Carolee Dean's Blog, page 33

INTERVIEW WITH TERRY TRUEMAN

For the January issue of Spellbinders I had the pleasure of interviewing Terry Trueman, author of the Prinz Honor book, STUCK IN NEUTRAL. It's a story that is close to my heart since I work with kids with severe disabilities in the public schools. The novel was inspired by Terry's own son, Sheehan, who suffers from profound disabilities. The book was based upon a poem called Sheehan, that Terry wrote years before the novel. The narrative poem is heart-wrenching and beautiful. Look for it on amazon.com, and don't forget to read my interview with Terry at spellbindersbooknews.blogspot.com

PHILADELPHIA

I travelled to Philadelphia for the annual ASHA conference right before Thanksgiving where I delivered a workshop on "The Secret Language of Stories: Everybody Has a Story." Over 300 speech-language pathologists attended the session and left with exciting ways for making stories more accessible for students with learning disabilities.



For more information about the conference as well as specific suggestions for working with students on the autism spectrum, take a look at my column in this month's Spellbinder's newsletter at http://spellbindersbooknews.blogspot.com. 

I was able to fit in some sightseeing while I was in Philly. The picture below is of the Free Library. The tour guide on the city bus tour said that Edgar Allen Poe's pet raven was stuffed and preserved in the library. I hadn't realized that Poe had lived in Philly. I also didn't know he had a pet raven. It kind of puts his poem in perspective.  I was especially interested in this little piece of trivia, since my new novel, NO WAY OUT (Simon Pulse, 2012) contains a poem that's a spoof on the Raven.





Saturday night ASHA hosted a party at National Constitution Center where I got to visit with some of the local celebrities, namely Ben Franklin and George Washington. George was very tall and handsome and offered to escort me through the buffet line.



Finally, no trip to Philadelphia would be complete without eating a Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich. This one was at Jim's. Several locals recommended Jim's but to be honest, it wasn't that great. I think they must have all been cousin's of Jim's. It didn't help that my friend Cai is a vegetarian. The best Philly Cheesesteak I had all weekend was at the Cafe Old Nelson, which happened to be run by a bunch of Chinese guys who added some special secret sauce to spice it up. 

MY FABULOUS EDITOR AND AGENT

I went to New York City last week and had a fantastic lunch with my agent, Sara Crowe (in the middle), and my editor, Anica Rissi (on the right). Two fabulous women. They didn't even laugh at me when I attempted to eat salad with chopsticks. Well, maybe just a little.



I also had the opportunity to visit with Anica at the Simon and Schuster Building and meet the members of Team Pulse who have been doing so much to help make TAKE ME THERE a success. Just before I left for NYC, Anica informed me that TMT is already in its third printing - Hooray!  Everyone at S&S was so friendly and gracious. They even made a movie of me. Well, okay, it was just a video interview, but they treated me like a star. I'll be posting the video on my website sometime in the next few months.

I can't wait to work with them on my new project, NO WAY OUT, coming in 2012!

INTERVIEW WITH ALBERT BORRIS

This month for our feature article of SPELLBINDERS  (The newsletter designed for teachers, therapists, and librarians) I interviewed the amazing Albert Borris. Read about his experiences below and then visit http://spellbindersbooknews.blogspot.com to read the rest of our November issue.
 

An Interview with Albert Borris - by Carolee Dean

 

This month Spellbinders will focus on stories for kids and teens dealing with crisis. I've found books to be a valuable medium for bringing up tough subjects. Young people often benefit just from knowing there are others going through the same struggles. I think it's true for all of us that as we see characters overcoming what seem to be insurmountable obstacles, we find the strength and courage to face our own difficulties.

 

Albert Borris

My job as a speech-language pathologist in the public schools has had a definite impact on the types of stories I create, so I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to interview Albert Borris, whose career as a Student Assistance Counselor inspired him to write Crash Into Me, the story of four high school students who meet online and form a suicide pact. They decide to go on a road trip together and spend two tumultuous weeks visiting the sites of celebrity suicides with the final destination of Death Valley, where they plan to end their lives. But an interesting thing happens on the road. The teens form connections, and as the narrator, Owen, finally finds a voice to express his despair, he begins to find hope as well. Check out Albert's website at www.albertborris.com.

 

Carolee: Albert, thanks for joining us for this month's issue of Spellbinders. What got you interested in becoming a counselor?

 

Albert: Because I was a kid once, too. Also, I took a Human Psychology class with Dr. Betty Duff. She thought that I could be a suicide hotline worker. By my junior year in college, I was a counselor and never looked back. I also worked with teens while my father was getting sober. It all just stuck.

My first job in schools was given to be by a woman named Carolyn Hadge in the Toms River school district. I worked there for two years and I loved it! Then I was given a grant to work in Moorestown for three years. When that time was up, they asked me to stay!

Carolee: How would you describe the work you've done with teens?

Albert: My job involves a lot of talking and connecting. I am a teacher as well as a counselor, which means being an authority figure as well as a friend. I offer a shoulder to cry on for students in 9th through 12th grade. I give emotional assistance for kids thinking of suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, and experiencing other hard times. But I'm also a teacher, taking on a class called Natural Helpers, I instruct students on the Ropes Course and I organize the Project Graduation.

 

Carolee: I've heard of Ropes. They had one at a psychiatric hospital where I once worked. A group of people go out on an obstacle course and do repelling and climbing with ropes and harnesses. It's about testing your limits and building trust. I've never heard of Natural Helpers or Project Graduation. What are those?

 

Albert: Natural Helpers is a series events from CHEF/ Comprehensive Health Education Foundation, and Project Graduation was a drug free event I organized for graduation night (8pm to 7am). Over 95% of the students who graduated came to the event.

 

Carolee: That's a wonderful turn-out. It sounds like you've done a lot of great things for kids. How has your job influenced your writing?

Albert: My line of work is directly expressed through my book. The inspiration for Crash Into Me came during a Parents' Workshop I coordinated. The other books I have written are along the same lines. Junior, The Holy Darkness, and my next book, The Anarchy Game, are all about some kind of struggle or suffering.

I know that through these books we can get the message out that there are kids/teens/adults that all have troubles. Sometimes, we all feel alone but there is always hope. By writing these novels, I can make that mark introspectively

Carolee: Thanks so much for joining us for this month's issue of Spellbinders.

YALSA's Young Adult Literature Symposium

This past weekend YALSA, the teen division of ALA (American Library Assocation) held it's biannual conference right here in Albuquerque, NM. The subject of the conference was Diversity, Literture & Teens: Beyond Good Intentions. New Mexico's own Vaunda Nelson was the speaker at the Bill Morris Author Luncheon. Her book, Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deuty U.S. Marshall, was the recent winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. Vaunda is a full-time librarian as well as author and just all around sweet person.

The poetry panel on Forms and Faces of Poetry for Teens included (left to right) Ann Burg, Jen Bryant, Margarita Engle, Pat Mora and April Halprin Wayland. They talked about their poetry and read aloud from their novels in verse. It got me excited about my own novel in verse NO WAY OUT, coming in March 2012 with Simon Pulse.



Saturday night about 30 authors signed books their publishers had donated to the event. Every participant got 5 tickets they were able to exchange for signed books. Here I am above at the signing with three delightful librarians from Texas.



On Sunday morning Nikki Grimes gave suggestions for conducting poetry readings at schools in Open Mike: Reaching Teens at Risk Through Poetry. That's her in the middle with April on the left and me on the right.

The whole event wrapped up with Ellen Hopkins (right) and Lauren Myracle speaking at the closing session about overcoming intellectual freedom challenges so the right book can get to the right kid at the right time.

Lois Ruby and I had a poster presentation on display featuring New Mexico Authors, but I was so busy running around getting photos of famous poets, that I forgot to get a photo of our display. Oh, well. That will have to be another post.

OCTOBER

It's been a busy and exciting October. Earlier in the month I held a writing workshop at Page One Bookstore. Yesterday I spoke at the NMCTE conference for English teachers and today I met up with fellow SCBWI writers for a Halloween Booksigning at Bookworks. Bookworks is participating in our book drive for THE JOY OF READING, a collaboration between our local SCBWI chapter and several Albuquerque bookstores to collect books for children at risk. That's Connnie from bookworks on the far right holding up my book, COMFORT. I'm next to her dressed like a Texan and holding TAKE ME THERE. On my left is Kersten Hamilton with her brand new goblin book, TYGER, TYGER. I bought my copy today and can't wait to start reading it. My neighbor, friend, and critique buddy Lois Ruby is showing off SHANGAI SHADOWS and Chris Eboch, our regional SCBWI advisor, unfortunately has a thumb across her face, but at least you can see her book from the HAUNTED series. A random man in the bookstore was nice enought o try to figure out my cell phone camera.


In between all this fun author stuff I was still able to fit in a trip out to the McCall's Pumpin Patch, Haunted Corn Maze, and Haunted Barn with my daughter and her friends. We stood in line for two hours just to get the pants scared off of us in a barn filled with characters from Saw, Friday the Thirteenth, and a several other movies I've never had the guts to see. While we stood in line we were terrorized by some psycho dude in a hockey suit.


And the best news of all came last Friday when Simon Pulse made an offer on my new verse novel,
NO WAY OUT. No, it's not a story about a haunted barn, but there is a haunted hallway that plays a key role in the story. Hooray! I can't wait to work on a new book with my editor, Anica Rissi.

A BUSY MONTH

Or more correclty, an exciting 6 weeks.

August 22nd was the book launch for TAKE ME THERE at Alamosa Books. Over 80 people showed up for music, barbecue and books at Alamosa Books in Albuquerque, NM. Alamosa is a new independent bookstore for kids and teens and it's only three blocks from my house. Yay!

September 16th and 17th I was busy with author visits at two high schools in El Paso.

The morning of September 18th I spoke at a speech and debate conference for UIL students in El Paso and that afternoon I was at Barnes & Noble in Las Cruces.



Saturday, September 25th, we held a 12 author book event at Alamosa called THE GIFT OF READING. That's me in the photo above with best bud Kimberley Griffiths Little. THE GIFT OF READING is a collaboration between our local chapter of SCBWI and Alamosa. The bookstore is collecting new and slightly used books to be given to children at risk. Many of the children have parents who are incarcerated. This project is close to my heart because illiteracy and incarceration are two huge themes in my new book, TAKE ME THERE.

It's autumn in Albuquerque, so in between book events I've been attending soccer games, visiting the Dixon Apple Orchard, husking corn, baking pies and watching hot air balloons.



I need a vacation! 

I LOVE SOCIAL WORKERS

 I started back to work last monday, but before I did, I went to the Santa Fe Flea Market for one last excursion with three of my favorite people, the social workers from the high school where I work. Here we are at the booth of Mamadou, a man from West Africa who sells ancient (he defines as older than 100 years) African artifacts.

Where else but the Santa Fe Flea Market could we find African artifacts, Tibetan music bowls, and a necklace of rare blue beads priced at $500 (and that was on...

THE TEXAS TRIVIA CHALLENGE

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And now it's time for the Texas Trivia Challenge. Just click on the link above to the blog tour site where you will find out how to enter the challenge. Then read the blogs to find out the hidden answers to the trivia questions. That's all you have to do to be eligible for the wonerful Grand Prize Package which includes...

TEXAS TRIVIA CHALLENGE GRAND PRIZE

 

A deluxe TAKE ME THERE tote bag

 

A stuffed armadillo from San Antonio, Iron Works BBQ rub from Austin, Texas Tongue Torch Three Pepper...

DAY EIGHT of the TAKE ME TO TEXAS BLOG TOUR

Jackie, the Lubbock blogger, got stuck in a hotel that promised internet access, but didn't come through, so I'm posting what would have been our POETRY Q&A below:

 

Q: Poetry is such a strong theme in your novel, TAKE ME THERE. Did you study poetry in college?

 

A: No. The first college I attended was Texas Tech in Lubbock. I studied psychology and music composition. The latter didn’t last very long. I soon realized I was more interested in the lyrics than in composing music, but I did get a...