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DAY FOUR WITH JANDY NELSON
“I wrote it like I was talking to myself or a friend and it never occurred to me that voice is just that—who you are but on the page…” Jandy Nelson
Today Jandy talks about the simplicity of finding your voice, and how being an agent influenced her writing.
Q. Your writing voice is wildly poetic, funny and charming. Was voice a major factor in shaping your story? Any advice for writers struggling to find a character’s true voice?
“Thank you, thank you. Wow—my head is exploding.
“I remember in one of Deb Wiles’ first letters to me my first semester, her advice was to just: let Lennie rip. That was a gift. So simple. Let her rip. Try not to get in the way.
“Another Deb nugget about this. In my first packet to her, I had written a bunch of poems and also a three page autobiography. I’d labored over the poems all month and spent an hour on the autobiography, if that. In her letter back, she wrote all about my voice, but not in the poems, in the autobiography! It was a revelation for me and maybe the single moment that made me think I might actually be able to write a novel.
“Obviously not because I wrote it quickly, but because I wrote it like I was talking to myself or a friend and it never occurred to me that voice is just that—who you are but on the page, and so it is who your character is too, right? It’s so simple! That floored me! There’s this fantastic and very helpful and inspiring quote about this by Les Edgerton who wrote Finding Your Voice. He says,
‘. . .the point being, no matter what you write, there’s a good chance that someone else may do the same thing better. There’s only one thing another writer can’t do better than you. And, it only happens to be the most important thing a writer can possess. Yourself. Your voice. They can’t get your personality on their page. And, since
DAY TWO WITH JANDY NELSON
"So much of the process is trial and error, just making choices about who your characters are and running with those choices, then realizing this or that doesn’t work and making new choices." --Jandy Nelson
First, a little more on yesterday’s question…
Q. Your narrator, Lennie, is full of grief yet also full of life, and that life bursts out here and there through her grief, shining as her need to love and be loved, even as she struggles with the guilt of surviving her sister’s death. What were the joys and difficulties of developing such a character and setting her on her path to self-discovery?
“What’s so odd is that despite the subject matter, writing this novel was the happiest time of my life. I was falling in love with writing fiction so that in itself was a joy. But more importantly, I feel like I discovered over and again by writing the book the same thing Lennie discovered within the book, that grief and love are conjoined and you can’t have one without the other, and that somehow, love is eternal. I think that’s so hopeful and it filled me with hope as I was writing it and discovering it with Lennie."
Q. Not only Lennie, but each of your characters in The Sky is Everywhere is fun, quirky and full of surprises. Do characters come easily for you? Can you give any help through your own process to writers who struggle with breathing life into their characters?
“Thank you again. You are totally making my day! Some characters come easy, others not. I think (for me) first person narrators take many, many drafts to really come off the page. It’s painstaking, tracking them psychologically, emotionally, spiritually, moment to moment, especially in the beginning when you don’t have a clue really who they are and just need to get the story drafted. I find that uncertainty really disconcerting.
“So much of the process is trial and error, just making choices about who your characters are and running with those choices, then realizing this or that doesn’t work and making new choices. I’m going through this now with one of the pro
Day One with Jandy Nelson
Jandy, thanks for being on Tollbooth and congratulations on your beautiful book The Sky is Everywhere!
Q: Can you talk about your process in taking your novel from dream to reality?
“It’s been such a crazy headlong process. It had never occurred to me to write a novel until I went to VCFA. I’d only ever written poetry before that. The first night of residency, we had a class reading and I read some adult poems I’d written (sounds like porn—but alas no!). After the reading, some of my classmates suggested I write a verse novel, a genre I didn’t know existed until that moment, not since Homer anyway. I got really, really excited about it, despite having gone to VCFA to do picture books.
“When I got home, I immediately read a ton of YA verse novels and other YA and middle grade novels as well. I was blown away by the vibrancy of voices like Laurie Halse Anderson’s, Francesca Lia Block’s, Sharon Creech’s, by the experimentation going on with form, by the overall urgency of the storytelling. I had no idea all this was happening in children’s literature—it was a revelation and I decided I would indeed go for it and try to write a verse novel.
“I had an idea for a story and an image that wouldn’t let me go. The image was of this grief-stricken girl scattering her poems all over a town. I went with it as the germ and frame for this verse novel but realized quite quickly, like after a week, that the novel needed to be written in prose as well. This terrified me because I’d never written a word of fiction, but my advisor Deb Wiles encouraged and inspired me, and very gently, she pushed me off the cliff.
“I had the first draft of Sky done by the end of that first semester. It was a disaster but a disaster I could then cut to bits and reshape and revise and rewrite for two and a half years. I think I wrote ten drafts of Sky before sending it into the world. What was really wonderful about the whole process was that I didn’t think too much about if it would ever get published or not. I just wanted to write Lennie’s story which
A dramatic novel for young adults about a teenage girl
forced to live with foster families
Jewel is shuttled from one foster home to another. But Jewel wasn’t always a "State Kid." Her mother Angela’s constant search for happiness through a steady stream of unsavory boyfriends leads to the state’s intervention in Jewel’s life.
Listening to her new foster mother’s list of "nos"�no drugs, no lying, no stealing, no skipping school, no boys in or out of the house, no being late—Jewel realizes that her mother said "yes" a lot. Probably too much. She remembers saving Angela's life when one of many boyfriends beat her, trying to hide another boyfriend's attempts to rape her when she was fourteen, and being sent to a foster home to please the latest boyfriend. But still, Jewel worries about her mother and knows that she will once again pick up the pieces when the latest jerk leaves.
Bit by bit Jewel’s life begins to change for the better after her latest move to a new foster home and school. Although most people can’t see past her tough "State Kid" façade—spray-painted hair, heavy make-up, ripped clothing and unlaced shoes—her English teacher realizes there’s more to Jewel than meets the eye. He convinces her to tutor a fellow student who needs help with math, and gradually she learns how to make friends. In the process, she touches the lives of many people around her, including her social worker, teachers who believe in her, her new-found, tentative friends, and even their parents.
But when she’s forced to choose between her life-long job—taking care of her mother—and doing what’s right for herself, old habits and loyalties are hard to break. Jewel is sure that this time, she can save her mom. But will she be able to save herself?
The picturesque city of San Antonio, Texas with its rich Mexican-American culture provides the ideal backdrop for the award-winning linked stories in this intriguing novel for young people. Luz, a young Latina, will represent her city in the upcoming spelling bee. Her participation in the contest signifies a substantial milestone for her community's sense of pride and achievement.
But her success also triggers a variety of other emotions: Luz's younger sister, Justina, struggles to understand her mixed feelings toward her older sister's accomplishment; Luz's grandmother fears her granddaughter's ambition while another generation of Latinas pins its hope on her; and the Anglo students and parents must come to terms with the increasing visibility of the Latino community.
Woven together with the vivid metaphor of making tortillas, stories such as "Kneading Attitude" and "Mixing Ingredients" explore deep and consequential themes in this charming and hopeful collection. "White Bread Competition" won 2nd place in the Chicano/Latino Literary Prize at the University of California, Irvine.
JO ANN HERNÁNDEZ is the author of White Bread Compet
By:
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on 2/9/2010
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photo by tibchris www.flickr.com
I am so happy to hold this contest on my blog today for Hate List by Jennifer Brown. I am IN LOVE with this book. It is perfect for tweens and teens, and I think all parents and teens should HAVE to read it. It’s great for a mother-daughter book club. So, I am going to give my copy away to a lucky winner. All you have to do is leave a comment about the book, about the photo I posted here (this is not the author, but this picture just reminded me of Hate List so I posted it), about high school, about your teenager or teaching teenagers, or a pick-me comment. 
Contest will close on the day we celebrate LOVE–February 14 at 8:00 pm CST.
*Young adult contemporary novel
*Senior girl as the main character
*Rating: Hate List will grab you from page one and keep you riveted until the end. It’s tragic and heartbreaking and shows there are no easy answers when it comes to being a teen. (Starred review from School Library Journal.)
Short, short summary: Valerie is getting ready to start her senior year in high school, which would normally be an exciting time for any girl. But this is not the case for Valerie. From page one, you learn that at the end of her junior year, her boyfriend Nick pulled a gun in the Commons and shot their classmates as revenge for the way he and Valerie were treated. Nick wound up shooting Valerie in the leg when she tried to stop him and then took his own life. Besides dealing with mental and physical pain, Valerie must also deal with the fact that many people at her high school and in her community (including her own family members) think she knew what Nick was planning and that she was a co-conspirator. Turns out, Valerie and Nick had a “hate list,” a notebook full of people they hated, and those same people were targets of the shooting. In Hate List, Jennifer Brown reveals what happened on that tragic day last May and how everyone is dealing with the aftermath. You follow Valerie through this book, hoping that somehow she can overcome one of the worst nightmares anyone has ever had to face.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. When you read a book like this with teenagers, they are bound to have strong opinions on Nick, Valerie, and the “bullies.” Some people will identify with Nick and Valerie; others will identify with the victims of the shooting. Brown does a good job of showing the reader that everything is not always as black and white as it seems, and I think this will bring out even stronger reader reactions because Brown has written a realistic book. Students and teens will need plenty of time to process, write about, and discuss this book. As a teacher or parent, you will want to give them space and time to express themselves without being hurtful to others. Set some ground rules, suggest students jot down notes or even free write before discussions take place, and try not to let it get too personal (as in naming teens) in your classroom. Students who need to talk personally could schedule a time with you, or you could put together a small group that you think would work for this type of discussion. Some themes to discuss: forgiveness, bullying, hate, divorce, honesty, and friendship.
2. Valerie uses art to help her through the healing process. You can do several things with this theme, depending on if you are using this book in a classroom, homeschool, or mother-daughter book club. In a smaller setting, you could give teens an opportunity to paint eith
Wizzens, Butterfly Women and Tree Tribes, the Evil and the Pure of Heart; take the journey into another world. The Hole in the Sky by Barbara A. Mahler has it all.
Kaela Neuleaf is a strong girl, so when she stands up to the teasing chants of the “cool kids” at her cousin Shawn’s soccer game, Kaela’s strength is tested…
...”It was one thing for Stephanie to torture Kaela, but it drove Kaela over the edge when they tormented her cousin.” (pg. 11)
As Kaela is on her way to the principles office she encounters the oddest sensations...
“...A Whiff of a lovely aroma stopped Kaela in her path. It wasn’t the usual locker-room odour of armpits and sweaty feet. Instead, it smelled moist and fresh, like ocean air. What could it be? She turned around, and just behind her something softly gleamed from the cement floor…” (pg 13)
What Kaela finds sets her on the path to a new world and a dangerous journey that only she has the power to resolve.
With the help of her cousin Shawn, her deceased mothers dying words and butterfly pendant, Kaela must face her deepest fears and sorrow. On this path she enlists the help of many strange and magical friends and learns, “All along this journey your heart is your best guide…” (pg.76)
Come with Kaela and her friend’s on the road to self-discovery where the hole in the sky leads to Muratenland and the fight of a life-time.
The Hole in the Sky is 292 pages of mystery, adventure, of good versus evil. It’s beautifully bond in hard cover, with just enough sketches to spark the imagination.
Take the journey…
Available on Amazon.com
By: Katie B.,
on 9/4/2009
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Tiny librarian is hell on wheels
Check out this article (and video) about Beth Hollis, an Akron, Ohio reference librarian Ohio by day and a roller derby dynamo by night.
A New Assignment: Pick Books You Like
Motoko Rich of the New York Times highlights “reading workshop” a experimental teaching approach that lets students pick the books they read.
7,000 Words Are Not Enough
The New Yorker’s Book Bench encourages readers to embrace abandoned vocabulary by visiting Save the Words, a website that offers visitors a chance to adopt endangered terms. And to get you started building your vocabuluary, take a look at abecedarian, a great word of the day from Dictonary.com.
Last Chance to Support First Book at dd’s DISCOUNTS
Don’t forget, you have until September 7, to make a donation at the point of sale at dd’s DISCOUNTS locations in CA, TX, AZ and FL, with dd’s DISCOUNTS matching donations, up to $25,000.
Bringing ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ to the Screen
This weekend, The New York Times Magazine features film director Spike Jonze’s career and insights into the making of ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’ opening in theatres on October 16.
Enter the Mrs P Children’s writing contest!
MrsP.com is seeking great stories written by children 4 to 13 years old for its first “Be A Famous Writer Contest.” Celebrity judges include Dave Barry and Craig Ferguson, so be sure to enter your child’s story today.
Good Books Don’t Have to Be Hard
An interesting article on “why millions of adults are cheating on the literary novel with the young-adult novel, where the unblushing embrace of storytelling is allowed, even encouraged.”
CHRIS EBOCH: "What I Learned From Nancy Drew: Tools for Fast-Paced Plotting"
It LITERALLY was a packed room for Chris Eboch's "Fast-Paced Plotting" lecture. So packed that (NO exaggeration), about a couple dozen people sat in the AISLES, taking copious notes.
Chris provided a handout with extremely detailed notes on plotting plus book recommendations. Some highlights from her handout and from the lecture:
-- She showed the original ending for a Nancy Drew cliffhanger followed by the extensive revision and discussed the reasons behind those changes. Her editor said, "I would like to see more of a slow build-up toward the intense action. In horror movies, it's always the ominous music and the main character slowly opening the closet door that scares us the most, not the moment right after she opens the door."
-- Some books she recommended included her 2009 book, "Haunted: The Ghost on the Stairs" and "Haunted" The Riverboat Phantom" from Aladdin. She also recommended Louise Spiegler's "The Amethyst Road" and "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" by Renni Browne and Dave King."
-- Add subplot: "If you can't pack your main plot any fuller, try using subplots to add complexity and length to your manuscript. A subplot may be only loosely related to your main plot, but still add complications."
-- Chris also advised, "To keep tensions high, make sure your characters are struggling enough." She mentioned the "Rule of Three" where a character tries and fails a first time, tries and fails a second time, and then tries and succeeds, achieving the goal by the third time. "If the character succeeds on the first tyr, then we don't believe the problem was that difficult for that character." She said it's "satisfying" when the character finally achieves the goal by the third time and proves the problem was a "worthy challenge." Although the "Rule of Three" is used in picture books, Chris advises that in novels, there are often many steps beyond just three tries, and writers must make sure these many complications always push the story forward.
Overall, Chris had a very detailed and extensive lecture with many great tips on how to improve the plot of your novel and to make sure the pacing never drags. The handout she distributed among the standing-room-only crowd was especially valuable with her meticulous notes. Another fantastic example of the wonderful information you can learn at this conference!
Posted by Paula Yoo
DONNA GEPHART: "12 3/4 Ways to Tickle Young Readers' Funny Bones"
Some hilarious higlights from 2009 Sid Fleischman Humor Award winner Donna Gephart's panel:
-- She provided handouts for everyone with a list of techniques and details to hone one's humor skills.
-- She advises taking risks. "Mine your embarrassment," she said, discussing how writers should not be afraid to talk about real life embarrassing moments.
-- "Embarrassment is funny but humiliation is not," she said. "You want to empathize with your character. Readers want to laugh, not cringe."
-- She gave a writing exercise in which conference goers had to do: List embarrassing things that happened to you or list things that embarrassed you as a kid.
-- She suggested paying attention to the "sound of language" as another tool to write humor. For example, the "K" sound is funny, such as "Chicken is funny. Roast beef is not. Pickle is funny. Cucubmer is not. Twinkie is funny. Pie is not."
-- She also advised using exaggeration and understatement as tools for writing humor. Examples included "Exaggeration: referring to a tropical breeze as a hurricane" and "Understatement: referring to a hurricane as a tropical breeze."
-- Ultimately, she says writers should not TRY to be funny. "Forced humor is no fun for anyone."
-- She also gave a handout listing funny picture books, early readers, chapter books, and MG/YA novels.
It was a packed room where people participated with a lot of enthusiasm to Donna's writing exercises. And yes, there was much laughter!
Yet another shining example of great lectures provided by award-winning writers at the SCBWI national conference.
Posted by Paula Yoo
GOLDEN KITE AWARDS: SID FLEISCHMAN AWARD WINNER DONNA GEPHART
Donna Gephart's middle grade novel, As if Being 12¾ Isn't Bad Enough, My Mother is Running for President!, won the 2009 Sid Fleischman Award. This award is for authors whose work exemplifies the excellence of writing in the genre of humor.
Although Sid Fleischman wasn't able to attend today's award, he wrote a speech in her honor that Stephen Mooser read out loud. Fleischman wrote, "This year's recipient knew at age 14 that she wanted to be a writer. She saved her babysitter money to buy a typewriter."
Fleischman praised Gephart's "irrepressible humor" which was not simply full of "ornamental quotes." He said she understood the true aim of comedy, that it was "tragedy wearing a putty nose."
Fleischman joked that Gephart "... also wins the award for the longest title."
Here are some highlights from Donna Gephart's speech:
-- She screamed so loudly after getting the congratulatory phone call from Lin Oliver and Stephen Mooser that "... I lost my voice for three days."
-- When describing herself growing up, Gephart said, "I was the quintessential nerd... and I still am."
-- "This is the only award of its kind to honor humorous children's books, and it's pretty special. Even though I've been writing humor of different sorts for over twenty years, sometimes it's nice to be taken seriously."
-- Her advice? "If you've ever heard the words 'never' or 'can't,' I have three words for you. 'YES YOU CAN!'"
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By: SCBWI,
on 8/8/2009
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WENDY LOGGIA, "I Wanted to Love This: 7 Reasons Why Your Manuscript Gets Declined"
Delacorte editor Wendy Loggia's panel focused on the manuscripts that ALMOST were accepted but were not quite ready for primetime. (She was not focusing on manuscripts that were obviously not ready at all, she was focusing on the manuscripts that are ALMOST ready to go.) She felt these 7 tips would help SCBWI members and aspiring writers as they revised their manuscripts.
WENDY LOGGIA BIO: Executive editor of Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's books; the focus at Delacorte is almost exclusively on middle grade and YA novels. She is the editor of THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS series by Ann Brashares, the GEMMA DOYLE trilogy by Libba Bray, as well as several debut novels by SCBWI members including Kristin O'Donnell Tubb's AUTUMN WINIFRED OLIVER DOES THINGS DIFFERENT and Georgia Bragg's MATISSE ON THE LOOSE.
Wendy looks for a strong narrative voice, great stories, and for writers that display a clear authorial hand. She joked about spending "nine years crushing people's dreams" but then discussed the real reasons as to why she will pass on book submissions.
Some highlights from Wendy Loggia's panel:
-- She tells aspiring writers always to think about WHY someone will want to buy your book. They are going to pull out their wallet and spend 18 dollars or more, so make your book worth it.
-- She will pass on a manuscript that is "too similar to other novels I've worked on." Examples included writers who love THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS series which she had edited, so they submit a novel just like it. She also says she will pass on books that are too similar to other books already in the marketplace. She says they have received a flood of similar Twilight vampire books, books about werewolves, etc.. "Instead of jumping on a trend, write what feels true to you."
-- Voice, voice voice. "I may love the concept, but I can't connect to the voice. The voice wasn't special enough, I don't see teens/tweens connecting to the voice, I think the voice is meant for adult readers. It may have great moments but if there's too much telling or not a compelling voice, I will pass on it."
-- Sometimes she will pass on a book if the author seems to be too much trouble to work with. "Working on a book is like a marriage," she says. "Editors and authors spend a lot of time together sharing ideas. It's not all fun and games. If person feels like trouble before process has even started, I don't want to get involved." She will google people who have submitted their work and read their blogs as part of her research to make her decision. She said "it's like a job interview."
These are just some of the tips she offered. All of Wendy's seven tips were all very helpful and telling to the standing-room only crowd at the main ballroom for both aspiring writers and published veteran writers. Again, another reason why this conference is so great - you get exclusive information that can really help you improve your writing and help you on your journey towards publication.
Posted by Paula Yoo
By: SCBWI,
on 8/8/2009
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More highlights from Brenda Bowen @ Agents Panel:
- On revising a client's work: "I was working with an aurhor on a picture book, and he revised it couple times. I said it was good and he said, 'Let's see what an editor says.' (Much laughter from the audience. Brenda shrugs.) Well, I have a different hat on now."
- As a former editor, Brenda says certain agents who have excellent reputations or cache can influence editors' expectations. When she was an editor, Brenda says, "I was aware that some agents' names in the inbox meant that what was attached, although maybe not perfect for me, was going to be really good for someone in the house, and that it was ready to go. I'd like to be one of those agents, like you folks (she nods to the panel)."
- Brenda believes in a long-term relationship with her clients. "I spent my time nurturing creative careers. It's not good for us to make one sale and never sell your work again. You have to imagine a partnership, to trust that we're going to give our best to each other and that we'll be there for the long haul."
Posted by Paula Yoo
By: SCBWI,
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BRENDA BOWEN: "Agents Panel: The State of the Business" Part 1
Highlights from the Agents Panel: The State of the Business featuring Brenda Bowen, Sarah Davies, Stephen Frasier, Dan Lazar, Kelly Sonnack, and Marietta Zacker.
Each SCBWI Team Blogger focusing on one agent.
Stay tuned for live blogs from Lee Wind's blog on Dan Lazar, Alice's blog on Sarah Davies, Jolie's blog on Stephen Fraser, Suzanne's blog on Kelly Sonnack, and Jaime's blog on Marietta Zacker.
I'm focusing on BRENDA BOWEN: She is a literary agent with Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, a full-service agency founded in 1932, and the home of Dan Brown, Fancy Nancy, and Kafka. A former publisher, Brenda specializes in children's books at SJGA, and is always on the lookout for funny books for middle graders.
Highlights from Brenda Bowen's quotes @ the panel:
-- Her imprint, The Bowen Press at HarperCollins, became "a statistic" because it launched in January 2009 and was "axed" in February 2009. "But when a door closes, another one opens," she said to great applause, referring to her new job as a literary agent with Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.
-- What Brenda is looking for: "A strong voice, assured confident writing, and creative use of language."
-- She does like "literary books" but she also has a fondness for funny books and asks that if you plan to submit a funny book, please indicate so!
-- For Brenda Bowen, please put "SCBWI-LA" in the subject line of your email query
-- Although Brenda has only been an agent since July, she's already signed some great clients. She says one person had written such a compelling sample via email that she downloaded the entire 15 pages attached and read it immediately and signed the writer right away. "So it does happen," Brenda says, adding that again, the voice was extremely "compelling" which is what sold her on the writer.
Stay tuned for more highlights!
Editors Panel: "Success Stories: Four Editors Distill the Secrets of a Successful Book:
Focus on: ARI LEWIN, Senior Editor of Disney/Hyperion
Ari Lewin discussed the popular and award-winning stand alone fantasy series, "THE HEIR CHRONICLES" by author Cinda Williams Chima. The first book was a contemporary fantasy set in real world Ohio called THE WARRIOR HEIR. Ari discussed how the book did not have a huge marketing campaign - there was no big book tour. It was "just your basic big publishing house campaign" in which they gave out bookmarks and galleys at various conferences and bookstores.
But she said the book began winning many awards, such as the Kirkus BBYA in 2008 and the Voyas Perfect Teens 2007 list and positive reviews. Unlike other fantasy novels, Cinda's series were a collection of stand alone novels. The second book was not a sequel but a stand alone book featuring a different character. She called it a "companion piece."
Ari stressed that a series of stand alone books often have an advantage over actual series because new readers are more willing to read the latest book because there's no pressure to have read the previous books. In addition, awards committees are reluctant sometimes to give awards to books that readers need to have read the previous books in order to understand and enjoy the latest one.
Air said Cinda's real world fantasy setting was real and familiar to kids - it featured "a familiar world of a teenager with a huge secret" and that made it accessible to kids who normally did not read fantasy.
She also showed some sketches of the original cover of the first book versus the final version, and explained how the original cover was a sketch and looked too "manga" and did not fit the tone of the book (it skewed too young). She said book covers are very important when it comes to books succeeding and finding an audience.
BUT ultimately, Ari concluded that "at the end of the day, I know how hard Cinda has worked to perfect her craft and promote her work. The biggest secret to a book's success sometimes is that the book is good and the book is worthy."
Posted by Paula Yoo
Mayra Lazara Dole. Down to the Bone. NY: Harper Teen, 2008.
ISBN: 9780060843106
Michael Sedano
Down to the bone is among the more challenging YA novels I’ve had the pleasure to read.The challenge is less to the reader than to the author, Mayra Lazara Dole. Not only must Dole work her coming of age plot to a happy ending, the author tasks herself to address gay sexuality in an ambiente of Miami’s Cubano cultura. The specific geography provides background for a work that should have widespread appeal for kids everywhere.
Dole, or her editor, recognizes the language gap between Spanish-literate readers and those less endowed. There’s a Spanish-English glossary that clarifies the majority of italicized expressions, even to obvious cognates like música and gringo, and the conjunction y. I looked for a description of a tortilla de platano, but it was omitted. As a certified senior citizen who digs YA and chica lit and is hip to a certain amount of patois, I would have appreciated glossaried help with such English expressions as “hooking up” and the title. Given the popularity of the phrase—a movie and a band share the name--“down to the bone,” I suspect that means something beyond the novel’s final line, “This is where I belong, loved and understood right down to the bone.” In my vocabulary, “hooking up” seems a clearly metaphorical allusion to forming a social alliance, but in Laura’s world, the phrase seems restricted to sexual union.
Scrunchy, née Laura Sofia, has already hooked up with Marlena, or maybe tonight's the night. For sure, they've shared passionate kisses. Laura and Marlena are eleventh graders and deeply in love. Back in the day, this might have been called “puppy love” by adults who remember the first time is not necessarily lasting. But that’s not Laura’s world view. Por vida, that’s what Laura feels. And that’s what Marlena says, too, in a love note Laura’s reading on the last day of school as the novel opens. Daydreaming, the vivacious teen doesn’t hear Fart Face, Sister Asunción, ask a question. That daydream leads to a world of hurt.
Adults in Laura’s world fit one of two types. There are the horrorshow assholes, like the nun and Laura’s mother, or there are the totally cool, like Viva, the mother of Laura’s best friend, Soli. Mostly it’s a world of the former, until Laura discovers Miami’s gay society. Laura’s classmates fit into the former tipos, too. “Muff diver!” they shout, after Sister seizes and reads Marlena’s note to the entire classroom.
Being kicked out of Catholic school is not punishment enough. Laura’s mother demands to know the identity of Laura’s degenerate friend, and, failing that, kicks Laura out of her home until Laura identifies the lover and accepts heterosexuality. Find a man, get married.
Viva and Soli love Laura unconditionally, mirror images of the horrid mother whose love is conditioned on the teenaged girl complying with the mother’s every demand. As much love as Laura feels in her cramped temporary abode, still the daughter wants to go back home to her mother’s love, and to remain in her little brother’s life. I worry about that kid, given that mother.
Laura meets a boi—another term some readers will learn—who befriends the emotionally devasted Laura. Tazer, a rich woman virtually abandoned by her father to a luxurious pad, prefers to present himself as a male. Tazer wants to start a love affair with Laura, but he is not what Laura wants. It’s an interesting view of gay choices. Dole makes the point that gay gente don’t hook up with promiscuous abandon. Like all people, Laura and the gay world she enters are concerned with choices and motivated by emotional attraction. The one who flits from lover to lover is la Soli, a confirmed heterosexual. (Who will come around in the end to a decent but spurned lover).
The worst choice a person can make is to conform to outside pressures, especially when these are inimical to one's self. Laura denies her desires and starts dating a hot-to-trot man. Hoping she’ll fall in love with him, she falls into his arms and into his bed, but doesn’t “hook up” with the conquest-minded hottie. Marlena, on the other hand, is whisked away by her family to Puerto Rico, to be brainwashed by a fundamentalist church. Laura finally gets a “dear Jill” letter from the about-to-be married Marlena, who washes her hands of their love, wishing for Laura to reject herself and become a betrayer like Marlena.
I’ve summarized only a few key plot lines in this engaging novel. Dole’s depiction of Laura’s peers takes the novel into a similar direction as the adultcentric line. There are STD, clubbing, dancing, blind hatred, krypto personae; all adding rich texture to the teenage scene. Sadly, Dole doesn’t dwell on the tragedy of Laura quitting school to work full time to support herself, nor look forward to what happens in three or five years. Will Laura graduate? Get her landscape architect degree? A contractor’s license? Such unexplored possibilities are sorely lacking in an otherwise edifying story that likely mirrors what’s happening for countless teens facing amor prohibido, whether parents like it or not.
Irrespective of sexual identity or activity, teenagers and adults will take serious thought from the novel. Laura and Soli are healthy, happy children. As such—children—they control only some elements of their environment, and expose themselves too much to risky behaviors, e.g. a speeding cab runs down Laura on her bicycle in a late-night accident. Adults might find difficulty allowing a child the kind of freedom Laura takes, but only because her awful mother is such a narrow-minded person. Viva, perhaps, allows her daughter and live-in friend too much liberty, but because the girls make good choices, little harm comes of going overboard in this direction. Obviously the restrictive nuns and birth mother’s rules produce dysfunctional results. Dole’s lesson is a good one: trust the kids to make good decisions. Despite the poor raising Laura got from her mother, she makes those decisions because that’s the right thing to do. Trust the kid to know her heart and take the proper course.
Still, there’s nothing like reasoned adult upbringing to help a kid grow into the kind of adult I hope Laura, Soli, Tazer and the rest will. Adults would profit from YA work like this, if only to know what, or whom, is influencing the next generation's views of their inheritance. As my dad liked to say, pa'lla va la sombra. Let's see what kids can do that we didn't. In Dole's world, there's a montón of intractable caca that won't take care of itself.
That's June's penultimate Tuesday. A Tuesday like any other Tuesday, except you are here. Thank you for visiting La Bloga. Please invite your friends to stop by, read, leave comments--las huellas de sus pasos.
ate,
mvs
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Every so often one picks up a novel in which the protagonist has been given some demoralizing physical affliction that is not his main obstacle in getting what he wants in the story, but seems to have been factored in by the author, either to create added sympathy for the character, or perhaps to provide an interesting, additional tension. But does it work?
On one end of the scale, arguably, we might have the overweight character, whose romantic horizon is consequently more constricted, or who suffers numerous barbs and indignities as a result of his weight. Does the overweight condition add much to the story? I can think of several YA novels in this category, most not too memorable, but a recent graphic novel might be useful to discuss along this line.
"Skim," by cousins, Mariko (author) and Jillian (illustrator) Tamaki, is the story of Kimberly Keiko Cameron, attending a private, girls' school in Toronto. Kim and her small group of friends practice an eclectic mix of Goth and Wiccan lifestyles, which sets them off from the majority, more affluent and conventional girls. Kim, who lives with her divorced mother, is a very lonely girl to begin with, and her overweight condition intensifies this. She develops a crush on her English teacher, a young, hippie-like, New Age woman. The graphics are quite effective in showing how Kim's fantasies sometimes mix with the realities of her infatuation. The teacher abruptly transfers away from the school, and Kim is despondent. She compensates a little by eating more frequently, and resists attempts by her girlfriend to hook them up with college boy dates. The story has its tender moments and story interest, but the overweight factor, and eating compulsion, are ultimately a little off-putting. Kim's lonely nature, her search for identity and meaning through Wiccan ritual, and through a fantasy love, seemed enough for the story without the added hurdle of her body weight.
Overweight may or may not have a genetic basis, but cerebral palsy definitely does, and we'd really be loading our character down with this while he's on his search for what he wants in the story. "Stoner and Spaz," a YA novel by Ron Koertge, does just that. Ben is a conservative, strait-laced, generally ignored student with a CP disability, a spaz, who escapes his loneliness with a heavy dosage of movies at the local arts theater—until he meets Colleen there, another lonely student, but a rebel who'll do any drug, and take any dare. She doesn't ignore his disability; she teases him about it, and thrillingly they're on some sort of high wire together. He doesn't even smoke cigarettes, but she has him try a joint, and takes him to all the swinging clubs with her. She challenges him to direct his own movie, and he challenges her to give up the drugs. We get the feeling Ben will have the strength he needs for his challenge, but our heart goes out to Colleen who just doesn't seem like she'll make it. So, does the affliction make for a better story? It probably would have worked fine if he were just the lonely, movie-addicted, introverted young man he was, without the CP complication. However, the CP seemed to have a reasonably good fit, wasn't overly clinical, and the story didn't strain to send any message about disabilities. Koertge continues to be a favorite YA author.
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," by Mark Haddon, demonstrates a deeper end of the scale for imposing an affliction on a character. Christopher, an autistic 15-yr. old, narrates his story. Here, the affliction is the dominant theme of the story, though Haddon weaves his revelation of the autistic child's view of the world into a warp of light mystery about who killed a neighbor's dog. Christopher utilizes his love of reading Sherlock Holmes mysteries and an acute, deductive logic, to pursue the mystery. He is handicapped by an inability to 'read' the moods and behaviors signaled by other people, and though he cannot tell or understand jokes, he is often ironically funny. Other times, he is maddeningly irritating with his idiosyncrasies, and petulance toward his beleaguered father. I recall that Haddon had training in social work, and he probably understands his character well. In the case of this novel, the affliction, and the writing, are compelling reasons for reading the novel through, but the reading experience finally seems less rich when the mental process of the character is so far removed from us.
This time of year seems to invite more reading than writing, and some watercolor painting, as appears here. Most of my reading has been in short stories, but also a few YA, and some Indian-American, and Asian novels. I've spent only small amounts of time revising my earlier short stories, and hope to get a couple of them in shape for submitting in the coming months.
I recently finished "The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks," by E. Lockhart, a YA novel. I've always been attracted to stories with a prep-school setting, ever since the powerful experience of reading, as a young boy, "Tom Brown's School Days," by Thomas Hughes. The Disreputable History has nowhere near the tension and drama of Tom Brown, but it has some nice writing, character development, and harmless, if not sophomoric, pranks carried out by a males-only, secret society. Frankie, a spunky young woman, newly endowed with a terrific body over the previous summer, falls in love with one of the boys in the society. She manages to penetrate the secrets and inner workings of the society, and uses phony email messages to commandeer their programs.
The story is told generally in third-person omniscient, though at times Lockhart projects the reader into the mind of Frankie in some long passages, so that it seems like a first-person narrative. Frankie, and a less affluent, scholarship student at the school, a friend of Frankie's boyfriend, Matthew (can't remember his name), comprise the better developed characters in the story. Frankie can be maddening to a male reader, this one, anyhow, with her urgent need to know everything Matthew thinks, or the relationship is going nowhere. Still, she's engaging, and inventive. She goes a little overboard on her use of 'neglected positives,' like describing someone as ept, her presumptive opposite of inept. Frankie tells us in several places she's Jewish, which I thought might enrich her character further, but Lockhart leaves it to us to imagine how. I like ethnicity in characters, and sometimes use Irish connections in my writing.
Congratulations on the The Smell of Old Lady Perfume. Is this your first published book? The title is very catchy how did you come up with it?
This IS my first published book. I'm glad the title caught your attention; I often come up with titles before I even know what the story will be. In the story, the smell of old lady pefume is the smell of bad things. Whenever something bad happens, the protagonist's abuelita and tias show up, followed by a cloud of
perfume-- so that's what it refers to!
How was the process from manuscript to publication for The Smell of Old Lady Perfume?
I wrote the first draft of this after first moving to Chicago. Being from El Paso, I really admired Cinco Puntos. Co-publisher, Lee Byrd was one of the first people I sent it to. It wasn't ready for publication then, but Lee provided me great guidance. I joke to people that the experience was like being in a MFA program without having to pay, because I've definitely grown a lot as a writer from that first draft. I kept at it and it took a while, but I didn't give up because it was a story I really wanted to tell.
How would you present the book to the audience? Tell us about it.
It's a story about an eleven year old who worries about all the typical things kids that age do, and then has something quite dramatic happen in her life. Her father gets sick and she must also deal with that. So the story deals with growing up and loss. I also tell people it's a story about two borders-the one in El Paso, and the one between being a kid and growing up.
Is this story based on your real life?
Loosely. My dad passed away when I was eleven. This was an opportunity to finally open a dialogue about what that experience was like. The emotions are real, the people are more like inspired.
Some chapters have pictures. Are these family pictures?
The lovely girl on the back cover is my niece. There are also a couple of pictures of her and my other lovely niece inside the book. The designer did a really great job of using images that are representative, and while they are not all family pictures, I feel like they could be.
You are telling a very realistic story. There are many Chelas in classrooms around the USA. What is your message for these girls who are trying to adapt and cope to hard situations?
Amazingly it's not just girls, but also boys who seem to respond to the story. I was just in California and El Paso, and I had the opportunity to talk at several schools ranging from elementary kids to college students. I was just amazed by every person I met. I told them the same thing my father told me, that even when things seem tough if you work hard anything is possible.
What inspires you to write? What are you working on now?
I'm inspired to write by the people around me, especially my family. I am currently working on a YA book about a bakery in a neighborhood that is seeing a lot of changes.
Thanks Claudia, what are your final words for our readers at La Bloga?
I am very grateful for the opportunity to talk to La Bloga. This community has been so supportive, and I feel very blessed.
The Smell of Old Lady Perfume
Book Premiere, Chicago
When: Fri. Oct. 10, 2008 at 7:30 PM
Location: Women and Children First Book Store ( 5233 N. Clark St, Chicago, IL)
.5mi from CTA RED LINE TRAIN (RED LINE - NORTHBOUND) BERWYN Stop
Telephone:773.769.9299 (book store)
Join Claudia for her first ever Chicago reading and to celebrate the release of her YA novel this summer.
Refreshments will be provided.
This event is FREE and open to the public.
Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Web Address
http://preview.evite.com/party/event/public/solp
Claudia Guadalupe Martinez grew up in El Paso, Texas. She learned that letters form words from reading the subtitles of old westerns for her father who always misplaced his glasses. At age six, she already knew she wanted to create stories. Her father encouraged her to dream big and write a book or two one day. Although he passed away when Claudia was eleven, her mother, family and many others continued to encourage her writing.
She went on to receive a degree in literature from Claremont McKenna College on a full ride and later moved to Chicago to become one of the city’s youngest non-profit executives before turning her attention to the completion of her first book,
The Smell of Old Lady Perfume.
Only Sherman Alexie could have written "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian" and have carried along the reader so effortlessly, and intriguingly. It's not that a good writer couldn't imagine the hard situation and trapped circumstances described for life on the 'Rez,' but a non-Indian would probably encounter significant critical resistance to publishing such a story. So it's been a treat to have Alexi give us the 'Diary' with all its courage, and warts, and sorrows, and resilient hopes, of a boy who's been there, done that, and can talk of it in gallows humor, as well as with a great affection for the parents who tried their best to do the right thing by him.
The story gets underway with 'Junior,' or Arnold Spirit, nearing the end of his time in middle school on the Rez, and feeling like he's going to die soon if he doesn't get off the Rez. Alcoholism and unemployment are rampant, and life expectancy is mean and short. Junior conceives of attending high school off campus, at a nearby town called Reardon. Of course, this is going to be interpreted by his best friend, Rowdy, and most of the other boys on the Rez, as becoming a traitor. Regardless, he's too sensitive, and hungry for life, to let such worries dissuade him, and he makes the leap.
The boys at Reardon are at first skeptical about this kid from the Rez, but Junior has one good thing going for him. He's pretty good at basketball. And he manages to swallow his fears enough to give a good account of himself in a scuffle with one of the strapping big players on Reardon's team. Junior also acquires a serious crush on one of the Reardon girls, and it's good for a little humorous tension. Through it all he's still, of course, commuting back and forth to the Rez, where his audacity is gradually accepted by the other Indian youths. We continue to get a glimpse of existential life on the Rez, or the untimely demise of it, and we're glad that a promising boy has started his trip outward to more hopeful things.
Author Meg Rosoff has come up with another thoughtful YA novel, "What I Was." Generally, boys are not known for intensity of emotional relationships with other boys, without becoming the story of an overtly gay, perhaps one-sided or not, relationship. "What I Was" never commits to identifying the protagonist Hilary's attraction to the mysterious boy, Finn, as gay, neither in Hilary's mind, nor in their experiences. But it is an underlying tension in the plot and keeps the reader wondering throughout, even into the epilogue, where Hilary reminisces as an old, never-married bachelor on his experiences as a boy at St. Oswald's.
Rosoff chooses an intriguing setting for her story, St. Oswald's School on the southeast coast of England, one of the austere, ancient boarding schools that seem to dot the country, and it contributes to the mood and dynamics that propel the story along. Finn, about fourteen, lives alone in a fishing shack along the periodically almost submerged headlands, and it is his grace, simple lifestyle and taciturn manner that intrigues Hilary, about sixteen, son of a wealthy family, who has been expelled from several boarding schools before St. Oswald's. Hilary is one of those boys who are recognized as 'different' by other boys, and his roommates delight in tormenting him. Meeting Finn, who does not go to school but has somehow escaped the notice of any authorities, makes life more tolerable, even interesting, for Hilary, who cuts school as often as he can to spend time with Finn. Finn becomes alarmingly ill at one point, and the story makes a revelation that adds a layer of complexity to what the reader may think about the nature of the special relationship that has been so cherished by Hilary. It is perhaps fundamentally unknowable, but invites some thought.
It seems like vampire books are harder to get rid of than vampires. And finally, someone explains why in a way that makes sense to me.
Columbia University comparative literature professor Jenny Davidson, 36, who is the author of a forthcoming paranormal YA book, The Explosionist, argued that vampire books going back to Dracula, Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, often represent anxiety about modernity. "The Stoker novel really is a book about technology and modernity," she told me. "It really is a book about telegraphs and letter-writing and wax cylinders that you might record madmen speaking onto. And that intersects with the idea that the vampire isn't modern, the vampire is from the deep past. ... The vampire seems to be a place for that intersection--very modern, but very much from the romantic past."
~ quoted over at About Last Night from a New York Observer article about a surfeit of vampires in current teen fiction.
I have just read an advance copy of Jenny Davidson's The Explosionist (thanks to Laura Fetterly at Harper Collins) and I can tell you two things:
#1: it doesn't contain a single vampire
#2: it's fab
I have to check the pub date on this but you'll be hearing more about it here soon. The novel's plot has heavy spiritualist content and I'll take a good ghost story over a vampire story any day. Also, it's set in an Edinburgh that just as real and unreal as Lyra's Oxford. Does anybody know the correct term for a futurist novel that's set in the past? Because that's The Explosionist.
There now seem to be graphic versions of all sorts of previously published books either about to release or else already on shelves: Artemis Fowl, Coraline, Pendragon, Discworld. I'm thinking this just might be some sort of a trend.
Anybody noticed any other titles?
There are now lovely clean versions of the Coraline trailer which you can find in various formats over at Neil Gaiman's blog.
Apparently the UK edition of the audio-book of Coraline was read by Dawn French. I'm dying to hear that. You can listen to a sample of Gaiman's own recording of the book here where you can also buy the full three hour unabridged version for download.
Now, I'm humming "You are not my mother and I want to go home..." but at least it's nudged out "Never Go to Work" which I was humming all day yesterday. At work.
Something graphic this way comes.
The Guardian has a story about the graphic novel version of Macbeth here. (Noted at Bookninja). The article notes some interesting ways in which the two forms are suited:
What we have come to call the soliloquy is put to memorable, disturbing use in Macbeth, where the villainous protagonist is given some of the greatest exploratory verse in the English language. Most of Macbeth's great speeches are said to no one but himself. Here, they appropriately inhabit those thought bubbles that fans of tormented superheroes such as Spider-Man are used to.
This edition comes to us from Classical Comics (an oxymoron if there ever was one), but there were already graphic versions of some of Shakespeare's plays - for example King Lear through the Graphic Shakespeare Library and Hamlet through the Manga Shakespeare Library.
~~more~~
Have just heard from Karen Wenborn at Classical Comics and she seems lovely. Now I feel all bad about my snotty attitude - I blame my mother for bringing me up on real books and even taking me to see Albert Finney do Macbeth on the London stage when I was an insufferable teenager.
But as the mother of two boys I have to say, these Classical Comics look like a good bet. I see they've even got an edition of Frankenstein in the works. Wicked.
Michele Serros and Scandalosa
Named by Newsweek as "One of the Top Young Women to Watch for in the New Century" and by Tu Ciudad magazine as one of Los Angeles’ “Hip, Hot and Now” artists, Michele Serros is the author of Chicana Falsa and other stories of death, identity and Oxnard, How to be a Chicana Role Model, Honey Blonde Chica and her newest young adult novel, Scandalosa! In addition to being an award-winning poet, Serros has been a featured contributor for the Los Angeles Times' children's fiction section and a commentator for National Public Radio (Morning Edition, Weekend All Things Considered, Anthem, Along for the Ride, Latino USA). She has read her poems to stadium crowds of 25,000+ for Lollapalooza, recorded Selected Stories from Chicana Falsa for Mercury Records and was selected by the Poetry Society of America to have her poetry placed on MTA buses throughout Los Angeles County.
While still a student at Santa Monica City College, Michele’s first book of poetry and short stories, Chicana Falsa, was published. When the original publisher of Chicana Falsa went out of business, Michele continued to sell copies from her garage until Riverhead Books reissued Chicana Falsa and as well as a collection of short stories, How to be a Chicana Role Model. The latter instantly placed 5th on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list.
In 2002, Michele wrote for the ABC television sitcom, The George Lopez Show. "An opportunity," she says, "that hopefully with my contribution opens the door for a wider representation of Latinos in the mass media."
Serros’ work is required reading in U.S. high schools and universities and garners a diverse fan base ranging from Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers ("Michele is the great Californian writer who makes me proud of my state. When I read her books I cry and laugh.") to author Sandra Cisneros ("Michele Serros is the young, sassy writer whose brilliant weapon is her humor.”) The New York Public Library recommends Honey Blonde Chica as a “Book for the Teen Age 2007. Originally from Oxnard, California, Michele is currently working on a new novel, An Unmarried Mexican.
1. Scandalosa is a sequel to Honey Blonde Chica, with Evie a little bit further down the road of adolescence. Without giving too much away, what's going on with Evie?
In Scandalosa, Evie is now two months older than she was in HBC. She has also entered a new semester of school. In teenage years, such changes are paramount! She is excited to celebrate her Sweet Sixteen era and envisions her party to be similar to MTV's Sweet Sixteen but with all the traditional trappings (and birthday checks) of a quinceañera. BUT she is facing an obstacle. Will this obstacle interfere with her party... the pachanga of the school year? You'll have to read to find out!
2. You avoid a romantic portrayal of teens, yet Honey Blonde Chica isn't about the gang girl stereotype offered up as the YA Chicano/a experience. Can you also talk about the decision to write YA and it's significance to you, and your choice of
characters?
YA books saved me as a preteen. I grew up reading Judy Blume, Beverly Clearie, S. E. Hinton, and Louise Fitzhough. My first attempt at YA is an unpublished manuscript under my bed back home in NYC. It's titled Notes from a Medium Brown Girl. My agent has deemed it "took dark" and suggests that maybe I should focus on other projects but I haven't given up on Notes...just yet. The role of Evie is pretty much myself as a teenager. I dressed like a surfer but never flopped my belly on a board, ever. So the next best thing, of course, was dating a surfer. At 17, it was a dream for me to be the girlfriend of the tri-county (Ventura, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria) surf champion -- who was also Mexican (American) like me!
3. You seem to love and have a sense of playfulness concerning our pop icons and pop culture in general...I noticed on your site the gamine pose, where you're covered with chicharrones, as well as having seen a promos for Scandalosa where it looks like you're having fun with charreada and Flor Silvestre. Where does that love and that irreverence come from? How important an element is it for you in how you look at the world and how you approach writing?
Yes! The photo shoot with the chicharrones was for Estylo magazine. The editors had brought up Salma Hayek's Los Angeles magazine cover's version of Herb Alpert's Whipped Cream and other Delights. They suggested we push it a little further and had me wear a dress of pork rinds, rather than whipped cream. It was pretty funny. The photographer's assistant's sole job was to fan flies away and after the shoot, my skin was so greasy. My only regret is that too many people think I'm completely naked under the skins!
4. Who are the writers/artists that move you and how do you think they've influenced you and your work?
Oscar Zeta Acosta made a big impression on my while I was a college student. And Lester Bangs. I have more records and CDs than books and when I was younger I was always trying to write record or show reviews for underground fanzines and rags. One book I loved was I'm with the Band, by Pamela de Barres.
5. Where do you think the challenges lie for you as a creative person?
Discipline! It's challenging to pays bills based on your creativity.
Also, I tend to over think too much. It drives my friends and family crazy.
6. Are there people that act as mentors/sounding boards for you? If so, how does that mesh into how you work?
Oh yeah. I'm afraid that a current boyfriend is always put in the position of being the unexpected sounding board. I pity the man who is dating me in the middle or start of a new manuscript or project. They have to hear me whine about every little sentence that isn't going well. I'm really attracted to men who hold blue collar type jobs -- carpenters, contractors, UPS delivery guys -- men (in my experience) who don't typically read fiction a lot. So it's really good for me to share my work with them, because if they aren't "getting it" it's a sign for me to work a bit harder. Not saying that blue collar men are my entire "demographic" but I definitely don't want to write for other writers or, say, for the editors of The New Yorker. For me, the biggest compliment is from someone who admits that they don't like to read but confess that they actually read one of my books and liked it!
7. Where would you like to see yourself personally and creatively in ten years? In twenty?
I'd like to see Notes from a Medium Brown Girl published. I'm currently working on two manuscripts -- one of them is An Unmarried Mexican. It's about my first year in New York City after being newly separated from my ex-husband.
8. What something not the official bio?
That I was once married to the drummer of the heavy rock Queens of the Stone Age. It's something being a musician's wife. You're like in a little club with all the other band member's wives who can be really catty and extremely insecure. And you know if your man is getting kicked out of the band soon...because little by little all the wives stop inviting you to shop Melrose. This experience, of course, has inspired yet another manuscript I've been working on -- The Hair Club for Men.
Scandalosa
ISBN-10: 1416915931
ISBN-13: 978-1416915935
Michele's MySpace page
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GREAT TEATRO LUNA NEWS!
CURRENTLY PLAYING:
MACHOS
After a sold out run at Chicago Dramatists, MACHOS is moving to the 16th Street Theater in Berwyn, IL, conveniently located near the CTA/Blue Line Austin stop.
Tickets are already on sale, and I hope you will help spread the word!
Here's the scoop:
MACHOS At 16th Street Theater 4 weeks only! January 25 through February 17, 2008
Fridays at 7:30 PM Saturdays at 5:00 PM Saturdays at 8:00 PM Sundays at 6:00 PM
BUY TICKETS ONLINE at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/25539
Lisa Alvarado
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Thank you Rene I am honored that you used your day to champion my books. Also you may not know that "The Throwaway Piece" won first place at the Chicano/Latino Prize from the University of California in Irvine.
Thank you very much for your support,
Jo Ann Hernandez
De nada Jo Ann,
You books are amazing!
saludos,
René