Mary Kay Carson's Blog, page 8

Park Scientists is Ohioana Book Award Finalist

[image error] The Ohioana Library has announced the 30 finalists for the 2015 Ohioana Book Awards. The awards, established in 1942, honor Ohio authors in Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Juvenile Literature. This year a new category has been added to recognize authors of books for Middle Grade/Young Adult readers. The final category, About Ohio or an Ohioan, may also include books by non-Ohio authors.

This year���s finalists include winners of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, a former U.S. Children���s Poet Laureate, an author whose debut novel was selected by Amazon.com as the Best Book of 2014, a Cleveland Arts Prize recipient, and eleven previous Ohioana Award winners. The winners will be announced in July, and the awards will be presented at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus on Friday, October 9, 2015.
The finalists are:
Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature
*Mary Kay Carson. Park Scientists: Gila Monsters, Geysers, and Grizzly Bears in America���s Own Backyard. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, 2014.
Sharon Creech. The Boy on the Porch. Joanna Cotler Books, 2013.
Michelle Houts. Winterfrost. Candlewick Press, 2014.
J. Patrick Lewis. Voices from the March on Washington. Wordsong, 2014.
Jacqueline Woodson. Brown Girl Dreaming. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2014.

*Watch the book trailer, download the Discussion & Activity Guide, read other reviews, and more here.


Fiction
Jennifer Chiaverini. Mrs. Lincoln���s Rival. Dutton, 2014.
Anthony Doerr. All the Light We Cannot See. Scribner, 2014.
Monica McFawn. Bright Shards of Someplace Else. University of Georgia Press, 2014.
Celeste Ng. Everything I Never Told You. Penguin Press, 2014.
Thrity Umrigar. The Story Hour: A Novel. Harper, 2014.

Nonfiction
Richard Gilbert. Shepherd: A Memoir. Michigan State University Press, 2014.
Ann Hagedorn. The Invisible Soldiers: How America Outsourced Our Security. Simon & Schuster, 2014.
Christopher Pramuk. Hope Sings, So Beautiful: Graced Encounters Across the Color Line. Michael Glazier/Liturgical Press, 2013.
Ted Rall. After We Kill You, We Will Welcome You Back as Honored Guests. Hill & Wang, 2014.
Gary Phillip Zola. We Called Him Rabbi Abraham: Lincoln and American Jewry: A Documentary History. Southern Illinois University Press, 2014.

About Ohio or an Ohioan
Tom Diemer, Lee Leonard, and Richard G. Zimmerman. James A. Rhodes: Ohio Colossus. Kent State University Press, 2014.
Betty Gold and Mark Hodermarsky. Beyond Trochenbrod: The Betty Gold Story. Kent State University Press, 2014.
Rick Huhn. The Chalmers Race: Ty Cobb, Napoleon Lajoie, and the Controversial 1910 Batting Title That Became a National Obsession. University of Nebraska Press, 2014.
Gene Logsdon. Gene Everlasting: A Contrary Farmer���s Thoughts on Living Forever. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2014.
John Oller. American Queen: The Rise and Fall of Kate Chase Sprague. Da Capo Press, 2014.

Poetry
Christopher Ankney. Hearsay. Washington Writers��� Publishing House, 2014.
George Bilgere. Imperial. University of Pittsburgh Press, 2014.
Stuart Friebert. Floating Heart. Pinyon Publishing, 2014.
William Greenway. The Accidental Garden. Word Poetry, 2014.
Gerry Grubbs. The Hive Is a Book We Read For its Honey. Dos Madres Press, 2013.

Juvenile Literature
Anne Vittur Kennedy. The Farmer���s Away! Baa! Neigh! Candlewick Press, 2014.
J. Patrick Lewis. Harlem Hellfighters. Creative Editions, 2014.
Loren Long. Otis and the Scarecrow. Philomel, 2014.
Michael J. Rosen. The Forever Flowers. Creative Editions, 2014.
Jacqueline Woodson. This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2013.

Writing Process Blog Tour

[image error] Kerrie Hollihan, author of the just released book Reporting Under Fire (Chicago Review Press, 2014), invited me to take part in this Writing Process Blog Tour. She writes award-winning nonfiction history books for young people. Kerrie, myself, and another history-savvy writer, Brandon Marie Miller, do a blog together that features fun activities to go along with our books, called Hands-On Books.

What am I currently working on?
At the moment, I���m juggling a couple of books for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt���s Scientists in the Field (SITF) series. My husband, Tom Uhlman, is a photographer for the series and we���ve done a number of titles together as a team. Our latest book, Park Scientists:��Gila Monsters, Geysers, and Grizzly Bears in America���s Own Backyard came out last month. It���s about research projects in national parks. I just turned in the draft manuscript for another SITF book that will be published next year. It���s about Biosphere 2, that iconic glass pyramid near Tucson that eight people sealed themselves inside for two years back in the early 1990s. Now it's a one-of-a-kind research facility run by the University of Arizona where all sorts of cool experiments about climate change and soil evolution are happening. Plus I'm starting to do research on a SITF book about New Horizons, the first ever mission to Pluto due to arrive at the once ninth planet next summer.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I try to write a succession of sensory-filled scenes connected by information. I want my books to have a ���you are there feel��� so that readers experience what tagging along with a firefly researcher or geochemist at work is like. Scenes filled with action, sounds, sights, and smells generates interest for the facts presented. There���s no ���information dumping��� before a reason to want to know those facts is established.

Why do I write what I write?
Science is about discovery and what���s more exciting than that?

How does my individual writing process work?
It depends on what sort of book I���m writing, but like most nonfiction writers the vast majority of my time is spent on research. For the Scientists in the Field (SITF) books this means tracking down actual working scientists willing to share their research with young people and spending time with them doing what they do. Nothing is written until after I���ve interviewed, researched, and seen the work of the scientist. What ends up as text in the book is entirely driven by what goes on as I go along with a researcher tracking Gila monsters or checking the temperature of a geyser.

To continue the writing process blog tour, it is my pleasure to introduce three authors whose work I admire. Each author has answered the same four questions I answered above. Click on the author���s name to find out what she had to say and to learn more about each of them and their work.
Keila Dawson
Kathy Cannon Wiechman
Diana Jenkins

Writing Process Blog Tour

[image error] Kerrie Hollihan, author of the just released book Reporting Under Fire (Chicago Review Press, 2014), invited me to take part in this Writing Process Blog Tour. She writes award-winning nonfiction history books for young people. Kerrie, myself, and another history-savvy writer, Brandon Marie Miller, do a blog together that features fun activities to go along with our books, called Hands-On Books.

What am I currently working on?
At the moment, I’m juggling a couple of books for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Scientists in the Field (SITF) series. My husband, Tom Uhlman, is a photographer for the series and we’ve done a number of titles together as a team. Our latest book, Park Scientists: Gila Monsters, Geysers, and Grizzly Bears in America’s Own Backyard came out last month. It’s about research projects in national parks. I just turned in the draft manuscript for another SITF book that will be published next year. It’s about Biosphere 2, that iconic glass pyramid near Tucson that eight people sealed themselves inside for two years back in the early 1990s. Now it's a one-of-a-kind research facility run by the University of Arizona where all sorts of cool experiments about climate change and soil evolution are happening. Plus I'm starting to do research on a SITF book about New Horizons, the first ever mission to Pluto due to arrive at the once ninth planet next summer.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I try to write a succession of sensory-filled scenes connected by information. I want my books to have a “you are there feel” so that readers experience what tagging along with a firefly researcher or geochemist at work is like. Scenes filled with action, sounds, sights, and smells generates interest for the facts presented. There’s no “information dumping” before a reason to want to know those facts is established.

Why do I write what I write?
Science is about discovery and what’s more exciting than that?

How does my individual writing process work?
It depends on what sort of book I’m writing, but like most nonfiction writers the vast majority of my time is spent on research. For the Scientists in the Field (SITF) books this means tracking down actual working scientists willing to share their research with young people and spending time with them doing what they do. Nothing is written until after I’ve interviewed, researched, and seen the work of the scientist. What ends up as text in the book is entirely driven by what goes on as I go along with a researcher tracking Gila monsters or checking the temperature of a geyser.

To continue the writing process blog tour, it is my pleasure to introduce three authors whose work I admire. Each author has answered the same four questions I answered above. Click on the author’s name to find out what she had to say and to learn more about each of them and their work.
Keila Dawson
Kathy Cannon Wiechman
Diana Jenkins

Featured in May 2014 Talent Spotlight!

[image error] Mary Kay Carson
May 2014 Talent Spotlight
 
"I feel like fiction tells universal truths and nonfiction tells specific truths. We need both kinds." - Mary Kay Carson

Our May spotlight celebrates nonfiction children's book author Mary Kay Carson. She's written over 50 books, and her latest book Park Scientists: Gila Monsters, Geysers, and Grizzly Bears in America's Own Backyard [HMH Books for Young Readers, $18.99 hc] has earned a starred review from School Library Journal. Some of her other books include Beyond the Solar System: Exploring Galaxies, Black Holes, Alien Planets, and More; A History with 21 Activities [Chicago Review Press, $18.95 hc], and Why Does Earth Spin? And Other Questions about Our Planet [Sterling, $12.95 hc].
 
Carson's talent, advice, and knowledge is treasured. Friend and fellow author Emma Carlson Berne says, "Mary Kay has always struck me as the very definition of a writing professional. She is serious about her research and writing standards, never talks down to her readers, and cherishes the subjects she chooses. But at the same time, she always manages to keep her sense of humor about a job and a field that can be tough on the nerves. I'm not as far along in my career as Mary Kay, and I've always valued her advice and guidance, both of which she offers freely."
 
Q: Your new book, Park Scientists, is all about the U.S. National Parks. How many national parks have you visited and which is your favorite?
A: You inspired me to count them up, and I've visited exactly half of America's 58 national parks. In case you're wondering which ones, they are: Arches, Big Bend, Biscayne, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Bryce, Canyonlands, Carlsbad Caverns, Cuyahoga Valley, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Hawaii Volcanoes, Joshua Tree, Mammoth Cave, Olympic, Petrified Forest, Rocky Mountains, Saguaro, Sequoia, Virgin Islands, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion.
 

Choosing a favorite among them is tricky, because I like different aspects of each. Watching red-hot lava pour into the sea at Hawaii Volcanoes N.P. was a real bucket-list experience. And we've been to Saguaro, Great Smoky Mountains, and Rocky Mountains National Parks enough times to have favorite hikes and must-see stops. But I'd never been to Yellowstone N.P. before writing Park Scientists and it really blew me away. The geysers and hot springs are otherworldly, and the wildlife density is like nothing I've seen except in the Serengeti. We saw bison, elk, and antelope herds as well as grizzly and black bears and wolves.
 
Q: What is the best part of the writing process for you? The worst?
A: The most enjoyable part of the writing process for me is usually the research, which is fortunate since that's what nonfiction writers spend most of their time doing. It's fun to learn about new things, talk to interesting people, and especially visit amazing places like I got to do for the Scientists in the Field books. Knowing that you're going to write about a place heightens your senses. You pay attention to smells, sounds, and little details that might make it into your manuscript.
 
I'd say the worst part of the writing process, or at least the hardest part, is getting out a first draft of the manuscript. It's just not fun for me. It takes an enormous amount of mental energy and focus, which is pretty exhausting. I'm embarrassed to admit that the old Dorothy Parker quote, "I hate writing, I love having written," often rings true for me.
 
Q: What are the pros and cons of writing nonfiction?
A: I've only ever published nonfiction, so my experiences with writing fiction are pretty limited. But, in general, I think nonfiction is a good match for people who enjoy research, though plenty of fiction writers do quite a lot of research as well.
 
As far as the business end of it all, I think, in general, nonfiction can be easier to break

into than fiction. Science topics especially are in need of continual updating, so there is a market there.
 
As far as negatives go, writing nonfiction isn't as prestigious as fiction. It's harder to get an agent because there's little chance of a Harry Potter blockbuster-type book or lucrative movie rights in nonfiction. Nonfiction authors sometimes complain of being second-class citizens in the children's literature world, but I came from a science and journalism background, so I don't feel that. Fiction and nonfiction are different and do different things. I feel like fiction tells universal truths and nonfiction tells specific truths. We need both kinds.
 
Q: When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?
A: I wasn't a kid who wrote stories or even kept a journal. I didn't write for the school newspaper and I only took the minimum required English courses in college! I was a science major, so I had a full plate. I didn't really become interested in writing until I was serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in my early 20s. Living without electricity, telephones, running water, or plumbing makes one appreciate letter writing. I started a science-writing graduate school program at New York University after leaving the Peace Corps. It seemed like a good combination of my interest in science and writing skills. From there I got a job working on SuperScience magazine at Scholastic, and 20+ years later I'm still writing for kids.
 
Q: What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
A: Everyone says to write what you know, but I think it's also really important to know the writer (i.e. yourself)! I meet a lot of people who want to be writers, but are frustrated by not knowing what to write or how to find the time, etc. Writing can be a difficult and solitary endeavor, one that often depends only on the writer's own motivation. So it's important to know what motivates you, why you want to do this exactly, and what you're hoping to accomplish. Why am I the person to write this story or essay or investigate this topic? Why me instead of anyone else? Figure that out, and you'll be on your way.
 
Q: What is your favorite book that you've read?
A: I'm a big speculative fiction and science fiction reader, and loved it as a kid, too, as well as adventure/survival books like Julie and Wolves, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and My Side of the Mountain. The Giver by Lois Lowry is an all-time favorite. (I hope the movie doesn't ruin it!) The last really terrific adult book I read is The Dog Stars by Peter Heller, but it's not kid-friendly! Heller is a well-known nonfiction writer and it was his first novel. So maybe there's hope for me, too!
 

Q: What is your favorite book that you've written?
A: Emi and the Rhino Scientist holds a very special place in my heart. It's the story of Terri Roth's work at the Cincinnati Zoo to help a very rare Sumatran rhino named Emi have a calf. I have some strong ties with folks at the Zoo and Emi has since passed away, so the book means a lot. Plus it was the first book I ever got published "out of the slush pile," the first that my husband and I had a joint contract for, and I got my first starred reviews with it.
 
Q: What's the weirdest experience you've had writing non-fiction? The neatest?
A: The most bizarre experience I've had was going into Bracken Bat Cave in Texas for The Bat Scientists book. Bracken Bat Cave is the largest colony of mammals in the world. It's the summer home of 20 million Mexican free-tailed bat mothers and their pups. The concentration of bats is so high that you have to wear a respirator over your mouth and nose to protect your throat and lungs from toxic ammonia fumes created by so much bat guano. It's 115 degrees Fahrenheit inside, and you need to wear rubber boots because you walk through mounds of sandy guano roiling with biting beetles that eat the guano as well as any fallen bats. Little baby bat skeletons litter the shifting floor. I had bad dreams for weeks!

 
Oddly enough, one of the neatest experiences was at the same cave - but on the outside. Watching all the bats come out of the cave as the sun was setting was awe-inspiring. It's like a living tornado of spiraling bats coming out and going up into the sky and making a ribbon of bats all the way to the horizon. And it goes on for hours. It's something I'll never forget.
 
Q: What is it like working with your husband as your photographer?
A: I feel very fortunate to be able to work with my husband, Tom Uhlman. He's a fantastic photographer. When we're on site together and he's taking pictures and I'm perhaps interviewing someone, I don't even think about what he's photographing. I'm 100% certain he'll find and capture the perfect images to go with the text. It's really terrific to be able to trust someone like that. Traveling to fun places together is a treat, too. We both are self-employed and work out of our home so we spend lots of time together, something I know other couples struggle with. Of course, we also get on each other's nerves, argue about the TV being too loud, and don't agree on what constitutes suitable camping weather, but I wouldn't trade working with him for anything.
 

Q: What is your favorite thing about being a writer?
A: Always learning and moving on to new things, I'd say. One of the best parts about writing books is that you delve in, soak up lots of information and experiences, painfully give birth to a manuscript, and then move onto something new. So about the time I'm tired of thinking about bats, say, I start researching Pluto. I like juggling projects that way. It keeps things fresh and helps me get unstuck sometimes. The other thing I really like about being a freelance writer is setting my own flexible work schedule. If it's a beautiful day and it's going to rain all weekend, I go for a bike ride today.
 
Q: How did your dog, Ruby, get a reputation as a "wonder beagle"?
A: It was declared so by us! Tom never liked dogs and I sort of knew going into the marriage that I'd likely never get to have a dog, so when Ruby won his heart it was truly a wonder.
 
Q: What is your favorite branch of science?
A: I majored in biology in college, specifically ecology and systematics (classification), and I am still a big animal, nature, and outdoorsy person, but writing so many books about the planets and stars has really turned me into a space geek. There's so much currently going on, so much being discovered in the universe, and so many missions within our solar system that it's an amazing field to be part of right now. My next big book project is a Scientists in the Field book about New Horizons, the first ever mission to Pluto. It launched in 2006 and will finally get to Pluto next summer. How cool is that?
 
To get more information about Mary Kay Carson and her work, you can visit her website at www.marykaycarson.com. For available copies of her work, please contact us. You can call us at (859) 781-0602, email us at bluemarble@fuse.net, or visit us at the store.
 
Written by Eileen B. of The Marble Society

Starred Review for PARK SCIENTISTS!

[image error] School Library Journal gives my new book in the Scientists in the Field series, Park Scientists: Gila Monsters, Geysers, and Grizzly Bears in America’s Own Backyard a starred review in its May/June issue!!

School Library Journal *Review*: “This entry in this popular series focuses on the study of selected plants, animals, and geologic formations in three of our most famous national parks, which are akin to “natural laboratories and living museums.” ... Pertinent, attention-grabbing, full-color photographs and captions, maps, infrared images, and diagrams accompany the fascinating, informative text in each section. Featured experts provide primary-source information for each topic covered...Overall, this is a well-written, unique, carefully organized treat for nature lovers and investigators.”

Watch the book trailer, download the Discussion & Activity Guide, read other reviews, and more here.

PARK SCIENTISTS is out May 13th!

[image error] Photographer Tom Uhlman and I are proud to announce our new book in the Scientists in the Field series, Park Scientists: Gila Monsters, Geysers, and Grizzly Bears in America’s Own Backyard! It’s all about exciting research projects in our national parks.

Watch the book trailer, download the Discussion & Activity Guide, read reviews, and more here.

PARK SCIENTISTS comes out May 13th!

[image error] Photographer Tom Uhlman and I are proud to announce our new book in the Scientists in the Field series, Park Scientists: Gila Monsters, Geysers, and Grizzly Bears in America’s Own Backyard! It’s all about exciting research projects in our national parks.

Watch the book trailer, download the Discussion & Activity Guide, read reviews, and more here.

Starred Review for Beyond the Solar System!

[image error] My fresh off the press book, Beyond the Solar System: Exploring Galaxies, Black Holes, Alien Planets, and More is reviewed in the July 1st issue of Booklist.
Booklist *Review*: They call it "a fast-paced, but worthwhile, tour of the history of astronomy," comment that "Carson shows unusual finesse in communicating the methods and significance of scientific breakthroughs," note "the explanations are remarkably clear, vivid, and concise" and say "Notable for its unusually clear explanations of complex topics, this volume is a worthy companion to Carson’s excellent Exploring the Solar System (2006)."

What Sank the Titanic a Century Ago?

[image error] One hundred years ago this week, the Titanic left on its doomed voyage. Read about the chain of mistakes and unlikely events that led to the disaster in my just released book, What Sank the World's Biggest Ship? And Other Questions About the Titanic.
Why was the Titanic so huge? Did all the passengers really eat off gold plates? How could an iceberg just appear out of nowhere? Here are the answers to all these and other "must-know" questions about the building, launch, and tragic sinking of the most famous ship of all time. This trivia-rich look back on that fateful night includes gripping, true information that will entice young readers.
Kirkus Review: "To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic...a new series that employs a question-and-answer format...works quite well, the questions being the ones that have so fascinated people ever since the tragedy occurred. The answers are written in clear prose full of fascinating details...Paintings, photographs, maps and a timeline complement the text to offer a fascinating account for young readers who love information. The format is irresistible, each answer just long enough to provide essential information...overall this will be a sure hit with young readers. A promising start to a new series."

Bats! Furry Fliers of the Night, the book-app

[image error] Explore the natural world of the only flying mammals—bats. Experience the first nonfiction book-app for iPad to use 3D software to create an immersive reading experience. Bats! Furry Fliers of the Night is what a book should be—a great, involving story that uses the latest technology to make reading even more fun for young readers aged 5 and up.
Bats! is wonderfully vivid and interactive, built on the same 3D software used to create games. But Bats! is not a game and not just an app, it's a real book, created by experts in science and other books especially for young children. Bats! breaks new ground in using the iPad to deepen the experience of reading, not to take kids away from reading as so many apps do.