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Today, I’m excited to talk with Stephen Roxburgh, founder of namelos, about Nancy Bo Flood’s beautifully written debut YA novel, WARRIORS IN THE CROSSFIRE. Nancy and I met at Vermont College of Fine Arts and it was there, in a workshop led by Marion Dane Bauer, that Nancy first began to revise WARRIORS.
DW: WARRIORS IN THE CROSSFIRE is a book you acquired while in your position as publisher of Boyds Mills Press. In an interview on Cynsations, you said, “I love publishing first novels, and we always have one or two on our list.” In fact, WARRIORS was one such book.
While many editors and publishers are hard put to quantify what piques their interest when reading a new submission, what elements of WARRIORS drew you to this particular manuscript and the decision to publish a first-time novelist?
SR: Initially the book came to my attention by way of my wife, Carolyn Coman, who knew Nancy from when she attended one of the Whole Novel Workshops Carolyn runs for the Highlights Foundation. I read the manuscript and immediately recognized its potential. In particular I was dawn to the subject, which struck me as fresh and exciting, and the voice, which is Nancy’s forte. At the time I don’t recall knowing it was Nancy’s first novel, but when I discovered that it was, I was delighted.
DW: You wrote a fascinating article in School Library Journal (“Literature in translation can break down barriers between cultures. So why is our nation so resistant?”, Jan. 1, 2004) about the difficulty of publishing literature in translation and the irony of such, given the emphasis in educational circles on “multiculturalism” and multicultural literature.
WARRIORS IN THE CROSSFIRE, though not a book in translation, is a book about a time and place – Saipan during World War II – that is largely, to my knowledge, unexplored in children’s fiction and unfamiliar to many.
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I’m excited for both Nancy (about the book) and Stephen (about the jump in technology that will allow this new delivery system he envisions with namelos to move forward.) Over at Jacket Knack on Thursday (4/15) we’ll have an interview up with Helen Robinson, the Art Director for namelos as well as the cover designer for WARRIORS IN THE CROSSFIRE. Come visit.
Perfect, Julie! I will link over to your interview. Thanks.
Fabulous interview, Dianne. This is such an important book written by such a incredible writer… treasures to celebrate on both counts.
Juile, I’ll be seeing you on Thursday!
Excellent interview, Dianne. Especially for both a fan of Nancy Bo Flood (and WARRIORS) and an admirer of Stephen Roxburgh’s clear-eyed vision of the future. I look forward to your interview with Joseph Ruak.
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I had the privilege of hearing Nancy Bo Flood speak. Her passion for the subject is evident as well as her desire for accuracy. I agree with Stephen Roxburgh that one does not have to be of a culture to be able to write passionately about it. It has to be honest and accurate.
Mary Ann – make sure you check out some of the other posts going up this week about WARRIORS!