Palace of Mirrors

If you're looking for a book similar to other titles by Margaret Peterson Haddix, then Palace of Mirrors   may not be what you are looking for. Unlike Among the Hidden and the other books in the Shadow Children series which are futuristic and political, Palace of Mirrors takes place in a medieval/fantasy setting. 


Although I found that this book started slow, the story of a peasant girl who is raised believing that she is the "True Princess" develops interesting twists when the conflict heats up in the second half of the book.  Girl readers in upper elementary and middle school will enjoy the turn of events which Cecelia, the main character, encounters. 


Although I think most readers will read this book for its entertainment value, the dialogue between Cecelia and Harper, her best friend, about making choices vs. following your destiny could generate interesting discussions. In addition, girl readers will enjoy the power that Haddix gives to her main character.  

And the winner is...

The winner of Augusta Scattergood's debut novel

is....

Clara Gillow Clark! 

Thanks to all of you for participating. My blog stats for this week broke a record with all of your entries and "view pages!"


My own copy of Glory Be is in the mail and after I review it, I plan to give it away also. Stay tuned, you'll have a second chance to win this book!

Giving Away Glory Be!

Yesterday Augusta Scattergood's debut novel, Glory Be was released. In this interview she reveals some of the "story behind the story" that I expect will be interesting to writers and readers alike.  At the end are directions how you can enter to win a copy of this book. 

                   CAROL: Is there a part of your life in Glory Be? If so, how did you incorporate it into your story?

                   AUGUSTA: There is so much of my life in this story. The two sisters are (very loosely) based on my sister and me .  But she’s not really like Glory as much as I’m like the bossy older sister, Jesslyn!           

        Some of the history is part of me. Glory Be takes place during 1964, Freedom Summer. Like Glory, I lived in a small town in the Mississippi Delta most of my life, so I was there. My friends and I were very innocent about what was going on around us. Maybe that’s why I wanted to give Glory a little spirit, even a “cause” to fight for.  It was hard to write the parts that dealt with hatred and meanness, but so many young readers don’t know a lot about the Civil Rights Movement, about Freedom Summer, and this is a story told from a young girl’s point of view about a situation that could have happened.

CAROL: Can you tell me some of the "story behind the story"? Where did the idea come from, how many forms did it take before you realized it was a novel?

AUGUSTA:  Glory Be actually started life as a short story for adults, titled Junk Poker. It took place during the summer, when the sisters (like my sister and I) played a forbidden game of Blackjack while they were supposed to be resting from the heat.  I wrote that 10 years ago. The maid was originally a wedding planner.  Quickly I realized I was telling a story for middle grade readers, and the wedding planner left the story. 

      CAROL:  How many revisions did you go through?

      AUGUSTA: More than I can count! I wrote the bare bones of a middle grade historical during a terrific workshop class at The New School in New York eight years ago. It’s had a lot of revisions!

                       In the year before my agent accepted me (after she’d told me she loved the story but it wasn’t quite ready for subbing), it went through three big revisions- two on my own and a last look with freelance editor extraordinaire, Joyce Sweeney. I didn’t make a lot of significant changes in the characters or the setting, or the basic plot. But I had to kill off a couple of my favorites things. I’ve saved them for for another story. 

CAROL: Do you have an agent?

AUGUSTA: I found my agent at the Maryland SCBWI conference. I met her when she critiqued the beginning chapters of a different MS of mine. She liked it and asked to see it all. After what seemed like an eternity, she said it wasn’t ready. The next summer, I returned to that same weekend conference. I took Glory Be to be critiqued by a different agent. He liked it. But first I sent it to Agent #1, as an exclusive. Turns out she loves middle grade, is a fan of historical fiction, and even lived in the South and married a southerner! So she got it. Her name is Linda Pratt, and we have become good friends and have a great professional connection.

  CAROL:  Can you share any tips on writing/publishing?

 AUGUSTA: Read everything in your genre that you can get your hands on. The hot-off-the-press stuff, the Newbery winners, the kids’ favorites. I had a distinct advantage, having been a school librarian for 20 years. When I left that profession to write, a friend had started a website about the South: USA Deepsouth. This was pre-blogging, and really almost before there were many websites like it. I offered to write book reviews of books about the South. That mushroomed into writing for other publications. I know that helped.

                     Then just as I was getting serious about the submission process, I took a one-day workshop at Media Bistro in New York, run by Joy Peskin, an editor for Viking. After the workshop, some of us sat around and talked about “how to get published.” This was 2008. A blog was suggested. I went home that night and started blogging about books and writing. I think that gave me an online presence so that my to-be agent and anybody she subbed to could find me easily. That sounds so obvious now with Facebook and all the other connections writers make.

 CAROL:  What's next? Are you working on a second book? 

AUGUSTA: Am I ever. The same book Linda said wasn’t ready in 2009 still isn’t ready! But it’s getting closer. It’s another middle grade. Kind of historical, in that it’s set in 1974.  I actually have another teensy idea for a third book, set in Mississippi. Also in the past. Teensy idea in that I know the characters’ names and a little bit about them. I’m hoping they’ll soon tell me their story. That would help, wouldn’t it?

Thank you, Augusta, for sharing your journey with us. I wish you much success in this debut novel and next time you have a party and celebrate with a Glory Be cake...I want a piece!

********

Meanwhile, be the first of your friends to read this book. To win an autographed copy, share this post on Facebook or Twitter and leave me a comment sharing which you did. I will pick a winner on January 7th. Maybe it will be you!


ADDED BONUS: If you don't already follow my blog,  sign up to be a follower and tell me that that in your comment. As a "thank you" I'll enter your name twice!!

A Holiday Gift to You

By the time you read this post I'll be in Spain visiting my daughter, Lori. I'm going to take a break from blogging and will be back again next year with an interview with debut novelist Augusta Scattergood, more book reviews, and hopefully some thoughts and pictures of Barcelona, Granada, or Gibraltar!


Meanwhile, here are two videos to click on and enjoy during this holiday season:





And from Alaska:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=LyviyF-N23A


Best wishes to all of you, my faithful readers!

Write 2 Ignite News

The annual Write 2 Ignite conference registration is now live. Click here to get updated information on the speakers, registration, and how to receive a manuscript critique. 


Jean Hall graciously asked me if I would give one of the keynote addresses and lead two workshops. Click here for a preview of my keynote speech, Humility in the Marketplace. Here is a listing of all the workshops. 


Mark your calendars for March 16-17, 2012. I hope you plan to join us for an outstanding time of learning about writing and fellowship with other Christian writers. 

Crossing the Wire

Assault rifles, a wild puma, extreme cold, excessive heat, starvation, dehydration, a capture by the Border Patrol and deportation, hundreds of miles of deserts, drug-smuggling thieves, extortioners, a rattlesnake bite-- Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs has all this and more. Girl and boy middle schoolers will be rooting for 15-year-old Victor Flores as he struggles against unbelievable odds to secure one thing: money for his Mexican mother to keep their family goats and chickens. 

I would encourage teachers to use this coming-of-age book as a good example of creating a character who faces both internal conflicts (wanting to be the man in the house since his father's death), and external conflicts (see the opening sentence of this blog!). Victor's desire to help his mother propels this book forward; this is a good example of a plot-driven story. 

But undoubtably this book will also open readers' eyes to why illegals attempt a dangerous border crossing. Although statistics indicate that arrests at the Mexican border have diminished,   the U.S. is still in the midst of many emigration issues and border controversies. This novel, published in 2006, is well-written, timely and in parts, poetic. Consider this line:

"Sorrow sings also when it runs too deep to cry."

Read this book. You won't forget it. 

Book Wish Contest

I received this today from Teresa Fannin, SCBWI-Carolina's regional advisor. I thought it was worth passing along; please note that the contest is open to adults and teens. 


Win a literary agent or acclaimed author's feedback on your unpublished manuscript for young adult or middle grade readers. This rare opportunity is being offered to the six winners of an essay contest recently announced by the literacy charity Book Wish Foundation. See http://bookwish.org/contest for full details.

You could win a manuscript critique from:

Laura Langlie, literary agent for Meg Cabot
Nancy Gallt, literary agent for Jeanne DuPrau
Brenda Bowen, literary agent and editor of Karen Hesse's Newbery Medal winner Out of the Dust
Ann M. Martin, winner of the Newbery Honor for A Corner of the Universe
Francisco X. Stork, winner of the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award for The Last Summer of the Death Warriors
Cynthia Voigt, winner of the Newbery Medal for Dicey's Song and the Newbery Honor for A Solitary Blue

All that separates you from this prize is a 500-word essay about a short story in Book Wish Foundation's new anthology, What You Wish For. Essays are due Feb. 1, 2012 and winners will be announced around Mar. 1, 2012. If you win, you will have six months to submit the first 50 pages of your manuscript for critique (which means you can enter the contest even if you haven't finished, or started, your manuscript). You can even enter multiple times, with essays about more than one of the contest stories, for a chance to win up to six critiques.

If you dream of being a published author, this is an opportunity you should not miss. To enter, follow the instructions at http://bookwish.org/contest.

***********

The contest requires responding to one of the stories in the anthology What you Wish For. According to the Book Wish Foundation website, "The stories were contributed for free by their authors so we could use the book's proceeds to develop libraries in Darfuri refugee camps."


I plan to enter, how about you?

Guest Blog: A Fresh Perspective by Judy Beglau

Judy, hard at work on her new laptop computer. 

I met Judy at a Highlights Writers Workshop two years ago. When I saw on Facebook that she was attending an editing workshop with Stephen Roxburgh, I asked her to be my guest blogger. I hope you enjoy these reflections on her experience.

*******************

Writing is a solitary pursuit, no doubt about it. We sit alone with our thoughts, tapping away at a keyboard for hours on end. And when we have finished our story, we turn away from our quiet effort and risk a “show and tell.” We let others in. A critique group, a generous friend, a family member. And sometimes, we take our words to a workshop where we lay our printed offspring bare to strangers.

At the beginning of November I took my newly completed YA fantasy novel to an editing workshop run by the Highlights Foundation in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. It was a three day editing workshop led by editor and publisher Stephen Roxburgh, who I met at a Highlights Workshop in Chautauqua, NY.

There were six of us writers and Stephen. Our time was divided between group sessions and one-on-one meetings. The group sessions were informative, as Stephen is a very good teacher. He led us through the nitty-gritty of plot development, explaining the difference between plot and story. He taught us about writing revisions. About the difference between copy editing and re-visioning our work. About the difference between “fiddling” with the book and examining the big issues. I had a feeling as he was leading this group session that many of the warning signs Stephen mentioned in the class pertained to my book. I was not in error.

It was quite amazing that a publisher like Stephen Roxburgh would take the time to read six novels before he arrived then take us through our works in detail. Labor intensive and time consuming, it is an effort that results in something many authors never, never get from an expert: personal attention to every aspect of a novel.

I would love to say my novel was so good I had no revising to do and I could just get on with the sequel. But I got something more valuable: I got direction in revising my story. I got kudos for the good aspects and blunt force trauma to the weak parts. And the strangest thing, the part I can’t explain to anyone, is the fact that I am happy to keep the three pages out of two hundred plus that will be included in my revision.  I am happy to be starting over with a clearer vision of exactly what matters in my story. I am not starting from scratch. I am starting from inspiration. 

Judy Beglau lives half the year in Austin, TX and half in the mountains of New Mexico. She started out writing children's musicals, and now is writing picture books, a young adult novel, and write-for-hire projects for Augsburg Fortress Press including hymns and adult devotionals.

What Drives You as a Writer?

"What motivates you as a writer?" my pastor, Rob McCurley, recently asked me. "Are you fascinated with the characters? Do you like delving into the plot? Playing with the words?" His questions got me thinking.  

Image courtesy of Google images

As a child I enjoyed putting together jigsaw puzzles. On many levels, writing Half-Truths is like assembling one huge puzzle. I visit neighborhoods, bike along streets, and talk to people--all the time thinking about what life in Charlotte, NC was like in 1950. I imagine local readers discovering history hidden under the sidewalks which they walk on.  As Harold Underdown said when I worked with him at an Highlights Writers Workshop, this setting creates the backdrop of my story. It's fun to dream up a story that didn't really take place here, but could have. 


Here's an example. Two months ago I discovered the location of an African American slave cemetery from the 19th century. No tombstones remain, but it is a short walk from the Barnes & Noble store where my writer's group meets. The cemetery itself will probably not be in my book, but its location contributes to my understanding of local history.

St. Lloyd's Presbyterian Church Cemetery
courtesy of Historic Landmarks Commission

Puzzle pieces come together through my interviews with"experts"--folks who lived in Charlotte during this time period. This city is a lot larger now than it was in 1950, but there are still people who are connected to one another and to this time period. One interviewee's mother served as help in another interviewee's home. Another interviewee's grandfather was the founder of the local Coca Cola company and became the prototype for the grandfather in my story. When I interviewed his grandson I discovered that he used to be a dental patient of my husband's. 

Image courtesy of Google images

A third interviewee was a nurse in Good Samaritan Hospital- a place which will play a key role at the end of my story.  It served the African American community for many years before it was torn down. Now, the ground on which it stood shakes with the vibrations of the Panther's football team--the Bank of America stadium was built on that land. Here is a video about the transition from hospital to stadium: 



The characters in my story are more puzzle pieces.   I enjoy creating their genealogies, back stories, motivations, and relationships with one another.  Two months ago an editor challenged me to write this story from both protagonists' points of view. As I dig into what both a white and black teenage girl experienced at that time period, the bigger picture of my story emerges. 


If I happen to write a sentence which delights me or if I find an image, verb, or noun that sparkles, these are more pieces for the puzzle. Last week I wrote:  Lillie knew Grandma needed her help. She just wished that the help wasn’t her. I didn't plan on playing on the word "help," it just appeared on the screen. 


Finally, I imagine that the border of this puzzle is the over-arching theme of speaking the truth. Both Kate and Lillie, my main characters, will face their own half-truths as well as the deeper deceptions which pervade their families.  

Image courtesy of Google images

Making all those pieces fit together really excites me. Thanks Rob, for asking. 

Image courtesy of Google images

Dangerous Skies

As part of my research for Half-Truths, I am reading as many books as I can which probe the relationships between African Americans and whites. By now I am less surprised by stories of segregation and prejudice in the 20th century, but Dangerous Skies is an exception. Readers may be shocked that this story takes place in 1991--just twenty short years ago.


At twelve years of age, the friendship between Buck Smith and Tunes Smith developed since infancy. They grew up together along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay where their families' lives intertwined. "[Tune's] daddy, Kneebone, was manager of my father's farm, like his father and his father's father before him, all the way back to the time when they were freed from slavery, which was how they first came to work the Smith land." (p. 6)


The two were highly respected fish finders, but the summer that they were to turn thirteen the watermen not only asked where the fish were biting, but where Buck and Tunes had been together. "I didn't think much about it at first, but before long all the looks and questions were getting on my nerves." (p.9) Buck says, foreshadowing the book's main conflict.


When Buck and Tunes discover a dead body floating in shallow water, events unfold which baffle and anger Buck. As he doggedly tries to discover who killed him, Buck has to face his own lies as well as long-standing alliances within the white community which breed condemnation for Tunes. 


The publisher recommends this book for readers from 8-12. I disagree. There are references to forced sexual intimacy between Tunes and a white man. Although these are written in a very subtle manner, I recommend this book for upper middle grade students and higher. 


Prejudice, deceit, hypocrisy, love, and loyalty-- this book has it all. But a book set in 1991--is that historical fiction or not? What do you think?

FLUSH: An Example of What Every Book Should Include

I can't help myself. Whenever I read a book I'm always analyzing how the author pulls it off. How does he or she weave together the different elements needed to produce an engaging book for young readers? 


My recent read, FLUSH by Carl Hiaasen, is a great example of this type of book. It has:


A great beginning that hooks the reader

The deputy told me to empty my pockets: two quarters, a penny, a stick of bubble gum, and a roll of grip tape for my skateboard. It was pitiful.

  "Go on inside. He's waiting for you," the deputy said.

   My dad was sitting alone at a bare metal table. He looked pretty good, all things considered. He wasn't even handcuffed.

    "Happy Father's Day," I said.

(I dare you not to want to read more after that!)

Memorable characters

    

Paine Underwood- who is jailed for trying to prevent a floating casino from dumping raw sewage into the Florida Keys.

Noah Underwood- his son who supports his dad's crusade--even when his father gives up on it himself. (his name really fits him!)

Abbey Underwood- Noah's tough younger sister who has a very mean bite. 

Donna Underwood- who is tired of her husband Paine's crusades. She vacillates between understanding him and thinking he is a selfish jerk who she should divorce.

Antagonists that readers love to hate

Dusty Muleman- the greedy, scrupulous casino operator (his name fits him too).

Jasper Jr. Muleman- Dusty's bully son and Noah's #1 enemy.

Interesting Minor Characters

Shelley- a bartender with an attitude, guts, and her own axe to grind against Dusty.

Grandpa Bobby- a mistaken pirate with a wild past.

Conflict

You name it, this book has it. Man vs. nature; man vs. man; man vs. self; man vs. a machine. It's all here.

A great ending where the main character solves the problem

For that you'll have to read the book.

And I'm going to help you do that by giving away a copy of this book!

Here are the rules to enter:

1. You have to be between 11-15 to win.

2. You have to follow this blog.

3. You have to leave a comment with your email address AND Facebook, Twitter, or email this post to one friend (or have a significant adult in your life post it on Facebook or Twitter. That works too.)

So....

If you're already a follower--get going! If you're not a follower, sign up now! Contest is up November 7th.

If you don't fall into that age category you can:

1. Tell your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or student(s) to enter.

2. Hop over to Joyce Hostetter's and my latest issue of Talking Story where we have 3 other giveaways going on right now. No age restrictions apply! 

Happy Reading...and oh yes, don't forget to FLUSH!