squeetus

Squeetus exclusive: Megan Whalen Turner, part 1 of 3

Next stop on the author train: Megan Whalen Turner, of course. I read her three books The Thief (a Newbery Honor Book), The Queen of Attolia, and The King of Attolia back-to-back soon after Maggie was born. I can't remember the last time I had such a wonderful, indulgent, giddy experience reading. These are technically young adult fantasy, I suppose, but I hate to slap a label on them. Really, they read like riveting political historical fiction. If you're a writer, you'll want to re-read these just to figure out how in the heck Megan accomplishes what she does and so gracefully. She is a true storytelling master. When I sent her my interview questions, she said she had just as many questions for me and asked if we could have an email conversation instead. We got carried away, spending the last several weeks telling each other stories and asking more questions, so I'll publish this conversation in installments. And now, the extraordinary Megan Whalen Turner...

Shannon:

Hello Megan! I am unable to stop adoring you from afar after reading The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, and The King of Attolia. You plot like no one I know. Reading your books is like watching skilled acrobats flinging themselves around but never falling. I would never dare to write like you, and yet you carry off the impossible magnificently and so smoothly it seems effortless. So I guess my question is, how do you plot? Are you a heavy outliner? Do you tackle the tough stuff in first draft or rewrites? That sort of thing.

Megan:

Shannon, I am stymied.  I really don't know how to answer.  If I were to disagree with your gracious compliments I might look suitably humble, but maybe not.  People might not believe me if I said you make me blush.  And if I just take your lovely compliments with a smile, I look like, I dunno, like the Queen of England deigning to be interviewed, and that's not how I feel at all.  I think your books are wonderful, you think mine are wonderful.  How do you plot?

You picked acrobatics as a metaphor.  I feel more like I am putting together a puzzle.  I get the frame first and then fill in the little tiny pieces as I find them.  And when I can't fit any more in, I always have some left over and I don't know what to do with them.  Or I feel as if I am back in 11th grade physics class building a model bridge out of toothpicks, adding another little bit here or there to reinforce weak spots until the whole thing can hold up under the weight of being read by strangers.

Who is your first reader? What do your stories look like the first time you share them with someone?

I know, I know, I asked you an impossible question. I was being interviewed the other day for a newspaper and he asked me something like, "How does it feel to be so famous and adored?" And later, "How do you manage to write perfect books?" I stuttered, I hemmed. No way to answer that well.

My first reader is my husband, which is perfect, because I've trained him over the years to read my stuff well. He knows how to compliment me a billion times before the first criticism, lest I crumple under it all and flee. And he knows how to find specific things that don't work and point me in a better direction. And I know he loves me no matter what, so I can take the hits. Really, my early drafts are pretty bad. Lifeless, detail-less, confusing. I have to have a lot of hope to see possibilities in my first drafts. I think rewriting is where my storytelling really happens. Who is your first reader?

I'm curious how the Newbery Honor changed you or your storytelling, or didn't. Did you feel new pressure? Did it seem real or unreal, or did it affect how you wrote afterward?  Do you think it changed how booksellers or publishers or readers see your books?

My first reader is my husband as well.  I trust him not only to be a good critic, but an honest one.  I never have to wonder if he is shining it on because he doesn't want to hurt my feelings.   

I remember when I showed him a short story and for the first time, he couldn't put his finger on the problem with it.  I knew there was a problem as well, but also couldn't nail it down.  Finally, I decided that the problem was caffeine deprivation.  I started the story while in the no-coffee stage of pregnancy, and the writing was just uninspired.

Caffeine is an essential ingredient in my prose.  We have a phrase now for writing that just isn't coming together:  decaffeinated at its inception.

Aargh.  I was going to answer the question about the Newbery Honor, but I have to get everybody's hair cut.  School starts next week.  I'm sorry that this exchange is going at snail pace.

...

I got the call from the Newbery committee just as I was about to drive from New Jersey to Washington DC.  We were only going to be in New Jersey for a year, so I'd kept my pediatrician in DC and I was driving down to stay with my parents whenever it was time for the boys' check-ups.

The call could not have been more of surprise.  For one thing, I had my dates wrong for the ALA mid-winter conference.  I thought they'd awarded the Newbery the week before. But after the shock and awe, I still had to drive down for the doctor's appointment and the baby had an allergic reaction to the MMR and I spent the next week worrying about him, and really, I still look at the little sticker on the front of the books sometimes and think, "Wow, when did that happen?"

I know what you mean! For the six months between the phone call and when the award was actually given, I kept expecting someone to call and say, "There was a mistake, sorry, you didn't get it after all."

Thank you so much, Megan. You've been so generous with your time. I could keep this going for weeks, but I'm slapping my hands to stop so I won't take advantage of you. If I might dare one last sneaky question...can you tell us what to expect from you next?

No! No! My turn!

I feel so prosaic talking about babies and vaccinations.  Do you ever feel like you should be more glamorous for your fans?  Do you worry about disappointing them by being too ordinary?  I always thought my favorite writers must *glow* or something.  Susan Cooper, I imagined floating through air.  Katherine Patterson especially should have a saint-like aura.  At least, they should wear flowing robes.  Capes maybe.  Authors ought to live in mysterious writerly places like Bali, or in a cabin in the Adirondacks.  I don't know about you but I am in suburbia here and I sometimes feel like I'm letting the side down.

And here's a question. Do they people in your neighborhood know what a great writer you are?  How do you introduce yourself?

As long as no one asks me, I usually don't mention that I write books. When people do ask, I say I write fiction for children, and they almost all say, "Oh, that's nice," and back away slowly.  I am extremely reluctant to say, "Yeah, and I got a Newbery Honor Book award!" so I smile and nod and leave them to their assumptions.  What do you say?  You are -much- more famous than I am.  Perhaps you don't have this problem.

(to be continued...)

Librarians: endangered species

I was going to post about this, but then just found a nice tidy sum-up on Linda Sue Park's blog, so I'm  pasting in here what others have already said. This is so vital! It frightens me how librarians are being cut from US schools. This is not the way to promote literacy (let alone happiness!) in our children.

In less than two weeks Congress will be voting on legislation that will:

1. Get much needed funding to school libraries.
2. Requires that every school in every school district of every state employs at least one state certified, highly qualified school library media specialist.
3. Provides monies for training and professional development for school library media specialists.

What does this mean?
1. It means more monies for schools to buy books and educational materials.
2. It means that young people will have access to more and better books because informed, knowledgeable librarians will be making book selections for their schools and will have more input and influence on trade and educational publishing for young people because they will have more purchasing power. (Many schools' libraries are run by parent volunteers and/or a teacher or other educational professional who may or may not have the skills and knowledge of a certified school librarian.)
3. It means that young people will have a knowledgeable librarian to teach them how to be informed consumers of information and critical thinkers.
4. It means that those wonderful people who are running school libraries who are not trained as professional librarians, will have access to professional develop monies to help them to get the professional training they need to help our kids.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?
1. FAX or email or call your congressional representatives in support of this legislation: the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLs) Act. You can find out who your Congressional and Senate representatives are at: http://www.capwiz.com/ala/directory/congdir.tt

2. Copy and paste this email and send it to everyone you know, especially: friends, family members, neighbors, colleagues, editors, publishers, authors, illustrators, teachers, librarians, parents---everyone and everyone you know. Add your own short personal note and ask them to please contact their congressional representatives today by fax or email to support the SKILLs legislation. Encourage them to write a very few short words in support of this legislation. If you use a formula message it will not be taken as seriously as a more personalized fax or email. REMEMBER- YOUR VOICE AND YOUR VOTE DO COUNT---THESE POLITICIAN/LEGISLATORS KEEP ACTUAL TALLIES OF FAX , PHONE, AND EMAIL MESSAGES FROM CONSTITUENTS!

Eavesdropping the academy

Tomorrow (Saturday) is the release party for book of a thousand days at The King's English here in Salt Lake, and it's supposed to be rainy. I'm fairly certain Under, god of tricks, is to blame. We will be going on in any event. I'll be dressed like a proper girl of the steppes (more or less), and my dad's bluegrass band will play during the signing, because nothing evokes the sounds of the steppes like...er, a banjo. And mandolin. ahem. Anyhoo...

I recently had the extraordinary experience to listen to the princess academy audio book, produced by Full Cast Audio. They got an Audie award (the Oscars for audio books) for their production of the goose girl this year (that has nothing to do with this post--I just wanted to brag for them). I remember having a similar experience listening to the goose girl. I hadn't read princess for three years. And since, all this stuff* has happened, and I didn't know what I would think of it now. I was nervous. What if it wasn't any good? What if it's out there and everyone's reading it and it's bad? Or what if all I can hear in it are my own writing flaws?

Well, the completely awesome thing about listening to someone else read/perform your book is that the story isn't yours. It's theirs. You're the audience really for the first time. And Full Cast Audio did such a spectacular job with casting, I wasn't always thinking things like, "Hey, that's not how she'd say that! That's not what his voice is like!" I was able to just listen and be taken away in the story. Truly a miraculous experience.

I forgot or didn't realize how funny it was! There were parts, things that Miri said, that actually made me laugh. The actress playing Miri really delivered those lines well. My new favorite scene I think is the conversation between Miri and Peder at the Spring Festival. It was so great to hear in audio, such fun. And I love the relationship between Miri and her father. That subplot has become to me one of the most important aspects of the story, and I didn't even recognize it, didn't find it until the final two drafts. What if I had decided the book was good enough a couple of months earlier? What if I'd called it good and never found that story of their relationship? It would've been a sadder book, a half a book. Revision is godly power granted to mere authors. Hallelujah.

Even as I was completely transported in a story that I couldn't have written, I'm reminded what a huge pain in the spherical-rear-part it was. I think princess academy is the most difficult book I've ever written. Tortuous. the goose girl went through more revisions than anything else I've done, in part because I was still discovering my writing process. But princess academy--yeesh. On two occasions I honestly thought it was a lost cause and almost trashed the whole thing. Only stubbornness got me through. And blind hope. And revisions. Lots of painful revisions. (Did I mention the revisions?)

This is the book I thought no one would like. It's a small book. It's not what I was sure people expected from me after goose and enna. It was not what people would expect from the title. It was going to disappoint. I wrote it stubbornly, writing it strictly for myself, because, after all, I was the only one who was going to like it. And now here we are three years later, some 300,000 copies out there in North America alone. Crazy. It goes to show--you cannot anticipate what people will like. You cannot write for THEM. You cannot plan a bestseller. You cannot write a good book easily. And you cannot find a story right away--you have to work for it, fight for it, earn it. This is truth to me. And when people claim otherwise, I do not believe them.

I really really love this book. (I can't tell you how happy--and relieved--that makes me!) I'm so happy it's not mine anymore. I'm so happy it grew up and moved out and made it's own way in the world, made new friends, became it's own story. That's so gratifying. And I'm overjoyed Full Cast Audio helped me experience the story separate from myself, as its own tale. What a gift to an author.

*Newbery Honor, spending the past four months on the New York Times best seller list, that sort of freakin' cool stuff that I still can't process, and feel weird shy about mentioning again so I'll make it a footnote...

Squeetus exclusive: Laini Taylor

Laini Taylor's debut book, Blackbringer, is the first in the Faeries of Dreamdark series, and it's going to win her legions of fervent fans. To quote my own blurb (if I may be so bold), "A tremendous book--a vivid adventure in a place both familiar and new, characters that made me laugh and cheer and a truly frightening villain. I thoroughly enjoyed the read." I'm so pleased to host Laini in our ongoing quest to bring book happiness to the world!

Me: So, you’re a pretty fantastic writer. Characters, setting, plot, language—you’re a master of all the building blocks. I’d love to know something about your writing process.

LT: Geez, thanks!!! Coming from you, that means A LOT! I could go on and on about process  (actually, I just DID go on and on about it: just last week I launched a new website called NOT FOR ROBOTS that goes into embarrassing detail about the strategies I have to use on myself to get my work done! It’s at: www.notforrobots.blogspot.com). My natural tendency is to micro-edit every single sentence as I write it, to happily tinker around with language as if I think I’m writing a poem, not a novel. It would take a very long time to write a novel this way! So, much of my process is about keeping the storytelling going as I make my tortuous way through my first draft, and not letting my persnickitiness take over until I’m ready for it.

My favorite parts of the writing process are the early stage: plotting, and the late stage: revisions. So that leaves the whole middle, the actual writing part, as my not-so-favorite! That said, I have to admit that the days when the writing is flowing and the story is surging forward, those are the absolute best days, far better than the best of all plotting or revising days. It’s like the nursery rhyme: “When they’re good, they’re very very good, and when they’re bad, they’re HORRID!”

Is there anything about publishing your first book that surprised you? Anything about being an author that’s different than you imagined when you were younger?

Hm. I think I once imagined yachts were somehow part of the deal, and vine-draped terraces in Italy, and lots of witty, fascinating friends swinging by in the evenings with violins and absinthe and poetry. Ha ha! I am sure I had some ludicrous daydreams about the life. But seriously, one thing that does really stick in my memory is a scene from the movie “Back to the Future,” in which the main character’s dad, who’s a writer, gets a box of his new book delivered by his publisher. I’ve always remembered that scene, and it’s funny -- my husband has seen that movie more times than me but he doesn’t remember it, but many writers I’ve asked know exactly the scene I’m talking about. I guess we all crave that box of books! And when my first box came, it was just as cool as I had hoped.
One thing that did surprise me about publishing, even though I thought I was prepared for it, was the god-awful byzantine complexity of publishing contracts! What a horror! Also, it was a nice surprise to discover what cool, unscary REAL PEOPLE work in children’s publishing!

(I totally know that exact scene! It's been in my heart for years.) How did the story of the Faeries of Dreamdark unfold for you?

When I first got started on it I thought I was writing a light-hearted faerie story for young girls, which I planned to illustrate myself. I spent a lot more time on the art part than the writing -- I even made paper dolls of the characters! But once I really got into the writing, the tone began to change very quickly. One thing I’ve learned in writing an adventure book is that it is really the villain, not the protagonist, that determines the plot and the tone. What does the villain want? It’s from that question that the story flows, and once I had my villain, my story became darker than I had originally anticipated -- and those paper dolls went out the window! In retrospect it doesn’t surprise me. I don’t READ light-hearted stories for young children. I like dramatic, sophisticated stories for upper middle-grade and YA, books like The Golden Compass and Sabriel. I just didn’t
immediately realize that’s what I was writing.

What do you read?

I’d say that for the last few years, I’ve read about 80% kidlit, 20% adult fiction, with a smattering of nonfiction thrown in. I mentioned The Golden Compass above -- my favorite. I also love a certain kind of historical fiction -- books like Water for Elephants, A Thread of Grace, Hattie Big Sky, and Anahita’s Woven Riddle, that take a little niche in time and place and make it gloriously real. It’s the next best thing to time travel, and I am humbled by the ability of these authors to blend research and storytelling. Dorothy Dunnett’s Niccolo Rising series is the best of the best. And of course, I love the supernatural. I’ve been a fan of horror since I was a little girl, and I can’t do
without magic. I also confess to needing a little spice and romance, a good intense love story, and even a sob or two! One of the best, most unexpected (and most unknown) books I’ve read in
recent years is The Carpet Makers by the German sci-fi writer Andreas Eschbach. It was discovered by Orson Scott Card at a convention, and he saw to it that it got translated into English.

Please tell me there will be more stories about Magpie (you know that’s what we call our daughter Maggie, right?).

Yes, there are more Dreamdark books coming. I am working on the second one now; it’s called Silksinger, and picks up not long after Blackbringer leaves off. I have five books planned in all. (And I love the name Maggie! I have a friend named Maggie and I’m always accidentally calling her Magpie.)

Thanks, Laini! I love your hair, by the way. So sassy and beautiful too. We'll all be waiting breathlessly for Silksinger.

Pie in Provo

I've been having so much fun with these author interviews (oodles more to come) that I've been neglectful of the occasional "book of a thousand days comes out in less than two weeks" squeal. So, if I may...squeal! Thank you. I got my box of author copies. So fun to see them. I love the cover. The colors are luscious. I also have up a book of a thousand days section on my site now.

Usually book releases are full of trepidation as well as excitement for me, because my baby is going out into the world and I'm afraid of the imminent mud slinging that will sully the poor dear. But this book...I just love this book. I feel so happy about this book. I'm not going to let fears blacken this one's birth. Just a week from Saturday is the book release party at The King's English here in Salt Lake. There will be good times had by all--period. No karaoke, but how does a live bluegrass band sound? Oh yeah, it's gonna be good times.

We went down to Provo to have dinner with Nathan Hale (the Rapunzel artist) and family. Mindy was making dinner, so I offered to bring a dessert. Dean suggested we bring a stack of ho-ho's. I'm sure it had nothing to do with his opinion of my cooking ability.
Me: I want to make something.
Dean: I think we should just pick something up.
Me: No, I'd like to cook something.
Dean: You could still be involved in some arrangements, such as stacking the Hostess pies in an attractive pile.

I made something. It was an upside-down lemon meringue pie, so the crust was meringue. I think that meringue, both raw and cooked, is among the coolest substances on earth. I think there should be five states of matter: gas, solid, liquid, plasma, and meringue. I wonder who I should talk to about this. Despite the fact that the pie basically had only four ingredients (cream, sugar, eggs, lemons), it was a bit more intense than usual for my brand of cooking, requiring such intricacies as Zesting and Double Boilers.

How'd it turn out? I'm going to ask Nate to comment here. Nate, no pressure, just tell us what you really thought about the pie. Dean, you too. Don't be shy. Just lay it out.

(By the way, Mindy's dinner was phenomenal, about on par with how incredible Nate's art work is, but more edible. If you ever have a chance to do a book with Nate and then are invited to dinner cooked by his wife, take it.)

Squeetus exclusive: Stephenie Meyer

Our author-of-the-week: Stephenie Meyer! If you said, "Who?" then I'm sure the rock you live under has very reasonable rent, but it's time to crawl out and look around. The superstar author of Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse, three of the most addictive books of our time, Stephenie (note: no "a" in the spelling) is also kind, generous, and hysterical. She's also the busiest author-mom I know, so I tried to keep her interview as brief and painless as possible.

ME: Can you give us 1-3 adjectives describing what you were like in high school?

SM: Geeky, quiet (as in: "She was a quiet girl, kept to herself.  We never would have suspected her of __________."), and book-obsessed.

ME: Word association: I say "mornings," you say...

SM: Ugh!  *shudder*

ME: You've said on many occasions, and I quote, "Shannon Hale is so cool, way cooler than me. I wish we had a National Shannon Hale Day. Next time I'm at the White House I'm going to mention that to the president. And she's also so beautiful. And yet humble too. She's the kind of girl Jacob Black would totally fall head over heels for. And Colin Firth. I really, really hope she'll be my best friend. I made her a friendship bracelet and everything, but I'm so nervous to give it to her. Do you think she'd wear it? She just so rocks!" Interesting thoughts, Stephenie. Care to elaborate? (10 words or less)

SM: There's not much more to say--Shannon rocks my world.
Time to go cook dinner...HA HA HA!  Will it be Taco Bell or Subway tonight??  Oh the suspense!!!!

Thank you, Stephenie, from a legion of geeky, quiet, book-obsessed fans! Thanks for a heart-racing, giggle-and-sigh-inducing, late-night-page-turning, dream-worthy series of books. We'll be waiting for what's next. Oh yes, we'll be waiting, and watching...(but was it Taco Bell or Subway? We may never know!)

Gabe's picks

Looking for new reads for yourself? Or have a son/grandson/brother/friend who prefers a story about a boy? I asked my 9-year-old super nephew to name his favorite recent reads. He’s not the kind who likes everything he reads, so these are the really top notch ones that get a golden star. Don’t be put off by Gabe’s young age—many of these books would be great reads for kids much older than 9, he’s just an amazing reader. He’s also an incredibly thoughtful, kind soul. I’m a huge fan.

Charlie Bone Series, by Jenny Nimmo (Book One: Midnight for Charlie)

"Charlie Bone is this boy who figures out he has special powers, and he fights evil and solves mysteries. He becomes friends with others who are “endowed” and are really powerful. I liked them about the same as Harry Potter. They’re great books and have some great adventure in it. And I love fantasy. The first four I just couldn’t put down, but I’m not pleased so far with the fifth book—boring."

The Jimmy Fincher Saga, by James Dashner (Book One: The Door in the Woods)

"This is one of the best books I’ve ever read in my life. It’s about this boy called Jimmy Fincher, he’s just a regular boy about fourteen, and he finds out a man called Raspy has an evil plot to get invincible powers, but his plan backfires and Jimmy gets invincible powers. I read all four and they’re really good."

The Last Apprentice, by Joseph Delaney (Book One: Revenge of the Witch)

"Ooh, okay, it’s about a boy who was a seventh son of a seventh son. There are all the regular jobs like farming, blacksmith, and stuff like that. But he’s a special person. There’s a job called a “spook,” to protect a village or town or city from goblins, witches, and all of those demons. He finds out that when the spook comes by, he’s given the choice of becoming a spook. It’s really, really good."

The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan

"Oh! The Lightening Thief. There’s a boy (he thinks he’s a regular boy) named Percy Jackson. He flunks out of every single school. So he goes to this one school and finally gets a friend named Grover. And he finds out he’s a half-blood, the son of the Greek god Poseidon, and then the adventure starts. It’s a really good fantasy and adventure book."

Of Mice and Magic, by David Farland

"Oh yeah! Of Mice and Magic. This boy takes care of his friend’s lizard and has to feed it mice. He goes to a pet store to get a mouse, and he’s about to feed it to the lizard when something strange happens—he becomes a mouse! It was a really good fantasy, adventure, and I’d rate it 10 out of 10 like all of them."

The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin

"It’s a really good mystery. It’s about these people who are chosen to live in this place called Sunset Towers. They all get a perfect place and settle down, and it’s near the Westing House. Bombings and explosions start happening, and they’re all called upon to figure out some clues to find who murdered Westing."

Why do you like to read?

"Well, it’s just like real life—if you become a good reader, you can really imagine it well. You can imagine what the person’s like, and if it’s a good book with lots of details, you can imagine the place, the creatures, and I feel like I’m on another planet, except made out of words."

I don’t want to perpetuate the rumor that boys only read boy books, so I should tell you that he wanted to list The Books of Bayern and Princess Academy among his favorites (I know, seriously headed for Favorite Nephew). I asked him which he liked best. He says, "If I had to choose my favorite out of all of them, it would be Enna Burning. I liked that Enna learned how to burn things, and she used it to help. I’d give them all 10 out of 10."

Isn’t he sweet?