Augusta Scattergood's Blog, page 51

Mother Daughter/ Grownups/ Girls and Boys

I've had all sorts of requests for links, questions, and activities for Book Clubs reading GLORY BE.

In fact, I'm immensely flattered that my previous Chatham, NJ group of grownups- lots of teachers and all great readers- chose the book for their June, 2013 read.

Here are a few links, including a Pinterest board of pictures: Food from the Book.

(Yum. My friend Nancy's RED VELVET CAKE from our summer gathering in Annapolis.)


I have a Readers' Theater link tab, right up on my blog. Very short. A less serious scene that was performed last spring at Scholastic's Texas Library Association fabulous breakfast.

http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/p/readers-theater-for-glory-be.html

Scholastic published a list of questions for Book Clubs, here:
http://www.scholastic.com/MotherDaughterBookClub/pdf/Scholastic_MDBC_GloryBeDG.pdf

(It's on the "archive" tab if that long link doesn't work.)

I also have a Pinterest board- picture of Food from the Book!
Red velvet cupcakes, pimento cheese, etc.
http://pinterest.com/gsgood/book-food/

 (Julie's beautiful table. Yes, it's close to lunchtime. These pictures aren't helping...)



And because sometimes that Scholastic link to the Mother Daughter Book Club questions may not work, I'll make it easy. Here they are. 
And thank you so much for reading and discussing.

Discussion Questions for Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood

Glory and her older sister were once good friends, but now they are drifting apart. Why do you think this is happening?
Frankie and Glory have been friends since they were very young. What difference of opinion is causing them to pull away from each other?
Hanging Moss has segregated facilities like water fountains, restrooms, pools, and schools. How would you feel if the color of your skin dictated where you were allowed to go?
Why do you think Glory ignores Emma’s advice to try not to worry about things she cannot fix?
Glory’s choice to befriend Laura is not popular with many of the kids in town. Have you ever made an unpopular choice because you knew it was right? How did it feel?
6. Many people judged Laura before getting to know her. How do people judge others at your school? Do opinions change over time?

7. Glory is excited to know people from other parts of the country. What can you learn from becoming friends with people from other parts of the country or the world? 

8. Emma tells Glory that if she keeps her mouth closed, she cannot cause trouble. Do you think this is a good motto to live by? Why or why not? 

9. Glory’s father says that she is opinionated like her mother. In what way are you like your family members? 

10. What events bring Glory and Jesslyn together?

And the winner is!

I tucked all the entries into the closest I could come to Barnyard Bookstomp, in honor of this weekend's SCBWI Miami theme.



Most of the commenters were Floridians!

But the winner of A THUNDEROUS WHISPER by Christina Diaz Gonzalez is

TA-DAH!!!





Virginia Butler!

A fellow Mississippian, I do believe. Virginia, send me your address via FB message or email.
Congrats to you. I know you're a fan of historical fiction. Let us know what you think.

Florida Writers: Christina Diaz Gonzalez

 I'm a fairly new member of this esteemed group but let me tell you, Florida supports its writing community. Next weekend, we'll be gathering at our annual Miami SCBWI event.

(Meanwhile, other writer friends of mine will be down the road a piece at the amazing Eckerd College Writers in Paradise week. For more about that, click here)

Today, I'd like to share- literally! I'm giving away my copy!-
Christina Diaz Gonzalez's latest novel. A Thunderous Whisper follows on the heels of her highly successful The Red Umbrella, which I truly loved. This new book is also historical fiction but set in a time and place I'll bet not that many young readers are familiar with.
That's one of the spectacular things about this book.

The Spanish Civil War, Guernica, the Basque people. The book is filled with great details. And the story is a page turner of an adventure.

I feel the need to apologize to this wonderful book. It arrived just before the holidays, and I was very excited. Then I got distracted, put it down, and sadly, my pile grew taller. But I'm so glad I unearthed it and finished it because it was well worth the read.
I learned a lot, and I loved the characters so much.

My favorite quote from A Thunderous Whisper:

"Mama had been wrong. People don't always abandon you...even if they have to leave."


(I also love the hints at the end that the story could continue. There's so much more to tell! Are you listening, Christina?)

BLOG READERS, LISTEN UP.
This could be your LUCKY day. I'm giving away the copy that Random House shared with me. If you enter and win, and IF you are coming to Miami with us, I'll bring the book and you can have Christina sign it for you. (You can win even if you aren't coming to Miami, but there's still time to register if you've been on the fence.)

Just leave me a comment, here or on the Facebook post, and I'll draw one name by next Wednesday, January 16.

It doesn't matter if you've ever, recently, or never won a book giveaway here or anywhere. This is open to anybody who'd love to read A THUNDEROUS WHISPER.


Here are a few links to some of Christina's writing wisdom.

Since I'm hugely fascinated and love reading about character names, I loved this one:


Although this giveaway has ended, the interview is excellent.
http://www.thestorysiren.com/2012/10/author-interview-christina-diaz-gonzalez-giveaway.html

What I've Learned

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} </style>--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">My debut middle-grade novel, GLORY BE, turned one year old in January. Along with toasting the year's awesomeness, I pondered what I've learned. Miraculously, somebody asked me to write about it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Thank you, Chuck Sambuchino and Writers Digest, for giving me an opportunity to share. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Because what good is learning something if you keep it to yourself?</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-b... style="font-size: large;">CLICK HERE if you'd like to read </span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-b... style="font-size: large;">SEVEN THINGS I'VE LEARNED SO FAR</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Any other tips from fellow debut authors about navigating your first year? Or those of you who remember your own <span style="font-size: small;">very first book?</span></span></span></i> </span></div><br />

No Resolutions

I'm not good at New Year's Resolutions. But I do like goals, or at least thinking about goals. Especially the first week in January.

Because I have such eloquent writer friends (one of whom I actually know as an in-person, flesh and blood friend), I'm going to let them say what I've been thinking. I could not have written it better myself.

From fellow 2012 Debut Writer, Caroline Starr Rose (whom I truly hope to meet this year), good thoughts on Jumpstarting Your Writing in the New Year, with a reading list of craft books. Here's the link:
http://carolinebyline.blogspot.com/2013/01/jumpstart-your-writing-in-new-year-part.html

While you're there, check out her previous entry, about Goodreads and the public life of writers/ readers.

Irene Latham's first book, Leaving Gee's Bend is still one of my favorite historical fiction novels. (Her new book is on my list to read!) She, like Caroline, is a poet, so it doesn't surprise me that she chooses one word to guide her new year.

Read her blogpost about ONE LITTLE WORD  here: 
http://irenelatham.blogspot.com/2013/01/one-little-word-for-2013.html

Now, what could MY word be? Thinking! Hmm. Thinking? That's not my it, but it well could be.
I'm leaning toward PONDER because I've always liked that word...

And my Tampa writer buddy, Rob Sanders goes with Three Words: http://robsanderswrites.blogspot.com/2013/01/three-words.html

Are we all thinking of new beginnings? Tossing out old calendars, expired coupons and cans, shoes that don't fit? Cleaning out the Junk Drawer and the window sills, donating to our libraries and our friends the books we know we'll sadly never read.

For me, 2012 will be hard to beat.
But here's to 2013!


Each year I toss out my previous year's Quaker Motto Calendar and hang the new one over my desk. But before I do that, I reread the quotations and often use the backs of the pages for notes. Here's an old one that seems particularly appropriate for the New Year, for writing, or just for moving ahead in a busy world.



If you're still with me here, this could be your lucky day. I found an extra 2013 Quaker Motto Calendar hiding in my stash. Leave me a comment and I'll draw a name tomorrow evening (January 3, because everybody needs an inspiring little calendar ASAP) and send it right off.

Real People

I like the writing advice that recommends having a real person in your view when creating a fictional one. Often I've pictured someone who might look like a character I'm fleshing out. Height, hair color, shape of his nose.Yes, I change the name, but often need the picture.

If I'm having a hard time imagining my character doing things that seem extraordinary? I remember a real-life person who could well have done that and Bingo! A Character emerges.

That's what happened with Gloriana June Hemphill, my protagonist in GLORY BE.

No, she is not me at 11. She's not my sister, or any of the 60s-era little girls I knew. We may have had glimmerings of Glory's personality. A tiny bit of rebellion inside us.

But we looked more like this. Goodie TwoShoes Choirgirls...
Than 60s activist.



 Every time my inner critic shouted No young white girl would have been that outspoken in 1964 Mississippi. Certainly no 11-year-old girl! -- I remembered one who would have been.

That little girl lived a few years later. She didn't live in Mississippi. But I know there were brave, spunky, outspoken girls-- even in the Deep South in the early 60s. And if Sarah had lived then, she would have been just like Glory. No matter what the year.

My more modern-day role model was a friend of my daughter's in Baltimore. We lived in a neighborhood of mostly-manicured, very green lawns. I bet Sarah wasn't even eleven when she decided she'd had enough of the strong chemicals some of our neighbors used on their grass. The little signs everybody posted cautioning Dogs and People to stay off the recently-sprayed grass offended her.

Her sign read:
"This lawn is safe for birds and other creatures."  Or maybe it was DOGS and other creatures. I think there was a stick-ish figure of a bird illustrating her sign. If you agreed to do away with the harsh fertilizers, you got one for your lawn. Quite a few of these hand-lettered signs attached to a Popsicle stick were planted around our neighborhood. That was just the beginning of her activism.

So when I needed someone in my head as a model for my own girl character, Sarah came to mind. No, she didn't look a thing like "my" Glory. But she acted quite a bit like I hope Glory would have behaved,  a decade later. Or even in 1964.

I'd love to know if others visualize characters as people they know while writing.
Do you combine personalities?
Use a real photograph?
Any great tips out there?

PS Today is Sarah's real birthday- Not July 4th, but pretty close to a holiday!
Happy birthday and thanks for the inspiration.   

Quote for the Day

"I have not failed. 
I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
--Thomas Alva Edison

Kind of the way I'm feeling about Chapter 16 this morning...

Merry Christmas to All

Since it's not quite time to say To All a Goodnight, I'm posting a few random  
Things I Love About the Holidays.

1. Toasting Pecans. At my house, it was always the Salt and Butter option. This morning, my friend Lee's fabulous food blog gave me another option.
My sister-in-law sent pecans. I'm on a hunt to find Lee's spice before the stores close. 
Check out her blog posts for pecans, cookies, gifts, and just fun reading.

Here's the Caramelized Spiced Pecans recipe. 
(Though Lee says you can use any type of nut, I love pecans for the holidays.) 
http://spoonandink.blogspot.com/2012/12/party-nuts-that-arent-your-guests.html

2. KING LEO PEPPERMINT STICKS.  I almost hate to mention this because if you've forgotten about them and now you find them, then there's just that much more competition for me.
I'm on a hunt and I think I may have a lead. After I score some, I  will may share my secret.

3. FACEBOOK. There, I've said it. But I've found my college roommate whom I hadn't seen since we left each other in Mississippi in the 60s. And I learn a lot about books and their writers.
Plus, there's a group of insomniacs waiting to greet you at 3 AM, with Cheetos.
I both love FB and hate it.

Now, a huge stack of books awaits me. And those pecans needing toasting.
I'm off to read, write, eat, and enjoy the end of December.
I hope everyone's doing something special this week.
Merry Christmas, thanks for reading. See you in the New Year!

Reading a Book

My thought for the day.

If you take a book with you on a journey… an odd thing happens: The book begins collecting your memories. And forever after you have only to open that book to be back where you first read it. It will all come into your mind with the very first words: the sights you saw in that place, what it smelled like, the ice cream you ate while you were reading it… yes, books are like flypaper–memories cling to the printed page better than anything else.
{Cornelia Funke}(This quote and many more like it may be found at http://lauramarcella.blogspot.com/ )

Today, for many reasons, I'm remembering reading Les Misérables , for Mrs. Glassco's senior English class. My friend Ivy and I poured over the heavy book together after school in the basketball gym. 

I so hope I'm going to love the movie.
What book, for you, most recalls where it was read?  

Oxford Exchange

Last night at his book signing,  Michael Connelly said a lot of wise things about books and writing. 
Perhaps the wisest?

"The opening of a bookstore is a cause for celebration."

I couldn't agree more.

Tampa has a new, big, beautiful one.  Right now the Oxford Exchange feels more like a store than a bookstore, if that makes sense. But the books are right up front. The book buyer is very enthusiastic about hosting events.

AND I must applaud and share the Most Creative Use of a Card Catalog I've seen in a while.

 (front window of The Oxford Exchange, Kennedy Blvd, Tampa)

Drawers open to blank 3X5 cards and a pencil.

Check out the scribbled notes from readers recommending their favorite recent reads.





In answer to a question about whether the places in his books are real, Michael Connelly said he tries to anchor his fiction in as much reality as possible. Real restaurants, real streets. If readers identify with the place, this creates more empathy for the characters.

He cautioned future crime novelists about using a real restaurant as a murder scene however.
Not good for business.

Here he is, nearing the end of a very long line of admirers, waiting to have his newest book signed.
Check his website: http://www.michaelconnelly.com.
Some very cool stuff there. 



Good luck to the Oxford Exchange.
More pictures HERE: http://www2.tbo.com/list/oxford-exchange/gallery/
Yes, it's a teashop, a coffee bar, a gift shop.
But there are books!