Author To Author: Margo Sorenson

Today for our Author to Author interview, all the way from Hawaii we have Margo Sorenson. 

Author of twenty-eight books, Margo Sorenson was born in Washington, DC, and spent the first seven years of her life in Spain and Italy, living where there were few children her age, so books became her friends. She finished her school years in California, graduating from the University of California at Los Angeles. After teaching high school and middle school and raising a family of two daughters, Margo is now a full-time writer, writing primarily for young people of all ages, toddlers through high schoolers. Margo enjoys writing for young readers since she believes they are ready for new ideas and experiences, and they really have fun "living" the lives of the characters in books. A National Milken Educator Award recipient, Margo always has a good time meeting with her readers in school and library settings from Minnesota to California and Hawaii.

1) Why do you write for children? I believe children deserve hope and to enjoy life.  Besides, I don't know any adults. 

2) Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became a writer. I grew up in Europe as small child, which left me to become the perennial observer of other people, watching from the "outside," so to speak.  Reading was my favorite occupation and being able to live different lives through the characters was pure joy.  When I became a teacher and taught my English students creative and nonfiction writing, my students' parents encouraged me to write myself, so I gave it a try!

3) What were the inspirations for Island Danger and Time of Honor?  We lived in Hawaii for ten years, and the conflicts that newcomers often felt before they appreciated the culture were a source of fascination for me, so I wrote Todd's story in ISLAND DANGER, in which he tries to find weapons hidden by a terrorist group.  For TIME OF HONOR, as a medieval history major, I always wished I could have lived during those times, so I wrote a time-travel adventure with a feisty heroine who has to adapt to life in 1272 and prevent the murders of her new friends, as well as of herself.

4) Tell us about your process.  As William Faulkner wrote, "It all begins with a character, really, and once he gets up and starts moving around, all you have to do is follow behind him with a pencil and paper and write down everything he says and does."  Once a character appears and I keep working on him/her, playwright David Mamet's wise words guide my next steps in working on the plot: "Who wants what and why? Why now? What happens if her [sic] don't [sic] get it?"

5) What does a typical writing day look like? Coffee, coffee, coffee!  I'm an early riser, so I answer emails and tweets, review and tweak any upcoming Skype visits, and read the publishing news of the day.  Then I settle down to write.  Either I am revising manuscripts or I am starting new ones, and I may also be researching editors to whom to send manuscripts.

6) Where is your favorite place to write?  In the beginning stages, I have a chaise lounge that I like to use; I can scatter papers and notes everywhere.  Once I transfer the work to the computer, I work in my office, where I can look at my inspiration – some of my favorite childhood books right next to my laptop.

7) What did or do you find most challenging in creating the story and/or getting it published? What do you wish you would have known? The most challenging thing about writing and publishing is the revision process.  That is always the hardest, because, as you well know, being an author yourself, we writers tend to fall in love with our own words!

8) What is the best writing advice you have ever received? "Put it away in a drawer and don't look at it for a while!"

9) Are you working on a new project? Can you tell us about it? I have a new picture book coming out in the fall of 2014, SPAGHETTI SMILES (Pelican Publishing), and I'm working on publicity for it.  Besides that, I am working on some new picture books and revising older manuscripts – the never-ending story!

10) What advice would you give others that write for children? Stay in touch with children and listen to them and observe them.  I volunteer for homework help every week during the school year at our local Boys and Girls Club, and I know I couldn't be effective in writing for children if I didn't stay immersed in their world. Things have changed so much!

Margo would love to hear from you. You can find her in many places online.

Twitter

Website

Pinterest

Goodreads

LibraryThing

A Pen Of Strength

This is the first of a series of posts on women writers. As a woman writer, I labor, as do most who write, to define my place in the world. Part of that journey involves finding one's truth, one's voice. After pouring over classic literature, the majority of whom are white men, I have come to the conclusion that my study has been terribly limited. This narrow focus, I believe, has filled my mind with the words of men, as beautiful and precise as they may be, they do not reflect the female sensitivities and have served to cloak my voice. The hope is this focused study of women writers will help me dig below the chatter and find a more authentic voice. I invite you to join my journey and hope you'll join the conversation.  

E. O. Hoppe/The Mansell Collection

This month I've been reading Rebecca West, a London-born journalist, reviewer, essayist and novelist. Her work spanned over almost seventy years. Of her work George Bernard Shaw said, "Rebecca West could handle a pen as brilliantly as ever I could and much more savagely." West was already a feminist at seventeen and participated actively in the suffrage movement. By the time she reached her twenties she was writing for several well known publications, including the New Yorker.

"I myself have never been able to find out what feminism is; I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute." —West

I can't help but think that this is what Shaw had in mind when he characterized her writing as "savage." Things haven't changed so much when you realize that women who express opinion or disagreement are often marginalized by others as being "bitchy" or unpleasant. 

National Portrait Gallery

In thinking about my own voice, I realize that my training to be pleasant, created a need to please those around me. If one is going to speak truth, speak from the heart, from that deepest place within oneself, wondering how a particular sentence is going to effect others can put a stranglehold on the process of writing. 

"Voice is the articulation of all perceptions in verbal expression, written or oral, including the so-called nonverbal which we want to get into writing too. Voice is the expression of the whole person, an extension of speech, an extension of the body." —John Schultz via The Writer's Workout by Christina Katz

As I have been reading West, it apparent that her strongest desire was always to write so that her meaning was clear, concise and expressed to the reader her unique thought on a particular subject. 

What do you think about the effect culture has had on the female voice? Have we progressed? 

Here is a bibliography of my reading :

West, Rebecca. The Essential Rebecca West: Collected Prose. Pittsburgh: Pearhouse Press, 2010.

West, Rebecca. Family Memories. New York: Viking, 1987.

Weldon, Fay. Rebecca West. Fay Weldon. New York: Penguin Viking, 1985.

West, Rebecca. The Judge. New York: George H. Doran Company, 1922.

West, Rebecca. 1900. New York: The Viking Press, 1982.

West, Rebecca. The Birds Fall Down. New York: Viking, 1966. 

MMGM: Margaret And The Moth Tree by Brit and Kari Trogen

About The Book: Lemony Snicket meets Charlotte's Web in this spellbinding story about a quiet, brown-haired orphan named Margaret trapped in a dreadful orphanage run by the sinister, beautiful Miss Switch. After an unsuccessful attempt to alert authorities to Miss Switch's tyranny, Margaret is forced to endure a life of complete silence. But the new state of affairs proves to be more blessing than curse. You see, Margaret can hear things other people cannot. And on one incredible day, Margaret hears tiny voices coming from a strange, thorny tree and discovers a community of playful moths. Together Margaret and the moths prepare a plan to end Miss Switch's reign of terror and provide a better life for everyone. —Goodreads

First Line: If this were a proper world, beautiful faces would belong to beautiful people. 

Downloadable Excerpt

Cover Illustrator: Elly MacKay

Website

Blog

Etsy Interview

Small Magazine Interview

Who: "My name is Elly and I live in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada with my husband and two year old daughter. Some of my favorite days are spent making paper theater, drinking tea and listening to the CBC. I paint on yupo paper and cut it into layers that I set up in a miniature theater that my husband Simon made for me." —Sunday Brunch

When: "I used to spend a great deal of time as a teen making tunnel books, which I sold at 1st Hand Gallery in Toronto. After university I worked at a gallery for a few years, but after the birth of my daughter I was inspired to create once again. These paper theater works are a return to working with layers (i.e. tunnel books – with the addition of photography). I set up the layers of drawings, on a small scale, like a very tiny stage set or installation. You can take a look at my process page, to see how I create them." —Website

Note: I'd love to feature every cover illustrator, but often it is difficult to find information or even who the illustrator was. 

What Others Are Saying:  “A charming story of magical realism.”— School Library Journal, April 2012

“A tale that starts badly and ends more or less well, with an underpinning of dubious philosophy and a shrill, “now I shall teach you” voice.” —Kirkus Reviews, February 2012

“Lightness of narrative tone affords the story’s thought-provoking, dark, and poignant moments their place without slowing momentum.”— Horn Book, July 2012

What I Thought: I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the cover, the nostalgic feel of it. The voice reminded me of read aloud books from my childhood and brought back those pleasant memories. Unfortunately, the story itself isn't very original, an orphanage with the evil matron and the lone orphan that overcomes. That said, it did keep my attention and the writing kept the tension wound tight. The didactic lessons, I don't think, will appeal to children much older than eight. The moths were original and brought a great sense of whimsy to an otherwise depressing tale, but didn't enter into the story until the last third of the book. 

Kari

About The Authors: 
Brit Trogen and Kari Trogan
Kari's Website
Brit's Website

Kids Can Press

Kari Trogen has been writing stories since elementary school, when she was the only kid in her class who wanted to stay inside for “Writer’s Workshop” rather than play kickball. She liked to read and write stories about orphan girls, islands and, especially, orphan girls on islands! She also loved directing her two little sisters in fairy tale plays.
Kari studied English literature at the University of Alberta in her hometown of Edmonton. It was while living in Surrey, England, during her third year that she realized she wanted to be a professional writer.

Brit

Brit Trogen grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, a few steps away from the river valley. As a child she discovered a love of books with the help of her mother and grandparents who were always happy to offer a ride to the nearest library. Her favorites were the ones with hobbits, wizards and animals who talked.
With an early interest in science and nature, she completed a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and worked for several years in a lab poking at worms and frog eggs. She soon found, however, that her greater passion lay in writing. —Kids Can Press

Be sure to stop by the other wonderful MMGM posters. You can find them in my sidebar, they always have such great picks!

MMGM: Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver

About The Book: Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice,until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.

That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.

Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a luminous and magnificent novel that glows with rare magic, ghostly wonders, and a true friendship that lights even the darkest of places.

—Goodreads

  

First Line: On the third night after the day her father died, Liesle saw the ghost.

Great Passage: “She liked the word ineffable because it meant a feeling so big or vast that it could not be expressed in words.
And yet, because it could not be expressed in words, people had invented a word to express it, and that made Liesl feel hopeful, somehow.” (12)

What Others Are Saying: "By alternating quietly lyrical, philosophical passages with laugh-out-loud broad comedy/farce, the author takes her readers on a fantastic voyage from loss to healing and joy."—Kirkus

"Invigorating and hopeful, this novel testifies to the power of friendship and generosity to conquer greed and depression." —Publishers Weekly

What I Thought: Oliver's book is a magical blend of rich images and lyrical prose. The Dickens flavor and tone brought me at once to that place where I couldn't help but turn words and phrases around on my tongue. After reading about one third I stumbled on the audio version, narrated by Jim Dale, the same great voice that did the audio books for the Harry Potter series, I knew at once I would enjoy this. It was utterly and delightfully captivating. I loved the story, the characters and most of all the voice, strong and gentle at the same time. Oliver masters the language with lyrical prose that bears repeating. Definitely in line to become a classic.  

Be sure not to miss the author's note at the end of the book. 
An Excerpt: “Additionally, Liesl and Po is the embodiment of what writing has always been for me at its purest and most basic--not a paycheck, certainly; not an idea, even; and not an escape. Actually, it is the opposite of an escape; it is a way back in, a way to enter and make sense of a world that occasionally seems harsh and terrible and mystifying. (From the "Author's Note" at the end).”

About The Author: Lauren Oliver

Author Website

Book Website

Audio Book

Book Trailer [The music is awesome!]

Who:

Lauren Oliver captivated readers with her first novel, the New York Times bestseller Before I Fall, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. She followed that up with Delirium and Pandemonium, the first two books in her bestselling trilogy, which concludes with Requiem. Delirium has been optioned for film by Fox 2000 Pictures. Oliver is also the author of two luminous novels for middle-grade readers, The Spindlers and Liesl & Po, which was named a Kirkus Best Book of the Year. A graduate of the University of Chicago and NYU's MFA program, Lauren Oliver lives in Brooklyn, New York.

I haven't yet got my hands on her newest book The Spindlers, but I am anticipating it will be filled with just as much wonder. 

What do you think about what Lauren said about writing being a "way back in"? Back into where?

Also be sure to make a stop at the other MMGM posters listed in my sidebar. There are some really great reviews this week!!

Ten Lies Writers Tell Themselves About Social Media

Special Report By Socia Malaise

By now we all know that social media is an inevitable part of the marketing toolbox. Many of us have scrambled over the last couple of years to get on top of it, only to find that soon as we figured out one network, another one sprouted. How do we choose? How much time should I spend on any one social network? What's the best way to learn about a network? These are just a few of the questions that seem to circle endlessly in our minds. I'm not addressing those today. My focus is about finding a balance and sifting through the messages we tell ourselves or that circulate in the blogosphere. 

Social media is a major time-suck. We all know it. We all acknowledge it. Then why do we find ourselves trading precious writing time for a tweet or status? Because we tell ourselves that we are marketing. That learning how to effectively use these marketing tools is worth the time we spend jumping on an off the networks. There are some crafty time thieves and cons out there that writers, hungry for recognition and validation, sacrifice valuable craft-conditioning hours of writing time. We forget that success comes after tirelessly writing our brains out. That like an athlete to be good you have to practice at least as much as the rest. To be the best requires writing more than the rest.

Here are ten things that writers tell themselves to rationalize time away from the blank page.

The Thieves Steal Time

1. If I don't have a huge following before my book comes out, it will fail.

We are in a different time, with POD and E-books your book never goes out of print which gives you the opportunity to build an audience. Brick and mortar book outlets, while they still have limited space and often choose only the most successful and high profile books, independent outlets are not as constrained by arbitrary numbers. Many are willing to help authors out by providing books by local authors, directly from the author. A great website can be constructed in a relatively short time once you have a book deal or a completed product.

2. If you don't post 3-4 times daily on Facebook and Twitter your time is wasted.

I don't know about you but the quickest way to get off my Twitter feed or Facebook is to post useless information, repeatedly during the day. How many times do I need to see a great quote, know what your doing or how many pages you wrote today. As I've said before, if you're not building genuine relationships with your readers they will tire of your endless dribble.

3. In order to build my list of followers I need to return the favor by join and thoughtfully comment on as many blogs as I can each week.

Newsflash: Just because someone follows your blog doesn't mean they are visiting it everyday. Do you visit every blog you've ever joined? The stats that matter are the views per day, per week and ultimately per month. If that number is steadily growing it doesn't matter how many "friend followers" or how many blogs you follow. The idea is to gain exposure, find new viewers by having quality writing and real content. The more your blog comes up in searches is the best way to gain viewers that requires good labels and timely information.

4. I'll just check my email really quick in case there is something important I need to attend to.

Back in the day of home phones and snail mail people knew that they would have a waiting period before they received a response. I'm not advocating a return to the good old days. I am anxious for writers to realize that as long as they are checking their email once a day and responding with an acknowledgment of receipt, your not in danger of missing the "book deal". Unless you are in retail and sales you're not going to lose out. Check your email once-a-day, preferably after your most productive writing time is over. I check mine when I'm watching television with my husband or waiting for an appointment.

5. I'll read a few blogs for inspiration or information for the project I'm working on. 

Sometimes this can't be avoided, if you need particular piece of information for an article on a specific subject. I've found that by keeping a research list next to my computer I can limit my time on the internet by doing research in a scheduled amount of time. If I get to a place where I need specific facts I write it down, leave a highlighted marker in the project I'm working on and come back to it during the revision. Since I already found the information during my research time I just have to plug it in so it keeps me off the internet, even during revision.

The Cons Disguise Wasted Time

6. Agents and publishers won't even consider taking on an author that doesn't have an active social network presence.
I've seen this on the internet and even in conferences. I have a couple of ways to dispel this misinformation. First, it doesn't matter how "connected" you are if your product sucks, it won't matter. At the same time, if you have a quality product that truly hits the mark, building an audience will happen. Second, There are so many ways to get your book self-published, ebooks and POD means that your book won't go out of print. Building an audience can't really happen until you actually have product to sell.

7. Learn All You Need To Know About...Webinars
OK. Yes, I've been the victim of this con, usually put out by professional marketers to find customers for their PR firm. The seminars sometimes even cost with the enticement that what they are going to share secrets during the webinar. Secrets that will totally improve your visibility over night and increase your followers by 50%. Yada, yada, yada. These are in reality infomercials for their services and usually contain information that you already knew or how their system or "secrets" will improve your business success. By the time you get to the end, they feed just enough information to intrigue you to by their ebook, sign-up for a more intense webinar or buy their product. These "free" programs can bleed out hours of precious writing time with nothing really to show for it. Be careful!

8. Participating in Twitter Chats Are Great Places To Network

If you haven't participated in one before, I suggest you indulge yourself just for the experience. I find them ineffectual and repetitive. I've even tried just busting through a transcript to see if that was any more interesting, but got bored. For one, how much can you discuss when you are limited by the number of characters? Often the subjects are pretty general and the responses consist of one liners—entertaining perhaps, but not useful. They are repetitive because everyone retweets each others comments so you can look at a string of tweets that basically say the same thing. In my experience, it's usually the same people that participate and they already have relationships. Inserting a few comments here and there isn't worth the time spent. Every once in a while there is a new voice, but rarely. I have found it much more useful to run a subject search and find someone that interests me, start to follow them and communicate directly to develop a real dialogue. This usually takes on the form of email because we want to have real conversations.

9. Buying followers can quickly boost your presence.

Again, numbers of followers are misleading and getting obsessed with the rising numbers distracts you from the whole purpose you began in the first place. To sell books. If your rising numbers are not increasing your book sales then what's the point?Think of it like this. You have a store and you sell one product. You spend all of your time and money to increase who knows about your product. At first you may sell a few. After the initial purchases everyone that wanted one has bought it. Why would those customers come back to your store? What is their incentive to return? Successful businesses continue to produce quality products and better products. Write, and they will come. Give your audience a reason to return.

9. I need to stay on top of the trends, the movers and shakers in the industry.

We often fool ourselves into thinking that we're going to miss something important if we're not monitoring every outlet. So we sign up for multiple online newsletters and updates that cram our in-box. More information than you could ever cover so you create folders and they pile up. You have every intention to read them. When you do click on them they're chock full of links to even more information. There is no shortage of informational and interesting free content and you will never be able to digest it all. You have to get selective. The best way to stay on top of trends and whats happening in publishing is to subscribe to a few industry magazines (Publishers Weekly, Writer, etc.) and join a few professional organizations to attend their conferences and workshops(SCWI, PNWA, etc.).

10. Joining multiple forums and groups means more exposure.

These can be fun and I have met some incredibly interesting people. Unfortunately, they can be addicting and pretty soon your being bombarded with updates or spending precious writing time hopping from one to the other to see what so and so is talking about or responding to a comment. If talking in forums is something you enjoy, go for it, but don't fool yourself into thinking you are doing anything more than socializing. Do it after writing work for the day is done.

I'm not sure if any of you have been the victim of the thieves and cons, but I have. I wanted to share them with you. Butt in the chair with no internet. It always comes down to that, doesn't it.

Happy Writing,

                         Socia


See My Interview On I Am A Reader, Not A Writer Check It Out Here.

Author Interview: Julie Bourbeau

Today we are privileged to have the author of The Wednesdays on the blog today! Welcome to Julie we're so glad you've stopped by. 

Let's get right to it!

 1) Why do you write for children?And what was your inspiration to create you debut middle grade book?

I never intended to write for children -- in fact, if you had told me ten years ago that I would write a kids' book, I never would have believed it. No, THE WEDNESDAYS came about quite by accident. I had just moved to Spain with my infant son, and I was struggling a bit with the combination of new motherhood and culture shock. Spain's mediodía (the custom of shutting down businesses and schools for several hours for an extended lunch period) was particularly difficult for me, because I never seemed to be able to adjust my timing accordingly. My son was always waking up from his nap precisely at the moment when my entire neighborhood, and all the shops I needed to visit, literally drew their shutters for three hours. 

One Wednesday afternoon I was pushing my son in his stroller and feeling a bit grumpy and lonely because nothing was open and no one was around. I had a bit of a mini-tantrum during which I decided that it was just plain creepy that my neighborhood was so deserted during the middle of the afternoon, in the middle of the week. To entertain myself, I began to make up a funny/creepy story to explain why an otherwise lovely city would shut down so completely during the middle of the week. And... THE WEDNESDAYS was born! In the process of writing it, I discovered that I loved writing for kids.

2) Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became a writer.

I didn't start writing until I was in my thirties, which I suppose makes me a bit of a late bloomer. I was a new mother, living abroad, and I found myself without a job for the first time since I was a teenager. I was fortunate to be able to use the opportunity to do some soul searching -- to figure out what it was that I really wanted to do with my newfound freedom. I'm a lifelong bookworm (in fact, my first job ever was in a bookstore), so I decided to give writing a try. Once I discovered how much I loved it, I never looked back. I just wish that I had figured out how much fun writing is a decade or two earlier!  

3) Tell us about your process.

I fall halfway between the seat-of-my-pants school of writing and the disciplined-plotting school of writing. I started THE WEDNESDAYS with little more than an idea about the setting and the premise (a village halfway up Mt. Tibidabo that is forced to shut down every Wednesday). The characters came next -- Max is essentially the boy I imagined my (adorably) impish son becoming a few years down the road. Only then did the actual story start to shape up in my mind. 

My next book, KING OF NOWHERE, which will be out in 2014, evolved in a similar manner. I had only an opening sentence and a single, brief scene in mind when I started to write. Once I was a couple of chapters in I stepped back to sketch out a very rough outline -- basically just the beginning, the middle, and the end. And as I start each new chapter I take some time to figure out what I want to accomplish -- both in terms of character development and storyline. 

 5) What does a typical writing day look like?
  

Thinly-disguised chaos. Or perhaps that just describes my life in general, since I now have two very (VERY) energetic little boys in my household! Honestly, I require two things to write: silence and coffee. I wish that I could be one of those writers who can plug away while life unfolds around them, but I can't seem to do it. This means that I have to grab the moments of silence whenever and however I can. Perhaps when my boys are a little older I can achieve some sort of "typical", but for now I'm utterly without routine or consistency. 

 6) Where is your favorite place to write?

I write while sitting in a chaise lounge that is in the corner of my living room. My laptop is on my lap, and a cup of coffee is always nearby. The position is not ideal for spine health, I'm sure, but I've never been able to write at a proper desk. My little corner has lots of natural light and a view of a wooded area, so until my back rebels, I'm going to keep writing there! 

 7) What did or do you find most challenging in creating the story and getting it published? What do you wish you would have known?

I had no idea just how many years go into the making of books. Three years passed between the time my book was acquired by my publisher and my publication date. I have been terribly impatient waiting for my debut to finally come out!

8) What is the best writing advice you have ever received?

The advice that I most needed to hear (and that I most often need to be reminded of) is simply BIC (butt in chair). I'm very easily distracted by blogs, publishing industry news, online writers groups, etc. -- things that may be related to writing, but don't get me any closer to typing The End. There is no escaping the fact that a book requires many, many hours parked in front of a screen, with fingers on the keyboard...with NO internet access allowed! 

 9) Are you working on a new project? Can you tell us about it?
 

Yes! KING OF NOWHERE is a YA novel about a teenage daughter of the leader of an unnamed Middle Eastern country. When the rest of her family flees to the U.S., she is forced to come to terms with culture shock, poverty, and increasingly uncomfortable truths about her home country and her father's legacy. The book is loosely based on real events. 

 10) What advice would you give others that write for children?

Read your book out loud to a child who isn't afraid to play critic. It's amazing how quickly you'll stumble over awkward phrases or boring lulls in the action when you have a precocious seven-year-old rolling her eyes or yawning while you read to her! 

For more information about Julie, check out her website here.

Thanks to Julie for those thoughtful questions. The Wednesdays just debuted yesterday so be sure to hop over to Amazon and give it a like!

Getting Across The Finish Line: An Interview with Wendy Wan-Long Shang

I'm so excited to have the author of The Great Wall of Lucy Lu which I reviewed last month, here. It is one of my favorite reads so far this year.
Welcome Wendy!


1) Why do you write for children?
     I love every aspect of writing for children. I enjoy the process - imagining the story, writing, and revising. I think it's an honor to write for kids and be a part of their lives. And when I began meeting other children's book writers, I felt like I had found my "tribe".


2) Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became a writer.
      I was originally an attorney working on behalf of children in the juvenile justice system, and I left that work to stay home with my children. Then about six years ago, I received an invitation to a high school reunion, and that got me thinking about what I wanted to accomplish with my life. I realized that I wanted to try to write a book, and on the advice of a friend, I signed up for a class on writing for children at the Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland. It was quite difficult to attend the classes - my husband had to come home early from work to take over for the kids and it was a long slog through Washington's infamous rush-hour traffic to get there. However, once I attended the first class - taught by the wonderful Mary Quattlebaum - I was hooked.
      I began to work on what would become LUCY in the fall of that year, and I wrote about 50 pages in a year. Then I received the call that I had won a Work-in-Progress grant from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. That call was a game-changer; I realized that I had been acting as if the story could not be finished and that I should finish quickly so that I could mention the grant without looking like I had waited too long. I wrote the next 100 pages in 6 months!

ORDER HERE

3) What was the inspiration for The Wall Of Lucy Wu?                                                         
The real kernel of inspiration for The Great Wall of Lucy Wu came from a relative in China I never met. He had written to my mother, asking her for family photographs because he was researching our family. She sent him some copies, and he wrote back, saying, "I thought I'd never see these photos again." Presumably, the photos had been destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. I was so blown away by this thought that I wanted to write about it in a way that was meaningful to young people.


4) Tell us about your writing process.
When I start a story, I have an idea of what the climax should be and a general idea of how I want the story to end. Everything else in between is an adventure.


5) What does a typical writing day look like?
There really is no "typical" day for me; having three kids does that! When things are going well, I write for an hour and a half to two hours, and I try to leave the manuscript with a question or idea to gnaw on for the next writing session.


6) Where is your favorite place to write?
I like to write in public places, even if I don't talk to anybody - the local public library or a coffee shop. I'm really lucky - I have four libraries within a 15-minute drive of my house!


7) What did or do you find most challenging in creating the story and getting it published? What do you wish you would have known?
My biggest challenge - and I'm hardly unique in this - is keeping writing at the top of the list. It's so easy (and sometimes tempting) to let chores and the demands of everyday life take over and keep me from writing. I am working on keeping the "nibblers" (the little things that eat away at my time) to a minimum.


8) What kind of marketing have you found to be most effective?
I've been fortunate to have Scholastic's incredible marketing and publicity teams behind my book - I really feel that their support has allowed me to focus on the fun stuff: writing and school visits.



9) What is the best writing advice you have ever received?
I can't remember where I saw it, but the saying that sticks with me is, "The most important job of a writer is to finish."


10) Are you working on a new project? Can you tell us about it?
I'm a bit superstitious about talking about works-in-progress, but I'll tell you a bit about the inspirations: in the early 1970s, my dad allowed a girl on my brother's baseball team, much to the consternation of some of the other parents. In this same time period, Taiwan was beginning a long reign over the Little League World Series.


11) What advice would you give others that write for children?
When you write, think about the children for whom your book will be the most meaningful. When I was in the middle of writing LUCY, I watched Mad Hot Ballroom, a documentary about 5th graders in New York City learning to ballroom dance. There's a moment where they interview different kids - about the opposite sex, I think - and three Chinese girls are included. I started crying when I saw them, because I realized I was writing for them (and the 5th grader inside me) and I hoped LUCY would be a book they would love and relate to. While LUCY is, of course, for many different children (and I have received many letters starting with "I'm not Chinese-American but I understand Lucy's story because..."), having a specific audience in mind helps focus your story and inspires you to get across the finish line!
Find more Wendy:
Goodreads
From The Mixed Up Files

Be sure to check out my review here for great links and more information about her book.

All You Need To Know About Twitter You Learned In Kindergarten

Socia's been lurking on Twitter

Socia is here again with a very important message about building relationships on Twitter. And believe it or not she says we already have the tools! 


Everything you need to know about building relationships on Twitter, you learned in kindergarten. I'm sure most of you have heard the Robert Fulghum poem, if not you can find it here. 


No way, you say? Twitter didn't exist when I was in kindergarten. True. But the concepts you need to employ, for a successful Twitter experience, were. There are actually 18, we will cover 9 today and another 9 next Tuesday.


But, first.


Know your niche. Find your niche. How interested in the latest recipe for fish tacos would a group of people be that are discussing which quarterback just got traded? Not so much. We will be talking more about this in later posts. 

1. Share Everything: The first thing a child wants to do when he learns something interesting is to share it with someone else. They aren't worried about keeping the knowledge to themselves. The Retweet on Twitter is where we can share things we learn, enjoy and are entertained by. If you like it, retweet it!


2. Play Fair:  Don't hide behind a mask on your profile. Twitter isn't like chat. Use the name you want people to identify with you. And always use a real picture, not your book cover or company logo. People can't connect with a cartoon avatar or book cover. If you're serious about building relationships you have to be willing to put your face out there. 

3. Don't hit people: Your tooling along the Twitter feed and all of a sudden a tweet all in CAPS JUMPS OUT. Ouch! It's like having your mother yell at you. Or how about when someone uses 40 or their 140 characters for exclamation points!!!!!!!!! Again, ouch. No one likes to be hit over the head with anything, even if it is a good idea. 


4. Put Things Back Where You Found Them: A common complaint of newbies to Twitter is how confusing watching the feed can be. How can anyone have any meaningful conversations? There are some great tools to help you do just that. One of my first discoveries was Tweetdeck which helped me organize columns so I could watch conversations about particular subjects. Twitter also has lists that allow you to organize the people you’re following into groups. For example: You can have a group that consists of all the writers you follow. The benefit? Time Management. [Check out Kim Garst's article]


5. Clean Up Your Own Mess:  Take a good long look at all the tweets you have made as a whole. What kind of picture have you created about yourself? If you don't like what you see, perhaps you need to evaluate why your tweeting and what your goal is. What about your profile, does it tell people who you are and why you do what you do? It is important to tell your readers why they should care. Fix that fast!

6. Don't Take Things That Aren't Yours:  If you're going to quote someone or copy a passage from a blog or article, make sure you attribute where you got it. Offer the link to your followers so they can find the source. It's just bad manners and unprofessional to highjack someones idea and present it as your own. 


7. Say Your Sorry When You Hurt Somebody: Inevitably, someone may disagree with one of your tweets or even be hurt by it. Don't just ignore these great opportunities to engage in a dialogue. Respond in a positive manner and encourage the conversation. Some of my best clients when I was in sales were the ones that started off on the wrong foot. Why? Because I went out of my way to understand their point of view. This is when your ego needs to be checked at the door. Be open, willing to ask questions and most of all learn.


8.Wash Your Hands Before You Eat:  Never send a tweet without reviewing it first. Now, all of us make boo-boos every once in a while and a few can be forgiven. Carelessly typed tweets are a quick way to lose followers either because they're irritated or don't know what your saying. Clean up those tweets make them as concise and clear as possible. Use punctuation. Tweeting isn't texting. It's micro-blogging and the idea is to get your idea through to as many people as possible. 

9. Flush: Listen carefully... You don't have to follow everybody that follows you. Don't waste time following someone you wouldn't be interested in having coffee with. There are three reasons to follow someone: 1. You can learn something. 2. The reason they are tweeting resonates with you. 3. You are interested or entertained by their content. 


Wow! Those were some great ideas Socia. We look forward to the other nine concepts on next Tuesday. 
Please feel free to ask Socia any questions you have and she will answer them on the last Tuesday of the month for the Social Media QA session. 


In the meantime, here are some additional links that Socia Malaise found helpful:


Twitter Profile Mistakes That Writers Should Avoid
How To Embed Tweets In Your Blog
Building The Best Twitter Lists
How To Build Relationships On Twitter
Twitter For Authors

Five Things You Need To Understand About Social Media

Socia Malaise

 Socia Malaise is here to share what she found while lurking around social media for the last couple months.  Today I want to pick her brain about social media in general and why authors need to understand it and use it. 

Me: Good Morning Socia. We're very excited that you've taken the time to share what you've learned. Why do you think Social Media is so important?


Socia: I'm amazed when I come into contact with authors, agents or even publishers that seem to loathe social media. Here's the perfect medium for writer's who dread face to face conversation, dislike oral communication and need to think about what to say before it's said. This a great opportunity.


Me: I suppose but with over four hundred types of social media don't you think our voice just get's lost?


Socia: Sure, it's possible but social media isn't going away. It is here to stay and will continue to evolve. Yesterday it was My Space, today it's Facebook and in the future it will be something different.


Me: What's the most important thing to understand about social media? 


Socia: I like what Lauren Cerand said in her article on Social Media on Poets and Writers."It is a matter of starting to speak, igniting that desire for interaction, commentary, and conveyance of ideas that powers social media." What authors need to understand is social media is about building relationships. Those that are successful are those that understand that. 


Me: But isn't the purpose self-promotion?


Socia: Yes and no. Of course the idea is to brand yourself, build a platform and entice people to be interested in what you have to say. It's all about engagement. Think about your experiences with friendships. Have you ever met someone that's very interesting but after a while you realize they have no interest in what you have to say? People are looking for connections. They look for others that validate their feelings and ideas. It's more about opening a dialogue with your audience.


Me:Opening a dialogue. I like that but I barely have enough time to keep up with my own friends and family. How do you do that and which ones do you choose? 

askthepublicist.blogspot.com  

Socia: It's about gaining a steady momentum. Don't get hung-up on the numbers. How many followers doesn't mean anything if you don't know who they are and why they follow you. That's why "buying" followers doesn't really make any sense. Just because you have x-amount of followers doesn't mean you're going to see those translate into higher sales. 


Me: Wow! Thanks Socia. We're out of time for now but what can we look forward to in the next few weeks?


Socia: Once you understand what social media is and how it works then it's important to figure out which ones will work best for you. We will be exploring those questions and also be looking at who's on what media, what they're talking about and how you can be a contributor to the conversation. 


If you have specific questions you would like Socia to address be sure to enter them into the comments or email them to me at torres dot pam3 at gmail dot com.