Laurie Halse Anderson chats with readergirlz

Storyteller extraordinaire Laurie Halse Anderson joined us with characteristic energy and joy during her featured month at readergirlz. We discussed her wonderful novel PROM, reminisced about our own proms, and Laurie even posted her junior prom picture on her blog — in which she looked EXACTLY like she does today. Spooky.

Such youthful glam is probably why Laurie's also a movie star (apparently she made a cameo as a lunch lady spooning out mashed potatoes in the film version of SPEAK.) She just finished the draft of WINTERGIRLS, a novel coming out in 2009, and to celebrate and replenish, she did some jam'n, as they say in teenspeak (or used to say, can't keep up to speed.) By jam'n, I mean literally (see video posted below.)

Check out a few of the questions asked by teens, authors, divas, and other fans, along with Laurie's answers at the forum.

Q. What is the easiest thing about writing for teens? The hardest?

Easiest: getting into the mindset of teen humor. This is easy because I am an incredibly immature middle-aged woman. Hardest: some scenes really throw me for a loop (suicide contemplation in TWISTED, the rape in SPEAK, the death in CATALYST) and really hurt me. My next YA comes out in MAY 2009. It has been the most painful book I have written, so far.

Q. Do you like writing under contract or does it add pressure?

It sucks either way. Without a contract, you have the luxury of time. With a contract, you have the luxury of an advance. We have four kids (just finished putting 2 of them through college), so I’ve been choosing contracts, because the bill collectors don’t like it when I say "But I’m blocked! Give me another month!"

Q. What was your defining moment in becoming a writer?

It happens every morning, about 5:30 am. I put my cereal bowl in the dishwasher, I pour a second mug of tea, and I sit down to write. The conscious, mindful decision to write every day makes me a writer.

Q. If you could meet anybody in the world, who would it be?

Mr. Barack Obama.

Q. What was your inspiration for CATALYST?

I was frustrated by the ungodly pressure put on gifted kids to succeed academically, often at the expense of their souls.

Q. In TWISTED, what made you decide to write about a guy? Was it harder than writing a female point of view?

I wanted to write from a male POV because I like a good challenge. It was harder, obviously, but I had a lot of fun with it. I came away with more respect for men and boys.

Q. What inspired you to write SPEAK?

SPEAK is 10% my life in high school, 90% fiction. I have a lot of experience with depression — that definitely went in the book ... Inspiration had a lot of threads — part was my own adolescent pain, part was my frustration with the world of high school, which seems uniquely tailored to damage children.

Q. What was it like having a movie be made of SPEAK? What kind of say (if any) in the process did you have? Were you happy with the end result?

They asked me to write the screenplay of SPEAK and I said no because I was busy with another book. I love the movie. I think the director did a great job and stayed very true to the story. Except the end of the movie which is it’s own story.

Q. Has anybody optioned PROM for a movie?

No — I wish!!! Feel free to pass it one to anyone you know in Hollywood!

Q. Are you writing any more picture books? I loved, loved, loved THANK YOU, SARAH!

I just published a new one with the same illustrator as THANK YOU, SARAH. The new one is called INDEPENDENT DAMES and features almost 90 kick-butt girls and women who participated in the American Revolution. And there will be more in the future!

Q. What about novels?

CHAINS is my next novel. It is historical fiction, set in 1776 in New York City. I have been working on it for a long time (pre-Octavian Nothing, I’d like to point out) and I can’t wait until the world gets to read it.

PUBLICATION DATE: OCTOBER 21, 2008

Which I guess is just about 4 months away.

Gulp.

Q. Does CHAINS feature a male or female protagonist?

CHAINS has a female protagonist named Isabel. S&S liked the book so much, they’ve asked me to do two more with the same characters. The next one will have a male protagonist, Isabel’s friend from CHAINS. His name is Curzon.

Q. Curzon ... ooooh!!! Which sounds like corazon ... which makes me wonder, is this a love interest?

All will be revealed in the fullness of time.

Q. Wow! That's fantastic. Then it will be a historical fiction trilogy. Did you have to do a lot more research for the subsequent books?

Oh, yeah! TONS! Our house is sinking into the ground under the weight of all these books, plus I have a bunch of research trips this summer. I am loving every minute of it!

Q. Are you enjoying the creation of far-reaching story arcs, both in time and over the course of multiple books?

Yes, actually, I am loving it. I have a little experience in this because I wrote the series for younger readers called VET VOLUNTEERS (originally published as WILD AT HEART). I loved figuring out the various arcs and making sure the story threads wove together properly.

Q. In CHAINS, I’m assuming you’re writing about African and African American characters. I am a strong believer in no apartheid in storytelling, but I know some people will wonder how a suburbanish white woman had the nerve to cross the racial divide in storytelling. How would you answer them?

Yep. Isabel in CHAINS is a slave from Rhode Island and the book looks at the plight of African Americans during the Revolution. (The PATRIOT movie is NOT good history.)

I have felt called to explore the sin of American racism and its roots in our slave-holding past, for decades. Particularly because I am a white woman who had benefited enormously from the color of her skin.

I finally decided that I could tell this story, not because I am white, but because I am American. This is an American story — our story. I believe that as an artist, I have the obligation and skills to empathize with people of all backgrounds, of all conditions, of all times.

The easiest characters for me to inhabit are those who are like me. And I owe it to my country and my readers to be obsessive and relentless about research. My editor is African American, and we had a number of historian of several ethnicities review the manuscript.

Think of it this way — if an artist/writer cannot figure out how to tell stories outside of her race, what hope is there for America? How will we ever learn to love, honor, and respect all of our peoples?

I have no doubt the issue will be raised often with me. I am looking forward to the discussions that can grow out of this. Not everyone will agree with my point of view, but that is one of the glories of this country; room at the table for all.


Thank you, Laurie, for your generous spirit and your unflinching courage in confronting suffering for the sake of your readers. Next month we're hosting author Jay Asher over at readergirlz, and featuring his New York Times bestseller THIRTEEN REASONS WHY. And don't forget — we're throwing a party on June 27th, at 6 PM PST / 9 PM EST at the forum. It's the rgz Summer Sizzle with E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Myracle. Mark your calendars, rgz!

Shannon Hale chats with readergirlz

We were treated to the humor and heart of Shannon Hale, author of BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS, during her featured month at readergirlz. Here are a few questions from teens, authors, divas, and other fans, along with Shannon's answers during her chat at the forum:

Q. Was BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS based on a specific fairy tale?

(It's) based on Maid Maleen, and obscure but (to me) fascinating Grimms brothers tale ... The story is so strange and yet has such amazing detail and depth, but it was the maid that caught me. After spending 7 years in a tower, she’s dropped from the narrative entirely half way through. That neglect really bothered me. I wanted to hear her voice, loud and strong, speaking up from the dust. I also chose it because of its similarity to The Goose Girl but very profound differences. I loved the dialog the two tales created with each other.

Q. Do you think of BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS as fiction or as sci-fi/fantasy?

I think of all my books as fantasy, and I think of them all as realism. And I’m slightly kooky.

Q. You donated a part of the profits to - what was it - the Heifer Foundation?

I didn’t want to mention that in the acknowledgments because it seemed so self-congratulatory, but then I thought it would give that wonderful organization more attention. My only regret is that you can’t buy people a yak. But water buffaloes are cool, too.

Q. Will there be a sequel to BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS?

I have a book outlined that takes place in the Eight Realms after B1000, though it’s not technically a sequel. That said, I have notes on lots of books. And so little time lately...I hope you’ll enjoy it in 2018.

Q. Do you plan on writing a sequel for PRINCESS ACADEMY?

I had considered doing a PA sequel. I know what happens next, but I decided against it for lots of reasons. Other stories were (and still are) more insistent in my brain I kept getting emails requesting a sequel and then describing to me what should happen in it--and it was almost always exactly what I’d intended to write. Which tells me if a reader can already imagine a sequel, it’s better left in her brain without having the author come in and intrude. I really like that particular story standing alone.

And yes, after I’d decided not to, PA did extremely well in paperback and I had the thought, "I could make some good money if I wrote a sequel." So now I won’t. If I think about the money a book could make, I’m dooming the project. It’s not really superstition so much as practicality. If I’m doing it for the money, then the story is bound to be less good than if I’m doing it because I can’t bear not to tell that story.

Q. What is it like being stunningly beautiful? ;)

It’s really, really hard. But I get by. [ ... :) ] Too bad we’re not doing video chat ... because I look FAB today. Mascara smeared under eyes, hair fleeing a rubber band, no shower in two days. I’ve swept the kitchen floor three times today and I still have to brush stuff off the bottom of my bare feet whenever I walk across it. LIFE OF GLAMOR, that’s me.

Q. Would you ever write a novel in collaboration with another author? One you aren’t related to? Like Libba Bray? ’Cause your two woman (book tour) was quite awesome.

I talked to Libba about that! And I’ve talked to Stephenie (Meyer) too. And we’re all so busy. Co-writing is more work than writing alone. But maybe someday...

Q. Read anything great lately?

Right now I’m reading THE HOST. Just read Richard Peck’s fantastic A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO. The TRUE MEANING OF SMEKDAY was so funny. BIG FAT MANIFESTO was a great read and really thought provoking.

Q. I heard a rumor that you might be writing a YA sci-fi trilogy. Is this true?

The rumor is true, though I’m mortally afraid of revealing anything before I’ve begun to write it. I think I can say that it’s called Daisy Danger Brown, it’s contemporary, first person, and superhero/scifi. I’m very eager to start on it. Especially right now when Bayern 4 isn’t cooperating.

Q. Does it feel strange stepping out of the fairy tale world into sci-fi?

I get bored easily, so I love to move around to new places and new kinds of storytelling. My adult books and graphic novels have been a wonderful stretch for me, too.

Q. When do you find the time to write (especially now that you’re a mum)?

I find very little time, but I’ve got a babysitter coming over three mornings a week this summer! Wahoo!

Q. Would you share your writing process?

I think about a book for at least a year, often more, taking notes whenever they occur to me. If I don’t write it down, it’s gone. Then I organize the notes and start in on a first draft of whichever story is yelling at me the loudest ... I ABHOR first drafts. Actually, more accurately, I fear them with great tremblings ... I rewrite about a dozen times over about a year and a half. And I weep and declare that I’ve lost it, I can’t be a writer anymore, I’m washed up, it’s over. And my husband rolls his eyes.

Q. What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Finding that perfect sentence. And meeting people who didn’t like to read until they read one of my books, and have gone on to read many books. I don’t feel like it was me who did either of those things, but they both rock.

Thank you, Shannon! This month we're hosting author Laurie Halse Anderson over at readergirlz, and featuring (it's June, people, so what else?) her novel PROM. Stay tuned for more ...

Padma's CLIMBING THE STAIRS Blog Tour Finale

Padma Venkatraman, author of CLIMBING THE STAIRS (Putnam, April 2008), has been on a whirlwind blog tour. Today she joins us on the Fire Escape where I'm honored to host her final stop. 

Before we start, though, I have to confess a bit of personal history related to this interview. Françoise Bui, editor of Secret Keeper, my forthcoming book from Random House, called recently. Just before we ended the conversation, she shared that she'd read a novel with some similar themes to my own. It was called CLIMBING THE STAIRS. Apparently, Padma and I had both featured an Indian girl who moves into her joint family's home, created a romantic interest with a boy upstairs, and delved into the loss of a father. "But they're very different stories," Françoise told me.

Despite those editorial reassurances, I began Padma's novel with trepidation, worried that our books might be too similar. And hers came out first, darn it. And got bundles of starred reviews, too. Would I have to convince the gatekeepers that my book was done and off to press before I read CLIMBING THE STAIRS? Would I become the next South Asian American writer accused of plagiarism? How similar were the two books, anyway?

I'm relieved to tell you that I (a) immediately forgot about comparisons as I lost myself in a superbly crafted story, and (b) was reminded anew that when it comes to fiction, even with some here-and-there similarities in plot, two authors can produce completely different novels thanks to the unique soul prints with which we mark characters, themes, and conflicts. I absolutely loved this brilliant novel, and would consider it high praise if people notice any similarities with mine. (I hope Padma agrees!)

Okay, now are you ready for some enlightening Q & A with Padma? Here goes.

You were born in India and lived there until you were 19 years old. Now you’ve lived here for __ years, and you’re becoming an American. So, tell us, Padma, where is “home” for you?

I am certainly American – as you can tell by my leaving that second blank blank…I’m a lot older than people guess when they see me! I became a citizen just over a year ago – when people ask me why, I tell them it’s because America has the best Public Library system in the world. I mean it, too. Where else can you find so many wonderful free libraries filled with friendly librarians?

Home…I told Betty Cotter of the South County Independent recently that I carry a lot of homes inside me, and I think that’s true. India is a home, but so is America. And at times I have felt “heimweh” for Kiel, in Northern Germany. And when I read Harry Potter, I remember my days at Brockwood Park School in England. So, Hampshire (in the UK) is one of my homes, too. And my accent is a hodgepodge. Right now, of course, Rhode Island is home most of all.

It's wonderful to have many homes and love them all. I love how the book provides a fresh take on WWII for teens -- not many people realize the turmoil and divisions taking place inside India during that time. Why do you think that it's important for young people to read stories set in other times and places?

I think it’s important for them, for all of us, really, to read stories set in other times and places so we can appreciate diversity – but also so we can come to an understanding of what we all share as human beings. So that we can be fascinated, entranced, even, by a location or time that seems exotic. So that we can see that however exotic the setting of a story is, there is a fundamental human thread that ties all our tightly stories together.

Amen, sister. Some of the perhaps unfamiliar (to many American teens) "isms" introduced so cogently in the novel include Mahatma Gandhi's view of pacifism, internal differences in Hinduism, and the impact of colonialism. Could you sum up for us the dream response of a reader who knows little or nothing about India’s history and culture?

Instead of summing up, I’m going to quote from a dream response I got from the first teen reviewer of CLIBMING THE STAIRS. She says:

Climbing the stairs by Padma Venkatraman is a novel about a teenage girl, Vidya, growing up in India during World War II. Vidya is very free spirited and does not act as a lady like her family would hope. She dreams of going to college, but when a family crisis hits, her future plans are jeopardized. Venkatraman portrays the highly individualized Vidya in a way that the reader can immediately connect to her.

The plot is thrilling and I found myself having a hard time putting the book down. I enjoyed how this book has a lot of very interesting historical and cultural information. At many points in the story I was left amazed at the cultural bridge between the United States and India. I could not believe what the treatment of women was like in India even as last as the mid 1900s. This book illustrates the struggles of India as a country and how war can tear families apart. While many families fought nonviolently against the British occupation that was going on at that time, others chose to fight alongside the British in the quest to defeat Hitler. Vidya finds herself in a family that is torn between the two. This is one of the best historical fiction novels I have read. The balance between plot and history makes it so enjoyable. I would most definitely recommend this book to any reader, especially one who loves historical fiction.

Now that review was and is a dream response come true!!!

So lovely. Now let's move to the journey of getting the novel published. What was a high point? A low point?

High point – the sunny summer day last July, right before our wedding, when my agent called to say “Putnam-Penguin bought your novel” and I yelled so loudly that our neighbor stopped pottering about in his yard to look up and see what was going on.

The lowest point – when agent # 2 said almost exactly what agent # 1 had said “this novel is beautifully written. Your prose is poetic and the story is very moving. I especially love how you weave in timeless themes such as violence/nonviolence, gender equality and social justice together with the evocative descriptions of India and Indian spiritual traditions. And I learned so much from reading your book – I had no idea what the effect of World War II was on India or other parts of the world, and still less that there were Jews in India! However, I am sorry to say CLIMBING THE STAIRS is not for me, because I don’t think it will be appreciated by an American audience and I do not see a market for your book. I do regret that this is not for me and wish you success elsewhere.”

Looking back on it now, I suppose I could have been thrilled she liked the book, but I really wanted to publish the novel in America, my country of adoption, and not in India, where my previous work had been successful. And she was telling me in her opinion (which I greatly valued) it wouldn’t do well here because of what it was about. That was really tough because I wanted to tell Vidya’s story to people in this nation. And if the story wasn’t going to be heard but the writing was at least sort of okay, then what could I do? (As my dearest husband pointed out, I could send it to another agent).

What was the biggest change you made in response to an editorial suggestion?

Where the novel started. At first, the novel started with Vidya already in Madras, if I remember correctly. As my wonderful editor pointed out, I needed to describe what Vidya’s life was like before she moved – and the chapters I usually read aloud from nowadays didn’t exist in the first draft! I often compare my editor to my high-school and university athletic coaches – I used to participate in ‘high jump’ and, like a sports coach, my editor kept raising the bar (which I’m glad he did).

Could you describe a fear you have about this novel that can keep you up at night?

When I was writing it, the Protest March chapter used to keep me awake because it upset me so much and it was frightening to envision it. Now, I am kept awake at night because of the sadistic streak I have that I’ve come to be aware of because of the novel. At least two people have actually cried proper tears at two of my readings, and that fills me with such elation that I can’t sleep at night. And oh how wonderfully nice I feel toward these listeners/readers! Then, I write to my editor “hey, someone cried when appa was bashed up, yay, yay, yay!” After that, I feel pretty ashamed of myself and I keep awake thinking “Padma you have become a rotten, rotten person.” But I get up in the morning and laugh because it is all rather silly rubbish how you can go up and down like a roller coaster based on how people react to your work.

That scene was extremely moving. You wrote it with beautiful understatement that gives the reader space for his or her own emotions. Okay, next question. Finish the sentence twice, first from an idealistic "literature changes lives" point of view and then give the savvy marketer's take. CLIMBING THE STAIRS will be a successful novel if:

a) readers see the current relevance of the characters’ central conflicts while enjoying the dramatic setting – the unique contrast of a time and place when/where the world was experiencing World War II and a nonviolent liberation movement.

b) savvy marketer’s take…that I’d have to learn from more experienced authors such as yourself! I have so much to learn about marketing…I’m right on the bottom step there…a lot of stairs left to climb!

On a related note, I have to say that I’m deeply, deeply grateful for all the success we’ve had already with the novel, such as the starred reviews in Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and VOYA, and the great reviews in Kirkus and School Library Journal. There’s a lot to be thankful for during my debut novel’s “birthday” month – including this wonderful blog tour, hosted by so many dear author friends! I’m so honored to have the grand finale of this tour here on my blog guru’s site!

Wow. A blog guru is way better than a love guru, so take that, Mike Myers. Okay, here's my last question: What's next for Padma Venkatraman in the realm of children's books?

A picture book for elementary school children that I worked on a long time ago for August House, called The Cleverest Thief will be out this November. But that’s published under the name “T. V. Padma” because it’s for a younger readership - there’s my schizophrenia for you…I used to write for the younger audience, and my books for them, mostly published in India, were written as T. V. Padma.

So perhaps the correct answer to your question is that when she’s not learning how to climb the blogging stairs, Padma Venkatraman is revising her next YA novel, ISLAND'S END, which is slated for publication by G. P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin) in spring 2010.

Can't wait to read it. Thank you, Padma, for spending time with us on the Fire Escape, and for creating this lovely novel.

Authors Padma Venkatraman and Barbara O'Connor celebrate the release of CLIMBING THE STAIRS

Karen Day: NO CREAM PUFFS

Today is book launch day for author and fellow writing group member Karen Day (TALL TALES / Wendy Lamb Books). Like the first novel, her second (NO CREAM PUFFS / Wendy Lamb Books), features an unforgettable twelve-year-old protagonist growing up in the Midwest. While the stories are quite different, a fan of Meg in TALL TALES (a Texas Bluebonnet book) is sure to enjoy befriending Madison, the down-to-earth hero of NO CREAM PUFFS. Karen's on the Fire Escape today to answer a couple of quick questions about NO CREAM PUFFS, a book about baseball that's also a universal tale about leaving girlhood to join a circle of strong women -- a circle that surprisingly includes a girl's own sometimes bewildering, often irritating mother.

Q. NO CREAM PUFFS is set in 1980, yet a Kirkus reviewer (who raved about the book) recently said that "this fine sports story is fresh and relevant." How do you think a twelve-year-old reader in 2008 will relate to Madison's story?

Girls today have so many sporting opportunities and they may find the hoopla surrounding Madison's debut in an all-boys' baseball league surprising. But there is much more to Madison’s story. I use baseball as a way to address timeless issues – how awful it can feel when your friends are ready to move on and you aren’t; how girls often worry that “beating” boys will make boys not like them anymore. This is essentially a story about a mother and daughter and how difficult it can be to listen to that “voice” inside. These are the same issues girls face today!

Q. Tell us about the title. What does it signify?

When I was growing up in Indiana and playing baseball we sometimes threw easy pitches that we called “cream puffs.” You know, they were pitches that allowed the batter to belt the ball to the fence! During practice Madison throws one of these pitches to the cute boy she likes. Her catcher, Brett, has a fit and tells her, “no cream puffs!” I like this as a title because it addresses one of the prominent themes in the book. Do you throw a cream puff to a boy because you want him to like you? Or do you try to strike him out?

Thanks, Karen, and congratulations on another wonderful story about girl power. 

In The Name of God: Interview With Paula Jolin

I tore through In The Name of God (Roaring Brook, April 2007) as a reader first (during yet another crazy time in the history of violence), led effortlessly by Paula Jolin's suspenseful plot, vivid characters, and fascinating details about teen life in Syria. Afterwards, though, the buried high school teacher in me came roaring to life, keeping me up late with ideas about how to use this book like mad in the classroom.

We'd read the book, for example, and then my students would pick three historical events in the last fifty years and describe them first in the voice of Nadia, and then through the eyes of an American teen who joins the Marines to fight terrorism. Or I'd get the kids discussing what they might be willing to die for and why. And so on ... how Jolin manages to create a sympathetic suicide bomber in the making is a literary study in itself.

I invited the author out on the Fire Escape to talk about writing the book (which is yet another class of 2k7 debut), and share our chat with you here. (I also highlighted a few compelling phrases in bold as they seemed to jump out at me ... so, emphasis mine.)

Tell us about the journey to getting the book published. What was a high point? A low point?

I wrote In the Name of God in ten weeks in the summer of 2004. After that, I revised for nearly seven months - well, no, after that, I jumped the gun with the agent search, got a few form rejections, submitted to my critique group and then realized I needed to revise! In the spring of 2005, I sent off ten queries to agents on a Friday, and that Monday my daughter was born (a month early.) Let me tell you, there's nothing like having a baby to take your mind off the agent search. When I came home from the hospital, there was a letter in my inbox from my agent-to-be and I just looked at it, a little woozy, and thought: who is this person?

My agent search was relatively painless and at first it looked like publication was right around the corner. We got a lot of initial interest and a flurry of encouraging e-mails. But then came the rejections. Many felt In the Name of God was too controversial, although others claimed that "American teens won't read books set in foreign countries." I almost gave up in despair. My agent talked about - maybe - selling other projects and coming back to this one later. When the editor at Roaring Brook wrote how much he liked it, I didn't even get excited. I'd been there too often before. But a week later he made an offer! And, well, I guess that was the high point. After that, of course, came the hard work of getting the book into publishable shape.

What was the biggest (hardest) change you made in response to an editorial suggestion?

In the original version of In the Name of God, there were a number of scenes involving Nadia and her fantasy life, where she pretended to be an American girl. When I lived in Syria, I knew many girls who had conflicting feelings about the US. One close friend of mine covered her hair and was very angry about US policies supporting Israel, for example, but she loved the movie Titanic and had seen it 19 times! I didn't see this as a contradiction, just that she was a multifaceted person, and I wanted to give Nadia that same kind of mutlifaceted personality. However, as we all know, sometimes reality doesn't transfer to the page all that well. My editor thought that we should take this subplot out, both because the scenes were outside the developing plot, and therefore cut the escalating tension, and because he thought it was confusing.

I loved this subplot; this was one aspect of myself I put in Nadia - I had imaginary friends until I was 35 (okay, I confess, I still have them!) and I really didn't want to cut it, so I asked a bunch of people who had already read the book, and I noticed something very interesting. The readers who were also writers loved those scenes, but the readers who weren't writers agreed that they were confusing. Since the book was targeted to readers, I cut. It wasn't a huge amount of work, but it nearly broke my heart. Now, almost a year later, I have to say I think the book is smoother this way, and it's point comes across clearer and more effectively. I still regret the loss a little, but I know it made In the Name of God a better book.

We talk a lot about authenticity in fiction. What are two tips you'd give a writer who wants to tell a story featuring characters from a different culture? (Note: Paula's on the right in the photo.)

My first suggestion is to let the story come out of your interest, and not the other way around. If you're fascinated by a culture and a language and a people, and you spend a lot of time indulging that interest, then I think when you come up with a story, it'll seem natural and authentic. I lived in the Middle East for years, not because I wanted to write novels about it, but because I loved the friendliness of the people and the complexity of the language and the intricacies of the culture. I used to say it was wonderful living in a place where you'd go out to buy bread and come home with an adventure. Later, when I started In the Name of God, I was able to write so much of it out of my own experience.

And one of the most striking things you learn, when you live in another country, is that people of different cultures are just as diverse as Americans - with political opinions, and values, and lifestyles - and I think it's important to incorporate that into any book set in a culture other than your own. You have such rich, complex experiences in your own culture - you should try to remember that, I think, when you're creating characters and setting them in another part of the world. If you find that all your foreign characters have the same opinions, or that they follow set patterns or that you're using them to make a point, well, then that's a problem.

In the climax of some YA novels set in non-western places, a white outsider rides in and saves the day. This doesn't happen in your novel, but we do see and/or hear about foreigners in the story. Would you comment on the role they play in the book and why?

Nadia and her family talk a lot about foreigners, although they frequently get things wrong. I wanted to show how pervasive American culture is in other parts of the world — and, at least in the Middle East, how American policies sometimes make a concrete impact on how people live. American sanctions in different parts of the region affect how many people can find jobs and what kind they are, for example, and these kinds of things limit Nadia's brothers and ultimately affect her too. The policies that we vote on here often have far reaching effects, effects we don't see directly. And yes, that includes the war. Nadia is more radical than most of her family and friends, but it's not only Nadia who feels that the war in Iraq is terribly invasive and wrong. It's made people more fearful, more worried, more distrustful of the US.

Nadia and her friends know a lot more about the US than the average teenager here knows about Syria — how many Americans can name the president of Syria, for example? Or five popular Syrian entertainers? — but at the same time, since their information comes almost exclusively third hand, from the TV, from magazines, from books, from the internet, a lot of time they get it wrong. And I hoped that maybe if readers could see how wrong other people can be about us, then maybe they would start thinking about the assumptions we too make about people from other parts of the world.

Describe a fear you have about this book that can keep you up at night.

Originally I was worried that people would be so turned off by the premise that no one would buy the book! Later, I worried that people would misinterpret it, would think somehow that I supported suicide bombings or was sympathetic to them. More recently, I've been wondering if I did Nadia's story justice, if I was really able to convey the conflict she felt, able to walk that fine line between creating a sympathetic character and depicting a real girl who makes bad choices.

Okay, I admit it, I worry a lot!

Finish the sentence twice, first from an idealistic "literature changes lives" point of view and then give the savvy marketer's take.

In the Name of God will be a successful novel if:

a) readers feel closer to and more invested in the conflict in the Middle East.

b) readers who like suspense books with an underlying serious theme are looking out for my next book.

What's next for Paula Jolin in the realm of children's books?

My second book, Three Witches, comes out next March. On the surface, it's a very different book from In the Name of God. It's the story of three American girls from different backgrounds - one is originally from Syria, one is an immigrant from Trinidad, and one is Japanese-American - who try to use the magic of their different cultures to raise a boy from the dead. While it's not a political book, obviously, Three Witches is a book about belief, and how the things that you believe can change who you are; it's also about wanting things very badly, and how far you're willing to go to get them. In this sense, it does still pick up on some of the themes that I explored in In the Name of God.

Thank you so much, Paula, for sharing your hopes and dreams about this wonderful novel. I'm encouraged and intrigued by your thoughtful answers and I'm sure other visitors to the Fire Escape will feel the same. Bismillah! (which means "In The Name of God" in Arabic and should have been the first word in this interview ...)

Tall Tales: Interview With Karen Day

Here's the skinny, people: I'm not going to feel like I have to feature an interview with you, even if (a) you're in my writer's group, and (b) you mention me on the acknowledgments page (full disclosure.)

You've still got to write a novel that (a) fills me with hope, as it will for the tweens who'll read your book again and again, (b) gets me choked up with that mix of sadness and joy only a skillful storyteller can induce, OR (c) earns you a two-book contract from a Legendary Master Editor.

Karen Day, author of Tall Tales (Wendy Lamb Books, May 2007), fulfills all five of these requirements. I invited her out to the Fire Escape for a chat about the terrifying, amazing process of writing and publishing her first novel, due out this week.


Tell us about the journey to getting the book published. What was a high point? A low point?

I finished the first draft of Tall Tales in 2000. Almost instantly I had interest from an editor who saw the first 10 pages at an SCBWI conference. Over the next two years I worked on three revisions for her, without a contract, until she finally declined. I was heart broken but by then I had a different editor interested. More heartbreak followed when she declined after two revisions! Not long after this I got a particularly brutal rejection from an agent to whom I’d asked for representation. He literally brought me to my knees (and to tears!) with his harsh assessment of my novel. Definitely the low point in my struggling career! But after a couple of days of licking my wounds, I realized that his critique, while harsh, was right on. I did a major revision, eventually found a different agent and she got me into a bidding war. The most exhilarating part of this whole process was the two weeks when we went back and forth between these two houses. So exciting! In the end I signed a two-book deal with Wendy Lamb at Random House.

YA books are renowned for being edgy, but you're writing about an alcoholic and abusive family for a younger audience. What advice would you give writer wannabes who want to explore more difficult issues for upper elementary readers?

It’s tricky business, portraying a dysfunctional family in a middle grade novel. Sixteen-year-olds are typically more mature, more reflective and certainly more willing to be okay with being different. A typical twelve-year-old doesn’t want to be different nor does he/she have the necessary tools to analyze the situation. Yet feelings of pain, suffering, guilt, longing, desires, anger – they’re all there. So, you have to be extra vigilant in finding ways of showing these often unconscious fears and desires. In Tall Tales Meg and Grace write a book about two girls who start a business solving mysteries. Grace desperately wants the two characters to have “really cool moms who are also best friends.” Meg focuses on finding a “home” office for the two girls to stay in between jobs. Both of these desires speak to dominant issues the two girls wrestle with. Also, to an outsider looking in, the horrors of an alcoholic, abusive father might seem all consuming. But in reality, people living in this situation “get used to it.” Life goes on. You aren’t in crisis every moment. So there has to be a balance in writing a book like this, between the every-day matters that affect most 12-year-olds and the crisis moments.

What was the biggest (hardest) change you made in response to an editorial suggestion from Wendy?

After I signed my contract, Wendy came back to me with a 14-page, single space e-mail outlining changes/suggestions she had for the book. This WASN’T the most daunting part of the revision process because she was so astute and so careful that I was truly grateful. The hardest change came early on, when she initially rejected the book. She thought I left the family too vulnerable and wanted to see a happier outcome. She said she’d look at the novel again if I made these changes, but I wasn’t sure. I wanted to be realistic. I couldn’t see how to change it and stay true to my realistic conception of the novel. I fretted over this for months until finally I found a solution that satisfied me but also, I hoped, would satisfy Wendy. It required drastically rewriting the mom’s character and the last 100 pages. But I did it and Wendy loved it.

Describe a fear you have about this book that can keep you up at night.

Tall Tales is deceptively simple, with its short chapters and sentence structures, and even in what Meg wants, which I come right out and say in the first line. “I want to make a friend.” So, will readers see and appreciate what’s under the surface? Did I pull it off? Will they see and feel how Meg’s desperate and often unconscious desires for a “safe home” infiltrate the dialogue, descriptions, even the story that she and Grace write together? Will readers understand that Teddy, Abby and Dad’s static personalities were done intentionally, to illustrate how normal development is often stymied in families like this? Will they believe Meg’s conflicted feelings about her father? So, as you can see, I stay awake quite often at night, worrying!

Finish the sentence twice, first from an idealistic "literature changes lives" point of view and then give the savvy marketer's take.

Tall Tales will be a successful book if:

1. Just one kid reads it and feels empowered to make changes in his or her life.

2. If, if, if … I don’t know! I wish I had something savvy to say! All I can think about is that I want to make a difference in a kid or kids’ lives. And then I will forever feel blessed and gratefully and know that this journey was well worth it.

What's next for Karen Day?

My next book, No Cream Puffs, is another middle grade novel with Wendy Lamb and it will be published in the summer of 2008. I’m really excited about this book. Set in the 1970s, it’s the story of 12-year-old Madison who is the first girl in Michigan to play little league baseball with the boys. I use lots of themes that are important to me. My love for Lake Michigan. Mother-daughter relationships. How kids respond to intense pressure and expectations. I also toy with some of the adolescent development theories I explored in graduate school, specifically post-Freudian relational and gender issues that women like Carol Gilligan and Nancy Chodorow wrote about. One of Madison’s biggest conflicts in the book is how she reconciles her desires to win and play baseball (she’s the best player in town!) with her intense need to be liked and accepted. I don’t mean to make this novel sound too stuffy and academic. Most of these themes fly under the radar. It’s actually a very funny and poignant book and Madison is a great, quirky character.

Karen, thanks for coming out to the Fire Escape. I know firsthand what a disciplined writer you are; you inspire me daily with your dedication, craftsmanship, and energy. Many blessings to Tall Tales, to the readers who will love and root for Meg, and to you.

Mama's Saris: Interview with Pooja Makhijani

Well, you can stop shopping right now because here's the perfect gift for Mother's Day: Mama's Saris, a new picture book by Pooja Makhijani from Little Brown, gloriously illustrated by Elena Gomez. Don't worry if the mother in your life doesn't know what a sari is — this is a story about every young girl's desire to be as glamorous as Mom, and the tender mother-daughter bond that transcends cultures.

Pooja herself sometimes comes out to chat on the Fire Escape, so I seized the moment to ask her some questions. Here's the scoop on the launch of this fabulous book, her first for kids (she's also the author of the anthology Under Her Skin: How Girls Experience Race in America -- read the introduction here.)

Tell us about the journey to getting the book published.

Such a long journey!

I finished a final draft of my manuscript in February 2004 and began the arduous process of writing query and cover letters. Because I used to work in publishing, I also pulled out my Rolodex. The latter approach worked well. My manuscript made it into the hands of Sangeeta Mehta (then at Little, Brown; now at Simon Pulse) who worked with me over several revisions.

Once Little, Brown bought the manuscript, I did several more revisions. All in all, I think I revised the manuscript over nine [9] times before the manuscript was passed onto Elena Gomez. (How Sangeeta and Little, Brown secured Elena I don't know, but I am over the moon with the results! See more below.)

Elena worked on the illustrations for well over a year and I had the opportunity to see her vision of the book from the sketch stage. Through Sangeeta, she was definitely open to suggestions regarding cultural appropriateness and cultural accuracy. She even asked for photographs of my wedding festivities for reference!

As you know, Mitali, producing and printing a book can take a while, and Little, Brown, wanted to time the release of Mama's Saris with Mother's Day, so it's taken some time for the book to hit bookshelves. And now, it's here. It feels great to share it with the world!

What was the biggest change you made in response to an editorial suggestion?

Mama's Saris is a "quiet" book. ("Quiet" isn't necessarily a compliment in today's competitive picture book market). While the story didn't change much from draft to draft, Sangeeta had a number of wonderful suggestions for tightening the text and making it more active. A few weeks ago, I looked at the draft to I sent to Little, Brown for consideration for publication. It had definitely come a long way.

What is your favorite aspect of the art created by Elena Gomez?

Oh, where do I begin? When I was shown Elena's final art, I was struck that her visual interpretation of Nanima (the narrator's maternal grandmother) was identical to the vision of Nanima that I had in my head while I was writing. We were really on the same proverbial wavelength.

Describe a fear you have about this book that can keep you up at night.

That it will go out of print tomorrow!

Finish the sentence twice, first from an idealistic "literature changes lives" point of view and then give the savvy marketer's take.

1. Mama's Saris will be a successful picture book if ... little girls everywhere (regardless of age and ethnicity) connect with the universal experience of dressing up in their mother's (or mother figure's) clothes.

2. Mama's Saris will be a successful picture book if ... it earns out.

What did your mother say when she first saw the book in print?

My mother saw this book in so many incarnations--the manuscript (5 pages, 12pt Courier, double spaced); the jpgs of Elena's spreads, the F&G; the final book--and she's been supportive, curious, and encouraging through the whole process. She is thrilled that the book is dedicated to her; she gleefully pointed this out to my father when I gave them their copy :).

Thanks, Pooja. The Fire Escape gives Mama's Saris a five-star recommendation, and wishes you many blessings on the launch of this lovely story.

Other links and reviews: A teacher's guide for the book, Fuse No. 8's rave, Chicken Spaghetti's review.