Wow! Kaza Kinglsey, the Erec Rex author, has written to us about Tuesday's post:
Yay - I'm so excited about the Book Three release!!! I have to let people know about an amazing fan site made just by kids and teens only - just Erec Rex fans. I just saw it today and it's AMAZING. Portodoor.com - check it out. Kaza Kingsley
Thanks, Kaza! She's right about the Port-o-door.com site--it is amazing!! Go check it out. I've put a link to it on the Links section on the left-hand side of the page. And if you want to see reviews and other posts about Erec Rex and Kaza Kingsley, click on the tabs under this post.
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Blog: Boys Rule Boys Read! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Erec Rex, Kaza Kingsley, Add a tag
Blog: Boys Rule Boys Read! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: March Madness author shoot-out, Erec Rex, Kaza Kingsley, Add a tag
Heigh-ho, bold readers, the valiant dragonslayer 1191812 came to Imaginon to claim his prizes for winning the March Madness Authoer Shoot-out contest by sending the most reviews. Here he is, proudly displaying his trophies:
He hath chosen a signed T-shirt from Kaza Kingsley, as well as two signed copies of her Erec Rex books. Well done, dragonslayer!! Let us hear how you like those books. In fact, feel to write to us anytime!!
Blog: Deliciously Clean Reads (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: tween, teen, Erec Rex, Kaza Kingsley, Monsters of Otherness, The Dragon's Eye, Harry Potter, interview, adventure, adult, fantasy, teen, tween, Erec Rex, Kaza Kingsley, The Dragon's Eye, Monsters of Otherness, Add a tag
1/16 – Deliciously Clean Reads ; Emily Beeson
Day 1 – A Fort Made of Books - http://afortmadeofbooks.blogspot.com/2008/01/kaza-kingsley-interview.html
Blog: Chris Rettstatt (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: erec rex: the dragon's eye, Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness, kaza kingsley, erec rex, kaza kingsley, kidlit, young adult literature, writing process, writing, fantasy, children's literature, blog tour, erec rex, erec rex: the dragon's eye, Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness, Add a tag
Note: I had the pleasure of reading Kaza’s first book, Erec Rex: The Dragon’s Eye, which was a great deal of fun. Fast-paced, lots of action and fantastic elements, and so much humor woven into the story and into the world. And now, without further ado, my interview with Kaza. If you have any questions or comments for Kaza, just post a comment here:
I’d like to thank you, Chris, for hosting me on your blog! It’s a pleasure to meet you, as well. You had some great questions.
Congratulations on your new babies! Below I included a picture of me as a kid for your post. Readers can watch me grow older throughout the blog tour!
Which came first, the characters or the world they live in?
Before I wrote a word of Book One, I plotted the series for months. Some of the characters were invented right along with their world. The story is loosely based on the Hercules legend – which is set up in Dragon’s Eye and really becomes apparent more in Book Two, Monsters of Otherness. Erec’s name is similar to HERACule, Greek for Hercules.
Who Erec is, who his siblings and his adoptive mother are, and who Bethany is, are crucial to the story. They were very early part in its creation. But with that, at the same time, the world(s) in which they live were just as important, and had to be created alongside, fitting in with the characters.
Do you have a definite plan for Erec’s story?
Very much so. I know exactly where the series is going, how it ends, and what basically happens in each book. I find this necessary, so I can drop hints in early books for things that will happen later.
I will tell you that some of the structure of the series is based on the Hercules legend. Hercules had to do twelve labors – Erec twelve quests. He gets into these in Monsters of Otherness. So part of what will happen in future books is based on these quests.
Of course there are a lot of other things going on as well. Erec (and the reader) learns key things at certain points. I also had fun doing some other structuring. For example: the first contest in Book One is “The MONSTER.” The next book is “Monsters of Otherness.” Contest two was about figuring out the truth. The following book is called “The Search for Truth.” As you can guess, I have ideas about the following book titles…!
Have you had that plan from the beginning?
Mostly. There are actually some things I have changed as I went along. The most important things have stayed the same. But I’ll sometimes get a great idea, then I’ll get into my notebook and rewrite a lot of plot. I think, for me, writing is a process of constant plotting. There are always smaller bits to plot out when the big chunks are done. And I’m always coming up with new ideas to fit in.
How much has changed from concept to publishing?
Lots of unimportant things have changed. My first draft of Dragon’s Eye was over 500 pages long. It was cut down – and is better for it. But the essential, important part is the same.
Which character do you identify most with?
In the very beginning it was Bethany, as she is a girl and was drawn slightly from myself. But then, somewhere along the way, it changed. After spending so much time in Erec’s head I definitely identify more with him, now.
How did you get the idea for “cloudy thoughts”?
Cloudy thoughts, to me, would be horrifying to have to deal with. Having some unknown force swoop in and make you do whatever you are told, even when you don’t know why you are doing it would be awful. Erec is afraid his cloudy thoughts may turn on him and make him do something terrible some day. If they did, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself. In the beginning of Monsters of Otherness, Erec attacked his own brother because of a cloudy thought, which was very upsetting to him.
I suppose I wanted to give my main character a “gift” that was truly difficult to deal with, yet something he could learn to turn around and make work for him. As the series unfolds, watch for this to happen!
What is your most valuable tip for promoting a book?
I’m still learning! Most of my promotional events have involved traveling, for signings, school visits, and TV and radio interviews (some of the TV ones are posted on the media page of my website at http://www.erecrex.com.) This blog tour is new for me, and it’s awfully nice to do an event from home – especially when I’m writing as well!
I guess my only real tip is keep believing in yourself and never give up. Getting out there is work – but you can make it fun. It’s really just meeting people – and I love that!
How did you feel about math when you growing up?
I wasn’t quite like Bethany in that regard – lol. I was all right at math, not great. I got moved into the advanced class to do algebra in eighth grade, but I didn’t do so well. So I repeated it in ninth grade and got an A.
But I must have some fascination with math, on some level. When I was in third grade I made up an entirely useless form of math that I liked to teach my friends when we played school. And the first story that I wrote (that I can remember) when I was little involved an octopus that made people do math. I still am fascinated by math geniuses, and loved that movie “Pi.” Go figure . . .
Your references to junk food and healthy food in the book were notable. What is your position on the issue of kids and junk food?
Funny – I don’t tend to think of it as “kids and junk food” as much as “people and junk food.” Our nation’s diet is so horrible (I know, no news here.) I am into the “raw food” thing myself, as much as possible – of course I still eat pizzas, meat and deserts when I feel like it. But I’m aware of how bad most of what we eat is. I think some of that concept sneaks out into my writing.
How much do your stories change between concept or outline stage and complete draft?
The main points don’t change much, and the story line stays pretty intact. But the development between my notes on plot and the actual rough draft is tremendous. That’s where the meat of the story gets formed.
I feel like the outline points, the plot points that I know will happen, are like guideposts for me. I know I am going from point A to B to C, etc. But how will I get there? There is so much left to work out, even page by page, it’s incredible. It feels like writing fiction is one constant decision after the next. How will he get somewhere? What does she say? What time of day is it? Planning the plot / outlining is just a rough start.
I usually don’t end up deviating too much from the basic outline, though, since each book is part of a global series which all fits together as a whole. I have some room to make changes, but it has to be cohesive, too. The books also have a few subtle patterns that I try to stick to as well.
Blog: Deliciously Clean Reads (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Erec Rex, Kaza Kingsley, The Dragon's Eye, The Dragon's Eye, Harry Potter, interview, adventure, fantasy, Erec Rex, Kaza Kingsley, Add a tag
I have been reading the first book in the series, The Dragon's Eye, and I am very pleasantly surprised by how good it is.
Kirkus Reviews said of the book, "Erec finds himself competing for one of three nefarious schemes, a crew of sneering bullies, sumptous feasts, allies for Erec, a surprise villain and magic worked by everything from explosive 'nitrowisherine' to push-button remotes. Kingsley speeds her tale along to a climax involving an impulsive dragon...Closing with the news that the young hero still has 12 tasks to fulfill, this light but not insubstatial outing definitely belongs aboard the Potter wagon, but merits a seat toward the front."
I agree with this assessment. Potter fans will likely find another excellent series in Erec Rex. I recommend this series to anyone who loved Harry Potter and isn't sure what to read next. Although it is full of magic, the story is completely original and compelling. Enjoy.
Here is where Kaza (what a cool name, huh?) will be for the next couple weeks...
Day 1 – A Fort Made of Books - http://afortmadeofbooks.blogspot.com/2008/01/kaza-kingsley-interview.html
Blog: World of Words (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Gloria Houston, Picture Book Biographies, writing conference, Add a tag
I've been out of town at my mother-in-laws for the last five days, so I managed only to get one post while I was there. She has dreadful dial-up, so it took forever just to post for Poetry Friday. You don't realize how nice cable internet is until you have to deal with dial-up. Ugh!
I promised a week ago that I would talk about Gloria Houston, who presented at the Southwest Virginia Writer's Workshop. She spoke on "Introducing Creative Writing Into the Schools". She talked not only about teaching writing, but she also spoke about being a writer and her books.
One of the best things I learned from her about teaching writing is explaining to kids the difference between "narrative" and "story". Gloria Houston defines "story" as a problem with a driving force. In other words, it has a PLOT. A "narrative", on the other hand, is a recounting of events of a person's life. It's event, event, event. There isn't a problem to be solved. As a teacher I see all of kinds of stories that kids write. Most of them are narratives. It's one event after another. I often call these "bed to bed" stories because we hear everything a kid did from the time they woke up until the time they went to bed. Unfortunately, these don't make for very exciting stories. However, Gloria Houston defines them and sees value in these types of stories. Her own narrative, My Great-Aunt Arizona is, by her definition, a narrative. She says one student defined narrative using My Great-Aunt Arizona as an example, "One thing after another happens, and then she dies."
As a writer, I find that things without plot don't seem to sell. Sure, there are the famous authors who seem to get things sold because they already have made a name for themselves. But as a new writer, I doubt that my first published book will be a narrative. I'm sure it will be a story with a plot--a driving force--that propels the reader through the book. I've written many narratives and in every writing class I've ever taken encouraged me to develop the plot more. So evidently, plot sells.
Gloria Houston also gave biographies of people as examples of narrative. SOME biographies are narratives with "event, event, event, and then they die". However, I think some of the best biographies for kids are written with plot. There is some sort of driving force in that person's story to make someone want to write a biography about them. For example, I just read a great picture book biography called Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine about Henry Brown, a slave who mailed himself to freedom. That book has a plot with a problem, building tension, and solution. I think it makes it much more interesting than a traditional biography. The difference between that book and typical biography is that Levine doesn't try to do a "birth to death" story. She focuses on the thing that Henry Brown is known for and builds her story around that. (** The commentary about Henry Brown is my personal thoughts--not anything that Gloria Houston said in her talk).
Gloria Houston has written a book for writers and for teachers of writing. It goes into the Narrative vs. Story more and it also goes into teaching kids a structure for writing. I bought How Writing Works last weekend, and plan to read through it soon. It's written in textbook format though, unlike some writers (like Ralph Fletcher, Jane Yolen, etc) who give you writing advice in a narrative format, but it's full of lots of information.
Gloria Houston's most famous book is The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree illustrated by Barbara Cooney. Gloria Houston wrote this Appalachian story set in a North Carolina town. Many of the towns in North Carolina near where this book was set began to lose their jobs and the towns were devastated. Gloria Houston gave up the marketing rights to her book to help rebuild the town of Spruce Pine, NC. That town is known as the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree. They have a store that sells products made by local artisans. This town has benefited from Houston's generosity. It employs people directly and indirectly through the tourism that has been generated because of this project. They will even send you a catalog of the crafts made by the artisans. Some of it is beautiful artwork or items that make an appearance in the story (like the angel). Kudos to Gloria! I can't wait to visit Spruce Pine, NC to support the efforts there. Items made by artisans in Spruce Pine caught the eye of Laura Bush and were featured in the White House Christmas tree decorations in 2006, and Southern Living's December 2007 issue will be featuring this effort as well.
Blog: Just One More Book Children's Book Podcast (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Community, Family, Ages 4-8, Detailed, Formal, Generosity, Gratitude, Picture book, Girl, Woman, Making a difference, Contributing, Beautiful, childrens book, History, Ages 9-12, Life and death, Biography, Gloria Houston, My Great Aunt Arizona, Susan Condie Lamb, Podcast, Add a tag
Author: Gloria Houston Illustrator: Susan Condie Lamb Published: 1997 Harper Collins Canada ISBN: 0064433749 Chapters.ca Amazon.com Gently illustrated and lovingly told, this fond reflection on a life generously lived shares the energy, emotion, dreams and disappointments of a woman who made her mark. Other books mentioned: Miss Rumphius Tags:childrens book, Gloria Houston, My Great Aunt Arizona, Podcast, Susan Condie Lambchildrens book, Gloria Houston, My Great Aunt Arizona, Podcast, Susan Condie Lamb
Hey, Spartacus Kilroy here, the founder of Port-O-Door, and I'd just like to say thanks for linking to us! I love your site! Also, Search for Truth was flabbergastingly amazing! I managed to win a signed advance reviewer's copy from the Erec Rex forum, erecrex.com/forum, so after I read it I had to wait a month or two until I could finally expand upon it's awesomeness, but now I realize it's just too awesome for words.