Caroline Bock's Blog: Caroline Anna Bock Writes, page 20

Do you need to 'enjoy' a novel?? LINK to new review!

Does a novel need to be 'enjoyable' for you to want to read it?  Is it okay if it makes your uncomfortable?  Is it okay if the characters aren't likable, most, or even all of them?  I'm wondering these because I just received another terrific review... except, that the criticism is that it wasn't an 'enjoyable' read.  That word 'enjoyment' has always been curious to me - joy -- brief, fleeting -- doesn't come to me when I read. Too often, in fact, it rarely comes to me (looking at my son or daughter as they sleep, that is joy).  I read to understand the world, and I think that's maybe why I write too.   Anyway, it's a cool review from someone who read the book closely.  She may not have 'enjoyed' it, but she encourages everyone to read LIE.  What more can I ask?
From the end of this insightful review: "…LIE is a pretty
powerful reading experience and a brave one. There is no happy ending here. But
Bock tackles racism, bigotry, homophobia, classism, white privilege and peer
pressure in a sensitive, subtle and intelligent way. If not enjoyable, this is
certainly a book that needs to be a part of every teenage and adult's reading
experience."
 

http://turn-the-page.net/2011/11/01/book-review-lie-by-caroline-bock/

Do you need to 'enjoy' a novel?

The murder that, in part, inspired LIE ...three years later Marcelo Lucero R.I.P.

This murder, in part, inspired LIE:
From Newsday on Long Island -- Sunday, October 30:Community advocates will hold remembrance events this week to call for unity and continued work against prejudice on the third anniversary of the hate killing of immigrant Marcelo Lucero.Lucero was killed Nov. 8, 2008, when a mob of teens attacked him in Patchogue.The Long Island Organizing Network, a Riverhead advocacy group, will hold an action meeting Tuesda at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood to discuss, among other subjects, the need for a permanent hate crimes task force and for passage of anti-bullying legislation in the county.The meeting, slated to start at 7 p.m. in the campus' theater located off Crooked Hill Road, seeks to foster "acceptance, understanding and respect, not just for Latinos but for every gender and race," said lead network organizer Lisa Perry.Lucero's brother, Joselo Lucero, and other advocates will also hold an interfaith vigil, starting at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 6, at the St. Frances DeSales Parish Hall, located at 220 South Ocean Avenue in Patchogue."We want people of all faiths to come and for the event to take place every year, so that together we can create awareness that hate is not acceptable," Lucero said. "We are not tolerating that conduct on Long Island."
May Marcelo Lucero rest in peace

Why Have I Been Taken by ZOMBIES?

HALLOWEEN is around the corner, if with this early snow we'll actually have trick or treaters is anyone's guess, but it does get me thinking about Zombies.   I write fiction these days, but realistic, contemporary, fiction (read: LIE), and I'm consumed (yes, a bad pun) by zombies in pop culture.  But in an odd way, zombies live in reality for me.  They are the great metaphor for our times, hordes of people, who can neither love, nor hate, nor read or write, they only live, only consume the flesh of those who do.  For some of us the world is too much with us, for others it has forsaken them.  I root for the living in the AMC Walking Dead series, but then I wait for the zombies to come too.  They are us, if we let them be us.  I wait for Brad Pitt's new movie World War Z: an Oral History of Zombies written by Max Brooks for further insights, unfortunately I will have to wait until December, 2012.  Certainly, the zombies will not consume Pitt.  Only lesser mortals, those ready in some psychological or immoral way to become the other?  I will continue to root for the human, and truly what makes us human.  But I am taken with Zombies these days, and I'm sure there are those that root for the zombies out there?   

LIT LOVERS

Yes, I'm a 'lit-lover' but I am also a new fan of litlovers.com -- and they have just included LIE on their site, which is for serious book lovers as well as book clubs.   They have also posted the reading guide to LIE.  Kudos to all the lit lovers out there!!  Check out litlovers.com -- especially one amazing woman named Molly!!

TEEN VOICES!!

Big Thank You to  Minverva Hernandez at www.teenvoices.com... for her review of LIE... love tag line to their online magazine...  "Changing the World for Girls through Media."  Here's the review:

LIE
By Caroline BockSt. Martin's Griffin, 2011Reviewed by Minerva Hernandez, 18Texas
"One of the questions we ask ourselves as we read books is whether we find the characters believable, whether they could be the everyday people, friends, family members. In the case of Lie, it is hard to believe the people whose story we share aren't real. Caroline Bock does not create a new world but rather seamlessly injects Skylar, Jimmy, Sean, Lisa Marie, Arturo, and Carlos, along with more minor characters, into ours.

This book is amazing not just because of its believability. The story told is one of sorrow. Lie is about racism against Latino immigrants, but it is driven by more than just that very powerful subject. It is about regret, loss, manipulation, faith in others, and most importantly, questioning our own motives.
"Everyone knew. No one told." is the motto of the group of characters after a weekend pastime of "beaner-hopping"—harassing and physically assaulting presumed illegal immigrants—goes too far. Now, two of the main characters, Jimmy and Sean, face jail time, and Skylar, Jimmy's girlfriend, wrestles with whether to tell what she knows.
This book sickened me. It made me angry, it made me sad, it made me doubt. It opened my eyes to flaws in the American justice system and how difficult it is to convict when such a motto is adopted. A crime is committed, and people are willing to stay quiet because their faith lies in those who do not deserve it.
This book is as delicate and beautiful as the protagonist, Skylar; it transcends the boundaries of racial intolerance and death. Above all, I learned that you must always remember that who you trust reflects upon yourself."

LIE and CONSTRUCTION - read the behind-the-scenes making of LIE interview

The Story Behind the New Novel LIE | CONSTRUCTION www.constructionlitmag.com

STARRED REVIEW from Booklist!

STARRED review from Booklist for LIE! From advanced copy (final out in November): "... Suspenseful and thought-provoking, this is a compellingly readable novel with a challenging theme and memorable characterizations. A terrific choice to spark discussion and debate."  My editor wrote in email (her caps) HOLY CRAP! FOUR STARRED REIVEWS.  I hope this means she's happy with the starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, and now Booklist.  What's make you write in ALL CAPS out there??  

Totally Biased WRITER'S RESOURCES for TEENS and ADULTS

I put together this totally biased writer's resource list based on groups that I have actually participated in (many on line and free or at low cost) for the talk I gave today at the  Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library reading/reception event for LIE, and I thought I'd share it.  

But first, I have to LOUDLY THANK two extraordinary women -- Gretchen Browne, director of the POB Library and, especially, the fabulous young adult librarian Heather Grecco who helped organize the event (yes, that's Heather and me in the picture). The reception was warm and inviting.  Ages 6 to 80 were represented, and I believe everyone found the talk interesting (my 10 ten myths about the writing process, and top 10 'truths'  -- more about them in later blogs!).  

I distributed the following short list, which I thought I'd share with all of all you.  if you have resources that you use to help you write, let me know!

RECOMMENDED WRITING
RESOURCES: This is by no means a comprehensive list, but represents groups
that I have participated in or taken classes with over the years—

 Long Island Children's
Writers and Illustrators (LICWI) -  a very inclusive Long Island group meets
once a month at St. Joseph's College in Patchogue, and features group critiques
of children –young adult work. 
Editor visits.  Very
reasonable annual membership. 
www.licwi.org.

 Society of Children's Book
Writers and Illustrators – (SBCWI)  National
organization for children's writers, I'm a member of NYC chapter with monthly
seminars, annual winter meeting in January in NYC offers critiques, workshops
and panels.  www.scbwi.org.

 Hofstra Continuing Education (adult education writing classes
year round and a well-run Summer Writers Institute on Long Island).  If you are an aspiring children's
writer, try a class with Brian Heinz, very worthwhile.
www.hofstra.edu/ucce/summerwriting.edu.

 Figment: Write yourself in.  A community to share writing – no fee
to join.  Teen orientated.  Educator section too.  Find interview with me on this
site!!   www.figment.com.

 Book Country – new site to read,
explore, review and write fiction – no fee to join.  Run by Penguin Group, a major publisher.   www.bookcountry.com.

 SheWrites  (for women writers only).  Terrific site -- no fee to join.  As they note, they re, "premiere destination for women
writers, providing services and support for women at every stage of their
writing lives."  Lots of free
information, sharing here.  Also
writing classes for a fee offered on line.   www.shewrites.com.

 MediaBistro (on-line and in NYC,  www.mediabistro.com):  daily free email on the media business,  plus some excellent short-term writing
classes.  Class with D.B. Gilles on
screenwriting is very worthwhile.  
He has a new book: The
ScreenWriter Within – I highly recommend it.

 Publisher's Lunch –  daily free email on the publishing business.  Key info for serious aspiring writer
about what books have been sold by what agents to what publisher's, what books
optioned by film or television, and the scope of the deals.   A subscription component of the
site gives more details on deals.  
www.publishersmarketplace.com.
Top Writing Competition for
High School students:   The Scholastic Art
& Writing Awards for grades 7-12. 
Top award for high school students in the country for writing.    Dramatic scripts, Flash
Fiction (1,300 words), Personal Essay, Poetry, Science Fiction, Short Story are
among the categories.  DEADLINE for
Northeast regional:  JANUARY 6,
2012.  Regional and national
winners.  Scholarships for
winners.  More at www.artsandwriting.org 


Very short
list of my bookshelf about writing include: Bird by Bird
by  Anne Lamott about the creative
process;  Immediate Fiction by  Jerry Cleaver, a complete writing course in one book; and The Practical Writer from Inspiration to
Publication edited by Therese Eiben and Mary Gannon on the staff of Poets
&Writers Magazine.   Also,
Poets&Writers Magazine and its
website are essential resources.

I'm sure there are more out there, this is only my 'short list,' so if you have some, let me know.  

3 PM Reading/Reception of LIE at POB Library in Plainview Today)

Notes are together... flip chart... DVD of book trailer.... all I hope is that there's an audience for today's (Sat. Oct. 15) reading/community reception for LIE at the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library at 999 Old Country Road in Plainview from 3-4:30 pm.  In any case, I know I'll be thanking to amazing women -- the director of the library and the young adult librarian at the POB library for a long time to come!!  

The Top 10 Truths that I've Learned About Writing (No Lies) This Sat. October 15 at 3 pm at P.O.B. Public Library

Reading/Reception with coffee, tea, cakes, cookies, and yes, a talk about the writing process.  The top 10 truths that I've learned about the writing process.  Hint:  Write what you know is NOT on the top 10 list.  It's not on the list at all.
I think that's one of the biggest mistakes because would be fiction writers interpret it too narrowly.  Write about what you've experienced -- in the deepest, most truthful way, from the heart, and transfer that into your story.  I didn't "know" anything about hate crimes, I never was a victim of one, never participated in any violence against anybody.  But I knew what it meant to be an outsider, to feel like you didn't belong, to be bullied for being different.  I knew what it meant to feel lost as a teenager, to want to be part of a group, almost at any cost. But the events in LIE weren't directly mine, so I incorporated what I experienced into the story and just worked on making it the best story I could.  What are your 10 ten truths about the writing process??   What else should I include??

If you are in the area I hope you can come!  See below --  poster in the hall of the POB Library-- so cool -- thank you POB Library!!
Event:  Saturday, October 15 3-4:30 pm, Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library999 Old Country Road, Plainview, NY  11803. Reading/Community Reception.  FREE.  Open to the Public!