Cheryl Herbsman wrote a great post on the muse and how different writers approach the art of writing. She also included some links to other good ideas on the subject. Her post got me to thinking about this muse business again, so I did a bit of an Internet search to pull together some handy tips for calling those little minxes when you need one of them. That’s not what I found, but I did find lots of tips for putting those thoughts down with or without Calliope, Erato, Melpomene, or Thalia on your shoulder. I guess if you get them all you can put something down paper that’s worthy.

How to Call in Your Writing Muse offers some very sensible ways to move ahead in that W.I.P.

Here’s something that I found interesting, an interview with writing teacher, Mark David Gerson.

I liked these 7 Writers Muse Kickers to Fill Up That Blank Page.Starting is sometimes the hardest part. In fact, I’ve sometimes resorted to writing the end first. It’s sort of like setting up a target, and then going back and taking aim.

Do you have a muse? Do you wait for inspiration before you sit down to write or do you sit down and hope that your brain will offer up what you need that day?

When a friend of mine recently asked for some boy book recommendations for a sixteen year old, I tried to think of YA books that would have been up Dad’s alley. However, the sixteen year old was not into fantasy or sci-fi, so I limited my list to realistic fiction—current and past—with the reluctant reader in mind. Please share some favorites that grabbed you.

1. The Pigman by Paul Zindel

2. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

3. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

4. Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan

5. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

6. Liar by Justine Larbalestier

7. Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner

8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

9. Break by Hannah Moskowitz

10. The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green by Joshua Braff

Here’s how it works:

If you’re willing, you put up a blog post that week (you choose the exact time). If you don’t have a blog, you can use another social medium such as Facebook. You agree to donate a certain amount of money for every comment you receive on that post by a certain date. (You pick the amount.) The money goes to your local library, bookmobile, or other literacy-based charity; or if your local system is well-funded, you may want to pick another library that needs help. You can set a cap on the donation. I’ll help you write the blog post if you like; I try to keep your work minimal.

Ideally, you visit the other participating blogs and leave comments, helping them meet their challenge goals. You spread the word to raise consciousness about the needs of libraries and to bring as many people as possible to the participating blogs.

Libraries are suffering in this economy, with budget cuts at all levels of government. At the same time, people need libraries more than ever–not only as a free source of information and entertainment, but for community programs, computer resources, help with job searches, etc.

If you can’t host a challenge, you can participate by commenting on the blogs and spreading the word, or even by making a flat donation to your library (whether money, books, or your time). If you would like to host a challenge, please leave your email in the comments below or, if you want to keep your email private, send me a message at jennifer[at]jenniferhubbard[dot]com. Aside from helping libraries, we had a lot of fun with the challenge last year! Thank you.

The challenge will be hosted and indexed at my blog: http://writerjenn.livejournal.com/

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.

DELCROIX ACADEMY: THE CANDIDATES: Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that’s not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia’s mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just … happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to people, believing this way she can suppress her powers and keep them hidden.

When recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy offer her a full scholarship, Dancia fears her days of living under the radar may be over. But Delcroix is a school for diplomats’ kids and child geniuses — why are they treating Dancia like she’s special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make her feel welcome. And then there’s her mysterious new friend Jack, who can’t stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at Delcroix, and he wants Dancia to help him figure out what…But neither Jack or Dancia could have imagined what’s really going on behind the gates of Delcroix Academy.

Inara Scott

The Author: Inara Scott
Location: Portland, OR

Inara Scott grew up in winter wonderland of Buffalo, NY. Consequently, she spent much of her childhood complaining about being cold. To spare the world her whining, she fled the cold climate and eventually wound up in the Pacific NW, where the old Douglas Fir trees and thick ferns make you think you’ve wandered into a fairy tale. Inara loves to hike, canoe, and play outside. She is addicted to yoga. Despite being a writer, Inara fears deep, intellectual books, loves romance and fantasy, and listens to cheesy, happy music.

Author Visit Information

Inara is willing to travel nationally.

Example presentations and workshops

• Character and Plot (K-8)
• Where to start? Building a Story from the Ground Up (6-12)

Honorarium and fees

Honorariums begin at $300 depending on length of visit and distance from author. Travel, lodging and meal expenses may apply for out-of-town travel.  To learn more, contact Inara.

Contact Information:

• Official web site: http://www.inarascott.net

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.

The majority of American take libraries for granted.  They are always there, chock-full of information and excellent reads, and will always be, we think.  However, with the current economic situation, libraries are truly at risk.  Lawmakers around the country are slashing library hours, freezing book purchases, and reducing staff. There are even some who argue that with e-readers and the Internet libraries are obsolete.  We, as readers and writers, can only shake our heads at such ignorance.

What’s a reader to do?  Here are a few suggestions:

1) Join the friends of the library group if there is one, or start one if not.  Our local friends group takes used book donations all year long and then has a giant book sale once a year to raise money for the library to buy new materials.

2) Ask a librarian what you can do to help.  He or she will have insights about what can be done in your neck of the woods.

3) Have a bake sale, lemonade stand, or car wash near the library to raise funds.  Every little bit helps.  Who wouldn’t pay $1 for a lemonade to help their local library?

4) Join writer Jenn Hubbard’s “Let’s Love Some Libraries” challenge from March 23 to 27.  Lots of YA & MG writers have agreed to donate a certain amount of money to a needy library for every comment they receive.

Sure, I have self-interest in this.  I’d love for every library in America to have my novel on its shelves.  But most of all, I’m issuing a call to action, because of my own memories of libraries as a sanctuary when I was growing up.  My dad was in the public health service, so we moved every few years until I was in 7^th grade.  That was tough, having to always start over with a new place, a new school, and new friends.  Once the dust settled from our move, the library was one of the first places we found, and I’d leave there with the maximum amount of books I could check out.

My parents could never have afforded to buy all the books I wanted to read.  In large part, libraries made me the reader and writer that I am today.  It’s time for me to show some gratitude and find ways to assure healthy libraries for every girl and boy who walks into them.

How about you?  Other ideas?  Please share them in the comments below.  Thanks!

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.

Shavonne is a fierce and desperate seventeen year-old who finds herself in a large juvenile lockup hundreds of miles from home.  She wants to turn her life around before her eighteenth birthday, but her problems seem too big, and time is running out. Amidst corrupt guards, out-of-control girls, and shadows from her past, Shavonne must find the courage to fight for a redemption she’s not sure she deserves.

The Author: Shawn Goodman
Location: Ithaca, NY

Shawn Goodman based SOMETHING LIKE HOPE on his experiences working as a psychologist in a girls’ juvenile justice facility. He has been an outspoken advocate for juvenile justice reform, and has lectured around the country on issues related to special education, foster care, and literacy. He has also worked as a lifeguard, short-order cook, and bike mechanic. He lives and writes in upstate NY with his wife and kids. Shawn’s favorite things to do include reading, eating, and playing soccer.

Author Visit Information

Shawn is willing to travel locally and nationally. Examples of presentations and workshops include:

• Making it up as you go along: the Writing Life
• The Psychology of Young Adult Literature
• Freedom to Read: Why Teens Need Their Own Fiction
• Writing Well for Truth and Understanding

Fees

$500 per day plus expenses.

Contact Information:

• Official web site: Launch Date in March, 2010

STAR IN THE MIDDLE by Carol Larese Millward

Publication Season/Year: Fall 2009

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.

Carol Larese Millward

The Author: Carol Larese Millward
Location: Elkton, Maryland

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.

Author Visit Information

Carol is willing to travel nationally.

Example presentations and workshops

• Empathy: A Writer’s Gold
• Coming Face to Face with Your Fictional Characters
• Crossing the Finishing Line: Before it Becomes a Stumbling Block

Honorarium and fees

Honorariums begin at $200 depending on length of visit and distance from author. Travel, lodging and meal expenses may apply for out-of-town travel. Carol is currently volunteering her time for local school and library groups. For more information, please contact Carol through her website, or e-mail address provided below.

Contact Information:

Official web site: http:\\www.carollaresemillward.com

Some things I’ve had to look up in the past? What kind of exam must be taken for a nursing student to become a nurse. How long the average student spends in Med school. The meaning of Ve Ri Tas on the Harvard Crest. (It’s “truth,” by the way.)

I’ve searched for information on angels and demons, and guardian angel stories; theories behind various realms on earth. . . .

And now there’s a new idea rolling about my head. I’m thinking it might be the start of a novel—something I’m hoping to begin in the spring. This is going to require some research, too, some of which I’ve already started. Some “deep research” is involved, which leaves me thankful that I have access to academic databases via my day job.

I’ll start my search online, though. This time I’ll be researching death, and grieving, and ways to die.

More specifically, I need to find a way for a young person to die that is not prolonged or bring about a severe amount of suffering (i.e. not cancer). The character needs to know she is not going to make it, but the evidence of this can’t be physical. This could take a while, which makes me thankful that no one has access to my search history.

Demons, hell, ways to die. . . . Here’s hoping that my computer profile is never flagged for unusual activity.

For the sake of book research, what strange things have you looked up?

Poetry is not to communicate information. It is to give us a sense and a perception of life. It is not to tell us about experience, but to allow us to participate in it fully.

Poetry is the most concentrated form of literature. It tells us, more is not better.

Poetry is active and rhythmic. It draws on resources to deepen our experiences. We use all of our senses to absorb it: intellect, imagination, emotion.

Poetry is alive. Its function is to allow us to live more meaningful, richer lives.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Don’t get me wrong. I think these techniques are useful, and plenty of authors swear by them. In fact, most authors I know can’t begin their novels unless they know their characters inside and out. I’ve tried doing it this way, but I always felt like I was forcing a personality onto an MC that she didn’t yet have. To me, the process is like a relationship; I need to get to know my characters gradually.

When I was part of the dating scene, getting to know the guy was exciting. On each date, I found out more and that was part of the fun. How boring would it have been to have known EVERYTHING about him on that first date? How likely would there have been a second or third date if we knew each other’s quirks from the first second? When you get to know each other, quirks become endearing. Before you do, they can simply be weird.

I like getting to know my characters as I go along. Often I have one picture of them and they prove me wrong. I like surprises, am happy that I don’t know everything that’s in my MC’s glove compartment or her boyfriend’s locker. Like my best relationships, my best characters evolve in their own time.

In doing so, I was reminded of Little Willow’s compilation of books on “Tough Issues for Teens” over at Bildungsroman.   That blog also features lists on other topics.

And so, today, I provide a short list of some of these lists.  People are welcome to leave other links to topical lists in the comments.

Class of 2k10 seasonal/holiday/event -themed booklist: http://community.livejournal.com/classof2k10/4779.html

Bildungsroman booklist, Tough Issues for Teens: http://slayground.livejournal.com/74061.html

Bildungsroman booklist, Mind Readers and Ghostly Visitors: http://slayground.livejournal.com/324469.html

Bildungsroman booklist, Sleuths and Spies: http://slayground.livejournal.com/168661.html

Bildungsroman booklist, Books Set in School and Transition Times: http://slayground.livejournal.com/78353.html