Arkansas SCBWI Conference Recap, 2013

I've recently returned from my home state's SCBWI conference. Here are a few nuggets I picked up from the Saturday faculty (I regret I missed Darcy Pattison's session on Friday, but I highly recommend you buy her novel revision workbook. It's super.)

Dawn Frederick is the owner of Red Sofa Literary and co-founder of MN Publishing Tweet Up. She is a social media guru, has read The Phantom Tollbooth every year since the first grade, and is not a fan of mermaid fiction. (Queriers, take note.) Dawn also likes to see a solid author bio, especially when it relates to the book you are querying.

Dawn recommended writers read Stet: An Editor's Life by Diana Athill and 77 Reasons Why Your Book was Rejected by Mike Nappa.

A few truths from Dawn:
*Editors want a character they can empathize with.
*Every book already published is competition, especially books similar to the one you're pitching.


Karl Jones, assistant editor at Grosset & Dunlap/ Price Stern Sloan, loves nonfiction and has worked on the popular Who Was...? books and the new companion series What Was...? He is looking to acquire more nonfiction trade books. He also likes what he calls "tomboy/tomgirl" fiction, saying his favorite read from last year was Caroline Lawrence's P.K. Pinkerton and the Deadly Desperados.

*Pay attention to the reveal of a character's traits. As seen in The Deadly Desperados, unconventional, delayed revelations can be a tool...the author withheld a vital piece of information to further plot.

I also made a note to check out The Treasure Chest series by Ann Hood.

These books sound fantastic and put a new spin on the classic Magic Tree House, if your child has exhausted them (ahem). What I love about this series is the protagonists travel back in time to meet famous historical figures as children (Clara Barton, Crazy Horse, Alexander Hamilton, Harry Houdini and more).

All in all, our advisor Phyllis and her team put on another great conference. It's always good to see friends, new and old, and talk books.

Happy reading and writing!
Kristin

Trying New Things

You know that saying if you want something you've never had, you must do something you've never done? Well, I'm doing something new. I've had a story rattling around in my head for two years now, and I've acquired the research for it. So, here I am strapping on my parachute, closing my eyes, and taking the big leap. Nonfiction, here I come. And no matter the turbulence, may my landing be soft.

What I'm Reading Wednesday

A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT by Linda Urban

(Sandpiper, 2007)

"I was supposed to play the piano.

The piano is a beautiful instrument.

Elegant.

Dignified. 

People wear ball gowns and tuxedos to hear the piano. 

With the piano, you could play Carnegie Hall."

States ten-year-old Zoe Elias who dreams of having her own piano and being called a prodigy. But the terrible truth is Zoe ended up with a wood-grained, vinyl-seated, wheeze-bag organ instead of a glossy baby grand. All because her Dad, an impulsive (if not compulsive) shopper couldn't resist a certain mall organ's catchy boompa sound. With encouragement from her teacher, Zoe enters the annual Perform-O-Rama organ competition. It's not Carnegie Hall, but it may be perfect enough.

I fell in love with Zoe and hope you'll find her endearing, too. Note Ms. Urban's newest book THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING releases March 5.

~Kristin

Chin up, Buttercup

I'm revising a story and reminding myself to "Think big, work small."
To "Be brave."
And "try, try, again."
Taking it in tiny, doable bits.
After all, "finishing is better than starting." (Ecclesiastes 7:8)
Sometimes the road is long, and sometimes you're blessed with great views along the way.

What I'm Reading Wednesday

If your middle schooler liked National Treasure, he/she may enjoy this book, the first in a new, smart mystery series by attorney turned author Deron R. Hicks. 

Secrets of Shakespeare's Grave (Houghton Mifflin, 2012) tells the story of twelve-year-old Colophon Letterford and an ancient treasure left to her publishing family. While the story started a bit slow, the descriptions of Manchester, the family home, complete with it's swoon-worthy library, drew me in. Whispers of the treasure, gems from Shakespeare, and the curious oddities the family amassed kept me interested, turning pages, even when I hoped Colophon would do more. And do more she did. The second half of the book picked up speed, as her brother and an older eccentric cousin, both joined the hunt. In fact, I may have stayed on my treadmill this morning, longer than intended, because I lost track of time and miles. All in all, an engaging read with a satisfying conclusion that left me wondering what adventure, pray tell, comes next. 

Goodreads description:  Twelve-year-old Colophon Letterford has a serious mystery on her hands. Will she discover the link between her family’s literary legacy and Shakespeare’s tomb before it’s too late? Antique paintings, secret passages, locked mausoleums, a four-hundred-year-old treasure, and a cast of quirky (and some ignoble) characters all add up to a fun original adventure. Readers will revel in a whirlwind journey through literary time and space in real-world locales from Mont St. Michel to Stratford-Upon-Avon to Central Park!

Some Thoughts on Success & Rejection

"Success as a writer depends more on intelligent persistence than on raw talent." - author Ellen Jackson

Hey, writer friends, the article 6 Steps to Dealing with Rejection by author Ellen Jackson is one of the most encouraging posts for writers I have read in a long while. Ellen probably won't remember, but we exchanged emails a couple years ago. She was helpful and kind and wise, I immediately felt valued as a newbie and grew to respect her and her years of experience in the industry. (Ellen is also a regular commenter at VerlaKay.) Follow the link for Ellen's tip in point 3 for how she moves from disappointment to hope in fifteen minutes flat. And remember "don't be afraid of Nobody Land; it's your best source of material."

Wise words to remember.

Happy weekend, everyone. Tell me a way that you will persist this week. (I'm going to finish one of the final scenes in my middle grade. Yipee!).

xoxo,
Kristin

Updates and whatnot.

I have been missing from the blog as of late. School started. We moved. And, well, we're just now feeling somewhat settled in the new place. It's a process, but I love our quirky old house. It fits us. I hope we wear it well.

I did manage to sneak in a few middle grade reads. I may very well be the last kid lit enthusiast standing who hasn't read THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN. I'm a few pages in and smitten.

With IVAN, WONDER, LIAR & SPY, and THREE TIMES LUCKY, I fear this new CHRONICLES of EGG pirates book as well as THE PECULIAR (which I have but haven't begun). . . are all enough to make a middle grade writer throw her pen down in despair. But she can also vow to become better at her craft. It's equal part admiration and awe and confounded frustration at how *easy* it all seems. But nothing that looks easy is rarely that way. Lots of behind the scenes sweat and tears, colorful cursing and prayers into a book make. I guess that's true of most everything.

What have you read lately that is unputdownable and engaging? Anything I need to add to my list?