Becoming Gretel

Hi - it's me, Kate, stepping in for Deborah to tell you about my adventures in fairy tales. There I was, standing in a forest in the middle of nowhere. With a boy calling me "Gretel." He was taller than me by a half a head, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Oh, and interesting factoid--he was dressed like a gnome. You know, the ones that stand around in gardens with the pointy blue or red caps? Well, this boy was a dead ringer for a garden gnome. Only he could speak. And he was calling me "Gretel."

"Listen," I told him. "I don't know who Gretel is, but I do know I'm not her." I was trying to set him straight. But he wasn't hearing me. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "Gretel, I'm your brother, Hansel. We're lost here in this forest. Don't you remember?"

The boy was trying to explain things to me. He thought Gretel was confused. I'm not sure about Gretel, but I sure was confused. I remembered reading the first words of Hansel and Gretel but I couldn't remember anything else. I could only remember arriving here, to find this odd boy in the woods.

"Gretel, listen to me," the boy was pleading. "When our stepmother led us out here, I had a feeling she was going to do something terrible. So I left a trail of tiny pebbles behind us. If we can find the pebbles, we can follow them home. Then we will be safe."

I remembered a little bit about the story of Hansel and Gretel. Enough to know that he and his sister were far from safe. The strange part was--I didn't see the real Gretel anywhere. I didn't understand how Hansel could think I was his sister. Even in the moonlight, he had to see my brown hair and green eyes. Nothing like his own. And my clothes were so different. I glanced down at my sweatshirt and jeans, only to find that I was no longer dressed like myself. Instead, I was wearing a faded dress with tiny red and yellow flowers. And in place of my sneakers--red buckle shoes!

Before I could begin to make sense of my strange new attire, I heard a sound. An eerie howling. It was returned by a chorus of other howls. I didn't have to ask what that meant. I was in a fairy tale. It had to be wolves.

I wasn't going to wait to meet Little Red Riding Hood.

"Okay, Hansel," I whispered. "Let's find that path of pebbles."

Stepping into a Fairy Tale

Hi - it's me, Kate. I'm back again to tell you more about my adventures in fairy tales. I bought a book of fairy tales from a mysterious woman who told me the book would take me on a magical journey, but only if I truly believed.

When I got home, I opened the dusty old book. I began reading the first story. Hansel and Gretel. As I began reading the words to myself, I wondered if something magical would happen to me. I didn't really believe in magic, but something about the book with its tattered pages and the old woman with the purple eyes had made me curious.

I read the first few sentences.

Absolutely nothing happened. Nothing at all. It was just an ordinary book, I thought, with a bit of disappointment.

Then I recalled that the magic would only work if I truly believed. I took a deep breath. And told myself to believe. To believe in the impossible. I closed my eyes. Imagined a world of magic. A world where animals could speak, and I could fly.

I opened my eyes and began reading the words once again. "Once upon a time, in a land far, far away. Lived a boy named Hansel and his sister, Gretel." Suddenly, I was plunged into darkness.

I could hear someone speaking. The words echoing as though in a cave. "We are lost, Gretel. Hopelessly lost." I felt like I was floating between worlds. Adrift in the pages of a book. Fluttering through space and time.

And then my feet touched ground. The moon broke through the clouds, and I could see a boy in front of me. He was tall and blonde. And he spoke with a strange accent I didn't recognize. But the strangest thing of all--he was calling me "Gretel."

How I Saved Hansel

Hi there, it's Me, Kate Walsh. 10 years old, fan of skateboarding and riding horses. I'm writing posts for Deborah because she's busy working on a new novel and hasn't had time to blog lately.

A few weeks ago, I discovered a magical book. I know, it sounds crazy and unbelievable. But it's true. It was just a dusty old book of fairy tales. A book I thought I was way too old to even read. But this strange old woman with purple eyes convinced me that I needed to read it. She told me the book would take me on a journey. I had no idea she meant a real journey. A journey into another world. So I'm going to tell you all about it. About how I saved Hansel. Remember the story of Hansel and Gretel? You know, the kids who got lost in the forest and munched on a gingerbread house? Well, it isn't exactly the story you think. And when I finish telling you what happened to me, and to Hansel, you won't think fairy tales are for little kids anymore.

Til tomorrow--
Kate

The Writing Life

Last week, I spoke to a class of first grade students about the job of a writer. Preparing for my presentation really made me reflect on what this writing life is all about. I told them that to be a good writer, you need to love books and you need to love telling stories. I told them that the good part is that you can work in your pajamas, and the bad part is that you work by yourself (which can be hard if you are not a self-motivator). The best part, I told them, is that there are no rules. You have complete freedom. And your work is totally unique because it comes from your heart. The students asked a lot of questions, everything from how cover artwork is designed to how you sell your story. But the best question was asked by the teacher. What do you do when you get stuck? Her question caused me to think about my own struggles with writing. Sometimes, I think you have to just push through, force yourself to move forward even if it is difficult. Like a river bending around a boulder but still flowing. It doesn't stop because it is blocked, it just finds another way. Other times, I think you need to step back. Reflect on the work you are creating. Why isn't it working for you? Why can't it flow around the rock? This is what I told the teacher and her students: sometimes, you need to have the courage to let go. And to move onto something else. I encouraged them to feel free to cross out words they didn't like, or to even start over. Because writing takes on a life of its own, and when you set aside one story, I believe it isn't abandoned. It lives on in the new work you create. Because every word you write only serves to enhance your craft. Some stories take time to evolve in your subconscious before they are ready to be born. You just have to wait until they are ready to be told. It takes courage to rewrite, and even more courage to start over. Most of all, it takes persistence. That is the key to a writer's life--never ever giving up.

D.L.

Breathing

Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to a friend of mine from the Class of 2k9, ya author, Cheryl Renee Herbsman. Cheryl has written this wonderful gem of a book, Breathing (Viking, 2009)--the paperback version of which has just been released. (Great news for those of you looking for a great summer read). Breathing is a charming love story which I could not put down.

Here's a bit about the book:

Savannah would be happy to spend the summer in her coastal Carolina town lying in a hammock reading her beloved romance novels and working at the library. But then she meets Jackson. Once they lock eyes, she’s convinced he’s the one — her true love, her soul mate, a boy different from all the rest. And at first it looks like Savannah is right. Jackson abides by her mama’s strict rules, and stays by her side during a hospitalization for severe asthma, which Savannah becomes convinced is only improving because Jackson is there. But when he’s called away to help his family—and seems uncertain about returning — Savannah has to learn to breathe on her own, both literally and figuratively.


DL: Cheryl, you did such a wonderful job with the pace of the romance in Breathing. Did it just unfold naturally or did you have to plot it out?

CRH: Thank you! It did unfold naturally. I’m what some call an “organic” writer, others call a “pantser”, as in fly by the seat of your pants. I never outline stories and usually don’t know what is going to happen until it does. When I sit down to write, I read over the last scene I wrote, and then just listen for what comes next.


DL: The setting in Breathing is almost like another character--it is so much a part of the book. How did you decide to set the book in this location?

CRH: Breathing started with a character sketch. I met Savannah and her family during a writing exercise. The setting was so much a part of who Savannah is that it came as part of the package. I never considered setting it anywhere else. Savannah had lived and breathed the coastal Carolina atmosphere her whole life. So it was a part of her, a part of her family, a part of her community. It’s a setting I know from my own childhood, one I love. I grew up in North Carolina and every summer my family would spend time at the beaches in North and South Carolina. Those are still some of my favorite beaches. It was fun to immerse myself in my memories of the place and to even take a family trip there for “research”


DL: I loved the ending of the book. So many times, when I get to the end of a book, I am disappointed. But your ending was so perfect. And I wondered if you had considered a sequel?

CRH: Thank you so much. Endings are always tricky. I find myself second-guessing a lot. “Is it too this or too that” type of concerns. But I try to let it unfold naturally. I’ve been so fortunate that many readers have written to me to ask about a sequel. My feeling about it is that right now the story Savannah had to tell has been told. But you never know, she might drop back by with another story to tell. And if she does, you can be sure she won’t give up until I write it!


DL: For those of us who are authors, can you tell us how a paperback release differs from the initial hardcover release?

CRH: For me the paperback release was different in the sense that I had very little to do with it. There were some minor changes made to the paperback cover from the hardcover. I wasn’t involved in those at all. And really the only contact I had with the paperback publisher was receiving my author copies. It feels like a quieter sort of event. But I’m very grateful for it nonetheless, because it means my story is accessible to more readers and has the opportunity to stay in print longer.


DL: What is your favorite sentence in Breathing and why?

CRH: Ahh! That’s a tough question. But I think I’ll stick with the one I had printed on my bookmarks. Savannah says: “I know it’s only dreaming, but I reckon if you go on and act like something is real, sometimes it just believes you.” I think that sort of sums up what I love about her, her dreamer nature, her courage, her boldness, her willingness to try.


DL: That is my favorite sentence, too. It really resonated with me. What tips can you share with other writers who are working on getting their first manuscripts published?

CRH: Don’t ever give up. I’d been trying to sell a fantasy manuscript for about two years. Friends encouraged me to work on something else while I was trying to sell the fantasy. So just as a distraction, I started something else, which ended up being Breathing. It sold very quickly. Keep at the craft, keep reading and writing and learning about the business of publishing and it will happen!


DL: What can we expect from you next?

CRH: I have a manuscript out on submission now. It’s a story I dearly love. And while I’m waiting to hear … I’m working on something else!


DL: Thank you Cheryl! And I can't wait to read your next book.

You can find out more about Cheryl Renee Herbsman and her books at her website.
www.cherylreneeherbsman.com

D.L.

Body Image and Self-Perception Month

This month, I am proud to be participating in Once Upon a Bookcase's Body Image & Self-Perception Month with a guest blog at A Dazzling Distraction. Our body image and self-perception is a direct connection to our self-esteem, which is the foundation for everything we do. So I think it is really important for women to reach out to other women and girls to support one another. I'd appreciate it if you would check out my guest blog. And leave a comment, if you have time!

Here's the link. http://adazzlingdistraction.blogspot.com/2010/07/guest-post-blooming-by-deborah-lytton.html

D.L.

Comfort Foods

Yesterday I was cooking in my kitchen, and I realized that cooking is much like writing. You need to stay within a certain structure in both writing and cooking, but then there is room for inspiration--and it is in that inspiration that you discover magic.

Comfort foods for me are like my favorite books--I know exactly how they turn out, but therein lies the comfort. I know just what I'm going to get.

I reach for comfort foods whenever I have a bad day--or when I want to surround my family in love. In my novel, Jane in Bloom, Ethel makes comfort foods for Jane--and preparing and eating those foods helps Jane to heal.

Yesterday, it was cold and raining outside, so I prepared beef stew for my daughters. One of them loves eating meat, and the other (like me) would prefer a salad. So I have to alternate meals around here--in the same way that I find as a writer I must alternate genres in order to reach more readers. The manuscript I recently completed is a paranormal YA adventure, which is completely different from the middle grade family drama Jane in Bloom. And I am presently working on two ideas at once (not the best plan, by the way!). One is an alternate history novel and the other is a YA drama. Sort of like making lasagna one night and cobb salad the next.

I am not a well-trained cook. I have learned to cook out of necessity. My abilities have evolved as my daughters have grown. I started out making my own pureed baby foods for them, then a couple of years later, added to my talents, the world's best quesadillas and carrot muffins. And now, I have finally graduated to real family dinners. I find that I love cooking because it makes my daughters so happy to eat the food I have prepared for them. As a single working mother, my cooking is not elaborate--I wish I had time to make the Martha Stewart meals in my cookbooks, but I only have a short time to cook and I have to juggle the chopping with math and spelling homework. So I take shortcuts wherever possible--it may not be gourmet, but it is healthy and comforting at the same time.

If anyone is in the mood for Rainy Day Beef Stew, here you go:

1 1/2 lbs of beef stew meat (I prefer grass-fed organic)
1 bag of peeled baby carrots
Six medium sized russet potatoes
Two onions
Three pints of Beef Broth
1 Cup of Flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 Tablespoons of oil

1. Salt and pepper the beef, then dredge the beef in flour.

2. Put the oil in a pan and warm on medium heat. Brown the beef in the pan.

3. Put stock in large pot. Add beef to stock. Bring to a boil.

4. Reduce heat to simmer.

5. After one hour, add peeled and quartered potatoes.

6. After another hour, add quartered onions and carrots.

7. Cook for one more hour. When meat is fork-tender, it is ready.

8. Serve in bowls with a pat of butter. Eat with someone you love in a comfy warm room with the rain pelting the windows.

D.L.