Exploring Picture Books with Susanna Leonard Hill

Today, I am happy to host my very first writer friend, Susanna Leonard Hill, to talk about picture books.  Susanna is the award winning author of nearly a dozen books for children, including Punxsutawney Phyllis (A Book List Children's Pick and Amelia Bloomer Project choice), No Sword Fighting In The House (a Junior Library Guild selection), Can't Sleep Without Sheep (a Children's Book of The Month), and Not Yet, Rose (a Gold Mom's Choice Award Winner.)  Her books have been translated into French, Dutch, German, and Japanese, with one hopefully forthcoming in Korean.  Her newest book, Alphabedtime!, is forthcoming from Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Books, in Fall 2015.  

Debby:  Susanna, you were my very first writer friend more than twelve years ago.  And I feel like you have shared the journey with me.  I have been blogging lately about the importance of writer friends.  Thank you for being such a good friend.  I am so happy you are here today!

Susanna:  Thank you so much for having me, Debby!  I am honored to be your friend and to have had the chance to share our writing journeys.

Debby:  Speaking of writing journeys, I wanted to talk about picture books.  For so long, this has been a club that only admits a select few authors who are celebrities or politician’s wives.  You have 7 published picture books with one coming in 2015.  What is your secret?

Susanna:  I have been so fortunate to have published 1 pop-up book, 1 board book, 2 lift-the-flap books, 4 picture books in English and 1 in Dutch, 1 early reader, and 1 e-book, with another picture book forthcoming in 2015.  I wish I had a secret!  If I did, maybe I’d be able to produce saleable picture book manuscripts a little more often!  But I think if I have anything to share it’s that perseverance is the name of the game.  You have to show up every day and write.  You have to polish stories until they’re ready to submit to your agent or editor.  If they get turned down, you have to send them out again, or reevaluate them to see where they went wrong.  You have to keep writing new stories while your finished stories are out on submission.  I think the secret, such as it is, may be simply that often the difference between published and unpublished is whether or not you keep trying.

Debby:  That is a really important message for all writers, not to give up.  What about the notion of rhyming or not rhyming?  Are there rules?

Susanna:  It is said by many that editors do not want rhyming picture books.  This is patently untrue.  Two minutes in the library or bookstore will show you that editors buy rhyming picture books all the time.  BUT.  Rhyme is very hard to do well.  If you’re going to submit it to an editor it must be perfect.  If your rhyme and/or meter is off, you risk having a story rejected because of that, not because of the quality of the story.  So unless you’re very good at rhyme, you are often better off writing in prose.

Debby:  Picture books depend so much on the artwork to bring your vision to life.  How hard is it to wait for the unveiling of the artwork?  Do you have any advice for other authors who have to wait to see the artwork for their books?

Susanna:  It is VERY hard to wait for art!  Although in this day and age you can easily google your artist and see samples of their work, that gives you only a general feel for their style.  You still have no idea how they’re going to conceptualize and develop your story.  And since most editors do not allow sneak peeks, you just have to wait and see and trust that the editor, the art director, and the illustrator will bring your story to life in a way that works for you.  That said, I have been very fortunate in this department.  With one exception, my books have come out even more beautifully than I could have imagined.  Advice on how to wait? There’s nothing you can do.  You can’t make the artist work faster.  You can’t make the time fly by.  So get to work on something new and try not to think about it too much J

Debby:  Of course we all want to know which was the one exception that didn’t come out the way you imagined.  But I know you won’t tell us.  So I will move on and ask you about ebooks.  So many kids use tablets now, how is the market for epicture books?

Susanna:  I think there’s a strong market for epicture books.  They’re convenient.  They’re beautiful.  They have features that regular picture books don’t have (like read-to-me.)  And they’re extremely portable – you can carry a whole library in your purse or backpack, which is great when going anywhere with kids.  I don’t think they will replace physical picture books (at least I hope they won’t!)  I think there’s still a lot to be enjoyed about reading a physical picture book together from the smell of the ink to the actual turning of pages to the joy of reading to your child (not just relying on the recorded voice of an ebook) and the discussion that can ensue.

Debby:  I love the smell of a new book and the feel of the pages.  My daughters and I found our favorite picture books by browsing in children’s book stores, but with so many of them closing, how do you promote picture books?

Susanna:  That’s tough.  I am firmly in the group that likes to pick up books and look through them.  Many online bookstores offer “look inside” features, and that helps somewhat, but I don’t think the experience is the same.  And whereas writers of MG, YA or adult books can share excerpts on their blogs to give readers a taste, that is a lot harder with picture books.  The text is so short that an excerpt isn’t particularly helpful, and since picture books rely on illustration, the text is often not entirely clear without the pictures.  I make book trailers for my books.  It’s not quite the same as being able to pick them up and leaf through them, but it does give a glimpse of both the text and the art.  I also do as many school and library visits as I can so that I can share my books with kids.

Debby:  I know you also teach a class in writing picture books.  Can you tell us about your class and where authors can sign up?

Susanna:  My class is called Making Picture Book Magic.  It is a one month course.  Participants receive one lesson each weekday via email for 21 days (no lessons on weekends.)  The course covers all the essential elements of writing picture books from character development to story structure to how to leave room for the illustrator.  We have a private FB group where the class can share assignments with each other if they choose (no one has to share if they’re not comfortable) and get feedback from me and the other members of the class.  The cost is currently $99 but it will probably go up in July.  For full details please see http://www.susannahill.com/MAKING_PICTURE_BOOK_MAGIC.html

Debby:  That sounds like such a wonderful opportunity for writers to work with you.  Any hints about your work in progress you can share?

Susanna: I always have multiple works-in-progress at home in my computer – too many to choose from J  But I can tell you that my next book will be released from Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Books, in Fall 2015.  It is being illustrated as we speak by the talented Betsy Snyder, and the title is ALPHABEDTIME! (so you can probably guess what it’s about J)

Debby:  The title is so much fun!  I can’t wait to read it.  Thank you so much, Susanna, for being here today.  

Susanna:   Thank you so much for having me, Debby!  It’s been a delight to visit your blog and meet your readers!


Debby:  To learn more about Susanna and her wonderful books, here are some links to her website, blog, FB author page, Twitter, Making Picture Book Magic (online writing course).

D.L.

Meeting Holly Schindler at THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY

 

Today I am happy to welcome Holly Schindler to discuss her upcoming middle grade debut, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY (Dial).  THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY will be released February 6, 2014—just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Debby:  Holly, thank you for joining me today.  I am so excited to read THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY.  My fourth grader and I are counting down the days!  Can you tell us a little bit about your inspiration to write this story?

Holly: I’m so glad to hear your fourth grader’s looking forward to the book!  In my previous YAs, I started with a concept—in A BLUE SO DARK, I played with the possible correlation between mental illness and creativity; in PLAYING HURT, I started with the difference between loving someone and really being IN love with someone.  With THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY, it all began with character.  I saw Grampa Gus as clearly as I’ve ever seen anyone on my life!  And I heard this voice—I swear, it seemed like Auggie was in the room talking to me herself. 

Debby:  It seems that finding your voice through art is a central theme in the book.   How did art come to play such an important role in Auggie’s story?  Are you an artist yourself?

Holly: A bit of backstory here: I got my master’s in ’01, and was encouraged to stay home and devote full-time attention to getting a writing career off the ground.  I’d had some success publishing shorter work when I was in grad school, and was under the grand delusion that publishing a book-length work would be easy.  

It wasn’t—it took seven and a half years of full-time effort (and too many drafted manuscripts to count) to snag my first book deal.  Four years into it, I hit a rough patch.  Looking back, a big part of the reason for it was that I had a school-related marker for how much time had passed (graduation season), and because many school-related achievements had taken four years (four years to get out of high school, four years to get my undergrad degree).  Four years into the pursuit of publication, I hadn’t gotten very far—meanwhile, my friends from college were wrapping up PhDs, moving on with their lives.  I began to question what I was doing, whether I was going to stick with it.

In the end, I obviously decided to put my rear in the chair and get back to work.  The first book I drafted after that make-or-break moment was THE JUNCTION, a book about a girl standing up for her art.  In many ways, I feel like I was standing up for my own art in THE JUNCTION, insisting that I wasn’t going to back down from the writing life.

Debby:  What a wonderful message for your readers—to stand up for your art and not give up on your dreams.  You went from writing that first book to having a number of YA books out there, including the upcoming release, FERAL (Harper Collins).  What made you want to switch to middle grade?

Holly: Actually, the first books I drafted were all adult books.  Though I had the kind of financial support that meant I didn’t have to seek full-time employment, I still wanted to pay my own bills—so I started teaching music lessons out of the house in the afternoons.  My students were shockingly similar to the kids I’d known when I was in school—they actually inspired me to try my hand at writing juvenile work!  When I started writing for young readers, I tried my hand at all age groups—MG, YA, even picture books.  I was actually learning to write for all age groups at the same time.

 

Debby:  I know you have started a website for your MG readers, called Holly Schindler’s Middles.  http://hollyschindlermiddles.weebly.com/  What made you want to start a separate website?  And what can your readers find there?

Holly: The best part of being a published YA author was interacting with my readership—usually through FB or Twitter.  But I needed to create a space where I could talk directly to MG readers—so I created Holly Schindler’s Middles.  At this site, MG readers can view some videos I created for THE JUNCTION, read some tips I have for young readers (I was already writing when I was a young reader), and—I’m MOST excited about this: they can send me their reviews!  Use the Contact Me page to get your review featured on the site.

Debby:  It’s such a good idea to have a site for MG readers to interact with you and share their reviews.  I know your readers will love it.  Here’s my favorite question: can you share your favorite sentence in the book?

Holly: Auggie has such a unique way of looking at the world; I love the “Auggie-isms” that run throughout the book.  Here’s one of my faves: “Courage, I think as I stare at Chuck, can sometimes be like when you’re dying for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but there’s only a skiff of peanut butter left on the side of the jar, and no matter how much you scrape, you begin to wonder if you’ll ever get enough on your knife to cover an entire slice of bread.”

Debby:  I love Auggie already.  I think I might already know the answer to my next question, but I am going to ask it anyway.  Which character in THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND LUCKY is most like you?  Which is completely the opposite of you?

Holly: I think we all hope that we’re the opposite of Victoria Cole—and we all also hope we have a bit of Auggie in us!  

Debby:  You have several websites of your own along with your own blog, a YA group blog that you run as well as Smack Dab in the Middle, the MG group blog that I am part of, too.  And you write both MG and YA.  How do you switch hats?  Do you have a set schedule? 

Holly: I do have the luxury of being a full-time author.  But that doesn’t necessarily mean that I just get to write all day.  As authors, we have to be our own publicists, too!  Of course, my favorite days are those when I do get to spend a solid eight hours writing.  When a book’s about to hit the store shelves, I have to balance between promos and writing new material.  I do enjoy promotional work, especially when it’s creative (putting together a trailer, etc.), but you can’t get so involved in your own publicity that you lose sight of writing the next book.  I work pretty hard at time management; my daily planner has so many notes and scribbles, it looks like a WIP!

Debby:  Can you give us a sneak peek as to what we shall expect next from the amazing Holly Schindler?

Holly: FERAL, my next YA, is going to release in August ’14!  To say it’s completely different from THE JUNCTION is an understatement.  To get in on the blog tour, please contact me at writehollyschindler (at) yahoo (dot) com!

Debby:  Holly, thank you again for being here and sharing your thoughts.  Best of luck with the new release.  I am so looking forward to reading it!  For more information about Holly and her books, visit her website http://www.hollyschindler.com/

D.L.

Writer's Resolutions

Happy 2014!  It is a new year full of possibilities.  I don't usually make resolutions because I don't know about you, but I rarely keep them.  Working out every morning at 5 a.m. sounds good on January 1st, but not so good by February 7th.  But writer's resolutions are different.  Those I can keep.  I have made a list of resolutions for my writing this year--and I am sharing them with you in the hope that you might like to adopt one or two for your own writing this year.

1.  Write more - just write.

2.  Judge less - don't be your own harshest critic.  Give your work time to grow.

3.  Compare less - don't think about what someone else is doing or has already done.  Stay focused.

4.  Write for the love of writing - take publication, book sales, reviews off the table.  Write because you love it.

5.  Embark on new journeys - challenge yourself with new genres or characters that scare you.  After all, writing is really a journey of discovery, is it not?

6.  Find a writing friend - to discuss, critique, encourage.  A positive writing friend is your secret to success.

7.  Eliminate negatives - what is holding you back?  Doubters in your life?  Yourself?  Purge your life of negatives and focus on the possibilities.

8.  Curtail computer time - spend less time on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.  Every moment is a time waster and your book is waiting.

9.  Take time to breathe - remember to have that cup of tea in silence.  Take a walk without music in your ears.  Breathe.  Give your imagination time and space to create.

10.  No excuses - be honest with yourself.  If something needs changing, change it.  Excuses get in the way of our progress and allow us to fail.  Don't give yourself permission to fail.

I wish you all happiness in your life and in your writing.  Now I am going to take my own advice and get back to my work-in-progress...

Happy Writing!
D.L.

    

For the Love of Food Writing Exercise

 

It is Thanksgiving week--my girls are off of school, and they have cooking on their minds.  We have already been to two grocery stores to get supplies for major baking.  I was thinking about my books and how food has played such an important role in the stories.  In JANE IN BLOOM, food becomes Lizzie's enemy.  And it becomes Jane's comfort.  Ethel, Jane's babysitter, shows Jane that cooking can show someone how much you care about them (her recipe for Mac & Cheese is on my website in case you want to try it).  In my new novel, food also plays an important role in bringing people together.  And baking is the language of love.  I know that it makes me very happy to cook for my family and to present them with a healthy meal that they will enjoy.  The ability to do that is something I am truly thankful for because there are so many places in the world where a mother cannot do this for her family, even if she wants to.  So this Thanksgiving week, if you have time for a writing exercise, think about food.  What role does it play in your work in progress?  Does food bring your characters together or tear them apart?  Is food plentiful or lacking?  What do your characters eat and how do they feel about it?  If you want a break from your work in progress, write a scene where food is the central character.  How is the presence or absence of food driving your scene and what feelings does it create in your characters?

I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving surrounded by people you love.  I give thanks to you for reading my blog!

D.L.

Suzanne Morgan Williams Talking School Visits

 

Today, my good friend and fellow middle grade author Suzanne Morgan Williams is here to talk about school visits.  Suzy is the author of the acclaimed novel, Bull Rider (Simon & Schuster) and numerous non-fiction releases for middle grade students including the recently released China’s Daughters (Pacific View Press).  Suzy, thank you for talking to me today.  I know how much you love visiting with students and I think you’ve done hundreds of school visits.  That makes you an expert.  So tell me—what do you love most about speaking at schools?

Suzy: I get an energy from being with students that is uplifting and inspiring – really. When I talk to kids, I am face to face with the audience for my work and I’m reminded of their concerns, how they think, what makes them laugh and cry. I’ve also found I love speaking no matter what the age of the audience. The give and take between the audience and me is a bit addictive.

Debby:  Do you script your presentation or is it free form?

 

Suzy: I almost always work with a power point for my presentations and with specific lessons for my writing workshops. I know what I intend to cover for each slide or part of my workshop. That said, I have certain stories I tell and points I can make, but I don’t have a script. I talk to the audience in front of me, respond to their reactions, and often riff on some thought that comes to mind. It’s not uncommon for me to give unique presentations to each group, skipping back and forth in my power point slides to illustrate whatever it is I’m talking about at the moment. So the answer is yes, I go in prepared, often over prepared, but once I’m with the audience, I follow their lead and my heart.

 

Debby:  How interactive do you get with your programs?  How do you involve the students with your presentation?

Suzy:  This depends totally on the age of the group, the desires of the school, and the points I’m trying to make. Obviously, writers’ workshops are very interactive and work more like a class than a presentation. For large group presentations, my rule of thumb is, the younger the kids the more interactive the presentation. I always try to present in a variety of ways interspersing readings with stories with information. Sometimes I work with student or faculty volunteers or ask the group questions. When I give my Chinese Inventions presentation (for Made in China) I demonstrate concepts with science experiments and use a number of student volunteers. Sometimes with Bull Rider presentations to large groups of teens, the presentation is all me – until the end when I invite questions from the audience. When I meet with kindergarteners and first graders I’m sure to have one or two stories that all the kids can interact with.

Debby:  Let’s talk props.   I remember you telling me once about the props you bring when you are talking about your book, Made in China.  Can you share a little bit about that here?

 

Suzy: Again, this depends on the presentation and the desires of the school. For Made in China, I carry all the materials I need for science demonstrations – these fill a suitcase and include a Burger King hat, several glasses of various sizes, a bag of mud, a Pyrex casserole dish, a sushi roller, a silk scarf, a photo of a silk worm, empty 2 liter soda bottles (sometimes I ask the school to provide those), an ice cube tray. The list is long and each portion of my presentation is illustrated by a demonstration of how the science works. For a large group presentation on Bull Rider in a middle school, I may arrive with only my power point (has some very cool photos) on a thumb drive and a copy of the book. If the group is younger, I have some signs for an interactive quiz. Sometimes with elementary school audiences, I bring in a suitcase full of the gear I’ve worn on my research trips to the Arctic for my book The Inuit. This is pretty impressive – unless the kids are from Wyoming or North Dakota!

Debby:  What if you have an audience that seems to be zoning out and not connecting with you?

Suzy: Honestly, I’ve got a lot of experience and at this point I’ve honed the presentations to where I’m only using my best material. I’d suggest before giving a paid presentation that an author practice with Scout groups or your kids’ classes or a local Boys and Girls Club – whatever. Then if a part of the presentation doesn’t work, you can take it out before you give the next one. These practice sessions can be billed as just that. If you need to, stop from time to time and ask the kids what they are thinking. Are they bored? What else do they want to know? If the group is smallish, they will get into this and give good feed back before you have to go in front of a big audience. Second hint – if in doubt, tell a story. If the kids are spacing out, you can make some transition and tell them a great story. Everyone loves that, and that’s what authors do best. Just be sure you’ve thought of a couple in advance and you know how you’ll tie them in with the theme of your presentation.

 

Debby:  What about give-aways?  Do you bring postcards, bookmarks?

 

Suzy: Yes, I bring postcards which I will sign if asked – either at the time or later and leave them with the librarian or language arts teacher. That way every kid can have a memory, not just the kids with money to buy books. And every postcard includes the ISBN and suggestion to order the book(s) from a local bookstore or online.
 

Debby:  As a follow up to my last question, do you give books away—or sell them in advance?

 

Suzy: I don’t give books away unless there is some special reason that moves me. I can’t give a book to only one child and not the whole school. Sometimes I leave a librarian a copy of one of my books as a thank you. But the point is to sell books, not to give them away. I ask schools to pre-sell books although many don’t and some aren’t allowed to sell books. Then I ask them to buy a few to give away in a drawing on the day I’m there, and to announce the places where the kids can buy the books. I always try to get a book signing at a local store following my presentations. Sometimes the schools invite the local stores to come in to sell books, or they’ll order books in advance from the publishers. Sometimes the librarian will get a grant to buy books for the kids in the school. That’s very cool because so many kids are able to leave with their own copy of my book.

 
Debby:  How about some thoughts for authors that want to do school visits but aren’t huge bestsellers.  Is there a market for them to visit schools?  And if so, how do they go about getting the visits scheduled?

Suzy: Yes. There’s a market for author/presenters who offer content to schools. Most schools want the biggest bang for their bucks and many have been burned by authors who show up, essentially say “This is me and this is why writing, especially mine, is cool.” Then they collect their check and leave. Authors need to familiarize themselves with state standards and Common Core standards and create presentations that can be connected to those (hopefully without the kids knowing J). Offering tips on writing, revising, speaking, researching or creativity will work for most authors.  If you can move beyond those subjects you’ll further enhance your presentations. But you need to do it in an engaging or entertaining way. Be sure to work before and after with teachers to prepare the students and to follow up with any questions or lessons. This will get you good buzz and recommendations for your next school visit.

As for booking visits, that could fill a chapter in a book. I’ll just say that I generally make the first contact. Schools rarely come to me and yet I end up with a lot of jobs. A couple of tips – make yourself available at conferences where you’ll meet teachers and librarians. You can put in proposals to give sessions at these conferences and if you’re accepted, you’ll demonstrate your speaking skills and can hand out your school visit information. I occasionally hear from people I’ve met at conferences as long as two years after the fact. Second, if you are traveling in an area, ask any friends or contacts you have there for recommendations of schools you might contact about speaking. Better, ask if they can make the initial suggestion to teacher friends and you’ll follow up. Local folks are most likely to know which schools invite authors and perhaps which teachers are the types to actually plan and carry out a visit with you.

If you want more ideas, I’d be happy to arrange a consultation. E-mail me at suzanne@suzannemorganwilliams.com  

Debby:  Last question—Skype.  You and I Skype all the time and I know you use Skype regularly.  How do you change your presentation when you are Skyping as opposed to being there in person?

Suzy:  I prefer to present in person and let schools know that. If they are set on a Skype visit, I’ve done it a couple of ways. They may be able to show a power point while I’m talking. Then we can do a shortened version of that, followed by Q and A. I ask that they set up the web camera so I can see at least a dozen or so students while I talk. That way I can gauge the audience’s reaction to the session.  I’ve also done straight Q and A with kids coming up to the camera to talk. Some computer programs allow for kids to type in questions as I present and that can be useful. This varies, but I try to keep Skype sessions to 35 minutes and they are generally less formal than in person presentations. I think they are a thin substitute for person to person interaction but sometimes it’s the best we can do. And yes, I charge for Skype visits but it’s a lower fee.

Thank you so much, Suzy, for all your advice today!  For more information about Suzy, visit her at www.suzannemorganwilliams.com.



D.L.

Writing Challenge for November

Hi there.  I can't believe it is November already!  My daughter and I were in the grocery store Friday morning, and we were shocked to see that holiday items were already being stocked on the shelves.  It seems that the moment Halloween is over, we roll right into the holidays.  I always feel like November and December fly by with so much to do.  And this makes it so much more difficult to find time to write, especially if you are juggling kids and a day job.  I think the thing that helps me the most is remembering that I write because I love it.  Writing is an escape.  It's the present I give myself. 

So my challenge to you this November is to write.  Even if you only have a few minutes--write something.  Anything.

Here's a November exercise:

Change is in the air.  You can smell it, taste it, feel it.  Write about someone making a change.  Maybe it is a welcome change that brings hope with it.  Or maybe it is a change that signals defeat and loss.  If you have a work-in-progress, try bringing a change into your plot.  Something the main character wasn't expecting.  See where it takes you.

Happy November!

D.L.

Tips for Middle Grade from Ann Haywood Leal

Today I am chatting with my friend Ann Haywood Leal about middle grade novels.  Ann is the author of the critically acclaimed ALSO KNOWN AS HARPER/ Henry Holt and A FINDERS-KEEPERS PLACE/Henry Holt.

 

Debby:  Ann, thank you for being here. 

Ann:  It was my pleasure!  Thanks for inviting me.

Debby: I wanted to talk about writing the middle grade novel.  To capture the minds and hearts of middle grade students, you have to find subjects that will interest them.  How do you find that perfect balance to touch the ten year old reader with your story?

Ann:  I try to write for the ten-year-old that I was.  I was and still am such a voracious reader.  If I really loved a book when I was young, I would read it more than once.  My mom took my brothers and me to the library every week.  I’m sure I could still go straight to the places where my favorite books were shelved with my eyes closed!  My dream is to write the book that will have that same effect on one of my readers.

Debby:  I love the image of you searching for your favorite books in the library.  And I know you have already touched readers with your beautiful books.  What do you think about heavy subjects, such as homelessness and loss.  Do you think these have a place in MG books?

Ann:  I think that MG readers can handle a lot more than we sometimes think they can.  Homelessness and loss are very real issues that are happening right now around them and quite often to them.  Reading about those kinds of heavy subjects can help kids make sense of things in their own lives.

 

 

Debby:  My nine year old is reading A Wrinkle in Time right now.  Madeleine L’Engle weaves the romance into the story with a light hand.  It manages to be just the right amount for this age.  How do you balance romance so that you have just enough but not too much?

Ann:  I think it can definitely be a delicate balance!  MG readers love the hint of romance, but if you get too deeply into it, you run the risk of turning them off, especially those on the lower end of the age range.  I’m an elementary teacher, and I’ve noticed this with my students.  They love to tease each other and hint around that someone might “like” someone else; this information is often delivered second and third hand!  But if you get too much into the actual physical details, I think you are moving into YA territory.

Debby:  I wanted to talk about boy books vs. girl books.  With YA there isn’t the same pressure to be able to appeal to boys and girls at the same time.  Do you feel the pressure to write a book that can be appreciated by both boys and girls?

Ann:  I know that there seems to be a big market right now for “boy” books in MG.  I am often pleasantly surprised to see to whom my books appeal.  My main characters tend to be girls, because that is what my voice leans toward … but I like to have other major and minor boy characters to create a nice balance (if they belong in the story and move it forward in a natural way).  The most important thing, I think, is for a writer to have strong, positive characters, boy or girl, with which the readers can identify. 

Debby:  Can you give other writers some good advice about reacting to trends in middle grade publishing?  Right now, we are seeing so much fantasy—how can writers stay true to their own voices?

Ann:  This may sound a little like a cliché, but I believe it completely:  write the book that’s in your heart.  When you try to write for a trend, and it’s not coming out of your “writer self” in an organic way, it shows.  It can come across as awkward and one-dimensional.

Debby:  I am hanging that sentence on my wall for inspiration, Ann.  Thank you!  Can you give writers one good tip for writing middle grade fiction?  My tip is to read your pages aloud and listen to your words.  Then imagine you are ten.  Would you want to hear more?  What’s your tip?

Ann:  Write the book that you wish you had discovered when you were a MG reader.  Ask yourself what drew you to your favorite books, and what made you keep going back to those treasured stories.

Thank you, Ann, for inspiring me and everyone else today.

Ann:  Thank you, Debby!

For more about Ann, visit her website, http://www.annhaywoodleal.com, blog http://www.annhaywoodleal.blogspot.com

Or follow her on twitter http://www.twitter.com/AnnHaywoodLeal

 

D.L.