The Next Big Thing

For this round, we'll all be answering the questions from The Next Big Thing. I'll be answering them about the forthcoming paperback of my novel The Raft, which came out in hardcover last August.

1)      What is the working title of your next book?

The next book I have coming out is the paperback version of The Raft, my young adult novel that was released in hardcover in August.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

I spent about three years living out on Midway Island. To get there, we took a small turbo-prop plane, which took about five hours over nothing but ocean. I was always worried the thing would go down.
3) What genre does your book fall under? Young adult
4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Wow, well, there are basically two characters: 15-year-old Robie, and twenty-something Max. There are flashbacks to Max in high school, so an actor who could do younger and bit older. For the girl I could imagine someone like Elle Fanning or Abigail Breslin. For the guy, someone on the order of Taylor Lautner, who could look older or younger if needed. Dreaming here, of course: I would love to see the novel be a movie and there are any number of people who would be perfect for each part.
5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Robie takes the flight to Midway, which crashes halfway there, leaving her in a raft in the middle of the ocean.
6) Who is publishing your book?

Feiwel and Friends, a Macmillan imprint
7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

About a year, I think. It was painful, I didn’t think I was ever going to finish. But I always go through that stage with my books.
8)What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I had a friend tell me, “Hey! You’ve written a female Hatchet!” Not that I would dare put my book in the same category as Hatchet, but for fun we did start calling it Hatchette after that.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book? My experiences on Midway contributed a lot to the story. I didn’t have to research the setting because I had lived it. All the flora and fauna and wildlife was second nature to write about.
10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

The book is on the 2013 TAYSHAS high school reading list in Texas and was named a 2013 YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers.

Happy Valentine's Day Potatoes and 1 Potato 10 Readers!

On Valentine's I do the things I love and send love notes to the one's I love! So today I will be painting, reading, writing and listening to music--- all things I love! And here is a love note to you!

A Little Cake?

On Friday, we had the publication party for HOOP GENIUS: HOW A DESPERATE TEACHER AND A ROWDY CLASS INVENTED BASKETBALL. Pictured above at the Red Balloon Bookshop in Saint Paul are my brilliant editor Andrew Karre and his son Edmund. Check out those rosy cheeks on Edmund. We had another snowy night, but that did not deter folks, and I was particularly pleased to have David representing the Spuds. I wish you all could have been with us for some cake and wine.

Wondering...

I love contests and I love children's books, so I always look forward to the ALA announcements regarding their prize winning books of the year. I'll admit that sometimes I have thought, "My goodness, how could anyone have ever chosen THAT book as a prize winner! I can't imagine any kid - or many adults - ever enjoying it!" But the times that I have sat on award panels, for the Minnesota Book Award and the Sid Fleischman Humor Award, the other judges that I've worked with have always been thoughtful, considerate people who have taken their task very seriously. I have to trust that this is the case with the ALA awards as well, and even when I don't agree with their decisions, I believe that the judges undertake their monumental task with as much care and thought as all the other judges I've worked with.

This year most of  my guesses for the awards were in the ballpark. I hoped SLEEP LIKE A TIGER would win the Caldecott (it was an honor book). I hoped CODE NAME VERITY would win the Printz (it was an honor book). But my Newbery choice, WONDER, did not even make an honor nomination, which I think was a surprise to many. Medal or not, it's still a winner.

I recommended the book in an earlier post, but if you don't know the story yet, it is about a 10-year-old boy with a severe facial deformity starting his first year in public school. It is told from the viewpoint of multiple characters, as they encounter Auggie and are changed by the experience. At the heart of the book is the message: choose kindness.

If you haven't read it yet, by all means do so. Even my friends who do not regularly read children's books have found this to be a prize-worthy read.

Caldecott contender

Wishing success and recognition to one book does not wish away the same for another. I was disappointed last month when Ashley Wolff's much discussed Baby Bear Sees Blue did not take home the Caldecott medal or even an honor. That bear is blue.

I have admired Ashley's signature blend of graphic linocuts and glowing watercolors since the mid-80s, which marked the beginning of her illustration career and my first publishing job as a design assistant at E.P. Dutton, her publisher at the time. I myself like to work in both linoleum cuts and watercolor and I was in awe of Ashley's skills. Ashley has had a long successful career and shown she can work well in many mediums. Her first instinct, to combine print and paint, has remained my favorite. Ashley brings a sweetness and richness to the page. She composes scenes with close-ups for a sense of intimacy, and then pulls back up for glorious scenic views.

There is a wonderful cadence to the text and surprise on each page turn. Ashley is a master at picture book form. Baby Bear Sees Blue needed a blue ribbon!

I look forward to watching Ashley create many more winners. I'm especially lucky because after many years of admiring her work, when I moved to California I got to know Ashley personally, and better yet we are in the same critique group!

What was missing last week?

Last Monday was the once-a-year celebration of all that is children's lit: the announcement at ALA of the winners of the Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and other top awards in children's literature. Beforehand there is always speculation about which titles will win, and after the names are called, there is always discussion about the newly crowned winners. Here at One Potato...Ten, our topic this go-round is about a title we really enjoyed over the year that we thought might get a nod at this year's awards. This is by no means a second-guessing or argumentative thing, just a way to give a shout-out to some terrific books. So here was one of my favorites from the year:

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles is about twelve-year-old Fern, who feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when she’s not meditating) helps Dad run the family restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad and everyone else doesn’t know he’s gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there’s Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, the center of everyone’s world. He’s devoted to Fern, but he’s annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention. If it wasn’t for Ran, Fern’s calm and positive best friend, there’d be nowhere to turn. Ran’s mantra, "All will be well," is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern can almost believe it’s true. But then tragedy strikes- and Fern feels not only more alone than ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart. All will not be well. Or at least all will never be the same.

I highly recommend it!

"Discipline"

In my last post on this blog, I wrote a list of words that would inspire me in 2013. One of them is the word "Discipline". It is not one of my favorite words. It conjures up visions of angry aunties and strict teachers. I was even hesitant to add it to my list and yet I knew I must in order to make it through the first 7 months of 2013. Erasing the negative images associated with the word, I embrace its promise of routine, planning, direction, order. And if I add the word "self" in front of it, it becomes all the more friendlier and positive. So with self-discipline at the forefront of my days I am:

•  painting a new book with a deadline at the end of March. It is called Deer Dancer, written by the author, Mary Lyn Ray, who also wrote Mud and Red Rubber Boot Day, two of my earliest illustrated books. It is wonderful to be inspired by her words again. My studio is glowing green which is a wonderful thing as temperatures promise to drop again today and tomorrow with -35 degrees wind-chills!
• Marketing, writing and creating activity guide, up-dating website, preparing slide shows and talks, scheduling events, creating post cards, etc. for the publication of my new book, When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky, Two Artists, Their Ballet, and One Extraordinary Riot. 

I am so excited about this book! I cannot wait to share it with the world. It has been nine years in the making with lots of back-story. It's publication date is March 5th and I have many book store events as well as a big lecture to give about its making. The manuscript won the McKnight Fellowship for Children's Literature this year which is allowing me to get ready for the next thing on my list...

• In May I will be an Author-in-Residence at the American School of Paris for a week. I will be working with the Librarian, Dance Teacher and Music Teacher at the school to bring workshops to the students all inspired by my new book. When I am done, I am traveling to Venice to research a chapter book I began last year that is set in Venice. Then I will return to Paris on time to be present for the centennial performance of The Rite of Spring at the very theatre it was performed at 100 years ago, where a riot broke out. And if you want to know more about that, read my book! 

Le sacre dancers - 1913

• I finished the script for Circus Juventas summer show in December and finalized the set design in early January. Yesterday was the first full production meeting, so the sets and props are being built and soon painted with my final "uber-painting" to be done as soon as I return from Europe. I have a team of painters to help this year, so I am looking forward to painting "big" come June-July. The show this year is "OZ"-- the circus version. My son Cooper will be Tin Man-- though a sort of Steam-punk version. 

model for the Wicked Witch's castle with trampolines for wall tramp act.

2013 promises many wonderful adventures and events for me. I want to be able to embrace all that it is offering. Thus I embrace the word discipline with the added self.