Holly Cupala's Blog, page 8

Story Secrets Winners!

Thanks to all of you patient readers out there - today we have lots of Story Secrets winners to announce!

BALLADS OF SUBURBIA by Stephanie Kuehnert

Ashley (Basically Amazing Books)!!!

THE LATTE REBELLION by Sarah Jamila Stevensonjpetroroy (Stacked)!!!

STORK by Wendy DelsolErin (Bookish in a Box)!!!

WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE by Caridad FerrerKasey (Kasey's Book Blog)!!!

Winners, please contact me here with the necessary particulars to get your prizes out to you. Thanks again to everyone for supporting Story Secrets!

Story Secrets: A GIRL NAMED MISTER by Nikki Grimes + giveaway!

I have so much admiration for Nikki Grimes, poet and author, for our final Story Secrets guest. (In fact, one of the characters in Tell Me a Secret was a little bit inspired by my experience of her when I went to a writing conference several years ago - can you guess which one?).

So I am very pleased to chat with her today to find out some of the secrets behind A GIRL NAMED MISTER, her latest verse novel. And her publisher is generously giving away two copies! You can win one by posting a comment here and on the readergirlz blog.

Welcome, Nikki!

*****

A GIRL NAMED MISTER is a book about a girl wrestling with her faith, her sexuality, and the point at which both intersect. It is also a story about choices and the consequences they may lead to.

Mister was not an entirely planned book, nor was it entirely organic. I'll explain. I'd considered, at some point, tackling the subject of teen pregnancy. However, I had no specific idea of when or how I might approach it. Then, one summer, while at a conference, Ann Martin (A Corner of the Universe) and I started tossing around the idea of collaborating on a book. It was an intriguing notion for me, not being in the habit of working with another author in that way. Later, in my hotel room, I jotted down some possible ideas that I thought might work for both of us. I love doing multiple voices, and especially like creating parallel stories that wed the biblical with the contemporary. The next morning, I suggested that we create a book called Mary, Mary, written from the P.O.V. of Mary, mother of Jesus, and a contemporary teen named Mary. I thought Ann might take on the contemporary teen, while I tackled the biblical character. Ann found the idea interesting, but ultimately felt it wasn't right for her, so I set it aside, and worked up a second possible theme.

As it happens, I never quite got around to developing that second idea, because I was unable to shake the first one. Mister introduced herself to me and, once she started talking, she would simply not shut up. I eventually committed to telling her story because she wouldn't let me go until I did!

The final shape of the book was a surprise to me. I originally structured it as a straight parallel story, similar to the format I used in Dark Sons. However, the early drafts of MISTER were not working in that format, so I was forced to rethink how best to balance Mary's story with Mister's. Donna Bray, my editor at that time, suggested that I find a way to fold Mary's story into Mister's, and the solution I came up with was to have Mary's story be a book which Mister read during the course of her own journey.

This was an extremely challenging book to write. I constructed, deconstructed, and reconstructed the manuscript more times than I can count. To make matters worse, I underwent two changes of editor, and one change of publisher from the time I began this work until the time it was finally published. I would finish the manuscript for one editor, only to have the next one come in and require additional changes, rewrites, etc., then have a third come in and do likewise. I honestly began to wonder if this story would ever see the light of day.

I had useful critique from Montage, my arts group with whom I share all of my works-in-progress. I also benefited from the help of a wonderful reader, Amy Malskeit, throughout. She gave me thoughtful feedback on each major draft, as did my agent, Elizabeth Harding. My work with Amy was very symbiotic because, as she was helping me with my book, I was helping her with her own. She also kept me encouraged on those days when I was close to tossing every single draft of the manuscript into the trash bin! I also got a major boost from a young reader who was, at the time, the same age as Mister. She felt the story empowered her to make good choices for her own life! The book took roughly two and half years from start to finish.

I brought quite a bit of personal experience to bear on this project. I had a child when I was young, though not as young as Mister. (I was nineteen.) I struggled with some of the same questions she and Mary had to wrestle with. I certainly remember the awkwardness and discomfort of being pregnant, the fear of the delivery room, and all that went with it. I remember the emotional isolation of being cut off from the baby's father—the fear of that, of being all alone with the crushing responsibility of having a child. It was not a stretch for me to climb into the skins of Mister and Mary to explore their emotional journey. As for the spiritual component of the story, I interviewed a few young women raised in the church who experienced teen pregnancy, then struggled with the same guilt, doubts, and questions Mister faced regarding her faith, and her place in God's heart after breaking his law.

I hope readers will come away from the book understanding what a huge decision it is become sexually active; how life altering it is to have a baby; how important it is to think through your choices. I hope the reader will begin to calculate the potential cost of giving in to pressure to have sex before you are ready, before you are prepared—not just physically, but emotionally.

Next up is a middle grade novel from Bloomsbury called Planet Middle School. After MISTER, I was ready for something a little lighter, something with humor at its base. Planet Middle School comes out next fall.

*****

Thank you, Nikki! Readers, take a look at this moving trailer:





THE GIVEAWAY: TWO COPIES OF A GIRL NAMED MISTER

You have until midnight on Monday to leave a meaningful comment about the book, Nikki's interview, or your own personal struggles with difficult circumstances or faith. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.

Author Q&A: readers, reading, and DBAW secrets!

Cass from Words on Paper asks:


What do you hope readers will gain from reading Tell Me A Secret?

Many ideas went into this book — so many questions I ponder about relationships and time and the universe, and how different people can experience the same events and come away with completely different memories. If I had to boil it down to one or two things I hope readers will take away, I'd say you can't find yourself in other people, and the past does not have to define the future.


What has been your favourite aspect of being an author so far?

Getting to connect with readers, definitely! It has been a privilege.



How did you come up with the idea for Don't Breathe A Word?

Years ago, I had an idea for a girl who fakes being homeless (she was going to be maybe a cheerleader by day, and she spends time on the streets after school). I'd sort of forgotten about that when a couple of years ago my friend who was a youth pastor was looking for donations - socks, toiletries, etc., to take to the homeless teens in Seattle.

Quite suddenly, I had this picture of a girl who runs away for real. She meets up with a group of homeless kids and has to make a terrible decision. When I actually started writing, this boyfriend...Asher...came out of nowhere. He was dark and sexy and menacing, and it turns out he's intimately tied to her reasons for running away. Much of the writing process was figuring out her secret reasons - at first, they were secret even from me...

Anyway, I can't wait to see what you think about it.

Thank you, Cass, for your questions!

Thanks to the UW Information School!

Liz Gallagher and I got to chat about readergirlz and YA this weekend with a roomful of librarians and future librarians at the UW Information School's iYouth Conference - a fantastic event! If they sound familiar, perhaps it's because you've seen this?




The brilliant spoof came out of the very same library school, and we even got to meet some of the stars and their friends! These are definitely some cheeky librarians and information specialists, and we were honored to be there. Bonus: we got to hear keynoter Nancy Pearl tell her meaningful stories about the importance of children's and teen librarians and meet many educators dedicated to the future of learning. Thank you so much for inviting us!

Author Q&A: Plotter or Pantser?

Kailia Sage asked, "Are you a plotter or a pranster? If you're a plotter, how do you go about plotting your book (Detailed outlines, bullet points, etc.)?"

A little bit of both, I'd say. I seem to get ideas all at once, like a movie trailer in my mind, with all of the major characters and conflicts and dramatic arc—it's the details of getting from one crucial point to the next that are the challenge. When the idea for TELL ME A SECRET came, I was at a writing conference with friends. Suddenly the whole thing flashed through my mind like a movie trailer—a story about this girl whose bad-girl older sister had died mysteriously, with all kinds of secrets and a romance and a pregnancy to blow everything apart. So I wrote it down as fast as I could. The details bloomed along the way—as did many of the secrets.

For DON'T BREATHE A WORD, I'd had this idea about a runaway for quite some time (actually, I thought she was going to fake homelessness), and one day I was sitting in church and heard the youth department was collecting toiletries and backpacks for the street teens who hung out one block over on Broadway. All of a sudden, the entire story hit me—sort of like TMAS did, like a movie trailer in my mind. When I got home, I wrote out a fifteen page outline. I started researching and writing notes, and the story grew. (In fact, one character's appearance really surprised me and became central to Joy's secrets...)

Thank you for the question, Kalia Sage!

Story Secrets: WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE by Caridad Ferrer + giveaway!

I've known of Barbara Caridad Ferrer (well-published author of teen and adult lit, known as Barb to her friends) in teenlit circles for a while now, so I was very excited when I found out she was moving Seattle - even better to meet her in person and find out she really is as saucy and generous and funny as you would expect her to be!

I'm very pleased to welcome her today to Story Secrets to spill some secrets about her latest YA novel, WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE. Plus she has promised a signed book to one US winner (see details below).

Welcome, Caridad!

*****

WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE a contemporary reimagining of Bizet's CARMEN, where a career army officer falls in love with a sultry gypsy and gives up everything for her, only to be overthrown for the flamboyant bullfighter. My version is set against the world of drum and bugle corps, where my army officer becomes a disciplined musician, my gyspy is a talented dancer and my bullfighter is a cocky soccer player from Spain. (Read an excerpt here.)


Holly Cupala: music, dancing, bullfighting...STARS has everything! How did the idea strike you?

Caridad Ferrer: One the original story has everything that makes for a great story-- drama, passion, intrigue, a love triangle, betrayals-- plus I'd always wanted to set a story against the world of competitive drum and bugle corps, since it was an activity I was extremely involved in, as an adolescent.


Holly: I've been hearing a lot about this book's unusual trip to the shelves. Will you tell us about it?

Caridad: This book had a pretty twisting journey. It was originally acquired by a different publishing house, but after a lot of work with my editor on the project, the publisher decided it wasn't right for them. After that, I made a huge overhaul in my professional life—revised the manuscript yet again, and my new agent sold it to St. Martin's which has been just the perfect home for it.


Holly: It takes a lot of courage to keep going with a book even after disappointments. Did you feel like you grew as a writer in the process?

Caridad: It really forced me to examine what was important to me about writing. In the process of revising the book for the original publisher, I made some choices that I didn't think were in the best interest of the story because I was trying so hard to be the Good Author. What would have happened, if the publisher hadn't decided the story wasn't right for them? Would I have been anywhere near as proud of the finished product as I am now? It was quite the eye-opener. I resolved to really think hard about how best to serve the story in the future.


Holly: What inspires you most?

Caridad: Without a doubt, music. It's both a constant, yet always evolving. It's one of my favorite parts of writing—listening to music for inspiration.


Holly: I can see your love of the arts - music is a huge theme in Adios to My Old Life, and drama in It's Not About the Accent. What do you most hope your readers will take away from STARS?

Caridad: I hope they'll fall as in love with my characters as I did. That they'll understand why each of them did what they did throughout the course of the story-- there are no black and white good guys or bad guys. Everyone has their weaknesses that might prompt them to behave in less-than-stellar ways. It's how we react and learn from those moments that's important.


Holly: Any secrets you might be willing to share?

Caridad: That I'm always surprised that people read me as confident because I'm always, ALWAYS terrified when my books go out into the real world and I know people are reading them.

Also, I'm deathly afraid of ants.


Holly: What's up next?

Caridad: I'm working on a couple of new stories, one a YA and one an adult, and they're both very different from anything I've tried before, so fingers crossed they work!

*****

Thanks so much, Barb~Caridad!


AND NOW THE GIVEAWAY
You have until midnight on Monday to leave a comment on one of the following: a) why you'd love to read WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE; b) why you love reading about the arts in YA lit; c) if you've persevered on a project (whether it succeeded or failed) and what you learned from the process.

BONUS if you can tell me where the novel's title comes from!

Comment away!

Incredible Conference Alert

As if coming to Seattle and basking in the year-round cloud cover and drizzle (and occasional sunbreaks that truly make it all worthwhile) were not enough...

...get ready for the SCBWI Western Washington Annual Conference!

Yes, these organizers are my friends and colleagues whom I love to death, but I can honestly say they put on a SMASHING event - they are absolute pros at bringing tip-top talent.
Holly Black, anyone? E. Lockhart? S&S VP Justin Chanda, Editorial Director Lionel Bender?

And...DANCE PARTY. Dance Party? Wow.

If you are an artist or writer hoping to break into the business (or even if you're already published and are looking for cutting edge marketing and publicity tips), this is a can't-miss conference. I owe so much of what I've learned to the wonderful people at SCBWI and am happy to pass it on.

Here are the full details:


See you there?

Story Secrets: STORK by Wendy Delsol + giveaway!

Today I'm excited to have debut author Wendy Delsol on the blog to chat about her contemporary myth-come-to-life, STORK - plus she has generously included a giveaway (see below for details).

I met Wendy through the awesome new YA blog, YA Outside the Lines, and am very pleased to welcome her!

*****

Borrowing from Norse mythology, STORK is the story of Katla (Kat) LeBlanc, a sixteen year old who—following her parents' divorce—moves from L.A. to her mother's small Minnesota hometown of Icelandic heritage. With the school year already off to a bad start, Kat's world is further upended when she is mysteriously summoned to a meeting of the local Stork Society: women with the responsibility of matching the undecided of hovering souls with the right mother. Kat is their newest—and youngest ever—member. As if this discovery wasn't burden enough, Kat soon meets Jack, an aloof classmate to whom she senses an inexplicable connection. Additionally, when Kat finds herself in more than one life-threatening situation, she suspects that someone or something wants her out of town.


Holly Cupala: I love to hear the stories behind the story –what is the story behind STORK?

Wendy Delsol: A long time ago, while watching the TV show Unsolved Mysteries, there was a segment about a young boy who claimed to have a pre-birth memory of flying above the earth and choosing his mother. The story stuck with me. Years later, when spinning what-ifs for a YA paranormal, I paired that story with the symbolic image of childbirth: a bundle-bearing stork. The next step was to create an ancient society of human Storks who have the ability to guide undecided souls.


Holly: What led you to YA as a genre?

Wendy: I tend to have aha moments while walking or driving. This one came while driving to a writers' conference in September of '08. Prior to STORK, I had written three novels in the women's fiction genre. I had already made the decision to give YA a try and knew that paranormal stories were popular within the genre. This was peak Twilight mania, so I knew that vampires and werewolves were hot. I was also aware that angels and fairies were doing well. Nonetheless, I intentionally conceptualized something different, in the hopes of standing out.


Holly: Did the process take you anywhere unexpected, either in writing or in life?

Wendy: I didn't start writing novels until I was—gasp—post forty. Following months of debilitating migraines and forty-five minutes in a tumor-hunting MRI machine, I vowed to chase a long-secret dream: writing books. Eight years later, with a novel on bookshelves and two more coming out in 2011, it has, without a doubt, been the ride of my life.


Holly: How long did it take you to write STORK, and did you have to go through a lot of drafts? Did the story evolve as you revised?

Wendy: I have described my state of mind while writing Stork as fueled. The story consumed me day and night. Despite a sports injury to my right arm that left me hunting and pecking with my left, I had a first draft in five months. I obtained my agent, Jamie Brenner of Artists and Artisans, with that first draft. Based on her editorial suggestions, I did one rewrite before she shopped it around.



Holly: Has any of Kat's story come from your own life?

Wendy: It's no coincidence that my protagonist was the new girl in town. My husband's job had recently moved our family from L.A. to Iowa, a move that was financially sound, but difficult nonetheless. Kat's loneliness and homesickness were all emotions that I—even as an adult—was struggling with.


Holly: What do you most hope your readers will take away?

Wendy: I hope that readers will admire Kat's spunk, confidence, and resilience. It would be gratifying, too, if readers find some of the wisdom of the older Stork women, Hulda in particular, as thought provoking.


Holly: The names in STORK are so interesting. How did you come to them?

Wendy: I love character names and often select them based on their meaning or etymology. Katla, for instance, is the name of a volcano in Iceland. Her last name LeBlanc ("the white" in French) symbolizes a white bird as well as the term white witch for a benevolent practitioner of magic.


Holly: What's up next?

Wendy: STORK's sequel, FROST, is written and scheduled for release (again with Candlewick) in September of 2011. An adult novel, The McCloud Home for Wayward Girls, will be published (by Berkley Books, an imprint of Penguin) on August 2, 2011. I also need to get cracking on book three (as yet untitled) in the Stork trilogy. Guess what I'll be doing this winter?

*****

I'm looking forward to it, Wendy, and thank you for stopping by!

STORK GIVEAWAY
Readers, what did you think of Wendy and the story behind STORK? Tell us what you think! Just leave a meaningful comment below before midnight on Monday, and one lucky US resident will win!

Author Q&A: rejections and publishing

Gabrielle Carolina asks:

How many rejection letters you received before your acceptance?

TMAS received a pre-empt offer from one of several interested editors...so I never really got a rejection for that book. However...I do have a lovely collection of rejection letters from various stories and picture book manuscripts from before I started writing YA. So if you are subbing manuscripts and getting rejection letters, don't let that stop you from working harder on your stories and trying again!


When did it 'click' for you that TMAS would be published?

I was about to board a plane for an SCBWI writing conference when my agent called with the news that my publisher wanted two books. I don't think I needed a plane - I floated all by myself to the conference! Then my incredibly sweet and always supportive husband sent a gigantic bouquet of roses. (!)


Where did you see your first shelved copy?

On the day my book released, my niece and I headed to Third Place Books (one of our wonderful local indie stores!) to see it on the shelf and to sign all of the copies they had. It was an amazing day, after working hard for many years!

Story Secrets: THE LATTE REBELLION by Sarah Jamila Stevenson + giveaway!

Thanks to the cafés cropping up on every street corner these days, everyone I know seems to be two steps ahead of a caffeine headache - but Sarah Jamila Stevenson, debut author, has an answer: THE LATTE REBELLION. It just hit the shelves this week and promises to be a funny, thoughtful look at a mixed-race girl who must choose her convictions in an increasingly mixed-up world.

readergirlz co-founder Justina Chen (NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL) says, "Get ready to start your own rebellion after gulping down Sarah Stevenson's deftly written, multi-layered story about growing a voice, growing apart, and most of all, growing up girl."

I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah at a kidlit blogger conference a few years ago and am so proud to see her book on the shelf!

Welcome, Sarah!

*****

Asha Jamison, the narrator, and her best friends, Carey and Miranda, decide to make their senior year a little more interesting by creating a fictitious social movement for students of mixed ethnicity: the Latte Rebellion. The proceeds from the t-shirts they sell will go straight into a vacation fund for after they graduate. But their movement gains a life of its own, and various aspects of Asha's life spin out of control as a result—in some good ways as well as not-so-good ways.


Holly Cupala: Welcome to the blog, Sarah! I heard you've had some pretty fascinating stops on the road to publishing this book. Will you tell us about it?

Sarah Jamila Stevenson: It allowed to me to realize one of my geeky lifelong aspirations—to be on NPR! When I was working on the first draft of The Latte Rebellion, it was National Novel Writing Month. A local NPR program, Insight (Capital Public Radio), was doing a segment on NaNoWriMo and posted a call for volunteers to appear on the show along with NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty. I was one of those selected, and I got to read a passage from my work-in-progress on the air. It's the third and final segment on this show.

Of course, my real dream is to be some kind of expert whose sound advice and/or witty commentary is regularly sought on NPR, but I suspect that'll probably stay a pipe dream.


Holly: I would tune in to hear you on NPR, definitely. When you are in-progress on a novel, do you talk about your ideas, or do you keep them top secret?

Sarah: If I get stuck, or, conversely, if I'm particularly excited about something, I often talk it through with my husband. He always has a unique take on things, and he's got an uncanny ability to guess where a story might be heading, so he often has plot-related suggestions that keep me from making the story too predictable.

Sometimes I'll bring the ideas to my writing group, but usually I wait until I've got things solidly underway (i.e., until I've got a clear idea of where the story's heading and have several chapters written) before I open myself up to feedback. It can be difficult to stay on track if I'm struggling with a "too much input" situation.

As far as everyone else—I'm pretty secretive! Mainly this is because I prefer to have a clearer sense of what the project is about before I start talking about it. The only exception is when I'm specifically looking for an outside perspective on the story—then I might go into more detail.


Holly: Asha's story runs deep into difficult cultural territory. Did her story come out of your life experiences?

Sarah: The fact that, like my main character Asha, I'm also of mixed ethnicity--that certainly influenced my decision to even write Asha's story in the first place. Some of her experiences are definitely inspired by my own high school years—being an overachiever, being very focused on getting into a good college, but also trying to stay balanced in other areas of my life.

Unlike Asha, however, I was not a social activist by any means! I was far more introverted and cautious in many respects. However, one of the volunteer activities I do off and on is interview local high school students for the UC Berkeley Alumni Leadership Scholarship—and the level of activity of top-flight high school students is insanely impressive compared to when I was in high school! I think that also influenced the way I conceived of Asha as a character...the idea that nowadays, in order to really stand out in your high school class, it seems like you need to practically start a non-profit organization or found an orphanage in order to stand out from the herd. :)

So when I started thinking about the phrase "latte rebellion" and what that might mean, my thoughts drifted towards this idea of a phony underground movement that Asha and Carey could then use as an activity on their college applications. This is not something I would advocate people actually do, by the way, but it sure was fun to write about.

One more thing. Like Asha, I did encounter a few kids in school who would insist I was, specifically, Mexican—even though Latino is one of the ethnicities I can't lay claim to. I've had people guess I was all kinds of things. There are quite a few random details like that scattered throughout the story that are drawn from my personal experience. And there have been many friends and family members of mixed ethnicity throughout my life, whose experiences have been inspiring to me and have informed the story in numerous ways. I'm thankful for that, and this story wouldn't be the same without them.


Holly: What do you most hope your readers will take away?

Sarah: I'd love for readers of mixed race or mixed ethnicity to come out of it feeling like it's okay to be a mixed-up blend of identities. Sometimes it's easy to feel like you're somehow fractured, or incomplete, or not quite one or the other. I've certainly felt that way a lot, and I don't know if it ever goes away completely. But there are ways to make that a part of you, to make that a strength, too. I also wanted to convey the idea that being of mixed race isn't always an "issue." Often it's simply a part of who you are, not something that you have to constantly struggle with. I think that's why it was important to me to inject a sense of humor into the book, and to maintain a focus on the madcap out-of-control aspect of it all, rather than making it simply a problem novel about ethnicity.

*****

Thank you, Sarah!

Readers, check out THE LATTE REBELLION's website here. Sarah has generously offered to give a book to one lucky US resident - just leave a meaningful comment below by midnight on Monday for a chance to win!