Carol Matas's Blog, page 8

Just Kidding!

Well, I really wasn't kidding. We really thought we had our new cover. But then we changed our minds.
OKAY!
This is truly the final, final cover!
And Thursday I sent the final copyedit to my editor so we are getting very close to publication. Fall for sure.


Visit Carol Matas at http://www.carolmatas.com

Finally! We Have Our Cover.

Here is the final cover for Who Am I?


We must have done—and by "we," I mean my publisher Fictive Press—at least 50 different cover mock-ups.  I kid you not! A big thanks to Fictive Press for going the extra mile.

We tested the covers with students at Grant Park High and Laidlaw School here in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and as far away as the The Alfred & Adele Davis Academy in Atlanta, Georgia! In the end, this is our final choice.

A big thrill for me as a writer to be included in the deliberations. Usually, it's a take-it-or-leave-it attitude from publishers—and you have to take it! Sometimes you do get to offer feedback but usually it is a done deal by the time you see the cover. I must admit I've had a few meltdowns over the years when I first saw the cover for a new book. And the opposite. At some point, I will post some of my favourite covers.

Meanwhile the edit is ongoing and Fictive Press is aiming to have this book out as a fall release. So I'd better get back to work!

Visit Carol Matas at http://www.carolmatas.com

The Minds Series has just been reissued!!

Thrilled to report that The Minds Series is now out in beautiful new covers created by Asa Nodelman, designed by Tara Smilinski and photographed by Robert Wilson. Hopefully, like any good fantasy series, this one will be just as relevant to a new generation of readers as the last iteration. It was so much fun writing this series with my friend and co writer Perry Nodelman. In fact, it all started with Perry playing his usual role of first critic and editor of all my first drafts. Except when he critiqued Of Two Minds he had a much better idea of how to rewrite it than I did and in a rather sarcastic manner I believe I said something like, "If you're so smart why don't you do it."

So he did! At first Perry wrote the male character Coren and I wrote Lenora and we went back and forth like that draft after draft until I started getting annoyed with Coren who I thought was too weak and Perry started getting annoyed with Lenora who he thought was too bossy and at that point we started writing alternative drafts changing both characters and finally finding a happy medium.

The books are about a young woman and young man—one who can make anything she imagines real, and one who lives entirely in his imagination where reality is better than the physical world. The two are misfits in their worlds because neither likes or appreciates their gifts. So naturally their parents arrange for them to marry. Of course! Needless to say all does not go smoothly. Or even well. The two of them find themselves pitted against a particularly dangerous villain in the first book—and they can only survive—together—much to each other's dismay.


Visit Carol Matas at http://www.carolmatas.com

The Hunt for the Best Cover Continues

A cover is so important—so we asked lots of young people and adults which cover they liked best. A big thank you to everyone who participated in our informal survey, including students at The Alfred & Adele Davis Academy #davis5 in Atlanta, Georgia, and at Grant Park High and Laidlaw schools in Winnipeg, Manitoba. A special thank you to Bonnie Brask for her outstanding photos and artwork on our test covers.

It was a fascinating exercise even though there was no consensus. The best part was hearing what young people had to say, why they liked or disliked a particular cover, what they thought the cover was telling them. For example, we were super interested to learn that most students didn't know about the DNA helix, and didn't recognize that it was being used as a motif on several different covers. Because of that new info, I am going to add an afterword about the DNA strand and have my publisher add it as a graphic element in the novel's layout. So a huge help just in those terms for the book itself.

Below are the last six cover choices we presented to the classes. Which cover do you prefer, and why?

I will be posting our final choice any day now...





Visit Carol Matas at http://www.carolmatas.com

Book Covers For "Who am I?"

I am very lucky that Fictive Press has made me a partner vis a vis choosing and even helping to create the cover for my new book Who Am I? We have considered all sorts. Here are a couple:

   
But we have ended up with something else altogether. I will post it soon. It's such an important decision, but I am really happy with the one we have chosen.Visit Carol Matas at http://www.carolmatas.com

Human Cloning!

So just as I am into the edit of my series about the first human clone this article appears. It is so close to what I have written I feel a little scared, vindicated, psychic, and discombobulated.
My updated and revised series has never been published  in the United States so for all you readers it'll be brand new.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/hum...

Visit Carol Matas at http://www.carolmatas.com

Meet Barbara Bietz

Barbara was kind enough to be my third guest ever on my blog! Here's our Q&A:

First of all why a Jewish book blog? http://jewishbooksforkids.comMy first book Like a Maccabee, was a Jewish children's book and when it was published I became aware of the incredible community of parents, teacher, librarians, readers, and more who are interested in books with Jewish content. My idea was to create a blog community that celebrated Jewish books for kids in an accessible way. I love interviewing authors, illustrators, editors, and others who can share back story that makes their work even more interesting! As an author, I also know the challenges of marketing a new book and I am happy to support authors by helping to spread the word about their work. On a more personal level, reading books about Jewish kids was very important to me as a young reader. My childhood and my Jewish identity were partly formed by reading All-of-a-Kind Family books. If the right book lands in a child's hands it can be life changing. To be part of a community that fosters that experience is amazing.

How do you choose the books to read?
I'm always reading! The interviews on my blog tend to happen organically. Sometimes I contact an author and sometimes authors or publishers reach out to me. I also meet many people at writer's conferences and workshops. The children's writing world is a warm and lovely place to be and there are always new people to meet.

What about this blogging process has surprised you the most?
Meeting and connecting with others who love children's books has been more fulfilling than I could have imagined. Because of my blog I feel like I have friends all over the world - like you!

What has inspired/encouraged you the most?
I am constantly inspired by the people I interview. When I meet someone who enjoyed my blog I'm so tickled. Writing can be isolating and having the blog has enabled me to reach out and connect with others who share my passions. I'm also really proud that I am able to share books that reflect all aspects of the Jewish experience.

What has discouraged/ticked you off, you the most?
TECHNOLOGY! Oy vey. As a creative person I was not prepared for the learning curve. I learn something new almost every time I post. In the end, I have conquered many technology fears so it's ultimately a good thing, despite being discouraging at times.

Barbara Bietz is the creator of the web site Jewish Books for Kids and a former chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, which honors exceptional works about the Jewish experience. Barbara’s chapter book, Like a Maccabee, received the 2006 Midwest Independent Publishers Association Merit Award. Barbara's next book The Sundown Kid (August House) will be released in 2016. Her favorite part about being an author? Visiting schools, meeting young readers, and eating lunch in the cafeteria—especially when it’s grilled cheese day! Barbara lives with her family in Oak Park, California.




Visit Carol Matas at http://www.carolmatas.com

Meet my second guest ever - Deborah Kalb!

So I am thrilled to add Deborah to my guest list! She kindly hosted me over at her blog, and now I'd like to return the favour!
Deborah Kalb is a freelance writer, editor, and blogger. She spent about two decades working as a journalist in Washington, D.C., for news organizations including Gannett News Service, Congressional Quarterly, U.S. News & World Report, and The Hill, mostly covering Congress and politics. She is the co-author, with her father, Marvin Kalb, of Haunting Legacy: Vietnam and the American Presidency from Ford to Obama (Brookings, 2011), and she’s also the co-author or co-editor of two books published by CQ Press (The Presidents, First Ladies, and Vice Presidents; and State of the Union: Presidential Rhetoric from Woodrow Wilson to George W. Bush). She started her blog, Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb (found at deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com), in October 2012, and has interviewed hundreds of authors—including Carol Matas!—about their books.

Here are some questions I ask Deborah- and her answers!
Q: How do you choose your authors?
A: I look through lists of upcoming books, I read book reviews, I ask friends if they know of anyone with a book coming out soon, and I keep an eye out in general for authors and books that seem interesting. Also, authors and their publicists often get in touch with me to ask if I’d like to interview them/their author. It’s a real pleasure to learn about so many great books before they’re published!
Q: How do you manage to find the time to read all the books?
A: I’ve always been a really fast reader, so that helps! The books I focus on are ones I tend to want to read anyway. When I was a journalist covering politics and Congress, one of my favorite things to do when I wasn’t running around Capitol Hill on deadline was to head over to the “free book table” in the newsroom to check out the review copies and pick some to review. Now, it’s as if I have the free book table appearing at my doorstep, which is wonderful for a lifelong lover of books!
Q: Do you have a favourite genre?
A: No, not really. The blog can definitely be described as “eclectic.” It includes fiction, mystery, children’s books, memoirs, biography, politics, history, science, sports, music, and more.
Q: How do you choose your questions?
A: That’s a good question! I come up with ideas as I become more familiar with the book and the author. For fiction, I like to ask the author about how they developed their characters and plot. For nonfiction, I like to find out more about how they chose their subject and what they learned from their research. But that’s just the beginning—often, if it’s a phone interview, the conversation will go in directions I hadn’t planned, and that’s always fascinating!
Q: Is there anything you would like to tell us about blogging and about your blog in particular?
A: I worked as a print journalist for almost 20 years, and now am a freelance writer and editor as well as a blogger. I guess I’m part of the large cohort of middle-aged journalists who have seen our profession change and are trying to reinvent ourselves by using our journalism skills in related areas.  My blog is one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done professionally—I’ve read so many incredible books and met so many amazing people since starting the blog two-plus years ago!

Visit Carol Matas at http://www.carolmatas.com

Introducing My First Ever Guest- Barbara Krasner

Barbara Krasner has been kind enough to host me on her blog, https://thewholemegillah.wordpress.com and I'd like to host her here so I'm diving in!

First a little bit about Barbara. When I say a little I mean- wow- she's amazing!

Barbara Krasner, http://www.barbarakrasner.com is a writer and historian. She is the author of two picture books and more than 200 articles for adults and young readers. Her literary work has appeared or is forthcoming in Nimrod, Paterson Literary Review, Jewish Women’s Literary Annual, Jewishfiction.net, Lilith, Poetica, and numerous other journals. She teaches expository and creative writing at William Paterson University. She holds a B.A. in German, M.B.A. in Marketing, M.F.A. in Writing for Children, and is now pursuing an M.A. in public history. She often writes about women and on Holocaust themes. She has most recently served on Association of Jewish Libraries’ Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee and is the editor and publisher of The Whole Megillah | The Writer’s Resource for Jewish Story. 
Her blog is remarkable so I asked her to tell me how it got started and what she is trying to accomplish with it. Here is her answer:

As a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), I’d been hearing for some time about the importance of having a blog. Problem was, I was wearing so many hats I didn’t know where to focus. I was a corporate marketer and copywriter, a children’s writer, a journalist, a genealogist, a poet, a fiction writer, and so on. Then one day in May of 2010, while my car was being serviced at the dealership, I was doing my daily Morning Pages ala Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way and it came to me. I would create a service-oriented blog for Jewish children’s writers. I’d feature interviews with agents, authors, illustrators, editors, and publicists. I’d do book reviews. I’d talk about repositories for historical information. And I launched the blog that afternoon. In 2012, after attending the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) conference for the first time, I was inspired to expand the blog to include fiction, memoir, and poetry for adults. My blog led to an invitation to apply for a seat on the prestigious Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee (they liked the way I did book reviews). I am just finishing up my four-year tour of duty with that committee. I think the blog was also instrumental in my nomination last year for the first Groner-Wikler Scholarship in recognition of dedication to Jewish children’s literature. I’m delighted to say I received the award.

The blog continues to challenge me: what else can I offer to this market? The blog includes a page of author services provided by a number of professionals and a page of conferences. Followers have told me which services they’d like to see in the future, so I just launched an online fiction class and plan to offer it again late spring as well as an online memoir class. I will admit I took a break from the blog last semester when I was dealing with cancer and radiation treatment.

Some have suggested that I monetize The Whole Megillah. I am dead-set against it. I want the blog to continue to be pure service. Every conference I attend, every book I read (I continue to review children’s books—usually Holocaust-related—for both the Association of Jewish Libraries and Jewish Book World) stimulates my thinking about the blog.

I love the idea of writing history for young people and am just waiting for my copy of Goldie Takes A Stand to arrive.

I asked Barbara to share how she came to write her picture books. I asked if being a poet helped her while writing picture books for children. Here's what she had to say about that.



I was writing prose well before writing poetry, which I write only for adult audiences. My training as a picture book writer comes from two mentors: editor Carolyn Yoder and award-winning author Candy Fleming. I’ve worked closely with both of them in the past to learn how to create tension, how to create a dummy and then streamline, and how to craft a difficult story based on complex truth for young readers. I also receive lots of feedback from others who write and publish historical picture books and whose opinions I respect and value.

I don’t picture the book – I leave that to the illustrator. But in the case of Liesl, I had thumbnails of lots of photographs from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. My original intent was to write a nonfiction picture book, but it didn’t have the dramatic turns I needed so I fictionalized. Gihon River Press decided on the illustration. I’m a big fan of Avi Katz’s work and I’m delighted with his interpretation.

Both Liesl’s Ocean Rescue and Goldie Takes a Stand demonstrate a kid can take action, even if that action seems small.










Visit Carol Matas at http://www.carolmatas.com

Blog Tour for Tucson Jo!

So I've been on a blog tour for Tucson Jo and really really enjoyed meeting the bloggers, answering their questions and sometimes being forced to think about things I hadn't considered because of the questions!

Here are the links:

 Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb

Jewish Books for Kids with author/blogger Barbara Bietz

The Canadian Balance with author/blogger Anna Levine

The Whole Megillah by author/historian Barbara KrasnerVisit Carol Matas at http://www.carolmatas.com