Day 2 and it's a snow day...

Despite the fact that day 2 turned out to be the biggest snow storm the chicago area has seen in forever - AND school was cancelled - I am very proud that I still got a new manuscript down on paper.  Hooray!
We received a call this afternoon that tomorrow will be a "snow day" too.  But that shouldn't be a problem.  Bring it on!

The Picture Book Marathon begins!

Well day 1 of the Picture Book marathon is finally here, and I have spent the entire day on writing.  I was so excited that I woke up at 5:00 am - yes, I did get out of bed.  An hour or so later my teenage daughter walked by me and mumbled "You're crazy."  Maybe I am.  I worked on two new stories today.  One was an old idea from my files and one was more recent.  I have to admit to being an "over thinker" today.  I'll try harder tomorrow to just run with it.   

Jean & Lora left this on the PBM blog today, "Remember, it's not about perfection.  The point of the marathon is to run fast enough and far enough that your inner critic will be left gasping for air many miles behind you!"  See ya inner critic.  Don't think you'll be joining me tomorrow.  I'm ready for my chocolate now. 

Interview with Jay Asher!

I recently had the opportunity to interview Jay Asher, author of Thirteen Reasons Why (Razorbill/Penguin, Fall 2007).  If you haven't read this book yet, you should definitely check it out.
Thirteen Reasons Why is a suspenseful, thought-provoking novel that tackles the tough subject of teen suicide and the idea that you never really know what’s going on in anyone’s life but your own. In this book, a teenager decides to take her own life. Instead of leaving a suicide note, she records thirteen stories about thirteen people who pushed her toward that decision. She then mails the tapes to the first person on her list, and the story unfolds. Thirteen Reasons Why has won numerous awards and was on The New York Times Best Seller list for 65 weeks!

Jay, thank you so much for this interview. Many of your fans have shared that after reading your book, they thought a lot more about always treating people with respect because you never know what others are dealing with. I love the quote from one of your fans that said your book made her want to be “wonderful to everyone.”

When you set out to write this story, did you plan to have such a strong message from the start? Or did the story line come first?

The story came first, and if a decision ever had to be made regarding story versus message, story always won out. The entire time I was writing this book, I had the fear that if the message ever dominated, a good chunk of readers would close the book because it would sound too preachy. People don't read novels to be preached at, they want to be told an entertaining story. I was also afraid the story would become too sad for anyone to want to finish, so I focused heavily on creating suspense. Story and suspense, that's what I focused on. Because of the premise of my book, I knew the message would be fairly obvious, so my job was simply to keep the readers flipping those pages faster and faster.

Did you ever imagine that your book would be embraced the way that it has? What were your hopes for this book, and have your expectations been met?

I thought the book would sell fairly well if teens were made aware it, because I thought it would be something they'd go and tell their friends about. But there's always the fear that bookstores and libraries, for whatever reason, won't stock your book and teens won't even know it's out there. Thankfully, we always had such amazing support from booksellers and librarians. But no, I never imagined it would take off the way it has. I thought it could be an underground word-of mouth hit, but I never imagined it would get onto the NY Times list for even one week (it stayed on for 65). I never imagined that counselors and psychiatrists would use the book in their professions, or that teens would claim it saved their lives. Because of all of that, this book went way beyond anything I could've expected.

How do you stay so in tune with what teens are going through – especially teen girls? Any research techniques that helped you with that?

Basically, I have the philosophy that adults and teens aren't very different at all. Adults have learned more ways to handle situations, but our initial gut reactions are extremely similar. The same thing goes for males and females. Society gives us different roles for how to act in situations, but I think our emotions are fairly similar. So I never said "If I were still a teen..." or "If I were female...", but instead "If I were in this person's shoes today..."

You invested 12 years of writing and submitting your work before this first book was sold – with a few close calls in between. When you finally received “the call” from your agent offering representation, and then “the call” about the book being sold, what was that like? What did you do first?

I'd had three previous agents over those twelve years, so getting the call that my agent wanted to represent me wasn't as "big moment" as the call from my first agent, but that's because I knew that having an agent doesn't necessarily mean I was going to sell anything. The fact that it was Laura Rennert made me feel like I'd stepped into the big leagues, though. I mean, she represents Ellen Hopkins! My phone was turned off when she called to say a publisher was interested, and that actually added an interesting twist because when I finally turned on my phone, my agent had then left two messages. Soon after her first message, she called back to say another publisher was interested. Two publishers? Awesome! After work that day, I took my wife to the same spot where we got married to let her know that I sold my first book, and we both streamed joyous tears for a very long time.

You’ve mentioned that the manuscript was rejected at several houses prior to being sold; did you ever worry that it wouldn’t sell? How long did it take to find the right house?

After twelve years, I was numb to rejections. Whenever another house rejected me, my feeling was, "Of course they did." Oddly enough, earlier that year, I told my wife that if this book didn't sell, I was going to stop writing. Twelve years was my limit. Looking back, I'm glad I didn't reach my limit at eleven years! We ended up having three publishers bidding on my book, so I spoke with all three editors on the phone (not at the same time), and that's what made me know that Razorbill was the perfect house for Thirteen Reasons Why. And I was right!

At one time you wanted to be a screenwriter, how do you think your book would translate into a movie?

Whenever I write, I think in cinematic terms. I picture each scene as if it's playing on a movie screen, visualizing what it looks like when the scene begins and ends, and what details the camera focuses on. A couple of the first big reviews I got even used the word "cinematic", which made me smile. I think it would translate very well to the screen as long as they get the tone right.

In your lifetime, what would you like to accomplish with your writing? What would you personally define “success” as a writer?

I've always wanted write a book that a lot of people really enjoy, and this book accomplished that. But to know that I've written something that personally touched and inspired so many people, that's the kind of success I never expected. And I feel comfortable saying that it's the very best kind.

Jay, thank you so much for your time and for your fabulous novel. Congratulations on all of your success so far - and big congrats to you and your wife on the arrival of your beautiful son this past month. You will make a wonderful father. I wish you all the best!

You can visit Jay at http://www.jayasher.blogspot.com/
Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville is featuring Thirteen Reasons Why this March in their “Not for Kids Only” Book Group. You won’t want to miss it! http://www.andersonsbookshop.com/

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  This has been a wonderful winter break so far - full of family, friends, fun, relaxing and...time for both reading and writing.  One book that I thought would last me the whole break - but I finished much too quickly - is the YA novel Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.  If you have not read this yet, you don't want to miss it.  Jay does a fantastic job.   It's suspensful and has a clever premise.  This book gives new perspective to how your comments and actions can affect someone else's life.  I didn't want it to end.  I wish everyone the best in 2011!                           

Prairie Writer's Day 2010

Ahhh...This past Saturday was the SCBWI-Illinois 2010 Prairie Writer's Day at Harper College.  It was fantastic!  I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend the day with my fellow writing pals and to learn from such an amazing line-up of editors and agents.  This was definitely my favorite PWD yet and I've been attending for many years. 

The fabulous speakers included:  Andrea Welch, Editor (Beach Lane Books), Marilyn Brigham, Editor (Marshall Cavendish Children's Books), Katherine Jacobs, Associate Editor (Roaring Brook Press), Tamra Tuller, Editor (Philomel Books Hothouse), Jennifer Mattson, Associate Agent (Andrea Brown Literary) and Edward Necarsulmer, Director of the Children's Department (McIntosh & Otis).  There were also breakout sessions by:  Janice Del Negro, Author, Professor and Reviewer, Michelle Bayuk, Director of Marketing (Albert Whitman & Co.), Meg Moss, Contributing Editor for ASK/Muse magazines and Tori Telfer with Cricket Magazine Group.   I left inspired and motivated.  Oh, I wish it would come more than once a year.  Heartfelt thanks go out to the tremendous planning committee.  All of your efforts are so appreciated.  Already looking forward to the next one. 

Writing is such a solitary job and it can take years to reap the rewards of your efforts.  Attending functions like this remind you that you are not alone in this endeavor.  And helps to refocus all of us on why we do this.  When I speak to children about writing, I always tell them about how much books meant to me growing up.  I always loved that feeling of being taken away to another place and was in awe when writers like Judy Blume could write something that described exactly how I was feeling.  How did they do that?  I was hooked way back then and still am now.  I loved that feeling as a child and hope that I can help kids to feel that way with my stories. 
That would be a dream come true!

 

Success...

This month I have been happily consumed with revisions for two new books I'm working on.  When inspiration hits you've got to go with it, right?  It's been great and I'm so excited about them.  Really enjoying the process.  (Although I've put so many home things on the back burner...anyone have any extra Halloween costumes lying around for my kiddos??) 

I think it all started when my daughter surprised me a few weeks ago with a homemade collage of a quote that she found.  It's perfect for writers.  Thank you my sweet girl.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."
~Winston Churchill

Let's face it, writers face a lot of rejection.  But we keep plugging away, knowing that our time is coming, and if we continue to pour our hearts into our work, it will happen. 

Happy Fall!

Gorgeous October weather. 
School is back in session. 
Critique group resumed yesterday. 
Ahhh...  Time to share a favorite poem.

Taste It
by Mark Strand

"Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry."