Last Day for Limericks

Thanks to everybody who has contributed limericks so far! And if you're still working on one or more, you've got until 11:59 p.m. So get crackin!

Then check back to hear Josh read them on...A Very Special MasterBerk Theater.

Q: Ooohh oooohhh! When will that be?
A: I don't know yet. Josh is a very busy and important author (can't you tell by the Sherlock Holmes-y pipe?). And he rents the sound effects machine by the hour. Check back frequently.

Q: When can I vote for a limerick?
A: You can vote in the comments as soon as you watch the video to choose your favorite.

See you back here soon.

Interview with Roaring Brook Author and Tenner Laura Toffler-Corrie

We all know people who are funny. We might even know some writers who are funny. But I can assure you, we know far fewer people/writers who can write funny. It's not as easy as it looks. In fact, it's not easy at all. Who said on his deathbed, "Dying is easy; comedy's hard." But just to break the curve, here's a writer who makes it look easy (and thus fools us into thinking we can all do it, darn her).

Title: The Life and Opinions of Amy Finawitz
Release date: Fall 2010
Imprint/Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, MacMillan
Genre: upper MG, lower YA
Target age group: 10 -14

Synopsis: Native New Yorker, Amy is emotionally stranded when her best friend moves away for the year, leaving her to hang with girls who are dorkier than she is and crush on hunkaliscious hot guy all by herself. But before she knows it, she’s teamed up with her elderly neighbor and her neighbor’s very religious (Hasidic) nephew to uncover a hundred year old mystery. This not only leads them to cool places around New York, but prompts Amy to discover herself in the process.

1) Every good story starts at the point of change. What is the point of change in this story?
Amy’s best friend moves away for the year, leaving her to fend for herself. Suddenly she has to go from being part of an inseparable, bff duo to being a solo act. So, then the question becomes, who is she by herself? What does she do now? I think this is a situation everyone has had to experience at some point in their lives and can relate to.

2) What do you want that you can’t have? How would your main character answer the same question?
A royal bloodline, maybe? Certainly too late for that, at least in this incarnation. Living in America, you could probably have anything you wanted if you wanted it badly enough. But then…would it make you happy? That’s probably the real philosophical question for me, Grasshopper…
I believe that Amy wants that elusive thing that all teenagers imagine that someone else has: beauty, popularity, the ability to ‘fit in.’ That’s why when Amy teams up with very religious Beryl Plotsky and all he sincerely wants is to be a good person and do good deeds, she has to re-evaluate herself.

3) Did another book serve as a model for yours, either in structure or inspiration? Tell us how.
This book, and especially the format, was really inspired by my own life; the letters, play and stories my bff and me used to write to each other. The format is a little unusual since it’s all in letters and little one act plays. But I’ve certainly been inspired by other books such as Catcher in the Rye, and writers such as Woody Allen, Kurt Vonnegut, Beckett, Dickens, Meg Cabot and Louise Rennison. I love humor that is edgy and that exposes us, our humanity, our relationships and all our crazy contradictions.

4) Tell us about a real-life person or situation that crept into this book.
I was kind of a smart-ass dork in middle school and high school, so there’s a lot of me in Amy. The inspiration for Amy and Beryl at Houdini’s grave on Halloween, for example, was inspired by the many ridiculous situations I somehow got myself into as a teenager.

5) Wildcard question: What’s the weirdest thing you ever ate?
Once at some Bulgarian restaurant on Avenue A, I ordered calamari with pasta. It came out of the kitchen, literally, a small, totally intact octopus plopped on a mound of spaghetti. I think I tasted one of the tentacles…I blocked out the rest.

6) What are you wishing I would get around to asking already? (And what’s the answer, wise guy!)
You’ve done a brilliant job! I can’t think of a thing you've neglected to ask…Well, maybe one thing. How about: what pisses you off about being a writer?
Answer: That I have to go through a process of drafts and my brain just won’t skip to the finished version. Bad brain!

7) What can we expect from you next?
Well, I’m working on something that will poke fun at all the supernatural stuff out there, but with romance, suspense and, of course, humor. It’s still in the writing phase, but no pressure on me or anything…(sticks sharp spork into chest and keels over).

Website: http://www.lauratoffler-corrie.com/
Blog: http://bit.ly/4fzmB4
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1529817750
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LauraTofflerCor

Thanks for doing the interview, Laura! Can't wait to read Amy!


Readers, don't forget to share a limerick in the comments of the previous post to win a signed copy of The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by another funny writer and Tenner, Josh Berk.

AND THIS SHALL BE THE BEST GIVEAWAY CONTEST EVAHHHHHH

Ok, I know I'm posting twice in one day, but all this sunshine is mania inducing. Not to mention my near-release status: my book and I have been circling Laguardia for about six years and the tower has just approved clearance to land.

So, here's the thing: I have an extra copy of this beautiful hardcover edition of The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin that I will gladly give to one lucky winner (note, I said "extra" copy). Josh will even send along one of his super-cool signed bookplates.

I just finished reading it and I can tell you it is so original and funny and well paced. Will Halpin is a deaf teen who decides to take a risk and leave behind deaf culture and his old high school for a mainstream education. Now, that would be book enough for anyone. I would totally read that. But Mr. Berk does not stop there. Without giving too much away...there's a mystery suddenly, and a ghost and a unused coal mine! Berk showed amazing restraint in pulling back before the Scooby-esque runaway-coal-cars chase scene. I don't know if a lesser writer could have stopped himself! I loved this book from the layout, illustration and gorgeous blue of the cover, to Berk's hilarious bio, and well, every page in between. Oh, and look who agrees with me...

"This witty tale of mainstreaming, misfits and murder glitters like the 'Future Diamonds' that coal-mine souvenirs promise to someday become..."
— Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2009

"A genre-bending breakthrough that teens are going to love."
— Starred Review, School Library Journal, January 2010

So we have established that you WANT this future classic. Here's what you'll do.

1. Write a limerick

I'm a poetical heretical theoretical kinda gal, and though I write in open form in my novel, I enjoy reading poetry in form (check out Helen Frost, please, she's so inventive, and Marilyn Nelson---I can't even explain what she does in A Wreath for Emmett Till).

Now a limerick, if you're a little rusty, is five lines with the first, second and fifth rhyming. The third and fourth shorter lines also rhyme. They are typically baudy in nature, which is fine, but keep in mind, this is the blog of a children's book author.

2. Post your limerick in the comments by March 26

3. Watch for A Very Special Edition of MasterBerk Theatre

Berk will perform a dramatic reading of the limericks, complete with sound effects, silly pipe and cravat. If you're not familiar with MasterBerk Theatre, here's a sample of him reading Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves.

4. Vote on your favorite limerick

Vote and invite your friends to vote in the comments. The prize will go to the poet who gets the most love.

Get started on your limericks! MasterBerk and Hamburger Halpin are waiting!

Click Here; Read There

Such a great post on The Backstory by Ann Leal, author of Also Known as Harper and the forthcoming A Finders Keepers Place (Henry Holt, October 2010). Our ancestors find ways to speak to us. And what they want to say, apparently, is that they weren't all that different from us. Who doesn't want to live on? Through their descendants? Through their art?

Now, if you know me, you know I was raised on old-school rock in the heart of the Catskills where musicians of the 60s and 70s (and even to the present) could getaway for R&R, away from the other R&R (rock and roll). That Lynyrd Skynyrd shirt with the Jack Daniels label design was de rigueur, practically a uniform. (I can't believe I said Lynyrd Skynyrd and de rigueur in the same sentence...)

Anyway, what I'm getting at it is seeing an excerpt of my book juxtaposed with lines from Bob Dylan---yeah, I know!---in a review that goes out to librarians all over the country. (Look for 3RR in the sidebar.) And you might recognize other loves, Jimi and Van. Thank you, thank you, thank you Richie---it was such a thrill for this North Country Girl.

Reviews and Interviews

Some good news in the last week or so: starred reviews! Thanks so much to the thoughtful readers at Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal. I probably don't have to spell out the value of reviews like these for a book like mine. Look for the complete reviews on my website soon (once the issues are "out there").

Meanwhile, check out my interview ---Tennerview really---with Elevensies' Shawn Goodman (Something Like Hope, Delacorte). Elevensies is the Live Journal community of 2011 debut authors, following the tradition of the Debs and the Tenners.

Faith, the Children's Book Reporter, interviewed me on her blog as well. Check it out---fun questions!

Also, congrats to wonderful Caroline, who won Swati's ARC of 3RR from Midwinter ALA over on www.swatiavasthi.com. Hope you enjoy it!

So, what did we do to celebrate? My husband asked what kind of wheat-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, alcohol-free celebration I would like. (I know, I know, darn sinus infection!! You picked the wrong time to mess with me!) I couldn't think of a thing, but he suggested our new favorite restaurant, which has rice noodle dishes and vegetables that are crunchy and brightly colored. My kids love it because it's right next to Game Stop---everybody wins.

What's a good mid-week celebration in your house?

Interview with Class of 2k10's Alexandra Diaz, Author of Of All the Stupid Things

Now, for your reading pleasure, a few questions for Class of 2k10 debut author Alexandra Diaz. Her novel, Of All the Stupid Things, was the class' first release, hitting stores in late December---just a toe over the border but still counting as 2010!

Title: Of All the Stupid Things
Release date: December 22, 2009
Imprint/publisher: Egmont USA
Genre: YA
Target age group: 14+

Synopsis: Tara, Whitney Blaire, and Pinkie have been friends for years. Then the new girl comes to town, and Tara begins having feelings for her. Can the girls’ friendship last when all the rules have changed?

1. Every good story starts at the point of change. What is the point of change in this story?

There’s change right from the beginning starting with the rumor about Brent, but I would say that the arrival of Riley is when things really start raveling.

2. What do you want that you can’t have? How would your main character answer the same question?

I would love the ability to live and work anywhere in the world instead of having to comply with immigration laws. As for my characters, Pinkie wants everyone to be safe and happy, Whitney Blaire wants everything her way, and Tara doesn’t really know what she wants but will keep running until she gets it.

3. Did another book serve as a model for yours, either in structure or inspiration? Tell us how.

As a writer, I’m always influenced by what I read. Different books creep in without me even noticing. While rereading the last Harry Potter, I noticed a couple things that made me laugh because they’re in my book as well despite the books’ complete differences. Thankfully, I don’t think anyone else would be able to pick out these borrowed tiny tidbits.

4. Tell us about a real-life person or situation that crept into this book.

A boy who never called was the basis for Nash, Pinkie’s love obsession. I originally wrote Nash exactly like this boy but then I found him too two-dimensional. It wasn’t until I made Nash into his own fictional character that he seemed to become real.

5. Wildcard question: What’s your superpower? What’s your Kryptonite?

I wish my superpower was flying, but unfortunately I haven’t mastered that yet. My real superpower I suppose is the ability to pretend, whether that’s to pretend a different world exists or pretend I’m perky and awake when I haven’t slept. My kryptonite is a combination of procrastinating and not realizing the day only has 24 hours. That’s where pretending helps!

6. What are you wishing I would get around to asking already? (And what’s the answer, wise guy!)

What type of fiction could you never see yourself writing? Anything scary. I couldn’t read Goosebumps to the kids I used to babysit! I’m brave in real life but evil supernatural scares me to pieces. However, vampires and werewolves don’t faze me at all.

7. What can we expect from you next?

I’m working on a few different projects and I’m not quite sure which will be next. We’ll see!

Website: http://www.alexandra-diaz.com/

JR: Thanks for the interview, Alexandra!

My Five-Minute Recording Career

A while back...let's say in February, the Lost Month...my trip to Audible was cancelled due to winter-weather-related curmuddlement. But Tuesday, just in the nick of time, I was able to record my author's note at a NYC studio.

Some of the highlights:

• a red velvet cupcake from the new Magnolia Bakery branch at Grand Central: the frosting was amazing and it was not just kinda sorta red, it was really really really red!
• on-the-train reading: The Reinvention of Edison Thomas (ARC) by Class of 2k10-mate and fellow Tenner Jacqueline Houtman
• the nice folks at Outloud Audio
• a mini-celebration at a champagne bar with Erica, my agent's assistant (I would say "lovely assistant," but that would sound like my agent was an illusionist)
• oh, and I made it to my trains on time
• the weather was lovely for walking around the city
• a friendly security guard was watching over my car in the parking garage, and come to think of it, the cashier was super nice, too

All in all, I think the reading went great, though anyone would sound good with all that fancy equipment. I'm a little self-conscious about whistling the letter "s"---ever since I broke a tooth about, oh, I don't know, eleven years ago (!) my s-es are a little whistly. My dentist said, "That's ok people will think you're happy!" (What?)

The reason I don't rush to fix it has to do with the fact that "fixing" means whittling it down to a stump and putting a fake tooth on top. When the problem is that your teeth are crumbling like Greek ruins, the fix can't possibly be crumbling them further. It's just counter-intuitive. Ugh, I know, I know, there's some dental work in my future before I can start my sideline career as an audio book reader. Haha! It really does look fun and thank you to Audible and Brilliance and Outloud Audio for giving me a little peek at their world.

Interview with Class of 2k10's Janet Fox, Debut Author of Faithful

I was lucky enough to meet Janet Fox, a wonderful writer and truly lovely person, at SCBWI NY, at the exact same time I was reading an ARC of Faithful! Ok, I mean, I did put the book down---it wasn't like I was reading while I was walking and then ran smack into her, spilling one of those giant shiny silver coffee pots on us...but I could see that happening, to me at least.)

I could list all the reasons that Faithful is right up my alley---it's historical, involves debutantes and high society, class-challenged romance...yeah, our books should get married...but the best part for any reader is how much you will love the characters. By the end, I was so invested in the main character, Maggie, that I hated to let the story go. Also, I love when setting is a character: Janet's artful and compelling descriptions of Yellowstone brought back striking memories of my own visit as a child.

And now, here's more with Janet Fox:

Title: FAITHFUL
Release date: May 13, 2010
Imprint/publisher: Speak/Penguin Group
Genre: YA
Target age group: 12-18

Synopsis: In 1904 Margaret Bennet has it all – money, position, and an elegant family home in Newport, Rhode Island. But just as she is to enter society her father drags her to Yellowstone National Park, where he informs her that they will remain. At first Maggie’s only desire is to return to Newport. But the mystical beauty of the Yellowstone landscape, and the presence of young Tom Rowland, a boy unlike the others she has known, conspire to change Maggie from a spoiled girl willing to be constrained by society to a free-thinking and brave young woman living in a romantic landscape at the threshold of a new century.

1. Every good story starts at the point of change. What is the point of change in this story?
Lovely question! The story opens as my protagonist, Maggie, is about to leave behind her childhood home, friends, and the social structure she knows for what she thinks is a short journey. She is unaware that her father plans to leave their home forever. Everything changes for Maggie when she discovers his duplicity.

2. What do you want that you can’t have? How would your main character answer the same question?
I’d love to have years added to my life, so that I could write all the books that crowd into my head! Maggie would say that she wants her mother.

3. Did another book serve as a model for yours, either in structure or inspiration? Tell us how.
Ah! Well, I love Jane Austen. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE was an inspiration; Maggie’s last name is Bennet. FAITHFUL doesn’t pretend to be witty, but I hope it contains the same kind of romance: complex and layered.

4. Tell us about a real-life person or situation that crept into this book.
I was first inspired to write the novel because our family has a cabin in the mountains of Montana and we’ve spent lots of time in Yellowstone National Park – I was dying to set a story in the Park. And my own mom had recently passed away, so I incorporated my grief into Maggie’s. The setting and character arc just came together.

5. Wildcard question: What’s your superpower? What’s your Kryptonite?
I love it! I can find lost things. I’m really good at it. Oh, and I can spot 4-leaf clovers a mile away. I’ll be on a hike, and they just pop out at me like they're fluorescent or something. It’s a little weird.

6. What are you wishing I would get around to asking already? (And what’s the answer, wise guy!)
“Do you ever struggle with your writing?” Yes. All the time. I love it, but it’s also painful. But I love it…

7. What can we expect from you next?
I have 4 things in the works: a “sequel” to FAITHFUL (actually, it’s a novel using some of the same characters, but following another protagonist to a different place); two separate middle grade fantasies; and a middle grade historical piece set in Elizabethan England. And my agent is shopping something for me now, but I don’t want to jinx it, so, shhh…

JR: Thanks for stopping by, Janet. Can't wait for that sequel! C'mon just a peek...I won't give away any spoilers...

Website: www.janetsfox.com
Blog: www.kidswriterjfox.blogspot.com
Facebook: as Janet Fox
Twitter: as janetsfox

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt8G0mXqvVM

Extended Frances-ism and 3RR ARC Giveaway

My pint-sized font of wisdom wrote a poem for my husband and me this morning... I mean, this is how we roll in our house: poetry before breakfast, a chapter of a novel over goldfish crackers, making up songs in the shower...

The snow falls fast
and trees sway.
My braids blow in the wind.
The squirrels wrap up in their tails.
The foxes curl up with their moms.
The smell of cocoa fills the air.

I admit I did correct for spelling---even an over-proud mama has trouble with "skwrls" for squirrels.

Thanks for indulging me. Now, if you want to read a little something I wrote, namely Three Rivers Rising---and I hope you do, especially if you're a reader of this blog---and you don't want to wait until April (40 days to go), and you wouldn't mind owning a signed ARC...get in on this giveaway over at Swati Avasthi's website/blog.

You might recall that Swati and I met and had a little Mutual Admiration Society meeting (I love love love her book Split, available everywhere) at Midwinter ALA in Boston. As much as we enjoyed each other's ARCs, we decided they would be put to better use in giveaways. My giveaway of Split was last month, and now she's got 3RR up on the block. Please check out Swati's site and say hello.