Y.S. Lee's Blog, page 30

Red Maple!

Hello, friends. This week, the Ontario Library Association's Festival of Trees gala takes places at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. As one of the finalists (A Spy in the House is shortlisted in the Red Maple category), I should be there. I really, really, really want to be there. Trouble is, I am THIS close to my due date and it would be exciting and memorable in all the wrong ways if I were to go into labour in Toronto. (Also, I don't think the first aid tent is equipped for that kind of emergency.) So here I am in Kingston, thinking wistfully of the hundreds of voracious readers gathered in Toronto for the celebration.

I'm so glad that the organizers gave me a chance to say a very quick hello to the audience. A student will read the following greeting to the audience but I thought I'd post it here, too, so it reaches those who weren't lucky enough to score tickets to the gala.

Several years ago, my mother asked me whether I'd rather have a baby or publish a novel. I didn't even have to think about it: "novel" was my unhesitating answer, and The Agency: A Spy in the House, became both my book and my baby.

I'm a doubly lucky person, though. The reason I can't be here today, celebrating with you in person, is because I'm in Kingston, Ontario, awaiting the birth of another baby – and I don't mean the fictional type, this time. I'm so sorry to miss this party, and I hope it's a shining day for everyone. Thank you for being such passionate readers.

Congratulations to all my fellow finalists, and especially to the students who read their way through the shortlists with such verve and enthusiasm! It's been such a pleasure hearing from you.

I can still do local events, though, and on Friday, May 13, I'll be reading at Indigo Books & Music as part of the United Way's Success by 6 Week. I'll be reading from two of my favourite picture books, starting at 11.20. See you there?

All next week, I'll be chatting with members of Bookurious, where the Book Club is reading A Spy in the House. The discussion thread opens today, so if you have burning questions about Mary Quinn (oh okay, James Easton – everyone always asks about James!), do join in.

And finally, are you a Kingston-area high school student? There's a writing contest designed just for you by Kingston WritersFest 2011. (Ahem: cash prizes.) Details are here. Good luck!

You vote. I read.

My feelings about democracy are somewhat mixed in these post-election days, but I want to play a little game with you. I have time to read one more fat, juicy, delectable book (I think! I hope!) before having a baby and descending into that inevitable haze. So what should it be, friends?

Option 1: Hilary Mantel's A Place of Greater Safety.

I've had this on my TBR pile for ages. Colleen at Bookphilia raved about Wolf Hall. The French Revolution is one of the most compelling historical backgrounds I can think of. And I like and admire all the Mantel excerpts I've ever read.

But then recently, N surprised me with Option 2: Judith Flanders's The Invention of Murder.

I didn't know it was coming out. I ADORE Flanders, and suspect you already know how I feel about Victorians, crime, and detection. How can I possibly resist?

What should I do, and what should I read? I am yours to influence.

The world according to Google Alerts

Hello, friends. Like many authors, I have Google Alerts set up for each of my book titles. The material it turns up is generally not a surprise – book reviews, Goodreads discussions, all that great stuff. But sometimes, I'm downright mystified. For example, what on earth is a "smiley-face trick"?

It doesn't sound ominous, and yet it's making me a bit crazy.

And then Google found a fan-made book trailer for the Agency – the first that I know of!

Who is this person? Where did she or he find all that great B&W footage? Mysterious maker of book trailers, thank you for doing such gorgeous work on this one! If you're reading this blog post, do leave a comment!

Rebels with a Cause

Hello friends, and sorry for the blogging blip; the Gremlins of the Interweb locked me out of my site for – gasp! – almost 2 days. I know, I know: modern-day nightmares are so banal.

Anyway, this week's blog post, Rebels with a Cause, is part of YABookReads's Historical Fiction vs Dystopia showdown. Among other things, I argue that "History is about competing stories, rival interpretations, and detective work." Much as I enjoy dystopia, I think we all know which genre will prevail.

And look! It's an Agency collage!

by Zoë Lehoux, age 11

I love that Zoë sought out an image of Mary's jade pendant (near the top, left of centre). What do you think? Is it like you imagined? Thank you for letting me share your hard work, Zoë!

Young Kingston

One of the questions I often hear is, "What's it like working from home, alone, all day?" The answer, of course, depends on the day. Generally, it's bliss: just me and the Muse – and an exceedingly vocal, neurotic, high-needs cat. The writing life is all the better for online communities like Twitter, where you can jump into a conversation for 10 minutes and leave feeling amused, refreshed, and sharpened.

But sometimes, it's good to meet fellow writers in real life. The whole tenor and pace of conversation is different, face to face. When you share a physical community, you have more things in common. And it's pleasant, when writing alone, to know that someone a few blocks away is doing much the same thing. That's why I'm so pleased to announce the creation of Young Kingston, an online and real-life community for children's and YA writers in southeastern Ontario. (If you follow me on Twitter, this is the mysterious, bookish-but-non-book project I talked about a while ago.)

Check us out! Say hello! If you're a teacher or librarian, you can apply for grants to subsidize the cost of school visits from one of us. And if you're a traditionally published writer of kidlit in and around Kingston, Ontario, drop us a line. We'd love to meet you.

A Walk in the Void & Kat, Incorrigible

Hello friends! This month, Mondadori publishes the Italian edition of the second Agency novel. It's called La Detective. Passeggiata nel vuoto, which translates to The Detective: A Walk in the Void. I really, really, really wish I could read Italian.

Here's the cover:

And the full dustjacket:

What do you think?

I also have a few lovely announcements. Some French readers have asked when the third Mary Quinn novel (The Traitor and the Tunnel in English; I don't know what the French title will be), will be published by Nathan. There's no firm date yet, but it'll be early in 2012. Hurray! I'll update this as soon as I have a date for you.

This month, The Body at the Tower is the Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children's Book of the Month! Their review is here.

Deborah Sloan just told me that A Spy in the House is on the Bank St College of Education's 2011 Best Books List! If you're curious, their picks are here (as downloadable PDFs), grouped by age. Spy is on the 14 and up list.

And finally, a truly fantastic announcement that's not about me or my books: Stephanie Burgis's debut novel, Kat, Incorrigible, is published this week in North America! Huzzah!

I've raved about Steph's novel before. If you love Jane Austen, magick, sly wit, and sibling solidarity, you will adore Kat's adventures. But don't just take my word for it – read the first three chapters here! Congratulations, Steph!

A Walk in the Void

Hello friends! This month, Mondadori publishes the Italian edition of the second Agency novel. It's called La Detective. Passeggiata nel vuoto, which translates to The Detective: A Walk in the Void. I really, really, really wish I could read Italian.

Here's the cover:

And the full dustjacket:

What do you think?

I also have a couple of lovely announcements. Some French readers have asked when the third Mary Quinn novel (The Traitor and the Tunnel in English; I don't know what the French title will be), will be published by Nathan. There's no firm date yet, but it'll be early in 2012. Hurray! I'll update this as soon as I have a date for you.

And this month, The Body at the Tower is the Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children's Book of the Month! Their lovely review is here.

The alchemy of page proofs

Hello, friends. I've been hard at work on the UK page proofs of The Agency: The Traitor and the Tunnel, and had a scalp-crinkling moment yesterday. (Scalp-crinkling for a novelist, I hasten to add; not so much for, say, an ER doc or a firefighter. Yes, Writerly Melodrama R Us.)

The poet Yeats, looking (justifiably) suspicious at this summons to the blog of a YA novelist.

On the very first page of the prologue, I describe "a leathery stick of a man rolled in shreds of rotting cloth". It's a strong image, but yesterday it finally hit me: I pinched it from W. B. Yeats! In "Sailing to Byzantium" (1928), Yeats writes, "An aged man is but a paltry thing,/ A tattered coat upon a stick". Ahem. Yeats said it better than I. But my point is, I know that poem well. I've even taught it to undergraduates. So how could I slide it into my own manuscript without instantly recognizing it?

Part of it is the intensity of the writing process. I wrote the prologue quite late in the timeline, when I was feverish with words and ideas and images and time pressure. (This was in June 2010.) Then I edited it for clarity, continuity, consistency – but clearly not a readerly eye.

My two editors (one at Candlewick Press, one at Walker Books) read it (July 2010) but probably assumed I knew what I'd done. It then passed the scrutiny of a copy editor, as well (August 2010). There were a few more editorial queries about the ms in November 2010, but I haven't looked at it since. It's only in this last pass that I've had the leisure to read the book as a relative stranger – critically, even somewhat dispassionately. As someone who literally hasn't looked at the book for 4 months.

And that's the infuriating, miraculous, transformative nature of page proofs. I read them differently for a few reasons: because of the time lapse. Because the page layout is set up as it will be in the final book, so things look official. Because in a different font, the words seem less like mine. There are moments of recognition, of course – occasional pride in a bit of dialogue, but more often shame at a clunky phrase or word repetition. I'm so glad to have this last chance to fix things, every single time. I also try not to dwell on the errors that will, inevitably, escape me.

As for my Yeatsian image, I haven't decided what to do about it yet. I'm all for self-conscious homage. In past books, I've included jokes about Mary Wollstonecraft and Sherlock Holmes, and quoted Dorothy L. Sayers, among other things.

But this one? Not sure. I'm very glad I caught it, but still feel startled that it took me so long to do so. So I'll sit on it for now, work through the remaining pages, and see what I think tomorrow or the next day. Maybe a few days of self-consciousness will transform it from theft to homage. Or maybe not.

Pretty Pink Girls, part 2

Two weeks ago, a reader left a comment on the blog in response to my "Pretty Pink Girl" post. His comment raised some questions that deserve a serious response, and so today I'm writing about choices, angry women, and the illusion of what's "natural". Today's post is framed as a Q&A between me and the commenter, but I hope he understands that I'm not picking on him specifically; instead, I think his comments are a good way to continue a conversation about feminism. I've abbreviated his comments but not changed words within sentences. For the original comment, click here. And now, let's talk.

Commenter [about Pink's video "Stupid Girls"]: Stupid girls? I hardly think girls choosing to conform to society's norms are stupid. It's their choice whether they wish to lead or be led. That's a point of character not everyone thinks like you. And I don't see girls brooding over the fact that they have to wear tights as fashion dictates. They seem to actually like being part of the normal fashionable crowd. And from what I've heard from a teacher and girl, they wear it to attract boys.

Ying: The idea of freedom of choice is a tricky one. We consider ourselves to be independent, thinking individuals with a range of options. Yet we don't choose in a vacuum; we're influenced by thousands of factors in our environments, our histories, and our characters. People (not just girls) may choose whether "they wish to lead or be led", but that apparently simple choice is deceptive. We choose (or are influenced) at every moment; not every choice is conscious; and although we can justify our "choices" as much as we please, it's foolish to deny that we're influenced by our surroundings. I think that's what Pink is getting at, in a crude way. One can "choose" to act/dress like a so-called "stupid girl", but whatever the decision, the "stupid girl" image exists and it is powerful.

And "they wear it to attract boys"? A lot of girls – "stupid" or not – would disagree with this. Many would say that they're doing it for themselves, not others. We're back to the problem of "choice", all over again.

C: [about Katie Makkai's poem, "Pretty", included in the "Pretty Pink Girl" post] That Katie Makkai person seems to be going through PMS, because I don't see why the faults of a single mother should indict our society and media as brainwashing the youth.

Y: Three points, here. First, Katie Makkai is a performance artist and in that video she's performing anger, not going off on an uncontrolled rant. This is key. Second, the accusation of PMS is based on crude stereotypes and bad science. Not all women experience PMS; of those who do, it doesn't necessarily manifest as emotional imbalance. Third, Makkai is making a point about physical perfection. Her poem is less about a specific mother and more about the pressure to be pretty – however one defines and tries to achieve it. The mother in the poem is a symbol.

C: Were educated enough to see through [media brainwashing], if anything my one blaring memory of high school was our teachers warning us about the evils of media. Were well informed to make our own choices, if some girl or guy decides to start obsessing about attaining some picture of perfection in her head then that's her fault for not having the sense to see through it.

Y: Again, we consider ourselves sophisticated and media-savvy but studies continue to demonstrate that we fall for marketing guff all the time. It works. That's why marketers spend so much money on it. When blaming individuals "for not having the sense to see through it", we're blaming the victim – a person who is clearly less savvy than we consider ourselves. Do we just leave the naïve to fend for themselves and congratulate ourselves on our superior intelligence? I hope not.

C: But I'm kind of envious of women, you certainly have more choices that us guys that's for sure.

Y: That's something that needs to change, too. I want to live in a world where men and women have equal numbers of genuine choices.

C: Men on the other hand well…you can say the days of male domination are at an end.

Y: The statistics – on salaries, on domestic violence, on gender imbalance in positions of power – say otherwise. Have you seen the Daniel Craig/Judi Dench short film commissioned for this year's International Women's Day?

C: Though I don't mind homosexuals I'm just not comfortable with them, which I think is the norm among men. It's just not natural (And hence why I'm a part of the bigger problem too, lol). I can see my ignorance but I can't deal with it, its just the way things really are.

Y: It's difficult grappling with prejudice, and acknowledging one's ignorance is the first step in dealing with it. But the idea of something being "natural" is itself an illusion. There's a long list of things that were formerly thought "natural" – from the sun orbiting the earth to white-skinned people being more intelligent than others – that we now know to be utter nonsense. What we consider "natural" is specific to our time, place, and culture.

Whew. And now back to you, readers. I look forward to your comments.

Women doing literary things

This week's blog post is over at Women Doing Literary Things, a new series created by critic and blogger Niranjana Iyer in response to VIDA's survey on women in publishing . My post is called "Money, Literature, Domesticity", and it's my attempt to puzzle through some of the contradictions, triumphs, and frustrations of being one of them. I'd love to hear your thoughts.