Authors in the Corner: Mini-View With Terri Clark

Today, we get a visit from author Terri Clark!


Terri Clark has the two best jobs in the world. She works as a teen patron specialist in her local library and has realized her dream of publishing teen fiction for the readers she interacts with on a daily basis. Prior to selling her first book, she worked as a movie critic and entertainment writer, among other things. Terri currently lives in Colorado with her husband, two children, and their dog, Domino. Sleepless is her first novel. You can visit Terri online at http://www.terriclarkbooks.com/.

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How did you decide to become an author?

I've always written. I still have short stories and poems I wrote as a teen. I even have a play I wrote in the sixth grade called THE RED ROSE KILLER. However, I never considered writing as a job, it's just what I did. Instead I went to college and got my Bachelor's of Arts degree in Psychology. It wasn't until I became a stay-at-home mom and found an online writer's community that I started to take writing seriously and think I could do it as a profession. I began by trying to write romance novels and I did a lot of freelance writing. I wrote for everything from bridal magazines to eco-friendly magazines, but my specialty was entertainment pieces, mostly movie reviews. Then by best friend suggested I would be great at writing teen fiction and I gave it a try. I feel like that's where I'm meant to be.

As a child, what did you want to grow up to be?

I toyed with the idea of being a teacher and I secretly yearned to be an actress, but I was painfully shy so that wasn't going to happen. In college I planned to specialize in abnormal psych with crazy plans of sitting across a table with the likes of Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer. I was fascinated with their psyches and I even did a detailed research paper on serial killers that both repelled and fascinated me. People like that scared me a lot more after I had children, so I decided to just write scary things instead.

Who or what's your greatest influence?

Wow, that's a tough question. I'd say Meg Cabot was a big influence. It was after reading her 1-800-Where-R-U and Mediator series that I decided to write young adult fiction. My best friend, Lynda Sandoval, a YA author herself, has also been an incredible influence on me as a writer. But, in general, I think I draw inspiration and artistry from everything I read. That's the beauty of reading books, you learn and absorb with every page. I'd also say that working with teens, I'm a teen librarian, and having teens around my house really influences me.

Are you working on something right now?

Yes, a couple things. I have a paranormal romantic comedy that I'm working on that pokes fun at Hollywood, another dark, beach thriller and a funny vampire novel. People should check out my blog (myspace.com/terristake) and website (www.terriclarkbooks.com) for updates.

Have you ever refrained from writing about a certain topic for fear of how others would react to it?

No, never. When I write I let myself go. I write unhindered and tell the story the way it's meant to be. It's after, when other people are reading it, that I tend to freak and worry. Mostly I worry about what my grandma thinks.

What’s your favorite author? Your favorite book?

Favorite authors, I couldn't possibly pick one -- John Green, Meg Cabot, Lynda Sandoval, Kelley Armstrong, Kim Harrison, Gabrielle Zevin, Scott Westerfeld, Karin Slaughter, Rick Riordan, Gail Giles, Laura Weiss and Niki Burnham. As for a favorite book, again impossible to pick one, but there are three that really got to me--Unwind by Neal Schusterman, Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Weiss and Shattering Glass by Gail Giles.

Is there something that I didn’t ask that you wish I had?

What one goal you'd really like to achieve?

I'd really like to be known as a favorite (and best-selling) paranormal author among teens.



Thanks so much, Terri!



Quote of the Day:

It's as simple as something that nobody knows
That her eyes are as big as her bubbly toes.
-- Jack Johnson, "Bubble Toes"

Authors in the Corner: Jessica Burkhart

Today's author feature spotlights Jessica Burkhart, an upcoming debut author. Her novel, Take the Reins (a Canterwood Crest Novel), will be released in January of 2009.

(I know I usually do the author feature on Wednesdays, but you'll see why I didn't tomorrow.)

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The awesome Megan was kind enough to offer to let me guest blog today! Woo hoo!

So, I wanted to talk a bit about what’s coming up on my Websites and blog. :) There are going to be lots of things going on that will gear up for the release of Take the Reins and future Canterwood Crest books.

The Blog

When the Canterwood Crest site goes live, my blog will have a brand-new look. It will be THE place for the latest Canterwood Crest news including giveaways, contests, vlogs and more. I’ll be taking my camera everywhere I go, so look for brand new Diary of a Debut Author videos and follow me as I count down the days till January 27.

JessicaBurkhart.com

The events calendar is going to fill up! I’ve got events scheduled from Florida to the mid-West starting early next year. I’ll be hitting Florida book fairs over the fall and you’ll find the complete list on my Website in September. If you’re hitting the Florida circuit, maybe I’ll see you around!

CanterwoodCrest.com

This is an ALL new Website coming in September that’s just for my Canterwood Crest series from Aladdin M!X. What will you find on the site? A quiz, downloads, never before seen photos of the Canterwood Crest models and much more. The site is being designed right now and OMG, it’s going to be great. You’ll find announcements on my blog and personal Website when the site goes live.

So, there are lots of ways to keep in touch and my journey as a soon-to-be debut author is just beginning!

If you’re a writer, what’s one thing YOU most look forward to when your first book is published? Share! :)

Thanks so much, Jessica!

Until her websites are up, you can visit and chat with Jessica at her blog, http://jessicaburkhart.blogspot.com/.

Quote of the Day:

To be amused by what you read -- that is the great spring of happy quotations.
-- C. E. Montague

Authors in the Corner: Catherine Ryan Hyde

Today we have with us Catherine Ryan Hyde.

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How did you decide to become an author?

My mother was a writer when I was growing up. And I have/had two sisters (sorry to say I lost one in 2007) and they are/were both writers. Whether this is nature or nurture, I can't say. But it seems to run in the family.

When I was in the second or third grade, my mom came to school with me in one of those "parent day" things. Those days when you bring a parent and have them talk about what they do. She brought her books and talked about being a writer. Later all the kids said things like, "Wow. Your mom is really cool." Which had maybe never occurred to me before. At least, not the way it looked through somebody else's eyes. I think that might have been a factor.

Third, and possibly most important, was my sophomore English teacher in high school. Lenny Horowitz. He told me I could write. Out loud. In front of all the other students, who didn't know I could do anything. Later I found out he went back into the staff lounge and told all my other techers I was a good writer.

That was when I made up my mind what I wanted to be. Unfortunately, there's a big gap between wanting to be something and being it. But that's another story.

As a child, what did you want to grow up to be?

First I wanted to be a cartoonist. Then I wanted to be a songwriter. Then I wanted to make animated films. I always knew I wanted to do something creative. I just had to find my avenue.

What’s your greatest influence?

I think I am influenced by my endless curiosity about human nature. I'm fascinated by what scares us. Also by what we do when we're scared, particularly when we aren't willing to admit it. Also by the odd ways we vent our anger, which is generally something we use to cover up our fear. I also enjoy exploring our responsibilities to one another. If we are decent people, we owe some measure of helpfulness amd respect to those around us. But what measure? Where does it start and where does it end?

I believe there are limitless novels hidden in the previous paragraph.

Are you working on something right now?

If revisions count, yes. I told my YA editor I would show her something new around the end of the summer. I wrote the last page barely over a week ago, then took off on a little mini-vacation. Now I'm home and making sure it's clean and tight, especially the parts I wrote most recently.

Have you ever refrained from writing about a certain topic for fear of how others would react to it?

I hope not. If possible, I bend over backwards to include the parts that will challenge others the most. I don't think it's my job as a novelist to help people be comfortable. If anything I'm trying to bump them out of their comfort zone.

When I first wrote Love in the Present Tense, I had an opening chapter in which Leonard was standing on the hood of his friend Marco's car at 50 MPH. I was worried some teenager might be inspired to try that. I shared the fear with a couple of people, but they both said the same thing. They said I couldn't pay too much attention to that, or I'd never be able to write anything. Later, after selling the novel, that scene (and for that matter, Marco) was cut, but not for that reason. Because my editor thought it made Leonard seem too crazy. So I never got to find out if it would inspire others in a dangerous way. Probably just as well.

Now I just try to silence all those voices when I write. I'll deal with the reactions of readers later, when it can't change the course of the work

Who’s your favorite author? Your favorite book?

I always had trouble with stating a favorite author, because I seem to go book by book. I'll love a book by an author, get everything they ever wrote, and not feel as strongly about any of it.

So far as I know, one of my favorite authors, Jonathan Safran Foer, has only two novels (and other things that are non-fiction). Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. And I loved them both. So maybe he's my favorite author.

Books? Hard to narrow it down to one. Maybe one of the two I just mentioned. Maybe The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Maybe Flowers for Algernon. There are so many.


Is there something that I didn’t ask that you wish I had?

Is the movie Pay It Forward a faithful adaptation of your book?

Not really, no. The idea itself comes through well, but they changed a lot. Not all for the better in my opinion. So many people tell me they loved the movie. Some say they've seen it a dozen or more times. I'm thinking, if they love the story that much, why not try the book? You know. See the movie eleven times and read the book once. Sometimes it's because they don't know it was a book. Which is why I asked myself the question. I'm on a kick to raise consciousness on the matter with this simple question: Did you know Pay It Forward started with a book?

Thanks so much, Catherine!

You can visit Catherine at her website, www.cryanhyde.com.

Authors in the Corner: Daphne Grab

Today, we have with us Daphne Grab.

Daphne Grab grew up in a small town in upstate New York. She has worked a number of jobs including teaching high school history, building houses for Habitat for Humanity and teaching ESL in China. She also earned an MFA in Creative Writing at the New School. In 1998 she moved to New York City where she discovered that she has always been a city girl at heart. She lives there now with her husband and children. Her first teen novel, Alive and Well in Prague, New York, was released this year.

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I think a lot of book people were read to a ton when they were little. My mom was an English teacher and my dad was a literature professor, so our house had books everywhere you looked. And I got read to all the time. Even after I learned to read my mom still read to me at night, stories we both enjoyed, and I think she did that until I was eleven and needed those last minutes before bed to be on the phone with friends talking about all the events in our junior high lives (which were considerable so we needed a lot of phone time!).

The first book I remember being read to me was SYLVESTER AND THE MAGIC PEBBLE. Do any of you guys know that one? It’s this great story about a donkey who finds a magic pebble and turns himself into a rock with it by mistake- great premise for a story, right? It’s William Steig so the illustrations are as good as the story. I remember my dad really loved the book and would get a little choked up at the end when Sylvester’s parents unknowingly helped him become a donkey again and they all danced around together.

Which reminds me of my mom’s favorite book to read to me: CHARLOTTE’S WEB. I loved this one though I never got why my mom cried at the end when Charlotte knows she’s going to die but she’s saved Wilbur. I mean, it was sad but my mom really sobbed. When I got older I realized it made her think about one day passing away and leaving me and my sister. I think really great books like this make you think about your own life and maybe make meanings of things in new ways. I cry at the end now too.

Now that I have my own kids I get to revisit books I loved from when I was little, and I’ve already started a library of things to read to them as they grow (they are three now.) It’s going to be really fun to be on the other end of this tradition!

So what are some of the books that you were read as a kid?

Thanks Daphne!

Authors in the Corner: Stephanie Kuehnert

Today, our visiting author is Stephanie Kuehnert.

Stephanie Kuehnert got her start writing bad poetry about unrequited love and razor blades in eighth grade. In high school, she discovered punk rock and produced several D.I.Y. feminist 'zines. Stephanie received her MFA in creative writing from Columbia College Chicago. Her debut novel, I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone—a raw, edgy emotional tale about growing up punk and living to tell—will be published by MTV Books in July 2008. You can visit her at http://www.stephaniekuehnert.com/ or www.myspace.com/theblacknotebooks.

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Performance Anxiety

My debut YA novel I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone officially comes out on July 8th. That’s less than one week away. People keep asking me if I’m excited, which, duh, of course I am, but I’m also totally freaked.

I had a lot of different hobbies when I was younger. I couldn’t seem to settle on one particular thing to stick with (besides writing, which I’ve been doing since I learned how). I played clarinet for a couple years, then I was in Chorus, and I’ve taken guitar lessons on three separate occasions. I had a painting phase, a drawing phase, and a ceramic phase. I quit ballet for gymnastics, quit gymnastics for stage crew, and quit stage crew to act.

Eighth grade was my actress year. I was in three plays that year. I loved trying out, I loved rehearsing, and then performance time came… My stomach twisted in knots. I couldn’t sleep. I wondered why in the world did I do this to myself? I hate addressing large groups of people. I’m a shy person by nature. I’m much happier hanging out with one or two friends or in my room by myself listening to music and reading. Why, oh why, did I sign up to go out and perform in front of all these people?

Yeah, that’s exactly how I’m feeling right now. I’ve lined up this whole slew of events to celebrate the release of my book and now I realize that I have to *do* them. I’ve gotta read in front of people, many of them strangers in other cities. I’ve gotta worry if people are even going to show up. In fact, it’s kind of even worse because with plays at least I didn’t write the dialogue I was speaking or the action I was performing. I wasn’t responsible for the whole story, just a small piece of it. Now I wrote the thing and I have to perform it. And yes, I’ve been rehearsing by doing open mics and appearing at reading events with friendly familiar audiences for awhile now, but it hasn’t made it any less scary. Seriously, can we just call the whole thing off???

No. No, I can’t. In fact, Amazon.com is already selling the book before the official release date, so it’s out there right now for the masses to judge. And plane tickets have been bought and commitments have been made, so I’ve gotta do the events like I promised. *Sigh* So now I have to remember the rest of the eighth grade actress experience, which is that once I got onstage and got into my role, I loved it. It was a great rush. I enjoyed the applause and I never majorly screwed up and when I got criticism it made me a better actress. Besides, unlike acting, which was just a phase, writing is my life and is the only thing I never quit to try something else. So I really have no choice, but to step on the stage and enjoy my moment. If I’m in a town near you, I hope you will come enjoy it with me.

Thanks so much, Stephanie!

So if you haven't been paying much attention lately, this week is Stephanie week in honor of the release of IWBYJR over at Shooting Stars Mag! They have this really cool contest going on, so you should go and check it out!

Authors in the Corner: Jody Gehrman

Today's Authors in the Corner features a guest blog from Jody Gehrman.

Jody Gehrman is the author of four novels and numerous plays. Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty is her first Young Adult novel and is published by Penguin's Dial books. Her adult fiction includes Notes from the Backseat, Tart, and Summer in the Land of Skin. Tart was a Booksense notable in 2005, won an RT Bookclub critics' award, and has recently been optioned for film. Her plays have been produced in Ashland, New York, San Francisco and L.A. She and her partner David Wolf recently won the New Generation Playwrights Award for their one-act, Jake Savage, Jungle P.I. She is a professor of English at Mendocino College.

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The Novel: Grappling with the Big Picture

“There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”
~W. Somerset Maugham

“Writing a novel is like driving across country at night. You can only see as far as the headlights, but you can make the whole journey that way.”
~E.L. Doctorow

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The biggest challenge in writing a novel is dealing with the scope of it; most writers start in shorter forms (i.e. short stories or poems) so the idea of churning out 300-or-so pages is often daunting. Most of us who attempt the novel find we get lost at some point in the process, feeling aimless and unsure of how to proceed.

The thing to keep in mind is you have a story to tell, and as long as you can keep the heart of that story within your sites, you’ll be fine.

This, of course, is easier said than done.

Here are some tools that may help you navigate the vast wilderness of your story:

Create an Outline: Some writers eschew outlines for a more organic, build-as-you-go technique. I’ve found an outline to be helpful, as long as I’m spontaneous enough to alter it when needed.

Different types of outlines:

§ Try a 3x5 card for each chapter. This way, you can throw out ideas that aren’t working without having to start from scratch.

§ Timelines: I sometimes use one timeline of major events within the novel, and another for events in the main characters’ lives that preceded the novel.

§ One page synopsis: Really forces you to focus in on the essentials. Also a useful tool later when courting agents/publishers.

§ 5-page synopsis: Lets you expand to cover major plot points. Also a useful marketing tool with agents/publishers.

§ Messy notes outline: If bullet points aren’t your style, a useful compromise is to brainstorm freely about your characters, their needs and desires, plot possibilities, etc.

§ Plot Map: For the more visually inclined, try boxes, bubbles, arrows, etc. to create a blueprint of major events.

Use a Logline: Screenwriters are fond of saying, “If you can’t tell your story in a few sentences, you don’t know what it is.” Hence, the birth of the logline, a 1-3 sentence TV-Guide style summary of your story emphasizing the character’s primary conflict.

Try a Collage: Cut out pictures of your characters, the rooms and landscapes they inhabit, their favorite objects, or just images that evoke the mood you’re trying to convey. Place it near where you write for inspiration.

Get Feedback: Have a trusted friend (or writing group) read your latest draft, and don’t give them too many hints beforehand about plot, themes, etc.; listen carefully to their feedback. Then, if they haven’t already volunteered it, ask them what they think your novel is about.

Consider the Dramatic Structure: Aristotle insisted that every story have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Thinking of your novel in these terms can help. What’s the climax of your story? What’s the resolution? How does each event build toward that climax? Another way of asking this: What’s your main character’s problem, how does that problem become increasingly intense, and how does the problem explode, then resolve?

For me, boiling it down to these three steps is extremely helpful:

Beginning (Act I): Set up the conflict
Middle (Act II): Complications ensue, tensions rise
End (Act III): Turn (climax) and resolution

As Somerset Maugham noted, no one knows the three definitive rules for writing a novel. With this in mind, I hope these suggestions will help you in your courageous undertaking.

Thanks so much, Jody!

You can look for Jody at her website and her myspace.

Readers, what are some of your tips to writing a novel?

Authors in the Corner: Cynthia Leitich Smith

Yes! The unveiling of my new feature--Authors in the Corner. Everyone's excited, right? You better be!

Today we have with us Cynthia Leitich Smith for a brief Q and A.

Cynthia Leitich Smith is an award-winning author best known for her Native American themes, humorous picture books, and YA Gothic fantasy. Her more recent titles are a picture book, SANTA KNOWS (Dutton, 2006), and a young adult gothic fantasy novel, TANTALIZE (Candlewick, 2007). She makes her home in Austin, Texas; with her husband, author Greg Leitich Smith and four bossy cats. When not writing, Cynthia is a big fan of "Monk," comics, dinosaur exhibits, theater, sushi, and ghost hunting.

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How did you decide that you were going to be an author?

At the time, I was working as a law clerk for a federal office in Chicago. I'd enjoyed law school but had never meant to practice. My plan had been to cover the courts for a major newspaper, but my husband had a patent law position in Chicago and neither of the city's big papers were hiring. My job was okay-in the Loop with nice folks and I was madly in love with the urban landscape. But it wasn't my dream.

I started scribbling stories at lunch and at home after work. It didn't take long to realize that I didn't want to be one of those people who spent their lives saying "someday." I took a deep breath, winced at my student loans, and quit to write full time.

We all have ambitions as we're growing up. As a child, what did you want to grow up to be?

I played "teacher" a lot, and I do teach writing for children and young adults quarter time at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Mostly, though, I wanted to be Wonder Woman. I loved her boots.

What's your greatest influence?

I don't think I'd be writing Gothics today if it weren't for Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and Annette Curtis Klause's Blood and Chocolate (Delacorte, 1997).

Are you working on something right now?

I just finished the final copy edits of Eternal (Candlewick, 2009), and my current focus is the graphic novel adaptation of Tantalize (Candlewick, TBA), which will be told from Kieren's point of view. Along with picture books, I learned how to read from comics, so it's sort of like writing in my real first language.

Have you ever refrained from writing about a certain topic for fear of how others would react to it?

You know, I don't worry about that. I did have a couple of friends warn me that I shouldn't write Tantalize because it might provoke banners and alienate my Native American readers. (I'd had an established reputation as a Native children's author before diving into YA). So far, neither of those predictions has come to pass.

Who's your favorite author? Your favorite book?

When it comes to a body of work, author A. M. Jenkins is steadily emerging as a favorite. I highly recommend her poetic ghost story, Beating Heart (HarperCollins, 2006), her Printz honor book, Repossessed (HarperCollins, 2007), and her gritty new "vampire" novel, Night Road (HarperCollins, 2008).

My favorite novel is David Levithan's Marley's Ghost (Dial, 2005), which is a retelling of A Christmas Carol. It appears to my affection for the Gothic, my romantic nature, and my interest in contemporary YA ties to classics.

Is there something that I didn't ask that you wish I had?

How about: what can readers look forward to next?

My forthcoming short stories will be found in Immortal: Love Stories with Bite, edited by P.C. Cast (BenBella, 2008); Geektastic, edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci (Little, Brown, 2009); and Cabinet of Curiosities edited by Deborah Noyes (Candlewick, 2009).

On the novel front, Tantalize will be available in paperback in July 2007, and Eternal will be released in March 2008.

Readers should watch my site and blogs for updates on the Tantalize graphic novel and the next prose books set in my Gothic universe. See: http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/, and expect big announcements soon!

Thanks so much, Cynthia!

You can see Cynthia at her webpage or on her myspace.

Readers, here's your chance to give your input! Do you like the new feature? Who else would you like to see here?