2011 Washington Evergreen YA Book Award

Got some good news today and just had to share the short-list for this award.

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Last Exit to Normal by Michael Harmon
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Knucklead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka featuring Jon Scieszka
Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

I lived in Washington when I wrote The Compound, so this is pretty cool.

Stephanie

The Day After the Conference

I could not have written this post two days ago or even last night, but today--a day after the first SCBWI conference I have planned as the MD/DE/WV Regional Advisor--I can breathe a big sigh of relief and think of it as a success. The theme was "Creating Diversity in Children's Literature."

Of course there were glitches, including a last minute change of venue (to my house!) for the speaker dinner Friday night, a few audio visual problems, and too much light to see the powerpoint presentations properly. But the attendees were patient, understanding, and complimentary, our critiquers were thorough and helpful, and our speakers carried the day.

In the photo of the final Q & A panel above from left to right are author Linda Trice ("Building Blocks: First Steps Toward a Writing Career), keynote author Carole Boston Weatherford ("Genre-bending Children's Books"), author Mary Quattlebaum ("Catch an Editor's Eye, an Agent's Ear, and a Reader's Heart), illustrator/author/art director Christy Hale ("Creating a Space for Everyone"), Tricycle Press editor Abigail Samoun ("Tell Me a Story: Lessons from Five Masters of Plot"), and agent Mark McVeigh ("Cracking the Agent Code: How to Get an Agent's Attention in a Letter").

I owe heaps of thanks to my hardworking and supportive planning committee: Asst. RA Laura Shovan, Susan Detwiler, Naomi Milliner, Sue Poduska, Mary Bowman-Kruhm, and Lois Szymanski.

P.S. I'm hoping to get each one of our "potatoes" as conference speakers over the next couple of years--if not all together, then one by one!

Teens Read Too!

Visit me today over at Teens Read Too Book Club, where I'm the featured author. Post a comment and you can win a signed ARC of The Gardener or a signed copy of The Compound. Go check it out:

http://trtbookclub.blogspot.com/2010/03/visit-with-sa-bodeen.html



Stephanie

Is today Firday?

It is not that I forget to blog on Thursdays but that I forget what day it is. Besides, I caught that cold that lingers, making my mind foggy.

I am blogging today, Friday, to give two thumbs up to three organizations:

Oregon Literary Arts:

It's Arts & Lectures series is bringing to Portland Edwidge Danticat (April 22) and Isabel Allende (May 11). I am hoping to be able to interview Allende so I can write a book about her.

Nothing better than sitting at a bus and reading poetry from the well-known to students. This Literary Arts program is called Poetry in Motion.

My biographies of César Chávez and Diego Rivera have been finalists of Oregon Book awards. If you are a finalist, you go on tour in Oregon to talk about your books. This year I went to the Oregon Coast.

I have applied to Literary Arts' Fellowship many times. I had no luck, until this year. The money will allow me to go to Málaga, Barcelona, and Paris to research Picasso.

But to me the best program of Literary Arts is Writers in the Schools. It places writers in high schools for students write. At the end of the year the students read their work at a cafe and some get published in an anthology. Actually, if their works get published they get to read it in places such as Powell's City of Books.

For more information visit: http://www.literary-arts.org/


Whidbey Island MFA Program:

This is a low-residency program, meaning that you go to Whidbey Island,Washington for ten days in August and ten days in January and the rest of the semester is online. The program teaches most genres. Students are required to take courses outside of their genre. For a writer of books for children this is ideal because poetry, short-fiction, and non-fiction are important in our field. I actually sat in a poetry craft class taught by Carolyn Wright, and boy, did I learn!

Each afternoon during the residencies we have famous authors speak. Virginia Euwer Wolff will be one of them in August.

This program is so nurturing that its alumni can't stay away. The faculty is planning a course on teaching writing just for them.

For more information visit: www.writeonwhidbey.org/mfa



Multnomah County Library:

It's 13th Annual Children's Author Lecture is bringing us Jane Yolen on April 12.

For more information visit: www.multcolib.org/kids/lecture

1 + 1 =5...really!

What a happy day it was last week when I found a package on my front porch containing a hardcover copy of my next book
1 + 1 = 5 and Other Unlikely Additions. And what a long wait it has been!

It was over seven years ago when I began to brainstorm all the different sums you could get when you added 1 + 1:

1 set of triplets + 1 set of twins = 5 babies
1 octopus + 1 starfish = 13 arms
1 decade + 1 century = 110 years

It was a fun puzzle (and I love puzzles), but I didn't know what to do with the ideas, so I let them sit. And they sat in my legal pad for years, until I happened to stumble upon them again. They still held my interest so I decided to put them into a book dummy. I knew illustrations would be important in conveying the concept, so I created a fully illustrated black and white dummy which I sent to several publishers.

I was pleased as punch when Meredith Mundy at Sterling sent me an email saying she was very interested in the story. Although she chose Brenda Sexton (who did a beautiful job!) to be the illustrator, I did have a lot of input into the final illustrations, the most I've ever had for any of my books. And after a few more years of waiting, an actual book appeared at my house.

The waiting isn't entirely over yet; the books won't appear on bookshelves until this summer, but for now, 1 long stretch of waiting + 1 small package= 1 very happy author!

Don't whine

…well, maybe just a little. Busy week. I’m preparing a keynote address, a breakout workshop, critiquing manuscripts, and doing double-time on existing projects before leaving the studio for several days. The great thing is that I get to meet our own Edie (who is busy organizing the Maryland SCBWI conference as I write). I'm making an attempt at time management, so instead of a thoughtful blog-post, I will let others speak.

TEN RULES FOR WRITING FICTION
Several authors, inspired by Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing, share their personal dos and don’ts.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one/

Here are a few snippets to entice you:

Michael Morpurgo
It is the gestation time which counts.

Andrew Motion
Think big and stay particular.

Joyce Carol Oates
Keep a light, hopeful heart. But ­expect the worst.

Al Kennedy
Remember you love writing. It wouldn't be worth it if you didn't. If the love fades, do what you need to and get it back.
Remember writing doesn't love you. It doesn't care. Nevertheless, it can behave with remarkable generosity. Speak well of it, encourage others, pass it on.

Margaret Atwood
Nobody is making you do this: you chose it, so don't whine.

Interview with a Mystery Guest

In deciding whom to interview, I wanted somebody smart, funny, and whose work I admired. I thought about a number o people before choosing today's mystery guest. Some of you may know him, too.

Tell us about your latest project, how it's coming and the amazing timeline.

My latest project is a Minnesota alphabet book based on stunning photographs of letter forms found in nature taken by Joe Rossi. I've never had an editor approach me to write about a specific subject before, and I've never worked on a picture book where the visuals have come first. The lightning-fast (by publishing standards) turnaround time is new to me as well; I was contacted about this project at the end of December, the final draft is due in March, and the book will be published in November.

November?

Yes, November 2010 is the scheduled publication date.

How are the revisions coming on your excellent middle-grade novel?

Ah! Such a different scenario than my alphabet book! This is a story I've been working on for almost ten years. It has taken me that long to find the heart of the story. Finally, in October, I was ready to send it to my editor, but alas, I have heard nothing back. I hope he doesn't take ten years to respond!

3. You are a man who enters many contests. Can you share a couple of favorite contest stories with us.

My friend Gary Nygaard and I once won a national scavenger hunt by finding such obscure items as a St. Patrick's Day card printed in German and a folding paper fan printed with a giraffe. In the "Rolaids Relief Hero" contest, I won $10,000 for nominating a woman who started an organization to match terminally-ill children with adult pen-pals (the woman I nominated won $25,000). And for describing in twenty-five-words-or-less how Healthy Choice products make me feel like a million, I won $40,000 (far more than any book advance I've ever been offered!). The most unusual contest I've won might be the five-minute video I made showing how good Senokot laxative makes me feel.

Is there any way we can see that video?

Alas, at the moment, no. Right now I only have it on video tape. Perhaps someday I can get it transfered to a CD and download it to the computer.

And how good does Senokot laxative makes you feel?

After I received my prize of a home entertainment center and a check for $10,000, Senokot laxative made me feel pretty darn good.

One last question, what is your favorite pie?

Definitely my sister's apple pie. Or French silk. Or fresh strawberry. Or Mile High Banana Cream. Or....

Who is this Mystery Guest?