… not to mention reading, and the actual writing! I’m doing most of those things, and I’m sure I will be doing all of them sooner rather than later. I have time and energy limitations, but I plan to do everything I’m able to do as long as it’s ethical, and not frowned on by industry pros. I know enough not to foist my manuscript on agents and editors as they’re headed for the bathroom, for example. Or to kidnap their pets and demand a multi-book deal as ransom. Or appear at a publishing conference wearing nothing but a sandwich board that says “PUBLISH MY BOOK, LOSERS!”


If you could live in any book which one would it be and why?

I don’t know that I’d want to! My life is pretty good as it is, and besides, why live inside the book when you could be the one who writes the book? I like being on this side of the equation. But since that makes me sound like a crabby misanthrope with no desire to play any reindeer games (that’s a fairly accurate description of me, by the way) I’ll take a swing at it: here’s a partial list. HARRY POTTER, of course, because who wouldn’t want to be a student at wizard school? THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, because the notion of an improbability drive appeals to me. THE TRUE MEANING OF SMEKDAY, because this is the year the Bigfield Fighting Koobish go all the way! THE CURIOUS GARDEN, or really any of Peter Brown’s picture books, because his flowers grows in such thick, silky bunches, and his sheep have those hilarious puffball bodies and stick legs. A CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE, because hearing “Lucia de Lammermoor” performed by a cricket would be mind-blowing. In the adult realm, WONDER BOYS by Michael Chabon, because I want to take just one class with Grady Tripp. WILLFUL CREATURES by Aimee Bender, because I want to meet the woman with the potato babies. SOON I WILL BE INVINCIBLE by Austin Grossman, because, you know, superheroes. THE EYRE AFFAIR by Jasper Fforde, because despite my low level of Austen literacy (heretical, I know) and my prefabricated notion that England’s weather would leave a permanent blot on my soul, I’d love to experience a world where art and literature are so totally interwoven into the fabric of life. Also, I could pursue a career in time travel.


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