Author Catherine Linka In Conversation

Catherine Linka

by Lupe Fernandez

Catherine Linka is the author of A Girl Called Fearless, a page turning, chilling prescient story about a Avie Reveare, a teenage girl, contracted to marry a wealthy aspiring politician in a country recovering from deaths of fifty million women. Can she escape her fate as a biological commodity in a male dominated society.

Daring escapes. Political intrigue. And true love.

I've known Catherine via SCBWI for several years. She's a gracious, generous, giving person and all around swell gal. I knew her when she worked for Flintridge Books; she assisted our modest blog with a few posts.

I've seen her at conferences and workshops, and she's been most kind to this Foreign Correspondent.

So read on MacDuff!

After writing the book, did your attitude change about "opportunities" for young ladies like beauty pageants, modeling careers and reality shows?
Hmmm. That’s a tough one. Not every young woman has the access to higher education I did. So while I am concerned about young women being exploited by people who do not have their best interests at heart, I’ve also met women who have used these avenues to further their careers using the poise, savvy, scholarship money and interpersonal skills they developed in the public eye.

At any time during process of selling or editing the book, were you told "This book is going to get banned. How about a massive plague affecting cats?"
When I first started working on the series, I was sure it couldn’t get published, because gay marriage was accepted in my story, but that just goes to show how quickly attitudes, and thankfully, laws have changed. My editor was nervous about one aspect of the politics I can’t tell you about, but I was more worried about getting sued by Cartier for making their iconic Love bracelet into a symbol of enslavement or Sotheby’s for showing them auctioning off young women. Fortunately, no one at Cartier or Sotheby’s has read the book yet.

Publishing a book is no longer just a book. There's ancillary promotions like author playlists and separate character stories. Is this more work or a greater outlet for your work?
Right now in the publishing world, most YA’s get a week of attention, if that. As authors we can spend years writing and editing our book so if there’s a way to extend its life and reach, we need to take advantage of that. I worked with my publisher, St. Martin’s Press, to put a novella, Sparrow’s Story: A Girl Defiant, up on wattpad.com so that I could reach more young readers. I don’t know if that has turned into readers for the series, but it’s been an interesting experience.

Who arranged your appearance at the Bay Area Book Festival Teen Stage?
I believe St. Martins pitched me, although I had hired a private PR person to work on festival appearances. It’s competitive to get into festivals, so you need to have someone promoting that for you. 

Who designed your Media Kit?
I did my own media kit after carefully looking at what other authors have on their websites, and reading online articles about how to prepare one. I made a list of the things that were included in media kits and made sure I had them in mine. It’s not hard, but a writer might try doing it as a project with a friend who’s read their book and knows them well, and can keep them from being so humble that they downplay their accomplishments.

“A deftly plotted portrait of the evolution of a teenage girl into a dystopian heroine. Linka weaves a believable, disturbing dystopian future and never shies from violence or tragedy. Avie evolves into a bold protagonist at a brisk but authentic pace... the revolution and the tense escape plot shine.”

In your website FAQ you wrote, "But the inspiration for the story came from asking what it would be like for an American girl to deal with the limits on her freedom of choice and movement that affect girls in many Asian, African and Middle Eastern countries today." Care to comment on contemporary political, social limits threatening American girls?
While American girls benefit from living in a country that offers free, universal education and has a constitutional separation between church and state, we continue to allow politics to dictate health policies that should be decisions between young women and their health care providers.

How did the college boys react when thirteen year old Catherine helped them use an axe?
Oh, that did not go well. I’m not sure who was more embarrassed--me or them-- when my dad sent me over to chop their firewood.


The Management thanks Catherine Linka for this interview. We wish her fame, fortune and flawless syntax. For more about Catherine visit  www.catherinelinka.com
 
Run, don't walk, to your nearest independent bookstore and buy a copy of A Girl Named Fearless and the sequel, A Girl Undone.

We're tracking you.

Author Stacey Lee In Conversation

Author Stacey Lee

by Lupe Fernandez

Stacey Lee is the author of Under a Painted Sky, a YA, historical western. Two girls, Samantha and Annamae, flee arrest and slavery on the Oregon Trail disguised as boys. They fall in with a couple of cowboys headed for California's gold rush.

There's stompin' stampedes, cross-patched chuckleheads and confused courting. Don't worry, friendship gets 'em through the whole caboodle.

Would Sammy's dispatching of Ty Yorkshire have read more severely if this story had been a contemporary YA? Does historical fiction offer leeway with violent scenes?
I think historical has the potential to be equally graphic. For example, MT Anderson's THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING is skin crawlingly graphic in its depiction of small pox, as is any western by Larry McMurtry (a scene that sticks in my mind is the disembowelment of an unfortunate settler by a Native American). For me, it came down to my main character. She is classically educated, a sheltered city girl. It was important to write the story as how she would've seen and filtered it. This means, the violence is PG, borderline PG13. It's there, but the story isn't the violence.

You describe Oregon Trail landscape vividly. Did you travel to any of the locations featured in the book?
I spent a fair amount of time on the California Trail on which there's a wealth of experts, rangers, trail leaders, and wagon builders who are more than happy to speak with you about this important part of American history. For hardcore OT enthusiasts, there's an annual trip down the OT in caravan, and you can live how the pioneers lived. If I wasn't such a light sleeper and a bad traveler, it would've been fun to do that!

During your research for this book, did you discover anything surprising about the 1840's?
Yes. I learned so much about the trials the Pioneers went through. They had all sorts of interesting remedies for the problems they encountered on the Trail, such as cholera. At the time, there was no cure, so they had to come up with their own, including tying a raw chicken to one's leg. I don't know if anyone was actually cured through this method, but they were probably put off chicken for a long time.

I also enjoyed learning about the cowboy life, and how incredibly diverse the cowboys were. There were blacks, Mexicans, but probably no Chinese (except in Hawaii, eventually).

Would you have preferred extra-curricular reference material at the end of the book, such as historical maps and websites for further information? Perhaps for the second printing?
Yes, this would've been fabulous to have. I am always getting asked questions about where to get more information. Also, I'm a big fan of maps.

Do you feel the Chinese experience in 19th century America as portrayed in popular media has been confined to helpless immigrants, wandering Kung Fu masters and cheerful laundry workers?
Don't forget the dragon ladies and the nerds. I read a book recently which I loved and was a recent Newbery Honor, but failed me in one regard - the only Asian person in the book was a Karate teacher. We still get saddled with these roles, in books, and in other forms of entertainment.

This reader pictures the author dunking herself in a rushing river to capture the details of Sammy's watery perils. With all the roping and riding and river crossing, you must be an experienced cowboy, yes?
I wish! The truth is, I'm deathly allergic to horses, though I actually went so far as to research hypoallergenic horses because I really do want to learn to ride a horse one day (maybe even stand on one). :) And yes, there is a hypoallergenic horse called the Bakshir Curly. I'm saving up.

You and author Stephanie Garber make a dynamic duo in your video blogs. Will you two ever collaborate on a book? Or at least come out with your own line of hats?
Thank you, we try! We always talk about collaboration. And then we devolve into hapless giggling and eat dessert instead. It's inevitable. Actually, the first picture book I wrote was "The Math Monster" and her first PB was "The Jelly Monster." We've been on the same wavelength even before we met! We've started a tumblr together and big plans are in the works for it. And that reminds me. It's time for dessert.

The Management would like to thank Stacey Lee for this interview. For more Stacey Lee, saddle up and ride on over to www.staceyhlee.com. Then mosey on over to your local independent book store and wrangle yourself a copy of Under a Painted Sky. Now get a wiggle on!

Author Mina Javaherbin In Conversation

Mina Javaherbin

by Lupe Fernandez

Mina Javaherbin is author of GOAL! and Secret Message. Last May, I visited Mina at A Great Good Place for Books as she read from her latest picture book Soccer Star, illustrated by Renato Alarcao. No hardship or obstacle can keep Brazilian boy Paulo Marcelo Feliciano from playing the greatest game in his world - soccer.

Mina read from Soccer Star. The audience of adults and children followed along. She punctuated the action and pausing for emotional moments. Her passion conjures up the hardscrabble streets of Brazil, the salt-sea smell, the hot sand and the whoomp of the soccer ball. Though, Mina labored on this book for years, she ended reading with a choke in her voice, and a tear in her eye.

 There's not a lot of scoring in soccer. Does this reflect a "journey is more important than the destination" theme for you?
Soccer is a strategy game, it's like chess, really. It's not a contact sport and is pretty civilized compare to say, hockey, or the American football. It's an intense planning sport. I don't think in soccer journey is more important than the destination. I suppose the emphasis is on the fact that a well played journey will make it easier to achieve goals.

Soccer is popular all over the world. Why choose Brazil as the setting for Soccer Star?
Well this goes back to my book Goal! which had the soccer theme with a social justice angle and took place in South Africa, which hosted the last world cup games. I suppose I thought I'd do one about Brazil where the world cup takes place next, so Soccer Star was born while it did not shy away from displaying social justice issues of the children in Brazil.

Have you ever visited Brazil?
No, unfortunately I never have.

What was your working relationship with illustrator Renato Alarcao?
Ranato Alarcao is a name I first heard from my editor at Candlewick Press. We had no direct contact during the production of the book. As you know the manuscript is bought first and then the editor tries to find the best illustrator for the purchased written words. My wonderful editor found Mr. Alarcao. Of course there were suggestions from me as my editor kept me in the loop and asked my opinion during the art production of the book, but it is customary in the picture book world that the book's editor is the main liaison between the author and the illustrator. Renato and I connected on social media after the book's completion.

Your book Goal was about boys playing soccer in South Africa. Will there be a third book featuring the same sport? How about boys playing soccer in Iran?
I hope to write more soccer themed books and keep addressing social justice issues in them. One day I may also write about boys playing soccer in Iran.

How do you stay so awesome?
Funny you should ask since you and I actually met at "How To Stay Awesome Camp". As you very well know, we need to consciously surround ourselves with people who think we are awesome and that we think they are awesome as well. Life is too short and we are our own worst critics. So it's always better to stay awesome, like in that Lego movie!

The Management would like to thank Mina for granting this interview. 
For more Mina visit her website.

See our other October 2011 interview of Ms. Javaherbin. She discusses Secret Message and other awesome subjects.

Junior Inker Sam Krol Interviews Christopher Healy

by Sam Krol

Sam fell in love with The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom.

Click on the link, please, and read the first page. You'll see why. Since his twin, Victoria got to interview Richard Peck, Sam asked if he could interview Christopher Healy.

Christopher said Yes.

Here is the Interview

Sam Krol

Did you base any of your characters on people you know?

Christopher Healy

None are completely based on people I know, but Princess Lila is based partly on my daughter, who, like Lila, considers herself a scientist, always asks a ton of questions, and often has one curl of hair falling into her eyes. And while my son is not an evil genius like Deeb Rauber, he does share a sense of humor with the Bandit King. As for the four princes… well, they all represent different parts of myself. When you put Liam, Frederic, Gustav, and Duncan together you get me: full of myself, afraid of everything, easily frustrated, and embarrassingly weird.

Sam Krol

Where did you come up with the idea for the bard?

Christopher Healy

Sadly, I didn’t come up with the idea. Back in the middle ages, bards and minstrels really existed! They would travel from town to town, singing long songs that recounted epic legends. I simply decided to see what it would be like in a world where bards and their musical fairy tales were the only source of news. And then I decided to make them really bad at getting the facts straight. And to not really care about the facts as long as their audiences were entertained. Hmm… I guess there are actually some people like that in real life, too.

Sam Kro

How many other books have you written?

Christopher Healy

After The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, there The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle and The Hero’s Guide to Being an Outlaw, which comes out in May. I’m working on a new book now that is not part of the same series, but has just as many words in the title.

Sam Krol

How long did it take you to write this book?

Christopher Healy

It took me over a year to write the first Hero’s Guide book, but less to write the others. That’s partly because, with the first book, I had to figure out everything—who the characters were, how they would act, what their world was like, and so on. That was some of the most time-consuming work—and it was already done by the time I sat down to write Books 2 & 3.

Plus, I learned to outline—you can write a lot faster when you’ve already decided what will happen in the story.

Sam Krol

How hard was it to write this book?

Christopher Healy

Very hard. Writing is tough, tiring business. I’m getting exhausted just writing the answers to this interview. But it’s fun, too. And rewarding. And hard to avoid when you list your profession as “writer” on most questionnaires.
The hardest parts about writing are getting started (because there’s nothing scarier than a blank page) and finishing (because you can revise your work forever, so deciding when it’s good enough to stop can be an incredibly tough call to make). 

Sam Krol

When did you write this book? 

Christopher Healy

After breakfast, during lunch, and before dinner.

Sam Krol

How did you come up with the idea of Prince Charming?

Christopher Healy

Thankfully, I can say I didn’t come up with the idea of Prince Charming—because Prince Charming is boooooooring. It was some guys a few hundred years ago who said, “Hey, let’s invent a totally lame royal guy with no personality and make him the hero of all our stories!” But I’m glad they did, because if not for all those dull princes in old fairy tales, I would never have had a reason to create my own, more interesting versions.

For my character creation process, I read through a bunch of old fairy tales and thought up reasons for all the strange, unexplainable behavior in them. For instance, I asked myself why the prince in “Rapunzel” never tried to get a ladder; and that’s why Gustav is a less-than-genius guy who never thinks before he acts.

Sam Krol

Why is Frederick a scaredy cat

Christopher Healy

His father tried to feed him to a circus tiger when he was young! Wouldn’t that turn you into a scaredy cat?

 

Sam Krol

Did anybody help you write your book?

Christopher Healy

The story fairies. Most of what I type during the day is complete gibberish; then the fairies come to my computer at night and rework it into readable sentences.

But seriously, I get input from a lot of people as I write—my wife, my kids, a few close friends. I show them chapters as I go along, and ask for their opinions and suggestions. And then, of course, my editor at the publishing company reads through it all and offers his advice too.

But, mostly it’s the fairies.

Sam Krol

Who is your favorite character?

Christopher Healy

 Chewbacca. Unfortunately I can’t use him in my books due to copyright reasons.

Sam Krol

Where did you write this book?

Christopher Healy

In my Hobbit Hole. Which is what I like to call my home office. I call it that because it is a quaintly furnished underground burrow in a country hillside.

Sam Krol

Did you take breaks while you wrote your book? 

Christopher Healy

Only bathroom breaks. And snack breaks. And video game breaks. Also coffee breaks, fresh air breaks, television breaks, and dance breaks. Oh, and breaks during which I would read other people’s books. But as a writer, reading other people’s books is really an essential part of the job. So, no—no breaks.

The Management would like to thank Christopher and Sam for this interview. Currently Sam is devouring Book two, The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle. 

His sister Victoria is urging him to hurry up.

Christopher's third book, The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw comes out April 29th and we all can't wait.

Dispatch #12: Author Corina Vacco In Conversation

Author Corina Vacco

by Lupe Fernandez

Last month, I attended an SCBWI event in Sonoma County at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts called "Young Adult Lit & Environment Contamination" and met young adult author, Corina Vacco.

Corina introduced the assembled group to Jason, Charlie and Cornpup, three boys living the polluted town of Poxton. My Chemical Mountain is not a futuristic dystopian novel. It's a story of today. It's a story of friendship and family, urban mythology and corporate corruption.

Her beautifully written novel was the winner of the 30th Annual Delacorte Prize for a First Adult Novel.

Mother and Daughter

What kind of influence were your parents on your work and the stories you want to tell?
I grew up in a small, clean suburban town outside for Chicago. As a child, I had no idea that pollution was (or could ever be) catastrophic. In fact, environmental issues felt very far away, almost irrelevant. In contrast, my mom, an environmental activist, dragged me all over the Northern Illinois to various protests and events. I spent many childhood moments toting picket signs alongside my mother, who carried a megaphone. As a young writer/daydreamer, I was already a bit socially awkward. Add protests and an activist mother to the mix, and I was, frankly, mortified. There were people who thought my mom was weird, and I was afraid they would think I was weird too. I remember we had a craft fair at my elementary school, where different parents got to go to each classroom and teach kids how to make a craft of their choosing. All the other moms demonstrated how to create Christmas ornaments or folded napkin birds or construction paper snowflakes. My mom did a Save the Whales presentation. I was so embarrassed - Saving the Whales wasn’t a craft! - and there were certainly kids who teased me about it, but there were also kids who pledged to save the whales that day, so that was nice. Many years later, when the Coast Guard stationed my husband and me in Western New York, near one of the most dangerous landfills in the United States, I finally understood my mother’s passion. Voicing outrage and fighting for change was never weird. It’s been beautiful and important. Fast forward to today, and my mom is my ultimate hero. We’re very close, and I’m grateful and proud that she raised me to be aware of social justice issues and to care for our planet.

Poxton's - a play on the word "pox"? - polluted landscape inspires Jason to create a mythology of Uranium Monsters, Grunting Aliens, Dragon Skeletons and other fearsome creatures. Were there monsters or myths created by Jason that didn't make it into the novel?
None that didn’t make it into the novel, but here’s something that’s kind of interesting: to dream up the landfill mythology, I used to step away from my computer in the middle of a scene and lie down for a nap. Right in the moment when I was about to fall asleep, the landfill monsters would appear in my mind, and I’d force myself to wake up before actually falling asleep so I could run to my computer and write it all down. Tapping into that weird “other” consciousness was an unusual experience. Come to think of it, writing the first outline of MY CHEMICAL MOUNTAIN while parked in my car at the foot of a radioactive landfill was also surreal. I guess I am a proponent for doing weird things to jog your creativity!

Corina received this art from a reader

The events in the story take place in the summer before the boys go to high school. Did you have to condense certain scenes for pacing? 
Yes! Originally, I wrote the story in third-person omniscient and divided the narrative into four parts: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. The book is set in Western New York, a region that left quite an impact on me, both for its beauty and its pollution. At the time, I felt like I had to show Buffalo in the wintertime, because in some ways, wintertime is Buffalo, plus I had included a really cool scene of the boys racing down a snow-covered landfill on their snowmobiles and I was unwilling to leave those pages on the cutting room floor. I also wanted the bonfire scenes to take place in the fall. And there were some soggy, polluted, muddy scenes that seemed to work best in the rainy springtime. I didn’t want to part with any of that. But in reality, the majority of the story took place in the summertime, so even I had to admit, breaking the book into seasons did slow the narrative down. I ended up following the advice of a very insightful agent and condensed the entire book into one summer. At the same time, I changed the point of view to first person, which allowed me to reside deep inside my protagonist’s head. It was a lot of work, but I’m glad I made the changes. I was able to alter and keep many of the scenes—the boys still race down the landfill, but on dirt bikes instead of snowmobiles. I think the pacing struck a chord with my readers, and the immediacy of the condensed time period added a lot of tension and stakes at the end of book.

What has been the most helpful to you in improving your craft?
Time. Lots and lots of time. Three years to be exact. In that time, I learned to love the revision process, because with every rewrite, I could see the book getting better and better, and I could feel myself growing as a writer. In-between rewrites, I’d set the manuscript aside and not look at it for weeks so I could return to the pages with fresh eyes and a more ruthless pair of scissors. It’s funny now, looking back, I remember how eager I was to get my very first draft published. I sent it off knowing it probably needed some work, but also knowing I had a great idea on my hands and the execution was decent. Present-day me is so glad that that particular wish didn’t come true. If the first, second, or even third drafts had been published, I never would have known or fallen in love with the later draft that ultimately was published. And I never would’ve had all those years and all that practice to get to know myself as a writer and to grow and improve my craft. So more than anything else, I always urge my writer friends to be patient with themselves and to give themselves and their work the gift of time—to create, to mull things over, to say goodbye to the scenes that aren’t working, and to think up layers and ideas that will enrich the work. Time is essential to the writer.

Your biography states your husband is in the Coast Guard. How exciting. What are his duties?
My husband is a LT in the Coast Guard and his duties have varied over the years, but his main responsibilities are ensuring that domestic and international commercial vessels and facilities that do business in the United States comply with federal environmental, safety, and security regulations/requirements. In addition, when called upon, he responds to natural and environmental disasters. He provided support during 9/11 and the Haiti earthquake, and was deployed for about 3 months during Hurricane Katrina and Deepwater Horizon (the large Gulf oil spill).

Currently he is in his staff tour where he is a Coast Guard Civil Rights Service Provider. His duties include handling complaints for individuals who believe they have been discriminated against, provide required civil rights awareness training to CG employees, conduct mediations, focus groups, and analysis on required annual climate surveys to all CG units within CA, AZ, NV, and UT—about 6000 military and civilian personnel. He most recently received the 2013 Coast Guard Civil Rights Service Provider of the Year.

As parent, how to you balance your awareness of environmental issues with the day-to-day life of your child? Do you worry what's in the puddles he splashes in?
Oh, it’s hard, especially the more involved I get with environmental movers and shakers, and the more inside information I receive about what’s really in our soil and rainfall and food, toys and personal care items and even mattresses. I do worry about the puddles my child splashes in, particularly after learning that our government’s reaction to the Fukishima disaster was to raise the “acceptable level” of radiation exposure for all of us—I don’t find that very reassuring. At the end of the day, I try to cope with things as positively as I can, by controlling the things I can control. Namely in paying attention to what we eat, boycotting companies that do damage, and supporting groups who are fighting to make this world a cleaner place for our children. My experience fighting the toxic Western New York landfill that inspired MY CHEMICAL MOUNTAIN taught me that everything we do, even if it feels small, makes a difference.

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I'd like to thank Corina for granting this interview. Rush to you nearest bookstore, purchase and read My Chemical Mountain.

For more about Corina visit her at http://corinavacco.com/index.html

Dispatch #10: Author Janet Tashjian In Conversation

Janet Tashjian

by Lupe Fernandez

Janet Tashjian is a prolific author of young adult and children's books such as My Life as a Stuntboy, The Gospel According to Larry, TruConfessions, Faultline and Marty Fry, Private Eye.

Your Foreign Correspondent met Janet at the a signing at Hicklebee's book store in San Jose for her latest book, My Life as a Cartoonist, cartoons by Jake Tashjian. After she signed my copy, Janet recommended For What It’s Worth.

In For What It’s Worth, 14 year old Quinn, rock n’ roll devotee and budding musician deals with his first girlfriend, his band, the spirits of Rock Legends and the Viet Nam war.

Music is central to the story and to Quinn’s character.  As the story takes place between the years 1971 and 1972, did you worry that readers, not familiar with the music of that period, would not understand Quinn?  
I didn't really worry about that because I know so many kids now who are into Led Zeppelin, the Doors, Joni Mitchell...I wrote it for all the music nerds.

Was the character’s name Quinn taken from “The Mighty Quinn” by Manfred Mann?  
Yes, but it's actually a Dylan song.  Manfred Mann did a great cover.

The images at the beginning of each chapter alternate from an acoustic to an electric guitar Are they a specific brand of guitar? 
I'd love to take credit for the artwork but that was all my editor and the great art department at Macmillan.  My son has an electric guitar that he hardly ever plays - that's my closest experience with a guitar.

What was harder to revise? The manuscript or the book’s discography?  
Hilarious.  Always the manuscript.

Todd Rundgren

Did you ever meet any of the musicians mentioned in the novel?
I've met Todd Rundgren several times; I'm a giant Todd fan.  I've never met Joni but that would be the biggest score of all time - I fantasize about running into her here in L.A.  I'm glad I haven't because it would be embarrassing.

Do you think today’s music affects youth today as the music affected Quinn in his time? This is not a question of taste, but rather do musicians still make music as opposed to contributing to the cult of celebrity?  
It's a really tough question that I think about a lot. If you try to compare someone like Jay Z to Bob Dylan, it kind of DOES come down to taste.  There's no way to compare the two as artists without stating a personal preference.  I think kids are STILL affected by music today - my niece was just dancing in my living room, singing along to Taylor Swift - but there's just so much more of it now. Because of streaming, the internet, and the pure mobility of music, I'm not sure kids are as attached to songs as much as a kid like Quinn was.  I'm not sure kids are sitting around analyzing lyrics anymore, although of course, I hope they are.

Jim Morrison

Mind altering substances were part of the music culture of that period – no doubt today as well. Was the subject of drugs aesthetically beyond the scope of For What it’s Worth or were there more practical considerations? 
It was a personal choice - I wanted to focus on other parts of the story, like the war, Quinn's first girlfriend, etc. I felt the whole drug thing was relevant to the time, but not to Quinn's story.

1972 Photo by Huỳnh Công "Nick" Út

As the Viet Nam war still rages in the novel – and in certain current political circles - you portray Brett, a “draft dodger”, as a sympathetic character. Given the current positive attitude toward military service, did you receive any compliments about Brett and/or your portrayal of anti-war sentiment? For instance, I can’t think of any anti-war songs recorded within the last 10 years. 
A lot of people liked the portrayal of Brett - I wanted to give kids and teachers something to really debate.  Was Brett wrong or right to resist?  Was Quinn wrong or right to help him.  I wanted kids to see there are no easy answers. As far as anti-war songs go, I can think of a few (The Dixie Chicks, Pink) but certainly it's not a giant category anymore.  Too bad, maybe they'd help bring home some of our troops.

The problems the characters face in For What It’s Worth still resonant today. War. Peace. Music. Love. Divorce. Was it difficult balancing Quinn’s story and political issues of that time, Viet Nam, Kent State, Watergate, and keep the novel from becoming too polemic? 
I am always vigilant about becoming too polemic - when you write about subjects like anti-consumerism, war, dating violence, and presidential elections, you have to be super-aware or you'll lose your readers in a second.  I try to temper the serious subjects with humor.  When I sat down to write For What It's Worth, the New York Times had an article saying that the war in Afghanistan was officially the longest running war in U.S. History.  I don't know why kids AREN'T talking about war now.

This Foreign Correspondent's favorite songs heard in For What It’s Worth in no particular order:
“Wipe Out” – The Surfaris
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” – The Beach Boys
“Spirit in the Sky” – Norman Greenbaum
“Battle of Evermore” – Led Zeppelin
“Break on Through to the Other Side” – The Doors
“Eve of Destruction” – Barry McGuire
“Give Peace a Chance” – John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band
“Fortunate Son” - CCR
“What’s Going On? – Marvin Gaye
“Peace Train” – Cat Stevens
“Pinball Wizard” – The Who
“Paint It Black” – The Rolling Stones
“My Generation” – The Who
“Morning Has Broken” – Cat Stevens

"All great songs!" Janet said of my list.

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The Management would like to thank Janet Tashjian for this interview.
For more about Janet visit http://janettashjian.com/

So rock, don't run, to your nearest independent book store and buy anything by Janet Tashjian.

Dispatch #4 - Author Mary Elizabeth Anderson In Conversation

Mary Elizabeth Anderson

by Lupe Fernandez

Your intrepid foreign correspondent attended the 2012 SF North & East Bay Region SCBWI Fall Conference held in Oakland, CA. Now I could tell you about the conference, but I've been sworn to secrecy. Or I could tell you about the immature red-tailed hawk spotted on a tree eating a rodent, but this is not a nature post.

I can tell you about how I met author Mary Elizabeth Anderson. I was extolling the virtues this illustrious blog to some ladies sitting in the row before me, when one of the women turns to me and says, "I'm an author. Interview me." What a coincidence? Meeting an author at an SCBWI Conference.

Mary Elizabeth Anderson, a resident of Nebraska, has extensive experience with children as an elementary school teacher and volunteer leader with various youth organizations. In Gracie Gannon: Middle School Zero, young Gracie Gannon has her life full of bullies, her mother's health, finding friends and strengthening her self esteem.

What inspired you to write Gracie Gannon: Middle School Zero?
Several different people inspired me to write "Gracie Gannon." I had a classmate all the way through my school years who was bullied. I never stood up for him, I was one of the innocent bystanders. I also had a nephew who was bullied in a similar fashion, and I dealt with these issues when I taught school. I knew "Gracie" was a book I had to write and my favorite type of fiction writing is dealing with "issues." I always hope readers will pull a little out of the stories that will help them deal with the bumps in the road of life.

You balance a lot of issues in the book - bullying, breast cancer, hearing impairment, alcoholism – with the life of Gracie. How did you keep these topics from overwhelming the narrative?
Of course I wanted to keep the story moving and keep the readers interested. I thought the best way to do so was to present problems/issues that they hear about in their life. While many of the kids won't necessarily need to deal directly with these issues, they will be made aware of them in this book. I wanted Gracie to portray a strong protagonist (although she does have faults) who could deal (and help others) with these topics. I had to present light-hearted scenes as well in order to keep the pace.

What kinds of reactions have you gotten from young readers?
I've received letters from readers who ask me when my next story about "Gracie" will be available. This makes me happy. I know they liked my character. When I present at schools and read the first six pages or so, many times children ask me if I can continue on. (I then know I've captured their attention.) I usually need to stop reading around that point and we do a Q and A.

The Shenandoah, Iowa Public Library

As a child, what part of the library was your favorite section? How about as an adult?
Wow. I've always loved all parts of every library I've ever visited. Of course when I was young I ran to the children's section, sat on the floor and started pulling book after book off the shelf as fast as I could in order to find the perfect books to check out that day. As an adult, I still wander through the children's section first and then look at the "latest books that have come out" table to find some adult reading. Right now I am reading Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard.

You’ve written non-fiction books. Did writing fiction present different challenges? What literary techniques remained the same?

Yes, my first published book "Link Across America" is considered non-fiction. I much prefer writing fiction. I love developing characters and seeing what will happen to them throughout the book. As far as literary techniques, I find non-fiction to be harder because you need to do so much research. Not so with fiction.

Anything else you’d like to say to our readers?
Today I am sending another novel off. It's titled What To Do About Miguel and is a sequel to "Gracie Gannon." However, it can serve as a stand-alone, and I am presenting it as such. It does deal with the same characters. I do have the third book in the series written in rough draft form. We'll see if "Miguel" gets picked up before I spend lots of effort on the third book at this time. Hopefully readers of your blog will want to pick up a copy of Gracie Gannon: Middle School Zero. I also hope they'll take a minute to view my website at: www.meanderson.com.

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We would like to thank Mary for granting us this interview. 
So go forth, dear readers and read her book.

In Conversation with Christina Diaz Gonzales

Click Picture to Visit Christina's website

by Hilde Garcia

Pen and Ink is pleased to be a part of Christina Diaz Gonzalez's blog tour for her new book, A THUNDEROUS WHISPER.

Christina is the author of the award-winning and best-selling children’s novel, THE RED UMBRELLA. Ms. Gonzalez’s debut novel (the story of a 14 year old Cuban girl who is sent to the U.S. in 1961 as part of Operation Pedro Pan) showcases the generosity of the American spirit and highlights the pain of losing one’s homeland. Reviewers from publications such as The Washington Post, Publisher’s Weekly and School Library Journal have praised the book as being exceptional, compelling and inspirational.

Her second novel, A THUNDEROUS WHISPER, was just released.

Ani believes she is just an insignificant whisper of a 12-year-old girl in a loud world. This is what her mother tells her anyway. Her father made her feel important, but he's been off fighting in Spain's Civil War, and his voice in her head is fading. Then she meets Mathias. His family has just moved to Guernica and he's as far from a whisper as a 14-year-old boy can be. Ani thinks Mathias is more like lightning. A boy of action. Mathias's father is part of a spy network and soon Ani finds herself helping him deliver messages to other members of the underground. She's actually making a difference in the world.

And then her world explodes. The sleepy little market town of Guernica is destroyed by Nazi bombers. In one afternoon Ani loses her city, her home, and more. But in helping the other survivors, Ani gains a sense of her own strength. And she and Mathias make plans to fight back in their own unique way.  

Christina, where did the inspiration to write this story come from?

It started with a friend of mine asking me some questions about Pablo Picasso’s famous painting, “Guernica”.  I was embarrassed that I didn’t know anything about this work of art and so, as soon as I left his office, I googled it.  I was amazed to learn about this small Basque town that Hitler chose to bomb during the Spanish Civil War and how Picasso used it to represent the atrocities of war in his painting.  From there my interest in the town and the Basque people (my own family being part Basque) was piqued and did more research.  I soon stumbled across an old picture of a sardinera (a woman who sells sardines) and the entire story flashed in my head. The only thing left to do was to write it!

What type of research did you do?  What was the most effective research? How did it differ from The Red Umbrella's research, your first book?

I read many first-hand accounts from survivors of the bombing and other primary sources.  Yet, unlike my research for “The Red Umbrella”, there weren’t many people alive that I could interview about the experience. So, I was very grateful to have had the opportunity to travel to Spain and meet with one of the curators at Guernica’s Museum of Peace and with the president of Guernica’s historical society.  They showed me the town, explained what it was like before and after the bombing…even snuck me into one of the old air raid shelters!

I have heard people say you are an SCBWI success story. For those of us that don't know this, please tell us how SCBWI made a difference in your writing career.

SCBWI had been instrumental at all points in my writing career.  I developed my writing skills with the help of my amazing SCBWI critique group, met my editor at a conference while having a critique, met my agent at another conference (a year after having sold my first book) and still get support and energy from all the SCBWI writers I meet.

Have you done a blog tour before?  What do find that works best? 

This is my first official blog tour (I visited a few blogs with “The Red Umbrella”, but nothing was structured) and I am really enjoying it.  I have to thank Alethea from Read Now, Sleep Later for setting everything up.  She has been AMAZING!

How was it different to work with an agent for this book as opposed to no agent for your first book? (If I got this wrong, help me rewrite the questions so it works for what message you want to get across.)

The great thing about having an agent is you have a partner that will help you shape your writing career…not just sell a book. I have been very lucky to have an incredible editor (Nancy Siscoe – who edited both The Red Umbrella and A Thunderous Whisper) and so there weren’t any real issues where my agent, Jen Rofe, would have to get involved (although it feels great to know that I have her in my corner).  I trust that my agent is always looking at the “big picture” and will tell me truth…even if I don’t want to hear it sometimes. It’s great to have that kind of relationship.

How did you get this book to an editor? Did you mail it? Was it a chance meeting at a conference? Was your agent the door opener?

My agent sent the first 30 pages to Nancy Siscoe, my editor from The Red Umbrella, as an exclusive. It was all I had written, but my agent felt confident about the book.  In a couple of weeks, we had an offer and then I got busy finishing the book!

How long from acceptance to launch date did this process take?  Did you find it shorter or longer than your process for Red Umbrella?

The book was sold in July 2010 and I finished writing the first draft in November (I think).  The process took about two years which is similar to The Red Umbrella.

Favorite advice for writers:  

When facing a difficult scene to write, don’t let “writer’s block” stop you. Write anything.  A poorly written page is easier to revise than a blank page.

Where do you like to write? Is chocolate your favorite tool other than a laptop? He he I know the answer! By the way, how were my cookies? Did they make it to the plane?

I like to write at a local Starbucks with another author friend of mine.  It’s like having a gym partner – even when I don’t feel like writing, knowing that she is there and waiting for me, forces me to go and be productive. 

Favorite tool?  Duh…chocolate! Not just any chocolate though…dark chocolate. Mmm. (As for your cookies…delicious! And no, they did not make it to the plane – several writers ate them throughout the night!)

Do you have a book trailer?  It seems that every book these days has one. 
Not yet!

Thanks, Christina. It's been a pleasure hosting you.