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UPDATE! The winner of the autographed copy of The Great Call of China is Karen Kincy! Congratulations, Karen!
Cynthea will be contacting free-tique winners directly.
Thanks to everyone who entered!
Visit CyntheaLiu.com for the AFTER HOURS party!
Today’s the day!
The release of Cynthea Liu’s debut novel
The Great Call of China!
And if you’ve come for the release party…
…you’ve made it to
the right place!
the right place!
We’re celebrating all day long with:
- An exclusive interview with Cynthea, answering writer’s questions
- An autographed book giveaway
- Free-Tique, Teeny-Tique & goody bag giveaways
- An extended party invitation to Cynthea’s website where you can view behind-the-scenes videos, play games and win The Great “Haul” of China!
Yeah, yeah, there’s some rules. But they’re fun! (Snoop’s in charge.) And they’re after the interview. So let’s get right to it…
If you could describe your writing style in one word, which word would it be?
~ Suzanne Young
Verbose.
I wish it weren’t true! Other adjectives might be commercial or funny. But that all depends on what I’m writing.
What’s your juiciest behind-the-scenes story on the making of The Great Call of China?
~ Jennifer Hubbard
The making of THE GREAT CALL was quite uneventful until the very last round of revisions. The publisher requested I shorten the book by about 15K words, and the deadline was 7 days away. Not long after that announcement, I received my editorial letter for the last round of PARIS PAN revisions, asking for a 20K cut and I had ten days to do that. To top it off, I was a new mother, nursing a six-month-old baby about eight times a day. That’s a lot of numbers, folks!
So you can imagine that I subsequently stroked, then regressed into a six-month-old thumb-sucker myself. In the end, I managed to get an extra week, cut down THE GREAT CALL by about 10K words and PARIS PAN by another 10K. It was the toughest three weeks of my writing career.
Moral of the story? Don’t be verbose if you can help it! J
How do you find the time to write, promote your writing, and be so active in the writing community?
~ Karen Kincy, Jennifer Hubbard, Bettina Restrepo
I have the wonderful help of a college student named Julia who comes in each weekday while I go off to work, build my writing career, and interact with all of you. Though, admittedly, the last couple of months, I’ve been working on just about everything, but the writing.
Also I can run on less sleep than I ever dreamed possible. Baby Liu has trained me well!
Snoop, of course, also helps out by taking on meals and housecleaning.
Do you ever sleep? How did you get to be so awesome?
~ Jennifer Hubbard
Aw, that’s sweet! Yes, I do sleep (sometimes with my eyes open). And thanks to Baby Liu and Starbucks’s Caramel Macchiatto, I only need about about 5-6 hours a night. I do take days off though, which is great for recooperating.
What has been a rock bottom moment for you as a writer, and how did you climb higher?
~ Karen Kincy
The rock bottom moment came about two years after I started writing. It was February, 2006. I had racked up a lot of rejections, and in that time, I felt like I had been close, but not close enough, you know? I wondered if I would ever sell anything. Sure, I know, many writers go through much more rejection. But that’s all relative. When it’s YOUR dream, when it’s YOUR goal, everything is way worse. It doesn’t matter if it’s two months or 10 years. For me, I had been subbing everything from PB to MG. I thought maybe I should try something else. I put together a YA proposal for a series. What came back? A rejection that stated my writing was “generic” and “lacking pizzazz.” GASP!
That rejection really stung even though the editor had been right about the submission. After that, I promptly made an appointment at get my hair done. I was tired of staring at my rejected-self in the mirror. I was going to dye my hair purple (a tasteful deep shade of purple), and I was confident I would walk out of the salon a better writer.
Of course, the new hairstyle didn’t improve my writing, but a group-scream on the Blue Boards helped. I tried to move on, but the rejections continued. Nine months after that, I confessed to my SCBWI regional advisor that I was ON THE VERGE (… of breaking down!) . I even thought about forming a group called ON THE VERGE so we could all drink together. Then the next month, I turned in another revision for PARIS PAN (the fifth major round of revisions), totally unsure of what I was doing. Seriously, I was thinking I should try something else on as a new career – like becoming an agent, or maybe doing Snoop’s laundry…. Then PARIS PAN sold at auction in a two book deal to Putnam. A couple of weeks later, the same editor who had called my writing generic bought a different series book I had pitched with my agent. That book was THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA.
What was your favorite book as a child? As an adult?
~ Nan Marino
I had sooooo many favorites that I can’t possibly pick just one. But as a kid, I was a huge fan of any book that featured animals. Black Beauty, Trumpet of the Swans, The Mouse and the Motorcycle. The first novel I completed, actually (which is in a metaphorical drawer at the moment) is about a talking dog.
As an adult, I haven’t read anything that has touched me as much as the books I read as a child. But … I did read HARRY POTTER in my mid-twenties. I just had to see what the hoopla was about, and that book got me in touch with the left-side of my brain again, a side I hadn’t used much since junior high. So thank you J.K. Rowling for reminding me that I am very much a kid at heart.
Do you dedicate a certain amount of time to marketing each day, or a certain day or week? AuthorsNow! is an incredible resource. What plans do you have for its future?
~ Bettina Restrepo
I SHOULD be dedicating time each day to marketing, but I am easily distracted! In fact, I think I suck at marketing. Seriously, I don’t really like to pitch my own stuff. The whole idea of walking into an indie bookseller and introducing myself and my books freaks me out. I much prefer to just talk to people online about nothing much. I find Facebook and Twitter—my latest time-sucks–wildly entertaining.
As for AuthorsNow!, I just answered that question on Cynsations. In short, my main hope is that the web site continues to grow as a resource, and that more and more book enthusiasts use it to help them find the books they’re looking for!
How old is your bunny Snoop, and where did he come from?
~ Karen Kincy
Snoop is about 6 years old now. That makes him a middle-aged bunny, maybe nearing retirement. He was adopted from the House Rabbit Society, an organization that does awesome work for bunnies like Snoop who needed homes. Little known fact: Snoop had actually been adopted by someone else before I came along. Apparently, Snoop had not been getting along with other bunny housemates in his new home. (Can you imagine that?) So he had to be adopted out again.
Now he is happily ruling my roost, and he doesn’t even mind Baby Liu all that much. Another little known fact: Snoop used to have a different name, but I didn’t think it fit his personality. He was much too forward and nosy for his old name. Can anyone guess what his old name was?
Snoop is uncommonly wise for a bunny. Are there special scientific experiments involved?
~ Jennifer Hubbard
Ha! Snoop drinks a powerful shake every morning. Packed with all that leafy-green goodness. Maybe that’s what it is.
How did you and Snoop become a critiquing team?
~ Nan Marino
It started in my first blog entries in 2005. I had just come out to the world publicly as a writer, and I felt incredibly naked with only me blogging in my entries. So scary. Snoop stepped in and helped out. His first spoken word on my blog was … “BURPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!” He still likes to do that now and then.
Does listening to Snoop chomp on the manuscripts he critiques help you improve your own writing?
~ Roxanne Werner
Great question. In some ways, it has opened my mind to new ways of writing, but I’m not sure it has influenced my own that much. Writing style is your unique fingerprint. It’s like you can’t do anything to change that unless you perform major surgery or something. My crit partner Tammi has her own fingerprint as does my other crit partner Beverly. I’ve seen many, many prints, but that doesn’t really improve the way I write. If I see something really good, I just feel depressed about it. I promptly proclaim, Why can’t I write like that?!
So no, sadly I can’t absorb genius from other people’s writing. I can only HOPE that I learn to become that good.
Does Snoop feel rejected when you get a rejection? Vannie, aka Pooper Dude (our bunny), absorbs the anxiety of the household, and is skittish for days afterward. How do you both deal?
~ Nancy Viau
Yes, Snoop is very tuned in to my emotions. He has offered his furry shoulder to cry on more than once. We find that TV is also great way to take one’s mind of things, as is an uncommonly good veggie buffet.
When are you going to write a story starring Snoop? Does Snoop (or a bunny) appear in either of your upcoming novels?
~ Stephanie Ruble
Awesome question. Snoop has yet to star in his own show in my manuscripts. He quite likes flaunting his stuff on the Internet without worrying about being rejected by someone else.
Also if you didn’t know, Snoop has written a couple of books about himself already. There’s The Life and Times of Snoop Bunny Bun. And Feed Me about a Chinese girl who starves one helpless bunny into rebellion. He sold that one in a five-book meal, to Rupert Bun-doch at auction!
He is rather talented.
Do you have a big book idea inside you that you know you want to write “someday” but its time has not yet come?
~ Jennifer Hubbard
I have this image in my mind – really it’s just a picture in my head, nothing more – I hope I will write about that picture one day. But no, the time has not come. When it does, you will know!
How do you ensure that your writing appeals to your young audience?
~ Julie M. Prince
I guess I won’t know anything for sure until kids and teens have my books in their hands. While writing the manuscripts though, I focused on putting down stuff that entertained Snoop and me. For younger kids, that usually means something humorous. Bonus, if there’s an element of mystery.
For THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA, a young adult book, I tried to write something that reflected what I might have been thinking or feeling when I was a teen.
Did you travel to China as part of your writing process for The Great Call of China?
~ Susan Lorene
Yes, I did. I went there twice as a matter of fact. Once during the proposal stage and again before I started writing the rest of the book. My brother lives in Xi’an (where the story is mostly set) and he took me around town. I got to see most of the city’s hotspots. AND I even got to interview a whole class of Chinese teens about relationships, food, school—everything! You should have seen everyone blush when we discussed romance.
Another memorable experience in Xi’an was getting to teach English to a bunch of kindergartners. You should have seen how big the kids’ eyes got when I told them funny stories about Snoop. They couldn’t believe a bunny likes to watch TV!
But it’s true!
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
~ Kymberly Pelky
When I was really young, I used to declare to my parents that I wanted to be a movie star or a dancer. Then as I got older, somehow I had ideas like “doctor” and “lawyer” in my head. Could it have been years of lecturing from Mom and Dad? I think so. 😉
I never thought I’d become a writer until I was 28, when I realized I needed to do something wildly different than the job I had. I was a technology consultant who had spent the last six years flying back and forth between cities, 4 days a week. And if I wasn’t flying, I was fighting heavy traffic for hours on end, and I do NOT do well with long commutes.
Now I never have to leave my house unless it’s on fire. YAY!
What are your three top tips on how to succeed in this business?
~ Tammi Sauer
How to SURVIVE? Or how to succeed? Not sure I’ve got “succeed” down yet. Call me when I’ve won the Newbery, and we’ll talk. Okay, it’s not that you have to win a Newbery to succeed, but really, I feel like I’ve only just begun in this biz! There is still a long road ahead.
How to survive though? I think I have that one covered. You need to have plenty of perseverance, a thick skin, and a desire to grow and learn.
What do you want readers to know about The Great Call of China before they delve into Cece’s adventure?
~ Tara Lazar
Nothing actually. Don’t even read the jacket because I think jackets can be terribly misleading. Just read it and enjoy Cece’s story! Oh, and buy more copies for your friends, and their friends, and their dogs, and their bunnies …. (see? That’s me, doing some marketing. YUCK! I feel so sleezy now!)
Cynthea! You’re anything but sleezy!
But hey, I’ll let folks know that The Great Call of China is available online at Amazon, B& N.com, Borders and Indiebound, and in bookstores around the country. Get your copy now before they sell out!
And now…the moment you’ve been waiting for…the prizes!
Here are the rules! Take it away, Snoop!
To win an autographed copy of The Great Call of China, please leave a comment by 11:59pm (EST) tonight, February 19th. I, Snoop, will draw a winner with the help of Random.org. And if you’d like to guess my original name, and you nail it, you’ll get two extra entries.
To get a Teeny-Tique or win one of three half-page critiques…plus a goody bag…listen to this…
You know how people say you can lose an editor or agent at line one? Well, here’s your chance to test your first line on me, Snoop. I will render a judgment with a special Teeny-Tique round of TRAFFIC COP. This means I will render a judgment of RED (stop!), YELLOW (sketchy, and here’s why) or GREEN (You’re a go!).
So think about your first lines. Don’t think they’re important?
Think again, my friend.
Now, here’s how to enter:
1. Go to CyntheaLiu.com and click on the “Party Favors” tab. You’ll fill out one form to receive the party favor and the Teeny-Tique. Include your name, email and mailing address. (Your contact info will only be used to send your party favor and to reply to your submission.)
2. In the Party Favor Request Form, there is a field labeled “Please leave a comment for the Host!” That is where you will include the book type (PB-picture book, ER-easy reader, CB-chapter book, MG-middle grade, YA-young adult) and the first line of your manuscript. (Example: PB. “This is the first line of my manuscript,” Snoop says.)
3. Click submit and you’re done. Please refrain from saying anything else in that field.
5. Snoop will respond as soon as possible, but it may take a few days or longer. We don’t know how wild this party’s gonna get.
6. To win one of the three half-page tiques, Snoop will close his eyes and chomp at a printed list of people who completed party favor forms. The first three chomped-on names with Snoop’s teethmarks in them win the half-page tiques.
Failure to comply with the rules may result in automatic disqualification by the Snooper! *GASP!*
And that’s a wrap! Before you leave, don’t forget to comment for your chance to win an autographed copy! Guess Snoop’s original name (and get it right) to receive two more entries! Remember, you only have until 11:59 tonight, February 19th!
Thanks to everyone for coming!
Enjoy your party favors!
Enjoy The Great Call of China!
On February 19, Cynthea Liu, one of the most givingest authors in the children’s writing community, releases her debut novel in the S.A.S.S. series, The Great Call of China.
Just look at that cover! Gorgeous! Here’s a taste of the adventure in store for the main character, Cece:
Chinese-born Cece was adopted when she was two years old by her American parents. Living in Texas, she’s bored of her ho-hum high school and dull job. So when she learns about the S.A.S.S. program to Xi’an, China, she jumps at the chance. She’ll be able to learn about her passion—anthropology—and it will give her the opportunity to explore her roots. But when she arrives, she receives quite a culture shock. And the closer she comes to finding out about her birth parents, the more apprehensive she gets. Enter Will, the cute guy she first meets on the plane. He and Cece really connect during the program. But can he help her get accustomed to a culture she should already know about, or will she leave China without the answers she’s been looking for?
Join me on February 19th as we welcome The Great Call of China to the world! Yeah, it’s like a virtual baby shower!
Do you have a question for Cynthea?
She’s the author of the upcoming Paris Pan Takes the Dare and the must-have writing guide Writing for Children and Teens. She’s the brains behind AuthorsNOW, and mom to an adorable toddler and one critique-lovin’ bunny named Snoop.
Email me at tarawrites at yahoo dot com and Cynthea will answer your questions on release day.
And, if you can, please devote your blog to The Great Call of China on February 19th. Let’s give back to this writer who has done so much for aspiring authors. If you’re in, please leave a comment so I can link to you!
Jennifer Brown is a two-time winner of the Erma Bombeck Global Humor competition and a humor columnist. And yet the premise of her debut young adult novel Hate List (Fall 2009, Little, Brown BFYR), the aftermath of a school shooting as told by the shooter’s girlfriend, sounds very serious.
Jennifer, how did writing humor prepare you for a YA novel? Or are the two styles just separate parts of your personality? (Hmm…are you a Gemini?)
No, not Gemini, but I can still blame the stars: the stubborn Taurus in me won’t let an idea go once it’s popped into my head. We May babies are just bold that way. Or if that Taurus theory isn’t working for you, I can blame the real stars. Paris…? Britney…? Tom Cruise…?
If I’m going to go all serious writer on you, I’ll talk about the “fine line between comedy and tragedy” and point out that most of my humor-writing friends (including myself) are actually really serious people. That when we rant or crack a joke, we’re really digging at and pointing out the things in life that bother us (in real life this would translate to nervous, uncomfortable, misplaced laughter that would make us look a little on the creepy side and make it so we’re not invited to parties very often… not even family parties… uh… not that I’m speaking from experience or anything…) and we tend to do a lot of sitting around and brooding about All That’s Horrible in the World.
But the truth is… I just wrote the story that wanted to be written, regardless of the genre. Writing Hate List was no different experience than writing humor — come up with an idea and run with it. Keep running, even past the Doubt Days and the Days When I Just Give Up — and do it barefacedly and fearlessly.
When you write humor for a living, you get used to criticism. A joke, by definition, has to have a target, which means every time you sit down to write, you stand a pretty good chance of ticking someone off and getting a letter that begins, “Dear Hack Loser, You ruined my life…”. I think this “toughening up” was helpful for me, in that I wasn’t afraid to go out of genre with Hate List and write something that felt so different.
All of that aside… for me there is a real element of hope in Hate List as well. And we humor writers are nothing if not masters of silver linings.
All writers have those Doubt Days. How do you personally work through them to reach your silver lining? What was your toughest moment of doubt? And what was your most recent silver lining?
Probably what makes me push through more than anything is the support I receive from people who’re really important in my life. My agent, Cori Deyoe, is really great at making me feel like I can do anything. I always know I can try new things and have fun and Cori will support it or will tell me when something I’ve tried doesn’t really work (and will do it in a way that keeps me from chucking the laptop through a window and breaking all my pencils in half). My editor at LB, T.S. Ferguson, is also super-supportive of my work. Also, my husband, Scott, never stops supporting and believing in me. My kids, my friends… I want to keep pushing through those days because I want to prove them all right, that I can do this.
I would probably say my toughest moment of doubt was my very first in-person agent pitch ever. She listened to me, was very quiet for a moment, then blew her nose and said, “I can’t imagine anyone who would buy this book.” She proceeded to tell me that I’d never sell a book with my “Midwest voice.” I came home from the conference, cried my eyes out, and shelved the book. It took me a while to get back up and start working on the next one.
There’ve been other tough moments. When a reader responds to a column, not only telling me I stink as a writer, but also questioning my mothering skills or saying I’m a basically bad person, it’s tough. Hard to pick yourself up after that. But deadlines and editors you don’t want to let down help in that process a lot.
Honestly, though, I can’t imagine ever truly giving up. I can’t imagine a day without writing. It’s just that ingrained in me. The idea of giving it all up is scarier to me than facing those tough days. Believe it or not, this is where my kids are important to my sticking to it — writing is a release and keeps me from noticing when there’s a Crayola mural on the wall or a loose hamster or ketchup on the ceiling (seriously, how do they get food on the ceiling?!).
My most recent silver lining happened this morning when I opened my email. A humor writer whose blog I just adore (The Suburban Jungle) wrote to tell me she enjoyed my column this week. Made me feel great. When people reach out and tell me that I’ve written something that made them smile or touched them in some way… that’s really all the silver lining I need.
As a mother-writer myself, I find it difficult to find time to write. How do you schedule your days? How do you make time for your writing? How long has the ketchup been on the ceiling?
I’m always careful to define myself as a mom first and a writer second. That way, there’s never any confusion in my mind about prioritizing. And that’s all it really is, juggling being both mom and writer, a matter of prioritizing. Somehow I was blessed by being born with both amazing organizational skills and an ability to be really flexible. Some people call it an annoying combination of anal-retentiveness and air-headedness, but I think “organized” and “flexible” sounds a lot more resume-friendly.
So I let the kids’ schedules really dictate mine. I work around theirs. And I always understand that my working hours may not look the same from day to day, or might not even look the same at 4:00PM as I thought they would when I woke up at 6:00AM. As long as I understand those two things — that my schedule is not mine to make and it may change on me at any moment — I’m not often frustrated by lack of writing time.
Of course, it means I have to be prepared to work always. I might have to stay up till midnight, or later, to work on a chapter, and I might have to get up at 5:00AM. Because of this, there really isn’t a “typical” writing day for me. There also, typically, isn’t such thing as a “day off” for me (even on vacation I’m checking emails on my cell phone during the boring parts of Splash Mountain).
It also helps that I don’t tend to care about things like ketchup on the ceiling so much. In fact, now that I look at it, I think it may have started out as yogurt.
So how long have you been writing for children? What was the spark that started you on this particular path?
This is really my first attempt at writing for young adults. I’ve always believed that writers should follow their story rather than their genre. In other words, write the story that wants to be written (passion being far more interesting on the page than specialization). If it turns out you fail because it’s not a genre you can do well… you fail. So what? You’ve learned, at least, right?
Because of that, I never had a thought, “I think I’ll try writing a young adult book. Maybe… about a school shooting…” Instead, I followed the story, which popped into my head in the shower one day, like most of my writing ideas do (Oh, how I wish they’d invent a waterproof laptop!). I kind of “knew” in the back of my mind that what I was writing was a young adult story, but I wasn’t thinking about that while writing it. It wasn’t until Hate List was finished that I fully understood what genre I’d been writing in.
I always get my best ideas in the shower, too. Someone once recommended a tile pencil/china marker to me. And I’ve read good things about the Crayola Floating Art Desk, too. (If you like to write in rainbow.)
Can you tell us about the submission process for Hate List? How did you land your agent?
I love to talk about this, because my agent actually found me in the dreaded Slush Pile! You know, the pile of submissions they tell you it’s IMPOSSIBLE to be noticed in? It’s not impossible and I’m proof. I submitted to 3 Seas blindly and it was almost a year later that I got an email from Cori, asking to see a full manuscript for my book. She called me the day after Thanksgiving to tell me she wanted to sign me.
It seems like the submission process for Hate List was lightning-fast. I sent Cori the manuscript and within a few days she was getting really good bites on it from some big publishers. It went to auction and within just a few weeks was sold to Little, Brown. It was very whirlwind, and I wish I’d written some of it down because I don’t remember the details too well now. I only remember her calling me and saying, “So how does it feel to be a published author?” I was in my car and it felt a lot like I was going to wreck into the side of a Mr. Goodcents. When she called to tell me about the “final deal,” I was on my hands and knees, scouring the shower floor. So much for glamor.
Wow, your story comes full circle. It began with an idea in the shower and ended with cleaning the shower. I’m sure all my blog readers are going to be squeaky clean from now on!
I’m curious, what happened to that first book pitch you shelved?
That first book, a women’s fiction book, is still shelved. I check in every so often and my main character is still despondently devouring tubs of Chunky Monkey and watching Dr. Phil episodes in a pair of ripped sweats and a dirty T-shirt. She’s not ready to come back out yet, poor thing. I really should explain to her that harsh criticism and rejection is part of the business.
Now that we know your character’s weakness for chocolate chunks in banana ice cream, what about you? How do you like your chocolate?
In a Cherry Mash!
Jennifer, this has been a fun interview. Thanks for talking with me. Love to have you back when Hate List is released! Good luck!
For laughs, follow Jennifer Brown on Twitter or visit her hilarious blog.
Toni De Palma’s debut YA novel Under the Banyan Tree is a New Voices Pick by the Association of Booksellers for Children. She joins me today to talk about her journey to publication.
First, a little about Banyan:
Irena’s not sure where she’s headed when she runs away—she just wants to leave the trailer she used to share with her mama and daddy far behind. But when she stumbles upon the Banyan Tree motel, something tells her it’s exactly where she’s meant to be. The elderly owner generously welcomes Irena, and the Banyan soon begins to feel like home. But trouble follows Irena wherever she goes, and the Banyan is no different: a mysterious guest, money problems, and secrets from her past soon threaten the stability of her new life. This moving story distills life’s joys and pains, and uncovers just what it really means to be a family.
Toni, your website bio says that you have always dreamed of being a writer, and you’ve accomplished so much with your first book. Can you tell us where Irena’s amazing story began?
The book was a very organic process. I don’t usually work with an outline and even when I jot down notes, I always tend to stray. The idea for Under the Banyan Tree came to me in my first semester of my M.F.A. program at Vermont College. Though I didn’t know it consciously at the time, Irena’s story reflected where I was emotionally in my life. As a young mother, who had given up her job to stay home and be a full time mom, I was feeling a little lost. No job to me meant no identity, no place in the world. I had begun writing, taking classes and submitting, but I didn’t honestly believe I was good enough to be a writer. When my son was five, I read about the Vermont College M.F.A. program in Writing for Children and Young Adults and I knew it was something I just had to do even though it would mean a lot of sacrifice. It might sound weird, but looking back I feel as if the Universe was compelling me to take on the challenge. So like my character, Irena, I sort of ran away (not to Key West, but to Vermont) and I embarked on a personal journey that taught me so much about myself.
After the M.F.A. program, how did you continue on your path to becoming an author? How did you balance motherhood and writing?
Balance? (Laugh, laugh.) What’s that? I’ll be honest. Every day is a struggle. Or come to think of it, maybe it’s not. I’m starting to think that, at least for me, there is a certain amount of normalcy to this ebb and flow, of those periods when I write a lot and those periods when I don’t, times when I rather be cooking or doing laundry and times when all I want to do is sit and write.
First drafts are always killers for me. I circle my computer like a vulture waiting, waiting. I much rather be revising, especially when I’ve had a great meeting with my writer’s group and they’ve given me feedback that’s stirred up my juices. I also seem to have cycles (maybe it has to do with the amount of serotonin in my system). I seem to write more in the Spring and Summer and drift off when it gets cold and all I want to do is snuggle under a blanket (I read a lot more during those times). I recently heard John Grisham say that he writes from April to Thanksgiving — a book a year. When I heard him say that, I felt validated.
I think the really cool thing for writers is that they learn what works best for them and to not judge themselves too harshly.
How long did you work on Under the Banyan Tree? How did you go about submitting it?
I worked on Banyan for two years and revised it about eight times (including the revisions I did with my editor). I was really fortunate with how Banyan played out. I submitted it to a few publishers who declined it and then met Margery Cuyler at the Rutgers One-On-One conference. Margery is the editor at Marshall Cavendish Children’s and she read Banyan, liked it, but didn’t feel it was quite right for her list. Margery suggested I send it to Regina Griffin at Holiday House. Margery knew Holiday House because she had been editor-in-chief there. Regina ended up liking it and offered me a contract.
What was it like to get “the call” from Regina Griffin?
I actually got “the call” from an assistant in her office, a nice girl who seemed genuinely delighted for me. I was happy too, but nervous about what would be expected of me next.
And what was expected of you next?
Well, a lot more waiting for one thing. From the time I received that first phone call to the time my book was published, close to three years had passed. The revision process was worth the wait though. Regina sent me an extensive editorial letter commenting on broader issues and she marked up the manuscript identifying smaller things I might want to consider. Regina did not make specific suggestions, but rather posed wonderful questions that made me see even more possibilities for my characters’ development as well as some plot points that I had never considered. Working with her made the manuscript better, deeper and I hope more satisfying for the reader.
After such a long (and rewarding) revision process, I’m sure you were thrilled once the book hit the shelves. How satisfying was it to hold the finished copy in your hands? What has surprised you most about being a published author? Is it everything you imagined it to be?
While it was wonderful to hold my book in my hand, it didn’t measure up to the very intimate, very personal moment that occurred when I wrote the last line and knew in my heart that I had brought my character to the finish line of her journey. I’m pretty emotional, so I cried, a great cathartic, super satisfying kind of YES! cry.
As for the post-publishing experience, that has been quite interesting and unexpected. I am fortunate that one of the local seventh grade teachers is using my book as part of her curriculum. After the kids read my book, I go in and do a presentation, then give the kids a chance to ask me questions. I’m always amazed at how the kids interpret the book and make it their own. Some kids get pretty incensed and emotional about the story, sometimes taking a character’s side. To elicit that kind of emotion, even though quite unintended is really cool for me because it makes me feel I’ve done my job. That same teacher has also used my book as a springboard to discuss a whole host of other topics such as the ecology of the Everglades (part of the story takes place there), the dangers of hitchhiking, Ernest Hemingway, and of course, banyan trees.
Toni, I sense that you feel it’s important to savor and enjoy each part of the creative process—it’s more about the journey than the destination. Would you agree? What other words of wisdom do you have for aspiring writers? And what can we expect next from you?
When I first started writing I must admit it was all about my ego and wanting to be a “famous” writer (this makes sense because J.K. Rowling had just hit the scene and her rags to riches story really captivated me). But the more I write and the more I see how my writing has helped me to have certain experiences, I view it as a both an intellectual challenge and a tool that is here to grow me both personally and spiritually.
Advice? Of course writing a book involves a great deal of skill that a person becomes better and better at each day with practice. Being part of a writer’s group has also been wonderful and reading, reading, reading. But the practice of writing is not limited to sitting down and hammering away at a keyboard. It involves trying to understand your world, staying curious and asking lots of questions not only with your head, but with your heart. My best writing comes when I’m feeling charged up over something and I just want to understand it.
Since writing Under the Banyan Tree, I’ve written a variety of other things that are now seeking a home: another contemporary YA novel, a historical fiction Middle Grade, as well as a Fantasy Middle Grade. Obviously, I like experimenting and playing with different genres. I’m also looking for an agent.
Toni, this has been a wonderful interview. You’ve helped me realize that I need to have peace and patience with the creative process.
Tara, thanks so much for this opportunity and the great conversation. Writing is sort of like that, a great conversation you have with your reader.
One final question. I promised to slip chocolate into my interviews, so what’s your favorite kind of chocolate candy?
Funny you’re asking about candy. From the age of five to eleven, I lived over a candy store in Brooklyn and I loved each and every sweet piece. Still do!
WOW! You lived above a candy store? That’s every kid’s dream come true! Have you ever written a story based on that experience?
Not yet, but who knows where my mind will wander…
Toni is generously giving away an autographed hardcover copy of Under the Banyan Tree. Leave a comment and you’ll be entered into the drawing.
Blog or Twitter about Toni’s interview, link back here and you’ll get TWO additional entries. Just let me know about the mentions in the comments field.
Good luck! I’ll draw a winner one week from today.
Thank you, Toni!
You might already know that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is my favorite children’s book. So I went in search of The Golden Ticket today.
But does anyone see something wrong with this Golden Ticket?
While you ponder that question, let me kick off Love a Kidlit Author Month with a few golden words from Dutton Executive Managing Editor Steve Meltzer.
Mr. Meltzer penned an article in the latest edition of Sprouts, the magazine of the NJ-SCBWI. The title says it all: “Market Your Book Without the Book.”
Common sense tells us not to market a book until you actually have a book to publish. I say that is no longer true. When you are selling a book these days you have to sell yourself as well. It is up to you to do the job. Publishers like people who know how to market…
…Web video technology and social networking are the author’s friend. There is so much you can do these days for so very little. So get out and market yourself.
If you don’t subscribe to Sprouts, I highly suggest it! Each issue contains useful industry tips from editors and agents.
Figured out the mistake on the Golden Ticket yet?
Remember, every comment you make this month counts towards an entry for the gift certificate (but only one comment per blog post). If you blog or Twitter about Love a KidLit Author month and link here, it counts as an extra entry, just let me know about it!
Yeah, I changed the name of my February blogfest. Mostly because “Children’s” didn’t fit on the candy heart generator. Oh, the sacrifices we make for our art.
Here’s a sneak peek at the upcoming author interviews…
Jessica Burkart, author of the brand new tween series Canterwood Crest, billed as “The Clique” meets “The Saddle Club.”
Toni De Palma, author of Under the Banyan Tree, an Association of Booksellers for Children Best New Voices pick.
Lisa Mullarkey, author of the new Katharine the Almost Great chapter book series from Magic Wagon.
Steve Ouch, author/illustrator of SteamPotVille, a little independent title making big Tweets.
Aaron Zenz, author/illustrator of HICCUPotamus and the groovy dad behind Bookie Woogie book reviews.
Plus authors Jennifer Brown, Brenda Reeves Sturgis, Mary Ann Scott, Corey Rosen Schwartz…and I’m working on a few more.
And now the prize announcements!
Each comment you leave in February counts as an entry to win a $25 gift certificate to the bookstore of your choice. (Be sure I can reach you via your comment link. Comment as many times as you wish, but only one comment will count per blog post.) If your choice is your local independent bookseller like The Bookworm in Bernardsville, NJ, you’ll win a $35 gift certificate. 
The winner will be chosen out of a hat, which may or may not be an actual hat. Probably a melamine mixing bowl like one of these:
Plus, some of our featured authors will be giving away autographed copies of their books! Woo-hoo!
I’m having a blast putting this together, learning a lot from these new authors and getting inspired. I hope you will be, too!
Ah, February. The month of love.
I love that December’s bills have been paid off. I love that I don’t have to worry about fitting into a bathing suit quite yet. I love dreaming of ways to spend my tax refund (which has already been spent). And I love gettin’ cozy in front of the fire with my daughters and a good book.
So this February I’m hosting a celebration of children’s authors, new and old. (Well, maybe not old. Established.) It will be 28 days of author interviews, book reviews and giveaways beginning on February 1st.
And what would February be without chocolates? Besides the quintessential heart-shaped box, February 1st was the day Willy Wonka invited five kids to tour his chocolate factory for the very first time…
Do you have a new book coming out? Recently snagged your dream agent? I’m still looking for writers to feature, so please get in touch by leaving a comment!
Writers are entertainers. We immerse readers in a magical world, letting them escape with our words as a guide. If a reader enjoys your ride, chances are they’ll seek you out again. And again.
This week I read a lot about branding yourself as a writer, thanks to writing friend Jill Corcoran. The subject isn’t foreign to me, having worked in marketing for a decade. But just what is branding for writers? Developing a consistent style in your stories, offering readers a place that’s as comfortable to return to as their favorite chair. It’s not about writing books so similar that no one finds value in buying more than one. It’s about finding your niche in the publishing world and working within it.
Let’s compare this idea to chain restaurants in the US. Why are they popular? Diners know the menu, they know exactly what to expect. Olive Garden promises that the chicken parmigiana in Spokane will taste the same as the one in Cleveland. They don’t just sell unlimited salad and breadsticks, they serve predictability and comfort. Repeat diners know they’ll enjoy their meal.
People often buy the same laundry detergent, the same rice and the same cheese year after year. How many of you use the same brands your mother bought? Consumers will buy an item simply because they know it and they don’t know the competitors.
Brands also have unique qualities that make them more attractive than similar products. I prefer Barilla Plus pasta because it has added protein without a significant change in flavor. While it’s just pasta, it’s very different from the other noodles on the grocery shelves.
As a new writer in an increasingly difficult book market, developing a brand may give you an edge over the competition. When I think of Grace Lin, I think of whimsical illustrations with colorful patterns like origami paper. John Scieszka? Fairytale spoofs. Roald Dahl writes humorous, fantastical tales. Think about some of your favorite authors and what kind of feelings their name brings to mind. You want to elicit that same kind of recognition when readers think of you.
On the flip side, author K.L. Going admitted that her interest in multiple genres makes it difficult for readers to get a handle on her. At the Rutgers One-on-One Mentoring conference last October she said, “You never know what you’re going to get with a K.L. Going book.” She suggested not doing this as a new author, although she also encouraged us to write what we love.
But what if we love crossing genres? What if writing a supernatural YA mystery comes as naturally as a quiet non-fiction picture book? Perhaps you can be predictable in your unpredictability? Isn’t that a brand as well? Sure it is. But is it one you want as someone who’s trying to break into a tough, competitive business? Agents and editors tout “high concept” in novels, so why not come up with a “high concept” for yourself?
I realize that branding yourself as a writer is a complex task, especially for someone new who is still experimenting with style, genre, voice and subject matter. Stories are more complex than shampoo. You can’t guarantee thicker, fuller hair and a fresh lavender scent with each turn of the page. So what do you guarantee your readers?
Ask your critique partners what your brand might be. What perceptions do they have about your stories? What qualities in your writing are consistent? What do they look forward to when you hand them a new tale? Where does your work really shine?
You might have a very good idea about what your brand is. But remember that branding is all about someone else’s perception, not yours. You can have an image or a message you wish to relate to your readers, but are you sending it? Start asking around. Get to know your own brand so readers can get to know you.
What are you thoughts on branding for writers?
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 