MINI-VIEW: RUTH A. MUSGRAVE

MINI-VIEWS:
Pint-sized interviews that leave you smiling.


RUTH A. MUSGRAVE is the Director of WhaleTimes Inc. (http://www.whaletimes.org/) and an award-winning writer. In addition to National Geographic Kids Magazine, she has also written for Scientific American Explorations, SuperScience, and Ask. Her awards include Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Magazine Merit Honor Award for Nonfiction and two Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences-Southwest.

In addition to teaching and writing, her background includes 25+ years developing and producing K-12 marine science education programs, curricula, professional development seminars, and a children’s television series.

While writing the NGK Everything Sharks, Ruth was inspired to create a holiday for sharks, called “Fintastic Friday: Giving Sharks a Voice.” She knew once kids discovered what magnificent and important animals sharks really are, they would want to protect them. Hosted by WhaleTimes, the holiday gives children a platform and opportunity to make a difference.

Congratulations on your success with National Geographic Kids Everything Sharks, just released this spring (April 2011). National Geographic is a "closed" house, meaning they don't take unsolicited submissions. Could you give us some background on how you broke into this extraordinary publishing house and what it's been like working for them?

Thank you. I'm so excited about my book. National Geographic Kids Everything Sharks is full of stunning shark photos and the layout is a delight to the eyes. Before you even get to the text, you can spend hours just looking at the photos. Writing it was fun because I was able to show sharks as they really are -- these incredible, diverse, sometimes odd and quirky creatures. It has a lot of humor and tons of great information.

The best part is, kids will read about sharks and fall in love with the real animal, not some fictional beast. The vicious animal portrayed in movies, books, and television doesn't exist. Sharks are extraordinary animals, but they are not invincible. They are in trouble and they need kids' help.

Hmmm, how I got my foot in the door at National Geographic Kids...well, Terry, I'd tell you, but then I'd have to...just kidding!

I have been fortunate enough to be a frequent contributor to National Geographic Kids Magazine for a many years. The editors knew about my marine science background and asked if I'd like to write about sharks for their very cool new "National Geographic Kids Everything" series. Working with such talented editors and a publishing house that loves animals, embraces the fun of science, yet prizes accuracy...well I still expect someone to wake me up from the best dream ever!

What is the best advice you can give for writers who want to write non-fiction (articles or books)?

This is a good question. Only write nonfiction if that's what you really want to write. Become an expert about the topics that you love, figure out what age levels you like to write for, and, as you're figuring that out, keep writing to find your own style or voice. I think readers want more than facts, figures, dates, or timelines. Your style should make the science, history, person, or whatever come to life.

What if you really want to write fiction, but heard from writer friends that starting in nonfiction is the easy way to go...get different friends! Okay, keep the friends, just get better advice! If you want to write fiction picture books or poetry or YA or...you should do that. Don't get sidetracked. Getting published is hard enough. Don't waste time and opportunities by writing in a genre you don't love.

What is your favorite children’s joke?

Let's see, how about my 10-year old daughter's latest and greatest joke from school:
Q: How do you get a tissue to dance?
A: Put a little boogie in it!

Thanks so much, Ruth!

MINI-VIEW: KATHI APPELT

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KATHI APPELT is the author of over thirty books for children and young adults. Her book, MY FATHER’S SUMMERS (Henry Holt, 2004) won the Paterson Poetry Prize for Young Adult Literature and was selected as “Book for the Teen Age,” by the New York Public Library, as well as a “Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers.” Her picture book, BUBBA AND BEAU, BEST FRIENDS was given the Irma and Simon Black Award for excellence in children’s literature.

Her first novel, THE UNDERNEATH, was a finalist for The National Book Award, a Newbery Honor book, and the winner of the PEN USA Award for Children’s Literature.

Ms. Appelt is on the faculty in the Masters of Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She and her husband Ken live in College Station, TX. For more information, check her website: http://www.kathiappelt.com/.

You're a master of picture book writing, whether it be non-fiction (MISS LADY BIRD’S WILDFLOWERS, ELEPHANTS ALOFT) or fiction (BATS ON PARADE, or your newest title, BRAND NEW BABY BLUES), to prose (the BUBBA AND BEAU series) to rhyme (ALLEYCAT’S MEOW, OH MY BABY LITTLE ONE). Can you tell us about your process? Are there some things that you consistently do with every story or is each one a new journey its own right?

What a good question! And oh, if only I had an answer. To be honest,

I used to pay a lot more attention to process than I do now. I hope that this lack of attention-paying is because I've just gotten more used to writing rather than a laziness on my part, but I'm not so sure about that. Certainly, each book has its own path. Some come a lot faster to me. Some, not so much. Most of my stories require multiple drafts, and we're talking multiple, like fifteen, twenty, more. I think I rewrote Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers about fifty times.

If there is, in fact, a common process element, it's that I always begin with something from my own experience and life, even it means bats or cats or hound dogs. I'm also really kind to myself when it comes to early drafting. I try not to be too judgmental about what shows up on the page, at least not until I've gotten a couple of drafts down.

I also never talk about a book in progress. It's a superstition of mine. I learned this when I was a graduate student--that if I talked about a project before I had words on the page, then I found that I couldn't write it. My brain was already convinced that the project had been completed. And it's funny because when people start to tell me, "I have an idea for a book," I'm quick to say, "No, don't tell me. Write it. Then we can talk."

You're also an accomplished writer for older readers with many books for teens on writing, poetry and novels, including THE UNDERNEATH, which won a 2009 ALA Newbery Honor. Could you briefly share with us how winning a Newbery Honor affected your life? Can you tell us a little about your next novel?

In a million ways, writing The Underneath changed my life. Just the writing itself was where the change occurred. It's hard to explain, but I felt as though I had to simultaneously step out of my own skin in order to get the story down, but at the same time I had to dive as deeply as I could into the darkest realms of my own life in order to find the true story. Winning the Newbery Honor was amazing. Truly. It was a gift. I'm still amazed by it.

Next novel: Keeper. It's due out in mid-May and is about ten-year-old Keeper who lives with her foster mother, Signe, along the Texas coast. Keeper believes that her real mother, Meggie Marie, is a mermaid because the last time she saw her, Meggie Marie swam away. So, the book is Keeper's quest for her mermaid mother, who may or may not be a real mermaid. There's a companion dog and an errant seagull who go along for the ride. August Hall has created some beautiful art for the interior and his jacket is drop-dead gorgeous. I told my editor that I want to blow it up and paper my bedroom wall with it.

What's your favorite children's joke?

Hah!
Q: What do you have when you have snakes on the windshield?
A: Windshield vipers!

Hee-hee! Thanks so much, Kathi!

MINI-VIEW: MARILYN MARK BRIGHAM

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MARILYN BRIGHAM is an editor at Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books, where she has been working for over 5 years. She edits everything from picture books and chapter books through novels for both middle grade and young adults. In addition, she oversees Marshall Cavendish Classics, a line of previously out-of-print titles by award-winning authors and illustrators, as well as Board Buddies, Marshall Cavendish’s board book line. On her own time, she loves sports, concerts, the beach, cooking, watching television shows meant for teenagers, and reading magazines while taking a nice hot bath. She wishes she had time to read adult books . . . but there are just too many fabulous kids’ books to be reading. . . . She is enjoying life as a newlywed and lives in Tarrytown, NY, with her husband.

How do you define your role as a children’s book editor at Marshall Cavendish? What have been some of your favorite projects you've worked on?

I definitely think of my role as an editor as a helper and co-conspirator with the author; I love the relationships I have with authors where we discuss our vision for the book and I help the author get it there and make it the best book possible. Sometimes the editing process can be a seemingly endless process and takes a while to come together, and sometimes the pieces of a book just fall into place really easily; either way, though, it’s always this great journey and so much fun for me (I do have one of the best jobs on the planet…). And, of course, I love for the kids who read it to have the last word and for the books to really speak to them and who they are right now in their lives—that’s the ultimate goal with every book I work on.

One of my favorite projects to work on was the first novel I ever edited, RETURNABLE GIRL by Pamela Lowell, which followed a 13-year-old foster child in middle school, who ultimately has to decide between her birth mother and her foster mother, and between “being popular” and being true to her best friend, an emotionally disturbed girl who is bullied incessantly for being overweight. I think this book has stuck with me for so long not only because it was my first book, but also because it spoke to the universal experiences—trying to fit in and the need for all of us to have a safe place to call home. It also showed how one person can make a huge difference in your life—the main character and her foster mom really develop this amazing relationship, which is also scary for the main character because loving someone puts you at the risk of being hurt by them as well. I do have a thing for books about foster children—WHITE OLEANDER by Janet Fitch is another amazing book (although that one’s for adults).

Another book I edited that’s definitely high on my list of favorites is PRINCESS PEEPERS, a picture book by Pam Calvert, illustrated by Tuesday Mourning. This is a quirky tale of a not-so-average princess—she’s kind of clumsy and she has this fabulous collection of funky glasses. But when she starts attending school with other the princesses, they make fun of her glasses, which forces the princess to go without them. Well, our clumsy princess is even clumsier without them and has all these funny mishaps . . . until the day she runs into Prince Peerless. Turns out the prince wears glasses too. In the end, Princess Peepers snags the princess and sets off a new trend at the castle (last illustration shows the other princess, royal horses, and other characters from the book, all donning funky glasses). The illustrator did a great job of capturing our special princess, and I loved that overall the story had a great message about being true to yourself and defying stereotypes but that it got across the message without being preachy. It was a familiar concept for a picture book, but it was written and illustrated in such a way that it stands above the competition and has lasting power; I think kids will come back to it again and again and that’s the true test.

We know that all editors are looking for well-written stories, but could you summarize your specific taste in books and which kinds of stories usually catch your attention (or possibly send you fleeing down the hallway ;-)?

I love edgy YA fiction with contemporary settings/issues, chick-lit for MG or YA, funny boy books (particularly for middle grade—see THE ADVENTURES OF BENNY, written and illustrated by Steve Shreve), and books with sports themes (see THROWING LIKE A GIRL, a novel by Weezie Kerr Mackey, and my forthcoming picture book WHEN JACKIE AND HANK MET by Cathy Fishman, illustrated by Mark Elliot, about Jackie Robinson and Hank Greenberg). I am also developing a taste for sci-fi and fantasy, as long as it’s not too high-fantasy (talking animals don’t really do it for me in older fiction, but I love interesting worlds and futuristic societies in which the rules have changed). I also like books that have a multicultural angle or unique perspective (see THE FIESTA DRESS by Caren McNelly McCormick, illustrated by Martha Aviles—sibling story but with multicultural angle). I tend to veer toward quirkiness and humor in picture books, although I also have some picture books coming up that are very sensitive and sweet. I’m not currently looking for folktales. I’m not hugely into rhyming picture books—I think so much more can be done with the language when you’re not confined by rhyme schemes. I’m also not really into historical fiction or nonfiction—but occasionally the right subject matter can grab me.

What is your favorite children's joke?

Oh, man. This is a toughie. Well, the first thing I thought of was not actually a joke but something my big brother would sometimes sing to my mom when I was a kid: “Hey, Mom, what’s for dinner? Go up your nose and pick a winner…” (How’s that for boy humor?) I think he had a few other rhyming sayings like that. My mom would always laugh it off and tell him to stop being gross. I thought it was pretty funny, too.

Also, my grandfather used to tell a joke about a man who meets a genie and gets to make three wishes; I don’t remember the whole story, but somewhere in the midst of trying to think of his third wish, an Oscar Meyer Weiner commercial comes on the TV. The man starts singing along: “Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Meyer wiener, oh, that is what I’d truly like to be…” and he gets his wish. That always cracked me up, picturing a grown man in a wiener costume.

Actually, any joke featuring an adult in a compromising position is pretty funny to me, even today.

Thanks so much, Marilyn!

MINI-VIEW: ERIN CLARKE

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Pint-sized interviews that leave you smiling.

Erin Clarke is a senior editor at Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, where she has worked for eleven years. Authors and illustrators with whom she works include Markus Zusak, Julia Alvarez, Meghan McCarthy, Lesley M.M. Blume, Anna Alter, Mark Alan Stamaty, Karen Foxlee, Mick Cochrane, Barbara Jean Hicks, and Sue Hendra. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and one-year-old daughter, who enjoys eating broccoli (albeit with lots of butter).

How did you discover MONSTERS DON'T EAT BROCCOLI and what was your reaction? What are your hopes for this title?

I first saw Sue Hendra’s illustrations for the project in the UK in 2005, and I instantly fell in love with her monsters. Sue had written a text for a novelty book, which is the format in which the British publisher originally wanted to publish MONSTERS DON’T EAT BROCCOLI, but I thought it would work well as a traditional picture book. I had just worked with Barbara Jean Hicks on a wonderful picture book called THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER KITTY and thought her sensibility would match Sue’s illustrations perfectly.

My hope for this book is that kids will want to read it again and again and again (the real sign of a successful picture book in my mind). The text is bouncy and fun to read aloud, and the illustrations are hilarious, vibrant, and full of details to pore over. Of course, I love the message about eating healthily and the fact that it is conveyed in a completely non-didactic way.

The bold, colorful artwork in MONSTERS is a perfect match with the text, as it not only supports the words but enhances them. Can you tell us about the process you went through in matching up Barbara Jean Hicks and Sue Hendra?

I think I answered this above, but with all picture books, you want to the text and illustrations to work together equally to tell a story, and Barbara and Sue managed to do just so with incredible humor and fun. They share a similar sensibility even though they use different mediums.

What's your favorite children's joke?

My favorite book-related joke:

Q: What do Sea Monsters eat for lunch?
A: Fish and ships

Thanks so much, Erin!

MINI-VIEW: BARBARA JEAN HICKS

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BARBARA JEAN HICKS lives in Oxnard, California with her partner Michael and a bad-tempered cat. She is the author of five children’s picture books. MONSTERS DON’T EAT BROCCOLI is her second book about monsters and her third book in which food is an important element. She is working on her relationship with vegetables but has a monster appetite for fun! To learn more about Barbara and her books, visit her website.

MONSTERS DON'T EAT BROCCOLI is a rollicking book with lots of fun concepts and language. Can you tell us a little about how the story came to be?
An interesting story: the pictures came first! Sue Hendra had created a dummy for a pop-up book that was about all the crazy things that monsters eat. Erin Clarke, the editor I had worked with on THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER KITTY, loved Sue’s monsters but wanted them in a traditional picture book. I feel so fortunate that she decided to ask me if I might be interested in working with the sketches Sue had already done. I fell in love with Sue’s cheerful, colorful monsters! I wanted her to be able to use at least some of the fun, funny sketches she’d already created, so I decided to keep with the eating theme. When I found a sketch of the monsters having a food fight with vaguely broccoli-looking trees they’d been munching on, I immediately thought of the way so many parents get their kids to eat broccoli by calling it little trees.

I turned the “what monsters eat” theme on its head and focused instead on what monsters (and their child counterparts) often don’t eat—their veggies. A phrase popped into my head from the old fairytale JACK AND THE BEANSTALK, and I turned that on its head as well. Thus: “Fum, foe, fie, fee, Monsters don’t eat broccoli!” I rearranged the sketches, leaving out some and suggesting others to make the book a little longer, as part of the process of writing the text. I had lots of fun, and the text came very quickly.

MONSTERS sends a great message to kids about healthy eating. I know you're active in promoting healthy eating for children. Can you tell us a little bit about this and how you're hoping that MONSTERS will help the cause?
The creative process is so fascinating. When we write (or draw, or sing, or do any number of other creative things), our subconscious draws from many disparate memories, ideas, emotions and experiences and makes connections we aren’t even aware of on a conscious level. I wrote this story thinking it was about the power of a healthy imagination—which it is. But it’s also, perhaps even more, about healthy eating habits. I grew up with a father who loved to garden and was crazy about fresh vegetables—and a mom who didn’t much like vegetables. So we had opportunities to eat lots of fresh vegetables but were never forced to eat them. I had my favorites (like corn on the cob and peas right out of the pod), but other veggies have been an acquired taste. Many of them I’ve discovered just in the last year, when my partner was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. We went on the South Beach diet, which is heavy on vegetables and whole grains. This new way to eat totally reversed the blood sugar problem, and we both dropped pounds as well. We discovered a lot more vegetables we liked, and those have become a regular part of our diet.

When the reviews started rolling in for MONSTERS DON’T EAT BROCCOLI, every single one commented on the “healthy eating” aspect of the story that I hadn’t even realized I’d written! I also got lots of comments back when I sent a notice out to my e-mail list that the book had hit the bookstore shelves. One was from a school superintendent I had worked with in the past who asked if I would be interested in partnering with the district to encourage healthy eating habits in the elementary schools. I realized that many kids don’t have the advantage I had as a child of a big garden in the back yard, and I liked the idea. Obesity and diabetes are increasingly significant problems in this country, not only for adults but for children, and poor diet is the main culprit. Lack of exercise is a second element that I’ll also address in the program I’m developing for the district, which we have dubbed the Rio Healthy Kids Initiative.

My book launch for MONSTERS DON’T EAT BROCCOLI was part of a weekend long fundraiser in cooperation with our local Barnes & Noble for the Initiative. We not only had great fun, we taught kids the “broccoli chant,” engaged them in a healthy-eating poster contest, and had a slide show about ways to eat healthy even at fast food restaurants.
I’ve discovered that several members of my local SCBWI chapter have developed or worked with nutrition curricula for elementary school children and are willing to share their materials and experiences with me as I develop the program for the Rio Healthy Kids Initiative, which I hope to make available in other schools as well.

What's your favorite children's joke?
Appropriately enough, when we’re talking about healthy eating, it’s a fruit joke.

Q: What was Beethoven’s favorite fruit?

A: Ba-na-na-na (sung to the tune of the opening of Beethoven’s Fifth!)

Thanks, Barbara Jean! For more information on Barbara Jean's blog tour schedule, read on!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 17: Review: Elizabeth Bird for School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. “More fun than a book with a message should ever hope to be.”

SUNDAY OCTOBER 18: Book Trailer: Monster reviewers Gene Sisko and Roger Elbert go two thumbs up for BROCCOLI!

MONDAY OCTOBER 19: Interview: Terry Pierce talks to Barbara about children and healthy eating.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 20: Interview: Little Willow talks to illustrator Sue Hendra, editor Erin Clarke, and Barbara in a single interview.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 21: Interview: Sherrie Petersen talks to Barbara about the switch from writing romance to writing children’s books.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 22: Interview: Terry Pierce interviews editor Erin Clarke (Random House Knopf).

FRIDAY OCTOBER 23: Interview: Jaime Temairik and the Zombie talk to illustrator Sue Hendra in sock puppet form for Zombie Broadcasting Services. You’ve never seen an interview like this one!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 24: Podcast Review: Mark and Andrea’s Just One More Book audio blog. “Gasping, gobbling, grinning, crunching and belching, seven sherbet-coloured monsters revel in outrage at their broccoli-loving readers in this rhyming enticement to eat green.”

SUNDAY OCTOBER 25: Book Trailer: Cecilia Olivera-Hillway of Polar Twilight animates Sue Hendra’s cheerful monsters as giant broccoli falls from the sky.

MONDAY OCTOBER 26: Photographs: The Broccoli Book Launch, August 28, 2009, Barnes & Noble Ventura. Seen: Chow, Chompers, and Barbara Jean the Story Queen!

TUESDAY OCTOBER 27: Downloads: For kids, Sue Hendra’s coloring pages for MONSTERS DON’T EAT BROCCOLI. For adults, The MONSTERS DON’T EAT BROCCOLI Broccoli Fan Cookbook!

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28: Podcast Interview: Suzanne Lieurance talks to author Barbara Jean Hicks about BROCCOLI, her life, and writing on Book Bites for Kids (Blog Talk Radio).

MINI-VIEW: VALERIE HOBBS

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VALERIE HOBBS did not set out to write novels for young adults, but ever since critics praised her 1995 coming-of-age story, HOW FAR WOULD YOU HAVE GOTTEN IF I HADN’T CALLED YOU BACK?, she has been a respected author of fiction for teens. At the rate of approximately one book per year, Hobbs has crafted character-driven tales about young people on the verge of adulthood, forced to make serious decisions about the direction their lives will take. Often the young protagonists are confronted with circumstances beyond their control--the death of a guardian or a boyfriend, parental divorce, or physical disability. How they deal with these challenges forms the core of Hobbs's works.

By receiving this year's California Young Reader Medal in the Intermediate Category for your middle-grade novel, SHEEP, you've added another award to your extensive list of honors. You say, "Writing is the hardest work I've ever done, but by far the most fun." With so many award-winning novels and such a positive attitude, can you share with us how you keep the writing flame burning so brightly?
Oh, were it always bright! I do a good deal of butt-in-chair with no lights burning, believe me. But a terrific award like this one elevates the chair quite a bit, that's for sure.

I have to ask a question on craft. Could you tell us a little bit about your story creation process? Do you have any tips/advice for someone who wants to write a novel but doesn't know where to begin?
I always begin with a character and that character is invariably me, though I never intend it. These characters were once the young ones, now they're getting old. So I identify with Pearl in Defiance, but the cow and Toby, too, and with the grandmother in The Last Best Summer (Spring 2010). I've mined a lot of things from my own life. I always recommend fictionalizing events drawn from our own lives because getting in touch with what we remember and know really deepens what we're writing, gives it an authenticity that's harder to create when a story is entirely made up. Or so I think. "Sheep", for example, is based on having a homeless Border collie for three weeks, "Sonny's War" came out of having a brother who went to Vietnam, and my first novel, "How Far Would You Have Gotten If I Hadn't Called You Back" is pretty much a rip off of my 16th year.

So my advice would be to dig into the past, even the "awful" stuff and freewrite about it without judging the person who you were or the writing you do now. The stuff that makes your heart beat harder will usually do the same for a reader.

What's your favorite children's joke?
Well, right now anything with "butt" or "poop" in it because that's what cracks my six year-old grandson up, and anything that cracks him up cracks me up.

Thanks, Val~ and congratulations on winning the California Young Reader Medal!

MINI-VIEW: LISA GRAFF

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LISA GRAFF is an associate editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers, where she has worked for the past four years. She is particularly interested in middle-grade novels, but enjoys everything from picture books to YA, especially the funny stuff. In addition to working as an editor, Lisa is also a writer. Her first book, The Thing About Georgie, was selected for seven state reading lists, including the Texas Bluebonnet master list, and her latest novel, Umbrella Summer, is due out in June 2009. With the help of seven other children's and YA authors, Lisa keeps a blog about the writing and the publishing world, The Longstockings. Her website is can be viewed here.

I had the pleasure of meeting Lisa at a recent SCBWI retreat. She was funny, insightful and charming. I'm so happy she agreed to answer some questions for us!

What is it like wearing both the author and editor hats, and how does this benefit each role?
I feel very lucky that I get to be both an author and editor—two awesome jobs, and I get to do both of them! The thing I like most about it probably is talking to other authors about their craft, and getting an inside look at how stories develop, which helps me tremendously as a writer. Just knowing that other writers face the same struggles that I do all the time, and yet somehow manage to be brilliant storytellers in the end is very inspiring. And there’s nothing that makes you want to buckle down and write more than being surrounded by good books all the time! I also think that being a writer helps me when I have my editor hat on because it makes me more empathetic to my authors and to aspiring authors—and hopefully helps me skew my thoughts and criticism in a way that is most helpful to them.

Another great thing about being both a writer and an editor is that I get to work on stories I would never be able to write myself. So far all of the books I’ve written have been funny, contemporary middle-grade novels (although I’ve just signed up a funny, contemporary chapter book—so you can see I’m branching out!). But as an editor I can work on anything from historical fiction to non-fiction to picture books, all of which I think I would write extremely badly myself. So I get a chance to learn about new genres and styles, which I really enjoy doing. Still, my favorite stories to work on are funny, contemporary novels (go figure), from chapter book up through YA.

The double-life can be a bit hard, too, though. I think it’s especially taxing when I’m in the throws of working on something really wonderful and tricky at the office, and also working on my own writing at home—trying to use the same part of your brain all the day long can be very tiring! Those are the days I think I’d rather be a welder. But it’s very satisfying, too, so I really can’t complain much.

Can you tell us about your latest book?
My newest novel is coming out in June, and I’m getting very excited about it. It’s called Umbrella Summer, and it’s about a ten-year-old girl named Annie who becomes a bit of a hypochondriac after her older brother, Jared, dies unexpectedly. It’s a weighty subject, obviously, but there’s a lot of humor in there, too, and some very fun characters that just a ball to write.

What is your favorite children’s joke?
My absolute favorite joke makes no sense written out, unfortunately, but I’ll give it to you anyway:

Q: What do you call a pig with four eyes?
A: A piiiig.

See? Totally not funny on paper. But for some reason every time I tell that joke it makes me bust up laughing. I am obviously very easily amused.

Thanks so much, Lisa!

MINI-VIEW: JILL CORCORAN

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JILL CORCORAN is an Associate Agent at the Herman Agency representing MG and YA authors, as well as being a children's book author. Lee Bennett Hopkins will be including her poem PIRATES in his upcoming Holiday House MG collection, I AM THE BOOK.

Jill has a terrific blog, Jill Corcoran Books. I’ve known Jill for years—she’s funny, smart, hard-working and persistent! I was so happy for her when she told me of her recent move into her new role as a children’s literary agent.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am an Associate Agent at Herman Agency representing Chapter Book, Middle Grade and Young Adult authors.

I have a BA in English from Stanford University and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from The University of Chicago. I've marketed everything from cereal to sneakers at Leo Burnett Advertising, Mattel, LA Gear and my own company, Launch! New Product Marketing.

I am also a children's book writer and poet. Lee Bennett Hopkins will be including my poem PIRATES in his upcoming Holiday House middle grade collection, I AM THE BOOK. My poem will be one of only l4 in this fully illustrated picture/poetry book.

I've won an SCBWI Los Angeles Writer's Day Poetry Award for my humorous picture book collection, SINK YOUR TEETH INTO POETRY and an SCBWI Work-in-Progress Letter of Merit for my YA novel, TWIN SISTER: I AM NOT YOU. Plus, an article about me and my writing workshops has been syndicated in parenting magazines nationwide by Kathy Sena (http://www.kathysena.com/).

Could you please summarize your specific taste in books and which kinds of stories usually catch your attention (or would be an automatic "No, thanks")?
I am a huge fan of humor. If you can make me laugh or crack a smile, you are my kind of writer. Even in a serious literary book, there is room for humor.

Some of my favorite books are Frindle, Stargirl, Speak, Stuck in Neutral, How I Live Now, Millicent Min, Good Enough, Seeing Emily, Things Left Unsaid, Flipped and Because of Winn Dixie.
I would also love to find funny boy books that are mixed prose and graphic novel a la Wimpy Kid, Bruce Hale's Prince of Underwhere, and even full graphic novels like Bone. BTW, Ronnie Ann Herman is also looking for Graphic Novels and I will be passing on illustrator-driven GN to her attention.

What catches my attention is great writing. As I said in my blog post HOW I READ SUBMISSIONS, a great idea can only get a book so far. It is the execution, the writing that brings a plot, a cast of characters, the soul of a book alive. A quick side note here--When I go into classrooms to teach, I'll give 30 students one prompt, but I get 30 different versions of a story. That is how it is with manuscript submissions. I get a fair share of similar plots outlined in query letters, but the executions of those plots are what determines if I ask for a full or not.

I want a book that I can't put down. That I have to read in one sitting because I have to know what happens next. I want to close your book and keep living with your characters in my head.

An automatic "No Thanks"... forced dialog, flabby prose, mixed metaphors, expected plot turns and endings, etc.

What will your role be at the Herman Agency? (How will you work together, will you both read all genres, how would you handle authors who write across multiple genres, etc.--anything you feel readers should know)
Ronnie Ann Herman started Herman Agency in 1999 and represents many of the leading illustrators and author/illustrators in today's children's book market. As a former Art Director at Random House and Associate Publisher at Penguin Books' Grosset & Dunlap, Ronnie art directed thousands of children's books during her more than 20 year publishing career. Ronnie is also the author of 8 picture books with 1,000,000 books in print.

Most of Ronnie's clients are PB author/illustrators or illustrators. Ronnie has sold CB, MG, YA and adult over the years but her heart is in picture books and that is why she brought me in to expand the company.

For a single author who writes YA and PB, for instance, I will rep the author's YA and Ronnie will rep his/her PB. When an author signs with me they are signing with the Herman Agency and they will benefit from both Ronnie and my expertise, dedication and effort.

For my clients, Ronnie and I will work together to create a submission lists. While Ronnie is very familiar with different houses' and different editors' preferences, I also have editors contacting me, telling me their preferences so that I can direct the right books to their attention. Ronnie will handle all contract negotiations until I know contracts inside and out.

What's your favorite children's joke?
I never remember punch lines so I am a bad joke-teller. But I'm a huge fan of riddle poems. Here is one that I wrote a few years ago:

I love to eat green moldy cheese,
Chewed up meat and smashed down peas,
Clippings from your puppy’s nails,
Squashed-shelled squished-up garden snails,
Gooey tissues, chicken fat,
Droppings from your fur-ball cat.
Lumpy milk, month-old trout,
Fill me up…
Throw me out!

What am I?

(answer: a garbage can)

Hilarious poem, Jill~ and thanks for the interview!

MINI-VIEW: SARA DOBIE

MINI-VIEWS:
Pint-sized interviews that leave you smiling.

SARA DOBIE is the Public Relations Coordinator for Sylvan Dell Publishing. She has been featured on the ForeWord Publishing Insider blog, SellingBooks.com, and AllBookMarketing.com. If you’re an author without a website, she will find you and throw tomatoes. Rotten ones. Say hello at http://www.saradobie.wordpress.com/, or check out all the Sylvan Dell Publishing titles at http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/.

I’ve had the privilege of working with Sara while promoting my latest book, Blackberry Banquet. Sara is a dynamo with enough energy to light up any metropolitan city (who says we're having an energy crisis with Sara around?). I knew she would have some terrific advice on book promotion for us!

What are the three most important things (general or specific) an author and/or illustrator should focus on to promote his/her book?
(Disclaimer: I feel like the multitude of answers to this oh-so-important question varies from day to day. So today? My answers are as follows.)

1. Know the World Wide Web.
This is a monster of a task, I know. There are millions of websites and blogs out there. How do you navigate? Well, you could start by having a website/blog of your OWN. Sounds obvious, right? Then, how come so many authors DON’T? Tell people about your website. Point interested booksellers, librarians, and strangers you meet on the street to your website…well, maybe not that last one…but you get the point!

So you have your website. Now, do your homework. Find out which sites you should be following. Who knows their stuff? Who should you be reading for valuable advice? Where should you be leaving comments that lots of people see? And when you leave those comments, is there a LINK TO YOUR WEBSITE by your comment so that people know where to find you?

This process builds into a rapport. Now, you can see if the people who know their stuff want to review your book. Ask them. Most will say yes. Then, there will be a review of your book on their high-traffic website. High-traffic website equates to book sales equates to you can stop eating Ramen noodles like an unemployed college kid.

2. Know your local media.
How are people going to know you published a book if no one tells them? You, as an individual, can only knock on so many doors. Standing on corners screaming your ISBN doesn’t do much, either. However, how about a feature story in your city newspaper? How about a TV spot on the five o’clock news? That’s the way to spread the word, and your publicist—if you’re lucky enough to have a publicist—can’t do it all. Your publicist can’t walk into the newsroom and start shaking hands for every client in every city with every book, etc. However, you can do this for yourself. As soon as you sign that publishing contract, get ready to make friendly. Go in and meet the story assignment editors and program directors. And once you have review copies of your opus, be sure to hand-deliver them to these same contacts! The media is your FRIEND. Say it with me: “THE MEDIA IS MY FRIEND.”

3. Know your niche.
If you spent a year researching and writing your book, then you should know what it’s about, right? If you know what it’s about, you should know your target audience, right? If you know your target audience, they should know about your book, right? RIGHT? If they don’t, you don’t know your niche. A niche is a targeted, little place in the big book world where your book belongs. Your book lives in that niche, and it should sell to that niche market. In other words, let’s say you wrote a book about herons. Who should you be sending it to? How about Audubon? What about wetlands conservation organizations? Did you know that the official city bird of Seattle is the HERON? Well, you should, if you just wrote a book about them! No, I’m not obsessed with herons. I know this stuff because I just launched a book about herons. I know this stuff because I saw the niche, and so should you, when your book comes along.

What are the most common mistakes that an author and/or illustrator can make in regards to promoting his/her book?
I was going to make a list of no-no’s, but when I looked at it, the list boiled down to one thing—a lack of pride in your product. Your book is your baby. And I’m not talking about the ugly baby in Seinfeld. I’m talking about a beautiful, well-behaved baby that chews with its mouth shut and knows the alphabet at two weeks old. Think about it…

Would you hide your baby at home? No. You would run out and show it to the world. The same goes for your book. You need to schedule events. You should have signings, school visits, library visits, workshops, etc. You should be out there meeting your fans with a smile—the proud parent of a newborn masterpiece. Never hide at home.

Would you leave your baby in the car on a hot day? NO! You would take it with you when you left the house or went into the grocery store. You would take that newborn EVERYWHERE! Never forget that you are an author. Always have copies of your book in your car. Always have business cards with an image of your book and your website address. Never forget your baby.

Like I said, a lack of pride in your product is a problem. (Whoa. Too many P’s…) Have pride in your masterpiece. Have pride in your CREATION. Have pride in you. It’s a package deal, and having pride in yourself and your product will turn you into a promoting machine.

What's your favorite children's joke?
Q: What has four wheels, is yellow, and lies on its back?

A: A dead school bus
(Yuck-yuck…)

Thanks, Sara!

(Note: The book featured to the right is one of Sylvan Dell's Spring 2009 releases, One Wolf Howls by Scotti Cohn, illustrated by Susan Detwiler. To learn more about this title, click HERE.)

MINI-VIEW: RUTA RIMAS

MINI-VIEWS:

Pint-sized interviews that leave you smiling.

RUTA RIMAS has been at HarperCollins since 2007, and with Balzer + Bray since the imprint’s inception. She has done the following: taught math to Brooklyn teenagers; valet-parked cars in Chicago; waited tables with marinara sauce on her forehead (for a whole shift! And no one told her….); worked at a Hallmark store, doing nothing but answering questions about collectible figures; travelled to Lithuania; and fallen out of a tree in Central Park. She lives in Brooklyn, with her ever-patient boyfriend, and a pride of cats.

How do you define your role as a children’s book editor at Balzer & Bray?
I am an acquiring editor, looking for picture books, middle-grade, and YA. While my bosses have edited fantastic chapter book series, I tend to shy away from that age range. Can’t really tell you why, other than those books are just not up my alley—which is a tad bizarre, as the 1980s Ruta enjoyed reading chapter books, very much so. Go figure.

My role is to be the champion of my authors/illustrators, through every step of the process. From our Balzer + Bray team meetings, to the oft scary Acquisitions meetings with sales, to Cover Strategy meetings, and our seasonal launch meetings, I advocate, advocate, advocate. And then, I advocate some more.

I also assist Donna Bray–editorially and administratively. What this means to you: If you have sent a manuscript to Donna, I’ve seen it!

We know that all editors are looking for well-written stories, but could you summarize your specific taste in books and which kinds of stories usually catch your attention (or possibly send you fleeing down the hallway ;-)?
My taste in books...Well, it has to be something that moves me—in a humorous way, in a touching way, in a thought-provoking way…

I’m not a known crier (with the exception of watching a high-profile couple dancing to AT LAST on January 20th) but if I read a book and it moves me to tears, it’s a winner!

Perhaps a list of “Books-that-have-moved-me” will help to define my specific taste:

Picture Books:
I WILL SURPRISE MY FRIEND! by Mo Willems
Seriously hilarious. I laugh each time I read this.

HARRY AND HORSIE by Katie Van Camp; picture by Lincoln Agnew
A Balzer + Bray launch book (Fall 2009). The art, oh the art! Just amazing. So new, so fresh, so great!

Middle Grade:
MANIAC MAGEE by Jerry Spinelli
Love the voice. Love the story. From a master of the middle grade novel.

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID by Jeff Kinney
Groundbreaking. So clever.

THE PAIN MERCHANTS by Janice Hardy
A Balzer + Bray launch book (Fall 2009). Incredibly new, fantastic idea: the main character can heal people, take the pain,and then shift the pain to another. Zowie!

YA:
THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE-LANDAU BANKS by E. Lockhart
This book just rules, in so many ways. It’s smart, it’s funny, and it’s thought-provoking. One of my absolute all-time favorites.

THE AFTER by Amy Huntley
Another Balzer + Bray debut (Fall 2009). This one made me cry. Like a baby. Plus, I loooooved that the author used a non-linear structure. That is fresh.

THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING by MT Anderson
No words, really, can describe this masterpiece. It is flawless.

I’d like to point out that three out of the six books on the Balzer + Bray launch list are debut authors. That’s right: HALF! How exciting! And, I am so sorry, but you will have to wait until September to get your hands on the titles…unless you are fortunate enough to score an ARC!

I will send an almost 100% guaranteed NO to the following:
Rhyming picture books
Overly cute picture books
Picture books that condescend to children
Didactic books, all ages
Preachy books, all ages
Books with inconsistent narrative, all ages (a sign, to me, of amateurish writing)
Books with wizards, all ages
Books with vampires, werewolves, zombies, all ages (would be willing to bend this rule for picture books, but it has to be great!)

What is your favorite children’s joke?
Not kidding…I love this one:

Q: Why does Santa Claus have a garden?
A: So he can ho, ho, ho!

And, for those with sustainable reading skills, who can appreciate the following when told orally, and, well, can deal with the fact that this is not *quite* for children, this one is a close second favorite. Bear with me…

A piece of string walks into a bar. He sits down and says, “Bartender. Gimmee a beer.”
The bartender looks at him and says, “I’m not serving a piece of string! Get outta here!”
So the piece of string leaves.

He spots a guy on the street and says, “Psst. Hey buddy! I need you to tie me in a knot!” The guy looks around, and, though confused, ties the piece of string into a knot.

Another guy walks by and the piece of string whispers, “Psst. Hey buddy! I need you to fray my ends a bit.” The guy looks around, shrugs his shoulders, and frays the string’s ends.

So the piece of string walks back into the bar, sits down and says,” Bartender! Gimmee a beer!”
The bartender looks at him and says, “Hey. Aren’t you the SAME piece of string I just told to leave?”

The piece of string looks the bartender straight in the eyes and shakes his head. “No, man. I’m a frayed knot (afraid knot).”

Thank you so much, Ruta!

MINI-VIEW: MEREDITH MUNDY WASINGER

MINI-VIEWS:

Pint-sized interviews that leave you smiling.

MEREDITH MUNDY WASINGER has been a Senior Editor at Sterling Publishing since 2005, following eleven years with Dutton Children’s Books. A Colorado native, she is a big fan of pugs, poetry, and gardening (guerrilla and otherwise). She is currently looking for character-centered picture books; original non-fiction with pizzazz; and unusual activity books for children of all ages. Sterling does not publish original fiction (aside from picture books) or non-fiction that would be geared purely toward schools and libraries.

I had the pleasure of meeting Meredith at our recent Ventura/Santa Barbara SCBWI Writers' Day and am so pleased that she agreed to do an interview for us!

What does your job entail as an editor at Sterling Publishing?
It’s a job filled with variety—never a dull moment! I spend much of my day writing and answering emails from authors, illustrators, and agents to keep projects that are already in process moving along. Part of each day is devoted to requesting contracts, reviewing catalog and jacket copy, compiling editorial notes for authors whose manuscripts have been accepted, or reviewing and commenting on sketches/final art that have come in for particular books. Our editorial team has an acquisitions meeting every two weeks to discuss future projects we hope to acquire, and we meet every month or so to read new submissions that have arrived. The mail is very hard to keep up with—so many manuscripts!—but we do everything we can to avoid making authors wait interminably.

Could you give an overview of Sterling's list and its philosophy?
Our list is quite eclectic, and reflects the interests of our small staff. Our range is from board books for babies to sophisticated biographies for older readers to puzzle-and-game books to picture books of all kinds. We are publishing our first middle-grade chapter book series next year (The Doyle & Fossey Science Detective series, by Michele Torrey, illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman), and if that is well received, we may consider acquiring more chapter books. But for now we are not accepting any chapter books or novels.

Our philosophy is simple—we want to publish only the very best books to be read by the widest possible audience. This makes reading submissions pretty easy, really, since we can rule out anything that’s too generic, or too slight, or too specific in terms of its topic, or too much like anything that’s already out there. We look for originality, excellent writing, unforgettable characters, clever twists on familiar themes, and humor.

I'm reading more and more about the economy affecting book sales and the publishing industry. Is the economic downturn affecting Sterling in any significant way?
We have been asked to be exceptionally careful with our budgets, as has everyone in publishing. We are cutting costs everywhere possible—from sending out electronic Christmas cards instead of paper ones to avoiding using overnight mail unless absolutely crucial. We know how tough the retail environment is right now, and we are hopeful that next year will bring brighter news to all retailers, not just booksellers. It does seem that the children’s book market has more resiliency than other sectors. People tend to buy for their children (and their pets!) even if they are not buying for themselves.

On the lighter side, what is your favorite children's joke?
One morning a traffic cop is directing traffic in a busy intersection. A guy pulls up in a fancy convertible filled with penguins.
“Hey, mister!” the cop calls out. “I want you to take those penguins directly to the zoo!”
“Sure thing, Officer,” says the driver.

Later that day, the cop sees the same carload of penguins pull up in the intersection.
“Hey, mister!” he yells. “I thought I told you to take those penguins to the zoo!”
“I did,” says the driver. “We had a great time. Now we’re going to the movies!”

Thanks so much, Meredith!

MINI-VIEW: SANDRA YOON

MINI-VIEWS:
Pint-sized interviews that leave you smiling.

Sandy Yoon has worked in all kinds of libraries for almost 34 years. Her master degrees are in English (CSUB) and School of Library and Information Management (USC). Her current occupation is Coordinator of Library Media Services for the Bakersfield City School District. She’s also adjunct faculty for Fresno Pacific University in the Teacher Librarian graduate program. Currently, she is president of the California School Library Association and an Area Director for the California Reading Association.

Traveling is a great excuse with two children who are Navy aviators. Reading is a passion that has endured since she gave her oral book reports in first grade. Her love of storytelling is an offshoot of the reading bug and a family chock full of interesting stories.

I thought Sandra could offer writers and illustrators a unique perspective in regards to school visits and networking.

You are involved with one of the largest California author fairs in the state (Kern Reading Association YAF), so you've had much experience in observing authors in action. What advice would you give to authors/illustrators who are starting to do school visits?
I coordinate the author selection and financials for the annual Kern Reading Association’s Young Authors’ Fair ($100,000 for authors, book sales, and school payments). The event is actually a combination of committed volunteers who assist with every aspect of the schedule and timing.
The advice I would give to authors/illustrators who are starting to do school visits—communicate! Once you have the booking then you need to ask for schedules (autographing, lunch, breaks), transportation details, honorarium (how will it be paid), AV possibilities (most schools do not have state-of-the-art microphones, etc.), and physical description of the speaking area (is it a classroom, auditorium, library). How big is the audience? What ages/grade levels will be in the same presentation? How many presentations does the school/library expect for the honorarium that is being paid?

What are some advantages that writers/illustrators could benefit from by joining state reading and library associations, and attending their conferences?
Advantages of joining state reading and library associations: exposure! The author/illustrator may have to pay their own expenses but the contacts made at state conferences are invaluable. I’ve selected numerous authors and illustrators because I saw them in action at a state event. It also provided a venue to talk to other people who have had the presenter at their school/library in the past.

What is your favorite children’s joke?
I love knock, knock jokes!

Sandra asked me to post a knock-knock joke for her, since she loves them all. So, I thought this one might work for her, especially when mid-May rolls around ;-)

Knock-knock.
Who’s there?
Harvey.
Harvey who?
Harvey done yet?

Thank you so much, Sandra!

MINI-VIEW: DAN HANNA

MINI-VIEWS:

Pint-sized interviews that leave you smiling.

DAN HANNA lives high in the treetops of the Brazilian Rain Forest where he illustrates (and attempts to write) children's picture books. He periodically lowers his work to a devoted monkey-like companion who then submits it to various editors throughout the world. His first book, THE POUT-POUT FISH (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) was launched in March 2008.

Mr. Hanna doesn't have any children of his own but he does have a BOYish grin, he's YOUNG at heart, has CHILDish tastes and two KIDney stones.

How does it feel to have your first book (and author Deborah Diesen's first book) be on the NY Times Bestseller's list for children's books? Did you ever imagine it would be this successful?

It feels like a hot air balloon ride. But not like one of those rides where the basket catches on fire or the balloon hits a power line or something.

My imagination was all over the place. At the low end, I imagined it showing up in the 99 cent stores. At the high end, I imagined it becoming the basis for a world-wide religion where true believers would genetically alter themselves to resemble characters in the book. So getting on the NY Time's List was right about in the middle.

I'm just kidding of course. It was like a dream and it never occurred to me as a possibility. I still don't understand how it could have happened. I think maybe my fairy godmother went around buying tons of books and now she has about a zillion copies in her fairy garage.

You're a wonderful illustrator with an extensive background in animation; now that you've illustrated your first picture book, do you have any advice for aspiring picture book writers? How about aspiring illustrators? (okay, that's really two questions, but I have to give equal time to each craft :-)

Buy one thousand parrots and place them in a room with a looped recording saying something like: "Dan Hanna can sure draw fish!" Then release the parrots, using a helicopter, over each of the major publishing houses. When the editors leave for lunch they'll hear the parrots in the trees screeching "Aaaaccck, Dan Hanna can sure draw fish!" Now I know this scheme seems rather elaborate, but it worked for me.

Deborah and I were very fortunate to be included in Alice Pope's 2009 edition of CWIM (Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market). In my interview there's an extensive list of equally dubious "how to get published" advice.

What’s your favorite children’s joke?

My favorite is actually the "Interrupting Cow" joke but somebody [Jay Asher] already - MOO!

Q: Why doesn't anyone play poker on the Serengeti?

A: Because there's too many cheetahs.

Very funny! Thanks, Dan!

MINI-VIEW: CAROLINE HATTON

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Pint-sized interviews that leave you smiling.

CAROLINE HATTON is a scientist and a children’s writer. She has accumulated knowledge of drugs in sports and expertise in anti-doping science since the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles when she went to work for Don Catlin, a preeminent champion of drug-free sports. Her idea of a fun 100-meter race is barefeet on the beach without prize money or recorded times. In 1996, she began pursuing her life-long dream of writing for children. The Night Olympic Team is her fifth children’s book. Her first novel, Véro and Philippe, made the Los Angeles Times children’s bestsellers list. You can read the beginning of all her books by clicking HERE.

With the Olympic Games in full swing this week, I thought this would be the perfect time for us to get to know Caroline a little better. I’m very grateful that this very busy author was able to do a Mini-View for us!

Could you please tell us about The Night Olympic Team. When did you get the idea to write a children's book about doping in the Olympics?
It was at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, after we found a prohibited drug in athletes’ samples. During a discussion with other scientists in the lab, bright ideas were flying around like sparks. A rush of excitement made me jump up from my chair and pace all over the room, feeling ready to burst. That’s when I thought, “Some day, I will write this story for children.”

How did you come up with the idea to make it a "science sleuth" theme?
I didn’t. Life did! The book simply shows how the drama unfolded and reflects my emotions.

Do you have a favorite tip for someone interested in writing children's nonfiction?
Look for story. Like fiction, nonfiction can take readers on the emotional ride of their lives. Look for engaging elements: likeable, real-life characters; conflict; high stakes; the clock ticking; suspense; and surprises. Then spin a good yarn.

What is your favorite children's joke?
Q: What do you get if you cross a chicken and a T. rex?

A: A Tyrannosaurus pecks.

Thank you, Caroline!

MINI-VIEW: JAY ASHER

MINI-VIEWS:
Pint-sized interviews that leave you smiling.

JAY ASHER is the author of the New York Times Bestseller's list young adult novel, THIRTEEN REASONS WHY. He got the idea for THIRTEEN REASONS WHY at a museum. While taking an audio tour, he was struck by the eeriness of the voice in his ear—a woman who described exactly what he was looking at, but wasn’t there.

Jay lives on the central coast of California. THIRTEEN REASONS WHY is his first book. Find out more about him at http://www.discomermaids.blogspot.com/.

Thirteen Reasons Why has had huge success in its young life. Did you ever foresee the kind of attention it has received and how do you keep grounded with all of the attention it (and you) have gotten since its release? And possibly related to that, what project are you currently working on?
If the book found its audience (which required the help of booksellers and librarians), I thought it could be a real word-of-mouth success because of its mix of suspense, a unique structure, and the issues it discussed. I just didn't think the initial audience would be so big. From there, the teens took over and began recommending it to their friends. I definitely didn't expect to see it on the New York Times Bestseller list, though. When it first appeared on that list, it was such a shock that I actually started crying.

As far as staying grounded, a full-time job definitely helps. But, more than that, the letters I receive from teens are so heartwarming and inspiring. Many of them open up about their own lives and tell me the ways in which the book positively affected them. I can't feel anything but honored by that.

I'm working on my next novel for teens right now. There will definitely be more humorous elements in this book than Thirteen Reasons Why...but hopefully just as engaging.

Do you have a favorite novel-writing exercise, tip or piece of advice that you find most useful, and are willing to share with other writers?
Thirteen Reasons Why was the first manuscript I wrote without anyone looking at it (other than the first 12 pages) before it was finished. Since I was writing such a personal story, I didn't want anyone swaying the emotional aspects of my words yet. But I did hold several brainstorming sessions with my wife and two writing friends (and co-bloggers) Robin and Eve. After it was finished and polished to the best of my abilities, then I let other people read it...one at a time. After each person critiqued it, I made alterations and then passed the manuscript on to the next person. That way, the story was seen through fresh eyes each time as opposed to the same people critiquing every stage of the revision process.

What's your favorite children's joke? (I know as a frequent winner of the SCBWI summer conference joke contests, you've got to have a few jokes on hand ;-).
Knock knock!

Who's there?

Interrupting cow.

Interrup----

Moooooooooooo!!!

Thanks, Jay!

MINI-VIEW: MS. VIOLA, PERSONAL COACH for SHRINKING VIOLETS PROMOTIONS

MINI-VIEWS:
Pint-sized interviews that leave you smiling.

Ms. Viola is an internationally acclaimed personal coach and consultant for introvert celebrities, politicians, and famous authors/illustrators. In 2007, she received her PhD in Jungian Type Analysis from Vassar University. (But don’t bother trying to verify this due to the unfortunate eensy explosion they had in the Admissions Office.) Ms. Viola writes a syndicated column for Innie Mag and is the Coach in Residence for Shrinking Violet Promotions.

Other than developing a website/blog (in today’s cyber world, that’s a given,) what do you say is the most important marketing strategy for an introverted writer/illustrator?
Well, since I do represent the Shrinking Violets, you know how Mary and Robin love to spin ad nauseum about how important it is to write the best book you can. There’s that, of course. And they are forever sporting that Comfort Level Inventory. But, really, Terry, I think professional brow grooming is completely underrated. I’m conducting a field study right now on the correlation between high book sales at signings and good eyebrow care. Liz Gilbert has sold over one million books. Look at her brows! They are pitch perfect. Need I say more?

What bit of survival advice would you give to an introverted writer/illustrator who knows that they should attend conferences, workshops, etc., but knows it will be uncomfortable, deplete him or her of energy for days after, and would instead opt for a root canal?
Oh, just get the rotten little tooth pulled and get a shiny new dental implant. Wha-a-tt? Oh, conferences? Let me give you a little sports analogy, darlings. If you want to play in the Super Bowl, you’ve got to go to Spring Training. I know many of you don’t want to hear that, but publishing is, after all, a world of relationships and connections. You deserve every advantage you can give yourself.

This rule does not apply to you if you are JK Rowling, of course, but you’re not. (You should have seen her before I got hold of those eyebrows—you could have hidden a Weasley twin in each one.) And after a long day at conference, really, there is always room service and nice fat book to spoon with.

What is your favorite children’s joke?
Honestly, Terry, I just don’t think it is kind to make fun of children. I may need to do some coaching with you. Call me, dear.

Thank you, Ms. Viola! (I think...)

MINI-VIEW: HAROLD UNDERDOWN

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Pint-sized interviews that leave you smiling.

HAROLD UNDERDOWN is a freelance editorial consultant. He has worked at Macmillan, Orchard, and Charlesbridge, and has experience in trade and educational publishing. Among the books he has edited are Evelyn Coleman's and Daniel Minter's The Footwarmer and the Crow, Yumi Heo's One Afternoon, Larry Pringle's and Bob Marstall's An Extraordinary Life, Lisa Rowe Fraustino's Ash, Grace Lin's The Ugly Vegetables, and Sneed Collard's and Michael Rothman's The Forest in the Clouds. He is also the editor for the Young Patriots Series, published by Patria Press.

Harold enjoys teaching, and in that role wrote The Complete Idiot's Guide to Children's Book Publishing, now in its third edition. He founded and runs “The Purple Crayon,” a respected web site with information about the children’s publishing world at http://www.underdown.org/. He speaks and gives workshops at conferences, including the SCBWI's national conferences in LA and NY, and smaller conferences all over the country.

I'm so honored that Harold agreed to do an interview. And in the spirit of his never-ending generosity, he not only answered the standard three Mini-View questions, but he gave us an additional answer too.

How do you think the rising cost of fuel will affect the children's book industry?
I don't think it will have much of an impact. A family that struggles with an extra $20/week in gas costs is not a family that had a lot of money available to buy children's books before the price of gas went up. The families that buy significant numbers of children's books are relatively well off and not likely to be affected.

How is today’s economy affecting the children’s publishing business and what are the prospects for its future?
It's not clear yet how much the current economic situation is going to affect our business. People who lose jobs or are struggling with a mortgage won't be buying children's books, of course, but the real impact won't be felt until we see how state and local tax revenues are affected. If school and library spending is cut, that will have big impact on the business, in the short term.

In the long term, I'm not too worried about the children's book business. Over the past several years, we've had to adjust to reduced spending by schools on books, as they had to shift their resources to testing materials. Under a new administration, I'm hopeful that more money will be available at the federal level AND that the testing required by NCLB will be at least scaled back, meaning schools will have more money available for real books.

What is your prediction of the picture book market?
That there will continue to be one! There's been a lot of talk about the picture book market being weak compared to the demand for novels, but it never disappeared, and some companies are already talking about doing more picture books. Demographics have an impact on what's being published, but not a huge one.

What is your favorite children's joke?
Q. Why did the chicken cross the road?

A. To get to the other side.

Q. Why did the rabbit cross the road?

A. Because it was stapled to the chicken!

(I picked that because it's an example of the kind of joke I've heard my daughter tell--the kind of joke that makes kids laugh uproariously, but generates only puzzled expressions on adult faces...)

Thank you, Harold!

MINI-VIEW: MARY HERSHEY

MINI-VIEWS:
Pint-sized interviews that leave you smiling.

MARY HERSHEY’S first book, a tall tale of sibling rivalry, entitled MY BIG SISTER IS SO BOSSY SHE SAYS YOU CAN'T READ THIS BOOK was published by Random House in 2005. THE ONE WHERE THE KID NEARLY JUMPS TO HIS DEATH AND LANDS IN CALIFORNIA was released by Razorbill last year, and was selected for the 2008 New York Public Library Best Books for Teens List. Her third book, TEN LUCKY THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO ME SINCE I NEARLY GOT HIT BY LIGHTNING, will be out this July, and she is currently working on her fourth book with Random House. In addition to being an author, Mary works for the Department of Veteran Affairs, is a personal coach, a former undercover hooker, and a wannabe yogi. She lives in Santa Barbara with her partner and two bipolar cats.

Mary is also a contributor to one of my favorite blogs in the whole wide world, Shrinking Violets Promotions, where she and Robin LaFevers help introverted writers (such as yours truly) learn how to promote their books and explore the world as an “innie.”

What is the most important aspect of writing a humorous novel and how do you achieve that?
Uh, how many humor writers does it take to answer that question? Four. One to answer it, one to make a joke about it, one to go around for the next six months telling it, and one to try in vain to screw it into a light socket. :->

It's a great question, Terry, and one could write volumes on it. Here's the cliff notes. I think the most important aspect is knowing your audience. You need to 'get' and target the developmental stage of humor that comes with the reader's chronological age. It is essential to understand the social, cultural and the contemporary variances in humor. What might be funny in 1983 is not necessarily funny in 2009. Humor is a tool to be used to achieve a specific effect on the reader. At it's very finest, humor has the ability to delight, teach, and relieve--helping the reader to both transcend and reclaim one's humanity.

This is a "Which came first, the chicken or the egg" kind of question. When writing a story, do you already have certain humor aspects in mind (funny plotline twists, main character traits and quirks, humorous secondary characters) or are these things discovered/developed as you progress through your story?
I always start with character, but that is a highly personal decision, not a craft one. There are essentially four types of humor: physical humor, humor of situation, humor involving play on word, and humor of character. In any one book, or even one scene, you may use any combination of all four of these. Where you choose to start building your story is unique to you.

I begin with character, experiment with their voice, and then I find just the right setting and situation for them. A stellar example of that is Lauren Tarshis' Emma Jean Lazarus Fell out of a Tree, a middle grade novel released in 2007. Emma Jean is a powerful character that drives this marvelously funny book all the way. Another storyteller might start with a seed of a humorous situation, then build from there, finding character(s) that would 'fit'. For example, apparently author/illustrator Mo Willems asked himself one day--What would happen if a pigeon tried to drive a bus? Physical humor and humor involving play on word usually grow from the characters and situations you have chosen.

So to summarize, chickens are funnier than eggs, but research has proven that ducks are the funniest animal at all. I hope that clears things up once and for all, Terry.

What's your favorite children's joke?
Why did the boy tiptoe past the medicine cabinet?

He didn't want to wake up the sleeping pills.

Thanks for the insightful answers and chuckles, Mary!