Catherine Austen's Blog, page 7
March 8, 2021
national public readings
Like most children’s authors, I do a lot of school presentations and writing workshops each year. I tend to concentrate my visits in the spring, from March to May. (Hence they were all cancelled last year due to COVID-19.)
This year, my visits are virtual. And three of them are National Public Readings that are open to everyone. So if you are a teacher or homeschooling parent, feel free to listen in. Here’s the info you need:
Two Readings hosted by Onslow Elementary SchoolMarch 10 at 8:30 a.m.:
A reading from 28 Tricks for a Fearless Grade 6 followed by a presentation about what you need to succeed as a writer.
March 24 at 8:30 a.m.:
A reading from 26 Tips for Surviving Grade 6 followed by a writing workshop on different ways to start a story.
Both hosted by Onslow Elementary School in Quyon, Quebec, with their grades 4 and 5 students.
To register for these Zoom readings, contact ksavard@wqsb.qc.ca.
View or download a PDF of this announcement here:Download
March 16 at 9:00 a.m.:
A reading of spooky and not-so-spooky stories followed by a presentation on historical beliefs about the dangers of reading fiction.
Self-hosted with grade 7 students at Symmes Jr. High School in Gatineau, Quebec.
To register for the Zoom reading, contact cabin@catherineausten.com.
View or download a PDF of this announcement here:DownloadI have many days of school visits scheduled this season, but it’s a special treat to offer a few that are open to the public. Every year across Canada, public audiences get to hear Canadian authors read their work thanks to the National Public Readings program, which is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts and administered by the Writers’ Union of Canada. Just one of the many ways these organizations support writers and their work.
I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
I am a proud member of the Writers’ Union of Canada.
March 5, 2021
Author Interview with Amelinda Bérubé
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ytz3x-fcac7c
Amelinda Bérubé, author or spooky YA novels The Dark beneath the Ice and Here There are Monsters, shares her favourite plot twists, books and characters, her interest in unreliable narrators, and her love of the Canadian landscapes that inspire her stories. 20 minutes. All ages.
A full transcript is available at CabinTales.ca.
Show Notes[0:00] Intro
[1:10] Interview with Amelinda Bérubé
CA: Do you have advice to young writers on how to begin?
AB: I think my best advice would be just get going…. And when you are looking for that place to come in…you want to get as close as you can to… the point where everything changes…
[2:45] CA: Do you have a favorite plot twist, either from your own work or from another work of fiction?
AB: My favorite thing that I’ve come across lately is a book called Rules for Vanishing. …
[3:25] CA: And do you have any favorite techniques or something you could recommend to young writers for building tension?
AB: One thing that I would recommend is look at a scary movie… what steps does it take to move from everyday life into this really heightened state of suspense?
[4:45] CA: Do you have a favorite first line?
AB: … the opening paragraph of The Haunting of Hill House is just …] perfection. …
[5:00] CA: How do you feel about endings where the good guy loses, or sad endings?
AB: … Here There are Monsters does not end happily. …. you can end in defeat, you can end in bittersweet or sad feelings, but you have to end with your character having a way out of the woods. … You can’t just grind somebody into the dirt and leave them there.
[6:20] CA: Do you find yourself editing yourself while drafting or do you do a full draft and then go back and revise?
AB: Mostly it’s just a free for all when I first write. … I feel like I’m a much better rewriter than I am a writer. … And I found owning that kind of liberating. … you don’t have to like it; you just have to do it.
[8:20] CA: Do you have a favorite point of view to write from?
AB: … For YA… I find I fall pretty naturally into a first-person present… especially for something spooky, what it really highlights is how subjective the experience is. …
[9:00] CA: Have you ever written an unreliable narrator? …
AB: I feel like in a way, all first-person narrators are unreliable.… I don’t think anybody clearly knows their own motivations … that’s one of the things that I think fiction is all about, is sort of like exploring all the murky false consciousness that is involved in being a person.
[10:40] CA: Have you ever written about siblings?
AB: … Here There are Monsters is … about sisters who kind of have a toxic relationship… And I have another book that I’m working on that also goes into that territory. …
[11:20] CA: And monsters, you’ve written about monsters.
AB: Oh yes. … I find that monsters are a good way to talk about… the things that are really scary about people. They’re sort of funhouse mirrors … they reflect back to us the things that we can’t really talk about in ourselves.
[12:00] CA: Did you tell stories around a campfire as a kid or have another off the cuff storytelling experience?
AB: … I’ve never been an off-the-cuff sort of person. …
[12:45] CA: Do you ever write short stories?
AB: I’ve written exactly 1 short story since high school. …
[13:25] CA: And do you have a favorite scary story? …
AB: … I really do love The Haunting of Hill House. … It’s kind of surprising how scary it is, given the scary elements. …But I’d also talk about… Rules for Vanishing. …. And there’s a Frances Hardinge book called Cuckoo Song which is really more of a dark fantasy than it is horror, but it’s so scary. …
[15:00] CA: And do you like scary movies too?
AB: I find as I get older, I’m too chicken for them. …
[16:25] CA: Do you have a favorite setting from fiction, either your own or another book you like?
AB: I’m always most interested in the Canadian landscape. There’s Eden Robinson. …Any place where you’re in the spooky woods, I’m all about. But I love to recognize those woods. I love to know that this is, I guess, a place close to home. …if I look at like what I want my career to be as an author, and specifically as a Canadian author, like I just want to jet set around the country and find all the spooky places and write about them.
[17:30] CA: And characters, do you have a favorite fictional character from your own book or from another book that you love?
AB: I think probably I mentioned Lois McMaster Bujold before. She has a series about this fellow named Miles Vorkosigan. …. He’s so amazing. …
[18:40] CA: Finally, are there setting or character exercises that you might recommend to young writers to help develop those things?
AB: … think of settings that you’re familiar with, that you know well enough to describe in very concrete terms using all your five senses… first of all just describe the place in as fine detail as you can and try to sort of capture the feeling of the place. And then … make it spooky. … there’s different things that you highlight for each mood….
[20:45] Amelinda Bérubé introduces herself
AB: I’m Amelinda Bérubé. I have two books out at the moment. The first is The Dark Beneath the Ice and the second is Here there are Monsters. I write about ghosts and monsters and other things that go bump in the night. And I live in Ottawa. And I guess I like to read pretty much anything and everything, but I’m most attached to books that scare me, or books that make me cry or books that make me laugh. I guess basically I’m looking for anything that makes me feel something.
[21:30] Find out more about Amelinda Bérubé
You can hear more creative writing advice from Amelinda Bérubé on Cabin Tales Episode 3: “Spooky Stories are all Around Us,” about getting ideas; on Episode Four: “Bad Things Happen,” about plotting; and on Episode 8, “The Never-ending Story,” about revision. You can find out more about Amelinda Bérubé and her books from her website at MetuiteMe.com…. Amelinda says she lives on Twitter, so follow her there @metuiteme. Or subscribe to her newsletter to keep up with all her latest news, insights, and reading recommendations.
[22:45] Thanks and coming up on the podcast
I’ll be back next week with leftovers from my interview with Wendy McLeod MacKnight, novelist for middle-grade readers who joins us from New Brunswick.
I’m Catherine Austen. Thanks for listening.
Credits:Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use).
Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com.
Guest Author
Amelinda Bérubé is a freelance writer and the author of the YA novels The Dark Beneath the Ice and Here There Are Monsters. A mother of two and a passionate gardener, she lives in Ottawa, Ontario, in a perpetual whirlwind of unfinished projects and cat hair. Find her online at www.metuiteme.com.
February 26, 2021
Author Interview with Monique Polak
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-hfkqv-fbe50a
An interview with Monique Polak, author of 29 books for young people and teacher of English and Humanities at Marianopolis College in Montreal. Hear about her attraction to delinquent characters, her commitment to work through good writing days and bad ones, and her ability to recognize a promising story idea by the tingling in her arms. 20 minutes. All ages.
A full transcript is available at CabinTales.ca.
Show Notes[0:00] Intro
[1:20] Interview with Monique Polak
MP: I keep a journal. Every single morning…. if I hear a story or someone tells me something that I think is like beautiful or meaningful, my arms tingle. … when you’re looking for stories they come to you. You notice them. And it’s kind of a magic, wonderful thing. …
[2:50] CA: When you’re drafting, do you think of your audience and the impact you want and do you choose your words carefully? Or just let it flow?
MP: A combination of the two, probably a little more towards letting it flow. …
[3:30] CA: Do you have that favorite POV to write from?
MP: I I I…. I do love being in somebody else’s head. … I’ve noticed that a lot of the characters I like to write about are “bad” kids. … I like to think that I’m open even to opposing points of view… it fascinates me.
[5:50] CA: Do you know the ending of your story when you begin?
MP: Sometimes yes and sometimes no. … the happy ending, like Walt Disney, that doesn’t work anymore. But growth works. Growth is what we all want….
[6:30] CA: Do you do character outlines or…?
MP: … I do a lot of interviews … But I don’t really do what you’re talking about. And maybe I should. … it’s that feeling that I’m not good enough, that it’s not as good as I want it to be, that I didn’t get to the point where I wanted to go, I honestly think that’s what keeps me at it. … I’m pretty hard on myself…. But I think I have a good sense of story. And I think I have a good heart… I’m very interested in emotions and I love exploring that in stories.
[8:20] CA: Do you have any advice that you would give to young writers who are stuck in the middle of a story?
MP: Yeah, just do it. Quit complaining and do it. Or continue complaining and do it. .. do it and be proud that you’re doing it. … The only reason that I made it in this field is because I didn’t give up. I had a lot of struggles at the beginning…. But if you want it enough, and if you work at it enough, you’ll get it. … All I wanted was one book. …. And now I have 29 published… That’s because I suffered. And I suffered for all 29.…
[10:00] CA: Do you work do you work on one project at a time?
MP: My preference is to work on one at a time…. Two fiction projects might be hard for me, though I have done that. … I’ve been a full-time teacher for 34 years. … My time is very tight when I’m teaching. I have to kind of fight for my writing time. But I do. …
[10:40] CA: And you write for that age group, then you also write for younger kids. Is there a different frame of mind for you when you write for different ages?
MP: Yes and no. … surprisingly more no than yes. I just tell my story. …
[11:35] CA: Do you read your work out loud?
MP: Yes, all the time. …
[12:00] CA: Did you tell stories around a campfire as a kid, or at bedtime or…?
MP: Yes. First of all I listened to stories… I brake for stories. … If I’m allowed, I listen overtly. Otherwise I listen on the sly. When I was a kid, … I would hide under the dining room table… listening to the … grown-up stories that I wasn’t allowed to be listening to. … my mother was an amazing storyteller. …. It’s like kind of power you have when you tell a story.
… when I went to camp, I told them I was a Princess … And I made my bunkmates do everything for me … then I actually wrote a book, Princess Angelica: Camp Catastrophe. But she gets into trouble. I never got into trouble; they believe me the whole summer. …
[14:20] CA: Do you have any phobias?
MP: Claustrophobia. … I hate dirt on the floor…
[14:55] CA: And do you collect anything?
MP: Yes. … this little office is a shrine to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. …. Alice everything. … And then personally, I kind of collect dresses …
[16:00] CA: Have you ever written about a curse?
MP: Not directly… more like a psychological kind of curse. … We continue paying a price for things that have happened in the past.
[16:20] CA: If you were to meet an untimely death and you had the opportunity to hang around as a ghost, would you?
MP: Yeah of course. Because there be more stories. … So much children’s literature is about death. … It is one of my favorite topics.
[18:05] Monique Polak introduces herself
MP: Hi. I’m Monique Polak. I’m an author and a teacher and I live in Montreal. And I also work as a journalist. And I love to write. And I have published 29 books. I’m very proud of that. And I have three more coming out that I’m working quite hard on as we speak. I teach at a CEGEP and I’m a specialist on Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
[18:45] Find out more about Monique Polak
You can hear more advice from Monique Polak on Cabin Tales Episode 1.5, “Author Interviews about Setting,” on Episode 2, “Nasty People meet Nasty Ends,” about Character, and on Episode 8, “The Never-ending story,” about Revision. You can find out a whole lot more about Monique Polak and her books from her website at MoniquePolak.com.
[19:55] Thanks and coming up on the podcast
I’ll be back next week with leftovers from my interview with Amelinda Bérubé, author of spooky stories for young adults.
Thanks for listening.
CreditsMusic on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use).
Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com.
Guest Author
Monique Polak is the Montreal-based author of 29 books for young people and a two-time winner of the Quebec Writers’ Federation Prize for Children’s and YA Literature. She has been teaching English and Humanities at Marianopolis College in Montreal for over 30 years. Find her online at www.moniquepolak.com.
February 19, 2021
Author Interview with Tim Wynne-Jones
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-hzt2p-fb2261
An interview with Tim Wynne-Jones, author of 35 books for all ages, including novels, picture books, and short story collections, including most recently War at the Snow White Motel and The Starlight Claim, which is a finalist for the 2021 White Pine Award. Hear about his love of islands and adventures, his aversion to unnecessary back-stories, and his childhood experience of telling stories around the dinner table. 25 minutes. All ages.
A full transcript is available at CabinTales.ca.
Show Notes
[0:00] Intro
[1:25] Interview with Tim Wynne-Jones
CA: There are some writers who do all sorts of exercises and they feel like they have to know everything about their character’s past…
TWJ: It really is like being at a party. You start talking to somebody. … And then suddenly they start telling you their life story. And the first thing you’re going to do is start edging back towards the guacamole…
[4:05] CA: And then with setting, if you’re using a real place do you like gather maps and work out your setting?
TWJ: Yeah…. In a made-up landscape, for instance in The Emperor of Any Place — that’s an imagined landscape – well, I had to do tons of research on what kind of flora and fauna there is in that part of the Pacific Ocean. … I love that kind of research. … And I love maps. … I’ve always loved making up islands and making treasure islands. …
[6:10] CA: Do you have any favorite words?
TWJ: Just a million…. I mostly live for capital S Story. … But sometimes you find a book that is so beautifully written that the story … doesn’t have to do an awful lot. …
[7:50] CA: Do you have a favorite plot twist?
TWJ: Tamar by Mal Peet… sent a chill up my back … like ‘Oh my God of course! Why didn’t I see that?’
[8:30] CA: Are any of your stories based on your own childhood?
TWJ: The Rex Zero trilogy is definitely based on my childhood in Ottawa in the Cold War. … And my short stories. … use an element from my childhood. …
[9:05] CA: You write for children and for young adults and adults. Do you think of your audience while you write?
TWJ: … Sometimes I feel like I’m writing a scene for one person… And a lot of the time I’m just trying to write for myself… I can’t target a book at an age group. I don’t even like that term because it means like you’re trying to shoot them …
[11:10] CA: And you said sometimes you write just for yourself…
TWJ: …There are periods when I don’t have anything that I have to say. …The wonderful writer Annie Dillard has a quote about this … just leave it alone; the well is empty; it will fill from below, by groundwater. … Do something else. … I’ve been writing a lot of songs lately and I’ve really been loving it. …But when I’m in the middle of the book, the joy of being a writer, I think, really, is when you get through that first horrible difficult draft… I’ve done all the hard slogging. And now it’s going to be equally hard but in a much more interesting and exciting way. And then, then I love being a writer, for that second draft. That’s just heaven.
[14:20] CA: How much time do you typically spend revising versus drafting?
TWJ: Well, a lot. …
[15:00] CA: I remember hearing you speak once, and you had been working on a book and then someone advised you, ‘You have to kill the father….
TWJ: … my editor, god bless her. … and she didn’t need to say it more than once before I realized exactly what I’d done — I was protecting the boy…The father would step in front of the boy in every scene … I had to kill this perfectly lovely father so that the boy was face to face with his antagonist. …
[16:50] CA: … You have to have faith that… life will replenish your ideas and your stories …
TWJ: Yeah…. in the Annie Dillard quote … she says … if you’re writing and you have an idea for a scene that’s just amazing, don’t think about saving it for later. … Just use it right away and it will be replenished. … You’re creating ideas by allowing these ones to get out of your head. …
[18:20] CA: I think she says write as if you’re dying as well, and as if you’re writing to an audience of people who are dying because basically–
TWJ: It’s true…. But …I have a favourite saying that the difference between adult books and children’s books is in an adult book it’s all about letting go; and in a children’s book it’s about getting a grip. …
[19:20] CA: Do you have a favorite POV to write from?
TWJ: The story tells me. …When I was writing Blink and Caution… I was 6 pages into it before I realized I was writing in the second person. … I write in first and I write in third and I write in second. The 8th POV I’d like to try ….
[20:40] CA: Did you tell stories around the campfire as a kid…?
TWJ: … The dinner table was the campfire. … And in fact, as little children …we weren’t allowed to sit at the dinner table with our parents until we were interesting. …
[22:30] CA: Do you have a favorite scary story or scary movie?
TWJ: I loved reading Dracula, …the darkness, just pervasive darkness that moves in on the story. … I loved “Dead Calm,” an Australian movie …
[24:05] CA: Do you have any phobias?
TWJ: Yeah, I’m claustrophobic. …
[24:55] Tim Wynne-Jones introduces himself
TWJ: Hi. I’m Tim Wynne-Jones. Let’s see. I live in the country on 76 acres of bushland with my wife, Amanda Lewis, who’s a writer among many other things. We have three grown-up children, two boys in Toronto and a daughter in London England. And they’re all married and I have two grandchildren in England. And we have a cat, a wonderful old cat. And I like to cook more than anything in the world, even more than writing. But I wouldn’t want to be a cook for a living. I think it’s even worse than being a writer. And I like to do crossword puzzles and I love to read and snowshoe. There.
[25:40] Find out more about Tim Wynne-Jones
You can hear more creative writing advice from Tim Wynne-Jones on Cabin Tales Episode 1, “Things Hide in the Darkness,” about setting; Episode 2, “Nasty People meet Nasty Ends,” about character,” Episode 7.5, “Author Interviews about Endings,” and Episode 8, “The Never-ending Story,” about revision. Find out more about Tim Wynne-Jones and his books from his website at TimWynne-Jones.com.
[26:50] Thanks and coming up on the podcast
I’ll be back next week with leftovers from my interview with Monique Polak, author of 29 books for young readers who joins us from Montreal, Quebec.
Thanks for listening.
Credits:Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use).
Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com.
Guest Author:
Tim Wynne-Jones has written 35 books for adults and children of all ages. His books have been translated into a dozen languages and won multiple awards, including the Governor General’s Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Arthur Ellis Award, and the Edgar Award. Tim was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2012. Find him online at http://www.timwynne-jones.com/.
February 12, 2021
Author Interview with Karen Krossing
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-qtcid-fa7880
An interview with children’s and YA author Karen Krossing, novelist and short story writer whose first picture book is coming out this fall. Karen has been an editor, a writing coach, and a creative writing instructor. Listen to her thoughts on sad endings, unforeseen plot twists, and writer’s block. 20 minutes. All ages.
A full transcript is available at CabinTales.ca.
Show Notes
[0:00] Intro
[1:20] Interview with Karen Krossing
CA: Do you typically know the ending of your story at the beginning?
KK: … I know the major twists in the story but I don’t like to work out the details. … I’m aware of the sort of bones of the story, the structure of the story, and what’s needed …
[3:10] CA: Do you have a favorite plot twist from your own work or others?
KK: … I love when … the characters tell me a plot twist that I didn’t know. …
[4:00] CA: Do you have any advice that you would give to young writers stuck in the middle of a story?
KK: I have so many ideas about how to overcome writer’s block. … reread what you’ve already written … talk with a friend about why you’re stuck. … write outside of the story. …Asking the characters what happens next and where they want to go… get feedback from trusted friends or other writers … take a writing class or listen to a podcast about writing… try the put-it-in-the-drawer method. … And my final bit of advice is to set a daily writing goal. …
[8:00] CA: How do you feel about sad endings or endings where the good guy loses?
KK: I love them. …. If I see my characters coping with loss and disappointment and sadness, then maybe that will help me when I feel those things too.
[9:00] CA:. Are any of your stories based on your own childhood?
KK: …. The one that’s most closely based on my childhood, I would say, is my collection of link short stories, Take the Stairs. .. I have been writing more stories recently that go more into my childhood — the monster in the closet story. …
[11:20] CA: Do you have a favorite point of view to write from?
KK: … I like first person because it’s so immediate…. But my other favorite is third person close, … so you can, as a writer, observe that main character and give insights that maybe they don’t quite see or understand themselves. …I like present tense for its immediacy, but past can … give that place where you can observe or reflect.
[13:35] CA: Have you ever written a story about a transformation?
KK: … every main character transforms in some way
CA: Have you ever written about a parasite?
KK: No but that sounds fun. …
CA: And what about a split personality?
KK: … not a split personality but a many faceted personality…
[14:40] CA: Did you tell stories around the campfire as a kid?
KK: I feel like it was the listener, not the teller around the campfire. …
[15:40] CA: Do you have any favorite scary movies?
KK: One that really creeps me out is Coraline…. Those button eyes – they’re terrifying. …
[16:00] CA: Do you have any phobias? Well, closets…
KK: … Right now I feel like my phobia is germs…I don’t have phobias then. I have large fears…. going to the dark places in our own lives brings great story material.
[17:10] CA: Do you collect anything?
KK: … ideas, dreams, passions, wishes, hopes. …
[17:40] CA: And you don’t happen to be the 7th daughter of a 7th daughter?
KK: But I wish I was because that would feel really special, maybe magical. …
[18:00] CA: And for the last thing, I’m going to say a few words. This is not a psychiatric evaluation. And you just say the first thing that comes into your head. …
CA:. And that’s it. You passed. …. Thank you so much…
[19:00] Karen Krossing introduces herself
KK: I’m Karen Krossing. I’m an author for kids and teens. I write short stories, novels, picture books. I write because I’m fascinated by words, by the way they can make people laugh or cry or inspire them to do great things. And I want to use the power of words to do good in the world.
[19:30] Find out more about Karen Krossing
You can hear more creative writing advice from Karen Krossing on Cabin Tales Episode 1.5, “Author Interviews about Setting,” Episode 2, “Nasty People Meet Nasty Ends,” about Character, and Episode 8, “The Never-ending Story,” about Revision. Find out more about Karen Krossing and her books and her editorial and mentoring work from her website at KarenKrossing.com. You’ll find a detailed description of her author presentations and creative writing workshops, along with email links that you can use to invite her into your school.
[20:30] Thanks and coming up on the podcast
I’ll be back next week with leftovers from my interview with Tim Wynne-Jones, the multi-award-winning author of 35 books who is also a creative writing instructor and a musician.
Thanks for listening.
Credits:Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use).
Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com.
Guest Author:
Karen Krossing is the author of seven award-winning novels for kids and teens, including Punch Like a Girl, Bog, and Cut the Lights, plus new picture books on the way. Karen encourages new writers through workshops for kids, teens, and adults. She lives in Toronto. Find her online at www.karenkrossing.com.
February 5, 2021
Author Interview with Amanda West Lewis
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ymnha-f9b9a6
An interview with Amanda West Lewis, author of three novels and four non-fiction books for young people, andexecutive director of a theatre school. A 20-minute continuous segment not yet heard on Cabin Tales in which Amanda shares her preference for third-person point of view, her phobia of scary stories, and her love of Alice in Wonderland. All ages.
A full transcript of this episode is available at CabinTales.ca.
Show Notes[0:00] Intro
[1:20] Interview with Amanda West Lewis
CA: Do you read your work out loud when you’re writing?
AWL: … All the time. … scene by scene, chapter by chapter. …
[1:40] CA: While you’re writing, do you choose words consciously to suit your genre or the impact you want on your reader? …How much do you think about the actual words as opposed to the story?
AWL: Words are enormously important to me…. I am conscious of the different colour of each book and what kind of language I will use for a particular genre. In the first, second, third, and fourth draft, I tend to be too conscious of the words. …
[3:00] CA: Do you have any favorite words?
AWL: Langourous is a gorgeous word….
[3:45] CA: How much time do you spend revising compared to drafting or planning? …
AWL: … 90%….
[4:15] CA: How do you feel about comeuppance tales or just desserts?
AWL: One feels enormously satisfied when a villain gets their comeuppance. … the real story for me is always the protagonist that you have empathy for, who is on the wrong path… and they become redeemed. … Comeuppance is… straight out villain gets melted. … That’s enormously satisfying. But it’s kind of a cheap thrill.
[5:35] CA: Do you have any feelings about sad endings?
AWL: Life is filled with sadness. … I think a sad story is necessary …We’re all going to be dead. And the more we can bring that into the conversation, the better. …
[7:45] CA: Do you have a favorite point of view to write from?
AWL: I gravitate toward third person because I really do enjoy what you can say on the outside of that. … I love that the reader can learn more about the protagonist than the protagonist knows about themselves. … That said, I just finished a book… in first person. … I had to be there and see it rather than show it. …
[10:00] CA: Have you ever written a monster story?
AWL: No … Other than writing a story that’s set in Hitler’s Germany. …
CA: Have you ever written a story about a curse?
AWL: … No, … people trying to invoke curses now and then…
CA: Have you ever written an outhouse scene?
AWL: My new book has an outhouse scene in it that I’m quite proud of … And I thought it was so wonderfully random that you would ask that question…
[11:25] CA: Did you tell stories around the campfire as a kid?
AWL: Yes … very important. Especially as night comes on and … the world outside you disappears and the light only lights what’s important….
[12:10] CA: Do you have a favorite scary story?
AWL: … Dracula scared the crap out of me. … But there’s a lot of contemporary scary stories I can’t read. … At some point as a child I got too scared, and so I don’t want to go there. So Dracula is about as far as I can go. …
[13:00] CA: And do you have any phobias?
AWL: Scary stories. … that’s my phobia, even more than the elevators.
[14:00] CA: … Do you collect anything?
AWL: I have an Alice collection. … different editions. …and some Alice pieces as well… I don’t collect anything else other than books …and fountain pens….
[15:00] CA: Have you ever done any theatre around Alice?
AWL: Yes. … one of my favourites. … I’ve also done a production of Wind in the Willows and Great Expectations, which I adored doing with kids because these are good stories. …
[17:00] CA: And that you don’t happen to be the 7th daughter of a 7th daughter?
AWL: … I’m an only child…. It’s a different kind of power.
[17:50] CA: So how are you faring during COVID?
AWL: It’s been incredibly busy and actually incredibly creatively exciting, because I converted my business – which is a children’s theatre school – to online. …As artists, that’s the main gift we have to give the rest of the society, is our flexibility, our adaptability, and showing people that that’s what they need to be able to cultivate at a time like this….
[19:15] Amanda West Lewis introduces herself
AWL: Hi. I’m Amanda West Lewis. I write fiction and nonfiction novels and picture books for children and young adults. I’m also a professional calligrapher and a theatre artist and I run a children’s theatre school in Ottawa. Right now, in the midst of converting my theatre school to online programming, I’m finishing up a YA novel set in 1968 and a picture book collection of poems about the planets.
[20:00] Find out more about Amanda West Lewis
You can hear more creative writing advice from Amanda West Lewis on Cabin Tales Episode 1.5, “Author Interviews about Setting,” Episode 2.5, “Author Interviews about Character,” and Episode 8, “The Never-ending Story,” about revision. Find out more about Amanda West Lewis and her books and other arts from her website at AmandaWestLewis.com. Use the email link on her website to invite her into your school.
[21:15] Thanks and coming up on the podcast
I’ll be back next week with leftovers from my interview with Karen Krossing, novelist and picture book author from Toronto, Ontario.
Thanks for listening.
Credits:
Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use).
Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com.
Guest Author:
Amanda West Lewis is a writer, theatre director and calligrapher. Her writing for children and youth ranges from historical YA fiction to craft books on the art of writing. She is the Artistic Director and Founder of The Ottawa Children’s Theatre. Find her online at www.amandawestlewis.com.
January 29, 2021
Author Interview with Lori Weber
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-bq6ft-f8eb82
An interview with Lori Weber, Montreal author of ten YA books including Lightning Lou, Yellow Mini, and Deep Girls. Interview snippets not heard on the Cabin Tales podcast, edited into a 15-minute continuous segment in which Lori shares her love of fictional settings, her aversion to moral messages in fiction, and her unease around squirrels in her own yard. All ages.
A full transcript is available at CabinTales.ca.
Show Notes[0:00] Intro
[1:15] Interview with Lori Weber
CA: When you’re creating a story… do you do any exercises to help build your story world?
LW: … I will consult maps…use a lot of photographs… research real places… Setting can contain so much important symbolism in a story…
[3:00] CA: Are any of your stories based on your own childhood or youth?
LW: …Absolutely…. Bits and pieces modified, expanded, completely changed. …Sooner or later you run out of autobiographical traumatic things that happened to you as a teen….The emotions have been real even if the events have not been real….
[4:30] CA: Do you know the end of your story when you begin?
LW: I think sometimes I have a general idea of what might happen at the end…I know some writers really have a strong sense of that final scene. I don’t have that when I start…
[5:15] CA: How do you feel about comeuppance tales?
LW: … I’m not big on morality to begin with in a book. … I’m okay if there’s no big punishment that’s being meted out …I was once accused of having comeuppance for a character … And that really bothered me, really really bothered me that somebody would see it that way.
[7:00] CA: And how do you feel about sad endings, for youth?
LW: I think I’m okay with them. … as long as there’s some kernel of hope or …some learning or something for the characters to latch onto and to grow with… That’s what literature does… It takes characters through a lot of darkness. … I’m not big on the Hollywood ending…
[8:55] CA: Do you read your own work out loud when you’re revising ever?
LW: At some points I might. I did a lot with Yellow Mini because it’s poetry. … I advise my students to do that…I should follow my own advice maybe.
[9:20] CA: And do you have a favorite point of view to write from?
LW: Most of my work has been in first person, present tense…. Lightning Lou is my first third-person creation. … I find third … way more challenging than first person…. It’s almost like you’re dealing with two characters: the narrator and the main character…
[10:30] CA: And have you ever written a monster story?
LW: Human monsters, maybe. No….
[11:00] CA: Did you tell stories around the campfire as a kid?
LW: … I had a real urban inner-city upbringing. …. We were a huge gang of kids on the street, and we played in the back lanes. … there was a ton of storytelling going on. It just wasn’t around a campfire…
[11:45] CA: And I’m not sure if you have a favorite scary story?
LW: I find dystopias with a taste of reality…extremely scary. …
[12:30] CA: And do you have any phobias
LW: I’m mildly phobic about squirrels darting around me when I’m outside. … I don’t love heights. And I regret that sometimes when I travel…
CA: And have you used that fear in any of your work?
LW: … I should start. … I’m going to create a character who can’t walk across a bridge.
[13:45] CA: Do you collect anything?
LW: I used to collect salt and pepper shakers….
[14:14] CA: I’m going to say a word, and you say whatever comes into your head, okay?
LW: Okay….
CA: And that’s it. That’s all I’ve got….Thanks, Lori. Bye.
[15:25] Lori Weber introduces herself
LW: My name is Lori Weber and I live in Dorval, Quebec, which is a suburb of Montreal. And I’m the author of ten books for young readers. And I’m a recently retired teacher.
[15:50] Find out more about Lori Weber
You can hear more creative writing advice from Lori Weber on Cabin Tales Episode 1, “Things Hide in the Darkness,” about setting, on Episode 2.5, “Author Interviews about Character,” and on Episode 8, “The Never-ending Story,” about revision. You can find out more about Lori Weber and her books from her website at LoriWeberAuthor.wordpress.com.
[16:45] Thanks and coming up on the podcast
I’ll be back next week with leftovers from my interview with Amanda West Lewis, author of two novels for young adults and five non-fiction books for young readers.
Thanks for listening.
Credits:
Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use).
Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com.
Guest Author: Lori Weber is the author of ten books for young adults and middle-grade readers, including Yellow Mini, a novel in verse, and Deep Girls, a short-story collection. A native Montrealer, she taught at John Abbott College for decades before her recent retirement. Find her online at LoriWeberAuthor.wordpress.com.
January 22, 2021
Author Interview with Rachel Eugster
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-6gga7-f83edb
Playwright and picture book author Rachel Eugster shares her admiration of Shirley Jackson, her use of Scrivener as a writing tool, and her love of games, stories, and spindles. Featuring interview leftovers not included in the Cabin Tales podcast, edited into a 20-minute continuous segment. All ages.
A full transcript is available at CabinTales.ca.
Show Notes[0:00] Intro
[1:20] Interview with Rachel Eugster
CA: Do you read your own work out loud?
RE: Sometimes. Not habitually.
[2:10] CA: Do you do character outlines?
RE: Yeah. … I have this enormous Scrivener file with bits of chapters and cards … Scrivener I have found to be a helpful container … Everyone who writes book says the only thing you learn in writing a book is how to write that book. And you have to learn how to write the next book all over again. …
[5:45] CA: All right. Do you have any feelings about comeuppance tales?
RE: Yeah, I think that’s probably where they belong — around the campfire. …
[6:00] CA: And what about sad endings how do you feel about sad endings?
RE: I think there’s sometimes necessary. … There’s always, there’s a consequence for everyone …
[7:00] CA: And when you’re writing do you choose your words … just let it flow?
RE: … I may set up the voice consciously, and then develop a flow with the voice…
[7:35] CA: Do you like the drafting the most, as opposed to planning and revising?
RE: …. I like the way all three of those parts work together to produce something that you’re proud of afterward.
[8:35] CA: And do you have a favorite point of view to write from?
RE: I don’t think so. I have written from first and third. … it becomes obvious as you’re working on a project, which is the right point of view to tell it from. …
[9:20] CA: Have you ever written a monster story?
RE: I don’t think so, no. …
CA: What about a story with a curse?
RE: That would be great fun…
CA: And have you ever written about a split personality?
RE: … my first encounter with the concept was Shirley Jackson’s The Bird Nest. … I don’t think it can be bettered. …. She’s brilliant. ….
[10:40] CA: Excellent. Okay, and you haven’t happened to have written an outhouse scene?
RE: I haven’t. But I have fairly deep acquaintance with outhouses …
[10:55] CA: Did you tell stories around a campfire as a kid?
RE: There were certainly stories told around the campfire ….. I always felt like I couldn’t make up my own stories….
CA: And what about as a parent?
RE: We always read to the kids at bedtime. I don’t think we made stuff up very often. …. We played a lot of games growing up… one called the story game….
[13:15] CA: And do you have a favorite scary story?
RE: … I would certainly say, if you want suspense read Shirley Jackson. …
[13:50] CA: Do you have any phobias? …
RE: … there are things I’m not excited to touch, like worms.
[14:05] CA: And what about collections. Do you collect anything?
RE: … Navajo weavings. And spindle whorls….
CA: Do you have a fondness for the story of Sleeping Beauty?
RE: I think she was a resistant spinner…
[16:00] CA: And you don’t happen to be the 7th daughter of a seventh daughter?
RE: Oh wouldn’t that be lovely? …
[16:25] CA: All right so I’m going to say a few words and you say the first thing that pops into your mind.
RE: Oh god. Okay….
[17:40] Rachel Eugster introduces herself
RE: I’m Rachel Eugster. I’m a writer and editor and many other things, which makes it a challenge to introduce myself because I find I spread myself into so many different pursuits. As a writer, I have published one picture book, The Pocket Mommy, and a series of nonfiction books about food and nutrition. I’m also an actor and a singer and a director. And the intersection between the writing and the acting is an original play I wrote about Amelia Lanyer, who lived in Shakespeare’s time. And I am very active with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, volunteering as the Webmaster, with minimal technical talents, and attending every conference that our chapter organizes.
[14:45] Find out more about Rachel Eugster
You can hear more creative writing advice from Rachel Eugster on Cabin Tales Episode 1.5, “Author Interviews about Setting,” Episode 2.5, “Author Interviews about Character,” and Episode 8, “The Never-ending Story,” about revision. …You can find out more about Rachel Eugster, her books, and her theatre work from her website at RachelEugster.com.
[19:50] Thanks and coming up on the podcast
I’ll be back next week with leftovers from my interview with poet and novelist Lori Weber. Thanks for listening.
Credits:Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use).
Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com.
Guest Author: Rachel Eugster is the author of the picture book The Pocket Mommy and the “Ingredients of a Balanced Diet” series. A theatre artist, singer, and choral conductor, Rachel premiered in her original play Whose Æmilia? at the Ottawa Fringe Festival in 2015. Find her online at https://racheleugster.com/.
January 15, 2021
Awesome Authors is on!
The Ottawa Public Library’s Awesome Authors Youth Writing Contest is back! Young writer, get ready to write your best poem, short story, or comic ever. The Ottawa Public Library is inviting you to share your talent with the world, and you could win cash prizes and publication.
Learn all the details from the Awesome Authors page on the OPL website.
I’ll be judging fiction in the 9-12 age category again this year — and I want to read your story!
Other judges back for another year are Apollo the Child; Amelinda Bérubé; Karine Perron; and Éric Péladeau. All judges are offering virtual writing workshops over the next month to help you get started.
Here’s the workshop schedule from the library website. Click on the links to register.
For ages 9-12:
January 231:30 PM Short Story Writing Workshop with author Catherine Austen3:30 PM Poetry Workshop with Spoken Word Artist Apollo The ChildJanuary 301:30 PM Atelier d’écriture : Comment devenir un super bédéiste with author and illustrator Éric Péladeau15 h 30 Atelier d’écriture : Atelier d’écriture : Comment devenir un(e) super auteure with author Karine PerronFebruary 61:30 PM How to Become an Awesome Comic Book Writer with author and illustrator Éric PéladeauFor ages 13-17:
January 301:30 PM Atelier d’écriture : Comment devenir un super bédéiste with author and illustrator Éric PéladeauFebruary 61:30 PM How to Become an Awesome Comic Book Writer with author and illustrator Éric Péladeau3:30 PM Short Story Writing Workshop with author Amelinda BérubéFebruary 131:30 PM Atelier d’écriture : Comment devenir un(e) super auteur(e) with author Karine Perron3:30 PM Poetry Workshop with Spoken Word Artist Apollo The ChildIf you are a budding student author in Ottawa, sign up for a virtual workshop to get your creative juices flowing, then develop your work into a poem or story or graphic narrative — or all three — to submit to the contest before February 26th.
Find out all the rules and details on the OPL website.
And be sure to check out the winning pieces from past years anthologized in Pot-pourri, published annually by the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association. There are so many talented young writers featured in those pages. (But there’s never enough room for all the great entries received every year.)
Good luck!
Author Interview with Jan Coates
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-sw4vh-f7919b
A 15-minute episode of interview snippets with children’s author Jan Coates from Nova Scotia.
A transcript is available at CabinTales.ca.
Show Notes[0:00] Intro
[1:20] Interview with Jan Coates
[1:30] CA: Do you have a favourite setting from fiction, either your own books or other peoples’?
JC: I don’t think so. My novels… are in real places. But I also like stories that could be anywhere…
[2:10] CA: Favourite characters from children’s books?
JC: I’m a huge Kate DiCamillo fan… And Owen Meany as an adult character….
[2:40] CA: Do you do character development exercises before drafting?
JC: I don’t write down details… I go through so many drafts…
[3:20] CA: And do you have any feelings about comeuppance tales?
JC: …Middle grade doesn’t do that so much….
[5:15] CA: Do you have a favorite point of view to write from?
JC: Definitely first person present…I am an 11-year-old girl inside.…
[5:45] CA: Have you ever written a monster story?
JC: No… I don’t think I’m interested in monsters…. But I like when I read novels that have monsters in them….
[6:10] CA: Have you ever written a story about a curse?
JC: No. Nothing… in the fairy tale/ fantasy genre… And I don’t read fantasy either…
[6:55] CA: Have you had an unreliable narrator?
JC: I don’t think so. I feel like I spend a lot of time actually making sure that my characters are true to who they are…
[8:30] CA: Did you tell stories around the campfire as a kid?
JC: So I did go to overnight camp… I sent my kids to overnight camp… she was 8 – and she did not sleep for months because of the stories they told at this camp…
[9:10] CA: Have you just made up stories on the fly?
JC: … I’m not a talker…When I first was doing school visits I was terrified. …But writing has made me a better speaker. …
[10:30] CA: So you’re not into scary, but do you have a favorite scary story? Like you did mention…
JC: Skellig by David Almond …and The Nest … by Kenneth Oppel. … I would never choose a scary movie. …
[11:05] CA: And phobias?
JC: Fear of water. And dying young. I say dying young; of course, now I just turned 60 this year…
[11:30] CA: And do you collect anything?
JC: Yes, I collect beach glass… And anything second hand….
[12:15] CA: How was it illustrating your own picture book?
JC: I’ve never been artistic in my whole life but …I thought, I’m going to see if I can do this….
[12:55] CA: So I’m going to say some words, Jan, and you say the first thing that pops into your head.
JC: Oh my gosh, put on your psychiatrist hat….
[13:45 Goodbyes]
[14:15] Jan Coates introduces herself
JC: I’m Jan Coates. I’m a writer of books for young people. I live in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. I have two adult children, both of whom live in Ontario. My life goal is to live within an hour’s drive of them. I love the outdoors. I love my dog, my husband, used clothing shopping, hiking. And I love of course reading and writing.
[14:45] Find out more about Jan Coates
You can hear Jan Coates on Cabin Tales Episode 1.5, “Author Interviews about Setting,” Episode 2.5, “Author Interviews about Character,” and Episode 8, “The Never-ending Story,” about revision. And find out more about Jan and her books from her website at JanCoates.ca.
[16:15] Thanks and coming up on the podcast
I’ll be back next week with leftovers from my interview with Rachel Eugster, a playwright and picture book author who joins us from Ottawa, Ontario.
Thanks for listening.
Credits:Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use).
Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com.
Guest Author:
Jan Coates grew up in Truro, Nova Scotia, and has lived in Wolfville for most of her adult life. She has published six picture books, seven middle grade novels, and 18 levelled chapter books for emergent readers. Her first novel, A Hare in the Elephant’s Trunk, was a finalist for the 2011 Governor General’s Literary Awards. Find her online at www.jancoates.ca.
