I took the first three chapters of my WIP to my Sunday critique buddies. They both informed me that it needed to be in 1st POV.

Monday morning, in the shower, (of course), my character's voice came through loud and clear. I could hear her. So many things came together. So I've re-written the first chapter and tried it out last night on the Hoggetowne Scribblers and Doodlers! Sweet success! They loved it! Not a mark on the page!

Ok...I'm lying. They did love it, and my writing buddy who suggested the change says it's much better. But there are lots and lots of marks on the page.

So tonight, I'm going to make some of those changes to get back in my character's head and dive in to chapter two.

Loving the writing process!

I'm tired of feeling guilty that I don't have time to read my friend's posts. So, I've been doing a bit of pruning to get my friends page down to a manageable size. If you've been pruned and feel slighted, it's probably because I clicked on the wrong box. Send me a message.

It's all about the writing. I have given myself a deadline and don't want to waste valuable writing time. But I also want to be able to support my writing friends. Hopefully, this will help me do both. We all just do the best we can. And when it comes right down to it, it's about the writing. Period. That must come first or the book will never be written.

Happy writing all. I'm off to get ready for church!

Paranoid because I went through and changed my WIP posts to friends only. I might even go back through and change them to private if the paranoia persists. Why? Hmmm.

Well, I'm innocently browsing the blueboards when I find a review of a new book on my subject! Panic seized my veins. My hands shook and my palms began to sweat as I opened a new window to Amazon.

Please be self-published! Please be self-published!
(Selfish and snotty, I know.)

It wasn't. I saw Random House. My heart was now at my feet. I couldn't believe it.

Please be a pb! Please be a pb!
It was! It is!

Whew....close call.

So, I've been fooling myself thinking nobody can write this book but me...nobody has had the experience with this but me. Then I began hearing the voices.

"Pssst! You! Cana! Over there!"
Yeah?
"You teach math, right?"
Yeah.
"Then of all people, you should know the world is a very big place!"
Yeah?
"Yeah. Lots and lots of people. You're not so special. There are lots of special people in the world!"
Oh yeah, right.

Okay. So I'll be paranoid for a while again, till I get so excited about what I'm writing I can't help but share it, and then the cycle will start anew.

Meanwhile.....

I wrote my synopsis today! I'm only four chapters into the book, but decided I wanted to go ahead and try to write the synopsis to get a feel for where my story is going. I'm so glad I did! Now I know how I want to end it! My original ending had a contrived feel to it. This ending is much more natural and infinitely more satisfying! Wanna read it???

Oh wait....
"The world is a very big place..."

I'm digging deeper into the psyche of my character. My second chapter is weak. I spent a good bit of Sunday in research. I started on flickr to find pictures of my characters and her siblings, which I've never done before. It was fun and seemed to make them more real to me. But then I got distracted and typed in selective mutism (SM) in the subject line. And I was off!

Reading post after post of a father who has a son with SM. So frustrating for that family. Soon I was back on various SM sites re-reading, making notes, writing questions. I'm so consumed by this book, this idea. I wish I could walk around for a day in the shoes of someone who has SM to really feel what it's like. To feel their fears, hear their voices. 

Actually, my wish may be granted. Several years ago I was diagnosed as having vocal nodules. It's like calluses on your vocal chords,a common affliction of teachers. I opted not to have surgery since I know a friend who chose that route and is now perpetually hoarse due to scar tissue. Although I never did quite get my solo singing voice back, I was able to recover. But with the group of students I have this year, it's like that class of 2000 all over again and I'm hoarse again. I can barely talk. Too much stress.

It started Monday with the pine pollen, or oak pollen, or the whatever-the-heck-kind-of-pollen it is in Florida. Yesterday it got worse all day. Today was early release, thank goodness. But the really frustrating part was that this was the day I got to meet CB's therapists and their supervisor! They were very patient and answered my questions as best they could. So little data has been gathered on SM.

I know I need to just write the darn book. I know that.

Soon, my crit buddies will be expecting 20 bright, shiny, new pages. But I don't want to waste their time either, like I did on the second chapter of what they have now. So much needs to be strengthened. So much is not coming through. It's crucial that the emotions of my main character be authentic. And it's just as crucial that my reader understand what my character is feeling. They will not naturally expect her emotions and fear in the circumstances given, so I have to make her emotions and demeanor totally clear, remaining true to what she is feeling at all times.

So, I shall just forge onward. I'll put words on the page, knowing I'll get lost, meandering down blind alleys, crossing paths of what I've already written about, going off on tangents that lead no where, and, hopefully, somewhere along the line I'll begin to make sense. And if I'm very lucky, my new crit buddies will be forgiving of the construction delays and snafus along the route.

Not kidding! Some recent work issues had sucked the creative energy right out of me. But I found it again walking the floors of Walmart with my student from last year who has selective mutism. She's supposed to be practicing talking to random strangers. So, to start, I ran into a couple from my church's prayer shawl ministry in the parking lot. They were leaving as we arrived and were parked directly in front of us. As the wife and I began to chat, I noticed C sort of hiding behind my passenger door. I called her over and introduced her to my friends...and...she said hello to the husband! Sweet! Guess we could have left then, but I still needed to shop. Inside she spoke to three or four other people, none of whom I heard respond back, although I did see the guy in the wheelchair nod in response. We were there for almost 4 hours because we ran into another former student of mine, a friend of C's, and talked for a while.  We walked and talked about my book. I asked questions and took notes. She laughed at me. A lot. :)

Then, a little girl, probably 9 or 10, came up to us and asked us if we'd seen her sister. I didn't answer, but instead looked at C. And she answered her! Very cool!

But wait! There's more! (The Lord does work in mysterious ways!) I have this extra roll of contact paper that I've been hauling around in the Durango since the conference. Every time I go to Walmart, I forget to take it in for a refund.So I took it in tonight. And the last think C. did tonight, was to take the roll to the customer service counter and get a refund. All by herself! Yes! Now THAT'S what I'm talking 'bout!

I posted earlier about the store down the road from us being robbed. You won't believe it! Yep! Robbed again! And this time, I know him. I taught him. I know it's a terribly serious thing for him, and so very sad. You'd have to know Tajh to see the humor in this. He was such a goofball in class. He was such a softy, I never, ever saw him angry. Seriously. I don't ever remember him when he wasn't smiling and teasing somebody. It so totally fits that he used a toy gun. And you know what else? Read down to the end of the article. He lost his pants when he jumped the fence! That so totally cracks me up. We were forever telling Tajh to pull up his britches!

Man, he really was a cool kid. Really. I feel for him. Desperate times.

I'm writing five things because it's been an incredibly stressful week and I'm hoping by writing five silly, Friday things, I'll shake the fear from my bones, (I can hear it cracking and flaking off already,) and I'll be able to write for a couple of hours before I go to bed.

1) Although this is turning out to be one of the most challenging groups of students I've ever taught, I have to share that I have an autistic student joining my second period class now. ("But only if you're not testing.") What a sweet success for that young man to blend so well with my students and for them as well, to learn tolerance and understanding as his new teacher leads his special needs students forward into the social world that they will need to know how to survive in. No more sitting in their seats looking at textbooks for his class. Kudos to the student, and kudos to his teacher. I'm glad he asked me to be a part of this.

2) I'm teaching with Bennie, a new 8th grade math teacher. Bennie was once my student. He had a substitute yesterday who "helped" his students with the inequalities they were doing. Bennie asked me this morning, "You don't teach 'gator mouth' do you?" I looked at him, unsure how to answer, because I didn't want to offend, even though I feel strongly about this. What the heck. "No!" I said. "I hate gator mouth! I teach them they have a left hand. Left starts with L, less than starts with L, and their 'less than' symbol is on their left hand. They have to learn what the inequalities are called, what they mean, and that they are read left to right. (So many elementary school math tricks mess them up in higher levels of math. Don't get me started on It's not the number of zeros, people! It's the number of PLACES you move the decimal!.He agreed! Yep! Love this new young teacher and his terrific new ideas. He's going to be leading the planning after the state FCAT in two weeks. Who says a young dog can't teach an old dog new tricks!

3) I just found out my friend, Cindy, has recently undergone two surgeries for breast cancer. I'm hazy on details. Got them through Mom, from my brother. Seems 2nd surgery confirmed cancer's spread to lymph nodes. She'll need further treatment. I've bought soft pink yarn for a prayer shawl.

4) My friend, Cindy? She's the twin sister of my brother's wife. Who doesn't go to the doctor. And doesn't plan to go. She probably wouldn't want a prayer shawl from me.

5) This incredibly stressful week? Let me just say this. Right is right. Wrong is wrong. Don't let someone talk you into something you know is wrong. Ever. No matter who they are. No matter what influence they may have over you. Hubby keeps telling me not to look at it that way. Harassment is harassment. But I'm thinking, sometimes, you should just have the kahuna's to say, 'NO!"

I'm having a blast with my new WIP. It's quite a challenge. It's been a very long time since I've attempted to write in 3rd person, much less 3rd person limited. I usually write in 1st. But in this WIP my character can't speak for herself in much of the book, so the reader must know her thoughts. At the same time, seeing the body language, including, and maybe even especially, the facial expressions, are crucial to feeling the intense emotions that the character is feeling. So first person just plain wouldn't work.

So I go from narrating her thoughts in one chapter, to italicizing them in the next, where it almost feels like first person. Arhgh! It's tough. I just dropped the first three chapters off with my newly formed, incredibly talented and dedicated, critique group. I'm quite sure they will nail me on this. But I left them that way on purpose. But...I'm not sure why. Well, I can't put it in words. Maybe I just left it for now...till I get a better feel for it myself. Maybe I wanted to see if one way delivered the emotions and the voice better. It's still early yet. Lots of work still to do.

But I really wanted to share with you something new I tried tonight in the brainstorming process. Colored index cards. Sorry, the writing isn't clear. Well, maybe that's not all that bad. I'm not sure I want you to see all the scribbling at this point. Grin.

But here's the basic idea. I wanted the manuscript to be balanced. I know what my character wants. There are lots of small victories that will get her to her main objective. And of course there are many, many obstacles to get in the way of her success. Psychological obstacles that have been ingrained into her psyche over time, as well as regular, middle school social obstacles. I was thinking that for every victory, there should be an obstacle. So, victories are green. Obstacles (current) are orange. The pink cards are flashback elementary events (obstacles) that help emphasize the debilitating nature of my character's disorder in the reader's mind. There are fewer of those since they will be used mostly in the beginning of the novel. The yellow cards are my character's motivation. WHY does she want to achieve this objective? Yes, there are a lot of yellow cards, and they barely scratch the surface. Each one of those could elicit 10, 15, 20 scenes probably. Did I achieve balance? Ummm, not sure. But the colors on the table sure are pretty!



Meanwhile, the more I think on this project, the larger it becomes. I wish I could take a leave of absence and work on it. But I can't. So...next best thing? Hubby, son, and daughter are going on a youth trip this weekend! I have the entire house to myself! Yeah! I'm going to be burning up the keyboard!

This has been an incredible week, from both ends of the good/bad spectrum! And the middle of the week was the definite highlight! I took my son and one of his friends to see Streetlight Manifesto. They were amazing! I've enjoyed listening to them on my son's CD's, but live, WOW! They are incredible! They are going to be part of Warped Tour this year. The schedule says TBA, but I heard a couple of nearby cities are on the tour list so we may be going again, this time with more of his friends.

This concert was the first time I'd ever witnessed a mosh, or circle pit. The energy was incredible. I took some video and was going to post some for you, but then I realized it would be a copyright infringement. Obviously, I'm not going to do that. So you'll have to take my word for it. Teens being lifted and passed about, their heads suddenly dropping down in the crowd then reappearing unfazed as they rolled from stomach to back on dozens of strange hands. My writer buddy's son, who introduced my son to ska music, told me that ska crowds were different. That in some concerts, if you fell, you'd be trampled, but in ska concerts, they'd help you back up. Now I understand what he meant. I witnessed one mosher holding a pair of glasses in the air as he circled the pit. He probably went around twice before someone claimed them. I'm telling you, the energy was invigorating. Sure, there was drinking. Even so, I left the concert with a surge of renewed hope and excitement for this young generation. They took care of one another, you know? Total strangers. No fighting. Just total respect and admiration for the incredible musicians on stage and uninhibited exuberance and joy in the music they played. I may have taken my son for his 15th birthday, but I'd go back in a heartbeat. Love their music.

So, yeah, a mixed bag this week. Daughter made the four-county honor band, (Yay), so we had rehearsals Tues and Thurs. nights, and all day Friday, with the concert Friday night. Did I mention that Friday was son's birthday? I barely saw him all day. He went to someone else's birthday party while we went to the concert, where I ended up sick. Ugh. Something I ate? Who knows. And Thursday was a challenge trying to get daughter to her practice, since hubby had bought tickets to take my parents to see Oliver that night as well.

Oh, and the Kangaroo 1/2 a mile from us got robbed on Tuesday. Just as the elementary school were dismissing. So when my son got on the bus, the driver told them that she may not be able to let them off, the police were chasing the guy in his jeep all over our area. But she was cleared to unload, so my son called from a friend's house to let me know he was going to stay there till I got home rather than be at home alone. As it turns out the guy was killed. But not knowing what was going on, it was still creepy driving my daughter in to honor band practice later that evening and seeing both of the store's driveways blocked by sheriff's patrol cars parked trunk to hood with lights flashing, and crime scene tape surrounding the building. The clerk is super nice and we're all really relieved she's okay. She told me she's been through worse. Sigh. What a job.

And speaking of jobs...

No. We won't go there. Suffice it to say this, my 20th year teaching, has not been the best. And no, it's not just the kids. Not by a long shot.

The trick is to dump all the negativity on you all, so I can be free of it and write! Mwahahahaha!!!!

Happy writing all!

I've been silent here for so long you probably wonder if I'm even writing any more...if you even think of me at all. Sniff. Sniff. My apologies. I have been busy. Last fall's football season was insane. I think I posted about that. So when I had spare time I did not choose to spend it here, sorry, but instead spent it rewriting my YA. Since coming back from the Fla. SCBWI Miami Conference, I have been busy writing, jotting notes in my notebook, writing on my shower wall, and researching. Loving it.

So, I thought I'd share the query with you. I know, I've only just begun writing the book. Why the query already? Heck if I know. It's what came out. I wanted the synopsis, but my brain gave me the query instead. Why am I sharing it? First, to let you know I am still part of the writing world and I will one day be published. And two, because I guess I'm hoping to confirm what I believe to be true. You will be intrigued.

Most wonderful Editor/Agent:

            Imagine:

·         Not being able to ask your teacher to go to the bathroom,

·         Not being able to order your food at a restaurant,

·         Not being able to tell your doctor where it hurts,

·         And being so afraid to speak in public that someone else must speak for you.

            You have just imagined Jessica’s real world. Like any normal eighth grader, Jessica wants to know the secret to making her eyes pop and her hair curl so Chandler will notice her. She also wants to be able to play a flute solo at band contest. But no way could Jessica talk to the woodwind judge, much less Chandler, because Jessica has selective mutism. For as long as she can remember, she has been unable to speak anywhere but at home. Her teachers all think she’s just shy. “She’ll eventually grow out of it,” they say. But Jessica knows it’s much more difficult than that. MUTED, a #####-word middle grade novel, is Jessica’s story of how she found her voice with the help of a parade of counselors, one teacher, and a game called Taboo.

            I have been an eighth grade math teacher for over twenty years and recently taught a student with selective mutism, which is more common than autism, occurring in as many as 7 out of every 1000 children. I wrote MUTED as a tribute to the incredible courage of my student with the hope that it will help increase public awareness of this debilitating disorder, since the single most important factor in treating selective mutism is diagnosing it. Although MUTED is based, in part, on actual events, it is a work of fiction. The market is significantly lacking in fiction that addresses this issue. I have been an active member of SCBWI since 2004. May I send you a copy of my manuscript?

Sincerely,

Cana Rensberger

There are too many fragmented characters pushing and shoving in my head. Order! Order! Line up to receive your application. All applicants must explain why they want the job and what they hope to accomplish. Applications must be handwritten. This main character must be well-defined and willing to take risks. I won't take just anybody. Applications will close this weekend. That is all.

Oh yes! Linda Bernfield, with the help of her handy-dandy sidekick, Gaby Triana, did it again. The conference was amazing, the speakers generous, the workshops incredibly helpful, and the fun and camaraderie, invigorating! I cannot imagine anyone coming away from a Florida conference without a renewed commitment to produce the best manuscript possible.

Friday, about twenty-five of us attended the writer's intensive led by  gabytriana, author, Joyce Sweeney, author/mentor, and Alexandra Cooper, editor at Simon & Schuster BFYR. We began the day by introducing ourselves, and then we were given the opportunity to introduce our manuscript. We each did a two or three sentence pitch of our best work and the workshop leaders pointed out what worked, what didn't, and how to make the pitches better. A very cool way to say hello, don't you think?

Gaby talked to us about characterization and put us to work writing various scenarios. She also suggested we have our characters do surveys like today's teens take on MySpace and Facebook. Joyce Sweeney led the next portion of the workshop and talked about plot. She explained the four plot points we should look for in all good fiction.



Alexandra Cooper answered many of our questions and gave us a few tips on her personal likes and dislikes. (She's not a big fantasy fan, by the way.)

On Saturday, Linda had a star-studded line-up for us, beginning with Arthur Levine, publisher of Arthur A. Levine Books, and VP of Scholastic.



He gave us a tour of many of the books he's published over the past twenty-five years, beginning when he was senior editor at Dial Books from 1987-1990. This was absolutely fascinating and gave those in attendance a new understanding of how an editor might choose one book over another, and why they might reject a perfectly well-written manuscript simply because it didn't connect with them in a personal way.

      

Lisa Yee, the winner of the Sid Fleischman Humor Award and a Thurber House Children's Writer-in-Residence, spoke next. She's the author of Millicent min, Girl Genius, Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time, and So Totally Emily Ebers, among others, including her debut young adult novel, Absolutely Maybe. She explored the question, "Should who you are dictate what you write?" Who are you? Your culture. Your race. Your age and gender. Your likes and dislikes. And how does that affect what you write? She was funny and gracious and we're all so glad she brought Peepy with her.



Ginger Knowlton, VP at Curtis Brown warned all the glitter fanatics out there...she's a neat freak. No confetti in the submissions! Please! She said it's always best to be truthful about your work, without embellishing. And she agreed with Arthur Levine's comments, don't take those rejections personally.  Always send your best, and please,  finish the manuscript before querying! She prefers snail mail submissions and will delete email submissions without reading them. She left us with a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, "Do one thing every day that scares you." You have to fail to grow and develop. Intentionally get out of your comfort zone.



Alexandra Cooper, editor at Simon & Schuster BFYR explained how and why and manuscript is acquired. She also emphasized how important it is to know an editor's tastes. She compared it to shopping at a mall. Do you like the same styles, brands? You want your editor to be as excited about your manuscript as you are. Having said that, keep in mind, they also must balance their list. Yes, they have personal tastes, but they may have enough titles in one genre and may be looking for another, and no matter how much they love your ms, they just can't acquire it. Timing also is a factor. By the way, her imprint does not do a lot of fantasy or non-fiction.



First page critiques were done by T. Wexler, A. Cooper, L. Waniewski, Joyce Sweeney, author/mentor, and A. Levine.



Mark Teague designed the image on our conference pins. I tried to take a picture, but the batteries are dead in both my camera and my daughter's camera. You'll just have to imagine how exquisite they were. The illustrator generally gets the slot right after lunch, which is not good for me. Sleeeeepppppyyyyyy. Until this year. Mark made painting a red fire truck quite interesting. Who knew there were so many steps? Or that he uses purple under the red? I'm going back to my stick figures. He pointed out that character is at the heart of any good story. Well done Mr. Teague. Quite impressive.



Tina Wexler of International Creative Management (ICM) explored the author/agent relationship. She believes it's important that the personalities mesh. She advises that we should be picky about who we let into our publishing life. The trick is to know yourself, as well as the environment you work in best, and then find an agent who meshes with that.



This is me with Danette Haworth, author of Violet Raines Almost got Struck by Lightening.

   

Elaine Landau has published over 300 non-fiction titles. 300!!! She urged us to look into non-fiction. So did Ruth Vander Zee, who writes historical picture books for older readers. Very temping. Very tempting.



Liz Waniewski, editor at Dial BFYR,  spoke on how to wow an editor with your writing. She looks for a good balance of description, introspection, dialogue and action. Common novel themes she's seen a lot of lately are: 1)new kid in middle or high school, 2)  Choosing between the popular crowd and the love of an outsider, 3) parents divorcing, 4) Sulky teen who needs to get over themselves, 5) ordinary kid who finds himself with magical powers, and 6) kid with a secret they think no one will understand. This is not to say that if you are writing one of these that you should scrap it. Just be aware. There's more competition out there.



Linda Sue Park, Newbery medalist for A SINGLE SHARD, was absolutely amazing. She has a two word theme. Try it. If you're not sure if something will make the story better or not, try it and see. She says the secret formula for becoming a better writer is different for every writer, and even for every book. Good writers have three common factors. First, they read, read, read!. Second, is discipline. Some writers call it BIC (butt in chair).Even when teaching, she wrote two hours per day. The third thing successful writers have in common is the ability to revise. Revising is the chance to make the story as good as it can be! Don't just think through the options. Write through them. Try it!

Saturday night was exciting with typical Florida SCBWI fun. Kimberly Strickler made all the decorations. You can view some of the costumes

 
  
Don't let the chest hairs fool you.
The fortune teller is really me.

 


   
                                                                 Frank Remkiewicz
                                                                   
     
Kimberly Strickler made
all of the decorations!

   

Sorry about the box lady. She kept jumping in the pictures. :)

Actually, the fortune teller, (me) collected $26 for the Amber Brown fund. Those who donated received fortunes in return.

I've a moment to catch my breath while I'm waiting on 1) the roast chicken to cook, and 2) the Gators to play. I had very little internet time while off during Christmas so we have a little catching up to do.

How 'bout I get the sad stuff over with first? In case you don't want to get all teary-eyed and bummed out, I'll put it 

Let me introduce you to my son's cat, Tracksie, the kitty on the top step. (The calico on the bottom step is one of our almost 16-year-old kitties, Runtskie.) She was a shy, quiet cat, although she loved to be petted.I had to go back to December 2006 to find a picture of her. My other cats are in lots of pictures, especially my daughter's teen cat, Reeses. But this little girl, she was a humble kitty who knew she was loved without demanding attention.



I always spell Tracksie's name wrong, with an x, but my son named her thus when he was but 4 years old because her little feet "left tracks in the sand." She adopted him one summer 10 years ago. Dad insisted we had enough cats in the house. She could be an outside cat, the "barn" cat. Hey, we have hurricanes down here! We couldn't leave her outside when it  was storming wickedly, now could we? Poor thing, she was so timid. I still remember the thrill we'd recieve when we were able to get her to finally purr. She was so good to my son, sleeping in his room, on his bed, following him around. You couldn't walk in the woods without her following you like a puppy. She always loved being outside best, I think, which probably also explains our lack of pictures. It's still hard when I walk my dog the last thing at night. She always watched for us, and came running when it was time for me to take Bailey inside. Almost every night, she'd end up in my son's room. And I can't tell you how many times she tried to keep me from reading at night, kneeding me with her claws, butting her head against my book, over and over, until I finally gave in a petted her. Oh, and her purr? Wow. It was huge! She was one contented kitty.

You can tell there's a sad ending. We knew she was losing weight. I'd weighed her and she was barely 5 lbs. the Saturday before Christmas, but I didn't realize then that she wasn't eating her cat food. (With four other kitties, you only know their bowls aren't full when they get noisy and demanding  when they are ready to eat in the morning, whether you're ready to get up or not.) I only knew that for the past two or three months she'd been driving us crazy begging for people food, especially meat. 

Since I'd barely done any shopping, I did that on Monday, and then took the kids to shop for their dad and cousins on Tuesday. When we got home Tuesday I knew it was bad. Tracksie smelled bad and was drooling like crazy. Now, I don't know if you remember me telliing you about my 10-year-old schnauzer having ten teeth removed last spring or not, but truthfully, I was hoping that was all it was. To complicate the problem, we were due to leave for Indiana on the 26th, so I was worried about what my cat sitter would have to deal with.

I took Tracksie in to see our vet Christmas Eve morning.  Diagnosis. Renal failure. Severe. No reversal possible. Any treatment would only delay the inevitable until we got back, if she made it that long. So we agreed to say goodbye. What a shock. It still hurts. I never expected her to go first. I always thought of her as a kitten when we got her, so I thought she was only 10, but I'm sure she probably wasn't. I think what made it harder was that it was my son's cat, and I had to be the one to make the decision, and I had to be the one to call him and tell him.

Runtskie will be 16 in March. Trouble and Goldie will be 16 in August. This could very well be a tough year for the Rensberger Roost and our pets.

Parker Fadley was captain of the varsity cheerleading squad. She’d been on the honor roll for the first three years of high school, and Chris, the most popular guy at school, was in love with her, the most popular girl in school. Now, no matter how awful she is to him, she knows he still loves her, but she’s not worth it. Not since the party. Not since her life took a radical one hundred eighty degree turn.

Her parents have her on a tight leash. Early curfews. Weekly meetings with the guidance counselor. Dinners with sad, yet hopeful eyes turned her way, yearning for a glimpse of the Parker they used to know. Everyone has her on a suicide watch, but nobody knows why. What could have caused Parker Fadley to turn away from everything and everyone?

It’s Jake who begins to get under her skin with his unnerving presence and constant questions. How can she possibly be that interesting to him? When Evan comes back to school she can no longer keep the memories of the events of that night at bay. Whether she wants to or not, she’s going to have to find the real Parker Fadley, or risk losing her forever.

The restful cover of CRACKED UP TO BE belies the unrest and turmoil that is Parker Fadley. The voice is incredible, similar to that of SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson. Courtney Summers doles out the secrets in small portions, teasing the reader, and when the events of the party are finally revealed with nothing held back, the tension is palpable. And no matter how many hints Ms. Summers drops, you’ll never be able to guess Parker’s terrible secret. This debut author is just that good.

This review was originally posted here at Teens Read Too.

Check out AuthorsNow put together by the one and only Snoop over at cynthea's place. We're so proud of you Snoop! ;) And, to make it even more user friendly, it's syndicated! Sweet!

When you're finished there, and have more time to spare, head on over to Nathan Bransford's blog to read about his latest online contest. I'm way down the list. Around 823. (Around...like that's an estimation. Yeah. I counted.) Anyway, you're eyes will glaze over by the time you get that far. At least mine did. I hope he's invested in lots of eye drops. Wowser. What a monumental task. But fun.

Release Date: Tuesday, December 9, 2008!!!

Sherry’s got typical seventh grade issues. She’s not so great at school and she’s got a serious crush on Josh, an uber cute eighth grader, and makes an unforgettable impression on him by bloodying his nose. Plus, her dad’s engaged to Paula, the math teacher at school, aka The Ruler. But if you’re thinking that I SO DON’T DO MYSTERIES is just another book about an everyday teen who just wants to be loved, you’d be so wrong. There’s nothing normal about Sherry’s spring break.

You see, Sherry had big plans for her break. Plans that involved sleeping in, shopping, and then more shopping with her best friend Junie. Until her dad told her that he and The Ruler have moved up their wedding date to this weekend. And she’ll have to spend her break in San Diego with her aging great-aunt. Course, that’s better than staying with her little brother at her dotty old grandma’s house. The same one who believes in ghosts and thinks she communicates with the spirits. Shoot, she even thinks her dead husband is a bird. How weird is that?

When Sherry goes outside to curl up in her favorite pear tree, her mother, (who, by the way, was killed in the line of duty a year and a half ago), shows up in a rush of wind and a cloud of coffee, and Sherry’s no longer sure what’s weird and what’s not. Even stranger, it turns out her mother needs her help solving a case of unauthorized banana treats at a rhino enclosure in, (you’ll never guess), San Diego! Her? Sherry? Go undercover? Think on her feet? Solve a mystery? No way. Sherry’s always been the one most likely to mess up, if she doesn’t freeze up first. But no matter how bizarre it all sounds, her mother needs her. Actually needs her!

It doesn’t take long to convince her dad to send Junie with her to San Diego, even if it does mean she’s also going to have to put up with Junie’s older cousin, Amber. Soon, Sherry’s up to her elbows in meringue and buckets of coffee, pounding the pavement like a regular ol’ sleuth till she’s got blisters on her feet. Who’s trying to kill the rhinos and why? Will she be able to find out in time to save them? Will her directionally challenged mother be able to find her so they can work together as she promised? Can she trust Junie with her secret? And what about Josh? Will he forget she even exists while she’s gone?

I SO DON’T DO MYSTERIES is a funny, engaging debut novel and Sherry’s antics will keep you turning pages since nothing happens as expected. Ms. Summy’s title suggest she so doesn’t do mysteries, but I believe she does them very, very well, and I surely hope she will be brewing up more mysteries for Sherry and her mother in the future.

This review was originally posted here at Teens Read Too.

We went shopping yesterday! The main goal was to get our tree. We didn't finally leave home till after 1pm. (Don't ask.) I bought a warmer jacket for my daughter, plus some jeans. Can you say Areopostle? Seriously. I never thought I'd be one of those Mom's who buys expensive name brand clothing for her children. But here's the problem, besides having a name-brand, fashion conscious daughter. She's a 13 year-old skinny-minny! She's grown a couple of inches, (soon I'll be the shortest one in the family), and her legs are about a mile long. She can wear girls size 14, but they really don't fit right. So we end up at Areopostle scouring the sales racks for regular length double zero jeans. I remember my neice, Sami wore 00's for what seemed like forever and my daughter seems to be built the same way, except I think she may end up taller than her cousin. Anyone know where else I can get this tiny size? The department stores only go to zero's. Anyway...I digress. (So what else is new.)

That's all I bought. No. That's not right. I bought one pair of jeans. For me. I'd gotten up to a size 18. (Cringe.) I'm now down to a 14. I'm getting rid of the big stuff as I buy smaller sizes. But I don't want to buy too many even of the new sizes, I want to get to a 10 again. Oops. More digression.

We went out to eat at Longhorn's and I had their 12oz prime rib. Medium. It was exquisite! MMmmmm! I love their prime rib. I eat it about once or twice a year. Usually once during Christmas shopping, and once while we are on vacation. Yummyy. Got some leftover in the fridge for later tonight.

Then we wandered around Best Buy for quite some time. Wow. Have you guys seen those new Blue Ray discs? Holy cow! They are so .... what's the word? Alive! Yeah. That's it. Alive. Crisp and clear. So I looked into the cost of a blue ray player and found out that you're better off buying a Playstation 3, at least 80GB. It plays the discs, plus games, and updates itself. Hmmm. Cost, at least $500! Ack! Who has that? Did I mention that my daughter wants an IPod shuffle? And my son wants a 120GB Zune? And hubby wouldn't mind one of those thingys that will take your old vinyl records (of which he has a ton) and turn them into MP3 files, cost $169. And. And. And.

I don't have the money. I don't want to do credit cards again this Christmas. I don't care if I get anything. Maybe some warm fuzzy socks. My hands and feet get so cold during the winter. Believe it or not, I don't even have to have any books. My to-read pile is huge. There is such a thing as a library. Even so, I could list $200 worth of books in a heartbeat. Libba Bray's The Sweet Far Thing. M.T. Anderson's second Octavian Nothing book. Heck...that means I'll have to go ahead and get the first one also. (I checked it out from the library, but it's a classic in the making worth owning.) Laurie Halse Anderson's new release, Chains. Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key. Lauren Myracle's Bliss, and How to Be Bad, Sheman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, Jo Knowles' Lesson's of a Dead Girl. Oh, there are so many. My daughter may get a couple and I'll read them when she's done. No, don't tell me that's not fair. You won't believe how many of the ARC's that I get to review for Teens Read Too that she grabs and reads before I have a chance to get my hands on them.

So, we came home with jeans, and a list. Remember the main goal of our shopping trip? When we left Best Buy it was 9:30. Who knew that all the Christmas tree places would be closed by then. We just finished watching another pitiful showing of the Jaguars. (My theory, aliens have the real jaguars, these are stand-ins. Either that, or the aliens sucked out all of their greatness, motivation and drive before sending them back to Jacksonville.) Anyway....we still don't have a tree. Maybe next weekend?

Feeling much better, thank you. :) Hubby thinks I had salmonella poisoning. Whatever it was, I don't ever want it again. Last night I piddled around with my MySpace. It's been forever since I changed my profile. I was feeling a bit Christmassy. Chatted with a couple of students.

Speaking of students, I have great news. Remember my student from last year that has selective mutism? She invited me to come hear her sing a solo in church last Sunday. She did a beautiful job. But that's not the really big news. She did a PowerPoint presentation Wednesday in her world geography class. That's sooo huge! She and my son both practiced their presentations in my classroom Tuesday afternoon. They each had been assigned a state and they had to "sell" it to their classmates. The presentation had to be 20-30 slides long. And they couldn't just read the slide. They were to use lots of pictures and talk about them. My son's state was Indiana. (He loves Indiana.) Hers was Deleware.

She! Did! It!

I am so proud of her. This time last year she only spoke to two students at school and never spoke in class at all. I'll say it again. She's a truly amazing young lady.

Lastly, I'll leave you with this video. I'm a geek in many ways, but science is definitely not one of them. One of my students asked me if I'd ever heard of Ruben's Tubes. And here I thought they were some kind of new game or logic puzzle. Enjoy.

This weekend, after surfacing for an hour or so from the flu or whatever it was, I completed a Printz Award field nomination for THE HANGING WOODS by Scott Loring Sanders. Of course, my nomination has to be seconded by a member of the committee before it can be considered, but the writing is amazing and the book is quite memorable. Check it out.

This is Ena.

The Hoggetowne Scribblers and Doodlers had to say goodbye to our dear friend in October. She's left Florida for Ohio. We gave her a banned-books bracelet. She's given us so much more.









Remember the fun we had in January at the Florida SCBWI Conference?



Yep. Ena will be sorely missed in our group. Thank goodness for internet connections. We all know it won't be long before we hear good news from her.

So, this Thanksgiving, we thought of her often. Especially at my house. The move was fast. Ena couldn't take everything. So her old dining room set moved from storage to my home. Those were the dining room chairs I re-covered. I'd say they turned out pretty darn nice considering it's the first time I've reupholstered anything.

Before:

I know we've all pretty well planned our Thanksgiving menus by now, but I thought it would be fun to share our favorite recipes. That one item you always prepare, no matter where you gather, for the Thanksgiving feast. Here's my favorite. It's a passed down recipe. I have no idea who Wacil is, but I thank her many times over every Thanksgiving, and usually Christmas, too. You have to plan ahead to make these.

Wacil's Rolls
(makes 32)

1. Dissolve 1 pkg yeast in 1/2 c. tepid water.

2. Heat the following to dissolve - Do not boil.
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. shortening (I use a stick of butter.)
1/2 c. water

3. Place pan in cool water to cool mixture to tepid.

4. Beat one egg. Pour cooled sugar mixture into egg.
(Add a little at a time to avoid cooking egg).

5. Be sure yeast is fully dissolved. (Add scant tsp. of sugar if necessary.) Add yeast to sugar and egg mixture and stir well.

6. Add 3 short cups flour and 3/4 tsp. salt.
(I add a little at a time and use the dough hook on my mixer.)

7. Place dough in regfrigerator immediately.
Do not cover
Leave overnight.

8. Divide dough in half. Roll like a pie about 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick. Cut into 16 pieces. Brush each triangle with about 1/4 c. melted butter before rolling into crescents. (Optional...but yummy!) Place on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise uncovered for 2 1/2 hours.

9. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 7 minutes or until lightly browned.

10. Pig out! (Remember to share. Grin.)

I've posted this link before. The video says it all.

http://www.writeattitude.net/

Happy writing everybody. Make this your year to be the best writer you can be!

I finished the book and actually enjoyed it. Yeah, there were speed bumps due to writing issues that bugged me. (I swear, I got to the point I wanted to throw the book every time Edward "chuckled." Grr...) But I believe the series is such a hit because of story. It's all about story. The art of telling a great story. That's what Stephenie Meyer did.

But the movie? For me, and for my daughter, a disappointment. Major. Like, what the heck? Who wrote the screenplay? Did they even read the book? Okay, overreactions, I know. But still. The acting seemed stilted, flat, more appropriate to a movie about zombies. We were not emotionally engaged. We thought that the glares of anger looked more like constipation. The movie felt choppy. It moved the viewer from scene to scene, or book quote to book quote, without first grounding the viewer in the emotion of the scene. It feel unbelievable. We were never invested. Never truly engaged in the story.

Imagine a theater 75% full, laughing and snickering, (or shall I say chuckling), during the meadow scene. The scene where, in the book, Edward and Bella begin to let go of secrets, begin to trust one another, forge a bond. We didn't feel Bella's breathless adoration and love for Edward, although she did do some panting while lying on her back beside Edward in the meadow, (while he lay in a strained position next to her, so much so that, without first running my thoughts through a dork-checker, I commented that he looked as though he'd fallen off a cliff and broken his legs). The three young ladies in the row in front of us found the comment quite amusing. Guess only my daughter thought me the dork.

We thought the movie would get better once we hit the meadow. Or surely once the visitors arrived. But instead it jumped from scene to scene, seemingly selecting random pages from the book, quoting them in an effort to keep the viewer oriented in the story, while copying and pasting out of order, or completely skipping sections we thought vital, in order to keep the movie within it's necessary time frame.

So what happened?
Was it a simple case of cramming the book into two hours? (I don't remember this frustration with the Harry Potter movies.) Was it bad screen writing? Bad acting? A bad burrito before the movie? (Just kidding.) Perhaps it was the fact, okay, my opinion, that the characters were too surface level? Did they need more depth? More layers? Was the character growth weak? I've spent a lot of time learning about character growth in my own writing the past few months, so that's what I'm thinking was lacking in the movie. There wasn't enough character growth in the book for the movie to draw on. So the characters came across stiff and awkward, appearing to need acting lessons, (which I highly doubt.)

Then again, maybe I should have just waited longer between finishing the book and seeing the movie. My daughter wants to go ahead and buy it on DVD when it comes out. Maybe I'll like it better then. She wants all four DVD's. Course, that brought up the debate over whether or not the actors will be willing to do another one. Twilight opened big. But will it have staying power or will it be the dud on their resume? I wonder how fans would react to a new cast of characters. I can tell you how my daughter feels. As long as the same actor plays Edward, she's good to go.

Ah...those teen crushes.

I think I should go ahead and read the next three installments before those movies come out. Maybe the sooner the better. Yes?

You know that feeling you get when you pass a particularly horrific accident? It’s not that you want someone to be hurt, but you can’t help slowing down to look. That’s how I felt as I began reading this book.

The year is 1975, shortly after the end of the Vietnam War. Times are tough. Tempers flare and the stress level is high. There are many historical elements that firmly root this story in this time period, yet the events and emotions in this story are not relegated to the 70’s. Knowing this human condition exists today, gives this story even more impact.

Scott Loring Sanders deftly places the reader into the mind of thirteen year old Walter. Through Walter, the reader will experience the killing of a fox up close and personal. I could feel the fear and panic of the fox as he struggled against the trap. I felt the life energy of that fox dissipate into nothing through the handle of the stick used to beat him senseless, and I felt both Walter’s revulsion and thrill over his first kill. His grandfather had insisted on this savage method. He told Walter, “…you gotta learn the hard way, really feel it with your hands, so you can appreciate the easy way.”

This first chapter sets the tone of the book. Disturbing, you say? Absolutely. Fascinating? Positively! I read on, I’ll admit, with some trepidation, as a reader who neither hunts, nor appreciates the feeling of satisfaction that hunters must feel when taking their prize, a foreigner to this male world of violence and dominance.

Meet Walter’s friends. Jimmy is the leader who’s rough around the edges, chiseled and hardened at the hands of his abusive, alcoholic father. Mothball’s the chubby oddball who aims to become famous by beheading a chicken in just the right way so that he, Mothball, can keep it alive for over 18 months and therefore, beat the Guinness Book record. As you might imagine, he’s subjected to more than his share of pranks and jokes, which makes him even more determined to succeed.

The boys walk the town in the wee hours of the morning as they pull off ever-escalating pranks on the local townspeople. To prove to one another that they aren’t chicken, the risk and fear factors are taken up a notch each night. They venture further toward the Hanging Woods, Niggertown, and the Troll, a homeless Vietnam War veteran. When Troll sees them, they race home, adrenaline pumping, fear lighting a fire beneath their feet. But neither Jimmy nor Mothball knows Walter’s secret, that Troll knows him. He called him by name!

The temperament of a thirteen year old around his parents is, by design, often volatile and argumentative. These are the times that teens must decide for themselves who they are and who they want to be. They examine the values their parents have tried to teach and compare them with the values their parents have shown. They are bombarded with the voices and opinions of their peers and walk a tightrope between what they are coming to believe about the world, and what they have been taught to believe. Imagine the turmoil Walter must feel when his safety net is snatched away the day he reads the secrets in his mother’s diary. Walter’s interpretation of those events results in his slow unraveling. The shift in the foundation of his world leaves Walter feeling unable to do anything more than stand by and let the darkness inside take over.

Other reviews have compared this book to TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD by Harper Lee and I see the similarities. Certainly the author has nailed the social atmosphere of the time, an interesting statement in itself, since the two books are set forty years apart. Both books masterfully address cruelty, hate, and prejudice, and both feature an innocent character on trial who makes the perfect target, in part, because they are reclusive and strange, the criminal stereotype. But for me, the similarities end there. Where Atticus Finch patiently strives to teach and show high moral values, the parents in THE HANGING WOODS are equally dysfunctional, instead teaching their son anger, frustration, and resignation.

As I read this book, I was strangely reminded of the classic movie, THE CHRISTMAS STORY, but without the light humor. Both feature rough, real-men-don’t-cry type fathers, apologetic, coddling mothers, and sons struggling to find their place in their family and the world. In both, you become immersed in the strange world of guy bonding; fathers attempting to grow their sons up tough.

THE HANGING WOODS is a riveting look into a disturbed mind. I doubt I will soon forget the images and emotions Scott Loring Sanders brought forth in this, his first, novel. I warn you, this is a dark, troubling read that will niggle at your conscience for days, if not weeks. But if you’re like me, you won’t be able to put it down until you find out if Walter’s okay, in just the same way that you can’t help slowing to view that accident.


I have compared THE HANGING WOODS to two enduring classics. I found myself researching the Tallapoosa River that separated Walter and his friends from Niggertown. I asked a social studies teacher what he knew of the Tallapoosa and the history of the time period. This novel completely got under my skin and instilled a desire in me to find out more.

How could I not also give it a gold star? I look forward to reading what Mr. Sanders has to offer next.

This review was originally posted here at Teens Read Too.

I just finished an incredible book, THE HANGING WOODS by Scott Loring Sanders. I'll post the review once it's been posted at Teens Read Too.

I haven't worked on my YA yet. No, that's not entirely true. I've been thinking about it. I wrote a new chapter last Tuesday evening. I shared it with my critique group Wednesday. It features a new character that showed up a few chapters ago. Although this is a minor character, she has a significant impact on my protagonist. Yet this is only the second time we've seen her and it's chapter thirty-seven! She appeared the first time in chapter twenty-eight. So Linda, my awesome crit buddy felt that if she's going to have that much of an impact, she should be introduced to the reader much sooner.

Understand, my chapters are short, especially for a YA. My longest chapters weigh in at just over 1300 words and my shortest chapter is just over 200 words. The first twenty five chapters only involve the accident and death of her best friend, and the intensity of the days following. So my protagonist is surrounded by family and close friends and has very little to do with the outside world from the early Sunday morning accident until she goes back to school on Thursday, chapter twenty-six.

This is a random person that she connects with in a coffee shop. So, if you look at chapter numbers, it appears she shows up very late in the story, yet she's one of the first people she interacts with once she gets back into the routine of life. I've found a spot where I can show her, although at that point neither the reader or my characters will know of her significance. So I'm going to play with that and see how it works. I probably won't know for sure until I finish the entire revision and read it straight through. Or let someone else read it.

This revision, as I keep calling it, has turned out to be a total rewrite of the book. I went to a high school football game last weekend and a couple of former students, now sophomores, sat behind me. They asked how my book was coming. You can imagine their reaction when I told them I was totally rewriting it. LOL. They're still at the point they don't understand why their teacher makes them turn in rough drafts before typing the final paper. Rewrite an entire book? They told me I was crazy. I told them they were probably right.

When I started this rewrite, I thought I was just starting the book in a new place. I cut about 10,000 words from the beginning. My original "finished" novel could be divided into thirds, before the May accident, the week after the accident, and entering college in the fall. I started before the accident so the reader to get to know the girls and their relationship. Often, I myself felt I knew the dead girl better than my main character. Then I lingered over the necessary grief and funeral type scenes, and then jumped over the summer completely. I enrolled her in college without her best friend who was supposed to be her roommate. Instead she had to interact with a new roommate, yada, yada, yada, so that in the end, she would be able to accept her friend's death and learn to live without her.

Now, the novel starts with the accident. The novel is now about Nicki, not her dead friend. The reader sees their friendship through Nicki's eyes. I have now focused on Nicki and she has become so much more. More multidimensional. There's more at stake now, because Nicki has a brother. A brother who needs her, although neither of them realize just how much. I've also found out more about the secondary characters. The story has become more immediate, if that makes any sense. I've gone from simply skipping the long lonely summer without Jennifer, to making her live it, experience it. And there's so much more that happens during the summer that I am probably also going to cut most of the original chapters that take place once she goes to college. Including them, I believe, will be anticlimactic.

Had you told me a year ago that almost my entire YA was going to be deleted and that I was going to completely rewrite it, I would never have believed you. And I probably would have been defensive and angry that all that time and work was wasted. But I tell you now, it wasn't wasted. That first book was an exercise in learning who my characters were. And although they are still surprising me, they are now ready to tell their story. I still sometimes think I'll never be finished, LOL, but I'm getting closer every day. Okay. Week. Month?

More than you wanted to know, I'm sure. But I'm feeling good about the progress of this book and wanted to share this part of my journey with you.

Happy writing all!