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...would've fit on the head of a pin. Or maybe a thumbtack. One of my sons was dino-crazed, back in the day, and I stepped on my share of spiny plastic stegosaurs. But it's been awhile.
So when my National Geographic Kids editor asked me to author Angry Birds Playground: Dinosaurs, I hesitated for a second before jumping in. But only a second.
(Re)learning all things dinosaur was a blast. New species are being discovered all the time, often by everyday folks. I had no idea how far we'd come in our dino knowledge. A tiny sampling:
-Scientists know what certain dinos ate because they sometimes find bones from smaller animals lying in the stomach area of a dino skeleton.
-Slower-moving dinos often had deadly, whip-like tails to fight off predators.
-Dino bones have been discovered on every continent – including Antarctica.
-Scientists used to believe a Stegosaurus could flap the plates on its back to keep itself cool.
So where do the Angry Birds come in? Here's the copy from the back cover:
"It's an extraordinary day on Piggy Island because the Angry Birds haven't lost their eggs, they've FOUND something amazing: a bone! Not a plain old bone – a HUGE and very old bone. What kind of giant creature could this bone have come from? That's a question for Mighty Eagle – the wisest bird they know. Join the Angry Birds on their imaginary trip through time to discover the most awesome animals ever to roam this planet: the dinosaurs!"
As Mighty Eagle helps the Birds imagine prehistoric times, they all wear tiny animals skins and bones in their head feathers, ala Bamm-Bamm Rubble. Very cute.
The book also answers these questions . . .
-What was Earth like in the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous time periods?
-How are fossils created?
-How do scientists determine a fossil's age?
-How are dinosaurs related to modern birds?
-How are all those dino names pronounced?
Throughout the book,
Franco Tempesta's spectacular paintings give kids an idea of how dinosaurs might have looked (click on his name to see for yourself!). His colorful and realistic dinos (48 of them!) all but leap off the pages.
Back matter includes a world map showing where various dinosaur bones have been found, a fun-filled quiz, a glossary, and dino-related activities for kids.
If you know a dinosaur-loving kid, or one who is nuts about the Angry Birds, enter below to win a copy of Angry Birds Playground: Dinosaurs (National Geographic). In your comment, please let us know who you'd be sharing the book with.
Entry deadline: June 19th
Jill Esbaum
If you've never entered a Rafflecopter giveaway, you may want to first read their info on
how to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway and/or the
difference between signing in with Facebook vs. with an email address. Email subscribers: if you received this post via email, you can click on the Rafflecopter link at the end of this message to access the entry form.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
By: Kathy Temean,
on 5/20/2013
Blog:
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What is the Katherine Paterson Prize for YA and Children’s Writing?
An annual prize for Young Adult and Children’s Literature. A chance for your YA and Children’s Lit to be read by Hunger Mountain editors and guest judges!
What will the winner receive?
One overall first place winner receives $1,000 and publication! Three category winners receive $100 each and publication. The categories are
- Young Adult (YA)
- Middle Grade (MG)
- Picture Book or Writing for Young Children
Who can enter the contest?
Anyone! Everyone!
Is there a fee to enter?
Yes, the fee is $20.
Do you have a word limit on what you submit?
Yes, it is 10,000 words. Your entry may be a short story or a novel excerpt, but if it’s a novel excerpt it should really stand alone.
Who is this year’s judge?
The 2013 judge is Rebecca Stead, author of Liar and Spy and When You Reach Me, which won the Newbery Medal in 2010.
When is the deadline?
The postmark deadline is June 30th
Where is last year’s winning entry?
The 2012 first place winner, “Crabcake Charlie,” a Middle Grade story by Sally Derby was published in Hunger Mountain 17: Labyrinths. (Order a copy here).
Other winners:
- In Your Head by ZP Heller, selected by Kathi Appelt, winner of YA category, 2012
- The Flood, by Kathleen Forrester, winner of MG category, 2012
- Sybilla Under the Bones by Barbara Lowell, winner of PB/writing for younger children category, 2012
- Him by Heather Smith Meloche, selected by Kimberly Willis Holt, overall winner, 2011
- Forty Thieves and a Green-Eyed Girl by Christy Lenzi, winner of MG category, 2011
- Cesar by Betty Yee, winner of the Picture Book/Writing for Young Children category, 2011
- Steve by Jaramy Conners, overall winner 2010, chosen by Holly Black.
- Chasing Shadows by S.E. Sinkhorn, winner of YA category, 2010
- The Ugliest Dog in the World by Marcia Popp, winner of the MG category, 2010
- Something at the Hill by Jane Kohuth, winner of the Picture Book/Writing for Young Children category, 2010
- Crazy Cat by Liz Cook, overall winner2009, chosen by Katherine Paterson
- Tornado by Susan Hill Long, winner of the MG category, 2009
- No Mistake by Tricia Springstubb,winner of the Picture Book/Writing for Young Children category, 2009
Does Hunger Mountain accept electronic entries?
Yes! Please enter your original, unpublished piece under 10,000 words. Your entry may be a short story or a novel excerpt, but if it’s a novel excerpt it should really stand alone. Feel free to include a brief synopsis if your entry is a novel excerpt. Your name and address should not appear on the story; we read contest entries blind. Click the link below to access our online submission system. Once in the submission manager, you’ll need to choose “Katherine Paterson Prize” (scroll all the way to the bottom to find it!) Pay the $20.00 entry fee and upload your entry. Please include a cover letter in the comments section, letting us know what age group your piece is intended for: Enter the Katherine Paterson Prize
Does Hunger Mountain still accept Snail Mail entries?
Yes! Please send one original, unpublished piece under 10,000 words. Your entry may be a short story or a novel excerpt, but if it’s a novel excerpt it should stand on its own. Feel free to include a brief synopsis along with your novel excerpt. Include a $20 entry fee. Make checks payable to “Vermont College of Fine Arts.” Entries should be postmarked by June 30th. Your name or address should not appear anywhere on the story itself (we read entries blind.) Instead, enclose an index card with story title, intended age group (YA? MG?), your name, address, phone number, and email address. You may also enclose an SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) for notification of winners. Entries should be typed, and on one side of the paper only. No staples please! Send entries to:
KPP Hunger Mountain Vermont College of Fine Arts 36 College Street Montpelier, VT 05602
May I include illustrations with my Picture Book manuscript?
Yes. This year for the first time, we’re allowing illustrations along with picture book manuscripts. These should be copies/pdfs only. PLEASE DO NOT SEND ORIGINAL ART! We’ll consider illustrated and unillustrated text for picture book entries.
If you submit by mail, send copies of art only. If you submit through Submittable, your entry should be a pdf.
Will my entry be considered for general publication as as well as for the Katherine Paterson Prize?
Yes, it will. Several stories we publish have come from the Katherine Paterson Prize entries.
May I enter more than one story in this prize?
Yes. Enter as many as you like! But each entry needs its own entry fee.
Are simultaneous submissions okay?
Yes, but please let us know right away if your work is accepted elsewhere. And unfortunately we can’t refund entry fees if the work is accepted somewhere else.
I’m a child or a teenager. May I enter this prize?
You may. But your work will be evaluated alongside adult work. If you’re a serious writer, it’s okay with us if you enter the prize, just know this prize isn’t intended for teenagers or for children.
What if I have questions that aren’t answered here?
Email us at hungermtn@vcfa.edu
Maybe this is the year your manuscript will be ready to enter. If so, Good Luck!
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
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When
I first read Nancy’s manuscripts, some 19 years ago, I knew instantly: she was the Real Thing, ripe
with talent, original stories and a unique voice. Her teaching experience showed through, too,
helping her target the right format for the right story for the right reader.
Nancy
also evinced Passion, with a capital P, and enough Perseverance to serve three
children’s book writers no matter where they were in their careers.
Editors
and agents as well as writing kin agreed, offering the necessary encouragement,
revision suggestions and interest to keep Nancy keepin’ on.
Today
she’s represented by Holly Root of the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency; Kirkus
starred This Journal Belongs to Ratchet; and Sourcebooks
just bought her second middle grade
novel! She also contributes to the group
blog of the debut authors of 2013 – the Lucky 13’s.
A
Student Success Story indeed.
As for Ratchet's "Student Success Story," she
spends her days fixing cars with her dad in the garage, living in a world of spark plugs, pistons, and crankshafts –not exactly normal for
an eleven-year-old girl. Even with the odds stacked against her, Ratchet endeavors to change her
life and realizes her skill as a mechanic might just be the path to her first
friend. But in the process, she alienates her father and discovers a secret she
wishes she never knew. She finds a way to, not only accept the truth she
discovers, but also accept herself and her dad.
As
I wrote in a blurb for Sourcebooks, “Readers will fall in love with
eleven-year-old Rachel, nick-named Ratchet by her car mechanic-environmentalist
Dad, as she writes from her Life in her Home School Language Arts Journal, wanting
to repair what’s broken, needing to replace the missing parts, so her very own
engine can run true and on course.
Ratchet’s journal proves a user-friendly Instruction Manual for readers
– and especially writers – eager to discover the wonder of their own life
stories.”
I’ve
been sharing this original story in this original format with teachers and
Young Authors since I received my ARC from Nancy in February. All love the book – and Ratchet - as much as
I do.
Be
sure to enter our TeachingAuthors Book Giveaway for AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF This Journal Belongs to Ratchet.
Include a shout-out for your Favorite Car – real, imagined,
long-ago, present, fictional, cinematic, even longed-for. The deadline to enter is June 3. See contest details following the interview below.
And, also be sure to check back in two days for Nancy J.
Cavanaugh’s Wednesday Writing Workout!
Thank you, Nancy J. Cavanaugh, Children’s Book Author (!), for sharing your Writer's Journey, yourself and This Journal Belongs to Ratchet with our TeachingAuthors readers.
Esther
Hershenhorn
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
We first worked together privately in the early 90’s when
you were just beginning “your race to the finish line,” on two picture books
that still remain in my heart and on
my brain’s Hard Drive. Do you recall
what you were hoping to learn – and – what you indeed took away – about
writing, the Children’s Book World, publishing - so you could keep on writing?
I was hoping to take my writing to the
next level, so my questions were: Do I
have all the essential parts of the story?
And, what will make my story marketable?
Two things I remember learning from you:
1. not to miss opportunities – opportunities to develop my characters,
opportunities to add layers to my story, opportunities to add emotion to the
overall plot; 2. to dig deep and find
out what my story was REALLY about – not just on the surface, not just what was
happening, but what “life thing” the story was really about.
I’ve always considered your classroom teaching experiences
That Extra Something that bolstered both your writing and the stories you chose
to tell. Please share how your teaching
impacted, influenced and inspired your writing?
As a teacher, and then later as a
librarian, I got to read SO many books aloud to students, and I had the
opportunity to see what young people were reading and what they liked
best. That’s sort of the obvious way in
which my school experience helped my writing, but something not quite so
obvious is the impact of the repetition of certain stories over the years. There are many books which I read over and
over throughout the years, and as I did this, I was learning the patterns of
language that we find in stories. These
patterns were practically becoming engrained in my DNA. The understanding of what “story” really is
was becoming part of my soul. I believe
that understanding of story is always at work in me now as I write.
What kept you going all these years so you could indeed
cross your much-desired Finish Line?
Wonderful writing friends.
Enriching experiences (researching
topics, attending meetings, conferences, workshops, and retreats)
The satisfaction of always having
something to strive for
Small successes along the way (having
articles and short stories published in magazines and books)
How did Ratchet’s story come to be – and – why did you
choose a home-schooled student’s journal as her storytelling vehicle?
The idea started with a character, and
her name was always Ratchet. My ideas
usually start that way, and then I let my imagination dream up what the
character’s issues are and what her story might be. I chose Homeschooling for Ratchet because it
seemed to be the best way to isolate her.
Also, because of her father, it made sense that he wouldn’t want her to
go to school in mainstream society. The
idea of writing through the assignments in Ratchet’s journal came to me in the
very beginning, but it took a lot of figuring out along the way in order to
tell the whole story in this format.
What about the revision process for This Journal Belongs to Ratchet? How did your agent Holly Root and
your Sourcebooks editor Aubrey Poole help you fine-tune the manuscript to earn
a prized Kirkus-starred review.
My agent Holly is a wonderful editor
and always has helpful suggestions before we send something out, but I had
already done a great deal of revising before sending it to Holly, so we didn’t
really have to do much – just a few tweaks here and there. When my editor Aubrey read Ratchet, though she loved the character
and the story, she asked for revisions even before Sourcebooks acquired
it. She gave me some specific direction as
to what she was looking for and thankfully I was able to deliver. After Sourcebooks bought the manuscript,
Aubrey and I did two more rounds of revisions, and I absolutely loved it
because she’s a fabulous editor. She
always had an amazing vision for what the book could be, and she guided me so
that my writing would get there. I also
have to add here that Aubrey worked hard to get just the right cover and
artwork for Ratchet, and I think that
has really made this book stand out and become something special – so much more
than I ever imagined.
Finally, can you let us in on your next book, also to be published by Sourcebooks? :-)
My next book will be coming in Fall
2014 and will be another alternative format.
The entire story is told in lists, letters, and writing assignments, in
which a girl named Abigail uses her language arts class’s Friendly Letter
Project to cope with the worst school year ever – and in the process turns it
into the best year ever.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
And now, for the giveaway details:
Our
blogiversary giveaway was such a success that we're again using
Rafflecopter to run this giveaway. If you've never entered a Rafflecopter giveaway, you may want to read their info on
how to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway and/or the
difference between signing in with Facebook vs. with an email address.
To enter for a chance to win an autographed copy of
This Journal Belongs to Ratchet (Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky) log into Rafflecopter
below (via either Facebook or an email address). You'll see that we've provided
three different options for entering the giveaway--you can
pick one or up to all three. The more options you choose, the greater your chances of winning. While we haven't made it a requirement, we hope that everyone will pick the first option--subscribing to the
TeachingAuthors blog. If you're already a
TeachingAuthors subscriber, you still need to click on that button and
tell us how you follow our blog, which will give you THREE entries in the giveaway! (If you received this post via email, you can click on the Rafflecopter link at the end of this message to enter.)
As it says in the "Terms and Conditions," this giveaway is
open to U.S. residents only. You must be 18 or older to enter. And please note: email addresses will only be used to contact winners. The giveaway will run from now through June 3, 2013. Winners will be notified June 4, 2013.
If you have any questions about the giveaway, feel free to email us at teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
My ideal independent bookstore carries only children's books. A bell above the door tinkles musically each time a customer enters. Strategically placed twinkle lights lend a dreamy, wonderland quality to the bright, colorful interior. The staff is warm and welcoming and brilliant at pairing you with exactly the book you need. Cubby bookcases line the walls. Inside, new releases mingle with classics, and all are placed face out, of course. Displays throughout the store are artistic and irresistible. I can picture it so clearly . . . because it's The Shop Around the Corner from the movie, You've Got Mail.
If that store existed nearby, I'd work there for free. Oh, I'd earn a paycheck; the money just wouldn't make it home.
I don't have an indie in my hometown, but I wish I had one like Des Moines' Beaverdale Books. My DM author friends hold their book launches there, and owner Alice is a gem who's pretty much game for anything. I was able to attend Sharelle Byars Moranville's launch for The Hop last spring. Sharelle's friends brought in cheese and crackers, grapes, chocolates, a sweets tray, wine for the adults and, for the kids in attendance (since The Hop has gardening/environmental elements), cups of gummy worms in Oreo "dirt." Dozens of people showed up to share Sharelle's moment and hear her read from her adorable book. The joint was jumping!
My town has a Barnes & Noble and a (new) Books a Million. Luckily for area authors, those stores have friendly staffs, especially Barnes & Noble, where Asst. Mgr. Paul Ziebarth makes this B&N feel more like an indie than a big box store. Paul bends over backwards to make book signings successful. He knocks himself out for our SCBWI-Iowa conference booksales, too, always with a smile and cheerful attitude that makes us feel like there's nowhere he'd rather be. Thanks, Paul, for making authors feel wanted and welcome! I know it isn't that way everywhere.
There's still time to enter our blogiversary contest to win one of four gift certificates to Anderson's Bookstore!
Happy Mother's Day!
Jill Esbaum
By:
Carmela Martino and 5 other authors,
on 5/3/2013
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This will be a short post because I'm busy preparing to attend the SCBWI
Wild, Wild Midwest Conference. In fact, I've written this post in advance and scheduled it to publish right about the time I'll be hitting the road. :-)
For those of you unfamiliar with
SCBWI, it stands for the
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the premier organization for those interested in writing and/or illustrating for children. SCBWI holds
two national conventions every year., The summer conference, held in Los Angeles, will be
Aug. 2-5 this year, and the winter conference, held in New York, will be Feb. 21-23, 2014. (
Click here to see photos from last year's winter conference.) I've never been able to attend either of these events, except virtually, via the
official SCBWI conference blog, so I'm especially excited to participate in this weekend's Midwest conference. I'm hoping it will be the first of many.
Speaking of SCBWI, congratulations to all the winners of the SCBWI Crystal Kite Member Choice awards, which were announced this week. If you're not familiar with this award, you can see the list of winners
on the SCBWI website and read about how they were chosen. And for more children's publishing news, be sure to check out
the official SCBWI blog.
In other good news, I've found a new home for the
Girls Write! summer camps I taught at the Hinsdale Center for the Arts for nine years. (Sadly,
HCA closed last year due to lack of funding.) The camps will now be held at the
Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook, Illinois. If you know any budding girl writers who live in the area, please help spread the word. The camp for girls entering grades 4-5 will meet June 24-June 28, 9:30 am–noon and for those entering grades 6-8 will meet July 15-July 19, 9:30 am–noon. For details, see the right sidebar
on this page of my website.
Finally, don't forget: there's still time to enter our blogiversary giveaway for a chance to win one of four $25 gift cards to Anderson's Bookshops.
See this post for details.
After you've entered, hop on over to
Elizabeth Steinglass's blog for this week's Poetry Friday round-up.
Happy writing!
Carmela
Here are some hints to increase your chances of winning a writing contest.
http://amwritingblog.com/wordpress/archives/16801
Writers are invited to submit 200-word pieces for the “Honor the Troops, Win a Watch” essay contest.
The Saturday Evening Post partnered with the watch company Speidel for the contest. Each winner will be given a Women’s Tortoise Shell Fashion Watch or Men’s Pilot Watch manufactured by Speidel.
Altogether, twenty winners will be chosen. The winning submissions will be shared on The Saturday Evening Post‘s website. The contest will take place starting April 17th and conclude on July 4th.
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
By: Kathy Temean,
on 4/20/2013
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Time to get back to the old drawing board with your writing. Even if you don’t find this contest your cup of tea, at least start something new. It could be just the thing for the next contest. Maybe Barbara DiLorenza illustration below will inspire you. Barbara was featured on Illustrator Saturday on April 14th, 2012. Click Here to View.
The Elderberry Prize for Short Fiction.
Content
Short Fiction submissions may fall in any fiction genre allowed by the General Rules. We are looking for fresh ideas, creative story lines, and interesting characters. Authors are encouraged to express their own style and unique perspective, and to tell stories that are compelling rather than formulaic. As always, stories should be free of spelling, grammatical and typographical errors. Please proof-read your work before submitting.
Length
Submissions should be no longer than 5,000 words, and while there is no lower limit to the acceptable word-count we are generally expecting work in the 3,000 to 5,000 word range. Submissions longer than 5,000 will be accepted, but no content after the 5,000th word will be considered (i.e. we will stop reading after 5,000 words).
Fee: $18
Submission Deadlines
In 2013, the Elderberry Prize for Short Fiction will be awarded in June, September and December, so submission deadlines for 2013 are May 31, August 31 and November 30.
Awards
A cash prize of $500 is awarded to the winning submission in each Elderberry Short Fiction contest. In 2013, three such prizes will be awarded in accordance with the Prizes section of the General Contest Rules. Additional, small cash prizes may be awarded for non-winning submissions at Scribulous’ sole discretion. The winning entry for each contest will be published in the Winners’ Works section of the Scribulous web site for a period of one year, and will be archived in a format that can be searched and retrieved by readers in perpetuity.
Elderberry Short Fiction Rules Fiction Contest Rules
The Elderberry Prize for Biography.
Content
Each submission for the Biography contest must fit within a fairly traditional definition of biography. It must be a non-fiction account of the life of a real person, written by someone other than the subject of the biography. It is not necessary to cover the subject’s entire life in this format – biographies that explore a period in the subject’s life, or even a single event in the subject’s life are acceptable. Note that autobiographies are not appropriate for this contest.
In judging biographies we will be looking for stories that communicate truths or lessons-learned that transcend the life of the subject or the author. While the stories themselves may be very personal, they should communicate something of relevance to the reader. A connection to a larger community, society or culture is what gives the story meaning.
Length
Submissions should be no longer than 5,000 words, and while there is no lower limit to the acceptable word-count we are generally expecting work in the 3,000 to 5,000 word range. Submissions longer than 5,000 will be accepted, but no content after the 5,000th word will be considered (i.e. we will stop reading after 5,000 words).
Fee: $18
Submission Deadlines
The Elderberry Prize for Short Biography will be awarded in April, July and October of 2013 and January of 2014, so submission deadlines for 2013 are March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31.
Awards
A cash prize of $500 is awarded to the winning submission in each Elderberry Biography contest. In 2013, three such prizes will be awarded in accordance with the Prizes section of the General Contest Rules. Additional, small cash prizes may be awarded for non-winning submissions at Scribulous’ sole discretion. The winning entry for each contest will be published in the Winners’ Works section of the Scribulous web site for a period of one year, and will be archived in a format that can be searched and retrieved by readers in perpetuity.
Elderberry Short Biography Rules Biography Contest Rules
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
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By:
Carmela Martino and 5 other authors,
on 4/18/2013
Blog:
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Today, I'm thrilled to announce an extra-special giveaway in honor of our FOURTH BLOGIVERSARY. To show our appreciation to our blog readers AND to one of our favorite independent booksellers, we'll be giving away FOUR $25 gift certificates to Anderson's Bookshops! And, as a bonus, Anderson's is generously offering our winners a 20% discount, which will help defray the shipping costs if you're unable to redeem your gift certificate in person.
In case you're not familiar with this family-owned company, in 2010, Anderson's celebrated their 135th year in business, with six generations of the family now working in their stores. Among their
many accolades, in 2011, Anderson's was named
Publisher's Weekly Bookstore of the Year. Anderson's has a long history of supporting teachers by providing educator resources like
mock Newbery contests, arranging author visits, and sponsoring special events such as their upcoming
Teacher Open House, where educators can learn about the best new releases for classroom use. And educators always receive a 20% discount off the
list price of books to be used in the classroom or library.
Anderson's also has a reputation for hosting wonderful (and numerous!) author signings, and for championing local authors. After many years of attending Anderson's marvelous author events, I was honored to have my first signing at the Naperville store when my novel,
Rosa, Sola, came out. That day, the Anderson's staff made me feel like a real star! I couldn't help getting a little teary-eyed as I addressed the crowd of family, friends, and fellow writers, telling them what a thrill it was to have my signing in the bookstore that felt like my second home.
If you're ever in the Chicago area, I encourage you to visit one of Anderson's stores. But even if a physical trip isn't possible, you can visit them virtually
via their website, where you can order print and
ebooks online. As you'll see below, the winners of our giveaway will have the option of using their gift certificates that way.
The
TeachingAuthors are fans not only of Anderson's, but of independent bookstores everywhere. For the next few weeks, we'll be sharing stories of our appreciation for independent booksellers. Meanwhile, I was pleasantly surprised by the encouraging news the
Salon article "Books Aren't Dead" had about both print books and independent bookstores:
". . . the Christian Science Monitor recently reported [you can read that article here], there are now many indications that a once-beleaguered portion of the bookselling landscape, independent bookstores, are enjoying a “quiet resurgence.” Sales are up this year; established stores, such as Brooklyn’s WORD, are doing well enough to expand and new stores are opening. Indies have been helped by the closure of the Borders chain and a campaign to remind their customers that if they want local bookstores to survive, they have to patronize them, even if that means paying a dollar or two more than they would on Amazon."
I confess, I'm one of those book buyers willing to pay "a dollar or two more" to support my local independent. I want to help ensure they'll still be around when I finally have another book signing. :-)
In addition to celebrating independent booksellers, we decided our blogiversary was a good time for a little spring
cleaning here on the
TeachingAuthors website. I've created two new pages,
which you can find links to under our logo at the top of the page:
Links and
Writing Workouts. The
Links page now contains all the
links that used to be in the sidebar, grouped under the following
headings:
- Websites of Note
- Children's/YA Lit Reading Lists
- Graduate
Programs in Writing for Children and Young Adults
- General Children's/YA
Lit Blogs
- Agent Blogs
- Author/Illustrator Blogs.
The
Writing Workouts page explains the history and evolution of our Writing
Workouts, and allows you to access all of them from one place. I've also
shortened the names of our resources pages to simply "
For Teachers,"
"
For Young Writers," and "
Visits." And I've updated our bios on the
About Us page. I hope you'll take time to explore
these revised pages and give us feedback on what you think of the
changes.
You may also notice a new button in the sidebar labeled "Follow this blog with bloglovin'." I recently learned that
Google will be retiring Google Reader on July 1, 2013, and I wanted to provide other options for those who currently read our posts via Reader.
Bloglovin' allows you to easily import all the blogs you currently follow with Google Reader. I've also seen positive reviews of the RSS service
Feedly (see, for example, this
recommendation in Jane Friedman's newsletter, Electric Speed), so I've included a Feedly link in the sidebar, too. You can read
a quick comparison of Bloglovin' vs. Feedly here.
If you don't already follow our blog, I'll hope you'll sign up to do so today via email, Bloglovin', Feedly, or one of the other options in our sidebar. (Hint--our blog subscribers automatically qualify for
FOUR entries in our blogiversary giveaway. See below for details.)
Before I explain how to enter the giveaway, I want to share a poem the AMAZING April Halprin Wayland wrote in honor of our blogiversary, which actually falls on Monday, Earth Day.
A Blooming Blogiversary
Sheaves of paper, leaves of prose
Typing wobbly rocky rows
Planting tender inkling seeds
Sowing words on glowing screens
Underground the spark is struck
Growing with some care and luck
First a shoot, then a sprout
Weeding all the adverbs out
Seedlings reaching toward the sun
Readers, writers we are one
Blooming in the blogisphere
Post by post, year by year
poem © 2013 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved
A special "thank you" to all the readers who have stuck with us here at
TeachingAuthors "post by post, year by year."
Now, for our Blogiversary Giveaway details:
As I said at the beginning of this post, in honor of our
Fourth Blogiversary, and to celebrate independent booksellers, we're giving away
FOUR $25 gift certificates to
Anderson's Bookshops!
Note: if you're unable to redeem your prize in person at one of Anderson's stores, you will be able to do so online. AND, you'll receive a 20% discount on your purchase!
Please bear with us as we try something new for this giveaway--we're using
Rafflecopter for the first time. If you've never entered a Rafflecopter giveaway, you may want to read their info on
how to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway and/or the
difference between signing in with Facebook vs. with an email address.
Once you've logged into Rafflecopter below (via either Facebook or an email address) you'll see that we've provided
four different options for entering the giveaway--you can pick one or up to all four. The more options you choose, the greater your chances of winning. While we haven't made it a requirement, we hope that everyone will choose to subscribe to the
TeachingAuthors blog. If you're already a subscriber, to enter, you need only click on that option and then tell us how you follow our blog.
As it says in the "Terms and Conditions," this giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. You must be 18 or older to enter. And please note: email addresses will
only be used to contact winners. The giveaway will run from now through the end of
Children's Book Week, on May 19. Winners will be notified May 20, 2013.
I hope that covers everything. But if you have any questions about the giveaway, feel free to email us at teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com.
Good luck to everyone! And don't forget--it's
Poetry Friday. When you're done entering our giveaway, check out the Poetry Friday round-up over at
Live Your Poem.
Happy writing!
Carmela
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The L Magazine will host four reading events for this year’s Literary Upstart writing contest.
You can submit your short fiction until May 28th; submissions must be no longer than 1,300-words. The grand prize winner will get a $500 award and be published in the annual Summer Fiction Issue.
The top writers will be invited to one of three semi-final round readings on April 17th, May 1st or May 22nd. All the contestants who place first in the semi-final rounds will move on to perform one more time at the grand finale reading on June 4th.
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
The winner of my extra copy of Nobody's Secret is... DEE!
Email me your mailing address, and I'll send it right on out.
Somehow, I ended up with an extra finished copy of Michaela MacColl's Nobody's Secret. Obviously, I only need one. Therefore, I shall pass my windfall on to one of you!
In the comments section, list up to five books you'd like to see me cover here at Bookshelves of Doom:
- for each title you list, I'll give you an entry in the drawing: five titles, five entries,
- it's fine if someone else has already mentioned one of your books: that'll give me a better idea of what books I need to track down,
- be sure to put your email address into the relevant box so I can contact you if you're the winner, and,
- the contest is open through 8pm EST on Sunday.
That's it! Get listing.
Savannah Morning News columnist and The Shadow Man author Mark Murphy has launched a book trailer contest. Three cash prizes will be awarded and the first place winner will receive $3,000.
Contestants should create a trailer (no more than 1 to 3 minutes in length) and submit it before April 30th. The entries will be judged on the following criteria: creativity, originality, and how well the video can be used as a marketing tool.
Here’s more from the announcement: “Trailers (1-3 minutes in length) should try and take advantage of the Savannah setting while incorporating aspects of the city that are present in the story. The iconic cover shot of the Forsyth Park Fountain at night must be incorporated into each video as well links to the author’s website and Facebook page.”
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Looking for a graphic novel that will make you giggle? Check out ASTRONAUT ACADEMY: Re-Entry by Dave Roman. This series follows the hijinks of students enrolled in a school in outer space. And we're talking highly funny hijinks: shapeshifters that will steal your heart (literally), time travel, detention, a bilingual panda, heartbreak, robots, and Fireball, a game that resembles lacrosse and Quidditch, but with FIRE. And there's a competition montage. This story is so ready to be made into an animated film.
I laughed out loud several times while reading this book, which includes subtle pop culture references as well as different characters' definitions of OTP. Yes, you read that correctly. At one point, someone goes "Squee!" Then there's this exchange between two characters:
"Labels can't define who we are on the inside."
"Are you being sarcastic?"
"Only if you want me to be."
"I [heart] sarcasm. (No, seriously.)"
The cast of characters is multicultural, which is delightful. Roman's black-and-white-and-gray illustrations clearly show kids with different skin colors, different hair styles, and different fashion senses. Some are shy, some are outspoken. Some are bullies, some are friends. A few are spies. A few are ninjas. Did I mention there's also a raccoon or two, a rabbit or two, and that this is book two in the line? Read the ASTRONAUT ACADEMY graphic novels in order:
#1 Zero Gravity
#2 Re-Entry
I just dropped by Dave's blog to see what's new, and I discovered that he's signing copies of his books for his local bookstore, WORD, which is also holding a really cool contest. Want to get an Astronaut Academy-style portrait of yourself (or a friend), hanging out with the character of your choice? Click here to learn more.
ASTRONAUT ACADEMY: Re-Entry will be available May 14th, 2013 from :01 First Second Books.
Related posts at Bildungsroman:
Interview: Dave Roman
Graphic Novel Review: Teen Boat!
The first ever Stanford Story Slam has opened, a chance for a team of writers to win $500. Anybody can enter the writing contest and the deadline is April 22.
To enter, you must collaborate to write about this prompt: “There are over 15,000 bikes used by students, staff, and faculty to get around Stanford campus. Over 300 bikes are stolen each year. Where do they go?” The Stanford Arts Review will publish the winning entry. Here’s more from the organizers:
Feel free to interpret this prompt broadly and in unexpected ways. You can write in any safe-for-work genre you like. The story must be written and submitted through the Ensemble system. For example, you can’t write the story in Google Docs and then copy-paste it into Ensemble. The story must be no more than 1000 words. A reader should be able to read the story in one sitting. The story must be original, unpublished, and not have been entered in any previous competition or contest.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Black Balloon Publishing has launched the Horatio Nelson Fiction Prize. The winner will receive $5,000 in prize money and also a book deal with the publisher.
The name of the prize honors Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, a famous British military leader. The organizers “believe in relentless creativity and perseverance against all odds. Are you the literary Horatio Nelson we’re looking for?”
This contest is open to fiction writers who have penned completed English-language manuscripts (either a novel or a short story collection). Those who wish to participate have to submit their entry after April 1st.
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Enter to win free eBooks!
Winners get to choose what Untold Press title they would like.
Contest ends April 1 2013
You can win any of my Untold Press titles! Woot!
CLICK here to be taken to the page where you can easily enter thru Rafflecopter
Also, don’t forget to enter to win a print copy + swag of Broken Aro on Goodreads! CLICK HERE!
By: Jan at Adventures in YA Publishing,
on 2/25/2013
Blog:
Adventures in Children's Publishing
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Name: Kendal Muse
Title: Blackrock
Genre: YA Magical Realism
Pitch:
Marley Pace has resigned herself to life in Blackrock. It’ll mean spending her senior year in self-imposed homeschool exile, but she doesn’t mind. After the way her summer ended, she figures she deserves it.
All she wants is to prove she can stay out of trouble. Living in a sleepy Florida beach town should make that easy, but then she discovers the Preserve, an eroded stretch of beach hidden behind dense woods and a chain-link fence. She barely steps inside before the Sinclairs, Blackrock’s most troubled family, warn her to stay away.
Normally, an order that direct would only pique her interest, but this time she couldn’t agree more. Besides hating the ocean, there’s something about that place, a feeling that crawls up her arms and legs, and she has no intention of going back—until she finds the box hidden in her attic.
Her own past is tied to the Preserve in ways she never could’ve imagined, and Marley wants answers. If she can’t get them from her mother, she’ll get them from the Preserve, even if it means getting caught between the Sinclair version of a rock and a hard place.
Paul, the oldest and a notorious hothead, wants her to stay away from the Preserve and his family, or else. But his sister doesn’t seem to agree. Samantha is the Sinclair everyone whispers about, the subject of all the worst family rumors, and what she wants, more than anything, is Marley’s help.
1st 250:
The first time I saw Samantha Sinclair, I was using the pay phone at the Blackrock Corner Market. I shouldn’t have known who she was—we’d only been in town a few weeks—but the way people were watching her, it was obvious.
I was standing in the back getting my usual stares and whispers, the same ones I got any time I dared use their relic of a pay phone, though by now I was used to it. What I wasn’t used to was the way every gaze shifted when she walked in.
My cousin had been telling me stories about the Sinclairs for years. They were supposed to be a three-piece-set, rarely seen out of each other’s company, but today her brother and sister weren’t with her. Alone, she looked like any other surfer on their way home. There was a window next to the pay phone, and I’d watched her park out front, a surfboard fastened to the top of her little blue Nissan. She could’ve been anyone, but she wasn’t.
People had a way of staring at you when they’d spent time talking about you behind your back, and it was no different with Samantha. I knew that look because I’d gotten it plenty myself, but there was a little something extra in hers. Apparently, the stares were worse when people also thought you might be crazy.
I hung up before Calvin’s machine could answer; these days I had it down to a science.
By:
Faith Pray,
on 2/27/2013
Blog:
SACRED DIRT
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Margaret Bloom,
crafty projects,
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great books,
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I am Icharus.
Except instead of wax and feathers,
I'm patched together with glitter glue,
writing morsels and
cups of hot tea.
Struck by a blaze of new story lightning,
I'm going down.
That's a good thing, right?
...Right?
Muttering at walls, scribbling
"Words are my wings!" on sticky notes,
covered in ink smudges,
I'm delightedly doomed.
But not too doomed
to help with peg dolls.
Indeed!
And Ancient Greek peggies at that.
Athena, patron of wisdom, and arts and crafts!
She's an owl lady.
Aphrodite, patron of love.
Posiedon. Sea guy. And that's his trident.
Hera, wife of Zeus, patron of marriage.
Peacock lady.
Also compared to a cow in some circles.
Now you know.
Parthenon?
Ruler. Cardboard. Scissors. Tape. White glue.
And now for the drum-roll, please...
we'd like to announce a winner!
A hearty thanks to all of you who entered
Margaret Bloom's
Making Peg Dolls giveaway,
and thank you to
Margaret for the fantastic blog tour.
Our winner is...
Barb Davis-Pyles. Congratulations, Barb!
I hope you will all go out and find this beautiful book.
You are going to LOVE it.
And did you know SACRED DIRT has a
facebook page?
"Like it" to get posts on the beautiful mess of artsy writing,
daily dirt, and parenting sent directly to your facebook feed.
Ancient Greece on the page:
Greek Myths For Young Children, by Heather Amery, ill. Linda Edwards
Explore Ancient Greece!
Greek Myths - Ann Turnbull, ill. by Sarah Young
A Gift From Zeus - Jeanne Steig, ill. by William Steig
The Adventures of Odysseus, by Hugh Lupton, Daniel Morden, ill. by Christina Balit
Aesop's Fables - Lisbeth Zwerger
Happy Poetry Friday, all!
Today, the TeachingAuthors are celebrating Poetry Friday in a special way with a sneak peek at a poem from the soon-to-be-released Gone Fishing: A Novel in Verse by Tamera Will Wissinger, illustrated by Matthew Cordell (Houghton Mifflin). And one lucky TeachingAuthors follower will win an autographed copy of the book. See the end of this post for complete details.
We're also thrilled to feature a Student Success Story interview with Tamera, a former student of mine. As Tamera shares in her interview, she's also taken classes with two of my fellow TeachingAuthors. That's half the TeachingAuthors' team! I can tell you, we're all smiling like proud mammas today. :-)
But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, let me introduce you to Tamera by sharing her official bio:
Tamera Will Wissinger writes stories and poetry for children. She was inspired to write
Gone Fishing: A Novel in Verse after writing “Night Crawlers,” a poem that stemmed from her fun childhood memories of night crawler hunting with her parents before fishing trips. A graduate of
Hamline University’s MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults, Tamera shares her time between Chicago and Florida.
Here's an excerpt from Tamera's
website describing her middle-grade novel,
Gone Fishing: A Novel in Verse:
"Using a wide variety of poetic forms – quatrains, ballads, iambic meter,
rhyming lists, concrete poetry, tercets and free verse – this debut
author tells the story of a nine-year-old boy’s day of fishing. Sibling
rivalry, the bond between father and son, the excitement – and
difficulty – of fishing all add up to a day of adventure any child would
want to experience."
You can connect with Tamera online via
Goodreads,
Twitter, or
Facebook. For more of her lovely poetry, visit her online journal,
The Writer's Whimsy, where you'll find links in the sidebar to several group blogs she participates in.
And now, for the interview.
1. Tamera, it's hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since we met “virtually” when you took my online class in writing for children. Do you recall what inspired you to sign up for that class?
I just came across notes from that workshop; that can’t have been ten years ago! That class was Fundamentals of Writing for Children, the first children’s writing workshop that I had ever taken. At that time I was writing stories and quite a bit of poetry, but I wasn’t focused on a specific age reader. It was my husband who suggested that I might want to try writing for children. That sounded like an interesting idea, so I found the
Writer’s Online Workshop that you were instructing, and I signed up.
2. Do you recall any specific ways the class helped you?
I remember being really nervous and also glad for this new online way of learning and for the opportunity to explore writing for children. The class itself was wonderful and you put me at ease right away by your genuine interest in the students, the focus on our stories and our writing habits, and the study of writing for children. You learned during that class that your novel,
Rosa, Sola, was going to be published. When you shared that news I remember being so thrilled for you and your achievement and excited for me to be learning from someone with so much experience and success.
That class gave me an excellent foundation for understanding the range and limitations of children’s literature, but there was so much more to it. I remember feeling really welcomed and cared for, as though I had found a place in the writing world where I belonged. And I can trace a direct path between that first class with you and my first novel. Here’s how:
- During the workshop with you I learned about SCBWI,
- Shortly thereafter I met you in person at an SCBWI event,
- At that event you introduced me to several other students from your online workshops,
- We formed a critique group,
- Some in the group were planning to attend the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults,
- I was intrigued, but not quite ready to commit,
- In the mean time, Hamline University announced their MFAC program and
- When Hamline began receiving applications in 2006 I was ready,
- I applied, was accepted, and
- What I learned there helped prepare me to write Gone Fishing.
I don’t know if I ever told you that story, Carmela, so I’m really glad for this opportunity to tell you now! When I look at this chain reaction, I’d say that first class has helped me immensely.
3. Wow, Tamera, reading about this chain of events gives me goose bumps! I do remember how wonderful it was to finally meet you and some of your classmates face-to-face after only knowing you through your online classwork. And I recall how pleased I was to learn later that you'd received your MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. What made you decide to enroll in the program? And would you share a bit about your experience there?
After several years of attending writing workshops and conferences and participating in critique groups, I started to believe my writing was good and I began to submit stories to editors. Eventually I began to receive positive and specific feedback, but aside from stand-alone poems, I hadn't received any offers to publish. I recognized that there were still things about writing for children that I needed to know and since I was committed to finding a way for my stories to reach children, I felt that connecting with experts in the field of children's writing was the best way to try and reach my goals.
I feel so lucky to have had that opportunity. Each residency I got to hear lectures by the talented faculty and a variety of visiting children's authors. I also got to interact with classmates who were as committed as I was to learning about writing for children. Each semester I was paired with a faculty advisor. The two of us would work together to develop a personalized study plan that included the creative writing I hoped to develop, as well as aspects of craft that I intended to study. I learned to love essay writing; thinking critically about a specific story aspect or technique is one of the keys to becoming a better writer, and that's something that I've carried with me beyond the program.
One other wonderful outgrowth of the program has been the sustained connection that I have with the Hamline MFAC writing community. I'm in touch with fellow graduates, current students, faculty, and staff, and I feel a close bond with everyone because of those common experiences and interests.
4. Your experience sounds a lot like mine at Vermont College! Now can you tell us more about what inspired you to write Gone Fishing? Why did you choose to write it as a novel-in-verse? Did that format present any special challenges?
My inspiration for the story came from my good childhood memories of going fishing with my family. The first poem in the book was initially a stand alone poem. It’s called "Night Crawlers" and is based on the excitement I remember feeling when I got to stay up after dark in the summer and hunt for worms to take fishing the next day. After that first poem, others followed until I had a collection of father and son fishing poetry. Later, poems that included a younger sister began to emerge and that’s when the sibling rivalry story line started to take shape.
I didn’t originally set out to write a novel in verse. Even with the inclusion of the sibling rivalry, the story that I first submitted included around twenty poems – enough for a picture book. My editor had the wonderful idea to expand the story and the number of poems. That idea intrigued me and I continued to work on it. The final story ended up at around forty poems, which gave it enough text to be a novel in verse.
Writing using this format did present special challenges. In any novel, the story is the most important aspect of the writing. In a verse novel, the poetry has to enhance the storytelling, or it won’t work. What helped me keep focus on the storytelling was to pay careful attention to conflict, crisis and resolution. If a poem didn’t advance the story or aid in some element of storytelling, then it didn’t belong. Add to that the different poetic forms, and that was another layer of complexity.
5. Expanding a picture book into a novel sounds like it would require some major revisions. Would you share a bit about that process?
As I mentioned above, the story initially had twenty poems. We expanded it to about forty, so, yes; the book had some pretty significant revisions. I was lucky that my editor had a good sense of direction. She provided me with enthusiastic encouragement, asked many insightful questions, and gave intriguing suggestions that I was eager to explore. By the end of the first revision, more specific scenes and interactions were filling in and the story was taking shape. It was challenging and fun to see what might emerge and whether or not I would be able to produce more poems that had substance. The miracle of it was that one new poem often led to another and another, each exposing more depth and breadth to the story.
6. Gone Fishing includes a “Poet’s Tackle Box” in its back matter. What does the box contain? How might classroom teachers use its contents to extend their poetry lessons?
Developing this section was another of my editor’s smart ideas that stemmed from one of my dearest critique partners suggesting that I label the poetic forms I had used in my original manuscript. The Poet’s Tackle Box contains poetry writing tips and definitions, including information on rhyme and rhythm, poetry techniques, and poetic forms. I hope that this section can be a good reference for classroom teachers who are helping students learn the joy of reading poetry and writing their own poems.
Before I go, Carmela, there are two more things that I’d like to mention, first, I want to say hello to two of your fellow
TeachingAuthors :
Hello, Esther Hershenhorn! Esther taught a picture book writing workshop that I attended at
Ragdale on a chilly Chicago day. Inside, though, it was a wonderful, cozy, enriching day of reading, critiquing, and talking about picture books. Esther was so enthusiastic and encouraging and shared all kinds of good and important information on picture books and the publishing industry!
Hello, Jill Esbaum! Jill led a weekend rhyming picture book workshop that I attended at
The University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival. It was a sunny Iowa summer weekend and Jill was so welcoming and even came with the students to an alfresco lunch and talked informally about children’s writing. Jill was such a champion of rhyming text and finding fresh story ideas; she gave me hope that there was a market for rhyming picture book manuscripts!
And finally, in celebration of
Gone Fishing’s release this coming Tuesday, here is the opening poem in the book – "Night Crawlers" – the one that started it all:
Sam
NIGHT CRAWLERS
Tercet Variation
Dark night.
Flashlight.
Dad and I hunt worms tonight.
Grass slick.
Worms thick.
Tiptoe near and grab them quick.
Hold firm.
They squirm.
Tug-o-war with earth and worm.
Ninety-four.
Worms galore.
Set our bucket near the door.
Next day.
No delay.
Look out, fish — we’re on our way!
poem © Tamera Will Wissinger. All rights reserved.
Thank you for hosting me today on
TeachingAuthors, Carmela! I had a great time.
Thank YOU for joining us, Tamera. We especially appreciate your sharing your wonderful poem with us today.
Readers, for more of Tamera's lovely poetry, visit her online journal,
The Writer's Whimsy. There, you'll find links in the sidebar to several group blogs she participates in. You can also connect with Tamera via
Goodreads,
Twitter, or
Facebook.
And now, as promised, here's your chance to win an autographed copy of
Gone Fishing: A Novel in Verse written by Tamera Will Wissinger and illustrated by Matthew Cordell (Houghton Mifflin).
You must follow our TeachingAuthors blog
to enter our drawing. If you're not already a follower, you can sign
up now in the sidebar to subscribe to our posts via email, Google Friend
Connect, or Facebook Network blogs.
There are two ways to enter:
1) by a comment posted below
OR
2) by sending an email to teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com with "Book Giveaway" in the subject line.
Either way, to qualify, you must:
a) give us your first and last name AND
b) tell us how you follow us AND
c) tell us if you'll keep the book for yourself or give it to someone special.
If you enter via a comment, you
MUST include a valid email address
(formatted this way: youremail [at] gmail [dot] com).
Contest open only to residents of the United States. Incomplete entries
will be discarded.
Entry deadline is 11 pm (CST) Wednesday, March 13, 2013. Winners will be announced Friday, March 15. Good luck to all!
And after you've entered, don't forget to visit the Poetry Friday round-up at Julie Larios' blog,
The Drift Record.
Happy Writing!
Carmela
By: Jan at Adventures in YA Publishing,
on 3/5/2013
Blog:
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Congratulations to all of the finalists! And a huge thank you to everyone who entered! We had a lot of really great submissions, and because the contest was so successful, we will be hosting another one in May. Stay tuned for details.
And without further ado, the winner of the Pitch+250 Contest and recipient of a 3 chapter critique from Molly Jaffa is...
Blackrock by Kendal Muse - Congratulations! Please email your first 3 chapters to 4kidlit [at] gmail [dot] com.
The Runners-Up and their prizes are listed below:
The Snake and the Darkness by Mari Clark (1 chapter critique from an agent judge)
Liar's Chair by Matthew Stern (1 chapter critique from an agent judge)
Starwisp by Rebecca Harwell (1 chapter critique from an agent judge)
Gripped by Laurie Litwin (1 chapter critique from an agent judge)
The Only One by Keely Dunn (1 chapter critique from an agent judge)
Harold - The Kid Who Ruined My Life and Saved the Day by Dana Edwards (1 chapter critique from an author judge)
A Song in Winter by Kate Michael (1 chapter critique from an author judge)
Meditation by Larissa Hardesty (1 chapter critique from an author judge)
Congrats to all of you! Please email your first chapter to 4kidlit [at] gmail [dot] com.
A million thanks to our Agent Judges for helping us judge the finalists!
Brooks Sherman is an associate agent at FinePrint Literary Management, a full-service literary agency based in New York City.
He is on the lookout for adult fiction that runs the gamut from contemporary (with an eye toward multicultural or satirical) to speculative (particularly urban/contemporary fantasy, horror/dark fantasy, and slipstream). He also has a weakness for historical fiction and a burgeoning interest in crime fiction. On the children’s side, he is looking to build a list of boy-focused Middle Grade novels (all subgenres, but particularly fantasy adventure and contemporary), and is open to YA fiction of all types except paranormal romance.
Brooks is specifically seeking projects that balance strong voice with gripping plot lines; he particularly enjoys flawed (but sympathetic) protagonists and stories that organically blur the lines between genres. Stories that make him laugh earn extra points. Recent favorites include Whiteman by Tony D’Souza, The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, the Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey, The Thieves of Manhattan by Adam Langer, and Horns by Joe Hill.
He is thrilled to be living once more in Brooklyn, after a two-year stint with the Peace Corps in bucolic West Africa and a one-year stint in the savage jungles of Hollywood. As befitting his chosen career in publishing, he subsists on a diet of breadcrumbs and bourbon.
Brooks' blog
Brooks' Twitter
is an associate agent at
Curtis Brown, Ltd. She studied creative writing at Ithaca College and has an MFA in creative nonfiction from The New School. She started working in the foreign rights department at Curtis Brown, Ltd. in 2008 and became an associate agent in 2010. Sarah represents both adult and YA fiction. For adult books, she is looking for literary fiction, urban fantasy, magical realism, dark/psychological mystery, and literary horror. On the YA side, she welcomes all genres and is drawn to unique voices and strong, complex characters.
Sarah's blogSarah's Twitter
Jordy Albert is a literary agent and co-founder of
The Booker Albert Literary Agency. She holds a B.A. in English from Pennsylvania State University, and a M.A. from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. She has worked with Marisa Corvisiero during her time at the L. Perkins Agency and the Corvisiero Literary Agency. Jordy also works as a freelance editor/PR Director. She is a fan of the SyFy, History and Discovery Channels, enjoys studying languages (French/Japanese), spends time teaching herself how to knit, is a HUGE fan of Doctor Who, and loves dogs.
She is looking for stories that capture her attention from beginning to end; stories that have heart, and characters that are hard to forget. She would love to see fresh, well-developed plots featuring travel with unique, exotic settings, competitions, or time travel. She is particularly interested in romance (contemporary or historical) and women's fiction. Jordy is also looking for YA and New Adult contemporary/historical or dystopian, sci-fi/fantasy with romance weaved throughout. She is also open to YA LGBT within those genres. She enjoys intelligent, quirky characters with a deadpan sense of humor. Jordy is not looking for stories post-marriage/divorce/children, erotica, inspirational or paranormal at this time.
Jordy's blogJordy's Twitter
Molly Jaffa has been working closely with
Folio Literary Management authors’ projects since 2008, and is an Associate Member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR). In addition to building her selective but growing list of clients, Molly utilizes her editorial background, previous work experience in the e-publishing industry, and intimate knowledge of the Folio list in her position as Director of International Rights. She actively pursues sales of international and audio rights and attends all major international book fairs, helping Folio clients’ books reach wide audiences in as many formats as possible. Molly is an avid reader, and when she’s not devouring manuscripts, she can usually be found camped out in the aisles of the Union Square Barnes & Noble (until they kick her out at closing time). Her clients include Lana Krumwiede (FREAKLING, Candlewick, October 2012, and an untitled sequel in 2013), Julie Murphy (SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY, HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray, 2014), and Gever Tulley (50 DANGEROUS THINGS, NAL, 2011).
In fiction, I focus exclusively on middle grade and young adult fiction. I’m looking for books that challenge the reader intellectually and emotionally, from the high-concept and fantastical to the frank, fresh, and contemporary. I love fiction set in another country, time, or place (real or imagined!) that opens up a rich new world for the reader to discover. Stories featuring characters with strong passions, talents, or smarts – or characters in search of theirs – resonate with me. I’d also like to see: Contemporary YA that’s not afraid to explore complex social issues, historical fantasy, smart middle grade adventures, and good, old-fashioned YA romance. In nonfiction, I’m looking for books that explore social issues relevant to women of all ages. Think
Perfect Girls,
Starving Daughters;
The Purity Myth;
Pledged;
The Morning After;
Enlightened Sexism.
What I’m not looking for: Paranormal “creature” YA (no werewolves, vampires,shapeshifters, selkies, or mermaids, please). I’m probably not the right person for books narrated by animals or focusing on a human-animal bond (girls and their horses, boys and their dogs).
Molly's blogMolly's Twitter
Pooja Menon joined
Kimberley Cameron & Associates as an intern in the fall of 2011, with the aim of immersing herself in the elusive world of books and publishing. She soon realized that being an agent was what she was most drawn to as the job was varied and challenging. She represents both fiction and non-fiction for Adult and YA markets.
Her passion for reading inspired her to acquire a BA in Literature and Media from England. Her love for writing then took her to Los Angeles where she pursued an M.F.A in Fiction from the Otis School of Art and Design.
As a new agent, Pooja is looking to build her client list and is eager for submissions by debut novelists and veteran writers. She's looking for writing that has an easy flow and a timely pacing, along with a unique perspective and a strong voice.
In fiction, she is interested in literary, historical, commercial, and high-end women's fiction. However, she's most drawn to stories with an international flavor, vibrant characters, multi-cultural themes, and lush settings.
In fantasy, she's looking for original, layered plots with worlds as real and alive as the ones that were created by J.K Rowling and Tolkien.
In non-fiction, she's looking for adventure & travel memoirs, journalism & human-interest stories, and self-help books addressing relationships and the human psychology from a fresh perspective.
In YA, she's looking for stories that deal with the prevalent issues that face teenagers today. She is also interested in fantasy, magical-realism, and historical fiction.
Pooja's blogPooja's Twitter
Jennifer Udden joined the
Donald Maass Literary Agency in 2010. She represents science fiction, fantasy, and mysteries, and is particularly interested in finding works that creatively combine aspects of all three genres. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College and previously worked in nonprofit arts fundraising.
Jennifer's blogJennifer's Twitter
Different contests have different purposes, so make sure you choose the one that suits your needs.
http://cupidslitconnection.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-know-if-contest-is-right-for-you.html
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 3/18/2013
Blog:
Nathan Bransford
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It's NCAA tournament time and we're back with the 5th Annual Blog Bracket Challenge!
Who is the greatest literary bracket prognosticator of them all?
Whichever of you knows least about basketball. Or the most. Or somewhere in between. THESE THINGS ARE TRICKY.
In order to enter, all you have to do is pick winners in a tournament field of 68 teams. You will do well with science or the complete lack thereof. You might have a vaunted "color of uniforms" system, or a "anything but Duke" approach. Whatever your secret is, it will probably be better than mine.
Here we go, this is fun!
The winner with the most points at the end of the NCAA tournament will win
a query critique and a signed galley of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE INTERSTELLAR TIME WARP!! (or other suitable agreed-upon prize)Here's how to enter:
1. Go to the front page of the ESPN tournament challenge:
http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/frontpage2. Make your picks.
3. If you have an ESPN username and password from last year you can log in when you submit your picks, otherwise you may need to create a new user ID and password. But don't worry, it's not onerous and you can decline to receive updates in case you're spam conscious.
4. Hover over the link that says "My Groups" and then click "Create or Join a Group"
5. Search for "Bransford Blog Challenge." Enter the password, which is "rhetorical" and then click Join Group.
Then you're all set! You can make changes to your bracket by clicking on it until it locks on Thursday (and yes, there are play-in games before then, but the bracket still doesn't lock until Thursday).
All updates/trahstalking will occur in
this dedicated thread in the Forums, so make sure to join us there.
Good luck!!
Photo: Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball.
As I promised last week, I finally have an MMGM again!!!
In fact, today I'm hosting a stop on the Chronicles of Egg Blog Tour--something I *usually* don't do, since blog tours tend to require more organization and time than I have these days. (stupid deadlines!) But I met Geoff Rodkey last year at an amazing event called
Tweens Read, and after seeing how hilarious he was--and hearing him talk about his awesome book (which I was dying to read)--I decided to take part, and I'm SO glad I did. It forced me to finally make time to read DEADWEATHER AND SUNRISE and holy action-packed adventure, Batman!
Here's how the publisher describes it:
It's tough to be thirteen, especially when somebody's trying to kill you.
Not that Egg's life was ever easy, growing up on sweaty, pirate-infested Deadweather Island with no company except an incompetent tutor and a pair of unusually violent siblings who hate his guts.
But when Egg's father hustles their family off on a mysterious errand to fabulously wealthy Sunrise Island, then disappears with the siblings in a freak accident, Egg finds himself a long-term guest at the mansion of the glamorous Pembroke family and their beautiful, sharp-tongued daughter Millicent. Finally, life seems perfect.
Until someone tries to throw him off a cliff
Suddenly, Egg's running for his life in a bewildering world of cutthroat pirates, villainous businessmen, and strange Native legends. The only people who can help him sort out the mystery of why he's been marked for death are Millicent and a one-handed, possibly deranged cabin boy.
Come along for the ride. You'll be glad you did.
Sounds awesome, right? Well I can assure you, IT IS. But I won't ramble about it anymore than that because I actually have a guest post from the author himself to share with you guys as part of the tour. Plus I have an extra-fabulous 2-book giveaway below, so make sure you read until the end! And now, I'll let Geoff take it away!
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NOT FUNNY AT ALL: THE REAL HISTORY OF THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
The adventure-comedy-mystery-romance Deadweather and Sunrise takes place in an imagined universe that's loosely based on the world of the Caribbean Sea during what's known as the Golden Age of Piracy.
When I first had the idea that led to Deadweather and the rest of the Chronicles of Egg trilogy, I considered making it not-so-loosely based, and setting the story in the actual, historical Caribbean Sea circa 1700.
Then I did some research, and I quickly realized I had to make the whole thing up.
Because as romantic and entertaining as swashbuckling pirates and sun-drenched islands might seem from a distance, the truth is there was nothing romantic, and even less that was funny, about that entire era.
Take the pirates themselves. They weren't charming like Johnny Depp. And they didn't make people walk the plank. That actually would have been merciful. What real pirates liked to do was torture their victims using techniques like "woolding" -- which sounds pretty tame until you realize it refers to tying a knotted rope around someone's head and twisting it with a stick until the victim's eyes burst out of their skull.
Real pirates also liked to flog victims until their skin fell off, then dunk them in salt water. And they got a particular kick out of setting fire to people. But not the whole person. Just selected parts of their bodies. (Those parts? Yes. Those parts.)
And the truly amazing thing? A lot of these guys turned pirate after first getting press-ganged into the British Navy…and deciding life on a British naval ship was too violent for them.
Soooo…not exactly fertile ground for an adventure-comedy. Adventure, yes. Comedy? Not so much.
Although a lot of my research did find its way into the books. For example, the mountain made entirely of silver? That really existed. It was called Potosi, and at one point its riches were almost singlehandedly financing the entire Spanish Empire. Here's a picture:
The picture actually makes it look kind of charming. But it wasn't. No offense to the Spanish, but working the mine at Potosi was no picnic.
And if you look closely at the bottom left corner of the picture? I'm pretty sure that's a severed head. On a stick.
That didn't make it into the book, either.
Find Geoff Rodkey online
Buy DEADWEATHER AND SUNRISE:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giveaway time!!!
(and dude--it's a seriously awesome giveaway)
One lucky winner will win a SIGNED paperback of THE CHRONICLES OF EGG: DEADWEATHER AND SUNRISE *and* a SIGNED ARC of THE CHRONICLES OF EGG Book 2: NEW LANDS (which doesn't come out until May 2!)
To enter simply leave a comment on this post by 11:59 pm (pacific) on Sunday March 24th. I'll choose one random winner and post their name on Monday, March 25th. US and Canada residents only, please!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And for more awesome middle grade recommendations, check out the other MMGM's floating around the blogosphere:
- Annie McMahon is featuring *blush* KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES!! (That will never stop being surreal!). Click HERE to see what she thought.
- Shari Larsen is awed by THE AGE OF MIRACLES. Click HERE to see why.
- Andrea Mack has chills for THE GRAVEROBBER'S APPRENTICE. Click HERE for her review.
- Flash, the Feline Extraordinaire, (and Professional Mews to Cindy Strandvold) recommends A HOUSE CALLED AWFUL END. Click HERE to see what that's all about.
- Susan Olson is spreading the love for BESWITCHED. Click HERE to learn more
- Rosi Hollinbeck is also featuring DEADWEATHER AND SUNRISE--with a GIVEAWAY. Click HERE for details.
- Katie Fitzgerald is cheering for LATASHA AND THE KIDD ON KEYS. Click HERE for her review.
- Laurisa White Reyes is celebrating PLASTIC POLLY--with a GIVEAWAY. Click HERE for details
- Dorine White is singing praises for MICHAEL VEY: THE PRISONER OF CELL 25. Click HERE to see what she thought.
- Joanne Fritz always has an MMGM for you. Click HERE to see what she's talking about this week.
- The Mundie Moms are always part of the MMGM fun (YAY!). Click HERE to see their newest recommendations. And if you aren't also following their Mundie Kids site, get thee over THERE and check out all the awesome!
- The lovely Shannon O'Donnell always has an MMGM ready for you! Click HERE to see what she's featuring this week!
- Karen Yingling also always has some awesome MMGM recommendations for you. Click HERE to which ones she picked this time!
- Pam Torres always has an MMGM up on her blog. Click HERE to see what she's spotlighting this week.
- Michelle Isenhoff is always part of the MMGM fun. Click HERE to see what she's talking about today.
If you would like to join in the MMGM fun, all you have to do is blog about a middle grade book you love (contests, author interviews and whatnot also count--but are most definitely not required) and email me the title of the book you're featuring and a link to your blog at SWMessenger (at) hotmail (dot) com. (Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so I see it)
NOTE: I used to not have a cut-off time for adding links to the post, but with how insane my schedule is right now, if you don't email me by Sunday evening (usually around 11pm PST is when I put the links together) I can't guarantee I'll have a chance to add you. BUT, you are welcome to add your link in the comments on this post so people can find you!
*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen posts ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me ahead of time
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I'd love to win this book for my grandson. Thanks for the giveaway!
The Giorgio kids will be excited to hear about this book!
If I win, I'll give it to my 9-year old who loves books and has yet to get into dinosaurs (for lack of the right book, I'm sure).
Sounds like such FUN with cool kid-centric facts & it's always good to stretch out of our information zones.
Plus, NG KIDS! + your skills - a winning combo Jill.
Not entering, but so cool to know of your new one.
Long live Angry Birds!
My seven-year-old son would adore this book! We have watched several shows on the NatGeo channel about dinosaurs and fossils. He is a fan of Angry Birds, too (Angry Birds/Star Wars combo is also popular), so this would be a fantastic book to encourage him to keep up his reading skills over the summer. Very cool!
Thanks for entering, everybody! Stay tuned...
Jill
Congrats, Jill! We will definitely be reading this book in our household.
Nice to hear, Jeanne Marie!
Posting this comment on behalf of Karen Ganon, who is also entering the giveaway:
>>The book sounds like a lot of fun. I would have it in my classroom, and share it with my third graders.<<
Thanks for entering, Karen!
If I won this book I would share it with my 5 year old son who has just completed kindergarten, and he would share it with his two year old brother who he loves to teach about dinosaurs !
Great! Thanks for entering. :)
Woo, Woo, Jill--congratulations!!!!
Thanks, April. It was a fun one to research.
I love your books!!!! Tom's Tweet is one of my faves!! I taught 26 years and now substitute. I always take books to read to the students (They loved Tom's Tweet!) So besides enjoying it myself, I will share with the classrooms when I substitute.
And HUGE congrats!!!!
Penny, you just made my day. :) Thanks!
Hi Jill! Congrats on the new book! I would HAVE to share this book with my niece and two nephews who are the dinosaur-loving ages of 3, 5, and 7!
Thanks for the giveaway!
I've shared dinosaur books with my students and nieces and nephews for years. I now have a little grandnephew who is totally hooked on dinosaurs. This is a great book for us to share together!
Thanks, Dawn. They're the perfect ages for this!
Pam, LOTS of dino info in this one! And the pics are gorgeous. :)