Heidi Schulz's Blog, page 10

In the Middle with Tracy Holczer

Today, on In the Middle, we have something special. Tracy Holczer is stopping in as part of her official blog tour for her debut, The Secret Hum of a Daisy.

Other tour stops:

May 6: Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire

May 7: Leandra Wallace

May 8: Heidi Schulz

May 9: AuthorOf

May 10: Read Now, Sleep Later

May 11: Kidlit Frenzy

May 12: Literary Rambles

May 14: Smack Dab in the Middle

Please be sure to check out the rafflecopter at the end of this post for your chance to win a hardcover of The Secret Hum of a Daisy, a bag of treasure, and a $20 Amazon gift card.

After the sudden death of her mother, twelve-year-old Grace is forced to live with a grandmother she’s never met in a small town she’s never heard of. A town Mama left years before–with Grace in her belly and a bus ticket in her pocket–and never looked back. It doesn’t take long before Grace desperately wants to leave, too.

Until she finds the first crane.

A mysterious treasure hunt, just like the ones her mother used to send her on, , takes Grace on a journey to find home. And it might just be closer than she thinks.

The Secret Hum of a Daisy is available on IndieBound and Amazon. Or, for an autographed copy, please purchase from the Once Upon A Time Bookstore (note desire for an autographed copy in comments).

Q&A with Tracy

What draws you into writing for a middle grade audience?

They are still so pliable at this age. They listen and observe so intently, and are in the throes of figuring out who they are and what the world means. Not that teens aren’t like this, too. But rigidity sets in once they hit a certain age. A necessary rigidity, I think, one that keeps them safe as they try and negotiate the information coming into their expanding brains at the speed of light. Also, teens are so wanting to become individuals, which, in my experience as a parent, rarely includes you and what you might think. But middle grade? They are 100% sponge. Also, on a personal note, I have no interest in reliving those teenage years, thank you very much. Once was enough!

If you had a time machine and could visit middle-grade you, what would you tell her?

I would tell her not to worry so much about things she can’t control and focus on those things she can, like building friendships and digging into school. I would tell her that worry and being scared is like rocking in a rocking chair, it keeps you busy, but doesn’t get you anywhere. Mostly, I’d like to go back, give her a big hug, and tell her that although she will have mountains to climb, alone, it will make her a writer. And that those mountains will also bring her great love and a happy life.

 

Choose your own adventure: Is there an interview question you’d love to answer, but haven’t been asked?



I think an interesting idea to peruse is whether or not we as writers are writing for ourselves or our audience. Initially, I wrote THE SECRET HUM OF A DAISY as a bit of closure to my eight-year-old self. There was no audience for it but me. It wasn’t until I went into revisions that I looked at it from a reader’s perspective, which helped shape it into the book it has become. Primarily, though, I am my audience, with readers coming in a close second. I am curious how other writers come to writing and would love to find out!

I just can’t stop myself from commenting on that photo of you as a child. Your freckles were adorable! Thanks for dropping in and congrats on your debut.

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And now, for you, dear reader, a chance at treasure! (I hope you win. You’re my favorite.) Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tracy Holczer lives in Southern California with her husband, three daughters, and two rather fluffy dogs named Buster and Molly. She has a deep love for the mountains where she grew up so she writes them into her stories. A 2014 ABA Indies Introduce New Voices pick, her debut middle grade, The Secret Hum of a Daisy, was written in praise of both nature and family, and all that can be found if you’re willing to hunt for treasure. It will be also be published by Konigskinder/Carlsen in Germany, fall 2015.

Connect with Tracy on TracyHolczer.com, Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter. She also blogs at Smack Dab in the Middle on the 30th of each month.

Upcoming Events (with me!)

I’m super excited about these events I’ll be appearing at soon!

First, I’ll be on faculty at SCBWI Oregon’s Spring Conference, May 17–18.

Art created by Julia Tikhonov

I’ll be teaching a workshop on how to write setting descriptions that both transport your reader to the world of your story and can also function as a lens for character. I’ll also be in a session with my agent, Brooks Sherman of the Bent Agency, on the Agent/Author relationship. (I think there’s still time to register!)

At the end of the month, I’ll be in New York attending Book Expo America, though not in any official capacity. However, advance copies of Hook’s Revenge will be there for the taking. (And Publisher’s Weekly called it a “Galley to Grab!”) I won’t be doing a signing, but I will have a pen. Find me (twitter could help: @HeidiSchulz) and I’ll sign your copy and/or give you swag.

If you are in town for BEA, swing by the Kids Author Carnival Saturday evening, May 31. I’ll be appearing with some amazing middle grade authors. We’ll be playing games and generally being goofy with the kids that will attend. You won’t want to miss it.

And next month, I’ll be back home in Salem, Oregon, talking about my publishing journey and how twitter played a role (and how it might be helpful for other aspiring authors).

More information about all of these appearances can be found on my events page. Hope to see you soon!

P.S. Watch this space. Exciting news on the horizon.

In the Middle with Ryan Gebhart

ROAR! Today we are in the middle with Ryan Gebhart and his wonderful debut There Will Be Bears:

Thirteen-year-old Tyson loves spending time with his roughneck grandpa Gene, who’s a lot more friend than Tyson’s ex-best friend, Bright. These days, Bright just wants to hang with the cool kids, who make fun of Tyson’s Taylor Swift obsession and dorky ways. When Gene moves to a nursing home that can manage his kindey disease, Tyson feels he is losing his only friend. So, defying his parents’ strict instructions, Tyson sneaks off with Gene on his first elk hunt, despite reports of a stalking man-eating grizzly.

There will be action–like shooting elk. Is Tyson tough enough?

There will be suspense–is Grandpa Gene too sick to handle the hunt?

And yes, there will be bears.

There Will Be Bears is available on IndieBound, B&N, Amazon, and in bookstores near you.

What draws you into writing for a middle grade audience?

Middle school kids are awkward and bizarre from an adult perspective, but they’re just desperate to fit into their own skin, to fit in with their friends, and to discover their own identity. Being able to speak to MG’ers and to represent them in this coming-of-age time is a complete honor, because I remember just how much the things I loved stuck with me at that age.

If you had a time machine and could visit middle-grade you, what would you tell him?

You’re gonna do it, kid. You think you’ll be an author at fifteen but you won’t even be close. But you won’t give up because this is what you want, and you’ll only know when you’re thirty one just how much work it will take to get published.



Choose your own adventure: Is there an interview question you’d love to answer, but haven’t been asked?

Q: Do you really think you’re going to score a date with Taylor Swift?

A: I bear swear it’s going to happen.

I believe you. Thanks for dropping in, Ryan, and congrats on your debut!

Ryan Gebhart was born and raised in Maumee, Ohio, and graduated from Ohio University with a master’s degree in Spanish. Having held twenty-one jobs in his life, he can do lots of unexpected things, from wiring a house to painting portraits to quartering large game to making a fierce smoothie. There Will Be Bears was inspired by a gig working at a hunting ranch in western Wyoming. Ryan Gebhart lives in Ohio.

Connect with him on Goodreads and Twitter.

Did the Chicken Cross the Road? The Mystery of the Missing Phyllis

Some of you may have heard that our beloved Phyllis Diller disappeared last week.

It looked as though she had run away when our yard service came and had the gate open. If she was alive and well, we were certain she would have returned to the coop. Our girls don’t really like to wander. And she’s so little, even a cat could have gotten her. After three nights away from the coop, we had given up hope.

We accepted that she would not be coming home.

BUT THEN…

On Thursday, I was working at my desk, when I heard a tap at the back door, accompanied by the loudest squawk ever uttered by any hen. I looked through the window, and low and behold, the prodigal Phyllis had returned! Not only had she returned, but in true diva fashion, she was demanding treats. We gave her some.

Where had she gone? What had she been doing? It was a mystery. The day was rainy, but Phyllis was dry. Her normally grayish white feet had taken on a pink hue. Had she gotten sore feet from walking on pavement? A long adventure on suburban sidewalks? If so, how had she remained dry?

We couldn’t figure out what had happened, but were happy to have her home.

BUT THEN…

On Friday, she disappeared again. She was gone all afternoon and did not turn up in the evening. All our birds put themselves to bed in their warm and dry coop before the sun goes down, but once again, Phyllis was absent.

We had searched the yard when she first went missing and had not found her. Our yard is not very big and has few hiding places anyway. However, when she didn’t appear Saturday morning, Walt conducted his own search. I imagine his police training came in handy, for he discovered what Hannah and I could not: Phyllis’s hideout.

Way in the back of the narrow gap between the shed and the fence, under a bit of plywood left over from when we built the chicken coup, Phyllis had built a secret nest.

(Let it be noted, I had looked under that plywood myself, but she stayed hidden, quiet and deep in the shadows. $&*@ bird.)

That is about three weeks’ worth of eggs. Walt found her trying to sit on all of them at once. Broody hens can sit on their clutch of eggs for days, not even getting up for food and water.

I haven’t conducted any chicken health classes so I suppose Phyllis can’t be blamed for not knowing that it takes a rooster and a hen to get chicks*.

But what of the reddish, pavement sore feet? Google assures me that pink feet can be a result of becoming a bit chilled. Becoming a bit chilled can be a result of staying out all night.

Mystery solved.

*A rooster and a hen…or a feed store.

Apparently Phyllis and I are of the same mind when it comes to wanting spring chicks.

Meet Liza Minnelli and Apple. What have we gotten ourselves into now?

On My Mind: April 9, 2014

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Book things. Only book things.

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“Words! Words! Words!” —Eliza Doolittle (and me)

I am working on a new book, with a need to get a readable draft finished rather quickly.

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Due to the aforementioned book, the Pomodoro Method has become my friend. Basically, this method dictates you work on a task for 25 minutes (or one pomodoro) then take a five minute break. After four pomodoros you take a longer break, 15-20 minutes. It has really helped to keep me from straying over to twitter when I can’t think of a word I want to use.

Any timer would work, but I use an app on my mac. I like because it puts a little countdown clock in the corner of whatever window I have open. See:

I’m finding it much easier to stay on task when I can see that I have a break coming up. I live for those breaks.

On days where I need extra help focusing, I also use the Freedom app. It locks me out of the internet for whatever predetermined time I have set. And there is no way to turn it off. You just have to wait it out. It’s a dream (and a nightmare)!

What tricks do you use to keep from getting distracted?

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There is no three, only Zuul.

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Last month I got to take part in my first ever public reading of Hook’s Revenge as part of a local 2014 Kidlit Debuts panel. I had a great time with Robin Herrera, author of Hope is a Ferris Wheel; Chris Struyk-Bonn, author of Whisper; and Mary Elizabeth Summer, author of Trust me, I’m Lying at A Children’s Place Bookstore in Portland.

Want to see some pictures? OKAY.

I’m not a giant. It’s the angle, I promise.

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Hook’s Revenge has been available for pre-order in hardcover for some time. Some of you have asked when the e-version would be available for pre-order. The answer is now:

Nook

Kindle

Hardcover buying options are linked to on my books page. Both paper and electronic versions release September 16.

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Gosh, I love you.

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I’m working on planning a couple of International Talk Like a Pirate Day Weekend/Book Launch parties, one in Portland and one in Salem. Locals, mark your calendars for September 19th and 20th and watch this space.

Please note: There will be costumes.

What’s on your mind?

 

 

In the Middle with Jen Swann Downey

Hey, hey, hey! Today we are In the Middle with the hilarious Jen Swann Downey, debut author of The Ninja Librarians: The Accidental Keyhand. Take a look:

When Dorrie and her brother Marcus chase Moe – an unusually foul-tempered mongoose–into the janitor’s closet of their local library, they make an astonishing discovery: the headquarters of a secret society of ninja librarians. Their mission: protect those whose words get them itno trouble, anywhere in the world and at any time in history. Petrarch’s Library is an amazing, jumbled time-traveling base that can dock anywhere there’s trouble — in the middle of the Spanish Inquisition, Socrates’ Greece, or…Passaic, New Jersey. Dorrie would love nothing more than to join the society, fighting injustice with a real sword! But when a traitor surfaces, she and Marcus are prime suspects. Can they clear their names before the only passage back to the twenty-first century closes forever?

Available at Indiebound, B&N, Amazon, and bookstores near you.

Q&A with Jen

What draws you into writing for a middle grade audience?

I feel like I’m at least 71% MADE of middle grade fiction. That, toffee, hyperactivity, and water. I read so much of it as a kid. In fact, I never really stopped reading it. I didn’t set it aside for YA even during my teenage years. Honestly, I think I actively avoided so-called YA books, especially problem novels and contemporaries. I added adult books in along the way, but I never left Middle Grade behind. Perhaps because I think the best ones speak to kids and the kids in adults. And of course, the very best ones speak fluently to the adults in adults as well.

So there’s that appreciation for and familiarity with MG, but beyond that, I heartily agree with Madeline L’Engle’s well known advice, that “…if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” I think lots of kids care deeply about bigger things, and take in quite a bit from the news and adult conversations about what is going on in the world, in the broad strokes, if not the details. I remember as a kid feeling as though most adults were quite unaware of how much we kids were noticing and thinking about. I love talking to those kids.

If you had a time machine and could visit middle-grade you, what would you tell him/her?

Oh, gosh. Well I could go back and tell 11 year old Jen that she really could start taking the school bus again because after a week, young Beth Pasquilichio has most definitely forgotten about her promise to give young Jen a black eye, but I’m not going to since it’s because of the many more months to come of NOT taking the school in order to continue avoiding Beth Pesquillichio that young Jen developed her lifelong love of walking, and got in the habit of making up stories in her head while she walked even if she never wrote them down until, um, recently.

Choose your own adventure: Is there an interview question you’d love to answer, but haven’t been asked?

Who does your hair? My pillow, the wind, and my six year old. Not necessarily in that order.

I could use a six year old to come do mine. Does your child take walk-ins? Thanks for being here today, Jen, and congrats on your debut!

Jen Swann Downey’s non-fiction pieces have appeared in New York Magazine, the Washington Post, Women’s Day, and other publications. Her debut novel, The Ninja Librarians, will leap onto bookstore shelves in Spring 2014. Jen has never visited a library in which she didn’t want to spend the night. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with her husband and three children and feels very lucky they have not yet fired her.

Connect with Jen at jenswanndowney.com, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

Where is Heidi?

There hasn’t been a whole lot of original content around here lately but that’s only because I have been working oh so hard on writing other things*.

*Including, but not limited to:

These interviews

All the Write Notes 10 Questions with Author Heidi Schulz

Alice in Readerland Interview: Heidi Schulz (Debut Author of Hook’s Revenge)

(If you are interested in reading more, all of my interviews and guest posts are archived on my press page.)

And something else I hope to tell you more about soon.

In the meantime, if you need me, I’ll be at my desk.

Send caffeine. And maybe a hairbrush or lint-roller or something.

 

In the Middle with Skila Brown

Today, we are In the Middle with Skila Brown, author of Caminar:

Carlos knows that when the soldiers arrive with warnings about the Communist rebels, it is time to be a man and defend the village, keep everyone safe. But Mama tells him not yet — he’s still her quiet moonfaced boy. The soldiers laugh at the villagers, and before they move on, a neighbor is found dangling from a tree, a sign on his neck: Communist. Mama tells Carlos to run and hide, then try to find her. . . . Numb and alone, he must join a band of guerillas as they trek to the top of the mountain where Carlos’s abuela lives. Will he be in time, and brave enough, to warn them about the soldiers? What will he do then? A novel in verse inspired by actual events during Guatemala’s civil war, Caminar is the moving story of a boy who loses nearly everything before discovering who he really is.

Caminar is available on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Indiebound, and at bookstores near you.

Q&A with Skila

What draws you into writing for a middle grade audience?

This is the exact age in my own life that books sucked me in. I chose reading over everything else. I remember sitting in the car with a book in the middle of a winter party, while the rest of my family was sledding down a hill. I just really loved to read. I would read anything—I wasn’t picky. This is when I found out what a great escape books can be. And how much a person can learn while reading.

So I think of this time as a magical time for a reader. It’s when we first learn we can read on our own, with no one looking over our shoulder or reading to us aloud. We can discover a book and a world privately and go there all on our own. Nobody can take that away from us. It’s a great discovery.

If you had a time machine and could visit middle-grade you, what would you tell her?

Dear Skila, age 8,

Stop worrying about everything. And stop being so bossy. Seriously. It’s a bad habit that’s harder to break when you’re older.

But the reading thing is a great habit. Keep that up. Those books you love reading? You’ll still love reading them even when you’re old. And those stories you keep making up to amuse yourself and/or possibly get out of trouble? You keep doing that! Believe it or not, later on, people will pay you money to do it. So keep it up, girl! It all works out okay.

Choose your own adventure: Is there an interview question you’d love to answer, but haven’t been asked?

Oh, that’s fun! Since Caminar is a novel in verse and we’re fast approaching National Poetry Month, how about: What’s a poem you loved as a middle grader?

And…here’s my answer:

Something Missing by Shel Silverstein

I remember I put on my socks,

I remember I put on my shoes.

I remember I put on my tie

That was painted

In beautiful purples and blues.

I remember I put on my coat,

To look perfectly grand at the dance,

Yet I fell there is something

I may have forgot—-

What is it? What is it?. . .

Want to know why I loved it as a middle grader? Go check out the book Where the Sidewalk Ends from the library and find the illustration that goes with this. What’s not to love about semi-naked subversive sketches?

Thank you, Heidi, for inviting me over to your blog! It’s lovely here. I may just hang out awhile.

Thank you, Skila! I’m a big Shel Silverstein fan myself. So glad you brought him along. Congratulations on your debut!

Skila Brown is the author of Caminar, a story about a boy who survives the massacre of his village and must decide what being a man during a time of war really means. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She grew up in Kentucky and Tennessee and now lives with her family in Indiana. For more information about her book, please visit her website, SkilaBrown.com.

 

In the Middle with Laura Marx Fitzgerald

Come get In the Middle today with Laura Marx Fitzgerald, author of the wonderful Under the Egg:

 Only two people know about the masterpiece hidden in the Tenpenny home—and one of them is dead.

The other is Theodora Tenpenny. Theo is responsible for tending the family’s two-hundred-year-old town house, caring for a flock of unwieldy chickens, and supporting her fragile mother, all on her grandfather’s legacy of $463. So, when Theo discovers a painting in the house that looks like a priceless masterpiece, she should be happy about it. But Theo’s late grandfather was a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and if the painting is as valuable as she thinks it is, then her grandfather wasn’t who she thought he was.

With the help of some unusual new friends, Theo’s search for answers takes her all over Manhattan and introduces her to a side of the city—and her grandfather—that she never knew. To solve the mystery, she’ll have to abandon her hard-won self-reliance and build a community, one serendipitous friendship at a time.

Under the Egg is available on Indiebound, B&N, Amazon, and bookstores near you.

Q&A with Laura

What draws you into writing for a middle grade audience?

My childhood was pretty much formed by my favorite middle-grade books: Alice in Wonderland, The Westing Game, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Anastasia Krupnik, The Borrowers. I read these books over and over again. Each one features a nice, normal, well brought-up girl who, whether she’s looking for it or not, lands feet first in an adventure and has to find her way out again. She has to make decisions and take bold actions from her own heart, even if her parents don’t approve. Because of these books, I went out into the world expecting the same kind of adventure. And that’s still the kind of story I like to write (and read) best.

Another reason I write middle grade is for my mother, who said if I ever write anything with sex, drugs, or bad language while she’s alive, she’ll disown me. (Ignore everything I wrote above about making your own bold decisions.

If you had a time machine and could visit middle grade you, what would you tell him/her? 

One day you will get to buy your own clothes and won’t have to wear jumpers with Peter Pan collars anymore.

Choose your own adventure: Is there an interview question you’d love to answer, but haven’t been asked?

“Are you like Isaac Asimov, who wrote: ‘I write for the same reason I breathe . . . because if I didn’t, I would die’?”

Good heavens no. I would rather do anything than write. Read, watch TV, pay bills, do the dishes. In fact, I did all of these things before forcing myself to sit down and write today. I think there’s a myth that writers are those other people, the people who can’t live without writing. For me, I just needed an idea so compelling that I couldn’t ignore it any longer. And even once I had it, it was still a battle to get my butt in the chair and my fingers on my keyboard. 

Just remember: discipline does not always make a writer. But in the end, it does make a book.

I love everything about this interview and your book! (Seriously, it has history, chickens, homeschooling, and pie. Did you write it for me?) Congrats on your debut!

In writing UNDER THE EGG, Laura Marx Fitzgerald drew on her study of art history at Harvard and Cambridge Universities. Though she grew up Down South, today she lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two kids (and a dog, if the two kids keep begging). UNDER THE EGG (Dial/Penguin) is her debut novel. Connect with her on her website, LauraMarxFitzgerald.com, Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

In the Middle with Robin Herrera

Heavenly donuts! Today we are In the Middle with the talented Robin Herrera, author of Hope is a Ferris Wheel.

Ten-year-old Star Mackie lives in a trailer park with her flaky mom and her melancholy older sister, Winter, whom Star idolizes. Moving to a new town has made it difficult for Star to make friends, when her classmates tease her because of where she lives and because of her layered blue hair. But when Star starts a poetry club, she develops a love of Emily Dickinson and, through Dickinson’s poetry, learns some important lessons about herself and comes to terms with her hopes for the future.

With an unforgettable voice with a lot of heart, Hope Is a Ferris Wheel is the story of a young girl who learns to accept her family and herself while trying to make sense of the world around her.

Hope is a Ferris Wheel is available on Barnes and Noble, Powell’s, IndieBound, Amazon, and in bookstores near you.

Q&A with Robin

What draws you into writing for a middle grade audience?

Middle Grade is pure fun! I wrote a lot of YA in college, and fell into MG when I started working at an elementary school as part of a work-study program and interacting with younger children. I spent the next six years of my life working in elementary schools, and I think being with that age group for so long is what drew me into writing for them. (I still write YA occasionally!)

If you had a time machine and could visit middle-grade you, what would you tell her?

 

“Read more fiction!” I read a lot of non-fiction in elementary school, but fell in love with the few middle grade novels I did read, like I AM REGINA by Sally M. Keehn and JACOB HAVE I LOVED by Katherine Paterson. I’d probably tell myself to read THE GIVER and HOLES and to give the Harry Potter series a chance when it comes out. (I stubbornly refused to read it until college. WHUT.)

Choose your own adventure: Is there an interview question you’d love to answer, but haven’t been asked?

Yes! I’ve always wanted someone to ask what Hogwarts House I’d be in, because I think they’d be surprised by the answer. I’d probably be in Slytherin, because I’m not that brave, or smart, or loyal, but I am very ambitious, and when I was little I was always trying to prove myself. Also, I’ve got horcruxes.

Horcruxes are a big clue, yes. (Secretly, I think I’m a Hufflepuff.) Thanks for stopping in and congratulations on your launch!

Robin Herrera is an aspiring cat lady living in Portland, Oregon with her fiancé and one very mean (but very precious) cat. She received her BA from Mills College and her MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. When not chasing cats, she can be found at her desk at Oni Press, where she works as an associate editor, or at the library, where she severely abuses the hold system.

Connect with Robin on her website, Twitter, and Tumblr.