Happy Monday Everyone!
Follower News
Paul Greci's debut middle grade SURVIVING BEAR ISLAND is being released on Wednesday. Here's a
blurb: “Surviving Bear Island” is a heart-pounding adventure that both kids and
adults will enjoy. Though harsh and realistic, it follows its hero
through a brilliant coming-of-age the likes of which are unlikely to be
found anywhere outside Alaska.--- And here are some links:
amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0985481099/sr=8-1/qid=1423785870/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1423785870&sr=8-1
blog:
https://paulgreci.wordpress.com/
And I have winners to announce.
The winner of DUPLICITY is Kelly Steel!
The winner of the Alex Slater Query Critique is Danielle H!
And the winner of the Lucky is Reading Giveaway Hop is CindyWindy who picked the Amazon Gift Card!
Congrats! E-mail me your address for the book and contact information for the critique. Please e-mail me by the end of Wednesday or I'll have to pick another winner.
Today I’m thrilled to have debut author Erin Entrada Kelly here to share about her MG contemporary BLACKBIRD FLY that releases tomorrow. I don’t usually read contemporary but I really wanted to read Erin’s book because it also deals with Apple learning to embrace her ethnicity. It's a great story about Apple, who has to grapple with being the only Filipino in her middle school, and with her embarrassment at being from the Philippines. I really enjoyed it.
Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:
Future rock star, or
friendless misfit? That’s no choice at all. In this debut tween novel,
twelve-year-old Apple grapples with being different; with friends and
backstabbers and following her dreams. For fans of Wendy Mass and
Wendelin Van Draanen.
Apple has always felt a little different
from her classmates. She and her mother moved to Louisiana from the
Philippines when she was little, and her mother still cooks Filipino
foods, makes mistakes with her English, and chastises Apple for becoming
“too American.” It becomes unbearable in middle school, when the
boys—the stupid, stupid boys—in Apple’s class put her name on the Dog
Log, the list of the most unpopular girls in school. When Apple’s
friends turn on her and everything about her life starts to seem weird
and embarrassing, Apple turns to music. If she can just save enough to
buy a guitar and learn to play, maybe she can change herself. It might
be the music that saves her . . . or it might be her two new friends,
who show how special she really is. Erin Entrada Kelly deftly brings
Apple’s conflicted emotions to the page in her debut novel about family,
friendship, popularity, and going your own way.
Hi Erin! Thanks so much for joining us.
1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.
I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t thinking about writing. It started when I was very young. I’m proud to say that both of my parents encouraged a love of reading and writing. My mother read to me at bedtime—Cat in the Hat was one of our favorites—and when I started writing stories in second or third grade, my father bound them together with cardboard to make them into “real books.”
2. That's great that your parents were so supportive. Where did you get the idea for BLACKBIRD FLY?
Well, it didn’t exactly begin as BLACKBIRD FLY. It was originally about a girl who couldn’t stop singing. The fact that she was Filipino was more of a subplot. But as the writing evolved, a cultural conflict emerged between the mother and daughter and it quickly became the heart of the story.
3. I'm glad that your subplot became more of the plot because it really is the heart of your story. I know you’re half-Filipino and your main character, Apple, is Filipino. Share how you drew on your own experiences in showing us Apple’s struggles with her ethnicity. And what advice do you have for other authors who want to write about multicultural characters.
Like Apple, I struggled with being “the other” in school, where I was the only Filipino. The area where I grew up has very few Asians—something like 0.9 percent overall. No one ever knew what ethnicity I was, so people constantly asked: “What are you?” or “Where are you from?” I’d say, “I’m from here.” And they’d say, “But where are you really from?” People usually assumed I was Chinese. As a kid, I was embarrassed of my ethnicity. I wanted to be like everyone else. Today, I’m proud of my background.
Apple and I have a lot in common, but our mothers are different in many ways. Apple’s mother discourages her from pursuing her dreams. My mother was always my biggest cheerleader.
As for advice, it’s simple: Just write.
4. I think your feelings growing up are common for kids who don't go to school where there are a lot of minorities. We actually moved to school district that was more diverse because my daughter is Chinese and we didn't want her to be the only one at her school. What was the biggest challenge craft-wise in writing BLACKBIRD FLY? How did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge was working with a character who was a lot like me. She infuriated me at times. I
wanted to shake her and say, “Don’t pay attention to what other people think!” But really, it wasn’t Apple I wanted to shake. It was 12-year-old Erin. Luckily, Erin of Today doesn’t care as much.
I overcame it by taking my own advice: I just wrote.
5. That's funny that you had to relive your younger self. Not sure I could do that. Share a bit about how you developed Apple’s middle grade voice. And voice is so important in writing middle grade stories. Do you have any advice for the rest of us on getting our characters’ voices right?
Every writer has their own unique voice. The trick is to find the right story for it. It’s been a long time since I was in middle school, but the feelings are still very palpable to me—probably because it was a terrible period of my life. I put those feelings into the work. I also read a lot of middle-grade fiction. I read a lot of adult literary fiction too, but I don’t think I could write an adult novel. My voice isn’t right for it, and I have no interest in writing about grown-ups.
You have to be able to hear your characters, and your personal writing style has to lend itself to what they have to say.
6. You also write short stories and flash fiction. Did writing them help you when you started writing novels and BLACKBIRD FLY? How?
Any time you write something, you become a better writer. (In my opinion, at least). That’s especially true when it comes to short stories and flash fiction. They’re fantastic ways to hone writing skills, expand creative horizons, and learn how to handle acceptance and rejection. It also keeps the creative train moving when other projects stall. I’ve also met a lot of excellent writers through the flash fiction and short story circuit.
7. I so agree that we grow as we write. Your agent is Sara Crowe. Share how she became your agent and your road to publication.
My first agent was with a boutique agency, and I found her through the usual query. She had no revisions, so we went on submission right away. The rejections came quickly, but they were invaluable to the process. Many of the editors included detailed information on why they passed and what could make the book better. So I rewrote and revised, and we went on submission again. A few months later, an offer came from Greenwillow. It was surreal.
Not long after that, I realized that my agent and I had different POVs on how to move forward with my career. I ultimately decided that I needed an agent with a solid background in MG/YA. And if anyone knows the market, it’s Sara Crowe. After I parted ways with my agent, I sent Sara a query letter and she responded within minutes. In less than 24 hours, I’d signed with her. And I’m thrilled to this day.
8. Wow! That's an amazing agent story. What are your marketing plans for your book?
Right now, my marketing plans involve the usual book signings and readings. But I’d really love to use BLACKBIRD FLY as a platform to promote causes that I care about. I’d love to partner with a school or independent bookstore to launch a creative writing club for elementary school students. I’d also love to partner with an anti-bullying organization—not necessarily to promote BLACKBIRD FLY, but to promote the greater message that the book is trying to send.
9. Those are great marketing ideas. What are you working on now?
Soon I’ll start edits on my second book, THE LAND OF FORGOTTEN GIRLS, which comes out in 2016. I’m also halfway through my third novel. Stay tuned!
Thanks for sharing all your advice, Erin. You can find Erin at
Twitter: @erinkellytweets
Erin and her publisher Greenwillow Press generously offered an ARC for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the
follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment through April 4th. I’ll announce the winner on April 6th.
If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, please leave it in the comments.
If
you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention
this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This is for US and Canada.
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday was started by Shannon Messenger. Find all the other middle grade bloggers on her
blog.
Here's what's coming up:
Next Monday I have a guest post by Caroline Rose Starr and a giveaway of BLUE BIRDS, her new MG historical novel.
Next Tuesday I'll be participating in the Fools for Books Giveaway Hop. I'll have lots of great book choices for you.
Wednesday that week I'll have a guest post by publicist Samantha Lien and a 15 minute marketing consultation contest.
The following Monday I'll have an interview with debut author Fonda Lee and a giveaway of ZEROBOXER, her YA science-fiction book.
And the Monday after that, Alex Cavanaugh will be here to share about his new adult science fiction book, DRAGON OF THE STARS, and to give advice about social media and blogging.
Hope to see you on Monday!
