Catherine Austen's Blog, page 9
October 16, 2020
Author Interviews about Tension (Episode 5.5)
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-jbg7f-ef7635
Interviews with Canadian children’s and YA authors on the subject of tension and how to make a reader turn the page. With guest authors Kate Inglis, Lisa Dalrymple, David McArthur, Jeff Szpirglas, and Marty Chan. Hosted by Catherine Austen. 40 minutes. All ages.
A full transcript of this episode is available at CabinTales.ca.
Shownotes:
[0:00] Intro
[1:15] Interviews on adding tension to fiction
[2:10] Kate Inglis on showing characters
[4:30] Jeff Szpirglas on creating a tense atmosphere
[6:50] Lisa Dalrymple on asking your character questions
[8:50] David McArthur on planting clues
[10:55] Marty Chan on leaving answers hanging
[13:10] Commentary on tension as a balancing act
Think of a story as a character facing a problem that’s in the way of what they want. Envision a scale with the character on one side and the problem on the other. Increase tension by adding to the weight of the problem or reducing the weight of the character. Isolate or burden the protagonist. Move the danger closer in time or space.
[16:20] Interviews on drafting and revising for tension
[16:45] Marty Chan on revising multiple times
[19:10] Jeff Szpirglas on drafting quickly
[20:50] David McArthur on editing as he drafts
[22:30] Kate Inglis on irresistible revision
[25:15] Lisa Dalrymple on over-editing
[27:30] Interviews on plot twist dos and don’ts
[28:20] David McArthur doesn’t twist fully
[29:45] Lisa Dalrymple sticks to the rules of a story
[30:40] Jeff Szpirglas builds up the danger
[32:35] Kate Inglis’s favourite plot twists from television
[34:25] Marty Chan’s favourite plot twist from film
[36:15] Write your own tale
Outline or draft a scene, then ask how you might enhance the tension.
[37:30] Thanks and coming up on the podcast
Thanks to today’s guests. Next week’s episode, “Picture a Story,” will feature interviews with great Canadian illustrators – Katherine Battersby, Farida Zaman, Peggy Collins, Christine Tripp, and Chris Jones. Then on October 30th, I’ll have a special Halloween episode of Cabin Tales featuring weird tales from student writers. (Submission guidelines on the website at https://CabinTales.ca.)
Thanks for listening.
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 Authors:
Marty Chan writes books for kids, plays for adults, and tweets for fun. He’s best known for Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul, which won the 2007 Diamond Willow Award. His newest book, Haunted Hospital, launched October 29th. He works and lives in Edmonton with his wife Michelle and their cat Buddy. Find him online at MartyChan.com, on Twitter @Marty_Chan; on YouTube MartyChanAuthor; on Instagram @MartyChanWriter; and on Facebook @MartyChanAuthor.
Lisa Dalrymple is a wandering, wondering, dabbling, babbling, addle-brained author and mind-muddled mum. She has written 11 books for young readers, including Fierce: Women who Shaped Canada, A Moose Goes A-Mummering and Skink on the Brink. Lisa has taught kindergarten in South Korea and Thailand, caught and eaten piranha in the Amazon jungle and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. She now lives in Fergus, Ontario with her husband and their 3 highly-energetic children. Find her online at lisadalrymple.com; on Facebook: @LisaDalrympleBooks; on Twitter: @DalrympleWrites; and on Instagram: @lisa_dalrymple.
Kate Inglis is an award-winning author for adults and children. She writes about pirates and giants and mermaids and all the ways we love each other. Kate’s novels, non-fiction, and poetic picture books are infused with the salt, woodsmoke, and fresh air of the North Atlantic coast. Kate is also a photographer and a corporate writer. Find her online at www.kateinglis.com; on Instagram @kate_inglis, on Twitter @kate_inglis; and on Facebook @kateinglisbooks.
David McArthur is a graphic designer and creative writer based in Victoria, BC. He struggled with reading and writing as a child, and those struggles are part of the reason he created a series of books which give children confidence to read. The “What Does…” series started as a simple game that David played with his son as they were driving to daycare. Seeing the way his son joyfully reacted to the story was so wonderful that David turned the story into a book. The rest, as they say, is history! Find him online at www.akidsauthor.com.
Jeff Szpirglas is the author of over 20 books for young readers, both fiction and nonfiction, including entries for Scholastic’s “Countdown To Danger” series and Orca’s “Tales From Beyond the Brain.” He has co-authored two books about film soundtracks, and is a regular contributor to the award-winning horror magazine Rue Morgue. Jeff has worked at CTV and he was an editor at Chirp, chickaDEE, and Owl Magazines. These days, he spends his non-writing time as a full-time parent and full-time classroom teacher (and part-time werewolf). Visit him online at jeffszpirglas.com and find him on Twitter @jeffszpirglas or on Facebook.
October 9, 2020
Squirm (Episode 5: Tension)
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-g252g-eecd34
A “telling tales” episode about how to build tension in fiction, with stories, excerpts, and prompts. Featuring guest authors Lena Coakley, Sarah Raughley, and Don Cummer. 45 minutes. PG.
A full transcript of this episode and “fright-free” version with the opening story removed are available at CabinTales.ca.
Show Notes
[0:00] Introduction:
[1:15] Story Intro: Today you’ll hear a story where a pair of sisters are alone on a swimming platform with their old blind dog and a container of worms. And everything starts to squirm.
[1:35] Trigger warning: Fishing (animal cruelty); bullying; violence; accidental death. To skip the story, ahead 10 minutes when you hear the musical bar near the beginning. Or download the “fright-free” version from CabinTales.ca.
[2:40] Story: “Sisters”
[13:40] Commentary: Books worth rereading
Work hard on your prose so that your story is a pleasure to read.
[14:55] Excerpt from The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
[15:45] Copy the technique: write well.
[17:05] Commentary: Anticipation
You create narrative tension by making the reader hope for things to resolve one way, and dread that they’ll turn out another way.
[20:15] Excerpt from Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda
[19:45] Copy the technique: Build dread with foreshadowing and dramatic irony.
[22:40] Commentary: Stakes
Make your reader care about your character and their goals.
[24:15] Excerpt from Lost Boy by Christina Henry
[25:05] Copy the technique: Add more obstacles on your character’s path, and more need inside your character to overcome those obstacles.
[26:05] Interviews with guest authors
[27:05] Lena Coakley on planting questions
[28:15] Sarah Raughley on raising stakes
[30:00] Don Cummer on looking for trouble
[31:30] Drafting and revising for tension.
[31:45] Lena Coakley revises at every stage
[32:45] Don Cummer revises to find the best pacing
[34:00] Sarah Raughley adds tension to her outlines
[35:15] Anecdotes
[35:15] Don Cummer on vulnerable characters
[37:55] Lena Coakley on her agent’s advice
[37:15] Sarah Raughly on stakes in a series
[39:00] Story Prompt: “Simon and Woolly”
[41:35] Thanks and housekeeping
Tune in next week for Episode 5.5, “Author Interviews about Pacing” with guest authors Kate Inglis, Lisa Dalrymple, David MacArthur, Jeff Szpirglas, and Marty Chan.
[42:50] Monster Movie Quote: “Why don’t we just wait here for a little while, see what happens.”
Thanks for listening.
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 Authors:
Lena Coakley was born in Milford, Connecticut and grew up on Long Island. In high school, creative writing was the only class she ever failed—nothing was ever good enough to hand in!—but undeterred, she went on to study writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She has published two YA novels, Worlds of Ink and Shadow and Witchlanders. Wicked Nix, her first book for middle-grade readers, was nominated for the Silver Birch Express Award, the MYRCA Sundogs Award, and the Rocky Mountain Book Award. She now lives in Toronto with her two cats, Bonbon and Pirate Jenny. Find her online at www.lenacoakley.com; @lenacoakley
Don Cummer is the author of the “Jake and Eli” stories published by Scholastic – a series about two best friends growing up during the War of 1812. The first book, Brothers at War, was short-listed for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young Readers. Don was born in Calgary and grew up on a ranch. He moved to Ottawa, where he wrote speeches for a living, and now spends his time between Canada and Ireland – where he’s finding many more stories to tell. Find him online at www.doncummer.com and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSJOMFDqjhk&t=2s
Dr. Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario. She is the author of five YA fantasy novels, including the bestselling Effigies series and the forthcoming Bones of Ruin series. Her books have been nominated for the Aurora Award for Best Young Adult novel. Her academic research concerns representations of race and gender in popular media culture, youth culture, and postcolonialism. Sarah is a fangirl of manga and sci-fi TV. Find her online at https://sarahraughley.com and on Twitter at @s_raughley
October 2, 2020
Author Interviews about Plotting (Episode 4.5)
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-8etn5-edf365
Featuring guest authors Cary Fagan, Philippa Dowding, Raquel Rivera, Ishta Mercurio, and Kari-Lynn Winters, talking about plotting—how and when they plot, how they feel about tormenting characters with obstacles, and what they recommend to those who want to improve their own plotting.
A full transcript of this episode is available at https://CabinTales.ca.
[1:15] When to plot your story
Plotting happens while coming up with ideas, drafting, and revising – activities that overlap through the entire creative process.
[4:30] Author Interviews about Plotting
[5:10] Cary Fagan on plotting before and while drafting
[7:20] Philippa Dowding knows her ending
[8:25] Raquel Rivera does not know the ending
[10:35] Ishta Mercurio does not know the ending
[12:55] Kari-Lynn Winters knows the end but not the path
[14:20] Plotting as character challenged.
Think of a story as a path a character is taking toward what they want, and plot is everything that gets in their way. If you want to be a writer, you’ll have to make your characters suffer.
[16:05] Interviews about tormenting characters
[16:15] Philippa Dowding is a tormentor
[18:05] Raquel Rivera says torment is a sad necessity
[19:00] Kari-Lynn Winters wants some kind of hope
[20:20] Ishta Mercurio is an enthusiastic tormentor
[22:40] Cary Fagan mitigates the torments with humour
[25:10] Classic and experimental plots
Plotting is important even to quiet literary novels. Even experimental fiction is organized and intentional. So long as you fulfill the promises of the story that you set up when you invite a reader in, you’re plotting well.
[28:15] Author Interviews about plotting advice
[28:25] Philippa Dowding recommends keeping the end in sight
[29:25] Cary Fagan makes the unlikely believable
[31:30] Raquel Rivera talks it over with herself
[32:25] Ishta Mercurio puts a story away
[34:00] Kari-Lynn Winters layers her stories
[35:40] The best plots are inside you
If your plot fails in a way you can’t articulate, dig in and ask what you’re trying to say about life. Test and resolve a big issue, offer some revelation about life, lift up your reader into this big important drama. Use the heartline of your story to frame its plot.
[37:45] Write your own tale
Show us what your character wants and make us fret and worry and cringe and weep when she doesn’t get it.
[38:15] Thanks and coming up on the podcast
Next week takes on the subject of creating tension on Episode 5: “Squirm,” with guest authors Lena Coakley, Sarah Raughley, and Don Cummer.
If you enjoyed this episode, post a link to the podcast on your social media to recommend it to your friends. And write your own tale. Thanks for listening.
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 authors:
Photo by Mark Reynes Roberts
Cary Fagan has written many books for children, including The Hollow Under the Tree, Mort Ziff is Not Dead, and Wolfie and Fly. His many awards include the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, the IODE Jean Throop Award, the Betty Stuchner–Oy Vey!–Funniest Children’s Book Award, and the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for his body of work. Cary lives in Toronto. Find him online at https://www.caryfagan.com.
Philippa Dowding is an award-winning children’s author, a poet, musician and marketing copywriter. Her poetry and short fiction have appeared in many literary journals. Her children’s books have been nominated for awards in Canada, the U.S. and Europe, and her 2017 middle-grade novel, Myles and the Monster Outside, won the OLA Silver Birch Express Honour Book award. Philippa lives in Toronto with her family, where she reads, writes, plays guitar, and walks her dog every day. Find her on her website at http://pdowding.com or on her blog at http://phdowding.blogspot.com.
Ishta Mercurio was born and raised in an interracial family in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she developed a love of reading and books and big ideas. After leaving for college at the exactly right age of 16, she went on to explore the world and, with it, to explore various ways of storytelling, from dance to theatre to poetry to prose. She now lives and writes in Brampton, Ontario, where she serves as the Chairman of the Board for The FOLD Foundation, a non-profit whose mandate is to lift underrepresented and marginalized voices in Canadian literature. Her picture book debut, Small World, illustrated by Jen Corace (ABRAMS Books for Young Readers), was selected as one of NPR’s Best Books of 2019 and won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for the Canadian region. Find Ishta online at www.ishtamercurio.com or on Facebook at @theoneandonlyishta/, on Twitter @IshtaWrites; or on Instagram @IshtaMercurio.
Photo by Katya Konioukhova
Raquel Rivera is a writer, artist and performer based in Montreal since 1999, where she has published five books for young readers. Prior to this, she lived and worked as a copywriter in Washington DC, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore, and she taught ESL in Barcelona. Raquel also writes about books for Constellations, a library and online database of quality children’s literature, for use by teachers, librarians, and the public. When she’s not reading, writing, practising acrobatics, or drumming, Raquel leads creative workshops for children, youth, and adults around Quebec and across Canada. Visit her online at www.raquelriverawashere.com.
Dr. Kari-Lynn Winters is an award-winning children’s author, playwright, performer, and academic scholar. She is an Associate Professor at Brock University and the author of French Toast, Jeffrey and Sloth, On My Walk, Gift Days, and more than a dozen other imaginative picture books for children. Find her online at http://kariwinters.com/
September 25, 2020
Bad Things Happen (Episode 4: Plotting)
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-dpacy-ed0563
An episode about plotting stories, with guest authors Robin Stevenson, Wendy McLeod MacKnight, and Amelinda Bérubé. Featuring an original story, “The Critter Cam.” With excerpts from Harold and the Purple Crayon; “The Band-Aid;” and Holes. 45 minutes. PG-13. (A “fright-free” version is available at CabinTales.ca.)
A full transcript of this episode is available at CabinTales.ca.
[0:00] Intro and Story Intro
[1:35] Trigger warning: Violence, terror, pets dying, people dying, mental illness, paranormal activity, prescription drug abuse, murder, suicide, stalking – if you don’t want any of those things in your mind, skip ahead 10 minutes. Or download the “fright-free” versions of episodes available on the website at CabinTales.ca.
[2:55] Story: “The Critter Cam”
[19:15] Commentary on Classic Plot Strucuture
[14:30] Excerpt from Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
[15:15] Copy the technique
[17:45] Commentary on Simple Plots
[15:50] Excerpt from “The Band-Aid” by Andy Griffiths
[19:45] Copy the technique
[21:40] Commentary on complicated plotlines
[23:50] Excerpt from Holes by Louis Sacher
[24:30] Copy the technique
[26:45] Interviews on planning out plots
[27:15] Robin Stevenson on finding character before plotting
[28:50] Wendy McLeod MacKnight on messy middles
[30:35] Amelinda Bérubé on crawling to the finish
[32:15] Interviews about tormenting characters
[33:15] Amelinda Bérubé loves tormenting characters
[35:40] Wendy McLeod MacKnight finds torment cathartic
[35:15] Robin Stevenson has reservations about tormenting
[36:25] Advice for young writers on plotting
[36:40] Wendy McLeod MacKnight on caring about characters
[37:55] Amelinda Berube on the worst that could happen
[39:00] Robin Stevenson on holding back
[39:50] Story Prompt: “Crossing the Field”
[43:15] Thanks and housekeeping
[44:25] Monster Movie Quote
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 Authors:
Amelinda Bérubé is a freelance writer and the author of YA novels The Dark Beneath the Ice (Sourcebooks Fire, 2018) and Here There Are Monsters (Sourcebooks Fire, 2019). A mother of two and a passionate gardener, she lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in a perpetual whirlwind of unfinished projects and cat hair. Find her on her website at www.metuiteme.com or on Twitter: @metuiteme.
Wendy McLeod MacKnight grew up in a small town with a library card as her most prized possession. She worked for the Government of New Brunswick for twenty-five years until the siren call of writing became impossible to ignore. She is the author of three middle grade novels: It’s a Mystery, Pig Face! (Sky Pony Press), The Frame-Up and The Copycat (both from Greenwillow Books). In her spare time, she gardens, hangs with her family and friends, and feeds raccoons. Visit Wendy online at wendymcleodmacknight.com or on Twitter @wendymacknight or Instagram @wendymcleodmacknight.
Robin Stevenson is the award winning author of 29 books, including board books, picture books, early chapter books, middle grade fiction and non-fiction, and young adult fiction and non-fiction. She lives on the west coast of Canada with her family: her partner, teenage son, a cat, and a very loving and slightly needy spaniel who is usually lying on her feet. Robin is launching three new books in 2021: a picture book, PRIDE PUPPY (Orca), a middle-grade non-fiction book, KID INNOVATORS (Quirk), and a young adult novel, WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE (Running Press Kids). Find Robin online at https://robinstevenson.com or on Twitter @robin_stevenson, on Facebook at @RobinStevensonAuthor/, or on Instagram: @robinstevensonwrites.
September 18, 2020
Author Interviews about Inspiration (Episode 3.5)
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-re3uf-ec0401
A “talking tales” episode in which guest authors Cary Fagan, Wendy McLeod MacKnight, Raquel Rivera, Ishta Mercurio, and Robin Stevenson answer the question, “Where do you get your ideas?” 40 minutes. All ages.
A full transcript of this episode is available at CabinTales.ca.
[0:00] Introduction
Welcome to Cabin Tales: Spooky Stories for Young Writers. This is Episode 3.5: “Author Interviews about Inspiration.” I’m Catherine Austen. And my guests today are Cary Fagan, Wendy McLeod MacKnight, Raquel Rivera, Ishta Mercurio, and Robin Stevenson. They’ve written over 70 books—picture books, short story collections, non-fiction, and novels for children, teens, and adults – and their advice on where to find ideas for stories, where to keep them once you find them, and how to create fiction from your real-life fears, is coming up right now on Cabin Tales.
[1:15] Interviews about finding inspiration for stories
[2:10] Cary Fagan on finding inspiration from his own childhood
[5:30] Robin Stevenson on finding inspiration in life and news
[7:50]: Raquel Rivera on finding inspiration inside and out
[10:10] Ishta Mercurio on walking into inspiration
[13:25] Wendy McLeod MacKnight about being nosy
[16:15] Quote from Jack Gantos on eavesdropping
[17:00] Interviews about finding inspiration in real-life fears
[17:10] Robin Stevenson on her apocalyptic fears
[18:05] Raquel Rivera on writing from fear
[19:45] Wendy McLeod MacKnight on giving characters her phobias
[20:35] Cary Fagan on using fear directly and indirectly
[22:05] Ishta Mercurio on needing distance from fear
[23:20] Tapping into fear and other emotions to inspire stories
[24:20] Quotes from S.E. Hinton and from Peter Sears’ student handbook
[25:40] Interviews about journals
[25:55] Wendy McLeod MacKnight’s embarrassing journals
[27:35] Robin Stevenson on the need to write ideas down
[28:55] Raquel Rivera on writing, drawing, and designing ideas
[30:25] Ishta Mercurio’s many kinds of journal
[32:55] Cary Fagan’s journal is called a notebook.
[35:45] Things to do in journals
[36:30] Find inspiration by reading
[39:05] Start with a prompt
Download an Object Study exercise template at CabinTales.ca.
[40:10] Thanks and coming up on the podcast
Next week it’s Plotting in Episode 4: “Bad Things Happen.” Thanks for listening
Guest authors:
Photo by Mark Reynes Roberts
Cary Fagan has written many books for children, including The Hollow Under the Tree, Mort Ziff is Not Dead, and Wolfie and Fly. His many awards include the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, the IODE Jean Throop Award, the Betty Stuchner–Oy Vey!–Funniest Children’s Book Award, and the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for his body of work. Cary lives in Toronto. Find him online at https://www.caryfagan.com.
Wendy McLeod MacKnight grew up in a small town with a library card as her most prized possession. She worked for the Government of New Brunswick for twenty-five years until the siren call of writing became impossible to ignore. She is the author of three middle grade novels: It’s a Mystery, Pig Face! (Sky Pony Press), The Frame-Up and The Copycat (both from Greenwillow Books). In her spare time, she gardens, hangs with her family and friends, and feeds raccoons. Visit Wendy online at wendymcleodmacknight.com or on Twitter @wendymacknight or Instagram @wendymcleodmacknight.
Ishta Mercurio was born and raised in an interracial family in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she developed a love of reading and books and big ideas. After leaving for college at the exactly right age of 16, she went on to explore the world and, with it, to explore various ways of storytelling, from dance to theatre to poetry to prose. She now lives and writes in Brampton, Ontario, where she serves as the Chairman of the Board for The FOLD Foundation, a non-profit whose mandate is to lift underrepresented and marginalized voices in Canadian literature. Her picture book debut, Small World, illustrated by Jen Corace (ABRAMS Books for Young Readers), was selected as one of NPR’s Best Books of 2019 and won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for the Canadian region.
Find Ishta online at www.ishtamercurio.com or on Facebook at @theoneandonlyishta/, on Twitter @IshtaWrites; or on Instagram @IshtaMercurio.
Photo by Katya Konioukhova
Raquel Rivera is a writer, artist and performer based in Montreal since 1999, where she has published five books for young readers. Prior to this, she lived and worked as a copywriter in Washington DC, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore, and she taught ESL in Barcelona. Raquel also writes about books for Constellations, a library and online database of quality children’s literature, for use by teachers, librarians, and the public. When she’s not reading, writing, practising acrobatics, or drumming, Raquel leads creative workshops for children, youth, and adults around Quebec and across Canada. Visit her online at www.raquelriverawashere.com.
Robin Stevenson is the award winning author of 29 books, including board books, picture books, early chapter books, middle grade fiction and non-fiction, and young adult fiction and non-fiction. She lives on the west coast of Canada with her family: her partner, teenage son, a cat, and a very loving and slightly needy spaniel who is usually lying on her feet. Robin is launching three new books in 2021: a picture book, PRIDE PUPPY (Orca), a middle-grade non-fiction book, KID INNOVATORS (Quirk), and a young adult novel, WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE (Running Press Kids). Find Robin online at https://robinstevenson.com or on Twitter @robin_stevenson, on Facebook at @RobinStevensonAuthor/, or on Instagram: @robinstevensonwrites.
September 11, 2020
Spooky Stories are all Around Us (Episode 3)
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-2ejt8-eb27d1
A 50-minute episode that answers the question, “Where do you get your ideas?” With guest authors Philippa Dowding, Amelinda Berube, and Kari-Lynn Winters. Featuring an original spooky story about an insatiable animal; excerpts from All Quiet on the Western Front, The One and Only Ivan, and The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom; and creative writing exercises and prompts.
A full transcript of this episode is available at CabinTales.ca.
[0:00] Intro
[1:15] Story Introduction: Today you’ll hear a story about a boy whose stepfather told him repeatedly not to do something but the boy did it anyway. And he soon found out why he shouldn’t have.
[2:50] Darryl’s Story: “Don’t Feed the Wildlife”
Rated PG. Unless you’re terrified of chipmunks, it’s not scary.
[15:15] Commentary: Where ideas come from
Look around you and you will see stories waiting. Often writers don’t know where their ideas come from. But just as often, the source of a story is obvious. Some of the world’s most famous books had their inspiration in the author’s life.
[17:10] Excerpt from All Quiet on the Western Front
[18:30] Copy the Technique
Think of a moment in your own life where something happened that made you laugh, or made you cry, or embarrassed you, or frightened you. And write about it as if it happened to someone else.
[20:00] Finding ideas in the news
Another place that you can find story ideas is in true stories from history or from current events. Take a spark of truth and ask, “What must that have been like?”
[21:00] Excerpt from The One and Only Ivan
[22:05] Copy the technique
Pay attention to the world. Read the news. Read history books, and natural history books. Read the footnotes. When you find something that makes you think, “Wow, I never knew that. People should know about that,” then you have found your story idea.
[23:10] Finding ideas in other stories
A third place where you can find great ideas for stories … is other stories.
[23:55] Excerpt from The Hero’s Guide to Saving your Kingdom
[25:15] Copy the technique
Read myths and fairy tales and bible stories and Shakespeare and Jane Austen and the Brontes and think: Could there be a different ending? A different perspective?
[26:20] Author Interviews about where ideas come from
[26:45] Philippa Dowding on finding stories in dreams
[28:00] Amelinda Berube on finding ideas in “true” ghost stories
[30:40] Kari-Lynn Winters on finding ideas all around her
[32:55] Finding Ideas in your fears
[33:10] Amelinda Berube on conquering fears through fiction
[35:50] Kari-Lynn Winters on finding a story in a real spooky prank
[36:55] Philippa Dowding on writing about anxiety
[37:45] What to do with all your ideas
[37:55] Kari-Lynn Winter’s Thousand Journals
[38:40] Philippa Dowding on her several journals
[40:00] Amelinda Berube on no longer journaling
[41:00] Amelinda Berube on finding ideas in prompts
[42:00] The need to stare out windows
To take a simple idea and build it into something complex enough to become a story, you need to just let these ideas flow in your mind.
[42:40] Start with an object
Copy Chekhov when he picked up an ashtray and said, “Now I’ll write a story about an ashtray.” Start with an object.
[43:15] Story prompt
Finish the story beginning. Or pick up another object near you and write a story about that. If you’re really stuck and you want to write a scary story, sit in the dark at night in the woods, and within 5 minutes you’ll have lots of scary ideas in your head.
[47:55] Monster movie line
If you are stumped for ideas for scary stories, look to reality, the world around us. Because, as a Hollywood character once said, “Mother Nature is a serial killer. No one’s better or more creative.”
[48:30] Thanks and coming up on the podcast
Thanks to today’s guests. Guests next Friday will be: Robin Stevenson; Wendy McLeod MacKnight; Raquel Rivera; Ishta Mercurio; and Cary Fagin. They’ll be telling you where they get their best ideas and where you can find yours.
I’m Catherine Austen. Thanks for listening.
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 Authors:
Amelinda Bérubé is a freelance writer and the author of the YA novels The Dark Beneath the Ice (Sourcebooks Fire, 2018) and Here There Are Monsters (Sourcebooks Fire, 2019). 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 on her website at www.metuiteme.com or on Twitter: @metuiteme.
Philippa Dowding is an award-winning children’s author, a poet, musician and marketing copywriter. Her poetry and short fiction have appeared in many literary journals. Her children’s books have been nominated for awards in Canada, the U.S. and Europe, and her 2017 middle-grade novel, Myles and the Monster Outside, won the OLA Silver Birch Express Honour Book award. Philippa lives in Toronto with her family, where she reads, writes, plays guitar, and walks her dog every day. Find her on her website at http://pdowding.com or on her blog at http://phdowding.blogspot.com.
Dr. Kari-Lynn Winters is an award-winning children’s author, playwright, performer, and academic scholar. She is an Associate Professor at Brock University and the author of French Toast, Jeffrey and Sloth, On My Walk, Gift Days, and more than a dozen other imaginative picture books for children. Find her online at http://kariwinters.com/
September 4, 2020
Welcome to the Cabin (Episode 0)
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-m8qgw-ea1a80
An introductory tour of the podcast, about the origin of the Cabin Tales stories, creative writing themes on fall episodes, upcoming guest authors; and a submission call for the Halloween Special Episode. 20 minutes. All ages.
A full transcript of this episode is available at CabinTales.ca.
[1:15] What is Cabin Tales?
Cabin Tales is a podcast with an unusual format—a mix of fiction, education, and interviews. It’s really like having an author visit every week – only it’s absolutely free. And I bring talented friends with me. You don’t have to like spooky stories to enjoy this podcast. If you like books and author talks and encouragement to write your own tales, then this podcast is for you.
[1:50] The Origin of Cabin Tales
Catherine Austen developed the Cabin Tales Podcast during COVID-19 to take the place of author visits in 2020. The stories in the podcast are from her draft novel, Cabin Tales, in which four young teens tell scary stories around a campfire (while their mothers disappear one by one).
[4:00] The Podcast Format
Each episode of Cabin Tales focuses on one aspect of creative writing. Episode formats alternate thus: First is a full episode that opens with an original story, followed by excerpts from three books that exemplify the week’s theme—one for adults, one for young adults, and one for children—and a final prompt, told as a story, that listeners are invited to finish. In between readings, you get writing tips, commentary, suggested exercises, and 3 author interviews. Then the next episode features interviews with five more guest authors talking about the same creative-writing subject. So you get two weeks on each creative writing theme. We’ll alternate between these formats, “Telling Tales” and “Talking Tales,” all season.
[7:20] The Audience
The Cabin Tales Podcast is for readers and writers of all levels of experience, but especially teen writers. The kids whose schools I won’t be visiting this year. Stories told on the podcast are the sort that young people might tell around a campfire to spook their friends. Some are serious; some are silly; and some are a little scary. Consider them PG-13. For younger listeners, “fright-free” versions of episodes are available on the website at CabinTales.ca – all the good educational stuff with no scary bits.
[9:00] Where to Listen
The Cabin Tales Podcast is available through iTunes, Google Podcast, Spotify, SoundCloud, Stitcher, TuneIn, I Heart Radio, Learning out Loud, and through its host, Podbean. (Those platforms stream the original episodes only. For the fright-free versions, go to CabinTales.ca.) To be notified by email of every new episode when it comes out, follow the CabinTales.ca blog or follow Catherine on Facebook. Or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or from any other streaming platform.
[10:20] The Interviews
All episodes of Cabin Tales feature excerpts from interviews with great Canadian authors for young people. Guest authors featured in August were Caroline Pignat, Lori Weber, Tim Wynne-Jones, Karen Krossing, Jan Coates, Rachel Eugster, Amanda West Lewis, and Monique Polak. Guests featured in September include Philippa Dowding, Ishta Mercurio, Wendy MacKnight, Amelinda Berube, Robin Stevenson, Raquel Rivera, and Kari-Lynn Winters. Guests coming up in the fall include Cary Fagan, Don Cummer, Sarah Raughley, Kate Inglis, Farida Zaman, Katherine Battersby, Christine Tripp, Peggy Collins, and many more.
You’ll hear little bits and pieces from all of these interviews this fall, and you can hear complete, edited interviews with each featured author in the winter, starting January 2021.
[11:35] The Excerpts
The podcast follows guidelines of Fair Dealing with the brief excerpts of copyrighted material used to illustrate fine writing. Episode shownotes link to the sources for all of these books.
[12:30] Write your own Tale
The Cabin Tales Podcast encourages listeners to write their own tales. Episodes include suggested writing activities, and each full episode ends with a story prompt that listeners are invited to finish. Some episodes also link to creative writing mini-lessons and templates that teachers can use straight out of the box.
[14:25] The Halloween Episode
Submissions are being accepted for a special Halloween episode of Cabin Tales, which will feature just student stories. Original spooky stories of up to 2000 words. Send your story, along with a few words about yourself and when and why you wrote this story, in the body of an email to cabin(at)catherineausten(dot)com or use the form on the contact page at CabinTales.ca. Sadly, we pay you nothing but respect.
[16:45] The Cabin Tales Host, Catherine Austen
I’m an author of short stories for adults, novels for children, and reports for corporate clients. I’ve won some awards. I’ve had stories published in great literary journals. I’ve given writing workshops at schools and libraries across Canada. I live in Gatineau, Quebec.
[17:25] The Music
Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo under Standard license for online use.
[17:50] What’s coming up this season
September 11: Episode 3, “Spooky Stories are all Around Us,” about getting ideas for stories. September 18th: Episode 3.5, “Author Interviews about Ideas.”
Episodes 4 and 4.5 are about Plotting.
Episodes 5 and 5.5 are about creating tension.
October 23rd: “There’s More than One Way to Tell a Story,” interviews with Canadian illustrators.
October 30th, “Spooky Stories by Student Writers.”
November and December episodes about Beginnings and Endings; Narrative Voice; and Revision
A final December episode about the creative process and how to develop a writing practice.
In January we’ll begin a season of author interviews.
(Monster-movie line: “I got a goddamned plan!”)
[19:35] Thanks for listening
If you like the show, please link to it on your social media, and share it with your writer-friends and reader-friends and teacher-friends, and together we’ll get it into the ears of young writers and say to them: Write your own tale. Here’s how.
August 28, 2020
Author Interviews about Fictional Characters (Episode 2.5)
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-5ivc4-e929ea
A “talking tales” episode about developing fictional characters, featuring interviews with five guest authors for children and young adults: Caroline Pignat; Jan Coates; Lori Weber; Rachel Eugster; and Amanda West Lewis. Hosted by Catherine Austen. 46 minutes. All ages.
The full transcript of this episode and more information on the podcast is available at CabinTales.ca.
[0:00] Introduction
[1:15] Interviews on favourite villains and protagonists
[2:00] Caroline Pignat on Darth Vader and Gollum
[4:10] Jan Coates on Skellig, The Nest, and Kate DiCamillo
[6:45] Lori Weber on Heathcliffe, Remington, and favourite characters
[9:40] Rachel Eugster on Miss Slighcarp and beloved characters
[12:20] Amanda West Lewis on the Terrible Trivium
[15:50] Commentary and interviews on empathy
Excerpt by Colum McCann from Letters to a Young Writer
[18:00] Caroline Pignat on crying through a scene
[18:45] Jan Coates on sitting down with her character
[19:50] Lori Weber on loving her characters
[20:30] Rachel Eugster on acting and writing
[22:25] Amanda West Lewis on making historical characters feel real
[24:50] Exercises for young writers
[25:15] Amanda West Lewis on making historical characters feel real
[27:00] Rachel Eugster on plotting characters
[28:30] Lori Weber on discovering a character as she writes
[31:15] Jan Coates on living with a character in her head
[32:20] Caroline Pignat on connecting with characters
[35:15] Write your own tale
[35:45] Interviews on humans vs monsters
[36:55] Caroline Pignat on deceptive appearances
[38:10] Jan Coates on recent real-life monsters
[38:40] Lori Weber on scary humans
[39:00] Rachel Eugster on noble monsters
[40:00] Amanda West Lewis on humans and monsters
[40:15] Karen Krossing on monstrous humans
[40:25] Monique Polak on writing monsters from life
[41:25] Tim Wynne-Jones on monsters, humans, and monster stories
[43:30] Story prompt
[43:45] Thanks
[44:50] Coming up on the podcast
Thanks for listening.
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 Authors:
Jan Coates grew up in Truro, Nova Scotia where her parents owned a bookshop and a music store. She has lived in Wolfville for most of her adult life. A teacher by trade, she’s been writing for young readers for close to 20 years, and she has published six picture books, six 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. She has two adult kids, both married and, sadly, both living in Ontario. One of Jan’s goals in life is to life within an hour’s drive of her kids. For now, she lives with her husband Don, and her Golden Irish, Charlie, in Wolfville. Other than reading and writing, she loves riding her bike, learning to illustrate, second-hand shopping, being outside and travelling. She does not like housework, cold weather and people who are dishonest. Blog: www.jancoates.ca; Twitter: @JanCoates13; Email: janlcoates60@gmail.com
Rachel Eugster keeps her fingers in a whole rack of pies. She is the author of the picture book The Pocket Mommy(Tunda/Penguin Random House)*, and the Ingredients of a Balanced Diet series (Franklin Watts). She has written magazine articles for adults and children, and was formerly an editor at Walking magazine (published out of Boston), where she was a one-woman copyediting department. In a parallel orbit of her professional life, Rachel is a theatre artist, singer, and choral conductor. She is a co-founder and core artist of Bear & Co., a tiny indie theatre company that has produced 23 shows since its founding in 2012, and she conducts the SJCC Adult Choir and the Tamir Neshama choir for developmentally delayed adults. In 2015, Rachel premiered in her original play Whose Æmilia? at the Ottawa Fringe Festival. Rachel is also an active member of Democrats Abroad, for whom she co-hosts The Blue Vote Café podcast with David Schellenberg.
Website: https://racheleugster.com/; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepocketmommy/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelEugster
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/racheleugster/
Caroline Pignat is the two-time Governor Generalʼs Literary Award-winning author of novels, non-fiction, and poetry. At age 16, she wrote a short story that years later became Greener Grass, winner the 2009 Governor General’s Literary Award. The Gospel Truth, a novel in free verse poetry, won her a second Governor General’s Award in 2015. With over 20 years’ experience teaching in schools, workshops, and at conferences, Caroline loves helping young writers find and share their unique voices. Website: www.carolinepignat.com; Twitter: @CarolinePignat
Lori Weber is the author of eight young adult novels, including Yellow Mini, a novel in verse, and Deep Girls, a short-story collection; one historical middle grade novel, Lightning Lou; and one picture book, My Granny Loves Hockey. She has also published short fiction, poetry and non-fiction in several Canadian literary journals. A native Montrealer, she lived for several years in Atlantic Canada where she taught English in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Upon returning to Montreal, she began teaching English at Vanier College in 1994 before moving to John Abbott College in 1996, a position she recently retired from. She has represented Quebec twice for TD Canadian Book Week and has been offering classroom workshops around Quebec as a member of the Culture in the Schools program since 2005. She currently lives in Dorval, Quebec, where she hopes to do more writing, taking inspiration from her cat, Bogey, and the beautiful Lac Saint Louis which is at her doorstep, and which she loves to photograph daily. Website: www.lori-weber.com; #lacsaintlouis (Instagram)
Amanda West Lewis has built a life filled with words on the page and on the stage, combining careers as 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. Amanda holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, with a specialist certificate in writing picture books. She is also the Artistic Director and Founder of The Ottawa Children’s Theatre. She has dedicated her career to arts education for all ages. Website: http://www.amandawestlewis.com; Twitter: @AmandaWestLewis
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandawest.lewis
August 21, 2020
Nasty People Meet Nasty Ends (Episode 2: Characters)
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ntrid-e81a84
Welcome to Cabin Tales: Spooky Stories for Young Writers. This is Episode Two: Nasty People meet Nasty Ends. It’s a long one at 50 minutes. I’m Catherine Austen. And my guests today are great Canadian writers Karen Krossing, Monique Polak, and Tim Wynne-Jones. Today we’ll be talking all about characters.
Original and fright free audio versions and full transcripts of this episode are available at CabinTales.ca.
[1:50] Trigger warning: Today’s story includes cruelty, crime, references to suicide, and a fairly disgusting parasite. So if you have a special sensitivity to any of those things, skip ahead 10 minutes when you hear the musical bar near the beginning of the story. Or download the “fright-free” version at CabinTales.ca.
[3:10] Story: “The Spot”
[14:35] Commentary: Introducing characters
[15:50] Excerpt from Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)
[18:30] Copy the technique
[19:15] Introducing a character from an omniscient point of view
[20:10] Excerpt from The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
[22:15] Copy the technique
[23:00] First person narrators as characters
[23:50] Excerpt from The Universe versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence
[25:20] Copy the technique
[26:30] Interviews
[27:05] Karen Krossing’s favourite characters
[28:40] Monique Polak’s favourite characters
[30:35] Tim Wynne-Jones’ favourite characters
[32:35] Karen Krossing on empathizing with monsters
[35:45] Monique Polak on empathizing with characters
[36:45] Tim Wynne-Jones on empathizing with characters
[38:25] Advice for young writers on developing characters
[39:15] Tim Wynne-Jones on drafting to discover a character
[41:00] Monique Polak on stealing characters
[41:45] Karen Krossing on observing setting as a character
[42:20] Character Exercises to find plot
[43:45] Story Prompt: “The couple at Swimmer’s Graveyard”
[48:00] Write your own tale
You can find a mini-lesson on developing characters and a template for young writers on Catherine Austen’s blog.
[48:45] Monster movie line
“Nasty little fellows such as yourself always get their comeuppance.”
[49:10] Thanks and coming up on the podcast
I want to thank today’s guests – Tim Wynne-Jones, Monique Polak, and Karen Krossing. Next week, we’ll have Episode 2.5, “Author Interviews about Character.” My guests next week are Caroline Pignat, Rachel Eugster, Amanda West Lewis, Lori Weber, and Jan Coates. Thanks for listening.
Host:
Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Her novels have won the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award and the Quebec Writers’ Federation Prize for Children’s Literature. Her stories have appeared in anthologies and journals including The Fiddlehead and The New Quarterly. Catherine is a literacy tutor for Sage Youth and a mentor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (Canada East). She has given creative writing workshops and presentations from coast to coast. She lives in Gatineau, Quebec.
Music:
Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use)
Art:
The image on this page is a cropped B&W version of an illustration by Paul Helleu from a 1913 collection of his work.
Guest Authors:
Karen Krossing wrote poetry and rants as a teen and dreamed of becoming a published writer. Now, she’s the author of seven award-winning novels for kids and teens, including Punch Like a Girl, Bog, and Cut the Lights, with two picture books on the way. Karen encourages new writers through workshops for kids, teens, and adults. She lives in Toronto, and you can find her on Instagram and Twitter or at www.karenkrossing.com.
Monique Polak is the Montreal-based author of 29 books for young people. She is 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. She is also a columnist for ICI-Radio Canada’s Plus on est de fous, plus on lit! As you can imagine, Monique operates at high speed to get all these things done. But she brakes whenever she hears (or smells) a good story. To learn more about Monique, visit her website at www.moniquepolak.com.
Tim Wynne-Jones has written 35 books for adults and children of all sorts of ages. He has won the Governor General’s Award twice and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award twice, most recently for the thriller, Blink & Caution. He has twice won the Arthur Ellis Award of the Crime Writers of Canada, as well as the Edgar Award of the Mystery Writers of America. His books have been translated into a dozen languages. Tim was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2012. His latest novel, The Starlight Claim, came out in 2019. Website: http://www.timwynne-jones.com/; Blog: https://theresalwaysdinner.home.blog/; Twitter: @tim_wj; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tim.wynnejones.3
August 14, 2020
Author Interviews on Fictional Settings (Episode 1.5)
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-47r5f-e6d4f5
Interviews with 5 Canadian authors for children and teens about their favourite fictional settings, feared real-life settings, and exercises they recommend to young writers who want to develop effective fictional settings. Hosted by Catherine Austen, with a story prompt at the end. 40 minutes. All ages.
Visit CabinTales.ca for a full transcript of this episode.
[1:10] Welcome to Cabin Tales: Spooky Stories for Young Writers. This is Episode One Point Five: “Author Interviews about Fictional Settings.” Today’s episode is a “talking tales” format, which mean it’s all interviews, extending last week’s episode, “Things Hide in the Darkness,” and keeping the focus on the subject of fictional settings. I’m Catherine Austen. And my guests today are Karen Krossing; Jan Coates; Rachel Eugster; Amanda West Lewis; and Monique Polak.
[1:15] Interviews
Introduction to Karen Krossing. Karen talks about her favourite fictional setting and exercises she does when building a setting.
[4:10] Introduction to Jan Coates. Jan talks about researching the real settings in her own books.
[6:10] Introduction to Rachel Eugster. Rachel talks about her favourite fictional setting and researching the historical setting of her play.
[9:20] Introduction to Amanda West Lewis. Amanda talks about her favourite setting and researching the settings of historical fiction.
[13:25] Introduction to Monique Polak. Monique talks about her favourite settings and real places and how little setting planning she does before drafting.
[16:35] Catherine’s approach to setting
[18:20] Scary settings:
[18:55] Karen Krossing’s fear of closets.
[19:50] Jan Coates’ fear of water.
[21:30] Rachel Eugster’s fear of heights.
[23:25] Amanda West Lewis’s fear of elevators.
[24:35] Monique Polak’s claustrophobia.
[26:15] Setting exercises for young writers
[27:00] Monique Polak’s setting advice
[28:20] Amanda West Lewis’s setting collages
[30:50] Rachel Eugster’s setting immersion
[31:20] Karen Krossing’s sensory details
[32:10] Basement prompt (All guests from episode 1 and 1.5 respond to the prompt word: Basement)
Story prompt: Take a setting that most people think of as scary, and make it the most wonderful place.
[36:45] Coming up on the podcast:
Next week we’ll have original stories, excerpts, prompts and interviews about fictional characters in Episode 2: “Nasty People meet Nasty Ends.”
Thanks to today’s guests. Thanks for listening.
Music: Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use).
Art: The B&W illustration on this page is a cropped version of a wood engraving by Paul Gavarni from Oeuvres choisies de Gavarni, volume 4, 1848.
Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com.
Guest Authors:
Jan Coates grew up in Truro, Nova Scotia where her parents owned a bookshop and a music store. She has lived in Wolfville for most of her adult life. A teacher by trade, she’s been writing for young readers for close to 20 years, and she has published six picture books, six 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. She has two adult kids, both married and, sadly, both living in Ontario. One of Jan’s goals in life is to life within an hour’s drive of her kids. For now, she lives with her husband Don, and her Golden Irish, Charlie, in Wolfville. Other than reading and writing, she loves riding her bike, learning to illustrate, second-hand shopping, being outside and travelling. She does not like housework, cold weather and people who are dishonest.
Blog: www.jancoates.ca; Twitter: @JanCoates13; Email: janlcoates60@gmail.com
Rachel Eugster keeps her fingers in a whole rack of pies. She is the author of the picture book The Pocket Mommy (Tunda/Penguin Random House)*, and the Ingredients of a Balanced Diet series (Franklin Watts). She has written magazine articles for adults and children, and was formerly an editor at Walking magazine (published out of Boston), where she was a one-woman copyediting department.
In a parallel orbit of her professional life, Rachel is a theatre artist, singer, and choral conductor. She is a co-founder and core artist of Bear & Co., a tiny indie theatre company that has produced 23 shows since its founding in 2012, and she conducts the SJCC Adult Choir and the Tamir Neshama choir for developmentally delayed adults. In 2015, Rachel premiered in her original play Whose Æmilia? at the Ottawa Fringe Festival. Rachel is also an active member of Democrats Abroad, for whom she co-hosts The Blue Vote Café podcast with David Schellenberg.
Website: https://racheleugster.com/;
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepocketmommy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelEugster
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/racheleugster/
Karen Krossing wrote poetry and rants as a teen and dreamed of becoming a published writer. Now, she’s the author of seven award-winning novels for kids and teens, including Punch Like a Girl, Bog, and Cut the Lights, with two picture books on the way. Karen encourages new writers through workshops for kids, teens, and adults. She lives in Toronto, and you can find her on Instagram and Twitter or at www.karenkrossing.com.
Monique Polak is the Montreal-based author of 29 books for young people. She is 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. She is also a columnist for ICI-Radio Canada’s Plus on est de fous, plus on lit! As you can imagine, Monique operates at high speed to get all these things done. But she brakes whenever she hears (or smells) a good story. To learn more about Monique, visit her website at www.moniquepolak.com.
Amanda West Lewis has built a life filled with words on the page and on the stage, combining careers as 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. Amanda holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, with a specialist certificate in writing picture books. She is also the Artistic Director and Founder of The Ottawa Children’s Theatre. She has dedicated her career to arts education for all ages.
Website: http://www.amandawestlewis.com; Twitter: @AmandaWestLewis
