You know how, when the fever finally breaks, you emerge new (again) to the world? These past many days, fighting the flu that has afflicted so many, fighting the political news that is equally afflicting, I have been preparing for the week ahead—losing myself inside a heated fog, waking with urgency, getting out into the world, then rushing back home to my couch and its furry cover, where, again, I try to prepare—shrugging off the fever, then succumbing to it.
This week: The first workshopping of memoirs in my class at Penn, on Tuesday. A talk about Philadelphia stories at the Union League, on Wednesday. The alumni publishing event, at Penn, on Thursday. The NYCTAF panel, "Perspectives," featuring Carolyn Mackler, Luanne Rice, Francisco X. Stork, myself, and moderator David Levithan, on Friday at the New York Public Library (South Court), at 4:40. My first signing of
This Is the Story of You at Books of Wonder on Sunday, at 2:30 (alongside many other wonderful writers).
(For more on any of these events, or additional events, including the upcoming keynote for the
annual Historic Rittenhousetown fundraiser, see the sidebar on this page.)
The only way I know how to prepare for a panel is to read the work of my fellow panelists. And so I have. I began with
The Memory of Light, Stork's moving meditation on depression and mental unwellness. This is the story of Vicky, a second-best sort of sister mourning the death of her mother who no longer wishes to live and whose suicide attempt fails. Rushed to a hospital, Vicky becomes friends with others her age who are also battling demons. Vicky needs a reason to believe that her life is worth living. She doubts that it is for long stretches of this book. But as her new friends spiral into unsettling places—and as they reveal their own humanity—something shifts.
Stork, whose
Marcelo in the Real World is a book that also must be read, writes from a true place, a deep understanding of a condition, depression that, while it affects so many, remains so poorly understood: "You are not the clouds or even the blue sky where clouds live," Vicky is told. "You are the sun behind them, giving light to all, and the sun is made up of goodness and kindness and life."
With
The Secret Language of Sisters, Luanne Rice, a bestselling adult novelist (whose work has often been translated to TV), presents her YA debut—the story of two sisters whose lives are irrevocably changed by a texting-when-driving accident. Roo, a photographer, hopes to be headed to Yale. Tilly, the younger sister, is envious/proud of Roo's abilities and grace. The accident that results from Roo's response to Tilly's text leaves Roo with locked-in syndrome—the same terrifying condition that lies at the heart of Jean Dominique-Bauby's memoir,
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. As the novel unfolds, the two sisters speak to us—yes,
both sisters, despite the fact that no one (but us) can hear Roo's thoughts for the longest time.
I remembered my seizure, Tilly standing there—the worst feeling I've ever had, thrashing around with no control, hearing her scream just before I passed out. I woke up being restrained—or at least that's what I thought. I thought they had tied me down. Then I realized, No, there are no straps. It's me—I can't move. I can't speak. I can't get anyone to hear me.
Rice has created a story of triumphal love despite harrowing circumstances.
Then there is the beloved Carolyn Mackler, author of
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things (a Printz honor book),
The Future of Us (co-authored with Jay Asher), and others. In her new book,
Infinite in Between, Mackler traces the intertwined lives of five high school students who survive freshman orientation and step (sometimes sideways, sometimes backwards, but finally ahead) toward graduation—five likable teens whose differences bind them.
Of the five, Zoe, the daughter of a celebrity now in rehab, is the most (ruefully) famous. We first meet her when she learns that her mother has (without saying goodbye) left their Colorado home. Zoe's life is about to change:
Zoe bit at her thumbnail. She knew things were getting worse with her mom, but it wasn't like anyone was talking about it. It wasn't like anyone ever talked about anything.
"What?" she asked, her voice rising.
Rosa touched her arm. Their housekeeper was on the older side and had a granddaughter around Zoe's age she sometimes brought over.
"I know it's not fair," Rosa said, "but you can try to make the best of it."
"Where is Hankinson, anyway?"
"It's in New York State. Your aunt lives there. That's nice, right? You're going to stay with her for a while."
Finally, there is David Levithan himself, who, with all his charisma and intelligence, constructs
New York City Teen Author Festival—a mammoth undertaking involving more than a dozen venues and 110 authors. Every day, including today, at the Strand, there are events. David is behind each one. We're so grateful to him for opening these doors, and I'm grateful that he'll be moderating our panel—bringing his insights as an editor and
his great talents as a writer.
Jay Asher has signed a deal with Penguin Young Readers. In the past, he has written two young adult novels: Thirteen Reasons Why and The Future of Us (a collaboration with Carolyn Mackler).
According to The Associated Press, Asher (pictured, via) has finished a contemporary romance novel entitled What Light. He drew inspiration to write this story “after reading about a family in Oregon with a Christmas tree lot.”
This young adult book will be Asher’s “first solo work of fiction in nearly a decade.” The publication date has been scheduled for Oct. 11. (via The New York Times)
No one is actually sure how David Levithan does it. Writes books that are both bestselling AND lauded. Edits books that define a generation of readers. AND coordinates the entirely generous New York City Teen Author Festival.
We don't know how.
But we're glad he does.
This year's festival is gonzo-sized. Check out the link to the full schedule
here. I'll be attending for the very first time and how in the world I got this lucky, to be on
this panel (below), I'll never know. (Well, I guess I could ask David, but I suspect he's busy.)
Consider me star struck.
March 18—42nd Street NYPL, South Court
4:40-5:30: Perspective (Part 1)
Explanation: What perspective do we, as adults, bring to our novels when we write about teenagers? How do we balance what we know and what our characters don’t? Why do we find ourselves revisiting these years, and what do we learn (even years later) by writing about them? How do you acknowledge the darkness without robbing the reader of finding any light? In this candid conversation, we’ll talk to four acclaimed authors about being an adult and writing about teenagers.
Beth Kephart
Carolyn Mackler
Luanne Rice
Francisco Stork
Moderator: David Levithan
I'll also be there, at the mega-signing, on Sunday, with first-ever copies of
This Is the Story of You.Join us?
Carolyn Mackler has revealed the cover for her forthcoming book, Infinite in Between. We’ve embedded the full image for the jacket design above—what do you think?
This young adult novel stars five teenage characters named Zoe, Jake, Mia, Gregor, and Whitney and features a storyline reminiscent of John Hughes’ classic movie The Breakfast Club. HarperTeen has set the publication date for September 1st.
Carolyn Mackler's Tangled has a new paperback cover, and it's out this week. So I had a chat with her about the changes (and also how she came to write with Jay Asher)! Here she is:
"My publisher had the vision for the hardcover jacket - the blue and pink tangling hearts, and also this new paperback cover. I love its energy, especially with the butterflies since they strangely showed up in three of my four characters' stories.
"Harper was wonderful about including me in the development of Tangled's paperback cover. They wanted to do a photo shoot with models, and I got to look over several headshots and pick who I thought would work on the cover. The girl is Jena for sure, but in my head the guy is a mix of Dakota and Owen. They're brothers, so they have the same basic look. And Jena DOES kiss both of them. Surprised? Shocked? If you read the book it'll all make sense..."
Read the rest of Carolyn's Cover Story, and see the original hardcover, at melissacwalker.com.
We’re in ALA Annual Countdown Mode here in the office – it’s only one week away! Dozens of boxes have been filled with galleys and we can’t wait to share them with you. However, while galleys are certainly a huge incentive to come by Booth #1315 to say hi, we also want to offer up our OUTSTANDING list of authors and illustrators signing in our booth during the conference:
FRIDAY, JUNE 24
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Veronica Roth (DIVERGENT)
SATURDAY, JUNE 25
9:00 am-9:30am
Thanhha Lai (INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN)
Carolyn Mackler (TANGLED)
9:30 am – 10:30 am
Alex Flinn (CLOAKED)
Jack Gantos (GUYS READ: FUNNY BUSINESS)
10:30 am – 11:00 am
Kelly Milner Halls (SAVING THE BAGHDAD ZOO)
Bobbie Pyron (A DOG’S WAY HOME)
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Kadir Nelson (HEART AND SOUL posters)
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Katherine Hannigan (TRUE…(SORT OF))
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm
Patrick Carman (DARK EDEN galleys)
12:30 pm – 1:00 pm
Katherine Hannigan (BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA)
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Dan Gutman (THE GENIUS FILES: MISSION UNSTOPPABLE)
SUNDAY, JUNE 26
9:00 am – 9:30 am
Bob Shea (I’M A SHARK)
9:30 am – 10:30 am
Christopher Myers (WE ARE AMERICA)
10:30 am – 11:30 am
Rita Williams-Garcia (Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Winner for ONE CRAZY SUMMER)
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Kevin Henkes (JUNONIA; LITTLE WHITE RABBIT)
1:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Claudia Gray (FATEFUL)
Maureen Johnson (THE LAST LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPE)
1:30 pm &
Thirteen Reasons Why author Jay Asher and The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things author Carolyn Mackler have signed a deal with Penguin’s Razorbill imprint for a young adult novel they co-wrote.
The Future is Us will come out in November with an initial printing of 500,000 copies. Publisher Ben Schrank negotiated the deal with two literary agents, Laura Rennert of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency and Jodi Reamer of Writers House.
Here’s more from the release: “The Future is Us is set in 1996, when less than half of all American high school students have ever used the internet. Facebook will not be invented for several more years. Emma just got a computer and an America Online CD-ROM with 100 free hours. When she and her best friend Josh log on to AOL they discover themselves on Facebook … fifteen years in the future. Everybody wonders what life has in store for them. Josh and Emma are about to find out.”
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
I wanted to post this today because Carolyn Mackler is on my mind. Today I had a lovely discussion with a couple librarians in the booth at Midwinter – they were very interested in TANGLED, Carolyn’s realistic YA fiction book with HarperTeen.
We contrasted and compared Carolyn’s books and I told them about TANGLED, which they hadn’t had the chance to read yet. It’s a story told in the various viewpoints of four teenagers stuck in Paradise, a Caribbean resort. Dakota, Jena, Skye, and Owen soon find that their lives intersect in unexpected ways and they’re surprised to find out that they have much more in common than they thought.
Carolyn Mackler recently decided to take on our grueling interrogation because that’s the sort of daring, feisty woman she is. Here is what she told us:
What time is your alarm clock set for?
I wish! My children are my alarm clock. The baby babbles from his crib, so we grab him. Once he’s in our bed, my first-grader comes tumbling in full of 6am energy. And suddenly our bed feels really small. And I need coffee.
Favorite book from childhood?
FOREVER by Judy Blume. Hands down. It was sexy. It was real. It was heartbreaking. I felt like I knew Katherine and Michael. Sometimes I’m still curious how they’re doing.
If you weren’t an author/illustrator, what job would you like to have?
Stand-up comedian. My husbands jokes that I’ve watched Funny People way too many times. I even have the soundtrack on my iPod. Some combination of career envy and a celebrity crush on Adam Sandler.
How many stamps are in your passport?
Four? Five? It’s my new passport. I traveled much more before I had kids. No one tells you that international travel isn’t quite as glamorous when you’re schlepping car seats, a pack-n-play, and jet-lagged angry children. My husband and I are determined to go somewhere next year where we have to cross an ocean. Grandparents, did you hear that?
Favorite word?
Sleep. Bath. Massage. Coffee. Clean clothes. Okay, that’s six words.
What are you reading right now?
The New Yorker.
Finish this sentence: “I always smile when…”
M
Carolyn is reading summer goals she wrote in her journal when she was in her early 20s. Among them:
- look in to psychology as a career
- become an au pair in Italy
- rent a house with a guy
- live in NYC with her mom
- get a dog.
- go to Africa
Instead she wrote her first book, fell in love with her husband, and wrote eight hours a day on THE EARTH, MY BUTT, AND OTHER BIG ROUND THINGS. The following January she won a Printz Honor, and suddenly she began getting big royalty checks and being asked to speak.
And then, she said, her words dried up.
She got to a point where she tought, I can't write a book.
After encouragement from her friend, and the passing of a little time, she got through her hard time and began writing again.
Then THE EARTH got pulled from an entire school district and got TONS of press. It was the 4th most challenged book in America in 2008, and continues to stay on the list. (And it made her father very proud.)
At first, Carolyn was stunted by the censorship, second guessing herself. Then she let herself go with her writing, and came up with her latest novel TANGLED.
Carolyn Mackler recieved a Printz Award for her novel THE EARTH, MY BUTT, AND OTHER BIG ROUND THINGS. She's currently working on her sixth YA novel. Her lastest book is TANGLED.
Carolyn said she spent her teen years tyring to blend in. ("If I were a J. Crew color, I would be ecru.") And the feeling never subsided that she had to blend in. This year, she decided she wanted to be "hot."
Marital vows, she said, are simialr to making the committment to be a writer. You have to stick with it even through the more difficult times.
As a teen, writing in her jounral and reading helped her from feeling alone or like a misfit.
After college she interned at Ms. Magazine, and did whatever she could to make money writing.
For her first book, she tapped into her own life and finished a draft of her first novel. She got an agent at age 25 and got her first book published.
Warning: DO NOT read to the end of this post if you DON'T want a couple of great questions to ask yourself about your character.
When starting a novel, one of the first things she thinks about when creating character, are the details and the quirks that make a person (a character) who they are; those things they continuously do that make them
them.
We're writers. We don't film it. We write it. So the language around the character is important. Each character has their own way of speaking.
Carolyn suggests reading your book out loud for many reasons related to language. "Nothing beats reading your book out loud."
Another essential piece is research. Research was very important while writing TANGLED. She wanted all four characters to have distinct voices. She spent time speaking to a teenage wrestler for hours to help her write a teen boy (Dakota). She also spoke with a teen actress, as well as sat in on an audition for a teen role to help her write the character Skye.
Carolyn asks questions about her characters. If she has a day when she gets stuck, she does something she calls Questions. She once heard Paula Danziger say she wants to know what the inside a characters closet looks like.
Questions:
1. What does you character keep hidden in his or her underwear drawer? If nothing, then where do they hide things?
2. Who would your character call/text/email/send smoke signals to when something good happens? And what would that good thing be?
By:
Trisha, Gayle, and Jolene,
on 7/16/2009
Blog:
The YA YA YAs
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HarperCollins recently added their Winter 2010 books to their catalog site, so we have a a WoW extravaganza today.
Tangled by Carolyn Mackler (HarperTeen, 12/09)
Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen are all at Paradise—the resort in the Caribbean, that is—for different reasons, but in Paradise their lives become tangled together in ways none of them can predict. Over the course of four months, through four voices and four stories, what happened in Paradise will change them all.
In this extraordinary novel, the Printz Honor–winning author brings us her most accomplished work yet. Tangled is a story of the secrets we keep, the risks we take, and the things we do for love.
Because it’s Carolyn Mackler (moving from Candlewick!) and I like the cover. That blurb by Daniel Handler doesn’t hurt, either, and this is coming from someone who only made it through the first book in The Series of Unfortunate Events.
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting (HarperTeen, 3/10)
Violet Ambrose can find dead bodies. Or at least she can sense those that have been murdered. She locates them by the echoes they leave behind…and the imprints they leave on their killers. As if that weren’t enough to deal with during her junior year, she also has a sudden, inexplicable, and consuming crush on her best friend since childhood, Jay Heaton.
And now a serial killer has begun terrorizing Violet’s small town…and she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.
Filled with suspense, a gripping romance, and deadly consequences, The Body Finder is an impressive debut novel that’s impossible to put down.
Let’s see, psychic powers + trying to stop a serial killer + romance = must read!
must read! + what?! this got postponed until next year? = is it March yet?
A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner (Greenwillow, 3/10)
Charlotte blogged about this last month, but it’s worth mentioning again because 1) it’s a new Eugenides book!, and 2) the HC site has a different description.
Sophos, heir to Sounis, doesn’t look like much of a prince. At least, according to those in power. At least, to those who do not know him or the size of his heart and the depth of his courage, loyalty, and love. But Helen, Queen of Eddis, knows him, and so does Gen, the queen’s Thief, who is now King of Attolia. Gen and the queen believe that Sophos is dead. But they also believe in hope, especially since a body was never found. So when Sophos is discovered in Attolia, climbing a lamppost, peashooter in hand, the obvious question becomes: where has Sophos been all this time?
Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount White (Greenwillow, 3/10)
just sounds so quietly charming. Also, flowers.
Delicious and magical, here is a debut novel about a new (and slightly misunderstood) girl at an exclusive boarding school. Laurel has always loved flowers, but when a class project calls for research into the Victorian language of flowers, she makes a potent discovery. Her affinity for blooming things is actually age-old magic, passed from one generation to the next-a bittersweet gift from her beloved mother, who’s recently died-and it gives Laurel the power to make people fall in and out of love. Laurel’s introduction to the secret society of flowerspeakers is rife with complications and mishaps-especially when her classmates convince her to use her magic at the prom. This evocative coming-of-age story lingers in the air much like the fragrant blooms that determine Laurel’s fate so mysteriously.
A Golden Web by Barbara Quick (HarperTeen, 4/10)
Alessandra is desperate to escape—from her stepmother, who’s locked her away for a year; from the cloister that awaits her if she refuses the marriage plans that have been made for her; from the expectations that limit her and every other girl in fourteenth-century Italy. There’s no tolerance in her village for her keen intelligence and her unconventional ideas.
In defiant pursuit of her dreams, Alessandra undertakes an audacious quest, her bravery equaled only by the dangers she faces. Disguised and alone in a city of spies and scholars, Alessandra will find a love she could not foresee—and an enduring fame.
In this exquisite imagining of the centuries-old story of Alessandra Giliani, the world’s first female anatomist, distinguished novelist Barbara Quick gives readers the drama, romance, and rich historical detail for which she is known as she shines a light on an unforgotten—and unforgettable—heroine.
Do you even have to ask why?
And from the adult side, woohoo! The Devil’s Star by Jo Nesbø (Harper, 3/10).
Waiting on Wednesday was created by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
By:
The Class of 2k8,
on 6/19/2008
Blog:
2k8: Class Notes
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There are so many books I love that it’s hard to pick just ten. But here goes, my 10 very favorite books are… :
FIFTEEN Beverly Cleary. This book is my number one inspiration for being a writer. I love how she uses quirky details, like the family cat being named “Sir Pss” that tell you so much about that family. I love her humor and how she handles painful things with a combination of lightness and the respect that they deserve. To me she is the master.
DAIRY QUEEN Catherine Gilbert Murdock. This one is all about the voice. It’s a terrific story and after spending time reading this book I feel like I know DJ and want to call her up to see what’s new in her life and if that bum Brian has gotten his act together yet.
THE COLOR PURPLE Alice Walker. This is one of the most powerful and moving stores. Ever
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE J.D Salinger. This book blows me away every time I read it. It’s the most searing and accurate portrayal of grief I’ve ever read and on top of that it manages to be wicked funny- no easy feat.
LONG MAY SHE REIGN Ellen Emerson White. I love all of EEW’s books- her humor rocks, I love her strong girl characters and her stories keep me on the edge of my seat til I hit the last page and want more. But this one gets the most love here today because it is the newest.
TWILIGHT series Stephenie Meyer. I love those vampires! And Bella! And the wolves! Count me on team Edward and I can’t wait for the finale!
THEY NEVER CAME HOME Lois Duncan. It’s hard to pick just one Lois Duncan but when pressed I go with this one. I’ve read it about a million times and I still get chills when we find out what really happened to Dan and Larry.
TYRELL Coe Booth. My friend Coe wrote this one and it blows me away. The voice is amazing and the story beautifully told.
GUYAHOLIC Carolyn Mackler. I love Carolyn Mackler and this one made me cry happy tears.
CUT Patricia McCormick. Beautiful, poignant and spare, this is one powerful read.
By:
Elaine Anderson,
on 11/14/2007
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Maryrose Wood reports that she will be speaking at the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention concerning book challenges and the First Amendment rights of students in the United States. She is one of three authors who have had their books challenged recently.
I'll be reminiscing about the madcap Sex Kittens and Horn Dawgs Fall in Love book challenge in Florida. The panel will also include the wonderful authors Carolyn Mackler (The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things) and Robie Harris (It's Not The Stork!), both of whom have had their own run-ins with people who have somehow not yet gotten around to reading the Constitution. (I know, I know, it's only been a couple of hundred years...)
Date:Friday, November 16th
Time: 11:00 AM–12:15 PM
Place: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
1E07, Level 1
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on 5/18/2007
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We received a great tip this week from Crooked Timber about The Martians of Science: Five Physicists Who Changed the Twentieth Century by István Hargittai. Apparently, Charlie Munger, recommended it at the Wesco Annual Meeting. Hargittai’s book tells the story of five brilliant men born at the turn of the twentieth century in Budapest: Theodore von Kármán, Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner, John von Neumann, and Edward Teller. Below is an excerpt from the introduction to the book.
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Wow–thanks for the heads up on Conspiracy of Kings! I can’t wait.
Thanks for including my novel! Hope you love it. I’ m so excited to be able to share my cover, too.
-Amy
Wow, a new Carolyn Mackler. And what a great cover. Some really great covers overall, and I CANNOT WAIT for the next Attolia story. YAY.
my editor kept mentioning MWT
and i didn’t have a chance to read it
until i was done revising my debut.
am so excited for the fourth book for
sure. editor says we will not be disappointed–
as if we were worried. i’m a fangirl
of MWT!!
amy–i can’t wait for yours either!!
YAY!!
You’re welcome!
And, Cindy, are there any other hints your editor has dropped?
Totally can’t wait to read The Body Finder!