Marcia Thornton Jones's Blog, page 29

Peace Is Dangerous

 

It’s true. Peace is Dangerous... to a writer. At least for this writer. I’m not talking about the sense of peace and well-being that allows my imagination to soar freely. That, I welcome. It’s the other kind of peace that can be deadly to story.

Let me explain.
My own default personality steers clear of confrontation and gravitates toward a place of placidity. That’s why I struggle to make life hard for the characters I love. Inflict a little pain? Sure. But bring them to the point of utter despair? It hurts my soul. 

Yet, my drive to tell stories far outpaces the pain I’m inflicting on these poor, unwitting humans. So, I take a long, deep breath then pile on life’s cruelties, all the while reminding myself that my characters will come out stronger in the end.

But isn't that life?
How muddling through your own slings and arrows can greatly work to enhance and heighten your own sense of peace and well-being? It is for me.

Jody Feldman, author of The Seventh Level and The Gollywhopper Games series is currently figuring out how best to hurt her new main character. Feel free to drop her a line in the comments or at jody@jodyfeldman.com to suggest interesting new tortures :)

PEACE (PIECE) OF CAKE -- by Jane Kelley

My birthday is coming! Let there be cake!

  Many years ago, my mom and my daughter made me one with chocolate and a whole lot of love. 

There were candles. My daughter was the kind of kid who would have wanted me to have the correct number. My dad was working hard to fit them all in. 
Candles are important. I didn't realize why until I looked it up just now. The smoke of the extinguished flame is what carries the wish up above.  Presumably to one who will grant it. 
My August birthday often made me wonder where the summer had gone. The older I get, the more each journey around the sun feels as short as one rotation on Earth's axis. My wish these days, besides World Peace, would be to have another wish.  Wishing is open to possibility and surprises. Imagining the things that may yet happen. Like all the best stories.

JANE KELLEY will be celebrating her birthday during the Perseid meteor shower––another great time for wishes.




    

My Name Means "Peace."

Hello! Irene Latham here.
This month we are sharing on the topic of PEACE, which is near and dear to my heart.

"Irene" is the Greek word for peace. Apparently there is a Greek goddess named Irene. 
That's not why my parents chose the name for me—I was named for my great-grandmother Hannah Irene Dennis, who, I'm told, "never said a bad thing about anyone."

I'm pretty sure no one has ever made that claim about me, though it IS something to aspire to. And, in a way, it's a definition of peace.

A few years ago a friend referred to me as "Serene Irene." 
A few days ago a different friend sent me her "word of the day" entry, which was "irenic." Yes, "irenic" is an adjective for peace, a synonym for "peaceful." Cool, huh?
Undoubtedly I am a generally peaceful person. I value quiet and solitude. I am not prone to fighting or violence of any kind. But. My mind is a very busy place! Michael Caine's duck comes to mind: calm on the surface, but paddling incessantly underneath.
 I am really working on finding more peace up there. 
I think the duck I want to be is calm on the surface, paddling only as much as is necessary. 
Slower. Gentler. 
Feeling the silky water, not driven by hunger or danger. Just enjoying a swim.

As far as what makes me feel peaceful on any given day, I'd say long walks on our country road; staring out at the lake we are so lucky to live beside; watching birds and other critters; quilting; thrifting; reading; writing -- sometimes! 
And chocolate. :)

I'll leave you with a poem I wrote about peace. It appears in Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, & Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illus. by Mehrdokht Amini. Thanks so much for reading!
"Peace" poem by Irene Latham
p.s. for the younger set, I wrote a book about how animals might define peace in nature: Wild Peace by Irene Latham, illus. by Il Sung Na. I hope you'll check it out.

Genre Switching and Other Thoughts

 

Genre Switching and Other Thoughts

 

What’s it like to write a novel for adults after havingwritten three middle grade novels? I’ve been asked that frequently since myfirst novel for adults, Off to Join the Circus (Apprentice House, 7/18/23), waspublished a couple of weeks ago.

 

Well, actually I’ve attempted to write fiction for adultsfor several decades now—it’s just that this is the only one to make it topublication! I still have hopes for the others—we shall see.

 

One thing I’ve noticed is that whatever age group I’mwriting for, I tend to use the same type of perspective—a close third personthat puts you in the head of the character. For whatever reason, that feelscomfortable.

 

But this novel for adults marks the first time I’ve writtena book told from multiple perspectives. And that was a lot of fun! It createsmany opportunities for humor—a character does something for reasons they (andthe reader) understand, but another character assumes the first character’smotivation comes from something completely different.

 

My seven characters cover three generations of the fictionalPinsky family—from the 75-year-old grandfather to the almost-13-year-old barmitzvah boy and his 15-year-old brother. The characters in my middle gradenovels are in fifth grade, so about 10 or 11 years old, and writing theseslightly older kids was quite familiar. 

 

One difference was that my new novel, which is set in the present day, required very little research, whereas my middle grade novels, a series called The President and Me, involves modern-day kids who travel back in time to meet the early presidents. For those books, I needed to do copious amounts of research on the 18th and 19th centuries, the presidents, their families, the enslaved people who lived in their homes, and much more.

 

Just to conclude, I love book groups, so if you’d like me to come and visityour book group and talk about Off to Join the Circus, just let me know!Thanks!

 

--Deborah Kalb

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News

 Charlotte Bennardo is thrilled to announce she has earned her Master of Fine Arts degree, with a certification in Professional Writing on July 1, from Southern New Hampshire University.

 

Deborah Kalb is pleased to announce the publication of her first novel for adults, OFF TO JOIN THE CIRCUS (Apprentice House Press, 7/18/23). It's about an overly enmeshed family in the Washington, D.C., area, and what happens when a relative returns after 64 years.

Interview with Katrina Leno, Author of The Umbrella Maker's Son

Thanks forjoining us at Smack Dab in the Middle! Please start with the obvious–a quicksynopsis of The Umbrella Maker’s Son.

 

TheUmbrella Maker’s Son tells the story of Oscar who is—of course—the son of an umbrellamaker! Oscar’s family has been making quality, beautiful (and pricey!)umbrellas for generations and generations, and that makes sense, because it’salways raining where they live. But when a new competitor starts making lowquality umbrellas at a very cheap price, the family business is threatened. Andit’s only getting rainier and rainier in Roan. Could there be something behindthe foul weather? Could there be…something causing all the rain?

 

This issuch a fresh, original concept–what was the inspiration? Where did the ideacome from?

 

I love therain and I really love the idea of a city that has adapted to sustain a prettyintense weather cycle. I live in Los Angeles now, where it’s usually prettysunny, but about ten years ago I lived in Scotland, where it rains quite a lot.I loved the experience of leaving my apartment on a sunny day and then, out ofnowhere—rain! I miss the rain now and I just wanted to immerse myself in thatworld again. I look at it as similar to Narnia, where it’s always snowing. Howdo the townspeople deal with it? Are they happy? Sad? Always wet? It was suchan interesting world to explore!

 

You’re nostranger to the writing world, but The Umbrella Maker’s Son is your first MG.Why write for younger readers this time? What about the book lends itself tobeing better suited for MG?

 

There is aquirkiness and a silliness and an anything-goes-iness that I’ve always lovedabout MG books. Some of my favorite stories in the world were made for youngerreaders, and I find myself, as an adult, revisiting them often, whenever I needa warm hug in the form of a book. Plus I think this age group has so much tooffer. It was really a joy to write my first middle grade!

 

I’m a completewriting craft nerd, and I love to hear about process. There are so manydrafting techniques available now–I’ve even heard from a writer who draftswhile jogging, dictating into a phone! How do you draft? Plotter? Pantser? Amix?

 

I’m usuallya pantser, but for The Umbrella Maker’s Son, I actually had a prettygood idea of the entire plot, from start to finish! I never really sit down andwrite an outline or anything, I like to just dive into the writing process andsee how things evolve from the empty page. Of course there are downsides tothat—a lot of editing!—but it’s always worked for me. And whenever we had acloudy or rainy day in Los Angeles, I’d make sure to go for a walk for someextra inspiration. :)

 

What aboutrevision? Some books require more than others–we’ve all faced enormous revisionundertakings (tossing half the books, etc.) How much did The Umbrella Maker’sSon require? How did you tackle it? (I’ve even gone so far as to retype entiremanuscripts in order to get through a major revision.) 

 

Yes, thedreaded revision process! Actually, I think The Umbrella Maker’s Son isunique because I first came up with the idea almost two decades ago (!!).Throughout the years, I’ve written various drafts and short stories and graphicnovel pitches all set in this world, so it was really a story I was constantlythinking about, constantly tweaking, and constantly revising. At one point itwas going to be a retelling of the Pygmalion myth! Because of all thatbehind-the-scenes work, once I sat down to write this version of thestory, I had a pretty strong grasp on what I wanted to do. There are a lot ofaction scenes in the book, and I’d say those are the parts I spent the mosttime editing—because I’ve never really written action scenes before! It waschallenging to get them exactly right.

 

Every bookteaches the writer something–what was the biggest lesson of The UmbrellaMaker’s Son?

 

I’d like tothink The Umbrella Maker’s Son teaches people to trust their instinctsand to never be explore where those instincts are leading you...

 

What do youhope that the reader takes from The Umbrella Maker’s Son?

 

There arestrong themes of relationships in this book, because I love writing aboutpeople and their friends and family (and enemies!). I love to write aboutcharacters messing up and finding their way and apologizing and making up andgrowing and constantly learning how to be the best version of themselves. Ihope my readers take that message away with them: that they can (and should!) constantlybe evolving. We are here to learn and to grow, always!

 

What’snext?

 

I’m workingon a few secret projects! I’d love to write another MG, return to YA, and maybeeven work on an adult book (eventually!).

 

Where canwe find you?

 

I’m mostlyon Instagram (@KatrinaLenoBooks) becauseif I do too much social media, I start to get overwhelmed and anxious! So youcan always find me there sharing photos of my new kittens (Moose and Seaweed) andworking on my daily morning pages. And my website has more info about all myother books – KatrinaLeno.com.

 

Thank youfor having me!

 

~

 

Order The Umbrella Maker's Son from Bookshop

 

My Super Power (Holly Schindler)

 

If I have a super power, it's the same power most of our readers have...or should have. 

It's the power that says, "I can be anything."

Kids think the most unobtainable thing in the world is within reach. They think they'll be astronauts or ballerinas. Artists or singers. They'll own their own business. They'll rule the world.

And, okay, so I'm not thinking rule the world, exactly, but I do believe it's possible. Whatever crazy notion I have. 

Probably some of it stems from the "Why can't you?" Mom lobbed at me my entire life. If I ever dared to imply I might not be able to do something. That's the response I got. Usually curtly and through a frown that meant, Go figure it out. Now. 

I know what she meant. Nobody's born knowing how to do anything. Tie their shoes or feed themselves or use a toilet. Nothing. We have to learn literally everything we do, from getting dressed to making a bed to driving a car. Why can't you learn this one thing? her frown would always say. Why are you stopping now?

I hear it in my head, every single time I dare to think it--I couldn't do that is immediately met with, Why can't I?

It's that line of thinking that made me set out to become a writer. And it's that line of thinking that allowed me to publish work through my own imprint. It's also, now, the reason why I'm pursuing art and music, old loves that haven't been in my life for far too long. 

I'm sure it will lead me to most of my life's future adventures. 

I can do anything. 

But so can you.

Why can't you?

~

Holly Schindler is the author of the MG The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky.

Superhero - To the Rescue!

 by Charlotte Bennardo

The theme is superpowers- what do we think ours happen to be, or which would we want, or what makes us feel powerful and accomplished. 

Photo by Roy Reyna: https://www.pexels.com/photo/wonder-w...

My superpower is resolution. If anyone in my family has a problem, I will help until there is no more problem, especially if it's for my children (mama bear extreme). If I hit a wall writing, I'll give the weeds in my gardens hell until I figure out a resolution. When I have a problem, I will brainstorm, talk to those who I think are in the best position to help me, and work at the problem until I find the solution. (When I figure out how to quickly and easily get the perfect agent, I'll share the secret.)

Now if you ask me what superpower I'd like to have, that I'd have to mull over. I wouldn't want to hear everyone's thoughts because I'll either hear something about me that they wouldn't have shared to save my feelings, or I'd hear something that is too private. I wouldn't want to be invisible- why? I've long since giving up caring about solving complex math problems, I leave that to my sons. Time travel is out because I'd be tempted to go back and change decisions which might only makes things worse, like in the new Spiderman movie when Peter Parker/Spiderman tries to save his mother and all hell breaks loose. I'd also be tempted to go forward to sneak a peek to see how something plays out (book contract? lottery win? untimely death?). That might lead me to make a different decision than what my gut tells me and again, creating a worse situation. I don't believe in fate, but actions have consequences and maybe my initial reaction was the intuitive best. I guess if I had to choose one superpower, it would be luck (if you've seen my medical history, you know I don't lead a charmed life). I might wonder if luck was responsible for book contracts and sales and fame and fortune, but I can live without knowing whether it was my stellar talent or just luck because I'd get what I want.

What makes me feel powerful and accomplished is completion; getting my Master's degree, finishing a book draft or revision, seeing my children grown into fine, self-sufficient adults, growing a ton of flowers and tomatoes in my garden. At the end of my life, I'd like to be able to look back and see my list to "To Do" for professional, personal, and community goals with nothing but crossed out items. 

Photo by MART PRODUCTION: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-to-do-...

Charlotte writes MG, YA, NA, and adult novels in sci fi, fantasy, contemporary, and paranormal genres. She is the author of the award-winning middle grade Evolution Revolution trilogy, Simple Machines, Simple Plans, and Simple Lessons. She co-authored the YA novels Blonde OPS, Sirenz, and Sirenz Back in Fashion. She has two short stories in the Beware the Little White Rabbit (Alice through the Wormhole) and Scare Me to Sleep (Faces in the Wood) anthologies. Having finished her MFA, she's applying what she learned and is working on several children and adult novels, along with some short stories. She lives in NJ with her family and her floofy cat. When they trimmed the backyard tree, the crazy squirrel couple had to move out.

The Leap of the Wondrous Other: Smack Dab in the Imagination by Dia Calhoun

In my wildflower garden, the arrival of the strange, unique, or different—the tigridia with four petals instead of three—is always a cause for wonder and celebration. This teeming diversity with its leap into something new, something other, always makes me think that nature has an imagination—and revels in it.

Whenever a surprising image or idea emerges while I’m writing, I try to keep this same celebratory attitude. Perhaps this leap will “leap the work” in a new or deeper direction. Even if I don’t end up using the offering, I am grateful for the rich ecosystem and diversity of my imagination.

Just as I care for my garden, I need to care for my imagination. Water and feed it with the best—the finest ideas, books, music, art, of many different kinds. I need to let my imagination rest and be fallow sometimes. Now, in this too-quickly-passing summer, may my imagination and yours riot and ramble and leap into the unexpected flower.

Beyond Books: A Library’s Story (Guest Post by Kimberly Behre Kenna)

-A pair of bronzedoors weighing in around 2,000 pounds

-An 12,500 squarefoot octagonal rotunda, paved with marble, mosaic floor tiles designed in

Paris

-A fifty foothigh dome illustrated with eight paintings of the evolution of bookmaking

 

Onecould argue that the historic James Blackstone Memorial Library in my hometownof Branford, CT, is inherently flush with stories thanks to these magnificentdetails. Every time I visit, something new speaks to me, and I wonder…

 

Howdid they create those enormous doors, and what do the pictures on them signify?

Howmany people worked on the tiled floor, and how long did it take to makeeverything line up so perfectly?

Wasn’tit scary to work on such detailed paintings so high up?

 

Theanswers to my questions, or lack of them, provide sparks for shelves full ofstories. The library is a simmering cauldron for ideas, and for this I amforever grateful. Let me explain.

 

-Eightmedallion portraits

 

Whilewriting my new middle-grade novel, Jett Jamison and the Secret Storm, someof the first clues to nudge me out of a stuck spot came when I looked up at thelibrary’s dome. Two of the eight New England authors depicted in medallionscalled to me: Harriet Beecher Stowe whose book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, waschallenged for being anti-slavery and Ralph Waldo Emerson whose ideas aboutindividualism in Self Reliance were criticized for going against thetraditions of organized religion. In Jett’s story, these authors offer herclues about recovering a controversial missing book. Above the portraits, thebookmaking paintings illustrate how words and stories evolved and were shared,first as verbal retellings and much later, in print. In those scenes, voicesbecome elevated…as far as we can tell from the pictures. These dome paintingsremind Jett that the creation of books is and was a worthwhile challenge, butlater she also comes to understand that books can be challenged, and voiceserased.

 

-127years of serving as a vibrant community center

 

TheBlackstone Library is in my genes. It was my mother’s escape when she was achild. With two parents and four siblings sharing a small home, she cravedquiet time, and every day she walked to the library to get it. On her way,she’d stop to chat with the nuns at the church across the street. JettJamison and the Secret Storm grew in part from these story seeds, and theWisteria Library is modeled on the Blackstone. Though fiction, Jett’s story wasinspired by facts: a girl finds peace at a library, a nun she befriends helpsher problem-solve, and books become not only a means of escape but also a wayto survive the present.

 

-13granite front steps, each 33 feet wide

 

Thesemassive steps leading to the library’s front entrance speak to me ofchallenges, both past and present, that threaten the very ideals a librarystands for: community, diversity, and education. Through the years, librarieshave had to be resilient in order to adapt and evolve. In my story, when Jettdiscovers that the book promising to quiet the creepy voices in her head hasdisappeared off library shelves, she must bravely explore new ways to heal.

 

-40by 50 foot auditorium with superior acoustics, housing a wooden stage set in acircular niche

 

OnAugust 12th, I’ll launch Jett Jamison in this auditorium andconverse with the youth services librarian about censorship, silenced voices,and the power of joined voices. The Wisteria Library is Jett’s safe space untilshe witnesses troubling events demonstrating the unreasonable pressure facinglibraries and librarians today. This place that was sacred to Jett becomes yetanother victim of injustice, and she decides to right the wrong. Along the way,she must grapple with her own silenced voice as she allows buried memories ofabuse to rise into her consciousness. As a childhood trauma survivor myself, Iwonder how my life would’ve been different if I’d had access to books withcharacters like me. Now that I’m an author, I get to remedy that. In my book,someone finally starts a vital conversation with Jett, and it is in the librarythat Jett releases her secret and tells her story. Kids need to read booksabout the challenges they live with. Librarians can help them make thoseconnections. Libraries provide a platform for promoting dialogue andunderstanding.

 

Tothe eye, the James Blackstone Library appears quite elaborate. But to me, itsstory goes much deeper. It speaks of something extremely simple, the magic ofdiverse voices, and it’s up to all of us to embrace this gift.

 

After years as an adolescent and family counselor, and then as a fifth grade teacher of ecology and language arts, Kimberly Behre Kenna transitioned to fiction writing. Her debut middle-grade novel, “Artemis Sparke and the Sound Seekers Brigade” (Regal House/Fitzroy) was a finalist and received Honorable Mention in the 2019 Tassy Walden New Voices in Children’s Literature Competition. “Jett Jamison and the Secret Storm” (Black Rose) is her second book, also middle grade fiction. Connect with her at www.kimberlybehrekenna.com
Order Jett Jamison and the Secret Storm at Bookshop.org