Carol Larese Millward

This week, we’re celebrating Carol Larese Millward’s debut! Carol Larese Millward is a writer who for several years was a family advocate and parent educator working with teen parents through Family Support and Education Centers, and made in-home visits to teach life skills and best parenting practices to young parents. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and lives in Maryland with her husband and two cats. STAR IN THE MIDDLE is her debut novel.

Here’s a little bit about STAR IN THE MIDDLE (WestSide Books).

At sixteen, Star Peters is determined to keep her baby, but it is becoming increasingly more difficult each day. Instead of training for her high school’s cross-country team and preparing for her junior year, she is struggling to meet her baby’s needs, while trying to cope with painful, haunting secrets that she’s shared with no one. Wilson Fletcher, the baby’s father, someone Star had loved and trusted, won’t even acknowledge that the baby is his. To make things even more complicated, Star’s grandmother, concerned with her granddaughter’s struggles as a teen mother, is threatening to put Star in foster care and find adoptive parents for the baby. Star finds support from friends, especially Todd Ryan, a teen father caring for his infant daughter—and at a center she attends for teen parents. Wilson, at seventeen, is smart, athletic and popular. He just wants to get on with life, but he’s finding it difficult to forget about Star. As family and friends encourage Wil to accept his responsibility as a father, he begins to understand some important truths about the girl he can’t forget, himself, and what he believes to be true. In alternating chapters, Star and Wil voice their most intimate secrets, feelings, hopes and fears about themselves and their baby.

STAR IN THE MIDDLE by Carol Larese Millward

If you had to give your book a movie rating: G through Rated R, which one would you give and why?

PG 13. STAR IN THE MIDDLE deals with sensitive issues facing teens, and some scenes may be too intense for younger teens.

What topics, issues, or themes does your book address? What drove you to write about them?

While working with teen parents, I was often struck by the many layers that some of them had accumulated in their young lives — layers that may have attributed to their at-risk behaviors; and hampered them as they attempted to care for themselves and their babies. They often exhibited low self-esteem, which may have been the result of some trauma in their lives — and may have led them to make poor choices. It was important to me, after working with teen parents, to tell this story. I was both concerned about the glamorous way teen pregnancy was being portrayed in the media, and on the flip side, the very negative ways in which I heard people talk about teen parents. I truly enjoyed working with young parents – and continue to respect the resiliency and determination they showed as they tried to better their own lives and the lives of their children.

I was also responding to media reports, and what appears to me to be an increase in sexual abuse against our children. And, since research shows that sexual abuse is one indicator in increasing the chances of a teen becoming pregnant – I wanted to deal with that topic in this book as well.

I believe what makes STAR IN THE MIDDLE stand out is that both the young mother and father tell their stories in alternating chapters. I hope that it will be a teen pregnancy book that will appeal to both genders. I also hope that it will help young adults understand that believing and accepting stereotypes can lead to invalid assessments of others. My highest hope is that it will show that keeping dangerous secrets can be destructive.

Name three examples of readers who would identify or like your book.

• Any young adult who feels pressured to become sexually active.
• Any teen that believes becoming pregnant will make her life better, because she will have someone to love her.
• Any young adult who has been emotionally or sexually abused, and struggles with feelings of low self-esteem, and the fear of seeking help.

Some young adults give in to peer pressure and engage in risky sexual behaviors. I hope that reading about characters that wish they had waited will help teens think about the importance of this decision – and in the importance of protecting themselves against unplanned pregnancies and STD’s should they choose to become sexually active.

Some young women feel that having a baby to love and love them will solve their problems. I hope that young adults will see that although Star loved her baby, he didn’t make her life easier, and, in fact, complicated it in many more ways than not.

Children who have been emotionally and/or sexually abused often hide the abuse due to fear and shame. I hope the book will show the importance of seeking help and support.

List a few statistically improbable phrases or sentences one might find in your book. These are phrases or sentences you might never find anywhere else.

“Begging a baby to go to sleep is like begging your body to produce a period when it’s intent on producing a baby instead.” (Star, pg.9)

… “I’ve outgrown what you do in your diaper, but big guys crap things up in other ways. My advice, try to limit crapping things up to your diaper years. I mean it’s okay to smell like a toxic waste dump when you’re wearing diapers. Beyond that, it becomes very unattractive. There’s no hiding it. People notice.” (Wilson talking to his baby, pg. 159)

How can your book be used in the classroom?

WestSide Books has published a wonderful companion Teacher’s Guide with STAR IN THE MIDDLE. It is available through their website, and in addition to outlining basic themes, has many activities to both engage and challenge students – as well as support classroom teachers.

I believe the book can be used effectively with school Language Arts programs, health curriculums, programs for at-risk students, and school book clubs.

Now tell us about other already-published books that readers of your book might enjoy.

• Bechard, Margaret. Hanging on to Max. Simon & Schuster, New York. 2003.
• Dessen, Sarah. Someone Like You. Viking Juvenile, Penguin, New York. 1998.
• Pennebaker, Ruth. Don’t Think Twice. Henry Holt & Co., Macmillan, New York. 2001.

Now whet our appetites with a teaser.

“Grandma was really mad about the baby. Okay, so I screwed up, but I didn’t do it to mess with her. I was prepared for hollering, not crying. I could barely look at her snotty nose and her red eyes. Why’d she go and act like that anyway?”

Are you offering authors visits to schools, libraries, or other organizations?

Yes. My first book talk is scheduled for the end of January with the book club at Bel Air High School, Bel Air, MD.

Are you willing to speak nationally?

Yes.

List a few example titles of presentations, talks, or workshops you might give for an author visit.

• Empathy: Writer’s Gold
• Face to Face with Fictional Characters!
• Crossing the Finishing Line: Before it becomes a Stumbling Block

This concludes our interview with our latest author, CAROL LARESE MILLWARD. We wish her much success with her debut novel STAR IN THE MIDDLE. To see what Carol is up to these days, visit her website at http://www.carollaresemillward.com.

*GIVEAWAY ALERT* Carol is giving away a signed copy of STAR IN THE MIDDLE to a winner. Tell your friends and leave a comment for the author! Enter by March 16th, 2010 11:59 PM CST. (U.S. and Canadian residents only, please.)

Your email address will not be displayed publicly and will only be used to contact you if you win! And don’t forget to participate in our other AuthorsNow! giveaways.

Debra Sartell

This week, we’re celebrating Debra Sartell’s debut! Debra Sartell booked stand-up comedy before she began writing children’s picture books. After her son, Cole, was born she found inspiration for her work and many comical moments in parenting through the camera lens. Says Debra, “TIME FOR BED, BABY TED grew out of one of those snapshot moments of parenting exhaustion when Cole could’ve tucked my husband into bed!” She lives in California with her husband Darrell and their two lively children, Cole and Stella.

TIME FOR BED, BABY TED by Debra Sartell

Here’s a little bit about TIME FOR BED, BABY TED (Holiday House).

It’s time for bed, but where is baby Ted? He’s not baby Ted! Try and guess what he is instead. With a quack a snack, a cluck and a tuck, a loving father prepares his child for bedtime in this charming story.

If you had to give your book a movie rating: G through Rated R, which one would you give and why?

G It’s a going to bed book done in lively rhyme.

What topics, issues, or themes does your book address? What drove you to write about them?

TIME FOR BED, BABY TED, is a sweet rhythm and rhyme story of a father preparing his child, Ted for bed. Ted finds many ways to avoid going straight to bed, by playing an animal guessing game but through gentle patients and play Dad moves the bedtime ritual along until Ted has tucked himself into bed.

Name three examples of readers who would identify or like your book.

Any parent who has to get a child ready for bed will appreciate the bedtime rituals set-up in this book as well as fun and memorable rhyming phrases such as, “We’ll SNAP him up, WRAP him up and tuck him into bed.” Kay Chorao’s illustrations are exciting and vibrant.

List a few statistically improbable phrases or sentences one might find in your book. These are phrases or sentences you might never find anywhere else.

And he started Poke, POKE, POKING. “Ouch!” Dad said. “How do you put a baby porcupine to bed? VERY, VERY CAREFULLY!”

How can your book be used in the classroom?

To start a fun discussion about bedtime and routines. What do you do to get ready for bed? We read a story, brush our teeth, go to the bathroom and snuggle up for sleep. What time do you go to bed? How many hours are we awake in the day and how many hours do we sleep at night. Talk about sleeping and dreaming. Playing in your dreams at night and being rested enough to play out your dreams in the day.

Now tell us about other already-published books that readers of your book might enjoy.

Kay Chorao, the illustrator of TIME FOR BED, BABY TED has written and illustrated many books, a couple favorites are, “Pig and Crow,” and “Rosie to the Rescue.”

Now whet our appetites with a teaser.

“That’s the end of the story,” Dad said. “Come on, baby Ted, let’s get ready for bed.” But Ted crawled fast past Dad and said, “I’m not baby Ted. I can’t go to bed. Try and guess what I am instead.” And he started snap, SNAP, SNAPPING.

Are you offering authors visits to schools, libraries, or other organizations?

Yes, I think it would be fun to read my book on pajama day at schools. I would also love to do library readings and other organizations. At the end of each reading we will make a sleepytime potion to place under our pillows.

Are you willing to speak nationally?

Yes!

This concludes our interview with our latest author, DEBRA SARTELL. We wish her much success with her debut novel TIME FOR BED, BABY TED. To see what Debra is up to these days, visit her website at http://www.debrasartell.com or her blog at http://www.debrasartell.blogspot.com.

*GIVEAWAY ALERT* Debra is giving away a signed copy of TIME FOR BED, BABY TED to two winners. Tell your friends and leave a comment for the author! Enter by March 9th, 2010 11:59 PM CST. (U.S. and Canadian residents only, please.)

Your email address will not be displayed publicly and will only be used to contact you if you win! And don’t forget to participate in our other AuthorsNow! giveaways.

Amy Brecount White

This week, we’re celebrating Amy Brecount White’s debut! From ages 0 to 9, Amy moved every two or three years all over the country, which she likes to think made her adaptable and open to new places, people, and ideas.  She lived in San Francisco, Virginia Beach, Albuquerque, N.M., Lexington, K.Y., and Dayton, Ohio.  The library was one of the first places she found anywhere she arrived.  She’s always found a home in books.

It really never occurred to her that she could be a writer until she was in college.  She always thought she’d do something more “practical,” with a guaranteed salary.  (There are no guarantees in writing.)  When she ditched the practical by majoring in Great Books at the University of Notre Dame, she began to think about writing as a sideline.

Her first paid writing job was for a health newsletter in Charlottesville, Va., where she was earning an M.A. in English at the University of Virginia.  Her first published piece of writing was about … constipation.   No kidding.

Along the way, she’s taught English literature and writing to middle and high school students and won a teacher of the year award.  She’s written lots of articles – mainly for The Washington Post – about fun things to do in the greater Washington area.  She had also written a lot of essays about things she cares about, such as reading aloud to children and protecting the environment.

FORGET-HER-NOTS by Amy Brecount White

Here’s a little bit about FORGET-HER-NOTS (Greenwillow Books).

When someone leaves three mystery flowers outside her dorm door, Laurel thinks that maybe the Avondale School isn’t so awful after all — until her own body starts to freak out.  In the middle of her English presentation on the Victorian Language of Flowers, strange words pop into her head, and her body seems to tingle and hum.  Impulsively, Laurel gives the love bouquet she made to demonstrate the language to her spinster English teacher.  When that teacher unexpectedly and immediately finds romance, Laurel suspects that something — something magical — is up. With her new friend, Kate, she sets out to discover the origins and breadth of her powers by experimenting on herself and others.  But she can’t seem to find any living experts in the field of flower powers to guide her.  And her bouquets don’t always do her bidding, especially when it comes to her own crush, Justin.  Rumors about Laurel and her flowers fly across campus, and she’s soon besieged by requests from girls — both friends and enemies — who want their lives magically transformed — just in time for prom.

If you had to give your book a movie rating: G through Rated R, which one would you give and why?

PG-12. Kids younger than twelve will be put off by some of the poetry throughout the novel and might not appreciate the romance.

What topics, issues, or themes does your book address? What drove you to write about them?

Friendship, loss, memories, first love, and how to best use the gifts you’ve been given. My own life experiences mostly drove me. I wanted to write about things that I care about – but also have the book be a fun ride to take.

Name three examples of readers who would identify or like your book.

• Anyone ages 12 to 99 who loves flowers.
• Anyone ages 12 & up who likes literary fiction.
• Anyone ages 12 & up who likes an old-fashioned/ newfangled romance.

List a few statistically improbable phrases or sentences one might find in your book. These are phrases or sentences you might never find anywhere else.

• “Conservatories had always seemed like magical places to her.”
• “I feel like my whole body is humming when I’m with flowers.”
• “The honeyed fragrance swirled into her head and swept through her body, leaving a strange trail of lovely words she couldn’t help whispering to herself.”

How can your book be used in the classroom?

My novel explores the historical interaction of humans and flowers, including some Greek mythology, Shakespeare, and several poets. I use a variety of famous historical quotations about flowers as epigraphs for my chapters. I also highlight several historic flower ceremonies, such as a Maypole dance.

While it is fiction, the language of flowers was a real historic phenomenon, and many people still follow it in choosing what flowers or what color to send. Like my main character Laurel, who does a school project on the language of flowers, I think it would be fascinating for classes to explore how flowers are a part of our history and discuss why we include them at so many important and ceremonial occasions.

Now tell us about other already-published books that readers of your book might enjoy.

• Fans of Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle series will enjoy FORGET-HER-NOTS.
• Fans of Elizabeth Bunce’s A CURSE AS DARK AS GOLD will enjoy the magic realism details of FORGET-HER-NOTS.

Now whet our appetites with a teaser.

A flash on the brown carpet caught Laurel’s eye, and she jumped mid-step to keep from crushing it. “What the –“

Three bright flowers tied with a shiny silver ribbon lay just outside her dormitory door. Her chest fluttered with excitement as she bent to pick them up. There were two small white ones, a red one with a yellow center, and some feathery leaves. She looked both ways, but the hall was dim and empty.

She bit the inside of her lip. Pranking – according to her sophomore cousin, Rose – was one of the more popular hobbies on the campus of the Avondale School, outside Charlottesville, Virginia. Laurel listened for tell-tale giggles to break the silence, but all was still. And there was no note with the flowers.

Could a guy have left them? she wondered.

Are you offering authors visits to schools, libraries, or other organizations?

Yes, I’d love to do school, library, conservatory, botanical garden, and book group visits live or by Skype.

Are you willing to speak nationally?

Yes!

List a few example titles of presentations, talks, or workshops you might give for an author visit.

• As a former freelance journalist with more than 75 articles and essays published in THE WASHINGTON POST, I can speak to how to many any piece of writing better, including non-fiction essays (what most kids write) and fictional works
• As a former high school English teacher, I’m comfortable speaking about anything to do with literature, poetry, and how to engage a literary work
• As an avid gardener and amateur language-of-flowers researcher, I’d love to speak about the relationships between human beings and flowers throughout human history.

This concludes our interview with our latest author, AMY BRECOUNT WHITE. We wish her much success with her debut novel FORGET-HER-NOTS. To see what Amy  is up to these days, visit her website at http://www.amybrecountwhite.com or her twitter at http://www.twitter.com/amybrecountwhit.

*GIVEAWAY ALERT* Amy is giving away a signed copy of FORGET-HER-NOTS to a winner and a $10 gift card to Borders to two winners. Tell your friends and leave a comment for the author! Enter by March 9th, 2010 11:59 PM CST. (U.S. and Canadian residents only, please.)

Your email address will not be displayed publicly and will only be used to contact you if you win! And don’t forget to participate in our other AuthorsNow! giveaways.

Suzanne Morgan Williams

This week, we’re celebrating Suzanne Morgan Williams’ debut! Suzanne Morgan Williams is the author of Bull Rider, her first novel, and ten nonfiction books for children including Made in China, Ideas and Inventions from Ancient China (Pacific View Press, 1997), The Inuit, (Franklin Watts, 2003) and the award winning Pinatas and Smiling Skeletions (Harris and Williams, Pacific View Press, 1999.) Suzanne is a Nevada Writer in Residence, has won grants from Sierra Arts Foundation and Nevada Arts Council and is Co-Regional Advisor of Nevada Region of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Her research and speaking regularly takes her into the classrooms, museums and communities from her home in Nevada across the US and Canada, from Mexico to the Arctic.

Here’s a little bit about BULL RIDER (Margaret K. McElderry).

Bull Rider is an upper middle grade novel (ages ten to fourteen) about how one boy and his family deal with the loss and grief brought on by war. Fourteen year old Cam O’Mara is a ranch kid from the sage brush country of central Nevada. He is a skateboarder, not a champion bull rider like his brother Ben, but when Ben joins the Marines and is seriously injured in Iraq, Cam turns to his family traditions and in particular bull riding to overcome his grief and to give his brother hope for a new life.

As of December, 2009, Bull Rider has been nominated for YALSA’s Best of Books YA for 2010, was selected for both the Texas Library Association’s Lone Star and Tayshas Book Lists, 2010, and has been nominated for the Nevada Young Reader Award 2011. It represented Nevada at the National Book Festival in Washington D.C in 2008, and is a Junior Library Guild Selection. Bull Rider will be available in paperback in 2010.

BULL RIDER by Suzanne Morgan Williams

If you had to give your book a movie rating: G through Rated R, which one would you give and why?

OK, the book is so G rated – no sex, no drugs, no swearing even. But the content is important – loyalty between brothers, the true cost of war. Bull Rider is a G Rated read with a subject that will engage readers from ten to adult.

What topics, issues, or themes does your book address? What drove you to write about them?

If I had to give a one sentence summary, Bull Rider is about what it means to be a good man. It addresses family relationships, particularly between brothers, and it also speaks to the human cost of war. This war piece of the book was not central when I started writing. The family piece was. I loved my brothers and sisters when I was growing up and it was natural to write about that relationship. I didn’t start out to write about war injuries but the idea that Ben would be hurt in the Iraq War kept coming back to me. Once I decided to really explore that, I knew I would have to learn enough to make the presentation honest.

Name three examples of readers who would identify or like your book.

Readers who might love Bull Rider could include a 12 year old rodeo fan or horse lover, veterans, military personnel and any of their family members, anyone who’s watched a loved one struggle with losing capabilities and control over his own world.

List a few statistically improbable phrases or sentences one might find in your book. These are phrases or sentences you might never find anywhere else.

• The stars seemed close enough to grab
• He did a rock and roll with a 180 kickturn.
• Strings of slobber hung from his lips.
• I made my own prayer – the kind of thing you don’t share out loud.

How can your book be used in the classroom?

BULL RIDER raises questions about the cost of war, about what things are ok to do if you have a really good motive, about how veterans are taken care of, of what siblings mean to each other etc. For lots of ideas about using Bull Rider in the classroom, see my website www.suzannemorganwilliams.com and go to “for teachers.” There is a teacher’s guide available there.

Now tell us about other already-published books that readers of your book might enjoy.

Two excellent books that address the same subject are Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry and Operation Yes by Sara Holmes. BULL RIDER fans might also like When the Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton, Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe, or the Everest series by Gordon Korman.

Now whet our appetites with a teaser.

Folks in Salt Lick say I couldn’t shake bull riding if I tried. It’s in my blood, my family. Around here, any guy named Cam O’Mara should be a bull rider. But if you’ve ever looked a sixteen-hundred-pound bucking bull in the eye and thought about holding on to his back with a stiff rawhide handle, some pine tar, and a prayer, well, you’d know why I favored skateboarding.

Are you offering authors visits to schools, libraries, or other organizations?

Yes, I enjoy doing school and library visits and also speak to writers groups, teachers, and librarians. Information is on my website www.suzannemorganwilliams.com go to “Author Visits.”

Are you willing to speak nationally?

Oh yes. I’ve been to thirteen states and Canada since BULL RIDER’s release in February 2009.

List a few example titles of presentations, talks, or workshops you might give for an author visit.

• Facts and Fiction – blending research and story
• BULL RIDER Start to Finish
• Writing the West – an interactive presentation

This concludes our interview with our latest author, SUZANNE MORGAN WILLIAMS. We wish her much success with her debut novel BULL RIDER. To see what Suzanne  is up to these days, visit her website at http://www.suzannemorganwilliams.com or her blog at http://www.suzannemorganwilliams.blogspot.com.

*GIVEAWAY ALERT* Suzanne is giving away a signed copy of BULL RIDER. Tell your friends and leave a comment for the author! Enter by March 3rd, 2010 11:59 PM CST. (U.S. and Canadian residents only, please.)

Your email address will not be displayed publicly and will only be used to contact you if you win! And don’t forget to participate in our other AuthorsNow! giveaways.

WHO: US/Canada residents at least 13 years old

WHEN: Thru Feb. 14, 2010 (midnight)

WHERE: Just leave a comment here, giving a shout-out to someone you love:  http://community.livejournal.com/classof2k10/6516.html

Angela Morrison

This week, we’re celebrating Angela Morrison’s debut! Angela Morrison grew up on the wheat farm in Washington where TAKEN BY STORM is set. She graduated from Brigham Young University and holds a Master’s of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. She and her husband recently returned to Arizona after eleven years abroad in Canada, Switzerland, and Singapore. They have four children and the most beautiful grandson in existence.

Here’s a little bit about TAKEN BY STORM (Razorbill).

Seventeen-year-old Leesie Hunt has rules: No making out. No sex. And definitely no falling for a non-Mormon. She pours all her passion into poetry, thoughts of escaping her tiny town and getting into her dream school, BYU.

Then scuba diver Michael Walden arrives in Tekoa and everything changes. He survived a storm that took his parents’ lives, and the world as he knew it.

Leesie and Michael couldn’t be more different. His dreams are tied to the depths of the ocean and hers to salvation above. Yet they are drawn to each other, even when jealousy, unbearable rules, and haunting memories threaten to tear them apart.

Michael is drowning in tragedy, and Leesie knows it’s up to her to save him. Somehow. But when temptation becomes too strong to resist, who is going to save her?

TAKEN BY STORM by by Angela Morrison

If you had to give your book a movie rating: G through Rated R, which one would you give and why?

PG-13. In my novels, readers will find a frank discussion of teen sexuality, lots of great kissing scenes, but nothing explicit. And no vulgar language. Penguin rated it for readers 12 and up.

What topics, issues, or themes does your book address? What drove you to write about them?

Several years ago, my husband and I were scuba diving off the coast of Cozumel, Mexico. Halfway through the trip the weather turned nasty. Dark skies. Rain. We still dove. Darker than usual, but nothing stops divers.

In between dives, we huddled on the boat getting rained on. To the south of us, a thick band of wicked clouds blocked up the sky. A newsy guy informed us our rain and those clouds were what was left of a hurricane that had just hit Belize. He told us the hurricane capsized a boatload of divers and most of them drowned. None of us believed him. Divers don’t drown. He insisted–and he was right. A large live-aboard yacht docked in what they thought was a safe port. They were wrong.

Over the next several months, I followed the story closely. I found news articles on the internet and watched the memorial grow on the website of the dive club who chartered the boat and lost so many. I felt a kinship with those dead divers. The clouds that killed them rained on me, too.

I began asking myself, “what if?” What if the only survivor of a similar fictional accident was a guy whose parents drowned? How did he survive? What happened to him after? Who would he live with now? Where would he go?

And, most important, who would love him?

When I started my MFA, Michael’s voice emerged during a free-write. I stirred around the pieces of my life in my memory, and picked up my Grandmother’s house in my tiny hometown. I sent Michael there and introduced him to the only Mormon girl in town who was living in my old farmhouse. They started talking in my head all time. I scribbled as fast as I could to keep up. It’s really their story, not mine.

What I did was revise, revise, revise–with the help of my MFA advisors, critique pals, editors who rejected me, and at last the editor who fell in love with Michael and Leesie just like I did.

TAKEN BY STORM deals with several subjects vital to teens—loss, grief, suicide, intimacy, love, faith and spirituality. On the very basic level, it explores the human need we all have to help someone who is suffering and the love that develops when we give of ourselves.

Leesie is a unique character in trade YA. She is the only authentic, faithful Mormon girl created by an insider—a Mormon author who knows what she’s talking about. Readers curious about Mormons will become intimate with Leesie and experience what it’s like to be part of an often misunderstood and misrepresented religion.

Name three examples of readers who would identify or like your book.

• Teen girls (and their moms) who like to cry over a good love story.
• Anyone curious about scuba diving or Mormonism.
• Anyone who has lost a loved one.

List a few statistically improbable phrases or sentences one might find in your book. These are phrases or sentences you might never find anywhere else.

staring chick
pants quilt
sweet banana mango shampoo

How can your book be used in the classroom?

The story unwinds through Michael’s dive log journal entries, poems from Leesie’s “Most Private Chapbook,” and internet chats. This collage format makes the text accessible and enjoyable for readers at all levels of achievement. Creative writing teachers can use Leesie’s poems as springboards for their students own free verse narrative poems and Michael’s entries to inspire journal writing.

TAKEN BY STORM is a classic tale of star-crossed lovers. Students studying Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” will enjoy comparing the subtleties of a modern story with the bard’s classic drama.

In homes, classrooms, and reading groups, TAKEN BY STORM can stimulate deep felt discussions, opening up areas teens and adults are often uneasy about discussing.

Now tell us about other already-published books that readers of your book might enjoy.

• Young adult fans who enjoy TAKEN BY STORM will love exploring the Norma Fox Mazer’s classic YA novels like After the Rain and Silver.
• Several reviewers have noted that TAKEN BY STORM has the same “romantic chords” as Stephanie Meyers Twilight saga.
• Penguin advises that readers who enjoy Nicholas Sparks’ Walk to Remember or The Notebook will find a similar tragic love story in TAKEN BY STORM.

Now whet our appetites with a teaser.

The world spins, the stars shift,
and I can’t see anything except his smoky
gray eyes gazing into mine.

You scare me, whispers
from my mouth across his

Good, he breathes into me.
I need you to save me.

Are you offering authors visits to schools, libraries, or other organizations?

Yes.

Are you willing to speak nationally?

Yes.

List a few example titles of presentations, talks, or workshops you might give for an author visit.

• Write What you Know
• From Faith to Fiction
• Revision: A Workshop

This concludes our interview with our latest author, ANGELA MORRISON. We wish her much success with her novel TAKEN BY STORM. To see what Angela  is up to these days, visit her website at http://www.angela-morrison.com.

*GIVEAWAY ALERT* Angela is giving away a signed copy of TAKEN BY STORM to two winners. Tell your friends and leave a comment for the author! Enter by February 9th, 2010 11:59 PM CST. (U.S. and Canadian residents only, please.)

Your email address will not be displayed publicly and will only be used to contact you if you win! And don’t forget to participate in our other AuthorsNow! giveaways.

What: Win one of two copies of The Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate by Donna St. Cyr

When: TODAY

How: Leave a comment or question on St. Cyr’s interview with the Teens Read Too Book Club Blog.

Jean Reagan

This week, we’re celebrating Jean Reagan’s debut! Jean Reagan lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband, Peter, and daughter, Jane. Their beloved son and brother, John, died in 2005. Born in Alabama, Jean spent most of her childhood in Japan. Since graduating from Earlham College, she has worked as a community organizer, a union activist, and a writer. She cherishes her years as a full-time mother when she also worked at her children’s public school, the Open Classroom. In the summers, her family lives in a tiny, remote cabin in Grand Teton National Park where she and Peter serve as backcountry rangers. Bears visit them frequently.

Here’s a little bit about ALWAYS MY BROTHER (Tilbury House Publishers).

Becky and her brother John were best buddies, telling jokes, caring for their dog Toby, and playing soccer. John was always there to cheer her up and help her out—until he died. Becky wishes everything could go back to the way it was. When she is surprised and feels guilty about enjoying a friend’s birthday party, her mom wraps reassuring arms around her and says, “Don’t you think he’d want you to laugh, even now?” She gradually realizes that she can still enjoy the things that they used to do together and that the memories of John continue to make him part of their family. Always My Brother is a sensitive, realistic story about the process of grief, acceptance, and recovery.

ALWAYS MY BROTHER by Jean Reagan

If you had to give your book a movie rating: G through Rated R, which one would you give and why?

G
It is a picture book suited for young readers.

What topics, issues, or themes does your book address? What drove you to write about them?

Grief, death, siblings. My son died in 2005, leaving behind a younger sister. Sibling loss is often a discounted grief. My daughter was asked many times, by well-meaning people, how her parents were doing, but rarely how she was doing. My book honors surviving siblings and offers them authentic hope.

Name three examples of readers who would identify or like your book.

• Children who have lost a sibling.
• Classrooms that have a student who has lost a sibling.
• Grief counselors and therapists.

List a few statistically improbable phrases or sentences one might find in your book. These are phrases or sentences you might never find anywhere else.

“Then John and I would walk home—not touching, but with our shadows holding hands.”

How can your book be used in the classroom?

This book offers an opportunity for a social worker or teacher to talk about grief, death, loss, and how to support a bereaved friend. A teacher’s guide, “Teachers Take Note,” is available with this book.

Now tell us about other already-published books that readers of your book might enjoy.

Other similar books are Saying Goodbye to Lulu, Goodbye, Mousie, and Freddy the Leaf.

Now whet our appetites with a teaser.

My brother John and I were best buddies. We were silly together—like when we’d run around barefoot in the snow. And we were serious together—like when we stayed up all night with our dog Toby after he was hit by a car.

Are you offering authors visits to schools, libraries, or other organizations?

Yes, particularly to grief organizations.

Are you willing to speak nationally?

Yes.

List a few example titles of presentations, talks, or workshops you might give for an author visit.

• Easing the pain of loss: “List-making, journaling, and writing”
• Turning difficult life experiences into fiction.

This concludes our interview with our latest author, JEAN REAGAN. We wish her much success with her debut picture book ALWAYS MY BROTHER. To see what Jean  is up to these days, visit her website at http://www.jeanreagan.com.

*GIVEAWAY ALERT* Jean is giving away a signed copy of ALWAYS MY BROTHER to two winners. Tell your friends and leave a comment for the author! Enter by December 22th, 2009 11:59 PM CST.

Your email address will not be displayed publicly and will only be used to contact you if you win! And don’t forget to participate in our other AuthorsNow! giveaways.

Pam, who lived in Florida when she wrote CANDOR, currently lives just outside Washington, DC with her husband and their son. When she’s not writing, working or parenting, Pam likes to read books not aimed at her age group, go to museums and theater performances, and watch far too much television. She even goes jogging. Reluctantly.

As far as she knows, Pam has never been brainwashed. Or maybe that’s just what she’s supposed to say.

Here’s a little bit about CANDOR (Egmont).

Oscar Banks has everything under control. In a town where his father brainwashes everyone, he’s found a way to secretly fight the subliminal Messages. He’s got them all fooled: Oscar’s the top student and the best-behaved teen in town. Nobody knows he’s made his own Messages to deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way to get rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escape Candor, Florida before they’re transformed into cookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor, and Oscar’s carefully-controlled world crumbles.

CANDOR by Pam Bachorz

If you had to give your book a movie rating: G through Rated R, which one would you give and why?

I’ll leave the rating to the people who read the book—I think books are complex creatures that can’t be boiled down into a simple letter rating, just as every reader has their own needs. CANDOR has concepts and conflicts that are best understood by advanced middle schoolers, high school students, or even adults.

What topics, issues, or themes does your book address? What drove you to write about them?

CANDOR addresses the issue of conformity, and asks the question: how far would parents go to ensure they have the “perfect” child, given unlimited resources? I wanted to write about this topic because I lived in a town where some people “bought in” hoping, at some level, that white picket fences and immaculate landscaping would somehow transform struggling or rebelling children.

Name three examples of readers who would identify or like your book.

• Any teen or advanced 11-12 year old who likes dystopian fiction or science fiction.
• A teen who lives in a planned community, or is fascinated by them.
• A teen who’s struggling with fitting into their parents’ definition of perfection.

List a few statistically improbable phrases or sentences one might find in your book. These are phrases or sentences you might never find anywhere else.

I had a hard time with this, so I used Wordle.net to point out most commonly-used words. Among the most interesting: Messages. Forget. Remember. Listening. Eyes. (sheesh. I always have a thing about eyes!)

How can your book be used in the classroom?

I think CANDOR could be used in a unit that examines disaffected or rebellious main characters. It’s also a great springboard to talk about conformity, and how teens align their own dreams and desires with their parents’ expectations.

Now tell us about other already-published books that readers of your book might enjoy.

• The UGLIES series by Scott Westerfeld
• FEED by M.T. Anderson
• UNWIND by Neal Shusterman

Now whet our appetites with a teaser.

Ca-chunk ca-chunk ca-chunk.

The sound drifts through my bedroom window. Pokes through my homework haze. It’s not loud, but impossible to ignore. Because it doesn’t belong here.

Ca-chunk ca-chunk ca-chunk.

Candor sounds the same every night. Hissing sprinklers. Screeching swamp frogs. The drone of the mosquito truck, circling every block.

This doesn’t fit.

Are you offering authors visits to schools, libraries, or other organizations?

I would be delighted to.

Are you willing to speak nationally?

Yes. And I promise not to sing any of the songs from my high school musicals—not even if there’s begging from some poor misguided souls.

List a few example titles of presentations, talks, or workshops you might give for an author visit.

• The Journey to Publication
• Setting: another character in your story
• Translating real life to fiction (and keeping your friends!)

This concludes our interview with our latest author, PAM. We wish her much success with her debut novel CANDOR. To see what Pam is up to these days, visit her website at http://www.pambachorz.com or her blog at http://www.pambachorz.com/blog.

*GIVEAWAY ALERT* Pam is giving away a $10 gift card to Powell’s Bookstore to a winner. Tell your friends and leave a comment for the author! Enter by December 22th, 2009 11:59 PM CST.

Your email address will not be displayed publicly and will only be used to contact you if you win! And don’t forget to participate in our other AuthorsNow! giveaways.

Debbie Rigaud

This week, we’re celebrating Debbie Rigaud’s debut! Debbie Rigaud began her writing career covering news and entertainment for commercial magazines. She’s interviewed celebs, politicians, social figures and inspiring “real” girls. Her articles have appeared in Seventeen, CosmoGIRL!, Twist and J-14; her novella “Double Act,” is featured in the anthology HALLWAY DIARIES (Kimani Tru /September 2007). PERFECT SHOT (Simon Pulse) is her debut novel.

Here’s a little bit about PERFECT SHOT (Simon Pulse).

Fifteen-year-old London Abrams is all about spiking volleyballs, not wearing spike heels. But in one crush-tasic moment, she signs up for a modeling contest as an excuse to meet the cute photography intern collecting applications. Instead of getting a call from her crush, London gets a call back from contest judges. Now London’s in a competition against 14 fierce fashionistas–and she’s so not ready for her close up.

PERFECT SHOT by Debbie Rigaud

If you had to give your book a movie rating: G through Rated R, which one would you give and why?

Rated PG, for sure. If PERFECT SHOT were a movie, you could watch it with your parents in the room, and not worry that a steamy scene may pop up. That’s always awkward.

What topics, issues, or themes does your book address? What drove you to write about them?

It deals with ambition, jealousy, betrayal, family obligations; it’s about being true to yourself. Plus, I love to watch what happens when people step out of their comfort zones. London is super confident on the volleyball court, but on the fashion runway, she stumbles emotionally and physically. This may make for a cringe-worthy experience, but it ultimately leads to growth.

Name three examples of readers who would identify or like your book.

• Girl athletes (especially volleyball players)!
• Teens who can relate to the pressures of parental expectations.
• Anyone who’s ever struggled with feeling out of place.
• Teens and adults who enjoy romantic comedies.

List a few statistically improbable phrases or sentences one might find in your book. These are phrases or sentences you might never find anywhere else.

• Puberty granted her more beauty wishes than a fairy godmother.
• Offering his seat is not synonymous with offering his heart. Some guys.actually do it because they want to, not because they want you.
• A tiny dancer in clown-face makeup must’ve been krumpin’ on my nerve endings because they felt all out of whack.

How can your book be used in the classroom?

In a discussion about contemporary multicultural stories.

Now tell us about other already-published books that readers of your book might enjoy.

• MAJOR CRUSH by Jennifer Echols
• VIOLET ON THE RUNWAY by Melissa Walker.

Now whet our appetites with a teaser.

“Heads up!” was my only warning before it was launched over the aisle toward me. Even though I was on one knee, stocking shelves with acrylic paint tubes, my reflexes were on their feet. My long forearms met the ball of rubber bands with a force that sent it hurling back toward where it came from.

“Ouch!” Pam, my coworker-slash-best-friend, yelped.

Are you offering authors visits to schools, libraries, or other organizations?

Yes.

Are you willing to speak nationally?

Yes.

List a few example titles of presentations, talks, or workshops you might give for an author visit.

• Talk/Presentation: “How To Get Published”
• Workshop: “Putting Fact into Fiction” (i.e., using research to inform creative writing)

This concludes our interview with our latest author, DEBBIE. We wish her much success with her debut novel PERFECT SHOT. To see what Debbie is up to these days, visit her website at http://www.debbierigaud.com or her blog at http://debbierigaud.com/blog.

*GIVEAWAY ALERT* Debbie is giving away a signed copy of PERFECT SHOT to two winners. Tell your friends and leave a comment for the author! Enter by December 15th, 2009 11:59 PM CST.

Your email address will not be displayed publicly and will only be used to contact you if you win! And don’t forget to participate in our other AuthorsNow! giveaways.

Here’s a little bit about GIVE UP THE GHOST (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers).

Cass McKenna much prefers the company of ghosts over “breathers.” Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody… and Cass loves dirt. She’s on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.

But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass’s whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees.

As Cass becomes increasingly entwined in Tim’s life, she’s surprised to realize he’s not so bad–and he needs help more desperately than anyone else suspects. Maybe it’s time to give the living another chance…

GIVE UP THE GHOST by Megan Crewe

If you had to give your book a movie rating: G through Rated R, which one would you give and why?

PG-13 for mature themes.

What topics, issues, or themes does your book address? What drove you to write about them?

GIVE UP THE GHOST deals with death, grief, friendship, revenge and forgiveness, bullying, depression, and suicide. I wanted to write about what might happen to a character who’s pushed to the margins of the reining social structure, to explore the different ways people deal with a death of someone close to them, and to show how perceptions can change and connections can happen between people you’d never expect.

Name three examples of readers who would identify or like your book.

• Anyone who’s experienced the death of someone close to them.
• Girls who’ve had to deal with social bullying.
• Teens who love new and thoughtful twists on supernatural ideas.

List a few statistically improbable phrases or sentences one might find in your book. These are phrases or sentences you might never find anywhere else.

• Death had left Paige’s fashion sense intact, but it screwed majorly with her memory.
• Like always, there were too many breathers in the halls, jostling and snickering and getting kissy-kissy in the corners.
• I have friends, I wanted to say. You just wouldn’t believe they exist.

How can your book be used in the classroom?

GIVE UP THE GHOST could be used in discussions about social bullying in junior high and high school and its affects on both perpetrators and victims, or about what to do if you suspect a friend is depressed or suicidal. It could also be used for thematic discussions, about topics like whether revenge is ever justified, or doing the right thing even if you know it’ll make someone you care about angry. The paranormal elements of the story and the main character’s sense of humor make these serious themes accessible to most readers.

Now tell us about other already-published books that readers of your book might enjoy.

• SHADOWED SUMMER by Saundra Mitchell
• A CERTAIN SLANT OF LIGHT by Laura Whitcomb
• FLYING IN PLACE by Susan Palwick

Now whet our appetites with a teaser.

You would think it’d be easy to get along with a person after she’s dead. Not Paige. She took her big sister duties very seriously. It’d been four years since she drowned, and she still got on my case.

Are you offering authors visits to schools, libraries, or other organizations?

Yes.

Are you willing to speak nationally?

Yes.

List a few example titles of presentations, talks, or workshops you might give for an author visit.

• Teen Writing Workshop
• GIVE UP THE GHOST: From idea to book
• The Life of a Working Writer

This concludes our interview with our latest author, MEGAN. We wish her much success with her debut novel GIVE UP THE GHOST. To see what Megan  is up to these days, visit her website at http://www.megancrewe.com or her blog at http://www.megancrewe.com/blog/.

*GIVEAWAY ALERT* Megan is giving away a signed copy of GIVE UP THE GHOST. Tell your friends and leave a comment for the author! Enter by December 15th, 2009 11:59 PM CST.

Your email address will not be displayed publicly and will only be used to contact you if you win! And don’t forget to participate in our other AuthorsNow! giveaways.

Thank you!

What: Three books combining magic and the arts (FORTUNE’S FOLLY, LAMENT, and WONDROUS STRANGE) and a 3-chapter novel critique.

When: Enter by midnight on December 15, 2009.

How: Share the GIVE UP THE GHOST book trailer and a link to the giveaway.

Where: http://www.megancrewe.com/blog/?p=635

What: 3 prizes: $50 bookstore gift card, Critique of 25 pages of manuscript or a query letter, Signed copies of Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman and Sliding on the Edge by C Lee McKenzie

When: Dec 1 – 15

How: See all the details at the blog noted in the “where”

Where: Cheryl Renee Herbsman’s blog http://blog.cherylreneeherbsman.com/2009/12/01/big-holiday-contest.aspx

Lots of ways to enter, come check it out!

What: 7 YA/MG books from the Class of 2k9 up for grabs

When: Dec 1- Dec 5

How: Leave a comment at the post below

Where: http://community.livejournal.com/classof2k10/1843.html

Celebrating the “graduation” of the Class of 2k9!