Augusta Scattergood's Blog, page 41
October 13, 2013
Junk Poker
(Note, I'm reposting this from May, 2011, written as I prepared for the book's launch. I'm reposting because I just had the nicest comment from a reader, today, and can't resist sharing. Oh, and by the way, the actual wallpaper, deemed valuable, has been retired. But I now have a great facsimile supplied by the kids at one of the schools I visited last year. )
When I changed my Facebook profile picture this week, I had a few questions. Like what in the heck is that shoebox tied up with a big purple ribbon all about?
It's all about Junk Poker.
When we were very little and shared the Sleeping Porch as our bedroom, my sister and I created a game. I remember it vividly, so what if she doesn't? I was older. I get to elaborate on the memories. So I'm telling the story: we played Blackjack with our "treasures." We hid the shoeboxes under our beds. We took them out during nap-times (every day of the summer to escape the heat and survive polio- but that's another story).
In my upcoming novel, Glory and her big sister play Junk Poker. In fact, I first titled the book Junk Poker, way back when I first began writing it. Back then, it was a short story narrated by an adult caregiver, who also happened to be the organist/ wedding planner/ maker of tissue paper carnations for the First Baptist Church. What can I say? The story has evolved. Have you never started with one idea and come up with something completely different?
New title, new genre, new characters.
But Junk Poker and the shoebox survived.
Inside my box is my prized possession. I thought it was lost until I rediscovered a manila envelope tucked in the bottom of an old footlocker from Camp Skyline Ranch. The trunk had traveled many miles since my Mentone, Alabama days. When it finally fell apart in our last move, I salvaged the envelope.
I found corsages from old boyfriends, a photograph of my dad's Army jeep that I learned to drive on, and the best treasure of all: wallpaper from Elvis's house in Tupelo, Mississippi.
So that's what I shared in my Scholastic talk in New York. Green floral wallpaper from Elvis's childhood home, tucked into this Buster Brown shoebox just like Glory's, wrapped in a big purple ribbon. Why Elvis's wallpaper? You'll have to wait for Glory and her big sister to tell you...
Meanwhile, it's only fitting that my Junk Poker box serves as my new Facebook profile picture.
When I changed my Facebook profile picture this week, I had a few questions. Like what in the heck is that shoebox tied up with a big purple ribbon all about?
It's all about Junk Poker.
When we were very little and shared the Sleeping Porch as our bedroom, my sister and I created a game. I remember it vividly, so what if she doesn't? I was older. I get to elaborate on the memories. So I'm telling the story: we played Blackjack with our "treasures." We hid the shoeboxes under our beds. We took them out during nap-times (every day of the summer to escape the heat and survive polio- but that's another story).
In my upcoming novel, Glory and her big sister play Junk Poker. In fact, I first titled the book Junk Poker, way back when I first began writing it. Back then, it was a short story narrated by an adult caregiver, who also happened to be the organist/ wedding planner/ maker of tissue paper carnations for the First Baptist Church. What can I say? The story has evolved. Have you never started with one idea and come up with something completely different?
New title, new genre, new characters.
But Junk Poker and the shoebox survived.
Inside my box is my prized possession. I thought it was lost until I rediscovered a manila envelope tucked in the bottom of an old footlocker from Camp Skyline Ranch. The trunk had traveled many miles since my Mentone, Alabama days. When it finally fell apart in our last move, I salvaged the envelope.
I found corsages from old boyfriends, a photograph of my dad's Army jeep that I learned to drive on, and the best treasure of all: wallpaper from Elvis's house in Tupelo, Mississippi.
So that's what I shared in my Scholastic talk in New York. Green floral wallpaper from Elvis's childhood home, tucked into this Buster Brown shoebox just like Glory's, wrapped in a big purple ribbon. Why Elvis's wallpaper? You'll have to wait for Glory and her big sister to tell you...
Meanwhile, it's only fitting that my Junk Poker box serves as my new Facebook profile picture.
October 11, 2013
The Name Game again
Looking for a name?
Turns out naming a child (or a book character!) after a place is nothing new.
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n426/Geovalue/16.jpg
Check out this list of STATE NAMES given to children.
Here's a little from that post, above. Doesn't it make you want to click over and read it all?
And because fiction can be more satisfying than real life, here are some fictional characters with US State names:
Alaska Young in John Green's Looking for Alaska
Nevada Smith in Harold Robbins' The Carpetbaggers
Montana Wildhack in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five
Wyoming Knott in Robert Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Arizona Ames in Zane Grey's Arizona Ames.
The daughter named KIM in Edna Ferber's Showboat:
And as Kim Ravenal you doubtless are familiar with her. It is no secret that the absurd monosyllable which comprises her given name is made up of the first letters of three states - Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri - in all of which she was, incredibly enough, born - if she can be said to have been born in any state at all (Ferber 1).
And yes, I do obsess over names.
Can't seem to flesh out a character without the name fitting perfectly.
So I rejected Virginia, a state name?--not entirely, as a big sister.
She just wasn't a Virginia. Turns out, she was a Jesslyn.
Blogged about, here:
And for my current, in revision, manuscript, I blogged about my Main Character's elusive name, here:
But I'm liking those state names. Great post. Thank you, Mississippi Library Commission!
Turns out naming a child (or a book character!) after a place is nothing new.
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n426/Geovalue/16.jpg Check out this list of STATE NAMES given to children.
Here's a little from that post, above. Doesn't it make you want to click over and read it all?
And because fiction can be more satisfying than real life, here are some fictional characters with US State names:
Alaska Young in John Green's Looking for Alaska
Nevada Smith in Harold Robbins' The Carpetbaggers
Montana Wildhack in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five
Wyoming Knott in Robert Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Arizona Ames in Zane Grey's Arizona Ames.
The daughter named KIM in Edna Ferber's Showboat:
And as Kim Ravenal you doubtless are familiar with her. It is no secret that the absurd monosyllable which comprises her given name is made up of the first letters of three states - Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri - in all of which she was, incredibly enough, born - if she can be said to have been born in any state at all (Ferber 1).
And yes, I do obsess over names.
Can't seem to flesh out a character without the name fitting perfectly.
So I rejected Virginia, a state name?--not entirely, as a big sister.
She just wasn't a Virginia. Turns out, she was a Jesslyn.
Blogged about, here:
And for my current, in revision, manuscript, I blogged about my Main Character's elusive name, here:
But I'm liking those state names. Great post. Thank you, Mississippi Library Commission!
October 9, 2013
P.S. Be Eleven
You know that thing about knowing somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody?
That's kind of how I feel about Rita Williams-Garcia. I've never met this writer, nor have I heard her speak, except on the occasional YouTube someone shares. But I know a few people who know her and probably know a lot of people who have heard her talk about how to write. I suspect she's brilliant.
I want some of her Writing Fairy Dust to spill my way.
And while I try very hard not to envy anybody's fabulous talent, Rita Williams-Garcia's books about those Gaither girls are truly enviable.
Three things I love about this new book, P.S. Be Eleven.
1. You get a sense of history without being banged over the head with it. The girls are funny in a way that a lot of kids will truly get. They constantly bicker. They laugh and swoon over the Jackson Five. Standing in Mr. Mack's Candy Store, they remember Power to the People from their One Crazy Summer in Oakland with their poet mother. But Fern chimes in- in a way that younger sisters even today might - with "Free candy," instead of Free Huey.
So funny.
Their Vietnam veteran uncle's serious story is interwoven with the girls' worry about seeing Michael Jackson. Beautifully and seamlessly told, this subplot is an important, yet kid-friendly discussion.
2. Those authentic character voices. Wow.
I love all three sisters. I love Big Ma, their grandmother.
But Delphine is wise way beyond her 12 years.
Here's her take on the 6th Grade Dance:
For me, the sixth-grade dance meant trying to match steps with boys I'd slugged...For me, and me alone, it meant waiting to be asked to dance when no one would ask because they'd have to look way up at me...
I surely didn't want to be the girl no one asked to dance. I didn't want to be the girl who swayed by the punch bowl and cookie table, pretending to enjoy watching everyone else dance. I didn't want to be Miss Merriam Webster's definition of a sixth-grade wallflower.
Oh, how I remember those days!
3. The sensory details and descriptions inspire author-envy, I'll admit.
Like the teacher's letter. "The smell of purple ink swirled up my nose when I unfolded the bright white paper."
Yes, I know. That mimeograph machine smell!
And Big Ma dressed for church, "with a pinned-on hat, a shiny black purse, and black gloves that crawled past her wrists."
I've been thinking a lot about Historical Fiction lately. I love reading books with terrific and true tiny details.
I'm excited about my upcoming whole novel HIGHLIGHTS FOUNDERS WORKSHOP on Historical Fiction.
(There may be a couple of places left. Click that link up there for details.)
I could go on and on.
But I'll let you see for yourself. And feel free to let me know your thoughts.
For my thoughts on the first book about these fabulous characters and my review on Joyce Moyer Hostetter's history blog, CLICK RIGHT HERE, please.
That's kind of how I feel about Rita Williams-Garcia. I've never met this writer, nor have I heard her speak, except on the occasional YouTube someone shares. But I know a few people who know her and probably know a lot of people who have heard her talk about how to write. I suspect she's brilliant.
I want some of her Writing Fairy Dust to spill my way.
And while I try very hard not to envy anybody's fabulous talent, Rita Williams-Garcia's books about those Gaither girls are truly enviable.
Three things I love about this new book, P.S. Be Eleven.
1. You get a sense of history without being banged over the head with it. The girls are funny in a way that a lot of kids will truly get. They constantly bicker. They laugh and swoon over the Jackson Five. Standing in Mr. Mack's Candy Store, they remember Power to the People from their One Crazy Summer in Oakland with their poet mother. But Fern chimes in- in a way that younger sisters even today might - with "Free candy," instead of Free Huey.
So funny.
Their Vietnam veteran uncle's serious story is interwoven with the girls' worry about seeing Michael Jackson. Beautifully and seamlessly told, this subplot is an important, yet kid-friendly discussion.
2. Those authentic character voices. Wow.
I love all three sisters. I love Big Ma, their grandmother.
But Delphine is wise way beyond her 12 years.
Here's her take on the 6th Grade Dance:
For me, the sixth-grade dance meant trying to match steps with boys I'd slugged...For me, and me alone, it meant waiting to be asked to dance when no one would ask because they'd have to look way up at me...
I surely didn't want to be the girl no one asked to dance. I didn't want to be the girl who swayed by the punch bowl and cookie table, pretending to enjoy watching everyone else dance. I didn't want to be Miss Merriam Webster's definition of a sixth-grade wallflower.
Oh, how I remember those days!
3. The sensory details and descriptions inspire author-envy, I'll admit.
Like the teacher's letter. "The smell of purple ink swirled up my nose when I unfolded the bright white paper."
Yes, I know. That mimeograph machine smell!
And Big Ma dressed for church, "with a pinned-on hat, a shiny black purse, and black gloves that crawled past her wrists."
I've been thinking a lot about Historical Fiction lately. I love reading books with terrific and true tiny details.
I'm excited about my upcoming whole novel HIGHLIGHTS FOUNDERS WORKSHOP on Historical Fiction.
(There may be a couple of places left. Click that link up there for details.)
I could go on and on.
But I'll let you see for yourself. And feel free to let me know your thoughts.
For my thoughts on the first book about these fabulous characters and my review on Joyce Moyer Hostetter's history blog, CLICK RIGHT HERE, please.
October 2, 2013
More on THE END
According to my scribbles in a notebook, this quote about ENDINGS came via Virginia Euwer Wolff.
(But since I can't verify it, please don't quote me.)
I love it, no matter who said it.
"It's not exactly a WOW! or an AHA! But it's a cross between them, a WHOA!"
Click here for a few more words about endings, via my week with Ann Hood et al at WRITERS IN PARADISE a while back. And guess what-- they're already accepting applications for the 2014 conference in St. Petersburg, in January, with great writers.
HERE's the link to that excellent conference: http://writersinparadise.eckerd.edu
Speaking of Endings:Wouldn't you like to spend a week in January, learning and writing, looking at this at the end of your day?
(But since I can't verify it, please don't quote me.)
I love it, no matter who said it.
"It's not exactly a WOW! or an AHA! But it's a cross between them, a WHOA!"
Click here for a few more words about endings, via my week with Ann Hood et al at WRITERS IN PARADISE a while back. And guess what-- they're already accepting applications for the 2014 conference in St. Petersburg, in January, with great writers.
HERE's the link to that excellent conference: http://writersinparadise.eckerd.edu
Speaking of Endings:Wouldn't you like to spend a week in January, learning and writing, looking at this at the end of your day?
September 30, 2013
Being Still and Listening
"The discipline of the writer is to learn to be still and listen to what his subject has to tell him."
Rachel Carson
This morning I read Candice Farris Ransom's post about switching off the internet and listening Here it is. What do you think? I don't think I can completely unplug. But I'll try to strike a balance.
I'm leaning toward the advice of Laurie Halse Anderson,
in her blogpost about Social Media.
Cut the amount of time you spent on social media and reading blogs about writing and getting published by 75%. Yep. If you spent 10 hours a week on that stuff, then from now on, spend 2.5 hours. Use the time that you get back for writing your novel and for reading great books. That will make your chances of getting published much stronger than any Facebook post ever will.
Of course, I'd spent an entirely productive time cruising around on Laurie Halse Anderson's blog. She's got some great advice and fantastic visuals so I'll be back. She'll be in my 25%.
It's the other internet background noise I may be able to live without.
It's a lot easier to be still and listen when the background noise isn't clutter.
September 28, 2013
Lookaway, Lookaway
I rarely comment on books I don't finish reading. Or books I don't like much.
But I gave this one the "80-page Test" and am now returning it to the library.
And I'm only writing about it because before I even started reading this just-published novel-- set in Charlotte, NC according to the review and sounding quite intriguing-- I mentioned it to more than a few folks.
Sorry about that.
The New York Times review made me want to read it. Especially because I'm exploring and curious about what seems to be a proliferation of multi-viewpoint novels these days. (Kids' books included.)
Here's the last page of that otherwise positive review:
"My few complaints about this novel arise from my own greed. Because each character gets his or her own chapter, after a while the book takes on a drive-by quality. You settle in with Jerilyn and then, before you know it, you’re on to Gaston, then Jerene and so on. It’s the literary equivalent of speed dating, and it left me yearning for more, especially from Gaston and the ghastly Jerene, whose mysteries Barnhardt only begins to plumb. By the end, I felt like a starving man at a buffet — sated but still hungry. That’s not really a knock. 'Lookaway, Lookaway' is that rare thing: an excellent long novel that’s not long enough."
The cover also intrigued me. And the title! But that first chapter was pretty revolting, on many levels. And then we went into a second character, who at first seemed quite interesting. A writer! But man, talk about ruminating and pontificating way too long. Yep, that was my feeling about Gaston.
CLICK HERE for the entire review by Malcolm Jones. It's worth reading.
CLICK HERE for a link to the publisher's website where you can read an excerpt of the book.
Anybody else read LOOKAWAY, LOOKAWAY?
Some of the blurbers were my favorite writers!
Maybe I should give it another shot?
Maybe later.
Today, it's due back at the library with a very long list of reserves. Others are waiting. I'll let them judge for themselves.
But I gave this one the "80-page Test" and am now returning it to the library.
And I'm only writing about it because before I even started reading this just-published novel-- set in Charlotte, NC according to the review and sounding quite intriguing-- I mentioned it to more than a few folks.
Sorry about that.
The New York Times review made me want to read it. Especially because I'm exploring and curious about what seems to be a proliferation of multi-viewpoint novels these days. (Kids' books included.)
Here's the last page of that otherwise positive review:
"My few complaints about this novel arise from my own greed. Because each character gets his or her own chapter, after a while the book takes on a drive-by quality. You settle in with Jerilyn and then, before you know it, you’re on to Gaston, then Jerene and so on. It’s the literary equivalent of speed dating, and it left me yearning for more, especially from Gaston and the ghastly Jerene, whose mysteries Barnhardt only begins to plumb. By the end, I felt like a starving man at a buffet — sated but still hungry. That’s not really a knock. 'Lookaway, Lookaway' is that rare thing: an excellent long novel that’s not long enough."
The cover also intrigued me. And the title! But that first chapter was pretty revolting, on many levels. And then we went into a second character, who at first seemed quite interesting. A writer! But man, talk about ruminating and pontificating way too long. Yep, that was my feeling about Gaston.
CLICK HERE for the entire review by Malcolm Jones. It's worth reading.
CLICK HERE for a link to the publisher's website where you can read an excerpt of the book.
Anybody else read LOOKAWAY, LOOKAWAY?
Some of the blurbers were my favorite writers!
Maybe I should give it another shot?
Maybe later.
Today, it's due back at the library with a very long list of reserves. Others are waiting. I'll let them judge for themselves.
September 26, 2013
Seeing Red by Kathryn Erskine
On Sunday I attended my first ever National Book Festival, sponsored by the Library of Congress.
Beautiful day, lots of great authors, wandering hither and yon with little book lovers- what could be better?
Well, I got to meet Kathryn Erskine. And hear her speak about her new book. That was pretty cool.
I love what she said about writing the book, about her long journey to get this one just right. (I've read it and it's more than right. It's a terrific story, beautifully told.)
I love the double-entendred title. (Is that a verb? Is that even a word?) And that she endured so many title choices-- Facing Freedom, Deer Season, Freeman’s Phoenix, Cornerstone, Finding Truth, Finding Hope-- before deciding on the absolute perfect title:
SEEING RED.
Here's her own blog, and the story of the book's publication journey:
https://kathyerskine.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/seeing-red-seeing-stars/
There's more! I just discovered this terrific interview.
If you hurry on over, there's a giveaway of the book.
Quick! Ends tomorrow!
http://debtasticreads.wordpress.com/2013/09/24/welcome-to-the-spotlight-kathryn-erskine-and-seeing-red/
Beautiful day, lots of great authors, wandering hither and yon with little book lovers- what could be better?
Well, I got to meet Kathryn Erskine. And hear her speak about her new book. That was pretty cool.
I love what she said about writing the book, about her long journey to get this one just right. (I've read it and it's more than right. It's a terrific story, beautifully told.)
I love the double-entendred title. (Is that a verb? Is that even a word?) And that she endured so many title choices-- Facing Freedom, Deer Season, Freeman’s Phoenix, Cornerstone, Finding Truth, Finding Hope-- before deciding on the absolute perfect title:
SEEING RED.
Here's her own blog, and the story of the book's publication journey:
https://kathyerskine.wordpress.com/2013/04/27/seeing-red-seeing-stars/
There's more! I just discovered this terrific interview.
If you hurry on over, there's a giveaway of the book.
Quick! Ends tomorrow!
http://debtasticreads.wordpress.com/2013/09/24/welcome-to-the-spotlight-kathryn-erskine-and-seeing-red/
September 24, 2013
Strands of Bronze and Gold
Here's a book that may have escaped your reading radar. A "thrilling retelling of the Bluebeard fairy tale," according to the publisher (and me).
Although the publisher bills it as "Ages 12 and up," it's one of those Crossover Young Adult novels that will appeal to more than teens. A romance set in 1855 that's also a chilling mystery, a ghost story, and a page-turning adventure.
Guess what? The author lived in Aberdeen, MS, while raising her children and beginning her writing career.
Here's a little about Jane Nickerson, from her own website:
Living in small town Mississippi was like Coming Home. The Nickersons all loved the south. They bought a hundred-year-old, derelict house with twenty-three rooms, which they named “Tamarind,” because Jane liked the sound of that word.
Read about the book, also on her website, HERE.
And there's a second book, another based on a fairy tale, coming in April, 2014!
(I've been revisiting lots of Historical Fiction in anticipation of the upcoming HIGHLIGHTS FOUNDERS WORKSHOP. Check out the website. http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshops/whole-novel-workshop-historical-fiction/
Filling up fast!)
One thing Jane Nickerson did so well? Realistic details.
I totally agree with the author:
I don’t like anachronism, and the copyeditors helped me a lot to prevent this. They told me things like: “The word ‘footwear’ did not come into usage until 1881.”
Ah, what the world needs is more copyeditors like this in the book world.
Although the publisher bills it as "Ages 12 and up," it's one of those Crossover Young Adult novels that will appeal to more than teens. A romance set in 1855 that's also a chilling mystery, a ghost story, and a page-turning adventure.
Guess what? The author lived in Aberdeen, MS, while raising her children and beginning her writing career.
Here's a little about Jane Nickerson, from her own website:
Living in small town Mississippi was like Coming Home. The Nickersons all loved the south. They bought a hundred-year-old, derelict house with twenty-three rooms, which they named “Tamarind,” because Jane liked the sound of that word.
Read about the book, also on her website, HERE.
And there's a second book, another based on a fairy tale, coming in April, 2014!
(I've been revisiting lots of Historical Fiction in anticipation of the upcoming HIGHLIGHTS FOUNDERS WORKSHOP. Check out the website. http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshops/whole-novel-workshop-historical-fiction/
Filling up fast!)
One thing Jane Nickerson did so well? Realistic details.
I totally agree with the author:
I don’t like anachronism, and the copyeditors helped me a lot to prevent this. They told me things like: “The word ‘footwear’ did not come into usage until 1881.”
Ah, what the world needs is more copyeditors like this in the book world.
September 19, 2013
Library Walk
I've been to the New York Public Library a gazillion times.I never knew this existed.A short street, right in front of the 5th Avenue entrance.
My friend Ivy and I discovered it while strolling on a gorgeous fall day.
For those of you considering making a stop at this delightful exhibit:
THE ABC OF IT, Why Children's Books Matter,
be sure to make the side trip down a side street and read the quotations.
CLICK HERE for an interesting piece, recently published in The Nation, on the exhibit.
Love the story of the little girl, possibly not even two, in the exhibit with her mom.
I also loved the library cards when I saw them. Especially Eudora Welty's and Anne Carroll Moore's. Unlike that child, I did not consider making paper airplanes.
But back to the Library Walk.
Both sides of the street are lined with wonderful quotations. Here are a few.
Lucille Clifton. Sigh. Baltimore poet laureate. Love her.
(Yes, a favorite poem. I know, I know...)
My friend Ivy and I discovered it while strolling on a gorgeous fall day.
For those of you considering making a stop at this delightful exhibit:
THE ABC OF IT, Why Children's Books Matter,
be sure to make the side trip down a side street and read the quotations.
CLICK HERE for an interesting piece, recently published in The Nation, on the exhibit.
Love the story of the little girl, possibly not even two, in the exhibit with her mom.
I also loved the library cards when I saw them. Especially Eudora Welty's and Anne Carroll Moore's. Unlike that child, I did not consider making paper airplanes.
But back to the Library Walk.
Both sides of the street are lined with wonderful quotations. Here are a few.
Lucille Clifton. Sigh. Baltimore poet laureate. Love her.
(Yes, a favorite poem. I know, I know...)
