How to use this Page

Puppicasso found his red,

PuppiRed

white and blue.

Then he got efficient and found all three in an unlikely source…

Color Trifecta.

Red, White and Band-Aid Blue.

He had a safe and sane holiday, protected from the fireworks. It is such a tough holiday for dogs in general, I am happy he survived through another one.

Henry Houndog needed a repair after jumping before looking. Chasing rabbits is great fun, but you need to watch out for sticker bushes when you are 'hunting.'

Woot. Here we go again. Organized by the lovely Colleen Mondor, here you find another round of fantastic author interviews. And I'm so lucky to have 4 up this week, Tuesday-Friday. I'm very excited! Take a look at some of those author names! Holy Cow! (And yes, I totally just copy and pasted this from Colleen's site. I'm lazy like that. I'm also really, really tired. So I's going to bed now.)

MONDAY

Perry Moore at The Ya Ya Yas
Nick Abadzis at Chasing Ray
Carrie Jones at Hip Writer Mama
Phyllis Root at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Laura Amy Schlitz at Fuse Number 8
Kerry Madden at lectitans
Tom Sniegoski at Bildungsroman
Connie Willis at Finding Wonderland

TUESDAY

Lisa Ann Sandell at Chasing Ray
Perry Moore at Interactive Reader
Christopher Barzak at Shaken & Stirred
Autumn Cornwell at The Ya Ya Yas
Jon Scieszka at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Gabrielle Zevin at Jen Robinson's Book Page
Judy Blume at Not Your Mother's Book Club
Erik P. Kraft at Bookshelves of Doom
Clare Dunkle at Miss Erin

WEDNESDAY

Lisa Ann Sandell at Interactive Reader
Christopher Barzak at Chasing Ray
Julie Halpern at The Ya Ya Yas
Micol Ostow at Shaken & Stirred
Rick Yancey at Hip Writer Mama
Jane Yolen at Fuse Number 8
Shannon Hale at Bookshelves of Doom
Maureen Johnson at Bildungsroman
David Lubar at Writing & Ruminating
Sherman Alexie at Finding Wonderland

THURSDAY

David Mack at Chasing Ray
Paul Volponi at The Ya Ya Yas
Elizabeth Knox at Shaken & Stirred
Ellen Emerson White at A Chair, A Fireplace and A Tea Cozy
Jack Gantos at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
David Levithan at Not Your Mother's Book Club
Micol Ostow at Bildungsroman
Laura Amy Schlitz at Miss Erin
Kerry Madden at Hip Writer Mama
Sherman Alexie at Interactive Reader

FRIDAY

Loree Griffin Burns at Chasing Ray
Lily Archer at The Ya Ya Yas
Rick Riordan at Jen Robinson's Book Page
Gabrielle Zevin at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Dia Calhoun at lectitans
Shannon Hale at Miss Erin
Jane Yolen & Adam Stemple at Shaken & Stirred
Alan Gratz at Interactive Reader
Lisa Yee at Hip Writer Mama

SATURDAY

Blake Nelson at The Ya Ya Yas

On Friday, August 3rd, I got up bright and early - which I always do, but this time, I had a very special purpose. I had been invited to speak on a panel with four other lit-happy bloggers at The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conference. Our panel was entitled Having Our Say: Blogging About Children's Literature. I was flattered to be in such good company and looked forward to meeting my fellow panelists - Gina from AmoXcalli, a. fortis and TadMack from Finding Wonderland and Readers' Rants, and Kelly from Big A, little a - in person.

Sadly, Gina had become ill earlier in the week and was unable to attend. However, she truly was a part of our panel, as she had created the bulk of our PowerPoint slideshow. If and when someone posts the slideshow online, I'll add a link to it in this post. Thank you so much, Gina, for all of your hard work. I hope that you are feeling better and that we do meet up in the future.

Kelly and I met up in the morning and discussed the wonders of technology and travel until TadMack and TechBoy arrived. Before we knew it, it was time for the conference to begin, and poor a. fortis was still stuck in traffic. Kelly, TadMack and I scurried into the grand ballroom, where nearly one thousand people had already gathered, and listened to the hilarious welcome speech from Lin Oliver, the SCBWI Executive Director.

The faculty members - anyone speaking on a panel - then lined up and introduced themselves one by one (or group by group - go, Class of 2k7!), with each person saying one word that represented his/her/their panel or mood. When John Green introduced himself and added, "Nerdfighters," a young woman screamed loudly to show her support.

Yes, that was me.

I apologized to Kelly and TadMack for bursting their eardrums. Shortly thereafter, we took to the stage, introduced ourselves, and said:

"Controversy . . .
" . . . conflict . . . "
" . . . and connectivity."

Oh, how I adore alliteration!

a. fortis arrived shortly after the introductions. We all headed over to the room where our panel was going to be held. While telling each other our life stories and discussing new and classic stories, we reviewed the slideshow, which ran throughout the panel.

Once our room filled up, we filled an hour with talk and laughter. I know we could have talked all day about the importance of literacy, free speech, and communication. After briefly introducing ourselves, we talked about our love of literature and of blogging while TadMack clicked through screenshots of various lit blogs and online events. We talked about The Cybils, Toon Thursday, Poetry Friday, The Edge of the Forest, readergirlz, the upcoming 1st Annual Kidlitosphere Conference as planned by Robin Brande, MotherReader's The 48 Hour Book Challenge, 7-Imp's 7 Kicks, The Carnival of Children's Literature, Chasing Ray's various events (the Summer Blog Blast Tour and Wicked Cool Overlooked Books plus the upcoming Winter Blog Blast Tour, Radar Recommendations, and One-Shot World Tour), Class of 2k7, The Longstockings, and more.

Many thanks to the bloggers, authors, and readers who attended our panel. Thanks also to those who sent us notes of support and good luck wishes.

I have an idea for next time: broadcast the panel live on the internet - podcast, anyone? - or incorporate a chat element, making it accessible to the everyone who can't attend in person and encouraging them to take part and ask questions.

Justina Chen Headley finishes out the week at Finding Wonderland


Did you enjoy the SBBT? Go visit organizer Colleen Mondor at Chasing Ray and let her know!

Welcome to Day Six of the Super Blog Blast Tour. Today, I'm happy to welcome Justina Chen Headley, author of one of my most beloved YA titles, Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies). Justina is also one of the Readergirlz divas, a group of fabulous YA authors who are reaching out to readers with Readergirlz groups, manifestas, and monthly challenges.

Last year, I read A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt and truly enjoyed it. I was pleased that it was a finalist in the Young Adult Fiction category of the Cybils Awards, for if this book had been released fifteen years earlier, I would have checked it out of the library multiple times alongside the likes of A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry and Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt. It's just that kind of story: poignant, thoughtful, and dramatic without being unbelievable.

When I got the opportunity to interview Dana Reinhardt as part of the Summer Blog Blast Tour, I took it.

A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life, your first novel, deals with family, religion, loss, and hope. Which topic was the hardest to address?

But when I got to the point in the book where it was time for Rivka to reveal to Simone that she's dying, I almost backed out. I thought to myself I'm having such a great time writing this story. Why ruin things? I worried that introducing Rivka's illness would suck the life out of the rest of the narrative. So the task after this point became not allowing the book to become too maudlin or sappy, to preserve the lightness while also dealing with tragedy, and this proved to be challenging.

Was A Brief Chapter the first full-length novel you had ever written? How long did it take to write it?

Harmless, your second novel, deals with lies and choices. How much of the story had you planned out before you started really writing it?

A Brief Chapter has one narrator while Harmless uses three voices. What type of narration do you prefer to write? What is your favorite type to read in other people's stories?

Likewise, I don't know if I have a favorite type of narration to read. I like stories that feel intimate and personal and honest and astute and I think these qualities can be found in first person or third person or any narrative as long as the story is well written.

Do you think of yourself as a young adult author?

Are there other age groups you'd like to write for, or genres you'd like to tackle?

At your website, you share that you had difficulty writing a mini-autobiography. What is something you wish people knew about you without your having to say it?

Maybe that's what I'd like people to know without my having to say it: I'd like them to have their own ideas of what my books are about.

If you could only pick ten books for your list of all-time favorites, what would you pick?

I'll give it a shot, though, but I'll do so with the caveat that if I answered this question on a different day, I might come up with an entirely different list. And also, for me at least, so much of loving a book has to do with at what moment in my life I read it, and how it spoke to me then.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Harper Lee (Whatever the day, this book would always make my list.)
THE GREAT GATSBY F. Scott Fitzgerald
BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA Katherine Patterson
ALL THE LITTLE LIVE THINGS Wallace Stegner
THE BOOK OF DANIEL E.L. Doctorow
DISGRACE J.M. Coetzee
SACRED HUNGER Barry Unsworth
THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY Michael Chabon
THE EXECUTIONERS SONG Norman Mailer
And for current YA, or current books in general: THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak is unparalleled.

SBBT Interviews at Bildungsroman Jordan Sonnenblick Christopher Golden Ysabeau Wilce Dana Reinhardt

Also check out my archive of author interviews. Over 100 interviews in the past year and still going strong!

Today's SBBT Schedule
Tim Tharp at Chasing Ray
Justina Chen Headley at Big A, little a
Ysabeau Wilce at Shaken & Stirred
Dana Reinhardt at Bildungsroman
Julie Ann Peters at Finding Wonderland
Cecil Castellucci at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Bennett Madison at Bookshelves of Doom
Holly Black at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Justine Larbalestier at HipWriterMama
Kirsten Miller at A Fuse #8 Production

Tomorrow, Justina Chen Headley finishes out the week at Finding Wonderland.

It's Friday, and Tea Cozy's part of the Summer Blog Blast Tour closes with an interview with the most excellent Cecil Castellucci.

I was blown away by Cecil's first book, Boy Proof, blew me away. I loved Egg, with her mix of securities and insecurities, and her strengths and intelligence.

Her next book, The Queen of Cool, featured someone very different from Egg: Libby is the coolest girl in school. Everyone wants to be her, or be her friend; and Libby finds its not enough.

Next came Beige, which I think may be my favorite. Katy is a teen who thinks she has her act together, but realizes that what she thinks she knows and what is true are two different things. She's younger in many ways from Egg and Libby; Katy is still trying to figure out who she is.

Each book is set in LA, but they are different LAs: Egg is Hollywood, Libby the sciences, Katy the music.

Finally, there is Cecil's graphic novel, The PLAIN Janes. Teenage Jane lives in the city, happy with her life; but when disaster strikes too close to comfort, her parents leave the city for the safety of the suburbs. Jane doesn't want popularity; she wants friends, she wants to make a difference, she wants to be real.

So, on to the interview!

Liz B: The PLAIN Janes, your first graphic novel, just came out. Could you talk a bit about the differences between writing traditional novels and graphic novels?

Cecil: Well, you have to rearrange the way that you think about telling a story. The thing I like about a graphic novel is that you have to just get to the heart of a scene. It's a very lean kind of writing. In my first draft, I tried to keep the dialogue really minimal. Once I saw it all drawn and ballooned out, I went back and removed even more dialogue. You can let things rest more, because there are pictures and working with someone as talented as Jim Rugg, who illustrated The PLAIN Janes, you can just let the image do a lot of the story telling.

That said, it was hard for me to figure how to move the action forward at first, because I had to consider what was going to be shown in the panels. That was hard. In a traditional novel, with words, you can meander a bit, you can rest on a moment or have a lot of fluid action. Also, there is something quite intimate about the written word. It's like resting your cheek against someone elses brain, or like whispering a secret because the reader and the writer sort of agree together on creating what the world looks like. It's a collaboration with the reader in that way. With a graphic novel, everything is there for everyone to see. You know what it looks like. As a writer, I am very glad that I now get to play around in both forms. They are very different and they each have there charms and strengths. I love writing both ways.

Liz B: What was your working relationship with the The PLAIN Janes artist, Jim Rugg?

Cecil: It was awesome. Working with Jim Rugg has been and is (we are currently working on the second Janes book, The Janes in Love) a truly amazing and inspiring experience. Besides sort of gently guiding me through those first scary pages of The PLAIN Janes and "having my back," he is just so smart and so talented I pinch myself lucky to work with such a fine talent as him. I always love to listen to what he has to say, about panel, pace and camera placement and about the story.

It's also great to have a buddy who cares about the characters as much as I do. We have long conversations about the Janes and we both really care about them. With Jim as my swim buddy, I feel like I did when I was in a band! It's so nice to have a partner! I have an enormous amount of respect for Jim and I hope we get to work together for a long time. Also, he is totally one of the coolest, funniest, nicest people I've ever met! Go read Street Angel!

Liz B: You're an author; and a director, a performance artist, a musician, an actress (I'm sure I'm leaving something out!) Since I'm someone who was a lawyer, is a librarian, and who knows what will happen next week, I love stories of people who pursue multiple dreams. I was wondering; what was your path from indie musician to YA author?

Cecil: To me, I always was telling stories! It's like when an artist, I mean a visual artist, sketches with pencils or does a water color, or mixed media or oils or acrylics they are still an artist. It's just a different brush, a different way of painting the picture, but the same thing: a piece of visual art.

For me, being in a band or making a movie or doing a performance piece or a stand up show or writing a play, novel, comic book, it's all the same thing. It's a way to tell a story, which is what i always wanted to do. That said, I started off in film school and when I was in film school I started a band with a couple of girls called BITE. When I was in BITE I wanted to write a book about an all girl teen band. The first novel I ever wrote, that is in a drawer never to see the light of day was about that. I think BEIGE is kind of my reworking of that first idea from when I was in a band a million years ago.

Liz B: Why YA?

Cecil: The thing about writing for Young Adults is that is the moment in life when you are declaring and figuring out what kind of a human being you are going to be. You are deciding everything and everything is a first time. That's an incredibly compelling fertile place for story telling. As a writer, it's an irresistible one.

Liz B: And were you reading much YA before you started writing YA?

Cecil: When I was a young lady, and now as an older young lady, or a person who is young at heart, it always bugged me that there was this line between adult and young adult. When I was a young adult, I liked things that were much broader than what teens were supposed to like and as an adult I love things that are supposed to be just for teens. So, yes, in a way I was always reading stuff that was for much younger. But honestly, I think before I started writing YA seriously, I was reading more middle grade stuff. But once I found my voice and discovered that it was 14+, I started reading more mature YA books. But, you know, I'll read anything that's good. I like good books. And I think that YA is defined as being a 12 - 99 age range. So that pretty much includes everything ever written.

Liz B: One of the things I love about your work is the adults. The parents and other adults in your books are well rounded, sympathetic, fully realized characters with virtues and flaws. Much as I love your YA books, I'd love to read a book by you with an adult as the main character. Any chance of that happening?

Cecil: I am pretty sure that at some point, in what I hope will be my very long career as a writer, that I will write a novel for adults with an adult as the main character. For me, a story presents itself to me and tells me how it wants to be told. My plays, my movies and my performance pieces have adults and deal with adult themes. And I don't mean that they are pervy! I mean that right now, those outlets seem to be where I am exploring some of those other themes and narrative questions that I have.

I am also going younger! I have a picture book, Grandma's Gloves and an early chapter book series coming out (both on Candlewick) for the 6-10 year old set! And that includes my first story with an animal as a the main character! Bring on the ducks!

Liz B: You are a "web 2.0" author, with a LiveJournal/blog, a website, and various online additions for your books, from playlists for Beige to Libby's LA. It's the type of stuff I adore as a reader. What was your inspiration? Were these things that weren't able to be included in the books?

Cecil: Well, I just thought that stuff might be a little bit interesting. I think maybe the "2.0" people are just creative and it's nice to be able to do stuff! I don't want to, say, inflict my poetry on everyone. But it's there if anyone wants to read it.

The add ons, like Libby's Los Angeles, and Egg's Los Angeles (this reminds me that I should do one for Katy/Beige) were mostly because I love LA so much and I thought that people might be interested in the real places that my characters hung out. Like, maybe someone would come to LA and be like "Oh, I want to go to Skoobys to get an awesome hot dog!" or "Let's go to the Merry Go Round in Griffith Park!"

The Beige playlist was something I thought would be fun and interesting, as I love a mix list, but these things seemed like they wanted to have their own page, not to be on my "real" blog.

The I Heart YA, which I am planning on doing more of, and more often, is just fun, because I love making little movies, but I don't have time to make little movies anymore. But I travel and hang out with my YA friends a lot. I figure it's like a mini-documentary of the YA world. I am glad that you like it!

Liz B: I saw from your guest blogging at newsarama that you love Joss Whedon. As you may have guessed from my blog name, I adore him. I also have the Firefly theme song and Man Called Jayne on my iPod.

Cecil: I just bought the boxed set of Firefly. That is what brought me to my new found Joss Love.

Liz B: So, for Buffy the Vampire Slayer; favorite episode?

Cecil: Favorite episode? Hush. I think I cried at that Prom episode, too.

Liz B: Favorite character?

Cecil: Toss up between Anya and Willow and I really liked Andrew in the last season. (For the record on Angel it's Cordelia and Wesley but I'm not done watching that series yet so I reserve the right to change my mind.) (And in case you are interested on firefly it's Wash, Kaylee and Zoe. But of course I'm madly in love with Mal.)

Liz B: Favorite quote?

Cecil: Any time any character makes a word end a -y.

Thank you, Cecil! It looks like after ALA Anaheim, I'll add a few days to do the full LA tour.

Want more Cecil? Check out her SBBT interview yesterday at Shaken & Stirred.

Right now, the ALA Convention in DC has started, and Cecil Castellucci will be there. Her schedule is at her LiveJournal.

Finally, don't forget to visit the other SBBT interviews:

Tim Tharp at Chasing Ray
Justina Chen Headley at Big A, little a
Ysabeau Wilce at Shaken & Stirred
Dana Reinhardt at Bildungsroman
Julie Ann Peters at Finding Wonderland
Bennett Madison at Bookshelves of Doom
Holly Black at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Justine Larbalestier at Hip Writer Mama
Kirsten Miller at A Fuse #8 Production

Today, I’m pleased to have the lovely and talented Sara Zarr () here for an interview. Sara is one of the members of the Class of 2K7, and her debut novel, Story of a Girl, was released in January, and is still in stores (at least here in New Jersey) now. You can check out my review of Story of a Girl from the merry merry month of May (hint: I loved it!).

1. One of the dominant issues in the book is Deanna's wish for a meaningful connection with her father, and she reminisces about her early childhood and how things were then. Was her working through the situation inspired by your issues with your own father, or was it simply the logical fallout from Deanna's situation?

I definitely tapped into some of my own family history to form Deanna's story, even though the particular issues were different. Deanna's dad is actually far more present than mine was, but I think even the best father/daughter relationships can be difficult during adolescence. I do think girls need fathers (or some kind of positive male adult influence) in a very particular way, and if that's missing, it can create a situation where they're more susceptible to fall for the Tommy Webbers of the world. But yeah, part of it was the logical fallout. I don't think very many fathers would know how to handle what happened with Deanna, and her father in particular just wasn't equipped. I do have compassion for him. I don't see him as a failure or a bad guy, just a beleaguered parent whose best effort at handling a difficult situation fell short, as all of our best efforts so often do.

2. I was particularly impressed that Deanna didn't see herself as a victim. Was that a conscious decision on your part, or is that just how she showed up?

It's been a long time since the initial story formed, but I'm pretty sure she just showed up that way. I never wanted her situation to be about coercion or being "done to" so much as about choices and aftermath. That's far more interesting to me, since that's so much of what life adds up to.

3. From an interview you did with Cynthia Leitich Smith, I learned that Deanna initially came to you as a side character in another story. Is the other story going to see the light of day, do you think? If not, care to share what Deanna was doing there?
I doubt that story will ever be publishable. There are some things I really like about it---some scenes with Darren and Deanna and Stacy that helped make them so real to me before I even started Story of a Girl — but I think that book served its purpose. That story was about Lee and her arrival at a new school, and her search for her father (hm, I'm sensing a recurring theme...). Deanna was there as a girl with a tough exterior who pursues Lee's friendship for reasons Lee can't understand at first. Deanna was always one of those characters who really walked onto the page fully formed. I got lucky.

4. A writing-related question: Does keeping an office outside the house help you focus on writing better than writing at home did? Does it help you leave the writing at the office when you get home?

I'm not sure how much the office helps in terms of the actual writing---I still end up doing a lot of writing at home. (And I never "leave it at the office.") What the office gives me is a place to go when I'm tired of being at home, a reason to shower and dress, a reminder that I'm self-employed and my writing is a business, a symbol of my commitment to that business, and a place to store all my books and papers.

5. What's next?

My second book for Little, Brown is about to go into copyediting. It's called SWEETHEARTS, and it's chock full of childhood trauma, compulsive eating, social and personal reinvention, and relationship drama! It's slated for April, 2008. After that...who knows?

[Note from Kelly: Just the other day, Sara posted some wonderful news about Story of a Girl: Movie rights have been purchased by Mixed Breed Films, with producers Kyra Sedgwick and Emily Lansbury.]

6. Speed round:

Cheese or chocolate? Oh sure, start with an impossible choice! I think...cheese. No, chocolate. No, cheese. Definitely cheese.

Coffee or tea? Coffee.

Cats or dogs? Cats.

Favorite color? I don't know.

Favorite snack food? Apples in season.

Favorite ice cream? Anything described as having dough, chunks, or nuggets. But no marshmallow.

Water or soda? Water.

What's in your CD player/on iTunes right now? I'm listening to a Pandora station put together by friend and fellow YA author Tara Altebrando's husband, Nick, who is in a band called Dutch Kills.

What's the last movie you memorized lines from? I tend to retain random bits of information against my will, so I'm liable to quote anything and surprise even myself.

For more interviews with Sara, check out her interviews with Jackie at interactivereader from Monday, and with Kelly H. at Big A little a.

Other SBBT interviews today:

Eddie Campbell by SBBT mastermind Colleen at Chasing Ray
Brent Hartinger by Jackie at interactivereader
Justine Larbalestier by Kelly H. at Big A little a
Cecil Castellucci by Gwenda at Shaken & Stirred
Ysabeau Wilce by Little Willow at Bildungsroman
Jordan Sonnenblick by Jen at Jen Robinson’s Books Page
Chris Crutcher by Tanita at Finding Wonderfland
Kazu Kibuishi by Kimberly at lectitans
Mitali Perkins by Eisha & Jules at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Laura Ruby by Gayle & Trisha at The YA YA YAs

The Summer Blog Blast Tour Thursday Interviews!


Eddie Campbell at Chasing Ray
Sara Zarr at Writing and Ruminating
Brent Hartinger at Interactive Reader
Justine Larbalestier at Big A, little a
Cecil Castellucci at Shaken & Stirred
Ysabeau Wilce at Bildungsroman
Jordan Sonnenblick at Jen Robinson's Book Page
Chris Crutcher at Finding Wonderland
Kazu Kibuishi at lectitans
Mitali Perkins at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Laura Ruby at The YA YA YAs

Today, I interview an author who comes bearing a fantastic name and a fantasy novel starring a feisty nymph named Flora.

Actually, I don't consider Flora a nymph - I tend to reserve that word for characters from myths - but I was making an attempt at alliteration and couldn't help myself!

Ysabeau Wilce (pronounced Iz-a-bow Wils) has entered the literary scene with a genre-blending and rule-bending story she likes to call Flora Segunda, Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), A House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and A Red Dog. This tongue-twister of a title is just as fun to say as supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (yes, I typed that without looking it up) and the story is more fun than a barrel of monkeys (unless the monkeys are wearing fashionable clothes, diving into their family's past, learning about their country's military pathways, and attempting to figure out the intentions of a ghostly genie-esque butler, in which case, those monkeys are ready to party with Flora Segunda). I recommend this inventive book to adults who like the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde, as it similarly combines elements of history, comedy, and fantasy, and to kids and teens who like to explore new worlds.

Your title character, Flora Segunda, is spunky. Her best pal, Udo, is fashionable. What were you like at age fourteen?

Weird. Very weird! And full of angst. And pretty snippy--even more so than Flora! My family lived abroad and I was obsessed with poor maligned Richard III, so much so that I badged my poor parents into taking me on a driving tour of England, where we saw every inn, castle, and hedgerow that Richard III ever so much as looked at, and went to a memorial service on the anniversary of his death! Tho' I outgrew my peculiar interest in the last Plantagenet King, he did kindle a love of history in me that has informed nearly everything I have done since. (That obsession also taught me that you can't believe everything you read in history books!)

Your novel's full-length title - Flora Segunda, Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), A House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and A Red Dog - requires a full breath and an active imagination. How wary were you of giving things away by the descriptors?

Not really. I hoped that people would be intrigued by the long title, and it would serve as a lure to readers. Also, it was fairly common for nineteenth century books to have a short main title, and a long sub-title, and I wanted to copy that effect. The Nini Mo yellowbacks that Flora so avidly reads are modeled after the dime novel, which was the comic book of its day. Dime novels were usually serials, always lurid and melodramatic, and, as their name suggests, they were cheap. They also usually had long elaborate sub-titles, so in that they were another inspiration to FLORA SEGUNDA's sub-title.

The UK edition heavily abbreviates the title, making it Flora Segunda of Crackpot Hall. Do you think this will change how readers approach and view the story? For example, I kept looking for those persons - and the canine - described in the title until they showed up.

I hope people will still be drawn to FLORA SEGUNDA, even with a shortened title! The subtitle is a bit whimsical, and the book not so much, so in that respect the sub-title might have given a false impression to the casual reader. We were initially concerned that the long subtitle would prove difficult to remember -- which is totally true -- sometimes even I can't quite rattle it off. But the short title is what counts, and people have had no problem remembering that.

Fiona's tone of voice and choice of words is almost contemporary at times. How modern did you want this story to feel?

I did want readers to identify with Flora, so it was important to keep the tone from feeling too old-timey. But I let the tone set itself, and Flora's voice just took over. One thing that is nice about writing fantasy, as opposed to a historical novel, is that you don't have to worry about your voice sounding too modern. But I didn't intend FLORA SEGUNDA to be tongue-in-cheek at all -- in fact, the exact opposite. Parts of the book are humorous, of course, but the humour is supposed to be dark. When it comes to funny, I am definitely lean towards gallows-humour. We must laugh or we shall cry!

In Califa, the setting of your story, a young adult has a Catorcena ceremony at age fourteen, after which he or she is to enter the military. Why did you make the draft age fourteen?

(and/or) What was the hardest part of combining military protocol with a coming-of-age story?</b>

I don't think I had a specific reason for making the Catorcena occur at fourteen. It just worked out that way. Thirteen seemed too young, and fifteen too old. Fourteen felt like it was right in the middle, and just right! As for the coming-of-age story and military protocol, that went together just fine. The army is all about responsibility and duty, no matter how distasteful, and so is being an adult!

Which fantasy books, if any, influenced your writing and the world of Califa?

I would say my biggest fantasy influences are T.H. White's ONCE AND FUTURE KING, Gene Wolfe's SHADOW OF THE TORTURER books and Elizabeth Hand's WINTERLONG. T.H. White taught me you can be playful and reinvent an old story. Gene Wolfe told me that you can use all the fancy weird words you want. And Liz Hand taught me you can use real places as a jump-off point to your imagination. Additionally, White, Wolfe and Hand are all superb writers and while I will never hope to match their talent, at least their examples give me something to aspire to!

Speaking of these books and authors, what are your ten favorite books of all time?

The list changes, but for the moment, I would say:

LONESOME DOVE by Larry McMurtry
LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov
HAMLET by William Shakespeare
PAWN IN FRANKENSCENSE by Dorothy Dunnett
LUD IN THE MIST by Hope Mirlees
IBERIA by James Michener
THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING by T.H. White
ON THE BORDER WITH CROOK by J.G. Bourke
JAMAICA INN by Daphne Du Maurier
WINTERLONG by Elizabeth Hand

Pay a visit to Crackpot Hall. Read The Califa Police Gazette.

Good morning and a Happy Thursday to you all! This morning Justine Larbalestier stops by. Larbalestier is the author of the stunning and brilliant Magic or Madness trilogy (you can read my review of Magic or Madness, Magic Lessons, and Magic's Child here), a trio of books that wowed me. Justine has more in the works (check out the last question) and writes a smart, entertaining blog here.

There are spoilers in the Book Questions portion of this interview. I apologize for that, but I was still too engaged in the series when I wrote the interview questions.

Now onto the interview...

Kelly: Tell us a little bit about Justine Larbalestier. How do you spend your days? How do you pronounce your last name?

Justine: I spend my days avoiding doing work. So I'm online a lot. Or eating yummy food. Or planning my next meal.

There are three basic variations: Lar-bal-est-ee-er, Lar-bal-est-ee-ay, and Lar-bal-est-ee-air.

Kelly: Beer, wine, or a soft drink?

Justine: Wine. Definitely good wine.

Kelly: Who is your favorite writer?

Justine: Right this minute it's probably Dorothy Dunnett. But if you ask me again later it will be someone different. I'm pretty besotted by E. Lockhart's Dramarama and Coe Booth's Tyrell.

Kelly: Beach, city, or forest?

Justine: All of the above. Sydney is a city that's got tonnes of great beaches and many wonderful national forests in and around it. I get the best of all three just by living in my favourite city.

Kelly: What draws you to Young Adult literature in particular? What I mean is, why teen fiction and not, say, mystery, chick lit, or "literary fiction"?

Justine: Because when I write YA I can write any of those: mystery, chick lit, "lit fic" (whatever that is). I can write whatever genre I want and all my books will be shelved side by side in the YA section. It's very liberating.

Kelly: Coffee, tea, or a triple skinny latte?

Justine: None of the above. I hate coffee. And will only drink tea if I'm dying of thirst and there's no water around. I love water.

Kelly: You've written and edited scholarly works in addition to fiction. (I LOVED the Habermas/Foucault joke in Magic Lessons, by the way)* Do you plan to continue scholarly work on science fiction and fantasy?

Justine: No. Too much hard work. Writing fiction is way more fun. I'm glad you enjoyed the Habermas and Foucault jokes. They were aimed at making my parents giggle. (As are many of the things I write.) They're anthropologists. I grew up in a house whose shelves groaned under the weight of tomes by those two gentlemen and many others. As a kid I thought they had the funniest names in the world. Still do.

Kelly: Movie, Theater, or a Concert?

Justine: Hmmm. Depends on what's on offer. I'm hopeless at these types of choices. I'm all about both/and rather than either/or. I want it all!

Kelly: If you had an entire week and unlimited resources to do whatever you'd like, what would you do and why?

Justine: Other than reverse global warming and ending poverty and social inequality, you mean? You know, I think I'm already doing it. I've always wanted to make a living writing fiction and have my pyjamas be my work uniform. I've always wanted to travel and meet lots of cool people. I have the life I want. I'm unbelievably lucky.

Kelly: Halloween, New Year's, or Valentine's Day?

Justine: New Year's. But it's not really much of a choice for me because we don't really have Halloween or Valentine's Day in Australia. Or at least we didn't when I was growing up. Those days don't mean anything to me. Whereas New Year's means fireworks and the Sydney Harbour Bridge blowing up. Awesome!

BOOK QUESTIONS

Kelly: In your Magic or Madness trilogy, the costs of magic are high. Each use of magic causes pain and reduces lifespan. Do you see a real-life analogy to magic in your books? (Power, money, fame?)

Justine: What do you think? Seriously that question's more useful for readers to answer than the writer. Writers rarely have anything smart to say about their own books. We're way too close to them. I can tell you that I wasn't thinking of a real-life analogy when I wrote I was just telling a story set in a world where magic has bigtime consequences that are worse than a headache or feeling tired. (That's my one quibble with your question: there's no pain when using magic. That's part of its seductiveness. The dire consequences are long term not short. At least not until you're about to die.) I was, however, definitely thinking about the ethical choices my characters had to make. But then I believe everyone has to make ethical choices every single day of their lives. Getting out of bed is an ethical choice.

Kelly: (Spolier Alert!) As a reader, I most appreciated how completely complex some of your characters were, particularly Reason's grandmother, Esmeralda. To the end, the reader is not sure if Esmeralda is good or bad. In fact, at the very end, she's still a complex character, even though we finally see her love for Reason is true. Was it a struggle to maintain the complex nature of her character over the course of the trilogy?

Justine: Now, that I did on purpose. One of my pet peeves is the cardboard villain. All memorable villains are complex. They don't just do bad for the sake of doing bad. They have reasons. And often from their point of view what they're doing isn't bad at all. I wanted to write characters who were complex, who were neither entirely good nor entirely bad. I wanted to understand why they did what they did. Even Jason Blake, who's as close to a villain as the trilogy has, even he has reasons for his behaviour. I was hoping that some readers would feel some sympathy for him. (Didn't work for my dad. He was very disappointed that I didn't have Jason Blake die a hideous and prolonged death.)

Kelly: Magic, reason, and insanity coexist in your trilogy like a set of Booromean rings, each touching upon and sharing an element of the other. Magic shares some reason (Fibs, mathematics, shapes) and some insanity. When Sarafina tries to live in reason, she succumbs to insanity if not using magic. Why did you decide to set up your magical world in this particular way?

Justine: That's a fascinating reading of the trilogy. I hadn't thought of it like that. When I came up with the idea of magic shortening your life span so dramatically. My first thought was, "Well, why use it then?" Obviously there had to be some dire consequence that was not death. Insanity just made sense. And made the damned if you do/damned if you don't set up perfect.
It's really fascinating to me how different writing fiction is from analysing it. When I was a scholar and my job was the analysing of it, my eyes were wide open to all sorts of fascinating and complicated readings, but now that I write fiction story and character and verisimilitude are foremost in my mind as I write, not themes etc. I'm not sure why that's so. Writers are probably too close to ever really know what's going on in their works.

Kelly: (Spoiler Alert!) At the end of your Magic's Child (vol. 3), we learn two things: Tom does not give up his magic and Reason's child has the magic in her. So, I have two questions:

a. Am I wrong to think that Tom may be different? Of all the characters in the Magic or Madness Trilogy, he's the most inherently good and the most interested in the people around him. Does he have a shot of living beyond 30?

b. Will we be seeing more of Magic, Reason's child?

Justine: a. I wish I knew. I would love for Tom to have a long life (for a magic wielder). But who knows how desperate he'll get when he's facing death? It could get ugly. I don't think Esmeralda ever intended to take magic from anyone and yet she did. He's definitely going to be exposed to a lot of temptation.

b. I have no immediate plans to write more in that world. Right now I have no clue what happens to any of them after the final page of Magic's Child. But who knows? I might get a cool idea that I have to write.

Kelly: Speaking of Tom, I thought the dichotomy between Tom and Danny was very interesting. Both of them have a particular talent--Tom designs clothing and Danny plays basketball. Both are not only good at what they do, but exceptional. One has magic and the other doesn't. Are you saying that Tom might be every bit as good a designer without the magic?

Justine: I think he would still be good without the magic but he wouldn't be magical. Tom would see the difference but those without magic wouldn't.

Kelly: I have to admit that I found your portrayal of teenage sex and love compassionate, sensitive, and finely drawn. Has anyone objected to the minimal sexual content present in the Magic or Madness books?

Justine: Thank you so much! That means a lot to me. I thought long and hard about how to write the sex scene and Reason's pregnancy.

There's been one objection from a lovely Texas librarian. She wrote to me about it and I explained to her what I intended and why I had written the books the way I did. She put Magic Lessons back on the shelf. I've heard that a (very) few schools in Australia decided not to take the second and third books because of the teenage pregnancy. And I've seen comments online from people who are squicked by the idea of teenagers having sex and getting pregnant. I appreciate where they're coming from--I'm certainly not advocating teenage pregnancy! However, the vast majority of people have sex for the first time when they're still teenagers and usually when they're not married. Teenagers do get pregnant. And even those teenagers who don't have sex are thinking and wondering about it. I find teen books that don't touch on sex in some way to be fundamentally dishonest to the experience of being a teenager.

This is the great dilemma of writing for teenagers: the tension between writing to reflect teenage experience or writing to be instructive and good for teenagers. I want to write books that even while they're full of fantasy elements remain true to many teenagers' lives. I see the trilogy as a realist fantasy. At the same time, while I love the idea of my books getting people to think about the big ethical questions of responsibility and loyalty etc. I also hope they're entertaining. Story is foremost.

Kelly: What can we look forward to next from Justine Larbalestier?

Justine: My next book will be out in either September or October of 2008. It's called The Ultimate Fairy Book and will be published by Bloomsbury in North America. It's about a fourteen year old girl who has a parking fairy. She hates cars and can't drive but she has a parking fairy and is endlessly borrowed by relatives so that they can get the perfect parking spot. The novel is the story of her struggle to get rid of it. It's much lighter and funnier than the trilogy and was a great relief to write let me tell you. I can only stay in the darkness so long!

==============================

* Here's the Habermas/Foucault passage that had me on the floor:

"Tom's father taught sociology at Sydney Uni and had lots of books with tedious titles like Archaeology of the Meaning of the City or The Idea of the Theory of Knowledge, which were written by people with names like Habermas, who Tom privately thought of as Mighty Mouse, and Foucault, who Tom thought of as...well, something pretty rude." (Magic Lessons, 198)

=============================

Today's SBBT schedule:

Eddie Campbell at Chasing Ray
Sara Zarr at Writing and Ruminating
Brent Hartinger at Interactive Reader
Cecil Castellucci at Shaken & Stirred
Ysabeau Wilce at Bildungsroman
Jordan Sonnenblick at Jen Robinson's Book Page
Chris Crutcher at Finding Wonderland
Kazu Kibuishi at lectitans
Mitali Perkins at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Laura Ruby at The YA YA YAs

Today’s interview is with Jordan Sonnenblick, author of Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, Notes from the Midnight Driver and the forthcoming Zen and the Art of Faking It. For plot summaries of Jordan’s novels, see my book reviews.

1. If I had to characterize your writing, I'd say that you write funny books about serious subjects. In the case of Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, I know you set out to write about dealing with a sibling's having cancer. Notes from the Midnight Driver includes coping with parental separation/divorce, underage drinking/drunk driving, healing familial rifts (in several ways) and inter-generational relationships. Did a particular issue come to you first? Or did it start with a particular character?

Notes actually came about because of a whole separate issue. In my job as an 8th grade English teacher, I had a class of students who were totally horrible to a substitute teacher one day. I made them write apology notes, which came out as weaselly excuse notes instead. So my starting point for that book was, “What if a basically good person did something stupid, and then refused to take responsibility?” Then, the day I started outlining the plot, my beloved grandfather got really sick and I had to fly to Florida to be with him in the hospital for a few days. So between the main character's refusal to apologize, and my Grampa's colorful personality, I realized I suddenly had a novel to write!

(My pet theory was that this is an homage to your own grandfather, but I'm interested to hear how it came about.)

Yup, there's definitely a tribute to my Grampa Sol going on.



2. Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie is told from the point of view of Steven, a thirteen-year old drummer who must deal with his younger brother's leukemia and the resulting shift in family dynamics that it brings about.

a. Who do you consider to be the “girls” referred to in the title? Renee and Annette, certainly, but is Samantha one of the girls as well? Why or why not?

I never thought about it, but hey, they're all girls, right?

b. Steven spends much of the book in isolation of one kind or another -- the physical isolation of being alone at home or with his drums, the psychological isolation of denial and later, anger and avoidance, until he learns to speak up for himself a bit and “work on the things [he] can change”. Was that isolation a something you conceived from the start, or did it evolve during the writing (or re-writing process)?

The isolation was absolutely integral from the get-go. I was going on my own experience of my parents' getting divorced during my high school years; there was a six-month period when I withdrew completely. Ultimately, secrets are isolating.

c. Partway through the book, when Steven ditches math class to spend time in the band room with Annette, she gives him a CD of “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck and tells him to learn it -- and that she has something planned for it. What was it that she had planned?

Just that they play the piece together -- no big hidden meaning or anything. That's just a hard tune for a drummer.

d. “Take Five” is not the only jazz tune mentioned by name and artist in this book (or, for that matter, in Notes from the Midnight Driver). Was it something you listened to as a teen, or not until later? Are you actually trying to promote interest in jazz among your teen readers, or just adding detail to particular characters?

The music is in there because playing jazz is what I loved when I was a teenager. And I always wished someone would write a teen book that nailed down how I feel when I play the drums.

Is jazz your favorite music genre?

As a listener, my musical tastes are all over the map. But as a player, jazz is just the ultimate challenge.



3. Notes from the Midnight Driver is told from Alex Gregory's point of view. After Alex gets drunk, steals his mom's car and mows down a neighbor's lawn gnome, he is sentenced to community service at a local nursing home, with the irascible Sol Lewis, a crotchety old man who enjoys insulting Alex in Yiddish.

a. In the “Afterwords” found in the paperback edition of Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, you've said that Steven was a lot like the 13-year old you. I know that your basement houses drums and guitars, and Alex is a guitar player. How much of the rest of 16-year-old Alex is based on your own history (or personality)?

Just his parent-divorce situation. Otherwise, I'm much more Steven than Alex.

b. I was pleased to see Steven and Annette, now older, in Notes from the Midnight Driver, and not just because it was nice to follow up with Steven a little bit. As a former jazz band, stage band and marching band member (piano and percussion, thank you), I so enjoy the positive depiction of band nerds in your books. Are most of the readers that you receive fanmail from involved in the arts, or do you hear from a lot of nonmusicians as well? What is the prevailing view of the musical characters you portray so well?

I get lots of fan mail from drummers, which feels great. And whenever I do a school visit, the band teacher seeks me out to thank me for writing a novel about our weird little subculture. However, probably the most disproportionate segment of my fan mail comes from cancer siblings, followed by parents of reluctant readers who are glad their kids found a book to love.

c. Notes opens with Alex sitting watch over a dying person. Why did you decide to open there, rather than just starting with Alex's misconduct?

It's the old Latin writing trick of starting a story in the middle -- or “in medias res”, as Horace would have said. I figured if it worked for Homer's Iliad, it would work for me. I think that beginning is jarring and disturbing enough to make readers want to know how the story gets to that point.

d. In Notes, as in Drums, the main character has a female friend who becomes a potential love interest. However, you avoid going too far down the romantic path. Is that because you'd prefer not to write mushy romance scenes, or because male readers prefer not to read them?

Neither. It's because I had lots of those inept friend-romances when I was a teenager, so I feel a special knack for writing those interactions.



4. Your next book, Zen and the Art of Faking It, is due out from Scholastic in October. From what I could scrape up on the book, it's about an eighth-grade boy named San Lee who has moved around. A lot. And when he arrives at his latest school, he concocts a way to be different -- by pretending to be a Zen master. Care to dish a little more about it?

Nope. It's my secret, for now. All I can say is that I read Zen aloud to a classroom of teen “test pilots”, and they unanimously said it was my funniest book.

5. What's next?

I'm just finishing off the last revisions on my fourth book. It's part one of a middle-grade trilogy for the Feiwel & Friends imprint at Holtzbrinck. The working title is Dodger & Me, and it's about a boy who rubs a magic lamp -- but instead of a genie, he gets a hyperactive blue chimpanzee as his invisible companion. I've never had this much fun writing a book, so I think Dodger & Me will really make some pre-teens laugh next spring.

6. Speed round:

Cheese or chocolate? I get instant migraines from chocolate, so it's cheese by default.

Coffee or tea? Coffee and tea. Both rule.

Cats or dogs? I’m allergic to cats & dogs.

Favorite color? Blue.

Favorite snack food? Yogurt.

Favorite ice cream? Dulce de leche -- I'm a snobby ice-cream eater!

Water or soda? Seltzer mixed with fruit juice.

What's in your CD player/on iTunes right now? Oh geez, everything but country. My all-time gurus are the Beatles. But I'll rock anything from emo to African choral music.

What's the last movie you memorized lines from? Because I have two school-age kids, I am a huge expert on Pixar movies. My most shining parental achievement is that I can do all the voices from A BUG'S LIFE.

For more about Jordan Sonnenblick, see Little Willow’s interview from Monday, or check in with Jen Robinson tomorrow.

Other SBBT interviews today:
Mitali Perkins by Vivian at Hip Writer Mama
Svetlana Chmakova by Sarah at Finding Wonderland
Dana Reinhardt by Jackie at interactivereader
Laura Ruby by Liz at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Holly Black by Gwenda at Shaken & Stirred
Hilary McKay by Leila at Bookshelves of Doom
Kirsten Miller by Erin at Miss Erin
Julia Ann Peters by Betsy at A Fuse #8 Production
Carolyn Mackler by Gayle & Trisha at The YA YA YAs

I have a break today from the Summer Blog Blast Tour. But authors and interviewers are talking up a storm all over the internet. Here's today's schedule:

Mitali Perkins at Hip Writer Mama
Svetlana Chmakova at Finding Wonderland
Dana Reinhardt at Interactive Reader
Laura Ruby at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Holly Black at Shaken & Stirred
Hilary McKay at Bookshelves of Doom
Kirsten Miller at Miss Erin
Julie Ann Peters at A Fuse #8 Production
Carolyn Mackler at The YA YA YAs
Jordan Sonnenblick at Writing and Ruminating

Enjoy!

It's Wednesday on the great SBBT, so that means we have Laura Ruby stopping by!

Now, this is one of those times where it's a good thing that the interview happened via email; because in real life, the interview would have turned into one long session of watching Buffy and Veronica Mars, and chatting about families, and growing up in New Jersey. With no interview.

Laura is amazing because she writes for all ages: for kids she has Lily's Ghosts, The Wall and the Wing and The Chaos King; Good Girls for teens and I'm Not Julia Roberts for adults. Her books aren't just diverse in terms of age; she writes ghost stories, fantasy, coming of age and humor.

Good Girls, Ruby's YA book, is a look at love, lust, sex, sexuality, rumors, and emotions. Audrey hooks up with Luke; someone takes a photo; and the next thing, the picture is all over school. It's even been sent to her parents. Last week, she was a Good Girl; this week, she is the slut, the ho. Now, boys think it's OK to say rude things and make rude gestures because, you know -- she's that kind of girl. The girl who would do that.

So, on with the show!

Liz B: Good Girls is such a topical book and has such an intriguing question: what is a good girl? What was your inspiration for writing Good Girls?

Laura: I was mulling over what I wanted to work on next when I noticed that sex was everywhere (I know, I know, DUH). But really, I felt like I couldn't get away from the endless blather about Paris Hilton and Girls Gone Wild and MTV and Maxim and myspace and whatever -- most of it horrible, misogynist garbage. I wondered what would happen if a "good" girl got caught on camera. How would she ever get her life back in this culture? I thought it was a good idea for a book, but I had no voice for the story, no soul. I set it aside and worked on other things for a while, until the day one of my stepdaughters came home from high school and told me that some obnoxious, deeply stupid little boy was spreading rumors about her and it didn't seem to matter to anyone that they weren't true. Something in my head just burst (an aneurysm????) Suddenly, I didn't just have a story about a "good girl" caught on camera, but one about rumors, betrayal, friendship, and privacy invasion.

Liz B: One of the things I love about Good Girls is it is not a message book. If anything, it's a question book; raising questions for the reader to answered about what it means to be a "good" girl, appearances, rumors, private and public lives. Can you share a bit about the writing process? Did you ever find yourself rewriting to avoid it becoming a message book?

Laura: Writing Good Girls was unlike writing any of my other books in that it was a completely wonderful experience; I loved every minute I spent working on it. Even getting that first draft down, usually the most agonizing, wrenching part of the process for me, was an absolute dream. I'm sure it wasn't a dream for my family, however, because it was all I could talk about for months. They did a very good job not rolling their eyes when I would relate conversations between my characters as if they were real.

Liz B: Another thing I love about Good Girls is that I got to the end and had to reread it; because while I wouldn't call Audrey deliberately unreliable, she and the reader discovered things that really changed how a reader viewed some of the events in the book. Was this challenging to write? How did you keep track of what Audrey realized and when?

Laura: I didn't really. I wrote this book in a fever. I didn't keep outlines, I didn't plan chapters, I just wrote as fast and as well as I could and saved the technicalities for later. During the revision process -- my favorite part of the process by the way -- I had to go back and make sure all the "clues" were placed where they should be, that the chapters, though not chronological, were in the right order, etc.

I do understand that writing/revising a book this quickly, easily, and happily will most likely never, ever happen again (sob!!!).

Liz B: You've written for every age level, including adults. Could you share some of the challenges of doing that? Do you ever have a "hmm, I've just strayed from kid to YA" moment?

Laura: I think I did have some of those moments when I wrote my first book, Lily's Ghosts. My editor had me take out some teenage angsty/angry moments in the book. — none were in the least racy, just a hair too old for the 13-year-old POV character. Now, I have a pretty clear idea of the voice and POV of each book -- sometimes even before I start to write it -- so I don't often feel confused about what I'm writing.

I think the challenges are more about the marketing of the books, making sure my audience understands that I write in many different genres and for many different age groups. I'm sure there are days that my agent thinks I'm nuts.

Liz B: Speaking of marketing -- your most recent book is for adults. Did you find the process of this book (from editing to marketing and publicity) to be different from that of books for kids and teens?

Laura: Writing "I'm Not Julia Roberts" was a completely different process because I wrote and revised it over the course of eight -- yes, eight!!! -- years. And then I revised it for my agent three times, and another few for my editor. We were all exhausted, I think! Getting just the right cover was also a challenge, but I love what was done with the book.

As for publicity, that was also completely different, because you have to rely on a lot more heavily on newspaper reviews and magazine placements to get the word out. (With children's books, there are not only pre-pub review sources, but there are school visits, conference appearances, and library talks that can be done to promote books. Also, teachers, librarians, even state organizations that will select kids' books for "best of" and "recommended reading lists). I was lucky as my publicist worked really hard to get my book into some magazines like People and Redbook.

Liz B: Speaking of your book for grown ups -- I'm Not Julia Roberts is a work of fiction about step families. What was the inspiration?

Laura: My whole life! I'm a stepdaughter, half-sister, step-sister and stepmom myself, and have lived in just about every permutation of "family" that exists in the universe (okay, not polygamy, but you know what I mean). When I first became a stepmom some ten years ago and was feeling completely overwhelmed, I read tons of books about stepparenting. Most of them were full of horrible advice guaranteed to make your stepchildren hate you forever. I just wanted something that was true -- not necessarily factually, just emotionally. (I know I sound like that million pieces guy, but I promise I don't have any stories in the book about getting beaten up and thrown in jail). I wanted a little commiseration, not bad advice. So I started writing. My book isn't autobiographical, but I do think it's honest, if that makes any sense at all.

Liz B: Let's talk Veronica Mars.

Laura: Oh, let's!

Liz B: Do you think there should be a wrap up movie?

Laura: Yes. I think there should be an entire series of wrap up movies. At least six. Or twelve.

Liz B: What was your favorite episode? Favorite character?

Laura: I adore Veronica and her dad -- the dialogue was always amazing on that show. But I have to admit a heavy fondness for Dick Casablancas. He was so hilariously clueless, and yet had just those teeny, tiny few moments of humanity that made it so hard to hate him completely.

As for a favorite episode, I honestly can't pick. I can't! Don't make me!

Liz B: (who also had a mini crush on DC): What will you watch now that its gone?

Laura: I'll probably just keep watching reruns of Law & Order, hoping against hope that there will be one episode I haven't seen yet. And I'm thinking a Buffy marathon might be in order.

Liz B: And as an aside, I just got a copy of Neptune Noir, essays about Veronica Mars, and that is helping.

Laura: A book I obviously need.

Beyond that... I think I'll spend the summer rewatching either Buffy.

Liz B: You read my mind.

So, faithful readers: what do you think should be the TV Series On DVD Summer Event for Laura and me and other Veronica Mars fans? Vote now!

Want to read the other interviews with Laura, and find out more about her middle grade books?
On Monday, Laura was at Writing and Ruminating; on Tuesday, she was visiting Miss Erin; tomorrow, she'll be at The YA YA YAs; and then she'll take a well deserved rest!

Other interviews today:

Mitali Perkins at Hip Writer Mama
Svetlana Chmakova at Finding Wonderland
Dana Reinhardt at Interactive Reader
Holly Black at Shaken & Stirred
Hilary McKay at Bookshelves of Doom
Kirsten Miller at Miss Erin
Julie Ann Peters at A Fuse #8 Production
Carolyn Mackler at The YA YA YAs
Jordan Sonnenblick at Writing and Ruminating

Remember to stop by Chasing Ray, where in addition to the list of interviews. Colleen includes fun quotes from the interviews.

Good morning! Today's SBBT's guest is Sara Zarr, whose first novel Story of a Girl was released this spring. (You can read my review here.) When she's not writing, you can find Sara at her blog-- The Story of a Girl

Kelly: Tell us a little bit about Sara Zarr. Where do you live? How do you spend your days?

Sara: I've lived in Salt Lake City ever since my husband moved here for work about seven years ago, and I have to say I love it. There are a lot of displaced Californians like me here who feel like we've discovered this amazing secret of the quality of life available in Utah. Others are catching on, though. I think right now two of the fastest-growing cities in country are in Utah. Right now I'm writing full-time and spend my days creatively avoiding work.

Kelly: Beer, wine, or a soft drink?

Sara: I'm really sort of addicted to water, but in the summer there's nothing like a great local microbrew with friends. It may surprise people to know that Salt Lake City has several outstanding microbreweries.

Kelly: Who is your favorite writer?

Sara: Oh, I can never name favorites. Of anything. Robert Cormier is the writer who made me want to write.

Kelly: Beach, city, or forest?

Sara: City!

Kelly: What draws you to Young Adult literature in particular? What I mean is, why Young Adult fiction and not, say, mystery, chick lit, or "literary fiction"?

Sara: I'm sure some of it has to do with the influence of Cormier, and M.E. Kerr, and the other great YA authors I've always admired, but really it's just that when I think of stories they usually involve teenagers. There's something about adolescence that is ripe for storytelling, I guess, and I love the straightforward, concise sort of storytelling that seems to be one of the hallmarks of YA.

Kelly: Coffee, tea, or a triple skinny latte?

Sara: Why thank you for offering! Coffee with real half and half, no sweetener.

Kelly: Story of a Girl is your first novel. How long did it take you to write? And I mean from the very beginning--from the spark in your eye to the lovely product I just received?

Sara: I started writing the first draft in 2001, I think, so...six years? That's a bit deceptive, though, as there were huge chunks of time in there spent waiting to hear back from potential agents and editors and contests. I'd say about half that time was waiting.

Kelly: Movie, Theater, or a Concert?

Sara: Movie. Unless the concert is a rock concert in a small venue starring a band or songwriter I love.

Kelly: If you had an entire week and unlimited resources to do whatever you'd like, what would you do and why? <

Those who visit my blog regularly have come to expect at least two things: posts relating to YA literature, and posts praising the works of Christopher Golden.

Christopher Golden is a talented author who has successfully tackled the genres of horror, fantasy, and mystery. Not only that, but he has written for adults, teenagers, and children. I find his storytelling ability to be unparalleled, and I often want to start a story of my own when I am done reading one of his. We write very differently, and I don't ever aim to mimic his tone or style. I do hope that one day my stories inspire someone else like his have inspired me.

If you are unfamiliar with Golden's works, please read this author spotlight, in which I shed some light on his bibliography and backstory.

Recently, between me updating his website and him writing his next novel, I interviewed him for the Summer Blog Blast Tour - and we had a blast.

When approaching a new novel, what is your writing routine? Do you outline, set up personal deadlines, or write for a certain length of time every day?

I always have some kind of outline. Sometimes it's just a few pages, and others as much as twenty five pages. If it's a collaborative novel, there will often be a chapter by chapter outline that breaks down every scene, but otherwise I try to avoid such things. They're too limiting. I don't set up my own deadlines -- the publisher does that.

I do generally set short term goals. I write Monday through Friday, though frequently my mornings are taking up by e-mail and other business and the writing ends up shifting to the afternoon. All too often, I end up making up for lost time at night or on the weekend.

What albums have you been listening to lately as you write?

Amy Winehouse - Back in Black is my favorite CD of 2007 so far - though usually I just have my iTunes on shuffle.

THE MENAGERIE, a dark fantasy series you write with the talented Thomas E. Sniegoski, finds Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fighting alongside the likes of Eve, who became a vampire after falling from grace, and Ceridwen, the Celtic legend. Which character do you think is the most at home in the modern world?

Strangely enough, I'd have to say Squire, the hobgoblin shadow-walker who is Conan Doyle's right-hand man. He's got a foul mouth, loves bad television and junk food, and lives for any sight of a scantily clad woman. I'm pretty sure the modern world is bliss for Squire.

The characters' personal lives are just as important as their legendary roots. Who gets into the most trouble in CRASHING PARADISE, the fourth book in The Menagerie?

Well, as the title would imply, much of the story revolves around Eve. Her past -- and thus the past of all humanity -- comes back to haunt her from both divine and demonic sources. Clay -- a shapeshifter who is the actual clay of God -- also has some major surprises in store and learns a great deal about the forgotten portions of his own history in this one. In fact, we learn more about the past of a number of our characters. CRASHING PARADISE is the culmination of a lot of character arcs we've spent ten years setting up.

You've teamed up with Mike Mignola for BALTIMORE, or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire. What is the premise of this story, and what prompted this collaboration?

Mike had been talking for years about this vampire graphic novel he wanted to do. Never did he suggest he had anything else in mind for the story. Then one day while we were on the phone he said he'd realized that he was never going to get the chance to draw the graphic novel, and was thinking of making it an illustrated novel instead, and asked if I'd be interested in collaborating with him on it. I'd been hearing about the story for years and of course immediately agreed. We worked on the outline, with Mike providing a synopsis of his concepts and me filling in whatever holes appeared.

BALTIMORE is a World War I era, alternate history, vampire hunter novel that is HUGELY influenced by the gothic classics, everything from Dracula to Frankenstein to Matthew Lewis's The Monk, and also influenced greatly by Moby Dick. BALTIMORE is an illustrated novel -- it's prose, with 150 illustrations by Mike.

As for the story itself, it concerns a young soldier named Henry Baltimore (soon to be Lord Baltimore) and his encounter with a vampiric creature amidst the carnage of a war torn battle field, and what becomes of both soldier and monster as a result of that fateful meeting. It is full of folklore, both in the way it's told and in the actual folktales we invented for the story as part of the adventures of Baltimore and his allies. And it's about storytelling in a very fundamental way. Much of the book is told by three men sitting around a table in a pub, telling the tales they know of Baltimore's life, and some of it is told in epistolary fashion, through letters and journals.

Talent, a comic you co-wrote with Sniegoski, had enormous success this past year, and the first three issues are now bound in one trade paperback. Any plans for more stories in this line, or with Boom! Studios?

We're actually talking to a different company right now about a very cool new creator-owned comics project. And we've decided on a publisher for THE SISTERHOOD, a miniseries that we've had in the planning stages for quite some time. Beyond that, we haven't really had a lot of time to pursue comic book projects lately. Too much else going on. As for BOOM!, I've known those guys for a long time and would always be happy to work with them again if the right project came along.

Universal Pictures has shown interest in both Talent and OutCast, a fantasy quartet you and Sniegoski wrote for children. Any news on either front?

Universal optioned the rights to both TALENT and OUTCAST. On TALENT, I know they've hired a screenwriter, but I can't comment on his identity until they do. As for OUTCAST, Universal recently renewed the option. They had hired a screenwriter -- a very talented writer -- but his vision of what the film ought to be differed quite a bit from the producers' vision, and so everyone has amicably moved on and Universal is currently considering other writers. They seem very dedicated to making both projects happen, so hopefully one of them will come to fruition soon.

You have stories in two new anthologies: Five Strokes to Midnight and Many Bloody Returns. What is the concept of each collection, and what did you contribute?

It's been such a pleasure to write short stories. I do it so rarely -- although more often over the past few years. MANY BLOODY RETURNS revolves around vampires and birthdays, a strange sort of anthology theme, which I'm sure has led to some wonderful stories. Mine is called "The Mournful Cry of Owls" and it takes place in the late 1970s in Massachusetts. It's about a girl who is about to turn sixteen and the collision of her awakening sexuality with her mother's old world beliefs. FIVE STROKES TO MIDNIGHT is an interesting anthology. It features thirteen stories by five writers. I've contributed three stories (well, I haven't finished the third one yet) -- "All Aboard," "Under Cover of Night," and "Shaft 39." Each author chose a theme, and mine is folklore, though these are all modern folklore stories.

The Veil first introduced readers to The Myth Hunters, then led to The Borderkind. What myths can readers expect to find in the third book?

In THE LOST ONES, we meet a great many other creatures of myth and legend from around the world, but not in the detail of the previous books. That's reserved mostly for the characters we've already met . . . and also for the introduction of Atlantis. We've seen Atlanteans throughout THE VEIL novels, but in THE LOST ONES, we go to Atlantis itself for the first time. I've also more fully introduced the idea that in a world of legends, even the legendary themselves have legends they believe in on faith alone. (The book will be out in 2008.)

Which of your previously completed series would you most like to revisit?

All of them. I wrote ten Jenna Blake novels and I would love to write another ten. I could see writing about Jenna for the rest of my life, having her get older as I get older. I'd also like to return to the world of PROWLERS someday, and always wished I could do a novel in which a case of Jenna's led her into the world of Prowlers. I suspect there will be more Peter Octavian/Shadow Saga novels some day. None of these things are planned at the moment, but it would please me greatly to write them.

You've tackled so many genres and written for so many different audiences. What type of book or story have you yet to write that you'd love to try?

For five or six years, I've been doing research for a historical thriller that I plan to write some day. I'm just waiting for the time to work on it, and the right editor to sell it to. I can't say any more about it, but it's the best story I've ever come up with.

I can't wait to read it -- and you know it! In the meantime...

CRASHING PARADISE, the fourth novel of THE MENAGERIE dark fantasy series by Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski, will be landing in stores this August.

Please drop by his official website at www.christophergolden.com

This is the only interview with Golden for the SBBT. Here is today's full schedule:

Tuesday, June 19th
Laura Ruby at Miss Erin
Bennett Madison at Shaken & Stirred
Shaun Tan at A Fuse #8 Production
Chris Crutcher at Bookshelves of Doom
Holly Black at The YA YA YAs
Kazu Kibuishi at Finding Wonderland
Christopher Golden at Bildungsroman
David Brin at Chasing Ray
Kirsten Miller at Jen Robinson's Book Page
Sara Zarr at Big A, little a
Sonya Hartnett at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Previous Interviews with Christopher Golden
September 2006
October 2005
November 2004

I'm studying for a big CPM test tomorrow, and packing for DC.

What are you doing?

The obvious answer.... checking out the Summer Blog Blast Tour Tuesday interviews!

Laura Ruby at Miss Erin
Bennett Madison at Shaken & Stirred
Shaun Tan at A Fuse #8 Production
Chris Crutcher at Bookshelves of Doom
Holly Black at The YA YA YAs
Kazu Kibuishi at Finding Wonderland
Christopher Golden at Bildungsroman
David Brin at Chasing Ray
Kirsten Miller at Jen Robinson's Book Page
Sara Zarr at Big A, little a
Sonya Hartnett at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Don't forget that the Summer Blog Blast Tour started Sunday with Gene Luen Yang at Finding Wonderland

A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy is where I blog about all things related to children's and teen literature.

What's going on right now in the world of the kidlitblogosphere that you may be interested in?

A little thing called the Summer Blog Blast Tour, organized by Of Colleen Mondor at Chasing Ray.

Basically, it's a bunch of author interviews at several lit blogs. The authors range from children's to teen to graphic novels. It's a great way to take a peak at some of the top kidlit and lit blogs, as well as a wide range of authors.

If you want to take a peak, here is the schedule:


Sunday, June 17

Gene Luen Yang at Finding Wonderland


Monday, June 18

Tom & Dorothy Hoobler at Chasing Ray
Mitali Perkins at Big A, Little a
Sara Zarr at Interactive Reader
Justina Chen Headley at Hip Writer Mama
Justine Larbalestier at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Dana Reinhardt at lectitans
Brent Hartinger at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Laura Ruby at Writing and Ruminating
Jordan Sonnenblick by Bildungsroman
Ysabeau Wilce at Finding Wonderland


Tuesday, June 19

Laura Ruby at Miss Erin
Bennett Madison at Shaken & Stirred
Shaun Tan at A Fuse #8 Production
Chris Crutcher at Bookshelves of Doom
Holly Black at The YA YA YAs
Kazu Kibuishi at Finding Wonderland
Christopher Golden at Bildungsroman
David Brin at Chasing Ray
Kirsten Miller at Jen Robinson's Book Page
Sara Zarr at Big A, little a
Sonya Hartnett at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast


Wednesday, June 20

Mitali Perkins at Hip Writer Mama
Svetlana Chmakova at Finding Wonderland
Dana Reinhardt at Interactive Reader
Laura Ruby at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Holly Black at Shaken & Stirred
Hilary McKay at Bookshelves of Doom
Kirsten Miller at Miss Erin
Julie Ann Peters at A Fuse #8 Production
Carolyn Mackler at The YA YA YAs
Jordan Sonnenblick at Writing and Ruminating


Thursday, June 21

Eddie Campbell at Chasing Ray
Sara Zarr at Writing and Ruminating
Brent Hartinger at Interactive Reader
Justine Larbalestier at Big A, little a
Cecil Castellucci at Shaken & Stirred
Ysabeau Wilce at Bildungsroman
Jordan Sonnenblick at Jen Robinson's Book Page
Chris Crutcher at Finding Wonderland
Kazu Kibuishi at lectitans
Mitali Perkins at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Laura Ruby at The YA YA YAs


Friday, June 22

Tim Tharp at Chasing Ray
Justina Chen Headley at Big A, little a
Ysabeau Wilce at Shaken & Stirred
Dana Reinhardt at Bildungsroman
Julie Ann Peters at Finding Wonderland
Cecil Castellucci at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Bennett Madison at Bookshelves of Doom
Holly Black at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Justine Larbalestier at Hip Writer Mama
Kirsten Miller at A Fuse #8 Production


Saturday, June 23

Justina Chen Headley finishes out the week at Finding Wonderland

A bright Good Morning to Mitali Perkins!

Mitali is the author of many a great book including Rickshaw Girl and First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover. Recently, I interviewed Sameera Righton, the teen hero of First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover, right here. Now it's Mitali's turn...

Kelly: Tell us a little bit about Mitali Perkins. Where do you live? How do you spend your days?

Mitali: Reading kid lit blogs. :) No, seriously, I'm still a mommy, even though our boys are (yow!) teenagers, so I drive around Newton, Massachusetts (our town), fold a bottomless pile of t-shirts and cargo pants, keep Trader Joe's in business, and chat and chill with my boys and their friends --when I'm wanted, that is. Mostly I'm on mommy-hold these days, waiting for an invite. I'm also a daughter who lives on the wrong coast, so I Jet Blue to California several weekends a year to stock up on home loving and cooking. Last but not least, I'm a minister's wife (double-yow!) so I co-lead a Bible Study and cheer on the hubby. In my spare time, I play tennis, tend the Labradors, and frequent Thai restaurants to gorge on cheapo extra-spicy lunch specials with various buddies. Oh, and professionally, I'm a writer, blogger, speaker, and reader.

Kelly: Beer, wine, or a soft drink?

Mitali: I'm a one Diet Coke a day kind of girl; I sip it slowly until it's flat and warm.

Kelly: Who is your favorite writer?

Mitali: I favor dead children's book writers--literary mothers like L.M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Johanna Spyri, Maud Hart Lovelace, and others. When it comes to the living, I had lunch with Katherine Paterson recently, which was a dream come true. But in all the genres, children's fiction included, I tend to read broadly and widely; my skeptical soul likes to roam and listen to many storytellers instead of sitting at the feet of just one or two.

Kelly: Beach, city, or forest?

Mitali: As an oft-displaced daughter of a harbor engineer, if I have any sense of place at all, it's the ocean. Instant cure for writer's block: a barefoot, solitary walk along the California coast at twilight.

Kelly: What draws you to children's literature in particular? What I mean is, why children's fiction and not, say, mystery, chick lit, or "literary fiction"?

Mitali: One of life's greatest joys is to create spaces where children feel safe, welcome, and beloved. Stories are one such space. For a comprehensive list of eight reasons to write for children, though, check out my blog series called Why I Write For Kids:

Kelly: Coffee, tea, or a triple skinny latte?

As soon as I finished Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, I began to put the book in the hands of each and every co-worker and customer who would listen to me. The story has a catchy title, a tearjerking premise, and a memorable family. I was impressed by the author's ability to balance comedy and drama, something he did again in his second novel, Notes from the Midnight Driver.

That author is Jordan Sonnenblick, and he's here at Bildungsroman today as part of the week-long Summer Blog Blast Tour, organized by Colleen from Chasing Ray. Let's get right to the questions, shall we?

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie details one little boy's fight with cancer from the point of view of his older brother. What prompted you to make Steven the narrator?

This is sort of a two-part answer. The first part is that I teach 8th grade English, and wrote DRUMS for a student of mine whose little brother had cancer. So the fact that the older sibling is the narrator is because my inspiration for the book was an older sibling. The second part is that, even though my student was a girl, I made Steven a boy because I thought I'd be better at nailing the adolescent male voice -- it's alarmingly easy for me to channel my inner teenager. Actually, my wife says that when I wrote DRUMS, I finally found a way to make my immaturity work for me!

Tell me more about Supersibs! How did you come to be involved with the program?

Supersibs! is an amazing support organization for brothers and sisters of pediatric cancer patients. DRUMS was originally published by a small press called DayBue, which went out of business the month the book came out. My publicist at DayBue found Supersibs! online, and sent them a copy of DRUMS. By the time DayBue closed its doors, I already knew that the people at Supersibs! loved DRUMS, so the publisher and I agreed to donate all 4,000 unsold copies of the first edition to Supersibs!, which then sent them out for free to teenage siblings of cancer patients. At the time, I thought the book would be out of print forever, so I felt good knowing that at least it would get into the hands of the kids who would appreciate it most.

In Notes from the Midnight Driver, chance and music bring together two men - one a teenager searching for something to do, the other elderly and searching for something he once had. Have you ever worked at an assisted living home or in a hospital?

Nope, but my dad was a psychiatrist, and worked in a nursing home. Also, I have spent tons of time with my grandfather, Sol Feldman, who inspired the character of Sol. My Grampa Sol was hospitalized for several days the week before I started writing NOTES, so my experiences with that world were very fresh when I was working on the book.

Without spoiling anything for those who haven't read the books, I will simply say that they are connected. Did you plan that before you started taking Notes?

I knew I wanted to do that, because I wanted some of the characters from the first book to come out and play with me again!

When you reach for a book written by someone else, what genre is it most likely to be?

Wow, I really read just about everything, including a ton of nonfiction for adults. But my most immediate literary mentors with regard to the comedy/drama balance are Frank McCourt and Kurt Vonnegut.

Your calendar is filled with author visits, mostly to middle schools. What have been some of the most rewarding experiences you've had during these visits?

I have really felt blessed by everything that's happened during each of my school visits -- schools tend to treat visiting authors exceptionally well. Schools have made huge quilts, with each student illustrating a panel based on scenes from my books. I've had banners draped across the fronts of schools, marching bands, cheerleaders, lawn-gnome displays -- you name it. But my favorite moments have consistently come when siblings of children with medical issues have approached me to say that DRUMS has helped them to feel they aren't alone.

Oh, I also really like when schools give me a school t-shirt, size XL. I'm developing quite a cool collection!

What are your ten favorite books?

Yikes, tough question. But I'd say:

The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling
Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt
Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand (Technically this is a play, but I have to include it anyway)
For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway
Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut
Galapagos, Kurt Vonnegut
Bluebeard, Kurt Vonnegut
Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer
Desolation Angels, Jack Kerouac / The Dharma Bums, Jack Kerouac

SBBT Schedule for Monday, June 18th
Laura Ruby at Writing and Ruminating
Tom & Dorothy Hoobler at Chasing Ray
Mitali Perkins at Big A, little a
Sara Zarr at Interactive Reader
Jordan Sonnenblick at Bildungsroman

Jordan Sonnenblick's SBBT Schedule
Monday, June 18th: Bildungsroman
Wednesday, June 20th: Writing and Ruminating
Thursday, June 21st: Jen Robinson's Book Page

Today, I’m fortunate to have an interview with Laura Ruby, author of Lily’s Ghosts, The Wall and the Wing, and The Chaos King for middle grade readers, Good Girls for young adults, and I’m Not Julia Roberts for the grown-up market. In addition to writing books, Laura keeps an occasional blog at her website, and has written additional short fiction for adults, published in various literary periodicals. Laura has a terrific bio on her website as well, which is as good a place as any to get to know a bit about her.

My interview focused on Laura’s middle grade fiction, with a slight detour into the world of book challenges in the case of her first book, Lily’s Ghosts.



1. Your first children's book, LILY'S GHOSTS, is set in an old house in Cape May, New Jersey. It begins with Lily and her mother moving to Cape May (the most recent of a number of moves), and with a twinge of a possible love interest, and then moves into a ghost story as we meet various ghosts in the house, and then it becomes quite a mystery -- with a rather serious, potentially fatal, twist at the end.

Was the book always intended to have the overarching real-life mystery involving Lily's Uncle Wes and the quest for treasure?

I knew it would have a mystery at its heart, and I knew that Lily's antagonists would include humans as well as well as ghosts, but I had no idea when I began that treasure might be involved, the kind of treasure involved, or what role Uncle Wes would have. I had to write numerous versions and many, many, many outlines before I had the whole story.



In a really weird turn of events, Lily's Ghosts was challenged in some parts of Florida, apparently for being a ghost story. My understanding is also that some folks were particularly concerned because one of the ghosts was a suicide. In an interview with Cynthia Leitich-Smith, you indicated that you had sent correspondence and copies of The Wall and the Wing to the concerned school districts. Did you get any response? Would you care to comment here on the entire challenge issue?

The story: Lily's Ghosts appeared on the 2006-2007 Sunshine State Award Lists -- one for elementary school and one for middle school. These lists are book recommendations chosen by Florida librarians and used in schools throughout the state. One day, I was contacted by a friend who'd heard some rumblings about challenges to my book. This totally floored me, as it had been out for more than three years with no such issues whatsoever. After that, supportive parents got in touch to tell me that, apparently, school officials in a few counties decided my book and two others weren't "appropriate" for the elementary school kids after receiving some complaints.

For a while, there was much scrambling: the Sunshine State List was removed from certain websites, alternate books were offered in place of mine and the others, etc. I was worried that Lily would be removed from school libraries or taken off the Sunshine State List. (It wasn't). But here's the thing: I still have no idea why Lily's Ghosts was challenged in those counties, because the authorities involved refused to give any specific reasons. Even the official inter-school memo didn't specify a reason beyond the general "inappropriate for kids" thing, nor did it give a reason for the challenges to the two other books: Attack of the Mutant Underwear [by Tom Birdseye] and My Brother's Hero [by Adrian Fogelin]. They have issues with underwear? With heroes? I mean, who complained about these books exactly? What was the nature of their complaints? And how many complaints were there?

But the lack of specific information didn't stop a reporter at a Florida paper from furnishing his own guesses as to the reasons why our books were challenged. One of his theories about Lily's banning was this thing with suicide. When I read that, I was really annoyed. Firstly, because the official interviewed for the article wouldn't specify any passage or part of Lily that she considered questionable (uh, okay). Secondly, because my book has five major ghosts and a bunch of others parading through it, all them decades if not centuries dead from various causes. To my mind, Lily's Ghosts is no more a book about suicide than Harry Potter is a book about murder. Thirdly, because I didn't think reporters were supposed to invent things.

I conferred with other two authors and they were just as puzzled as I was over this whole situation. Lily's Ghosts was an Edgar Award nominee, a Parent's Choice Silver Honor Award winner, one of the Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best, etc. and now it's "inappropriate for kids"? I was angry until I realized I was in excellent company. So many amazing books have been challenged: To Kill a Mockingbird, Bridge to Terabithia, and The Giver to name just a few.

So, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Tampa Tribune to give my opinion on the issue and to question the reporter's theories. (My letter never appeared. Interesting). Next, I wrote to school officials and sent signed copies of my next book, The Wall and the Wing (which has no ghosts, but does have a "talking" hand). I never received any response there, either.

While I feel for school officials and teachers who have to find books to please large populations of children (and their parents!), I'm concerned about the way this situation was handled -- shrouded in mystery. The books on the Sunshine State lists were not required reading, simply recommendations, so what's the issue here?

No single book is going to be right for every single person — this is a given. If you find a title that doesn't work for you or for your child, ask for another book. This is exactly what my sister-in-law, a Jehovah's Witness, does for her children. She has never had a problem, nor has she ever felt the need to have a book banned from a classroom, book list or library. In other words, she feels she has the right to decide what's appropriate for her own family, not everyone else's.

The whole experience did lead me to do my one and only podcast on the issue focusing in on Teen Read Week: http://brainlint.podbus.com/TeenReadWeek2.mp3



2. THE WALL AND THE WING was one of my favorite books in 2006. I should tell you that I'm usually skeptical about "big claims" for books -- like that W&W is "an authentic American fantasy" -- but in this case, it was all true.

Thank you!

a) The Wall and the Wing is set in an alternate New York City, one in which most people can fly, at least a little bit. The main character, "Gurl," has been confined in a horrible orphanage; she is a non-flyer, or "leadfoot", who has the secret power to make herself invisible. The plot is based on a question from "would you rather" -- would you rather have the power to fly or the power to be invisible? Of the two, which would you pick?

I've asked so many people this question and most say they'd rather fly -- apparently everyone in the universe has had these amazing flying dreams. I never had those dreams. I'm much more interested in discovering secrets (and not being discovered discovering them). But I think that the "would you rather have the power to fly or the power to be invisible" is an introvert/extrovert question. I've been asking it for years, and it's usually the extroverts in the group who want to fly and the introverts who want to be invisible. Gurl's invisibility is a metaphor for the shy, different kid who is shunned or forgotten.

b) In this alternate reality, cats are scarce. Gurl finds a cat that she names Noodle, who has the ability to calm Gurl with her purring. When Noodle purrs, Gurl hears a riddle in her mind "If a tree falls in the forest . . . " Your blog indicates that you have a penchant for cats yourself.

1) Are either of your cats riddles? If so, what riddle are they?

Noodle is actually based on my cat Izzy, who is unbelievably smart and talkative for a cat. She's also mesmerizing in the way I describe Noodle in the book; when I pet her and she starts to purr, I relax. Thing is, I'm the only one who can pet her; she won't go to anyone else in my family. For the longest time, they wouldn't believe me when I told them that she would sit on my lap while I worked, etc. Izzy's riddle is Noodle's: If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around, does it make a sound?

2) Why are cats so rare in the alternate NYC?

I figured that people who could fly would want pets who could fly as well -- that means far more birds than cats. And since cats are the natural enemies of birds, city-dwellers simply wouldn't own them and they wouldn't want them around. So, naturally, cats would be very rare indeed.

c) Were the giant red-eyed rat men in The Wall and the Wing merely an exaggeration of the sewer rats in the current version of the city, or were they the result of the scarcity of cats in the alternate one?

The giant rat men were actually based on a gang called The Sewer Rats of Satan that I read about while doing my research on the history of New York City. I decided to make them real rats rather than people calling themselves rats. Because what's a good fantasy without a giant rat man who loves kittens?

d) The villain in the book -- Sweetcheeks Grabowski -- runs a gang not unlike that depicted in the movie The Gangs of New York. Is his character based on any actual crime figure?

Sweetcheeks is an amalgam of crime figures I read about in books like Gangs of New York, Gotham, and others, made more modern -- and funnier, I think -- with his unique history as a diaper model. On the other hand, Billy Goat Barbie, Mrs. Terwiliger's mom, is based on an actual female gangster who actually used to head-butt her victims before snatching their valuables.

e) Monkeys play an important part in the book. In particular, hypnotic mechanical toy monkeys who take people's secrets and memories. Where did that idea come from?

I was writing and these words suddenly came into my head: "MONKEY CHOW!" I have NO idea why. And I realized that I desperately wanted a reason to have someone say "MONKEY CHOW!" in my novel. Thus, the monkeys were born.

f) The key relationship in The Wall and the Wing is the developing friendship between Gurl and Bug, a boy at the orphanage who doesn't remember anything about his past either. Their relationship is built out of necessity, first in rebellion against Mrs. Terwilliger, the evil headmistress of the school who is blackmailing Gurl into a life a crime, and then against a host of other players, including Sweetcheeks Grabowski, but the relationship itself develops very realistically.

In the story, Gurl's true identity is really her destination -- a place she's trying to get to -- whereas Bug's true identity is really his point of departure -- where he's trying to escape from. Was that a conscious decision on your part, or did it just evolve that way? What lessons about the nature of identity does it hold for readers?

The story just evolved that way. That said, a friend of mine just told me yesterday that she believes all my books -- the mystery, the fantasies, and the realistic novels -- have one thing in common: they're all about the breaking and reconfiguring of families. And she's right. Though I may not set out to write about this subject, it keeps cropping up for me, probably because I come from a family that changed drastically through divorce and abandonment. Whether I like it or not, I've been shaped by those events but I hope I'm not doomed by them. We can become the people we want to be because of our beginnings, or we can develop in spite of them. Mostly, it's a bit of both.

g) The true key to the alternate universe is the Professor, an absent-minded inventor with grass instead of hair who wears women's housecoats and has pocketsful of kittens. How did you conceive of him? And how is his longevity explained?

I wanted a sort of sage character in my story, but I wanted my sage to be a bit different than, say, Albus Dumbledore or Gandalf of Lord of the Rings. I wanted a quirky, cranky old guy more of a scientist than a magician (though a bit of both), and more fallible than those types of characters in other fantasies. In other words, he makes mistakes. He doesn't like people. He's not interested in being in anyone's mentor, or even being nice. But as soon as I started to write him, the really quirky stuff started to appear -- the kittens in his pockets, the grass for hair, and his amazing Answer Hand.

As for his longevity, I think it's pure stubbornness.

h) One of my favorite characters in The Wall and the Wing is Jules, a "personal assistant" -- essentially a guardian angel. Where can I get one, please?

I'm the first in line!



3. THE CHAOS KING is the sequel to The Wall and the Wing. Some, but not all, of the characters (or character types) return from The Wall and the Wing. Gurl, now Georgie, is with her parents and Noodle the cat, Bug is a huge sports star who lives alone, and the Professor is in trouble, having been swept out to sea.

a) New characters include Agnes, the cook for the Richest Family in the World (including Georgie), who is actually another personal assistant. I suspect that many children will like the idea of an adult supervisor who doesn't seem to judge them the way that a parent would, but who will act to protect them if need be. How did you come up with Agnes (and with Jules)?

Believe it or not, by watching tons of What Not to Wear. I love that show. I love that people come on the show harried, depressed, lacking in confidence, hating their bodies etc., and the hosts aren't there to analyze how or why they got that way, to get them in touch with their feelings or whatever. They’re not there to diagnose them or judge anything beyond the bad mommy jeans the guests have swaddled themselves in. All the hosts want to do is teach them how to dress and send them on their way. When I thought that Gurl was a bit too alone and maybe needed a guardian angel, I tried to imagine what an American version of a guardian angel might look like. Voila, Jules.

b) Another new character is Dietrich, who is a doorman at Georgie's building, but turns out to be far more powerful than initially suspected. He's no personal assistant -- he's in charge of a particularly powerful organization: The New York City Public Library. "Facts" about the library, including the use of actors in suits to replicate the stone lions outside, are sprinkled throughout the book, and the building itself figures quite prominently in the story. a) Why did you decide to make the library -- and in particular, the director of the library -- so powerful, not just over books, but over ideas?

I'm a writer and when I'm not writing, I'm reading. Books are everything (or nearly everything). Made sense to me that the library would be the most happening place in the city, and the guy in control of it would basically control the flow of ideas.

c) Did you do on-site research into the NYC Public Library and, if so, are there actually secret passageways and tunnels? Books that can kill you?

I did spend some time at the NY Public Library, but I'm not aware of any secret passageways (though I would be disappointed to hear that there aren't any). As for books that can kill you, well, ideas are powerful things, no?

d) This book does not have any rat men or gangsters in it, but it does feature a Punk (one of the types of characters found in The Wall and the Wing). Rather than calling himself "Sid," which is what all male punks are named, this one is "Mandelbrot," based on a mathematician specializing in chaos theory. How much do you actually understand chaos theory,

um, barely.

and how hard was it to apply to a middle grade children's book?

Not that hard, actually, considering how little I understand it. Basically, I was interested in mess and messiness. I'm a messy person. My husband is a neat and tidy person. My messiness drives him crazy, so he often "helps" to clean it up by building me shelves or filing cabinets or Excel spreadsheets. (He's a lot nicer than Mr. Fuss, the guy in charge of city clean up in Chaos King). I thought it would be cool if there was actually a person in charge of city clean up-- not physical clean-up per se, but the clean-up of problems that occur when the city's magic gets out of control. (I've tried to convince my husband that the piles of papers in my office is really due to my magic getting out of control but he's not buying it).

e) In addition to the Punk, the book includes vampires and crows. I liked your contribution to the mythology of vampires, including a penchant for counting.

Can you tell me a bit more about what crows are?

I did some research into vampire mythology, and found that in Eastern European lore, it was said that poppy seeds laid by grave sites would ward off vampires, who would be so distracted counting the seeds they would forget to disturb the dead. I loved that. I also love poppy-seed bagels, and the two ideas came together so very nicely.

As for the crows, well, I ended The Wall and the Wing with a crow, so when I started to do the sequel I realized that the crows would have to be special, more than they seem. So I researched crow behavior to get inspired. They're very smart, exceedingly curious birds who are also very social and hang out in large groups. And don't you think crows always look as if they were watching you? (Okay, maybe I'm just paranoid.) Anyway, I took the phrase "Old Crow", a derogatory term for an old woman and tried to turn it into into something fabulous. Mrs. Verona was born, along with her book group of "old crows".

f) In this book, Georgie and Bug start out separately but come together to work out what's going on in the world around them, which seems to include a number of fossils inexplicably come to life. I really enjoyed seeing their relationship moving forward, even in their "new" post-orphanage lives. Was it a challenge to write about the awkwardness of being a tween/early teen finding new ground in a relationship?

It wasn't a challenge to write about it, it was a challenge to figure out that this is what the story needed. I'd never written a sequel before; it took me a while to understand that I not only needed a whole new plot, but a new emotional driver for the story.

g) Hewitt Elder is a bit of a conundrum in this book -- she's the one girl at school who is nice to Georgie, but she's also a complete loner, who achieved fame as a poet when quite young, only to turn her back on it. Hewitt particularly enjoys her time volunteering at the New York City Public Library, especially when she can be alone after hours. I know you've written fiction for adults (including I'm Not Julia Roberts) and young adults (Good Girls) -- do you also write poetry?

I wrote a ton of very bad, dark poetry in high school, so I had a good time writing Hewitt's poems.

h) And, in a Hewitt-related question, were you ever a librarian or library assistant?

Yep. My very first job was as a library page at the Wayne Public Library in New Jersey.

4. Do you have a favorite library (and why)?

I like my own library cause almost all my favorite books are here. Plus, my cats sleep in the shelves. No library is complete without cats.

5. What's next?

For me? Well, I've got a few more contemporary YA novels coming out, but after that I'd like to do an adult book and maybe some more fantasy. (But if you ask me in an hour, I might have a different answer).

Speed round:

Cheese or chocolate? Cheese.

Coffee or tea? COFFEE!!!

Cats or dogs? Cats.

Favorite color? Red.

Favorite snack food? Pirate's Booty.

Favorite ice cream? Vanilla.

Water or soda? Soda (unfortunately).

What's in your CD player/on iTunes right now? A Girl in Trouble is a Temporary Thing (Romeo Void).

What's the last movie you memorized lines from? I memorized lines from Pride & Prejudice (1995). Not on purpose, but only because I watched it 43243853409225945043945 times.

Want more Laura? Additional interviews with Laura will be available later this week – on Wednesday, you can find Liz’s interview with her over at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy, and on Thursday, you can read Gayle & Trisha’s interview with her on their joint blog, The YA YA Yas.

Further information about the SBBT:
Don’t forget to check out yesterday’s exclusive interview with Gene Yang over at Finding Wonderland.

Other interviews available today:

Tom & Dorothy Hoobler by Colleen Mondor at Chasing Ray
Mitali Perkins by Kelly Herold at Big A, little a
Sara Zarr by Jackie at interactivereader
Justina Chen Headley by Vivian at Hip Writer Mama
Justine Larbelestier by Liz at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Dana Reinhardt by Kimberly at lectitans
Brent Hartinger by Eisha & Jules at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Jordan Sonnenblick by Little Willow at Bildungsroman
Ysabeau Wilce by Tanita at Finding Wonderland

The Summer Blog Blast Tour starts at Tea Cozy with Justine Larbalestier!

Justine is the author of the Magic Or Madness Trilogy, Magic Or Madness, Magic's Child, and Magic Lessons. Magic Or Madness begins with Reason, 15, on the way to her grandmother's house... plotting how to escape, reminding herself not to eat the food lest she be poisoned. Reason's mother, Sarafina, has taught her well: stay away from Esmeralda. The two have spent their whole lives running from the woman. But now Sarafina is hospitalized, Reason is in Esmeralda's home, and Reason is about to find out: magic is real.

Magic or Madness recently won the Andre Norton Award. Justine blogs, where, among other things, she addresses the age old question: zombies or unicorns?

On to the interview!

Liz B: I love how the magic in "Magic or Madness" is treated as something real. It's not an instant cure for things; and it has real consequences. How much of the rules and science of magic as it exists in your trilogy did you plot out before writing "Magic or Madness"?

Justine: I knew the central conundrum from the beginning: use your magic and die early; don't use it and go mad. The rest fell into place (*cough*) as I wrote.

Liz B: Once you established your rules and 'verse in Book One, did that impact your writing of "Magic Lessons" (book two) and "Magic's Child" (book three)?

Justine: Yes! I had an outline for the three books. Magic or Madness more or less followed it, but Magic Lessons went right off the rails, and then Magic's Child bears no resemblance at all to the original outline. I'm very impressed by writers who are able to stay faithful to outlines. My books are much more recalcitrant than that. They keep twisting and changing as I write. I work a great deal out on paper which means loads and loads and loads of rewriting.

Liz B: Did you have any moments in the later books when you thought, "oh, I wish I could revise "Magic or Madness" in order to do x or y in this book"? (As a total aside, I think I freaked out a YA writer when I said something similar to her...she's writing a series and the first one is published, and I wondered, what if you get to book 3 and realize the main character should have had an older brother?)

Justine: I was able to go back and make changes to Magic or Madness while I wrote the first draft of Magic Lessons. It was fabulous! Unfortunately, I was so late with Magic's Child that it wasn't possible to change Magic Lessons to fit. Instead I had to make Magic's Child fit the first two books. Which, yes, was maddening. If I ever write another trilogy (which I have taken a sacred vow---along with Libba Bray---not to do) I will write all three books first and then sell them.

Liz B: You travel so much that I get jet lag from reading your blog. How does having multiple homes, and traveling, impact your stories?

Justine: I thought you were going to say "impact my life" and then I was going to start crying. :-) It might look glamorous from the outside but it is chaotic and insane from the inside. It would be so lovely never to get on another plane again. I do love seeing other parts of the world though. I'd go back to Buenos Aires in a heart beat. I just wish I could teleport there.

One obvious impact of travel is that I get to write about places other than Sydney. I'm one of those writers who needs to have visited a place in order to write about it. The more places I spend time in the broader my range of settings. Of course, there's no where on Earth I can write about as easily as I can about Sydney.

Travelling also forces a writer (or anyone else) to see that there are many more ways of being in the world than just what you've grown up with. I truly believe travelling broadens the mind. Think of how much more amazing Emily Dickinson's work would have been if she'd gotten out some. Of course, there are some people who manage to travel without learning a thing about themselves or anyone else. Don't know how they do it.

Liz B: You won the Andre Norton Award for "Magic or Madness", and Printz Honors have gone to books by Australians Marcus Zusak, Sonya Hartnett and Margo Lanagan. Are Australian writers plotting to take over the world? Seriously, though, how are the markets and audience for YA books different between Australia and the United States?

Justine: Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi! I yelled that out at Markus when he was giving a speech at BEA but I don't think he heard me. Le sigh. I am absolutely astonished by the quality of writing at home. Ursula Dubosarsky is astonishingly good as is Jaclyn Moriarty, Simmone Howell, Randa Abdel-Fattah, Melina Marchetta and Garth Nix. And then there's writers like Scot Gardner who haven't been discovered in the US yet. Wait till he and all the other geniuses back home start publishing in the USA. Then you'll see a total takeover.

Liz B: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and we can pretend that most of Season 7 never happened.) Favorite character?

Justine: Oz and Faith.

Liz B: Favorite episode?

Justine: "Once More with Feeling" (the musical episode)

Liz B: Favorite quote?

Justine: Xander: "I'm a 17 year old boy: looking at linoleum makes me want to have sex."

Justine, thank you very much!

Want more? Justine will be at Big A, little a on Thursday and HipWriterMama on Friday.

On a final note, let me add that I've had the pleasure of meeting Justine twice. During the past New Jersey Library Association Conference, and at ALA in New Orleans.

Please visit the other Monday stops on the SBBT (Summer Blog Blast Tour):

Tom & Dorothy Hoobler at Chasing Ray
Mitali Perkins at Big A, Little a
Sara Zarr at Interactive Reader
Justina Chen Headley at Hip Writer Mama
Dana Reinhardt at lectitans
Brent Hartinger at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Laura Ruby at Writing and Ruminating
Jordan Sonnenblick by Bildungsroman
Ysabeau Wilce at Finding Wonderland

The Summer Blog Blast Tour has begun, with the first interview appearing on its own today. Check out today's interview with Gene Yang at Finding Wonderland.

You can find the entire schedule here at Chasing Ray. I have the pleasure of hosting Mitali Perkins here tomorrow!