The Next Big Thing blog tour: All the Truth That's In Me

Hannah Barnaby, acclaimed author of Wonder Show (2012, Houghton) was my first graduate school writing mentor. She slogged with me through the jungle of the first novel I ever wrote, one which will never see the light of day, and never once told me to sharpen my skills at my day job. I owe her hugely.

Hannah recently participated in The Next Big Thing Blog Tour, which started in Australia and is now looping its way from blog to blog around the cosmos. She tapped me in her blog post as her NEXT Next Big Thing nominee, so I’ll now answer the questions and pass the baton. But first, a little about Wonder Show. In Hannah's own words, it's the story of a fourteen-year-old girl named Portia who finds herself with very few friends and no family at all, having been deposited in a home for wayward girls that is owned by the nefarious Mister. When a traveling carnival sideshow crosses Portia's path one day, she seizes the chance to run away and follows the Wonder Show folks on their dusty, dismal journey through post-Depression America. Read more about Hannah and Wonder Show here or on my earlier blog post here. 

My upcoming novel, All the Truth That’s in Me, releases September 26, 2013 from Viking – just under a month from now. Judith, a young woman living in a colonial village, has suffered a trauma that left her unable to speak. Years prior, she and her best friend went missing from their small village. Soon after, the friend’s body washed up in a river. When Judith returns two years later, she can’t speak. She’s assumed to bear moral guilt for what’s happened, so she becomes an outcast in her repressive, Puritanical community. All her life she’s been in love with a young man named Lucas, but he’s beyond her reach forever, now. The whole book is written as an address to him – not as a letter, but as an outpouring of all her thoughts to him – as though she’s telling him all that she would, if she could.

Now for the questions.

1) What was the working title of your book?

As I wrote it, I called it Lucas, since it was addressed to him – he was the “you” of the book, and the focal point of Judith’s preoccupation. In hindsight, I’m glad my editor prevailed upon me to choose better.

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

I was reading a discussion in a craft book about point of view in literature, and I read about the infrequent use of second person narration. I thought, “Hm. I wonder if I could write a second person novel?” So I opened my laptop and let my mind wander. The first line of the novel popped into my head, followed in rapid succession by the entire first (short) chapter. I had tons left to figure out, but I definitely felt I was on to something. As it turned out, what I’d written wasn’t true second person, since the “you” figure was a character within the story (as opposed to the reader). That’s okay. Any prompt that gets you writing is a good one, even if the result isn’t quite what you’d planned.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

It’s definitely young adult. People call it historical, because it’s set in the past, but it’s not affixed to an actual historical period, so I’m not sure that’s quite right. It’s a made-up place and time that feels like Colonial America, but isn’t ever specifically named as such. It’s realistic fiction, and it’s been called a romance, a mystery, and a thriller. A YA romystiller?

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Oh, I am terrible at these questions. I don’t watch enough TV or movies to know who’s who. A disproportionate number of the characters in the movies I do watch are comic book monsters or Orcs. I suppose I can’t cast Lady Arwen and Legolas?  

(I did not just say that, did I?) 

My husband, indie film actor Phil Berry, nominated Chloe Grace Moretz as Judith. As for Lucas, I’m at a loss. Suggestions welcome! 

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

"Judith can’t speak, but she can lay down her life to save her village if it offers a hope of survival to Lucas, whom she loves from afar – but doing so resurrects ghosts and secrets better left forgotten, and exacts from Judith a painful price to tell her tale."

Oof, that’s a monster of a sentence. Where’s an editor when you need one?

6) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

See #2.

7) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

So far, the international markets have been very receptive to All the Truth That’s in Me, which will appear in 12 other countries or territories outside the US and Canada. Reviewers have been kind, too; the novel has three stars so far. On a more personal level, I think Lucas is pretty swoon-worthy, but then, I might be biased. Check out a 35-page excerpt of the novel here. 

Next on the Next Big Thing blog trail, check out my dear and funny friend Erin Dionne! 

Two Great Books That Eat Well Together

What do picture book The Day the Crayons Quit and middle grade novel Counting by 7s have in common? Absolutely nothing.

Except that they’re both published by Penguin, and that I got to hobnob with illustrator Oliver Jeffers (of Crayons fame) and author Holly Goldberg Sloan (7s) at a promotional dinner at ALA in Chicago. They were witty; they sparkled; between courses, they had the audience in stitches.

Look at Oliver. This should surprise no one. 

Doesn't Holly look like your best friend since forever? That's what meeting her feels like. 

Here, then, for your dining pleasure, are their books.

In The Day the Crayons Quit (a New York Times #1 bestseller! Give a cheer!), Duncan’s crayons have had enough. They’ve been overused and underappreciated, they’ve colored outside the lines, and they dream of different things to draw. Each crayon complains to Duncan through a series of letters accompanied by Jeffers’s illustrations (in crayon, of course). Twelve hilarious crayons create a colorful (ahem) cast of personalities and grievances. Woebegone Black, for instance, pines for a black beach ball to color, while overworked Red and Blue are at their wits’ end. The entire 49-cent box has a swelling sense of empowerment kids will appreciate and parents will giggle at – it’s collective bargaining, Crayola style. Filmmaker/author Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers skewer clichéd coloring with tongue-in-cheek encouragement to think outside the box. Recommended for readers – and artists – of all ages. A fabulous gift for preschoolers through second graders who are sampling the delights – and the power – of drawing and writing. Find it at your local bookstore.

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan was a story I couldn’t leave behind when it ended. I moped around for days, wishing I could go back into Willow Chase’s life for a while. I woke up insanely early on a Saturday morning to finish it before the other inmates of the Berry home could devour my attention, and if you know me, you’ll know how reluctantly I relinquish my Saturday sleep-in. This is a book well worth any sleep it costs you.

In this contemporary middle grade novel, girl genius and middle school outsider Willow Chase’s comforting, orderly world of gardens, diagnosing medical maladies, and counting by sevens vanishes in a moment when her parents’ death by car crash leaves her utterly alone. Grief overwhelms her, but like a stubborn seedling determined to break through tough soil, Willow grows, gradually, almost imperceptibly, as she constructs for herself the unlikeliest of new families.

Willow’s resolve knits together a motley crew, at times most unwillingly. There’s Willow’s fiery older friend Mai Nguyen; Mai’s surly brother Quang-ha, and their force-of-nature mother Pattie; Jairo, the taxi driver trying to pull himself up by his bootstraps; and Dell Duke, a professional underachiever, slob bachelor, and delinquent school counselor. Holly weaves these masterfully specific and memorable characters into a compassionate, warm, at times hilarious narrative. The writing is lovely; the people will never leave you. An engrossing and tender novel for middle schoolers on up through teens and adults; a book that absolutely should top your gift-giving list for young readers. Counting By 7s releases August 29^th, 2013; pre-order it now through your local bookstore.

To quote, as I so often do, "Guy" from Galaxy Quest, "I'm just jazzed to be on the show," rubbing elbows on the same list with books like these. Enjoy. And get used to me talking about these books, because that's what I'll be doing everywhere I go this fall.

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ALA Annual, Chicago, June 29-July 1.

I was lucky to attend the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago, IL June 29-July 1. It was my first ALA trip. Big thanks go to Penguin’s school and library marketing team for this opportunity to meet so many librarians and discuss All the Truth That’s In Me.

YALSA panel w/ DJ MacHale & Holly Sloan

My first event was an informal pizza lunch with the YALSA Teen Advisory Board which included a panel with DJ MacHale (author of thriller Sylo) and Holly Goldberg Sloan (author of Counting By 7s). The YALSA Teen Advisory Board is made up of avid, smart, passionate teen readers who give input on galleys for publishers and take part in YALSA Teen Feedback Sessions at ALA conferences. How cool is that? I would have LOVED to be part of something like this at their age.  

They peppered us with great questions.  Q: Do you use an outline when you write? DJ: Definitely.  Holly: No way.  Me: Sometimes? Q: When you write, do you actually think about the themes and symbolism in your story? DJ: No! Holly: No! Me: Uh … sometimes?

With Hannah @her WONDER SHOW signing

After the panel, I met up with my friend Hannah Barnaby, author of Wonder Show, at a new franchise restaurant called Freshii. I hope Freshii finds its way to Boston soon. Loved their healthy-organic-nerdy-type food. Yum! 

That evening I attended a Penguin Blue Ribbon Author Dinner at Bristol Restaurant. Oliver Jeffers (illustrator of #1 NYT Bestseller The Day the Crayons Quit), Holly Sloan and I spoke to a great group of librarians. Oliver was witty and charming, of course, with an accent that slayed all us ladies. Holly was scintillating as ever, and then I got up. Never go last! To meet more people, Oliver, Holly and I switched seats twice throughout the evening. I apologize to anyone whose water I inadvertently drank.

Coffee Klatching w/ YALSA librarians

Next morning, I attended the YALSA Coffee Klatch – a speed-dating event for authors and librarians. Imagine a huge banquet hall filled with round tables, eight librarians at each one. Each author takes a number, sits at that table, talks up his or her book for four minutes, then goes to the next table when the bell rings and starts over.  I ended up at the wrong tables twice. Hearing about new books doesn’t get old for these superstar teen librarians. I’m grateful they’re the ones keeping the reading torch lit for teens nationwide.

Andrea Pinkney and Brian Pinkney 

After that I roamed the trade show floor. I couldn’t resist buying Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney for my boys – a beautiful and necessary book. I also bumped into several author friends including Sarah Aronson, Carol Brendler, Kelly Barson, Gwenda Bond, Nancy Werlin and her husband Jim McCoy, Tanya Lee Stone, and Jane Kurtz. 

At my signing. 

From 2-3 that afternoon I signed galleys of All the Truth for a long line of new faces, plus some dear friends.            

Tanya Stone, Sarah Aronson, Kelly Barson

That evening, I attended the Newberry Caldecott Wilder Banquet. Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen’s (This is Not My Hat) heartfelt speech made us all part of his family, sharing in his triumph. (He set many hearts in the room a-flutter.) Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate (The One and Only Ivan) was funny and poignant. She read from one of her earliest works: a bodice-ripper! Hilarious. Katherine Paterson’s speech on her (richly deserved!) Wilder Lifetime Achievement was a highlight of the evening.

At banquet w/editor Kendra Levin. 

The weekend couldn't end without me embarrassing myself. I met Nathaniel Parker, whom I adore as the voice of Butler in the Artemis Fowl audiobooks. I fangirl-spazzed, and asked him to "talk Butler" to me. (If you've heard it, you know how swoon-worthy it is.) Bless his fuzzy heart, he was a sport about meeting a lunatic like me. 

Thank you, ALA, Penguin, and all of you beautiful librarians for making my weekend in Chicago so much fun! 

Penguin Young Readers Group booth displays All the Truth beautifully. 

          

Of Ankles, Sisters, and Bookmarks: A peek inside the sausage factory

I love giving away bookmarks at signings, school visits, and events. I insist on illustrated bookmarks, because beautiful illustrations are one of the chief delights of children’s books. There’s no other artist I’d rather collaborate with for something so personal than my sister, Sally Gardner.

Sally and I worked together on the Splurch Academy for Disruptive Boys series of elementary-age books. We have a long history of being partners in crime. People often ask us what it's like to collaborate as sisters. Do we fight? Does one of us try to be in charge?

We thought we'd answer that question by giving you a little peek into our process, vis a vis bookmarks.

Meet Priscilla the Gargoyle, who sneaks a book by moonlight on a castle tower. This bookwormy gargoyle came about in 2009 after Sally and I put on our branding & marketing hats and brainstormed. This bookmark had to give an idea of who author Julie Berry was, and hint at the flavor of her books. I wanted to convey the magic of books for young people, wrapped up in a lightly historical setting with a touch of whimsy. In particular, I wanted a character in the illustration with whom readers could connect. Gargoyles lurk around castles, and castles evoke fairy tales, long ago adventures, and classic stories. Sally saw that (obviously!) Priscilla needed to read a book. Priscilla has been a perfect mascot and pal over the last four years.

This fall marks the release of my new YA title All the Truth That’s in Me. It’s geared towards teens, and will likely find an adult readership. Priscilla, for all her lovable bookishness, is a little young for this audience. She’s not going away – I’ll still use her with younger readers – but I needed a new bookmark, and a new character, to accompany the release of All the Truth.

We repeated the process we had gone through for Priscilla. I called Sally to brainstorm. Our conversation went something like this:

Julie: I need a new image that won’t be a complete departure from the Priscilla bookmark, but will work with All the Truth and any other YA titles I plan to write. We need a new character. I want it to be illustrated, not like the photo that’s on the cover of All the Truth.

Sally: If you were a brand, what words would describe your personality?

Julie: Okay. If I was a YA author brand, and not a badly-dressed housewife, I would be: Older, teen, romantic, poetic, mystery, intrigue, danger, anticipation, possibilities, optimism, beauty, movement, graceful, dynamic, transitional, sober, soulful, dreams, possible tragedy, love of the past, rootedness. Trees, I love the idea of trees. Forests. They’re archetypal. Ya know?

Sally: Okay. Um. How about this:

Julie: I like the tree! But the figure seems too young. That’s an eleven-year-old girl’s ankle; she’s   playing hide-and-go-seek. I want bigger feelings, more danger. Also, the lettering is too old-timey.

Sally: Okay. Um. How about this:

Julie: We’re getting closer! I like the typeface and the forest. It’s mysterious and bold. I also like having her on a journey into the woods – but can we show a greater sense of urgency? Also, I’m not sure if the girl is a zombie. Is that a cloak, or flesh rotting off her face? Her ankles and feet look weird, like she has cloven hooves. Please don’t take that the wrong way.

Sally: Okay. Um. Showing urgency in a cloaked figure with her back to us seems hard. I don’t have a lot to work with. Um.

At this point Sally decided that she needed to construct a model with a cloak, using a fan to create wind. Turns out it wasn’t helpful, but it is funny. Take a look:

Thus inspired by her artistic rigor, Sally went back to the drawing board. Literally.

Sally: Um. How’s this:

Julie: I love it. Romantic, urgent, mysterious, and not a zombie. Superb ankles! Yay, let’s print it!

So that’s the story of my new bookmark and new character. This adventure-bound girl isn’t from All the Truth or any other novel – like Priscilla, she’s not book-specific. She is a manifestation of all the danger, mystery, and romance that I want my brand to represent. This final bookmark will be available whenever I go to an author event. It’s been a little too much fun to develop it, and I hope you enjoy it as much as Sally and I do! As always, if you'd like a bookmark, mail me a S.A.S.E. (self-addressed stamped envelope) and I'll send you one. Address is PO Box 23, Stow, MA, 01775. 

Find more of Sally’s illustration online at www.sallygardner.com. 

Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby

Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby (Houghton Mifflin, 2012) is a young adult novel as engrossing as its Depression-era carnival freak show backdrop. Portia Remini watches as the adults in her family clan flit away like moths, one by one, in search of opportunity during the Great Depression. After a few years with her steel-hearted aunt Sophia, she finds herself under the oppressive stewardship of Mister, proprietor of the for-profit McGreavey Home for Wayward Girls, many of whom, like Portia, are orphans by parental abandonment rather than death. Portia endures the horrors there by remembering her papa, whom she's convinced has run off to join the circus. She is determined to find him, and when her path crosses with a traveling circus, she seizes her chance. 

But earning the confidence of the carnival freak show won't be easy. She's a "normal." What can she do to trick rubes into parting with money? People ogled for a living don't easily trust. Runaways come and go in the circus; most of the sideshows don't bother learning their names. Portia is determined to fit into her new traveling family. She's convinced the circus's route can lead her to her Papa. But Mister McGreavey never allows his wayward girls to escape. He has far more lucrative plans for Portia, after he's broken her spirit.

Jane Eyre-meets-Ringling-Bros-in-the-Dust Bowl; a gorgeously written YA debut that does not shy away from darkness, but leaves room for hope, even in a hopeless era in US history. A 2013 William Morris Debut Award finalist, and the fruit of the first-ever Boston Public Library Children's Writer-in-Residence Program. Hannah Barnaby is an MFA graduate of my alma mater, the Vermont College of the Fine Arts program for Writing for Children and Young Adults. Go VCFA!

Note re: readership/age level: Some brief content re: circus performing is mature in nature; very tastefully handled. 

Find Wonder Show in hardcover from your local bookstore. Strongly recommended. 

Julie Takes Manhattan: BEA 2013

This week I attended Book Expo America at the Javits Center in Manhattan to promote my fall YA release, All the Truth That’s In Me. It was my first time attending BEA. I was unprepared for the immensity, the sensory overload, of so many publishers under one cavernous roof, selling the sizzle of their summer/fall lists. Literary candy was strewn everywhere you looked. The mood seemed entirely upbeat, with lots of enthusiasm for the future of the book business, which was great to see.

Real life horror stories panel, SLJDOD13

My schedule began with a panel at the School Library Journal Day of Dialogue event on Wednesday, May 29^th at Columbia University. My panel was “Real World Horror Stories,” facilitated by Karyn Silverman, a high school librarian in New York City. Karyn did a fantastic job moderating the panel. My fellow panelists were Adele Griffin, Matthew Quick, Elizabeth Scott, and Elizabeth Wein. I confess, when I learned what luminaries my fellow panelists were, I envisioned myself being yanked off the stage by a Muppet Show hook. I shouldn’t have worried. They were thoughtful, hilarious, and kind.

Think hard, Julie!

Signing books with Elizabeth Wein

Later in the day I signed galleys of All the Truth That’s In Me – the first time I’ve ever autographed this book. A happy, silly, private little milestone. Here I am signing with Elizabeth Wein, who came to promote Rose Under Fire, a companion novel to Code Name Verity.

Thursday, May 30^th, was my day to stroll the tradeshow floor, then sign more galleys of All the Truth. I dressed in red to match my book jacket. ;) Penguin had done a lovely job promoting the signing; I was happily astonished to see long lines of people waiting for their books. A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by! Read in good health, and please tweet me your thoughts. A special smooch goes to the friends who stopped by say hello.

Signing galleys at the Penguin booth

Just prior to my signing I had the good fortune to meet Kathleen McInerney, the voice actress narrating the audiobook version of All the Truth. She was as warm and delightful as I had found her voice to be from the first moment I heard her audition reel. This was our first meeting, but it felt like a reunion of old friends.

With actress Kathleen McInerney

Another longtime friend I met for the first time at BEA was author Holly Goldberg Sloan. Holly’s new middle grade, Counting by 7s, is a must-read, gorgeous, heart-bursting book. Both our titles are Penguin Blue Ribbon picks this year (see banner in the picture above), and we’ll be doing some promotion together this fall. I can’t wait. I can tell I’ll never have a dull moment traveling around with Holly. Here's a picture of us together at SLJ's Day of Dialog.

Holly Sloan signs Counting by 7s while I sign All the Truth.

Back to Thursday: in the evening I attended the Penguin Bird Bash, a party for bloggers. We snapped photos of ourselves with goofy hats and masks, hugging a humanoid Penguin in full fuzzy costume. Waiting for someone to send me those pics!  

Friday’s shindig, for me, and every other Penguin children’s/teen author in town, was a cocktail party on the top floor of the Standard Hotel, filled with bright sparkly authors in bright sparkly clothes, overlooking a breathtaking view of New York. Here's a picture, not of our party, but of the space.

Me, my lovely editor Kendra, and William Wegman

This suburban mom doesn’t get to many cocktail parties, but I managed to not stumble in my heels or spill anyone’s drink down their dress. A high point was meeting artist and author William Wegman and giving him a command performance of the Nutty Fruitcake Dance from “Fay’s 12 Days of Christmas.” Talk about your conversation starters. I wish I had pictures of this party, but my silly camera was on the fritz, so you’ll have to take my word for it – I was there, and the party was fabulous. (No causal connection implied.)

When I wasn’t flitting about BEA, I ate my way across midtown Manhattan and back with my husband. We had a glorious time. Every restaurant was a home run – Thai, Turkish, Italian, vegetarian, and 2 trips to Pinkberry for frozen yogurt to beat the crazy heat. I realized afterwards that we ordered an eggplant dish everywhere we went (except Pinkberry). Does it mean something?

 A huge thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group for inviting me to join the fun, and another thank you to all the advance readers of All the Truth for taking time to read and share your thoughts. 

Stay tuned for more reporting from ALA in Chicago in late June as ongoing promotion of All theTruth that’s In Me continues! (Releasing September 26 from Viking/Penguin.) 

Chasing the Heretics, A Modern Journey Through the Medieval Languedoc by Rion Klawinski

A useful and highly readable point of entry into the history of the Albigensian Crusade, a less-known chapter in 13th Century history wherein Pope Innocent III and his successors authorized and promoted a lengthy crusade against (and a brutal massacre of) heretical European Christians, the Cathars, and their neighboring Catholic defenders. The Albigensian Crusade set the stage for the assimilation of the Languedoc into the kingdom of France, and paved the way for the development of the tools of inquisition which would be used in the Spanish Inquisition and, as Klawinski points out, in the toolbook of secret police and despotic regimes well into the 20th Century and beyond. The rise of the mendicant Dominican order can be directly traced to Rome's urgent desire to combat the Cathar heresy in the Languedoc. Klawinski's book blends history with present-day travelogue, a combination that at times halts and interrupts the flow of the historical narrative, yet also contextualizes it and answers the question the author poses in the beginning: Do traces remain today of the Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade? Recommended, especially for late-medieval history fans.

Chasing the Heretics can be found from used booksellers.