Real-Life Writing Prompt: Carpool to Roswell

I mentioned in my last two posts that I attended the Kindling Words West retreat in Taos, New Mexico last week. I flew into Albuquerque with my buddy Crystal Allen, and we carpooled from there with Pam Bachorz since that would be more fun than the shuttle and it would allow us to stop at Trader Joe's for chocolate almonds and beverages.

While Crystal and I were waiting for Pam in the lobby of the car rental place, a woman approached us and asked if we were on our way to Roswell. If we were, she'd pay for half the car rental fee in exchange for a ride. She was visibly upset, like a chest-clutching, fighting back tears upset. Although that isn't where we were headed, of course we were intrigued. How does one just show up at a car rental lobby, suitcase in hand, looking to hitch a ride to Roswell? Apparently there's some giant new car rental tax the woman didn't know about, and her car for the week would cost more than her plane ticket had, and she was on her way to visit her mom. (No one else was flipping out about this tax, and ours wasn't that bad, so maybe it's something assessed if you don't reserve the car ahead of time. I'm not sure what the deal was with that).

Anyway, we started thinking about how this could be a fun story beginning. I know if we told thirty writers, "Strangers meet at a car rental desk and carpool to Roswell--go!" we'd get thirty completely different novels. Mine would a contemporary young adult novel with five different characters, each with a different reason they just had to get to Roswell, and their subplots would all become entwined somehow. Crystal was thinking of something more paranormal, in which the nice elderly couple offering a teenager a ride actually turns out to be aliens going to a reunion.

So, who would be in your carpool to Roswell, and why are they all going there? Why'd they show up at the same place without much of a plan?

Who knows, we might start a trend here. And in a few years we'll hear editors saying, "The market is saturated with novels in the Roswell sub-genre...".

Found Poems

I mentioned in yesterday's Catching Up post that I'd write a little more about our poetry lessons from

Nikki Grimes at Kindling Words West, so here's some of what we learned in just one of our five workshops last week.

I had a hard time thinking poetically, so it's obviously something I need to work on more. "Found poems" were a little easier for me because I felt like I had something to work with--in the confines of an article instead of the whole English language.

To do a found poem, take an article, a book page, even a recipe or a product label, and select words and/or short phrases from it to make a poem. You won't add any other words, so all the words in your poem come from the original text. And use the words in the order they appear rather than going back and forth in an article.

Here's an example, to give you a better idea of what it looks like. The first text I worked with was an article about a girl who developed an app that prevents texting while driving, since she was worried about her own mom's habits. Doesn't sound very poetic, right?

First, some excerpts from the article, "Puppy Love:"

The way 11-year-old Victoria Walker describes how she worries about her mom, you'd think their roles were reversed. "She's really bad with texting and driving," Victoria says. "I tell her to stop when I'm with her...I just needed some peace of mind."
The sixth-grader...came up with an idea for an app that would literally hound distracted drivers to putting down their phones. ...
Victoria's app, called Rode Dog, basically allows friends and family to form a pack to protect one another. A GPS tracks pack members, alerting the group when one of them is using their phone while driving--and then unleashes a barrage of barks on the phone of the offending driver. Walker says she was inspired by her own dogs...that "bark their heads off whenever they sense danger."...

And here's my found poem, made from words in that article:

Worried reversed
Tell her to stop
Peace distracted
Putting down friends and family.
A pack,
Alerting the group,
Unleashes,
Inspired by danger.

Here's another article, one that many of the workshop participants used, and it was interesting to hear such variety in our poems when the words all came from the same source. This is from a January 22, 2012 New York Times article, "Ready For the Worst, New York Gets First Major Snowfall:"

A powdery section of snow slid across the mid-Atlantic region and out toward sea on Saturday, making the season's first significant storm a less ferocious affair...
Yet memories of the crippling snowstorm in New York a year ago--followed by a blistering round of blame and recrimination--were fresh in the psyche of...residents of the region who readied themselves for the worst of winter's wrath. ...
Some New Yorkers saw the snow as a blessing, saying it had brightened winter's otherwise dry landscape.
"Finally, we're feeling winter,"...

I think so many people selected this article because it was so rich with strong words to mine for a poem. Here's the poem I made from the article:

Snow slid
Out toward sea
A ferocious affair
Memories, crippling, blistering
Fresh winter's wrath.

Or, a blessing
Brightened winter's
Dry landscape,
Finally.

Some people call these "blackout poems," because one way to do these is to cross out most of the words of the original text with a black marker, leaving only the words that make up your poem.

I think it would be a fun activity for students to do, like with an article they've used for research or a photocopied page of a book they've been reading.

Or try found poems yourself if you've been wanting to write some poetry but have trouble getting started. Let me know how it works out for you!

Catching Up

It's been a long time since I've done a post, so let's catch up! Where in the world have I been and what have I been up to?

One reason I've been online less is that at the beginning of April I woke up with pain from my upper back to my hand that was so bad, the only comfortable position I could find was flat on my back with my arm raised. Not super-conducive to productivity. I'd had similar pain in the fall, but it came on more gradually then. Each time, it's happened after extended periods of writing, like if I'm really trying to get a project done. Which backfires, of course, if I'm then sidelined for weeks at a time with the nerd's version of a sports injury.

Thankfully it's gotten better, a little at a time, with rest, muscle relaxers, massage therapy, stretching, and seeing the chiropractor more often than my family. I have to remember now when I'm writing to take breaks more often, and it helps a lot to keep the computer at eye level. I think the worst thing I did was sit on the couch while looking down at the laptop for hours on end. So now I elevate it with a lap desk, and for times I'm working at my actual desk, I got this fancypants chair that has adjustable everything and costs a lot less than other ergonomic chairs. Also I'm using the dictation feature on the iPhone and the laptop when I can, especially for composing emails and texting. I'd love to be able to use it for drafting a story, but it's hard for me to dictate a story instead of typing or writing it by hand. I hope to get used to it with some practice so I can use it more often and give the arm a rest.

But the good news is I've finally finished drafting the next midgrade novel! It needs revising before it's editor-ready, but it feels great to have a good draft from beginning to end.

On to more happy news...

This little girl now lives at my house.

Not sure about these new people yet, but they seem nice

Her name is Holly and she's from Houston Cocker Spaniel Rescue. We took her in to foster her at first, but last time we said we'd "foster" a dog we kept her for the rest of her life, so I was pretty sure she was here to stay.






I mean, just look how she sleeps.



I even finalized the adoption after she chewed my MacBook cord in two. I'd say that's love.

She's very sweet, but quite the escape artist, so we do have to keep an eye on her. She got from our fenced-in back yard to the neighbors', squeezes through the cat door to get to the garage, and got from the enclosed play yard at doggie day care into the staff office. What could possibly be of interest in the office? I would love to know.

And in CHAINED news, I have some shiny new awards! The book received a South Asia Book Award honor, and the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for the Texas/Oklahoma region. I'm so honored about the recognition and to be in such amazing company with the other recipients.

Also, I have a new curriculum guide! Something I'd always thought I would get around to doing myself, but never did, so I decided to get the fabulous Debbie Gonzales to make one for me, and I'm so happy with the results.

Finally, I did some traveling recently, to the Kindling Words West retreat in Taos, New Mexico. It's a magical place where authors get a week to just focus on their work and talk to other authors about books and such. (And maybe a little shopping). We did have short workshops in the mornings, led by the awesome Nikki Grimes, but had the rest of the days to ourselves. Nikki's workshops were about poetry, which I've never really ventured into, but I know that what we learned from her will help my novel writing. I'd like to write a separate post about some of what I learned, so I'll save more of that for later this week.

Holly was really happy to see me when I got back, but she might have been happier about this bone o' bacon I gave her.

The bacon smile. I think a lot of us can relate.

Celebrating POISON by Bridget Zinn

Probably the most exciting time for authors is the day their debut novel launches. You might have heard of Bridget Zinn, whose debut novel POISON was released this month, but if you haven't, you can read more about her on her website.

2009 was an eventful year for Bridget--she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, found a fabulous literary agent after years of writing, and got married. Sadly, she lost her cancer battle in 2011 and isn't here to celebrate her book's publication.

But she has tons of friends and fans who are spreading the word about POISON. Publishers Weekly has a great article about Bridget and how people are helping to launch the book, and The Chicago Tribune just ran an article about her yesterday.

Since POISON was originally planned to be a 2012 release and Bridget was a member of The Apocalypsies, we had a recent post on the blog for her release date, "One Last Apocalypsies Debut," written by her friend E.M. Kokie.

Here's a description of the novel from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

I got my copy of POISON as soon as it was released and wasn't sure I'd have time to read the whole thing before doing this post, but I couldn't put it down. I like to sleep in whenever I can, but one morning I woke up at 5:30 and after a few minutes of trying to get back to sleep I thought, "Ooh, I can read more!" and read in bed until I got to the end of the book. And then I might have hugged it. It must be really difficult to write a book that's funny and suspenseful at the same time, but Bridget pulled it off. I adored the characters and had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen to them. (I kept doing that "just one more chapter...ok, I'll read one more chapter" thing).

Young adult novels are often considered either "upper YA" or "lower YA," since what's age-appropriate for a 17-year-old might not be age-appropriate for a 13-year-old, and the book that a 13-year-old loves might not be of interest to an older teen. But POISON is a book I'd give to a young adult fan of any age. Kyra's a strong and clever heroine, and the storyline is exciting enough to keep readers turning the pages. There's some pining but no wallowing for the love interest, Fred (and some admiring of his abs).

One sign of a great story is that you still think about the characters after you've closed the book. Days after reading, I'm wondering how Kyra, Fred, and even Rosie the pig are doing, and I'm sure I'll be thinking about them for a long time. I wish we could look forward to more books from Bridget, but I'm thankful that this one made it out into the world.

Guest Post: How You Can Help Elephants

Today we have a special treat--a guest post from the folks at World Elephant Day, who last year brought us the documentary Return to the Forest.

Now they're at work on a new documentary, Elephants Never Forget, which explores the lives of working elephants (like Nandita in CHAINED), along with other issues like poaching and habitat loss that threaten the elephant population.

So now I'll turn things over to the World Elephant Day organization, with some ways to help elephants and more information about their current project:

Elephants are becoming extinct. Each region has its own elephant issues, ranging from the escalation of poaching and illegal trade, to habitat loss, to human-elephant conflict and captivity issues. In order to conserve these magnificent animals we need to come together and raise awareness of these issues with a powerful global voice. If you are eager to help but don’t know how, here are several ideas:

Become Elephant Educated
Learn about the deeper issues behind the threats facing elephants. In order to find a solution, we need to create alternative, sustainable livelihoods for people who have traditionally relied on elephants.

Support Elephant Organizations
Support organizations who are working to protect habitat for wild elephants, finding solutions for human-elephant conflict, and preventing poaching.

Only Visit Eco-Tourism Operations
If you wish to experience elephants in their natural environment choose eco-tourism operators who support local elephant conservation projects and who treat elephants with respect and dignity.

Support Awareness Projects
Donate and share about projects that are working to raise awareness of the elephant’s critical plight. An advocacy film is currently doing just that and raising money through Indiegogo to complete their project.

The issues facing elephants are complex and involve many different stakeholders. In order to ensure their survival we need the masses to unite and each do their part.

Sushi For Everyone!

...I mean, not that I'm buying or anything, just uh, feel free to have sushi for lunch today if you'd like.

Because CHAINED is headed to Japan! Japanese rights for the novel sold to Suzuki Publishing this week.


You might remember from the sale to France a few months ago that I celebrated with a traditional French toast dinner. I'm actually not a sushi fan, but this would be a good time to cook those shirataki noodles I've been meaning to try.

I don't know much about how foreign sales happen, so it's a nice surprise when I hear that CHAINED will be available in a new market, in another language. And it'll be fun to see how it turns out.

Meanwhile, I think I need to get this shirt...

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop! The blog hop is celebrating what writers are working on or what they have coming up next.

I was tagged by my friend and all-around awesome person E. Kristin Anderson, co-editor of the DEAR TEEN ME anthology. Somehow she's always working on a few things at once, so check out her projects here in her blog hop post.

But I can only work on one thing at a time, so here's more about what I've been up to:

1: What is the working title of your book?
NESSIE MALONE'S GUIDE TO CREATURES THAT AREN'T MIGHT BE REAL
(I know, quite a change from a title like CHAINED)

2: Where did the idea come from for the book?
I can't remember exactly how I came up with it, but it was probably while watching something like Finding Bigfoot or MonsterQuest, and I thought it would be fun to write about a character whose parents are cryptozoologists. And who would really hate having parents who investigate creatures like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster? How about an amateur forensic scientist?

3: What genre does your book come under?
A humorous mystery for middle-grade readers


4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Eliza Thornberry. I know, that might be a problem since she's a cartoon character, but that's how I picture Nessie. Some of the researchers from Finding Bigfoot can play Nessie's parents. Champ the lake monster as himself.



5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Nessie Malone uses her forensic science skills to figure out why her Aunt Audrey has disappeared after finding evidence of a lake monster in Lake Champlain.

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?
This book hasn't been submitted yet, but I'm represented by Joanna Volpe at New Leaf Literary & Media Representation. My first book, CHAINED, was published by Macmillan/FSG.

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Still working on it! Actually I did a really messy, narrative-outliney first draft last summer, but it's taking a long time to write a draft that's presentable enough to show someone else.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Hmm, I'm not sure about that one. Nessie is somewhat like Harriet in HARRIET THE SPY, since she's always noticing what's around her and jotting down notes about what she sees. And when I was reading THE MAPMAKER AND THE GHOST by Sarvenaz Tash, I remember hoping that I'd be able to write a kids' mystery novel that was so well plotted.

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I knew when I was researching CHAINED that the next book would have to be something humorous and closer to home! And I love cryptozoology and forensic science, two fascinating fields that are completely different. So it'll be even more fun to combine them, right? I've always enjoyed mysteries and I appreciate humor in any book, so this is a genre I've been looking forward to writing.

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
On the drive from Houston to Lake Champlain, Vermont, Nessie's parents make the most of the trip by investigating creatures like Bigfoot and the Honey Island Swamp Monster, but Nessie is a "real scientist" and doesn't believe in anything her parents investigate. The family starts the trip when Nessie's Aunt Audrey calls after seeing something in the lake she can't explain. When the family arrives, Audrey is missing, along with the lake monster evidence she'd collected.

Thanks for stopping by to read about what I'm working on, and be sure to check out the authors who've allowed me to tag them for next week! Anne Greenwood Brown, Kami Kinard, and S.J. Kincaid will post on their blogs next Wednesday, February 20th, about their new projects.