Welcome Back, Grace Lin!

Today, I have the honor of hosting Newbery-honor-winning author GRACE LIN for her Starry River of the Night blog tour!! *kermit arms* I participated in her blog tour for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and you guys know how much I loooved Starry River of the Sky. You won't want to miss Grace's awesome blog and check out the previous tour stops:

Monday, October 1 @ Bookie Woogie

Tuesday, October 2 @ The Enchanted Inkpot

Wednesday, October 3 @ Jama’s Alphabet Soup

Thursday, October 4 @ Pragmatic Mom

Friday, October 5 @ Charlotte’s Library

Starry River of the Sky came out last week and Grace was kind enough to answer some questions for me, so without further ado...

Abby the Librarian: I love the artwork that accompanies the story in both STARRY RIVER and MOUNTAIN. How do you decide which scenes you will illustrate? Do you have a vision of what the illustrations might look like first or do the words come first?Grace Lin: Very rarely does the art come first. While I write and think of ideas, images to float in and out but I never put pencil to paper until the writing is done. Choosing which scenes to illustrate is a mixture of which of those floating images I see most concretely and where it falls in the timeline of the story.

AtL: Winning a Newbery honor for WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON was a life-changing event. How did that affect how you approached writing its companion book STARRY RIVER OF THE SKY?

GL: Well, it was intimidating. Now, I knew people would be expecting something “really good” so there was a lot of pressure. On the flip side, there was also a kind of pleasant excitement though, too. I knew that whatever I wrote would have a larger audience than anything I’ve ever written before, it would be shared on a greater scale than what I’d experienced in the past. And to an author who publishes that is what you hope for. I knew it was an opportunity not to squander, so I tried to write a book that I would be completely proud of, done to the absolute best of my ability.

AtL: When you were writing and publishing WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON, did you already know that you wanted to write a companion book? If not, how did you decide to write STARRY RIVER?

GL: When I wrote WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON, I didn’t think about a companion book until after it was finished. That’s because there were so many stories that I loved that just didn’t fit in the book and I could already see the whisper of a new thread tying those together. I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but I wanted to try.

AtL: I'm glad that the desire to share those stories led to another book! Were the stories in STARRY RIVER inspired by items you found in your research or stories you may have heard from others?

GL: Both! Many stories I had read or had heard when I was younger, especially the Moon Lady stories. And others I more recently researched. Interestingly enough, the more I researched the more I discovered different accounts of the stories I thought I already knew. Obviously storytellers from ancient times have been doing what I was—adding, embellishing and creating new versions of the old legends. 

AtL: Story plays a very important role to each of the characters in STARRY RIVER. Obviously, story is important to you as an author, but how would you say story is important to you in your everyday life? 

GL: I think story is important to everyone in their everyday life, sometimes people just don’t realize it. A couple years ago, my friend's grandfather passed away and at his funeral, my friend heard for the first time about some his grandfather's experiences in WWII, how he had been in a Polish prison camp, how he escaped from the Nazis. These were things my friend had never known about his grandfather and he realized with his grandfather's death, that these stories--his grandfather's stories-- were gone too. He would never know those stories. And that made his death all the more poignant and heartbreaking.

So while my book has nothing to do with WWII or escaping Nazis, I feel that this is why stories are so important. It's stories that connect us to our past and carry us to our future. Stories are the things we treasure and the things we truly mourn when they are lost.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Grace!

And readers, do not miss Starry River of the Sky. It is excellent, whether or not you've read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (but why would deny yourself the pleasure of reading both of them?!).

Author/Illustrator Interview with Susan Stockdale

Welcome to my stop on the Fins, Wings, and Other Things blog tour, brought to you by Peachtree Press! Check out the complete schedule for the tour at Peachtree's blog!

Today it's my pleasure to bring you an interview with Susan Stockdale, author and illustrator of Bring On the Birds.

A: Your book, Bring On the Birds, is all about our feathered friends. How did you decide which birds to include in your book? What kind of research was involved in that decision? Do you have any favorite birds that didn't make it in?

SS: As with all my books, my first step was to write the words. I was concerned about how they sounded; I actually said them out loud as I wrote them. I thought about their alliteration and rhythm. For example, I wrote the rhyme scheme:

“Skimming birds, swimming birds,
birds with tails held high.
Racing birds, riding birds,
birds that never fly.”

Then I headed to the library to determine: Which birds skim? Swim? Raise their tails up high? I selected birds that had the most visual appeal to me as an illustrator. And, because I celebrate biodiversity among animals in all my books, I was looking for birds from disparate geographic areas. I wanted to introduce my young readers to a wide variety of bird habitats, ranging from the rainforest canopy of South America to the arid sand flats of Africa.

American Bittern

I gathered together a number of “candidates” for each phrase. For example, for “birds with tails held high” I considered the Great Argus Pheasant, the Capercaillie and the Peacock, all of which raise their tails to attract a mate. I chose the Peacock because I was drawn to the colorful, eye-spotted patterns on its feathers. I knew they’d be wonderful to paint. I considered many different Woodpeckers before selecting the Red-bellied Woodpecker. I chose it for its brilliant red crown and intricately patterned black and white feathers, which I knew would really pop on the page. I omitted some birds that I really liked. For “hiding birds,” I left out the American Bittern, a bird with colored feather patterns that camouflage it beautifully. Instead, I went in the opposite direction with an all-white bird. I included the White-tailed Ptarmigan (pronounced tar-mih-gan), hiding in a white snow bank. I was attracted to the simplicity and starkness of this image, which provided a contrast to my more colorful, detailed illustrations.

Did you do a lot of research?

Yes, my research was extensive. First, I read books, magazines, and online resources. After writing my manuscript and creating a dummy (a mock-up of the book) with the illustration sketches, I consulted with bird experts at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, the National Zoo, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. These scientists assessed the accuracy of my textual and visual information. Clearly, everything that I convey to my young readers has to be correct. I also tried to see as many of the birds in my book as possible. I visited zoos and examined bird specimens at the National Museum of Natural History. My most exotic trip was to the Galapagos Islands, where I saw the Blue-footed Boobies perform their fanciful mating dance, and the Great Frigatebird puff out its scarlet chest. These were marvelous spectacles. The Galapagos trip also stimulated ideas for new books.

Image from Recipe Wiki

What is something interesting that you found out in your research that didn't make it into the final book?

The Ostrich lays the largest bird egg in the world.

You have created several picture books about animals and nature. Have you always been interested in nature? What about it fascinates you?

I’ve always been drawn to nature. I grew up in sunny Miami, Florida, surrounded by lush vegetation and flowers. I played outside all the time, and my family made frequent visits to a place called the Parrot Jungle, here I was dazzled by the birds’ bright, bold colors. My family also lived in Ireland for a few years during my childhood. The Irish landscape was green and sparkly, filled with cows, sheep and other animals I'd never seen in Miami. These two very different environments -- the subtropics of Miami and the magical surroundings of Ireland -- really influenced my development as an artist and sparked my interest in nature.

I’m fascinated by patterns in the natural world, which are so abundant and varied. It has become instinctive for me to find patterns in everything I paint. (Before becoming a children’s book author and illustrator, I worked as a textile designer for the clothing industry, creating intricate designs for fabric.) I find the repetition in both words and images to be very soothing and reassuring, and I think children do, too. When I read my rhyming books to kids, they spontaneously clap! They really respond to the rhythm.

Why do you feel it's important to create informational books for young children? What do you hope children will get out of your books?

Kids don’t play outside the way I did when I was little; they’re inside on their computers or watching TV. I think that’s so sad. I’ve actually been on nature walks with children who were afraid to be there, afraid of wildlife. I create my picture books to shine a light on nature and say, “Hey! Look how beautiful this animal, or flower, or leaf is!” I hope to encourage kids to celebrate and appreciate the natural world. I hope to engage them in the beauty of language by using spare text, energetic rhyme schemes and a lot of alliteration.

I am a huge fan of nonfiction picture books. What are some of your favorite nonfiction picture books or who are some nonfiction picture book authors that you admire?

I’m an admirer of books by Steve Jenkins, especially Down, Down, Down, Never Smile at a Monkey and Move. He conveys information about nature and animals with such originality and elegance in both his text and intricate collages. He makes learning fun.

I’m also a fan of books by Jim Arnosky, Russell Freedman, Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, Caroline Arnold and Robert Snedden. I’ve consulted their books while developing the text and illustrations for my work, and have included them in my books’ bibliographies.

Great authors to check out! Thanks so much for stopping by and answering my questions, Susan! 

Be sure to pick up Susan's book Bring On the Birds for a great look at different birds all over the world. And be sure to check out today's other stops on the tour: an interview with Wendy Anderson Halperin over at Book Dads and a review of About Habitats: Grasslands over at A Word's Worth.

Author Interview: Antony John

Yesterday, I reviewed Antony John's fabulous book, Five Flavors of Dumb.  Today Antony's stopping by to answer a few questions for me!  So read the interview and then enter below to win a signed ARC of Five Flavors of Dumb, courtesy of Antony John!

The giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for playing!

From AntonyJohn.net: Antony John was born in England and raised on a balanced diet of fish and chips, obscure British comedies, and ABBA's Greatest Hits. In a fit of teenage rebellion, he decided to pursue a career in classical music, culminating in a BA from Oxford University and a PhD from Duke University. Along the way, he worked as an ice cream seller on a freezing English beach, a tour guide in the Netherlands, a chauffeur in Switzerland, a barista in Seattle, and a university professor. Writing by night, he spends his days as a stay-at-home dad—the only job that allows him to wear his favorite pair of sweatpants all the time. He lives in St. Louis with his family.

Abby:  I think I remember you saying that your wife challenged you to write a book about music from the perspective of a deaf person.  What ideas were in your head when you started writing Five Flavors of Dumb?  Did you have a certain scene or certain characters in mind when you started writing?


Antony:  I have to admit that the narrator, Piper, came to me almost fully formed. I knew her voice, her attitude, her background, her outlook on life, and her flaws. It made writing the novel a whole lot easier to have such a connection with who she is.

There were also two scenes that very quickly found their way into the outline: the scene in the TV studio where Dumb implodes, and Piper is standing on the sidelines, pretty much helpless to do anything about it; and the salon scene, where Piper basically resolves to take control. Both scenes practically wrote themselves.

Now, the title is a pretty provocative one when you read that the main character is deaf. How did you decide on that title and the name Dumb for the band? It definitely makes sense once you read the book, but I wonder if you've heard any reactions to that title?

Great question! I absolutely expected people to get annoyed or offended by the title, but no one did! In fact, everyone loved it, with the notable exception of my wife, who thought it sucked and told me that my editor would make me change it. (This is possibly the only time in our marriage that I have been right.) But yes, the connotations of "dumb" felt very powerful to me, and get played out in a conversation between two deaf characters in the novel. But like I say, no one has objected at all, including my deaf readers.

As for how I chose the title, it just popped into my head. Really, it was that simple. And I think it conveys the madness perfectly.

In the book, Piper and her band travel to the Seattle homes of Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix.  Have you been to the places that Piper and Dumb visited in the book? How did you feel being there?  Why was it important that Piper and the band visit those places?

Yes, I've visited all of them (and will provide photos on my blog as proof!). Actually, it's kind of a
funny story . . .

I planned the book during spring 2008, but my agent wasn't going to pitch it until fall 2008. However, my family moved from Seattle to St. Louis in summer 2008, and I suddenly realized I wouldn't have access to all these places anymore. So in between packing boxes, I kept whisking my kids off to various Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain sites around Seattle. They were both toddlers at the time, but they were troopers, and seemed to enjoy it all.

As for how it felt to visit Hendrix's house and Cobain's house . . . well, it felt vital, actually. And so much of what I saw in each place made its way into the novel. The flattened cardboard boxes at 2010 S Jackson Street were really there. The wilted daisies on the bench near Kurt Cobain's house were also there. Just to see how these places are used now was revelatory to me. In some ways, I'd say that those were the moments I literally allowed myself to become Piper, simply conveying my/her experience of being there.

The reason Piper and the band had to visit those places is partly because they are central to Seattle's
rock music history, and even more, because they are the physical reminders of Hendrix's and Cobain's humanity. I know that sounds kind of pretentious, but it's easy to get sucked into the celebrity-as-God mindset, and the truth is, neither of these men was Godlike. Not at all. They were terribly flawed, and all too human. Seeing their homes kind of reminds us that they're not so different from the rest of us. They just happened to have a gift for music that transcended their otherwise tragic lives.

Obviously, music is a big part of the book. What are some of your favorite bands?

Going old-school for a moment, I love The Beatles and The Rolling Stones: not just for the sheer quantity of awesome songs they wrote, but for the very clear evolution of their styles. It's a rare thing for a band to be so prolific and so consistently popular that they are given the opportunity to "grow." I also adore The Mamas and The Papas, even though -- or perhaps because -- their tuning is so wonderfully dubious.

Closer to the present, I have really eclectic tastes (which seems to be true of most people these days).
Just scrolling through my current playlist I see: Radiohead, Katy Perry, Joss Stone, Kate Nash, Mandy
Moore, Nirvana, Rihanna, Sting, Eminem, James Blunt, Dixie Chicks, Oasis, Amy Winehouse, Jimi
Hendrix, Mumford & Sons, and many more.

And in case you think that doesn't make me eclectic enough, let me say that Britney Spears' "... Baby One More Time" is one of my favorite songs of all time. It's practically perfect.

Yes, really.

I'm with you through the Beatles, The Mamas and the Papas, and several of the others, but I think you lose me with Britney Spears.  ;) And just like bands have musical influences, I'm sure writers have literary influences. What are some of your favorite YA reads?

You bet I have literary influences. In fact, so many that I don't have room to list them here. I don't even have room to list all the great rock music-themed novels that have influenced me (Gordon Korman's BORN TO ROCK; Robin Benway's AUDREY, WAIT!, Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST, etc), so I'll pick two that everyone should read:

FAT KID RULES THE WORLD by K. L. Going: Go ahead, read the first chapter. You're hooked, right?  This book has that extraordinary balance of characterization and plot that makes it completely un-
put-downable.

BEIGE by Cecil Castellucci: Another beautiful example of the way that music allows people to express
their hidden selves. It's also exquisitely well-written, which is a bonus!

Awesome suggestions, Antony.  Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Thanks for the questions, Abby!

Now, readers, I know you all want to run out there and read Five Flavors of Dumb, and if you want a chance to win a signed ARC, please fill out the form below!  The giveaway is open to US residents only and entries will be accepted through November 3.

Grace Lin!

I'm sure y'all remember how much I enjoyed Grace Lin's newest book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Well, I'm lucky enough to be the last stop on Ms. Lin's blog tour. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon came out this week, so be sure and stop by your favorite independent bookstore and pick up your copy! (And if you read it from an ARC like I did, you'll definitely want to check out the beautiful full-color artwork!)

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is so different from your other novels. How was the writing process different for this book?

In some ways, this book felt like a natural progression from my other novels. "The Year of the Dog" and "The Year of the Rat" helped build my confidence as a writer and it was with this book I felt self-assured enough to write something without the support of a true-life personal narrative.

Before, research consisted of talking to my parents and relatives, comparably easy considering what I did for this book. This book needed much more research and consideration (which I talk about below).

It was also really important for me for all the stories to tie together, because of the red thread theme-- was how everything is connected. So, this book was a very consuming process. I was constantly thinking of how to link stories-- writing notes on scrap pieces of paper at the gym, post it notes all over my house, notebook scrawls at lunch. This was the first book that I've written where it was impossible to work on anything else at the same time.

What kind of research did you have to do for this book?

Researching for this book was quite enjoyable! I traveled to China and Taiwan and relived my trip to Hong Kong as a way for me to soak up the landscape and help create the imagery in my mind.

I also read and reread many Asian folktales and myths. Many times, I would read a myth that was little more than a line and would be unable to find more - which lead me to create the story in my head. For example, at Chinese New Year, it is common to find pictures of two plump children dressed in red decorating doorways. These children are called Da-A-Fu. Why? I researched and only found a very short summary of them: they were two spirits transformed as children sent to destroy a green monster that was terrorizing a village. There were no details of how or why or what village, but it was enough to spark my imagination. So with that, I created the twin characters of A-Fu and Da-Fu in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon who destroy the Green Tiger.

Even with the research, however, this book had its challenges. I am most definitely Asian-American, and probably more American than Asian. So capturing Chinese authenticity was something I struggled with as well as debated internally. The book is very much tinged with my Asian-American sensibilities. For example, I knew and learned more about foot-binding for young girls in China; but I made the conscious decision to leave that tradition out of my book. I try to make a point in my author's note that the book is an Asian-inspired fantasy, not full of historical truths or even traditional Chinese values. I hope people still enjoy it as such.

(**Pictures show a photo from China, the sketch inspired by the photo, and the final art that appears in the book. How cool is that?!)


How did you incorporate your own personal experiences into Where the Mountain Meets the Moon?

Well, when I first began writing this book, I had visited Hong Kong and Taiwan which were wonderful trips. Being Asian-American (and more American than Asian) it was a fascinating experience to be surrounded by a culture that was so foreign and familiar at the same time. Whenever I viewed the landscape, saw a temple or a sampan in the water, I suddenly would remember the Chinese folktales I had read as a child. I could see them happening in the setting around me and I knew in there was a book waiting to be written.

I was almost 3/4^th finished with the writing the book when I went to visit China. This was the perfect time to go, as I had an idea of what kinds of things I wanted to see and research there but the book was still open enough to be changed. And it was wonderful! Actually seeing China with my own eyes and experiencing it added such a rich layer to the story. For example, one of the excursions we took especially for the book was a visit to a tiny mountain village. I wanted to see a mountain village because I knew Minli (the main character in “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” ) would be visiting one. The whole time we were there, we were freezing cold but the villagers were so friendly and red-cheeked (which I was to find out later was wind-burn, not good circulation). So, those element of mountain cold and a warm, friendly shelter became the back drop of the village Minli visits.

What are some of your favorite middle-grade novels?

Too many! The ones I loved as a child and still love are the “Shoes” books by Noel Streatfeild (I think my favorite is “Family Shoes”), anything by Rumer Godden (I love “Miss Happiness and Miss Flower”), anything by Beverly Cleary (“Ramona and Her Father” still makes me feel warm and fuzzy), the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace, anything by Ruth Chew (“The Witch’s Buttons!”). I also LOVED “A Sundae With Judy” by Frieda Friedman (which was the absolute first MG book I read that had an Asian character in it), “A Search For Delicious” by Natalie Babbit, and, of course the Narnia Book and the Oz books.

I am ashamed to say I am not as well read on recently published books (I’m the kind of person that can read the same book over and over again, and I tend to read my classic favorites!). But some of the more recent books that I love are “Masterpiece” by Elise Broach, “Alvin Ho” by Lenore Look, “Blow Out the Moon,” by Libby Koponen and “Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia” by Barbara O’Connor.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Grace. I hope you had a great blog tour. It was a pleasure having you!

Want to know more? Check out Grace's Facebook page and the Where the Mountain Meets the Moon book launch page. And, of course, visit your local bookstore or library and pick up Where the Mountain Meets the Moon!

And be sure to check out the other stops on the tour:

Wednesday, June 24th: Bildungsroman
Thursday, June 25th: Shelf Elf
Friday, June 26th: Paper Tigers
Saturday, June 27th: MotherReader
Sunday, June 28th: Charlotte's Library
Monday, June 29th: Write for a Reader
Tuesday, June 30th: The Mommy Files
Wednesday, July 1st: Thrifty Minnesota Mama
Thursday, July 2nd: Creative Madness
Friday, July 3rd: Right here!

Author Interview: Linda Ashman

Today, dear readers, I am lucky enough to talk with the lovely Linda Ashman, author of bazillions of great picture books including M is for Mischief, Babies on the Go, and Starry Safari (among many others). I reviewed her latest book, Come to the Castle, a few weeks ago for Nonfiction Monday and I love, love, loved it!

ATL: First of all, thanks so much for talking with me! I've loved lots of your picture books and Come to the Castle is definitely one I'm eager to share with my library patrons! You've written great picture books about all kinds of different subjects. How do you come up with the next idea? What inspired you to write Come to the Castle?

LA: Ideas appear in so many ways, and their origins seem to be different for each book. For example, Stella, Unleashed: Notes from the Doghouse came directly from my aging dog, Nicky, sitting beside me in my office. At 14, I knew she wouldn’t be around much longer, and wondered what she’d tell me if she could speak. M is for Mischief came from my son Jackson’s fascination with naughty behavior when he was little. Rub-a-Dub Sub started as a first line and a rhythm that kept going through my head—but refused to develop into anything else until a year later when I pulled it out of a file again. And sometimes ideas don’t develop the way you expect them to: Babies on the Go began as a collection of poems about nocturnal animals. As I began doing research and taking notes, I discovered that many animals had really interesting ways of carrying their babies (this discovery probably had something to do with the fact that I was pregnant at the time!).

COME TO THE CASTLE had a fairly strange genesis, given that I’ve never been very good at remembering historical periods, rulers, dates, etc. I started it in 2003, shortly after the Iraq War began. I was distressed at the state of the world, and wondered if any time in history was as turbulent and violent as our own seemed to be. This got me thinking of a Medieval Torture Museum my husband and I visited in Italy years before, and the horrendous torture devices on display. Somehow this led me downtown to the medieval history section of the Denver Public Library, and from there—eventually—to books on castle life in 13th Century England.

When I don’t know what I’m going to work on (and I usually don’t), I take out my idea files—several manila folders filled with 14 years worth of scribbled-on scraps of paper and partially-completed manuscripts. I’ll pull out a few things that seem to have potential, then start playing around with them. With any luck, something will develop into a story.

Can you tell us a little about your process for researching Come to the Castle?

“Process” is a very nice word for what would more aptly be described as flailing around—I really had no idea where I was going initially. I started by browsing through big, beautiful books on the Middle Ages, till I narrowed my focus to castles, and then to British castles. That, of course, led to more books, and to lots of note-taking. Daily Life in Medieval Times by Frances and Joseph Gies was very helpful in the beginning. At some point I’d done enough reading and research that the story and characters began coming to life and I could begin writing.

You probably found way more information than you could actually fit into the book. What were some of your favorite facts that didn't make it into the final book?

You’re right—there definitely were other things I thought I’d include. I found the medical beliefs really interesting—the balancing of the four humors, bloodletting, various superstitions, the unsanitary conditions that contributed to illness, and all the botanical remedies. I managed to touch on some of this in The Doctor poem, but thought I’d be able to work in more. Since the whole idea started with the Torture Museum, I thought I might have something about crime and punishment—but much of it didn’t seem appropriate for a children’s book. Also thought I’d work in something about women’s make-up (made from sheep fat) and the clothing of the time—fortunately, Steve Schindler’s detailed illustrations covered that beautifully.

One of my favorite spreads was the gong farmer because it was so unexpected (and funny)! Did you always intend to include that particular castle job or is that something that you stumbled across in your research?

I didn’t know about the gong farmer until I started doing research But as soon as I read a description of the garderobe, and the poor guy who had to clean it, I knew it would be in the book. I love this illustration, and love how they changed its orientation to get a sense of that long, disgusting, chute!

If you had to be one of the people in the castle, who would you like to be? Who would you least like to be?

Oh, I think the Earl has a pretty fine life relative to the others; I’d opt for his role. And what could be worse than being a gong farmer? Although I don’t envy the daughter much, either, being married off to some unsavory fellow at such a young age.

What are some of your favorite nonfiction books for kids? And what do you like to read in your spare time?

I don’t read a whole lot of non-fiction for kids, but I admire the visuals of the DK Eyewitness books. I also like Judith St. George’s So You Want to Be . . . series, illustrated by David Small, and Kathleen Krull’s Lives of the . . . (and What the Neighbors Thought) books illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt. I recently picked up Hey Batta Batta Swing by Sally Cook and James Charlton (illustrated by Ross MacDonald) and When Royals Wore Ruffles by Pamela Jaber and Chesley McLaren—both very clever and fun. And I think Kadir Nelson’s We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball is a masterpiece.

As for my own reading, I seem to favor books that address how to maintain your sanity, live simply, and connect with something deeper amidst the noise and bustle of daily life. I love Thomas Moore’s books, Anne Lamott’s essays, Robert Benson’s Digging In, Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and the memoirs of Karen Armstrong and Sue Monk Kidd. As for fiction, recent favorites include March by Geraldine Brooks and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows. And, as a gardener, I’ve got stacks of gardening books around the house—though they’re really more for feeding fantasies of some future glorious garden than for actually reading.

Okay, I've definitely added some books to my TBR list now. ;) Linda, thanks so much for talking with me today! And blog readers, run (don't walk) out to your nearest bookstore or library and pick up Come to the Castle and an armful of Linda's other excellent picture books!

Interview with Darlene Ryan

Today I'm chatting with the lovely YA author Darlene Ryan. Writing's been a part of her life for just about as long as she can remember and her newest book, Five Minutes More, was just released on April 1. Five Minutes More is a searing portrayal of a girl dealing with her grief after her father has died (read my review of it).

AL: Hi, Darlene. Thanks for stopping by my blog on your blog tour and answering some questions. I love interviewing authors because y'all always come up with some great stories to share.

Five Minutes More is a searing portrayal of a girl dealing with grief after her father dies. What inspired you to write this story?

DR: This is a story that I’ve been working on for a long time. (A very, very long time.) I think part of my inspiration was that I’m so fascinated by families. I have friends who come from families that are loving and supportive and I have friends who come from toxic, destructive families. They all intrigue me. A big part of Five Minutes More is how this family copes with death.

I'm particularly fond of the character of Seth in the novel, but I also have a soft spot for Brendan. Can you tell us a little about how you developed your characters?

I love Seth. In one of the earlier drafts of the book—back when I couldn’t make the story work—Seth died. A friend who read that draft begged me to re-write and keep Seth alive. She was right. The story is better if Seth doesn’t die.

He isn’t based on any one person, by the way, but he does have qualities from people I know. I knew a guy in university who could juggle. The funny thing was that he was really uncoordinated at everything else.

I think there’s a bit of every jock I’ve ever known in Brendan. And when D’Arcy tells Seth about running the bases the wrong way in gym class? A good friend of mine from high school actually did that.

For the most part the characters seem to develop as I’m developing the outline for the story.

D'Arcy isn't a name that I've heard a lot... how do you come up with the names of your characters?

D’Arcy just popped into my head and many times during the writing I wished I had picked another name. It’s hard to type with the apostrophe.

For me the name has to suit the character. And if the name has associations for me I can’t give it to a character with a different personality. For instance, my friend Susan—the Susan the book is dedicated to--has a great sense of humour. I could never name a character Susan if the character didn’t also have a great sense of humour. It sounds silly, I know.

No, that doesn't sound silly at all! What kind of research did writing this book require?

I read a lot about suicide. I went to school with someone who killed himself when we were teenagers. I can still remember how his death felt and I used some of those feelings in the book. I learned a lot about ALS. I tried to learn to juggle. (It wasn’t pretty.)

Were any scenes harder for you to write than others? Do you have any particular favorite scenes?

The funny thing is, I know there were scenes where I sweated over every word, and there were others that came very easily—and I can’t remember now which are which. I like the food poisoning scenes and I like every scene with D’Arcy’s best friend, Marissa.

Was Five Minutes More always the title for this book or were there any others under consideration?

The original working title was Five Minutes More. For years, literally. Then I changed it to Waiting for Normal. That was the title when the manuscript went to my editor. He asked me to change the title because there had just been a book out called Waiting for Normal. His first suggestion for a new title was—you guessed it--Five Minutes More.

You mention on your website that you've always been a writer. Would you tell us a little bit about your path to publication? What did you do when you heard you'd sold that first book?

I feel as though I have been writing for ever. I got third place in a poetry contest in third grade. I didn’t do a lot of writing in university unless you count all those essays. For years I wrote commercials, which in some ways is like telling a story in thirty seconds. My first book was non-fiction, the story of my daughter’s adoption. I sold that book very close to my birthday and I think I ate cake to celebrate.

I do a feature on my blog called A Day in the Life of a Children's Librarian. Can you tell us a little bit about a day in the life of an author?

People always think it’s glamourous or they think I spend the day in pajamas. My day is probably not very different from anyone else’s. I get up between six and six-thirty, have my insulin shot, get dressed, obsess about my hair, and have breakfast. I pack lunch, I remind my daughter to take her gym clothes, I clean the bathroom—in other words I do Mom stuff.

At eight I go to my office, check my email and try to deal with anything important. After that I write until about nine thirty when I stop to eat again and have a second cup of coffee. I write after that until lunch. After lunch—unless there’s a blizzard or it’s pouring rain—I go for a walk. Then I work until school gets out at three, except on Fridays when I write until suppertime.

And finally, what are some of your favorite YA books?

I really like Graham Mcnamee’s Hate You. Diane Tullson’s Red Sea is terrific. And Susan Beth Pfeffer’s A Year Without Michael is a wonderful book. It must be close to 20 years old now.

Those are definitely some books I'll have to check out. Thanks so much for talking with me, Darlene!

Thanks for having me.

Author Interview: Fiona Bayrock!

I am so pleased to post an interview with Fiona Bayrock as part of her blog tour! Fiona Bayrock is the author of many books for kids, including the recently released Bubble Homes and Fish Farts, which has garnered many rave reviews! Fiona was also the organizer for the 2008 Cybils Non-Fiction Picture Book category.

If you haven't picked up Bubble Homes and Fish Farts, I don't know what you're waiting for. It's an excellent nonfiction book about the many interesting and unusual ways that animals use bubbles. From comunication to protection to just plain fun, animals use bubbles in lots of weird and fantastic ways!

Abby: I had no idea that there were so many animals that used bubbles in so many different ways!

Fiona: Neither did I! It was a delightful surprise.

How did you come up with the idea to write about animals that use bubbles?

Finding clippings about the dolphin bubble rings and spider bubble homes in my idea file got me thinking about the spittlebugs in my garden and recent science news of the fish fart discovery. Here were four very different animals using bubbles in very different ways. I thought it would be a great idea for a book, but I needed many more examples. After a little preliminary research, I had a long enough list to go ahead, and that was that.

Can you tell us a little about your research for this book? Did you have all these animals in mind when you started or did you discover some along the way?

I wrote most of the book under contract, so I needed a complete list of animals in order to submit the proposal to the publisher. However, the list was based on preliminary research, and once I got into the real research a few things changed.

The violet sea snail and water shrew turned up during the research process. Finding hidden gems like that is always exciting. And the star-nosed mole was a last minute addition, as scientists discovered the secrets of its bubble use only after the final manuscript had been accepted, gone through several rounds of editing, and was ready to go to the illustrator. It was a kind of "Stop the Presses! We have to include this!" moment.

Sometimes preliminary research will show something that with further research you discover to be false. That was how the American alligator made it into the original proposal, but not the book. I had included it based on scientific papers by a pair of scientists who had reported seeing alligators blow bubbles as part of their mating ritual. But when I tried to find other sources to corroborate this, I couldn't find any support for it. None. Not even a hint. I eventually contacted an alligator biologist. In the thousands of alligator matings he had observed (Really! What a job, eh?) he'd never seen them blow bubbles before, during, or after mating. With no corroboration, and a good case against, the alligators had to go.

Did your research take you to any interesting places?

The internet allows me to go wherever the experts are. For this book, I talked to scientists in Australia, The Netherlands, England, and all over North America, from Texas to Alaska and British Columbia to Virginia. As luck would have it, one of the key scientists studying humpback whales and herring teaches at a university near me, so he and I spent an afternoon together on campus. I also toured the fish labs at the nearby Vancouver Aquarium, where I interviewed scientists about gourami breeding, dolphins, and beluga whales.

If you had to choose one of the animals in BUBBLE HOMES to be for a day, which one would it be and why?

LOL! Hmm...I think I'd like to be the dolphin. Playing with those bubble rings looks like an awful lot of fun!

How did you get started writing for kids?

I began by writing articles for kids' science magazines such as Odyssey, YES Mag, and WILD, then I moved into writing books for the educational and subscription markets. Now I write mostly trade books, some poetry, and the odd article here and there.

On your website, you mention that you've talked to scientists all over the world. Who's the most interesting person you've talked to and what did you talk about?

They're all interesting. And I'm not just saying that to be diplomatic. It's true. Each one has followed his or her passion, asked questions, and then devoted years to seeking the answers, often in very creative ways. When people talk about what is meaningful to them, the passion resonates and the subject is vibrant. I love being a part of that, whether I'm listening to the lead scientist on the Beagle Mission to Mars or the biologist who proved a simple relationship between two textures on the back of a tiny beetle no one's ever heard of.

You've served on Cybils panels, so I know you've read tons of non-fiction kids' books. What are a few of your favorites?

You are so right! But oh, that's such a hard question to answer because I know I'll miss a bunch. I'll just say I adored the Cybils winners the two years I served on panels: Nic Bishop Frogs by Nic Bishop, and Lightship by Brian Floca. That should keep me out of trouble.

Thanks so much, Fiona! :)

Thanks for having me, Abby. It's a pleasure to talk with a fellow nonfiction-ophile. :^)

And, readers, thanks for tuning in! Remember to pick up Bubble Homes and Fish Farts for the young animal lover in your life and check out Fiona's other stops on her tour:

March 23: The Well-Read Child
March 24: Right here!
March 25: A Year of Reading
March 26: Celebrate Story
March 27: Becky's Book Reviews

Interview with Anna Levine

Anna Levine is the author of two books that won Sydney Taylor Book Awards this year. Her teen novel Freefall won the Sydney Taylor Honor Award for teen readers and her picture book Jodie's Hanukkah Dig was named a Notable Book for Younger Readers. The fantastic Ms. Levine was kind enough to answer some questions for me as part of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour. You can even tell in this interview what a great storyteller she is, so if you haven't picked up Freefall, I don't know what you're waiting for!

One of the things I really love about FREEFALL is the juxtaposition between Aggie's "normal" teenage girl life (having crushes on boys, hanging out with her best friend, etc.) and her life in military training. Was one type of scene easier or more fun for you to write? If so, why?

There were so many scenes I loved writing it’s hard to choose. But if I have to choose one, well, the runner up is the scene where Aggie is in Noah’s room and she notices all the bits and pieces that make up his personality, from the oil rags on the floor used to clean his gun to the crumpled up pieces of paper on which I imagine he’s jotted down lines of a song. I loved capturing the juxtaposition of Noah as a regular guy who plays the guitar, reads the Beats, smells of shampoo, is a bit awkward around the girl he likes and all with a gun under his bed waiting for when he has to return to his base within 12, 24 or 48 hours.

But one of my favorite scenes is close to the end where Aggie is on the bus going back to Jerusalem from Nahariyah. Aggie is sitting next to a girl she doesn’t recognize, only to discover that it is the girl who was her commanding officer during boot camp. For me, this scene captures the double lives led by many Israeli youth. When in uniform they take on the responsibilities demanded of them. And when off duty, out of uniform, they love, desire, dream, fear and fantasize like all teens everywhere.

I'm fascinated by the research authors do to create their books. In one interview you mentioned that you interviewed girls waiting for their drafts in order to write FREEFALL. What other research did you do for this book? Do you like researching?

I love doing research. I love it because it involves meeting new and interesting people, stepping out of my own life for awhile and into someone else’s. For Freefall I set up interviews with girls serving in combat units or those hoping to be accepted into combat. One of the interviewees, who inspired Lily’s character, is a Moroccan girl who lives in a neighborhood next to mine. She was having a great time making fun of the cultural differences between us, me being Ashkenazi and originally Canadian, and laughing at our different attitudes and food preferences and all with an easy sense of humor. I was captivated by her and that’s when Lily’s character became set in my mind.

I also went to watch the soldier’s parachute jumps. That was terrifying and exhilarating. Driving to the jump site was an experience. Finding the turn off, which was onto an abandoned road at the end of a dusty path would have been easy to miss if it weren’t for all the parents who had parked, popped open the trunks of their cars and lugged out coolers stuffed with food and drink, as if as soon as the paratroopers landed the first thing they’d want to do is eat—my appetite having disappeared at the first sight of the planes circling above. All of us stood, craning our necks as the planes flew over and we clapped at the first sight of the tiny stick figure appearing, as if they could hear us. We were clapping for them as much as for each other and for ourselves.

For Jodie’s Hanukkah Dig I’ve crawled through narrow underground caves slogging through water up to my knees. I’ve sat in the sun digging for hours to uncover nothing more than another pile of dirt—while discovering the excitement of working beside others, talking and sharing the feeling of “what if?” Digging for treasures—tell me that isn’t something you’d not drop everything to do right now?

In FREEFALL, Noah asks Aggie about her favorite sunrise. Where was your favorite sunrise?

I used to live on a kibbutz up on the Northern border of Israel. From my window I could see Lebanon. Mornings I would get up at 6:00 AM to work in the apple orchards and I remember walking through the still silent kibbutz to the dining hall and seeing the sun rise, illuminating the sky. I would savor the stillness and beauty aware that it was fleeting (soon the hot sun would be beating down on me while I had a heavy sack around my neck reaching for an apple that would surely send me tumbling off the ladder). This is what Aggie and her friends have learned to do, to appreciate the moments of joy while they can grasp them, because life here changes so quickly.

What are some of your favorite YA books?

I’ll begin with poetry! Like Neruda, “I have a crazy, crazy love,” of poetry. I highly recommend all things Billy Collins (his anthologies are wonderful), will re-travel “The Road Not Taken,” reread Elizabeth Bishop, and Emily, and Naomi Shihab Nye and James Fenton (these last two are poets I’ve been reading most recently) and this list goes on and on.

Where were you when you found out you had won the Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor? What does winning this award mean to you?

Hanukkah. And Danny Roupe our channel 10 weatherman had been promising rain. Like many things in this country, we pray for and anticipate, but when they finally happen we’re caught by surprise. At around 3:00 in the afternoon I get a note from one of the Sydney Taylor Award judges that she wants to call and “give me the good news and can I send my phone number.” Well, from that moment on I’m yelling, “No one touch the phone!” My husband arrives late because traffic is backed up due to slippery roads (still no phone call). We light the Hanukkah menorah (still no phone call). And just when I’m sure it’s time for her to call…remember the rain? Well, whenever the drops turn to a drizzle you can be sure there will a power outage. The lights go out. The phone line goes down. And we’re all standing around the fuse box holding up Hanukkah Menorah trying to figure out how to “banish the darkness” and bring back the light – and the phone line!

I received the news on the fifth night of Hanukkah. Was I thrilled? And how! To be recognized by the Association of American Jewish librarians is a wonderful honor. As a North American and an Israeli, this award unites both aspects of my identity. As an Israeli, I feel that I share this award with the Israeli teens who are striving to live normal lives in a very stressful environment. As a North American it gives me a great feeling of achievement to be recognized by the librarians who I have always admired and who have kept me supplied with great books since childhood.

Thanks for a great interview, Anna, and congratulations on your win!

You'll definitely want to check out the rest of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour! Today there's also an interview with Jim Burke, illustrator of Naming Liberty, over at The Page Flipper.