Caroline by line

Behind the Blog Podcast

2012-02-17T05:30:00.000-07:00

I'm at Erin Goodman's Behind the Blog today. Download the podcast here, and join us on Erin's Facebook page Saturday morning for a chat (8:00 am MST/ 10:00 am EST).

Here are some highlights:

1:50 -- Land of Enchantment

3:10 -- writing space
6:30 -- stranger in a strange land

7:10 -- topics I'm drawn to
9:20 -- my teaching years
11:30 -- Caroline by line
15:30 -- blogging with writing deadlines
16:45 -- meeting Mavis Betterly

17:10 -- graveyards and being nosey
19:10 -- learning disabilities in another era
20:30 -- the origins of May's name
23:00 -- when your children aren't ready for certain stories
27:20 -- wolf!

29:30 -- reading aloud

32:25 -- "make a try at being a writer"
39:00 -- for Writing Mamas

Why We Read

2012-02-15T05:30:00.000-07:00

The real purpose of reading is to trap the mind into doing its own thinking.
-Christopher Morley

THE WILDER LIFE by Wendy McClure

2012-02-13T05:30:00.001-07:00

For those of you who've followed here a while (and even for those who are rather new), you might have caught that I'm a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan. My book, MAY B., was partially inspired by my desire to create my own strong pioneer girl who would feel, in the spirit of Laura Ingalls, both familiar and brave.

If you, too, are a Laura fan, you have to get a hold of Wendy McClure's THE WILDER LIFE: MY ADVENTURES IN THE LOST WORLD OF LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. As an adult, Wendy rekindles her Laura love and determines she'll learn as much as she can about the Ingalls and their world. Wendy embarks on a butter-churning, midwestern-prairie trekking adventure, where she visits all of Laura's homesites (excluding the Wilders brief stay in Florida), experiments with homesteading techniques (sourdough starter, anyone?), and digs deep into what is real, what is fiction, and what is memory.

Those of us who grew up loving Laura Ingalls have memories of our own. For me, I remember Laura being the first author I "knew." Sure, I'd been exposed to plenty of books before the Little House series, but it was while listening to my father read that I came to understand Laura the girl and Laura the writer were the same person. I was convinced that Laura had actually typed each page in my book, stuck everything together, and sent it to the bookstore.

Wendy's book covers a lot -- the television series fans vs. the book fans (some of us are both, but lean more one way or the other), the way Laura's books are more fictitious than many realize (For example, LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS actually covers the time before and after LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE; the Ingalls, like many pioneers, had to backtrack before being able to move west again), and the expectation -- and disappointment -- a fan might experience while visiting, as Wendy calls it, Laura World. How much of the books comes from true events? How much of our memories of the Ingalls were partially formed by our own childhood impressions? Where is a fan left in the midst of it all? And why did TV Pa solve so many problems by throwing punches?

For this Laura fan, this book was incredibly satisfying. Wendy, like it or not, you've made a new friend.

Has anyone else read THE WILDER LIFE? What were your impressions? If your name happens to be Stephanie and you babysat me as a girl, don't buy your own copy; you'll find one in your mailbox soon!

1,662 Postcards: Marketing Mania!

2012-02-10T05:30:00.000-07:00

In the last eight months, I've written, labeled, and mailed 1,662 May B. postcards. Yes, really.

Much of marketing a book is like throwing darts, but as I've learned, a personalized, audience-tweaked dart has more potential to hit the board than those thrown willy-nilly.

I can't take credit for what I've done -- that goes to Saundra Mitchell and her bossy self-marketing plan. Using her suggested wording, I determined my audience and tweaked what I wrote for each.

My audience:

Kansas schools and libraries

Why? May B. takes place in Kansas and is primarily a school and library market title. Also, Kansas Day is 1/29. Teachers are required to teach KS history on or around this day -- perfect for an early January release date!

Plains state/frontier/pioneer museums

Why? May B.'s focus on the frontier era will ideally interest museums that focus on the plains and pioneer history.

Dyslexia schools and camps

Why? May B. (the character) struggles with dyslexia. While her story is one of a specific time period, ideally her feelings of isolation, shame, confusion -- and ultimately hope -- will resonate with children with disabilities now.

NM schools and libraries

Why? This is where I live! Hopefully that alone will be a start in drawing local interest, library purchases, or speaking opportunities.

My postcards:

For KS schools and libraries:

My historical verse novel, May B., is set on the Kansas frontier. It releases 1/10/12, just in time for Kansas Day! I hope you'll consider it for the students of ________ school / for the _______ library's children's collection.

I'm available for Skype visits.

For plains state/frontier/pioneer museums and historical societies:

My historical verse novel, May B., is set on the frontier. I hope you will consider it for __________. It's a great way to introduce young visitors to the pioneer era.

For dyslexia schools and camps:

My historical verse novel, May B., focuses on a child with dyslexia in an era when such struggles were misunderstood. I hope you'll consider it for the students and families of _________ school.

I'm available for Skype visits.

For NM schools and libraries:

I'm a NM author. My historical verse novel, May B., will appeal to fans of Hatchet and Laura Ingalls Wilder as well as reluctant readers. I hope you'll consider it for the students of ________ school / for the _______ library's children's collection.

I'm available for Skype visits.

Results:
Roughly 50 postcards have come back to me (incorrect address, no drop box at this address, and -- sadly -- vacant buildings).

Hits to my website increased with each batch I mailed, coming from the locations where postcards were sent.

Roughly 20 people have reached out to me -- teachers, camp directors, directors of learning disability organizations, librarians, and a museum or two.

My publicist has sent on ARCs to several responders or contacted marketing to set up direct sales for gift shops.
One teacher is using May in her classroom this year.
One NM librarian scheduled an author program.
Several librarians contacted me to let me know they'd already ordered or planned on ordering my book.
One camp director would like to share May B. with campers this upcoming summer.

Most postcards probably went straight to the trash. But I have to think that even that brief exposure counted for one of those 3-7 times on average that marketers say a person needs to be shown a product before they respond. My cover in front of new eyes = never a bad thing. Besides, maybe a docent in a prairie museum somewhere took my postcard home to a granddaughter or a local teacher. I'll never know for sure, but thinking this way was enough to keep me motivated.

Will I do it again?
Yes, though probably not as many. The last five hundred weren't as exciting as the first thousand. In some small way, though, I've taken hold of my book's success by spreading the word, one postcard at a time.

Glory, Giveaways, Growing as a Writer

2012-02-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

The Glory We Give to Ourselves :: Beth Kephart

February Giveaway: Historical and Paranormal YA :: The Class of 2k12

The Book Club Exchange: Hosting a May B. Book Club :: Booking Mama

Research Yourself, Research Your Fiction, Know More :: Beth Kephart

Writing Block: How One Busy Mother Managed to Break Free :: The Class of 2k12

What Makes a Book Matter Right Now :: Beth Kephart

On My Nightstand -- February 2012

2012-02-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

What's on yours?

Madrid, New Mexico -- Artsy Retreat

2012-02-03T05:30:00.000-07:00

The day after May B. launched, my mom and I headed to Madrid, NM.

That's MA-drid. Not Ma-DRID.

Madrid is a mining town...

...turned ghost town...

...turned community of artists...

...with one wooly Marshall...

...a car-perching dog...

...and plenty of beauty to inspire, refresh, and recharge.

Classroom Connections: NEVER EIGHTEEN

2012-02-01T05:30:00.000-07:00

Classroom connections is a recurring series meant to introduce teachers to new books.

Never Eighteen -- Megan Bostic

"Bostic writes this graceful, affecting tale without pretension...Perhaps it's because of that simplicity that the story concludes with such a powerful emotional punch." --Kirkus review

Please tell us about your book.
Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. But in the short time he has left there’s one thing he can do: He can try to help the people he loves live—even though he never will.

What inspired you to write this story?
Watching someone I loved die of cancer opened my eyes. So many people waste their lives away. They’re standing still while the world passes them by. I think it’s important to remind people that you only have one shot at life; you should live it like you mean it.

Could you share with readers how you conducted your research or share a few interesting tidbits you learned while researching?
There wasn’t much research involved since I’d been a first-hand witness to the effects cancer has on the body. However, I did have to look up some of the specific forms of cancer, which I did online. I also visited the Space Needle and EMP, which I’m ashamed to say, having lived here all my life, I’d never been. I revisited the hike at Comet Falls. I hadn’t done it in a few years, and I wanted to get it just right.

What topics does your book touch upon that would make it a perfect fit for the classroom?
I think Never Eighteen would be a perfect fit for high school classrooms. It explores many issues teens face in this day and age: sexual abuse and confusion, bullying, drinking and drug use, love, loss, and death. The novel also covers music, poetry and literature, which would be perfect for an English class. I think it would spark some interesting conversation and also compel teens to contemplate their future and what’s important in life.

Thank you, Megan, for joining us today!

Current State of Affairs

2012-01-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

Messy desk, jumbled research tub, new Kindle (with fancy olive cover), printed re-writes stacked on my laptop.

What's your workspace look like right now?

And for fun, how many Mays do you see?

After a Book Release

2012-01-27T05:30:00.000-07:00

Once a book is published, it no longer belongs to me. My creative task is done. The work now belongs to the creative mind of my readers. I had my turn to make of it what I could; now it is their turn. I have no more right to tell readers how they should respond to what I have written than they had to tell me how to write it. It’s a wonderful feeling when readers hear what I thought I was trying to say, but there is no law that they must. Frankly, it is even more thrilling for a reader to find something in my writing that I hadn’t until that moment known was there. But this happens because of who the reader is, not simply because of who I am or what I have done.

-Katherine Paterson, A SENSE OF WONDER: ON READING AND WRITING BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

Mia from Newton, Massachusetts, Are You Out There?

2012-01-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

Four of the five MAY Days winners have contacted me. I haven't yet heard from Mia, who left this comment:

I've been to Erica Perl's Chicken Butt at Wellesley Booksmith, Lisa See's at Brookline Booksmith, and Best Travel Writing for Women at Brookline Booksmith.

I'd love to attend your book signing! Please come to Newton, MA!

I need to hear from you by the end of the week, or the package below will go elsewhere.

Monday, 1/16

Launch Party Pictures

giveaway:

one copy of MAY B.

one packet of 2011 bookmarks

Mia

Frontier Stories

2012-01-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

In an effort to give readers a taste of MAY B., I'm sharing books with similar genres and themes. Today's topic: frontier stories. All descriptions are taken from Amazon.com.

The Long Winter - Laura Ingalls Wilder

The adventures of Laura Ingalls and her family continue as Pa, Ma, Laura, Mary, Carrie, and little Grace bravely face the hard winter of 1880-81 in their little house in the Dakota Territory. Blizzards cover the little town with snow, cutting off all supplies from the outside. Soon there is almost no food left, so young Almanzo Wilder and a friend make a dangerous trip across the prairie to find some wheat. Finally a joyous Christmas is celebrated in a very unusual way in this most exciting of all the Little House books.

Pioneer Girl: A True Story of Growing up on the Prairie - Andrea Warren

Pioneer Girl is the true story of Grace McCance Snyder. In 1885, when Grace was three, she and her family became homesteaders on the windswept prairie of central Nebraska. They settled into a small sod house and hauled their water in barrels. Together they endured violent storms, drought, blizzards, and prairie fires.

Despite the hardships and dangers, Grace loved her life on the prairie. Weaving Grace’s story into the history of America’s heartland, award-winning author Andrea Warren writes not just of one spirited girl but of all the children who homesteaded with their families in the late 1800s, sharing the heartbreaks and joys of pioneer life.

Prairie Song - Pam Conrad

Louisa's life in a loving pioneer family on the Nebraska prairie is altered by the arrival of a new doctor and his beautiful, tragically frail wife.

Dear America: Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie - Kristiana Gregory

Thirteen-year-old Hattie Campbell records the details of her family's harrowing migration to Oregon in a covered wagon and describes the many challenges, both joyful and tragic, that mark the journey.

What are some frontier stories you've enjoyed?

MAY Days Winners!

2012-01-23T05:30:00.001-07:00

Thank you, all who entered my giveaways these last two weeks and for your enthusiasm as MAY B. has made her way into the world. Here are the winners (selected by random.org):

Wednesday, 1/11

The Reader

giveaway:

May B. T-shirt

one packet of 2011 bookmarks

Jennie Thompson

Friday, 1/13

Pioneer Women

giveaway:

one copy of MAY B.

one MAY B. journal

one packet of 2011 bookmarks

L McMendon

Monday, 1/16

Launch Party Pictures

giveaway:

one copy of MAY B.

one packet of 2011 bookmarks

Mia

Wednesday, 1/18*

Classroom Connections: MAY B.

giveaway:

one marked-up copy of MAY B.

one copy of the MAY B. study guide (CD-ROM included)

one MAY B. journal

one packet of 2011 bookmarks

Heidi Grange

Friday, 1/20

Fan Mail

giveaway:

one Class of 2k12 T-shirt

one MAY B. journal

one packet of 2011 bookmarks

Jenn @ Under the Covers

Winners please email me your mailing addresses, and I'll get your prizes to you immediately!

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Interview: Caroline Starr Rose (May B.) :: Writing from the Tub

MAY Days #5: Fan Mail

2012-01-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

I've gotten to talk in a couple of schools these last few months. My last visit was to my second-grader's classroom. Here are some of the thank you letters his classmates sent me:

Too fun!

As a child, I never had an author visit my school, but I can imagine how magical it would have been. Have you ever experienced an author visit?

Today's giveaway:
one Class of 2k12 T-shirt
one MAY B. journal
one packet of 2011 bookmarks

To enter, comment below about an author event you've attended or one you'd like to attend. I'd love to hear school visit stories! The winner (randomly selected) will be announced Monday, 1/23.

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New Voice: Caroline Starr Rose on May B. :: Cynsations

Win a copy of Caroline Starr Rose's debut, May B. :: Something to Write About

A Lesson on Conciseness from May B. :: Anna Staniszewski

A Review of May B. :: Rosi Hollinbeck

MAY Days #4: Classroom Connections

2012-01-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

Classroom Connections is a series of posts meant to introduce teachers to new books. Today I'm interviewing myself!

May B. - Caroline Starr Rose

School Library Journal review:
Told in spare, vivid verse, May’s story works on many levels; as a survival story, a coming-of-age tale, and a worthwhile next read for “Little House on the Prairie” fans.

Publisher's Weekly starred review:
Writing with compassion and a wealth of evocative details, Rose offers a memorable heroine and a testament to the will to survive.

Hornbook review:
The verse novel form is particularly well suited to this spare survival story set on the homesteaded Kansas prairie. Rose uses a close-up lens and a fine sense of rhythm to draw us into her stark world, Little House on the Prairie without the coziness.

Kirkus starred review:
As unforgiving as the western Kansas prairies, this extraordinary verse novel—Rose’s debut—paints a gritty picture of late-19th-century frontier life from the perspective of a 12-year-old dyslexic girl named Mavis Elizabeth Betterly… May B. for short.

Please tell us about your book.
Mavis Elizabeth Betterly, or May B. as she is known, is helping out on a neighbor's Kansas prairie homestead, “Just until Christmas,” says her Pa. Twelve-year-old May wants to contribute, but it's hard to be separated from her family by fifteen long, unfamiliar miles.

Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned to the oncoming winter, trapped all alone in a tiny snow-covered sod house without any way to let her family know and no neighbors to turn to. In her solitude, she wavers between relishing her freedom and succumbing to utter despair, while trying to survive in the harshest conditions. Her physical struggle to first withstand and then to escape her prison is matched by tormenting memories of her failures at school. Only a very strong girl will be able to stand up to both and emerge alive and well.

In this debut novel written in gripping verse, Caroline Starr Rose has given readers a new heroine to root for, one who never, ever gives up.

What inspired you to write this story?
Because of my childhood love for the Little House on the Prairie series, I wanted to create my own strong pioneer girl. I was also curious how someone might write about solitude and challenged myself to experiment with a storyline that would confine one character to a limited space (believe me, there were many times I didn’t feel up to this challenge!). I’d also fallen hard for Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet and wanted to create a survival story told from a girl’s perspective.

May’s name, Mavis Elizabeth Betterly, came to me before I did any character development. I liked the way I could shorten Mavis Betterly to May B. and loved the way her name hinted at the wishy-washy word “maybe” (which is a word like mediocre or okay; it doesn’t carry a lot of conviction), but also contained the strong word “better”. Though I wasn’t quite sure of the specifics, I determined there had to be something in May’s life that made her feel mediocre, something she longed to do better and something that spoke not only to her lack of ability but also her sense of worth.

As a teacher, I’d always wondered how children with learning disabilities had fared at a time before their challenges were understood, especially in the days when recitation and reading aloud were the major means of instruction. Dyslexia became a perfect obstacle for a child striving to do better and mirrored nicely May B.’s theme of isolation.

Could you share with readers how you conducted your research or share a few interesting tidbits you learned while researching?
My first attempt at writing had been historical fiction, and I learned from that disastrous manuscript that regardless of the history, the story had to belong to the character; I couldn’t beat historical facts into my readers’ heads. I went into May B. trusting that if I kept my protagonist’s perspective and understanding of her world, enough history would organically seep in.

One special challenge was locating where May’s sod house stood. There’s a reference in the story to Tom Sawyer, so the book had to take place in 1876 or later. I wanted her in a part of western Kansas that wasn’t very developed and was semi-close to a railroad. It was also necessary to have wolves around. The first place I located May was outside of Dodge City, where she would have been smack dab in the middle of the Chisolm Cattle Trail -- not exactly the solitude I was looking for (I also wasn’t interested in telling the sort of rowdy cowboy story that Dodge City brings to mind). The story couldn’t take place much beyond 1880 because in order to have wolves, buffalo still needed to be prevalent; by 1880 these animals were largely wiped out. Gove County, Kansas became a good location: the railroad (and therefore surrounding communities) was still relatively new but old enough to have been there before 1880; the short-grass country of western Kansas supported sod houses; and wolves, while not spotted everyday, would have still roamed in packs at this time.

What are some special challenges associated with writing a verse novel?
May B. didn’t start as a novel in verse. I poked around with some scenes in prose but quickly found the writing wasn’t right. I wasn’t close enough to the character. I wasn’t telling the story as honestly as I could. Continuing with my research, I picked up Elizabeth Hamsten’s Read This Only to Yourself: The Private Writings of Midwestern Women, 1880-1910. Reading these women’s first-hand accounts was like finding a magic formula: their stark, terse, matter-of-fact way of sharing their lives showed me May’s voice. I began writing again, this time in verse, and the story fell into place.

What topics does your book touch upon that would make it a perfect fit for the classroom?

the frontier era
pioneers
Kansas history
one-room schoolhouses
learning disabilities
blizzards
survival / isolation
shame / self-worth

Today's giveaway*:

one marked-up copy of MAY B. (an insider's look into the story)

one copy of the MAY B. study guide (CD-ROM included)

one MAY B. journal

one packet of 2011 bookmarks

To enter, comment below about your favorite historical read. The winner (randomly selected) will be announced Monday, 1/23.

*Please only enter the giveaway today if you plan on using the book in an educational setting (classroom, library, book club, etc.).

MAY Days #3: Launch Party Pictures

2012-01-16T05:30:00.000-07:00

Photos from my Page One signing on Tuesday...

(And I used to wonder...)

(...why my students mimicked my waving hands.)

...and my Alamosa launch party on Saturday!

Packed house!

More hand talk.

***

Today's giveaway:

one copy of MAY B. (a finished copy, even though the picture shows an ARC)

one packet of 2011 bookmarks

To enter, comment below about a book signing you've been to or one you'd love to attend. The winner (randomly selected) will be announced Monday, 1/23.

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Class of 2k12: Interview with Caroline Starr Rose :: The Reading Fever

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose :: This Means a Lot

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose :: Stacked

On Writing, Poetry, and the Prairie: an Interview (and Giveaway) with Caroline Starr Rose :: Simple Homeschool

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday Interview of Caroline Starr Rose and May B. Giveaway :: Literary Rambles

MAY Days #2: Pioneer Women

2012-01-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

The world has never seen such hardihood, such perseverance, such devotion, nor such ingenuity in making the best of everything as was displayed by America’s pioneer women. Their like has never been known.

-- Kansas historian Lilla Day Monroe

Today's giveaway:
one copy of MAY B. (a finished copy, not the ARC in the picture)
one MAY B. journal
one pack of 2011 bookmarks

To enter, comment below on a person/group of people you admire. The winner (randomly selected) will be announced Monday, 1/23.

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Class of 2k12 Guest Post: Caroline Starr Rose :: The O.W.L

Survival in Verse: An Interview with Caroline Starr Rose :: The Chained Library

Class of 2k12: Caroline Starr Rose :: The Compulsive Reader

Video Reading: May B. by Caroline Starr Rose :: Cari’s Book Blog

WOW Wednesday: Caroline Starr Rose on Hard Work and Believing :: Adventures in YA and Children’s Publishing

MAY Days #1: The Reader

2012-01-11T05:30:00.000-07:00

In 2007 my dear friend, Jamie Martin, came to visit. I lived in Battle Creek, Michigan, at the time, and the two of us spent an afternoon wandering the antique shops of nearby Marshall. Jamie found a beat-up copy of The American Educational Reader, Number 5, and she encouraged me to get it for this little pioneer book I was working on.

This book ended up playing a key part in what became May B.

One lesson in particular, a poem called The Voice of the Wind, is featured in several scenes.

It was easy for me to imagine May working through lessons in this book. Having my own copy helped me to see her as more than a character. She became real to me.

A copy of May's reader is available through Google books. Have a look!

Today's giveaway:

May B. T-shirt (from ooShirts.com)

one pack of 2k11/Elevensie bookmarks

To enter, comment below about a lesson you remember from your school days. The winner (randomly selected) will be announced Monday, 1/23.

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Author Interview: Caroline Starr Rose :: A Good Addiction

Debut Authors from the Class of 2k12: Caroline Starr Rose :: Through the Wardrobe

Class of 2k12 Interview with Caroline Starr Rose, Author of May B. :: My Friend Amy

I Have No Words

2012-01-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

On Being Vulnerable and Putting Yourself Out There :: Steady Mom

MAY Days

2012-01-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

In honor of MAY B. making her way into the world tomorrow, I'll be hosting a few giveaways this week and next. Here's a run down on blog topics and what prizes are available:

Wednesday, 1/11

The Reader

giveaway:

May B. T-shirt

one packet of 2011 bookmarks

Friday, 1/13

Pioneer Women

giveaway:

one copy of MAY B.

one MAY B. journal

one packet of 2011 bookmarks

Monday, 1/16

Launch Party Pictures

giveaway:

one copy of MAY B.

one packet of 2011 bookmarks

Wednesday, 1/18*

Classroom Connections: MAY B.

giveaway:

one marked-up copy of MAY B.

one copy of the MAY B. study guide (CD-ROM included)

one MAY B. journal

one packet of 2011 bookmarks

Friday, 1/20

Fan Mail

giveaway:

one Class of 2k12 T-shirt

one MAY B. journal

one packet of 2011 bookmarks

With the exception of Wednesday, 1/18*, anyone can enter to win! If you'd like, you may enter every giveaway. I'll post all winners Monday, 1/23.

Any questions? Feel free to ask below! Looking forward to seeing you here tomorrow.

*Please only enter the giveaway on Wednesday, 1/18 if you plan on using the book in an educational setting (classroom, library, book club, etc.).

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Kid Konnection: May B. :: Booking Mama

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose :: Hobbitsies

Charming Prairie Novel-in-Verse, May B. :: Teen Writer's Bloc

Review: May B. :: Emmegail's Bookshelf

On Writing

2012-01-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

Words -- so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.
- Nathaniel Hawthorne

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An Author Joins Us: Discussing May B. by Caroline Starr Rose :: Random Acts of Reading

Coming in With a Bang

2012-01-04T05:30:00.001-07:00

Join me over at the Class of 2k12 blog today, where we're kicking off the new year! Here's a bit of what you'll find there.

In a world of instant gratification, the traditional publication process might seem archaic or even backward to the uninitiated. The idea that once a book sells the real work begins might strike some as downright wrong: if a publisher likes a book enough to buy it, why should changes be made? And yet. This is one of the many things that makes the publication experience so rich and so good. I can’t imagine my book entering the world the way it looked on the day it sold. The careful work I’ve done with my editors and copyeditor have made my story so much better. The amazing thing? I get the credit for their hard work!

Thanks to all of you who are cheering us on!

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Debut Feature: May B. Author Caroline Starr Rose on Reading Verse Novels + a Giveaway :: Red House Books

The Story Behind the Story -- Caroline Starr Rose :: YA Book Reads

Make the Most of Your Writing -- Guest Post by Caroline Starr Rose :: DIY MFA

Classroom Connections: GLORY BE

2012-01-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

Classroom Connections is a recurring series meant to introduce teachers to new books.

GLORY BE -- Augusta Scattergood

“There's a whiff of Carson McCullers in Augusta Scattergood's story of a sultry Southern summer long ago when the outside world moved all the markers of Gloriana Hemphill's growing up. It's a summer of bigotry and beehive hairdos, of sit-ins and dangerous boys. All mixed together and beautifully recalled."
--Richard Peck, Newbery Award-winning author of A Year Down Yonder

Glory Be is a lovely debut novel for younger readers, akin to Kathryn Stockett's The Help -- an important read that raises powerful racial issues of the 1960s American South.
-- Kathryn Erskine, National Book Award-winning author of Mockingbird

Glory Be weaves a seamless story of sisterly love, broken friendships, and the strength that it takes to stand up for the right thing. Augusta Scattergood is at the top of my debut-authors-to-watch list.
-- Barbara O'Connor, Parents’ Choice Award-winning author of How to Steal a Dog

Please tell us about your book.

GLORY BE is set in a small town in Mississippi during Freedom Summer, 1964. Almost-12-year-old Glory is mystified by much that’s happening in her town, including the closing of the pool and her sister’s preference for a new boyfriend over their secrets and games. At first, their maid, Emma, assures Glory that everything will turn out fine, that the sisters will always have each other, and eventually their town will move past the events of the summer. Soon, however, everyone realizes that things will never be the same.

What inspired you to write this story?

I grew up in Mississippi and was there during the summer of 1964. But while it was happening, most of my friends and I were shielded from the events of that period in our history.

Many years later, while working as a school librarian, I heard Ruby Bridges speak to our students. One thing she shared about her experiences integrating the New Orleans schools as a young child was that she felt had the parents left the children to figure the situation out, maybe things would have turned out differently. That really hit me. In my own personal experience, no kids ever had an opportunity to figure out anything having to do with race. During those turbulent times, as youngsters, we were shielded from so much that was happening. As we got older, we realized we’d been there for a very important part of history. Even now, a lot of students don’t know as much about the Civil Rights Movement as we might think.

Soon after hearing Ruby Bridges talk, I start writing GLORY BE.

Could you share with readers how you conducted your research or share a few interesting tidbits you learned while researching?

Since I was actually present at the setting, so to speak, I had a good feel for the time and place of my book. But there’s so much on the internet that I could check. Which Elvis/ Beatles songs had already been recorded. When did various Nancy Drew books appear. Important stuff!

I found a treasure trove in two oral history sites: the Library of Congress and the University of North Carolina library websites. Especially for voices and stories of African Americans who lived in the South during this period and later spoke about it.

I also relied on my friends and my family. I know they wondered why I cared if football players practiced in pads or not, during the summer of 1964! I didn’t talk much about the actual topic of the book—integration of the town’s swimming pool— until I was near publication. It was just too close to me.

What are some special challenges associated with writing historical fiction?

There’s a particular challenge in writing about a period in our history that’s so personal to people who still remember it. Not only do you need to get the details right (don’t even get me started about the ruckus I raised posting a question about Skeeter’s hairstyle in the movie The Help!), you need to get the facts as accurately as you can determine from research. Then there’s the issue of making the history appealing to younger readers. Without preaching.

What topics does your book touch upon that would make it a perfect fit for the classroom?

The Civil Rights movement
Race
American history
Family values

If you'd like to learn more about Augusta and GLORY BE, please visit her blog. Thank you, Augusta, for sharing your book with us today!
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Class of 2k12 Interview with Caroline Starr Rose -- Debut Author of May B. -- And a Giveaway! :: My Brain on Books

2011 Reading: An Overview

2011-12-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

Here's what I read this past year:

Clear Off Your Shelves Challenge

Debut Author Challenge

Re-Reads

** Read Alouds

You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes And Other Great Advice From an Unlikely Preacher's Wife - Lisa McKay (NF)
Dogsled Dreams - Terrylynn Johnson (MG)
An Abundance of Katherines - John Green (YA)
Across the Universe - Beth Revis (YA)
Mistress of the Monarchy - Alison Weir (NF)
The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster (MG)**
A Northern Light - Jennifer Donnelly (YA)
Haven - Kristi Cook (YA)
Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins (YA)
The Melon Hound - Sandy Dengler (MG)
You Can't Eat Your Chicken Pox, Amber Brown - Paula Danziger (MG)**
Jellicoe Road - Marlina Marchetta (YA)
Prince Caspian - CS Lewis (MG)**
Paper Towns - John Greene (YA)
Bad Taste in Boys - Carrie Harris (YA)
Comfort - Carolee Dean (YA)
Matched - Ally Condie (YA)
Wither - Lauren Destefano (YA)
Ten Miles Past Normal - Frances O'Roark Dowell (YA)
Memento Nora - Angie Smibert (YA)
Moon Over Manifest - Clare Vanderpool (MG)
The Healing Spell - Kimberley Griffiths Little (MG)
Popular - Alissa Grosso (YA)
Stupid Fast - Geoff Herbach (YA)
People of the Book - Geraldine Brooks
The Lost Colony of Roanoke - Jean Fritz (MG/NF)
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - CS Lewis (MG)**
The Year We Were Famous - Carole Estby Dagg (YA)
Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony - Lee Miller (NF)
Hatchet - Gary Paulsen (MG)**
It's a Bunny Eat Bunny World - Olga Litowinsky (NF)
Fairer Than Morning - Rosslyn Elliot
George's Marvelous Medicine - Roald Dahl (MG)**
The Twits - Roald Dahl (MG)**
OyMG - Amy Fellner Dominy (YA)
Waiting for Normal - Leslie Connor (MG)
Never Eighteen - Megan Bostic (YA)
Possession - Elana Johnson (YA)
Brain's Winter - Gary Paulsen (MG)**
Undercover - Beth Kephart (YA)
Belle Prater's Boy - Ruth White (MG)
Publicize Your Book! - Jacqueline Duval (NF)
The Art and Craft of Writing Historical Fiction - James Alexander Thom (NF)
Matilda Bone - Karen Cushman (MG)
Sparrow Road - Sheila O'Connor (MG)
The Pull of Gravity - Gae Polisner (YA)
True Tales of Old-Time Kansas - David Dary (NF)
With a Name Like Love - Tess Hilmo (MG)
My Very Unfairy Tale Life - Ana Staniszewski (MG)
The Raging Quiet - Sherryl Jordan (YA)
The Dark and Hollow Places - Carrie Ryan (YA)
Delirium - Lauren Oliver (YA)
The Night Children - Kit Reed (MG)
If on a winter's night a traveler - Italo Calvino
Lips Touch Three Times - Laini Taylor (YA)
The Revenant - Sonia Gensler (YA)
The Rotten Adventures of Zachary Ruthless - Alan Woodrow (MG)
The Silver Chair - C. S. Lewis (MG)**
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator - Roald Dahl (MG)**
You Are My Only - Beth Kephart (YA)
We Are Not Alone: A Writer's Guide to Social Media - Kristen Lamb (NF)
Vanished - Sheela Chari (MG)
The Faerie Ring - Kiki Hamilton (YA)
The Wicked and the Just - J. Anderson Coats (YA)
Set Fair for Roanoke - David Beers Quinn (NF)
Dead Rules - Randy Russell (YA)
The Boy Who Owned the School - Gary Paulsen (YA)
The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern (YA)
One Day - David Nicholls
The Pledge - Kimberly Derting (YA)
Flyaway - Helen Landalf (YA)
Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading - Tommy Greenwald (MG)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick (MG)
Mockingbird - Kathryn Erskine (MG)
Between Shades of Gray - Ruta Sepetys (YA)
The Last Battle - C. S. Lewis (MG)**
Exposed - Kimberly Marcus (YA)
The Tender Bar - J. R. Moehringer (NF)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever - Jeff Kinney (MG)
Love and Leftovers - Sarah Tregay (YA)

In the middle of the following:

Writing the Breakout Novel - Donald Maas (NF)
Second Sight: An Editor's Talks on Writing, Revising, and Publishing Books for Children and Young Adults - Cheryl B. Klein (NF)
Agatha Christie's autobiography (NF)

I'm glad I didn't sign up to read 100 titles again this year. It wouldn't have happened.

As you can see, I've read nothing that would count toward the Clear off Your Shelves Challenge (older books I own that I've never read). This is something I'll need to remedy next year!

I read quite a bit more non-fiction than usual, some research related, some about writing, some because they piqued my interest. This is a good thing.

I read a huge number of debuts, reviewing three per month for ten months of the year. I really enjoyed this, but it wore me out, too. Next year, my one-sentence debut reviews will run three times: spring, summer, and fall. There will still be bookmarks giveaways involved.

One thing that's really lacking on my list (and something I've missed dearly) are adult titles. As much as I love reading work by my peers, I've started to feel a bit malnourished, if that makes any sense. Just like a varied diet, a varied reading life makes me feel more satisfied. This is something I hope to change (some of those unread books on my shelves would certainly count toward this).

What have you read this year?

GalleyCat!

2011-12-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist sharing --

Real Life GalleyCat in Our Pet Parade :: Media Bistro's GalleyCat

Thanks, Joanne Levy and Chester the cat.