What Librarians Are Reading, Fall 2016

TAKE NOTE: This is based on a completely unscientific and random occasional poll of the people I work with and other colleagues who may or may not have good taste in books. Check them out at your library!

Fall 2016

Adult:

The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin

The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer by Kate Summerscale

The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood

 The Last Days of Jack Sparks by JAson Arnopp

Teen & Child:

The Color of My Words by Lynn Joseph

The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz

A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic by Lisa Papaddemetriou

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older

Pretty, or Pretty Creepy?

If there's one thing this election season has reminded us, it's that everyone really does have their own opinion and way of looking at the very same thing.

Take a look at this photo of Squam Lake that I took recently at the NE-SCBWI Squam Lake Writer's Retreat. If you are like me, you see one of the most beautiful things ever - a dock, in the middle of a crisp, clear lake inviting you to jump in. Someone else might wonder what is under the dark water, just waiting for you to emerge from the creepy woods, ala the Shallows.

At the retreat, I was brave and submitted the first page of a middle-grade manuscript to be read and critiqued by a panel consisting of an agent and two editors. The first pages were read by one of the retreat coordinators and the panel raised their hands when they would likely stop reading the manuscript if they received it along with a query. I waited anxiously for my first page to be read and listened as many pages were taken down within seconds.

So how did I fare? It's hard to tell. Like the photo, there were different opinions. The agent and one editor raised their hands fairly soon, commenting that it was "too telly" and "gender-forced". I'm okay with these comments because I can adjust for the first one, and I think the second one is expected when you don't know that the manuscript is historical. But my page got read in its entirety, thanks to the other editor who liked the sinister, yet funny opening scene and said "You can't teach funny - this person (me!) has the chops."

I chose to leave the event feeling excited rather than depressed, because this exercise just reminded me that there is someone who will appreciate what I write, and what you write. Two editors can look at the same thing and have vastly different opinions. So remember, anything is possible. We are poised to have a woman in the White House, and Donald Trump actually ran for President this year. The entire country looked at the same documents, the same scandals, and everyone had wildly different opinions. I don't know what it means for the country, but it gives me hope in my writing!

Summertime and the Writing Ain't Easy

These two photos can pretty much sum up my summer: (not my dog, though she is my favorite)

Needless to say, I haven't gotten a ton of writing done, but I've done a fair amount of reading (see below) and of course, the writer is constantly thinking and forming ideas (just maybe on the beach.)

Here's my favorite YA book I've read this summer:

I can't say enough of how much I loved it. I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads - that doesn't happen often. If you haven't read it, YOU MUST. 


I did make it to Jeff Kinney's awesome book store in MA - An Unlikely Story
for a Middle Readers Author Panel with Kate Messner, Megan Frazer Blakemore and Carrie Jones.

They have great author events so check it out! Still to come there this summer - authors Ammi-Joan Paquette and Josh Funk!

I got a copy of the new book, THE SEVENTH WISH, signed by Kate Messner for my younger daughter - she read it as part of her summer reading - Verdict: GREAT!

And did I mention I checked out Pokemon Go so I could have some knowledge of it for work, and then got completely addicted? Yep, that happened too. The above photo is taken from my comfy chair at Staples during back-to-school shopping.

Speaking of which, my co-workers and I are completely excited about these two books for this time of year:

Hopefully a more regular writing routine will commence in a few weeks. Then I'm off to the NESCBWI Squam Lake Writing Retreat - can't wait!!!

Meanwhile...

All writers know that the publishing industry moves SLOOOOWWWWW. But for some reason, the last two months have been torture for me. Maybe it's because I was terribly excited about a few things I sent out or maybe it's because I HAVEN'T HEARD A DARN THING FOR MONTHS!!!

I've resorted to checking my email ALL THE TIME, and then wondering if my submissions ended up as spam. At least one submission was from someone who requested it, so I figured I'd hear sooner rather than later. That was February. 

 HELLO? Anyone out there? Radio silence.

We all know agents are editors are swamped, but the waiting, to quote Tom Petty, IS the hardest part. So here are a few suggestions, if like me, you are stuck waiting for responses, be they good or bad or indifferent.

Check out From the Mixed Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors to see some great books (that aren't yours) coming out this month.

JUNE RELEASES

Search for stupid memes to make you laugh so you won't cry.

Revise. Again.

Read. Preferably out on a deck or patio or beach. Yes, Oprah counts.

Check out the movies based on books that are coming out. This is tricky because I sometimes get excited and I sometimes get agita. 

PopSugar Books Being Made Into Movies 2016

And lastly, some suggestions from 

From the Write Angle

Growing Cucumbers, Growing Writers

I had an amazing time this past weekend at the New England Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Conference (NE-SCBWI). One of the highlights was a two-hour writing workshop led by the amazingly talented Jo Knowles. She reminded us about the importance of writing for fun - not because you have a deadline or a project that needs work. Write about a memory from childhood, or use one of the great prompts she has on her website at Jo Knowles Prompts

As Spring blooms and buds here in New England, I am reminded of gardens. Gardening makes me think of my grandfather's garden, which then brings me to cucumbers. My mother's parents were Austrian, and we ate a LOT of cucumber salads for some reason. So here's one of my memories from a conference prompt, and here's to those gardens getting lots of rain here in New England today.

(Note to other teachers and librarians: Jo Knowles is part of a great online writing workshop started by authors Kate Messner and other writer/educators. It's called Teachers Write! and I'm taking part this summer. You can find more info here: Teachers Write 2016! )

Cucumbers in the Pantry

My grandmother would collect vegetables from the garden in her apron as she wore it. Sometimes she would use a dish towel for backup if the apron got full. 

Always cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, squash.

She would let me pluck and collect the bounty, leaving it on the counter in the pantry until it was needed.

I felt helpful, happy, to be with her. She was always so busy cooking, cleaning, washing. Often too busy to play with the after-school latch-key single-child granddaughter who lived with her.

But I could be useful, washing and peeling the cucumbers for the salad.

Always cucumber salad. Sometimes sour cream, sometimes vinegar.

The payoff for this work was getting to stand next to her in this small space, smelling the earthy, fresh vegetables and feeling the apron she always wore as it brushed against me and tickled my arm.

Always yellow pantry, white apron, green cucumbers.

March: A Time for Making Your Own Luck

Things are exciting around my house this time of year - March means St. Patrick's Day! And while I am only a wee bit Irish (my great-great grandmother Nellie Hines married into a long line of Pilgrims), my mother-in-law is 100% Irish so therefore my kids embrace the holiday. My husband helps run the parade contingency for our town when they march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade, and my youngest daughter is a budding Irish step dancer.

And even though I love making soda bread and drinking a pint now and then, there is one thing I don't fully embrace - the luck of the Irish. I certainly think there are days when you may be luckier than others, whether it's due to the stars being aligned or because you're just due. But at least as far as work and writing go, I think you have to make your own luck. So while it would be nice if there were leprechauns to send our your manuscripts, or agents and editors waiting at the end of the rainbow, I truly think you just have to do the work and make your own pot o' gold!

So here's what I've been doing and what is coming up this time of year. It's exciting, and hopefully the work will pay off.

ABC - applying butt to chair.

Critique Group - can't say enough how great it is to have like-minded individuals to bounce ideas off of. Find a good group, and make sure to GO.

Writer (and other) Friends - they may be in your group or not, but they are people you can meet up with for coffee, to ask silly questions of that you may be afraid to do anywhere else. You may only email them or know them from a Facebook group, but they are your people. I say 'and other' because one of my favorite people to bounce ideas off of doesn't even write. But she is an expert in children's literature and I trust her opinion above most.

12x12 Challenge - If picture books are your thing, or you just want to try writing them, this is the place. You can only join in Jan/Feb but the rewards last all year. The community is amazing and what's better than having 12 manuscripts in your pocket come December? (And Julie Hedlund is awesome.)

Making Picture Book Magic - This 4-week course is perfect if you need picture book 101 and then some. Susanna Leonard Hill gives you all the basics to go on your way and create something magic.

SCBWI Conferences - (April) I'm attending in New England but they are all over the country and SO good. This year's theme is (RE)INVENTION. I'm planning on meeting up with friends, volunteering, and getting a manuscript critique with a great agent.

Whispering Pines Writer's Retreat - (March) Whispering Pines was listed by SLJ as one of the great children's writers retreats with good reason. I went last year, and learned so much. SLJ article
But again, there are others around the country that may be closer to you. Find them!

Taking Chances - last month an opportunity came for a fun night at a party in NYC with writerly people. I met up with 2 other writers and we took a drive down. We got to meet some great people and make connections that we might not have made otherwise. And even if that's all we get out of it, we had a great time, and left with some yummy lasagna.

So by the end of April at the very least, I will have 4 new manuscripts, 2 more critiques, a few new writer friends, and a TON of new knowledge. And just maybe, I will be one step closer to the pot o' gold!

Here's hoping you all make March lucky!

In a House by a Pond, She Writes for Children

Some of my favorite people are the ones you meet who leave a lasting impression, though they may never know it. You don't meet them for coffee or exchange Christmas cards, you don't have them in your contacts or message on Facebook. Honestly, they may not even remember you if they saw you, but they somehow inspire you and stay with you.

For me, writer Kathleen (Kay) Kudlinski is one of those people. In 2003, as someone who recently realized they were interested in writing for children, I found my way to SCBWI. Through that, I got in touch with Kay as the leader of a critique group on the Connecticut shoreline. She was warm and welcoming, and as I went sporadically over the next 5 years, I soon learned that she was just the right person to lead a critique group.

I recently found out that she was being honored for running the Once Upon A Shoreline SCBWI group for 30 years. I never lived that close the shore, and after those 5 years I moved even further away, with two small children in tow. But during those years when I would make the trip to Guilford, I found Kay to be full of knowledge and insight, and just motherly enough to not crush our writing souls. She didn't tell the group that they needed to be persistent - she showed us by plugging away, year after year, facing rejections even after she had many books published. She offered great advice to a newbie like myself (who wrote down everything she said) like, "What happened to put your people off-balance, and how did they regain their balance?" She also showed us that even with families and illness and all the things that life hands you, you just keep writing.

So if you need some inspiration, check out Kay's blog and list of her many non-fiction books for children here: Kathleen Kudlinski 
She also has a science page tied into her great "Boy Were We Wrong" series here: Boy, Were We Wrong!

I once had the opportunity to attend a gathering at Kay's lovely house by a pond. I will always remember seeing her desk and shelves full of books, and thinking - this is what the home of a real writer looks like. So thank you, Kay, for being a great role model for children's book authors.