Toe to Toe with Suzanne LaFleur

Today’s Toe to Toe interview is with Suzanne LaFleur, author of the gorgeous and poignant middle grade LOVE, AUBREY. Suzanne is not only a wildly talented author with a great debut novel, she is an alum of the New School Writing for Children program, so we are all especially pleased to see how well her book is being received out in the world! Publishers Weekly says, “LaFleur's moving debut offers a convincing first-person narration of a girl coping in the wake of tragedy,” and Kirkus says Aubrey’s “detailed progression from denial to acceptance makes her both brave and credible in this honest and realistic portrayal of grief.” Read on to find out Suzanne’s favorite ice cream flavors (and the runners up) as well as her most annoying habit.

1. What’s the worst job you've ever had?

Not that this was actually a bad job—but it was a bad job for me—I used to work at a summer camp as a lifeguard and the guards all rotated among three different positions. A third of my shifts were spent at a boat house. I actually liked being at the boat house on the lake because it was a beautiful, secluded spot; I was great at shelving canoes to dry, bailing sailboats, and making sure everyone had life jackets, but part of the job was lifeguarding from a motor boat that I had to drive around the lake. I was AWFUL at driving that motor boat. I never went where I wanted to, and once I had to rescue a few kids who tipped their boat over; pulling them into the motor boat and towing their full canoe back was quite an ordeal. When I got back to the dock with the kids and without the canoe, the other guards and my boss made a big deal out of the whole thing. I didn’t really care if we lost a canoe in the lake as long as the kids were safe, but other people didn’t really share my view and had to form a rescue mission to retrieve the canoe.

2. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Honorable Mention: Haagen-Dazs’s Dulche de Leche
Runner-Up: Ben&Jerry’s Mint Chocolate Cookie
Best-ever in the Whole Wide World: Gifford’s Black Raspberry

3. What’s your favorite movie?

Honorable Mention: Moulin Rouge
Runner-Up: Finding Neverland
Best-ever in the Whole Wide World: Searching for Bobby Fisher

4. What is your most annoying habit?

I seem to enjoy asking someone a question, not listening to the person answer, and then asking the question again…several times.

5. What is your favorite way to procrastinate writing?

I like to play computer games. I tell myself that I’m getting my brain ready to write, and sometimes it’s true, but other times it’s just plain not. I will also tell myself I need to clean the kitchen floor first, or go grocery shopping, or go to the gym—those things are important, right? I can always start writing later…basically, I only write when I feel ready, and I will do almost anything to delay feeling ready. It’s not really the worst thing, because when I do sit down to write, I can write ten or twenty pages in one go. Procrastinating seems to be a vital part of the game for me.

6. What is the first thing you would buy if your next advance was a million dollars?

A piece of pizza. I also considered saying a panini press (the next item on my wish list) or airfare to Europe (my favorite place to travel), but a piece of pizza feels like a very wise choice because I can get it and be happy even if my next advance is only ten dollars.

7. What's something very few people know about you?

I don’t have a driver’s license. I learned to drive and took driver’s ed when I was a teenager, but I really hated driving. I don’t even like riding in cars, to be honest. So I never took the driving test and I moved to New York City where I happily ride the subway every day.

To learn more about Suzanne and her marvelous book, go here, and if you just want to buy it ASAP (and why wouldn’t you?) go here.

* daphne grab *

In case you missed it...

... there's a very interesting discussion on John Green's blog about the publishing industry -- specifically, big advances vs. small advances, and why John thinks smaller advances are better!

Read the post here, and definitely check out the comments too. As you can imagine, lots of authors have weighed in on this debate!
:-)
~Coe~

Past tense uncertainty

I write most often and most easily in present tense. I like present tense but for my new book I felt like it needed to be in immediate past. The voice of my narrator seemed most natural and most appealing this way. But it's giving me a little bit of agita.

What if there's something I want to say that still exists in the present? Like "EJ stands for Eric James." I wouldn't say "EJ stood for Eric James," would I? Because that sort of seems like he's dead, or not named that anymore.

Am I making any sense?

I know I just need to keep writing and I'll figure out these little things later but I find myself spending time thinking about this stuff and it worries me and then I feel stuck in a writing rut.

Thanks for your help,
Lisa GW

Work Begets Work? No Fair!

I made it all the way up to page 164 and wrote the climax. I was surprised by it. It was different than I'd planned and it's making me rethink some parts of the book which is frustrating.

Why are books so darn hard to write? And how do I bring this puppy to a graceful close now?? Eek! Makes me think of my favorite writing quote: "Easy reading is damn hard writing."

Please excuse this short post as I have a heap o' writing to do.

*caroline hickey

Bad Reviews a Good Thing?

Long before my first book came out in ARC form I was anxious about reviews and now, a year after its arrival in the world, I still feel my heart going double time when I stumble across a blog that has decided to review my book. In the rational part of me I believe that bad reviews are part of the experience— you cross your fingers none of those come in the big journals but as Lisa GW always says (quoting Meg Cabot) your book is not a $100 bill so not everyone is going to like it. It makes sense and I get it. But those snarky reviews on Goodreads or that turn up on a blog still make me cringe and today have me thinking about something. Wisdom out there says that any review is good, even a bad one and I am wondering how that can be true. If I read a SLJ review that calls a book predictable and flat I’m most likely not going to be seeking it out. It would have stood a better chance if I’d just come across it in the store and picked it up to read the flap copy. And I can’t imagine I’m the only one who has this reaction. So why is it true that a bad review is better than no review? Any insight appreciated!

* daphne grab *

Our Libraries Are In Trouble Deep

It seems like every state in America is going through tough times and lots of public services are being cut to make ends meet. Hell, California is practically bankrupt! But it really, really pained me to learn that the Governor of Ohio is planning to HALVE library funding. Ohio's library system counts mostly on state aid, not local funding, so this proposed cut is going to hurt. Badly.

Being that I am now an Ohioan, I take this pretty personally. I live a few blocks from the Highland Square branch of the Akron library system and I go there...often. Lots of people do. In talking to one librarian, there's hardly a computer free all day. People search for jobs, send resumes. This is, as you know friends, an absolutely vital resource for our towns.

The repercussions for this proposed cut will be fierce. Branches will be closing. Librarians will lose their jobs. People won't have a place to go for books, music, DVDs, culture at large. They won't have a place to read to their kids. They won't have a place where they can drop off their teens and know they'll be safe.

Sigh.

And guess what! Ohio isn't alone. This is happening all over the country!

So consider this post a call to arms, if you will. Make sure you know what's going on in your state, in your neighborhood. Without our collective voices fighting for our libraries and librarians, I'm afraid our books will have significantly less shelving on which to sit.

-=siobhan=-

Another London Longstocking

Look what I found in the teen section of Foyle's on Charing Cross Road:



Totally misshelved (in the Ds), but yay!

Now, somebody go buy it so they have to order more.

--Kathryne

Too Soon?

I'm spending the day catching up on the blogs I like to read, and I thought this post by literary agent Janet Reid might be interesting, especially for those of you who are ready to send your first manuscript off to agents. Clearly Ms. Reid thinks a lot of people are jumping the gun in trying to find an agent, and this rush only leads to lots of rejection.

What do you think? Do you agree with her?

Thanks to Elizabeth Scott's blog for the link!

~Coe~

Writing Spot of the Week

I had a reading/signing at RJ Julia in Madison, CT yesterday so my husband Dave and I decided to spend the weekend in CT at his parents' house, and that way we'll be in town for Father's Day too. So just now, I did some writing on my in-laws' porch. Across the street is the Niantic River and it's a very lovely place to write. Here's a picture but it's from a few years ago, around Thanksgiving. See those awesome white rocking chairs? I love them!

Happy Weekend!
xoxoxox Lisa GW

A Dream I Never Knew I Had

I spent last week in Tennessee, at a conference for my volunteer work. The whole event was fantastic, and then on the last day we were treated to a performance of the Penguin Players' stage adaptation of Anna Dewdney's llama llama books.

I will know I've truly arrived when I get to see Dolly Parton and a chorus of attractive young people sing a song she wrote for characters in one of my books.

Seriously. How lucky is Anna Dewdney?

--Kathryne

Winn-Dixie takes on Broadway

This from the Publisher's Marketplace deal report:

THEATRICAL
Theatrical rights to Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Honor book Because of Winn-Dixie, to producers Patriot Productions and Dorothy Berloni, developing a Broadway musical that will feature a live dog trained by "Broadway's foremost animal trainer" Bill Berloni.



Awesome, yes??

P.S. If I ever decide I need a new career, I'm definitely taking up Broadway animal training.

~lisa graff~

Progress Report & App Recommendation

Siobhan also has an upcoming deadline for her WIP which is July 15th, so I've decided in the spirit of teamwork (and reality) to push my self-imposed deadline from 6/30 to 7/15. This is actually sort of attainable, and now I have a partner to dance with!

I'm doing better this week and am up to page 148. I'm about to write the Climactic Scene I've been picturing in my head for awhile. It's not coming out as I planned, of course, but it'll get there.

Also, awhile ago I posted about Apps for writers on the iPhone. Well, Coe recommended Evernote to me which lets you make text and voice notes for free on your iPhone, and sync them to your computer. This is perfect for my mommy-brain! I can run around chasing b (now crawling) while speaking notes into my phone that I can later listen to on my computer while typing.

Thank you, Evernote (and Coe for recommending!).

*caroline hickey

Is More a Good Thing? (I say yes!)

In past months I have been spoiled, getting or being lent ARCs of the books I am most looking forward to. I’ve read CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins, ALONG FOR THE RIDE by Sarah Dessen and FIRE by Kristen Cashore, three of the summer/fall titles I was most looking forward to (they were all terrific by the way!) I have ARCs coming to me for two of the others I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for, FRONT AND CENTER by Catherine Gilbert Murdock and THE TREASURE MAP OF BOYS by E Lockhart— I love DJ and Ruby and am so excited to see what happens next for both of them!

Which brings me to something I’ve been thinking about lately— in these titles there is only one that is not a sequel/prequel or just involving a familiar world with known characters. Is this a coincidence? I think not. I think there is really something to be said for building a story over a series of books, most often a trilogy but if you’re lucky, more than that. I know the danger is that the story gets thin, characters have no place to grow without changing who they are or it just starts to feel stale. But in the hands of a good author, there is nothing more wonderful than sinking back into that beloved world and find a fresh, new story waiting.

I know there are others who feel this too— I’ve had a lot of readers ask me if there will be a sequel to my book which is really not the kind of book that calls for a sequel at all. But at the same time I know other people don’t view series/trilogies with as much enthusiasm and I’ve always wondered why, so today I am throwing out the question to you: are you a fan of more than one novel in the same world? If not, why, if so, why and what are your favorites?

* daphne grab *

David Sedaris, Marathon Book Signer

I have previously blogged here about the challenges that highly-successful authors face at their appearances--large crowds, not having enough time for personalization, no time to chat with the fans...it's got to really stink.

But there's an article in the current Publisher's Weekly about David Sedaris and his book tour for the paperback release of When You Are Engulfed in Flames. I already love Sedaris, but how could you not swoon after knowing that he will regularly spend up to 8 hours signing books at his appearances. His last reading in Duluth sounded like a doozy, especially when the best-laid plans to accommodate all fans were washed out with a storm and terrbily cold temps. But Sedaris made it work.

Quote:

Following his reading, Sedaris signed books for the next six hours, leaving the store at 1 a.m., after the last two patrons, who’d played cribbage while they waited, had their books signed. “We told people to be patient, because he likes to talk to each person, and they’d all get their chance,” store manager Melanie Grune said later. “People really took that to heart.”

Pretty awesome, says I.

-=siobhan=-

Favorite Writing Spot of the Week

Okay, so I will be spending this summer writing my second book. The first draft is due in September and all I have so far is an outline which means I will be busy. And that's why I'm starting a weekly blog post dedicated to my favorite writing spot of the week. Last week I wrote about The Hoyt Street Garden and this week I'm writing about The Highline. I'm sure most of you have heard about The High Line; it's an elevated railway on the West Side of Manhattan that has recently been turned into a park. And it's awesome.

First of all, everything is brand new there. It just opened this week! The greenery and flowers are beautiful and it's all so tastefully designed. There are plenty of places to sit, including lounge chairs. Lounge chairs!!! And The Highline has public bathrooms, nice and clean public bathrooms. There's also some food available, and right below The Highline is a very unassuming diner/coffee-shop called Hector's which has a fabulous turkey burger.

Seriously, what more could you ask for in a writing spot? I spent most of Wednesday at The Highline, got a good deal of writing done and read the first half of ALONG FOR THE RIDE. (note: I got a galley at Bookazine in March. This new Sarah Dessen novel is really, really good.)

So that's my favorite writing spot of the week. Stay tuned for next week's!

xoxoxo Lisa GW

Gauntlet Update

Since I gave myself the ultimatum last week, I'm sad to say there have been a few hiccups in my progress.

One, I was ill for a few days, and two, I lost one of my babysitter afternoons, which means I've had to resort to cramming in an hour of writing here or there.

Excuses, excuses. I'm at page 134. I will try to do better this week readers!

Covered in shame,

*caroline hickey

Timeless Books

For my book club this month we read a YA that came out 30 years ago and while it had some good stuff going on, it felt really dated. Not like historical fiction but almost like the main ideas and themes felt old and tired and not relevant. Which, since the world changes a lot and good themes can get worn out, doesn’t seem like such a surprising thing. Which got me thinking about how amazing it is that some books don’t feel dated at all, even if they were written fifty years ago. For me the classic example of that is Beverly Cleary whose books feel fully fresh and relevant long after they first came out. In FIFTEEN Jane agonizes over a date in exactly the ways I did and even though one of her concerns is whether or not to wear white gloves for the drive to San Francisco, it feels completely present and vital. How does she do that, making her themes so universal and true and thus timeless? I’d love to someday write like that. But in the meantime I’ll just be taking my hat off to those who do. And hoping that for next month’s book club we pick one of those books!

* daphne grab *

An Unsettling Trend???

Do you agree that YA novels have gotten darker and grimmer in recent years? Using the examples of THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins, THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher, WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson, and IF I STAY by Gayle Forman, writer Katie Roiphe discusses in The Wall Street Journal how books for teenagers have been getting more and more "grown up, gritty [and] unsettling."

Here's an excerpt:
"[I]t seems that the extreme and unsettling situations chronicled in these books are, for many teenagers, accurate and realistic depictions of their inner lives. Your whole family may not have died in a car wreck, but it sometimes feels like they have. Everyone in the school cafeteria may not be plotting to kill you with bows and arrows, or knives, or mutant killer insects, but it feels like they are. In the theater of adolescence, with all the sturm and drang of separating from parents, with the total stress of just having to be yourself in the hallway at school, perhaps these books feel, at times, like a true and reasonable representation of daily life. It may be that the feverish drama of a 15-year-old’s private universe finds its natural form in these tales of destruction and death."

You can read the whole article here, but be careful (especially towards the end) as Roiphe does include some spoilers.

Personally, I find all of this analysis kind of frustrating. First "they" complain when YA fiction is fluffy and unrealistic. Now "they" complain that it's too depressing and real. I mean, these books are selling hundreds of thousands of copies, are being wait-listed at local and school libraries, and are being passed from friend to friend. These books are emotionally connecting to teen readers. That's a good thing!!!

So, what do you think? Is this trend toward the grim and disturbing something we, as readers and/or writers of children's fiction, need to be concerned about?

~Coe~

On second thought, the good guys are not out of the woods just yet.

Oy. Courtesy of Jezebel, I learn:

West Bend, Wisconsin organization seeks compensatory damages for seeing a book with a perfectly innocuous title in a library display.

The good news: it appears that the West Bend Parents for Free Speech still outnumber the West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries. Keep the faith, parents!

The bad news: "Ironically, four of the trustees were denied reappointment in April by the city council because they did not comply with the [book burners'] reconsideration requests and are serving until their successors are appointed."

--Kathryne

Summer lovin'

Our dear Jenny Han's THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY has really gotten me in the mood to read more romantic stories, specifically summer ones! Can you guys please help me? What are some really good summer romances, the kind you can sink your teeth into? I love character driven novels and if they involve friendship and summer love, I'm a very happy camper.

Suggestions, please!

xoxoxo Lisa GW

The good guys win one!

Got this news from Bookshelves of Doom:

Library Board Rejects Restrictions

West Bend, Wisconsin, we're all proud of you.

--Kathryne

Toe-to-Toe with Jill Santopolo (and a contest!)

Today we're lucky enough to have the talented and lovely Jill Santopolo visit us for an interview. Jill stopped by last year when her first Alec Flint mystery hit the shelves, and just this week her second, The Ransom Note Blues, was published. Yay for Jill! In celebration, we've asked her some seriously silly questions. (Jill's also hosting a book giveaway on her website, and two lucky Longstockings readers will win copies of her book! Details at the end of the interview...)



Longstockings: What's something very few people know about you?

Jill: In third grade I was in a club called “The Mad Scientists” and we used to pry the back ends off of Crayola markers, shake out the ink tube, and replace it with lots of Elmer’s glue. Then we’d use the marker and get colored glue to come out the tip. The problem, of course, was that after a little while, the glue would harden and the marker would be entirely useless. A flaw in our mad scientist plan, one could say.

Longstockings: Who is your literary crush?

Jill: I have a massive literary crush on John Irving. (John, if you’re out there--coffee? Next time you’re in New York City? My treat!) His books make me laugh and make me cry and—most of all—make me think—about myself and society and human interraction. I love writing that can do that.

Longstockings: What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Jill: This is a difficult one, because I usually order Mint Chip, but my real favorite flavor is Cappuccino Commotion, which—as far as I know—is only sold at Haagen Dazs.

Longstockings: What's your favorite place on earth?

Jill: Rome! I love Rome. I love the way history and the modern world collide and interweave there. And the food! The gelato! The art! My favorite sculpture in the world, Bernini’s Ecstacy of Saint Teresa, lives there, too. Also, I was there when I learned that Scholastic made an offer on the Alec Flint books, so it has some great memories attached. If I ever want to take a break from New York, you’ll probably find me having a gelato at the Trevi Fountain.

Longstockings: What is the book that made you fall in love with reading?

Jill: When I was a kid, I loved Andrew Henry’s Meadow by Doris Burn. It was about a little boy named Andrew Henry who was an inventor and ran away to a meadow and built special houses for all the kids in the neighborhood, who ran there after him. I always wanted Andrew Henry to build me my own special house with a lot of beanbag chairs for reading and a lot of cabinets for cookies. That’s the first book I remember loving and wanting to hear over and over.

Longstockings: Tell us where you went for your first date ever.

Jill: I had my very first “official” boyfriend when I was in fourth grade. I don’t know if this quite counts as a date, but we walked home from school together every day, and on the day he officially became my boyfriend, we disobeyed our parents (sorry Mom and Dad) and walked to the candy store instead of straight home after school, and he bought me a candy cane.

Longstockings: What is the first thing you would buy if your next advance was a million dollars?

Jill: I think I’d go to the apple store and go crazy. First I’d buy the biggest, fanciest laptop they make, and then I’d get a macbook air that I could throw in my bag and take with me everywhere. I’d also buy a new ipod nano. And a Nintendo Wii—with two guitar hero guitars. (That last part wouldn’t be at the apple store.) I’d also make a reservation at a super fancy restaurant and take all my friends and family and writing professors and my agent, too, out to dinner to thank them for helping me get this super big advance. (I guess that’s the first seven things I’d buy…)

Longstockings: Tell us about the very first story that you remember writing when you were younger.

Jill: I actually stil have the very first story I ever wrote and read it when I go on school visits—it’s called "Stacy the Cat," and I wrote it when I was three years old. Actually, I think I spoke it, and my mom trascribed it. The story is about a magical cat who turns people into mats when they pat her. The last lines, which always make people laugh, are: “Poof! Now you are a mat. So get out of here.” It brings up the question, of course, of how a mat can get anywhere, since it doesn’t have legs. I guess I wasn’t too worried about story logic when I was a kid.

***

Ha! Who needs logic?? :) Thanks for visiting, Jill!!

And NOW for details on the super-sweet book-giveaway:

Scholastic is running an Alec Flint, Super Sleuth contest. The first two people to e-mail jill@jillsantopolo.com with their mailing address, saying that they read this message on the Longstockings and correctly cracking and answering the coded question below will receive a free copy of The Ransom Note Blues. (Hint: The key to Alec and Gina's code can be found at http://www.jillsantopolo.com/)

Here's the coded question that needs to be cracked and answered:

Dszg xzmwb rh Trmz vzgrmt lm gsv xlevi lu Gsv Izmhln Mlgv Yofvh?

my new favorite writing spot

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you probably know that I like to write in obscure places. My most obscure spot is probably Filene's Basement. But guess what? My new spot is really awesome and actually not that crazy. It's The Hoyt Street Garden, right in my neighborhood of Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. It's a little garden and you need a key to get in, but anyone can get one. And there are about 5 benches in there and lots of greenery. I love it! I got such great writing done there yesterday and met a few new people too. I am really excited to write lots and lots of pages there this summer; hopefully it won't be a billion degrees every single day.

What's your favorite new writing spot?

xoxoxo Lisa GW

Book Birthday!

Today is the official release date of Lisa Graff’s terrifically awesome UMBRELLA SUMMER— hooray!! We Longstockings were lucky enough to be in on the process and see this story grow from an idea into the supremely excellent book it is today. And we are not the only ones who think it rocks— SLJ had this to say: As in The Life and Crimes of Bernetta Wallflower (2008) and The Thing About Georgie (2007, both HarperCollins), Graff has created a lively, quirky individual who tells her story with frankness and humor. Annie’s friends come across as real kids who treat Annie’s eccentricities with a mixture of understanding and occasional anger. A complex read, Annie’s story deals with death with sensitivity, love, and understanding.

All that and a cute cover as well:
Go Lisa!! For more info you can go here or just head over to your local indie and pick up a copy.

* daphne grab *

The New Moon Trailer!

It's very, very dramatic!!! Check it out for yourself:



What do you think?
:-)
~Coe~

Gauntlet Thrown Down

I have finally tired of complaining that I can't get this WIP done. I have assigned myself a deadline of June 30th to finish this draft.

This will mean writing at night after B has gone to bed and I am extremely tired. It will mean giving up my already scarce reading time, relaxing time, and possibly husband time. But it will get done.

I am announcing it here so that I can't wiggle out of it. You lovely readers will get updates! You will inspire and motivate me to finish! I will not be toiling in a vacuum!

Progress reports forthcoming. Today's report- page 120.


*caroline hickey

Nancy Drew for Supreme Court

Saturday's New York Times has a lovely article about the fondness of both female Supreme Court justices, as well as the current nominee, for a certain girl sleuth.

--Kathryne