Next Big Thing - Blog Hop

How the Next Big Thing - Blog Hop works

An author answers ten questions and then tags other authors to do the same thing the following week on the same day, which in this case is a Wednesday.

Paula Leyden tagged me.

Paula Leyden

I met Paula a couple of years ago at a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) event, and we’ve kept in touch ever since. I loved that she was from Zambia as I’ve had a secret crush on Africa for as long as I can remember, though I haven’t yet traveled to any countries on that continent. Paula’s first book, The Butterfly Heart, is a beautiful, lyrical, funny, touching, and exciting book that deals with the issue of child marriage in a very sensitive and accessible way. In 2012, Paula’s book was shortlisted for the Children’s Books Ireland (CBI) Book of the Year award and won the CBI Eilis Dillon award, a well-deserved honor.

I am eagerly awaiting her follow-up book, The Sleeping Baobab Tree, which is due out in May 2013.

You can find out more about Paula Leyden on her website.

My book

I’m really flattered that Paula included me in her list, since I am prepublished and very sloooowwwllly writing my stories.

Here are my answers to the questions. This is fun!

What is the working title of your next book?
A Dragon Named Thelma

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I really like dragons, and I also like oddball names, so I came up with the title “A Dragon Named Thelma” first. I had a pretty good visual of her in my head, bright yellow with orange wing tips, kinda girly. I was a long-time volunteer at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, and I had performed at a couple of other festivals when I was younger, but got stage fright and kind of stopped singing in public. So, I had the idea of this little dragon who likes to sing, and she wants to sing in the folk music festival. Then I thought - what if she can’t really sing but this is her dream? How is she going to achieve her goal to perform at the festival?

What genre does your book fall under?
Urban fantasy since it’s set in the real city of Vancouver. I’ve taken some liberties with the layout of the city to include Dragontown and a dragon entrance at the public library.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Well, perhaps Andy Serkis would like to don the ping-pong ball outfit for the CGI for Thelma! Not sure who would play Sashi. I’m not familiar with the current crop of young Indo-Canadian actors.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Thelma is a bit like an X-Factor contestant - she is determined to perform at the Vancouver folk music festival but she can’t actually sing.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
No idea. Of course, it’s preferable to get the vetting and support of an agency or publisher, but it is also possible to do well with self-publishing if you’re prepared to do everything yourself.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
I’ve only done 2,000 words, so I’m really just getting started. I was working on another story, but this one is going easier, so I thought I’d focus on it for now.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Someone in my critique group recently described my story as a cross between Little Miss Sunshine and How to Train Your Dragon!

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My love of folk music, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, my own dreams of solo singing in public (that didn’t quite happen), and just the fun of writing about a singing dragon and her human best friend.

What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
It’s about pursuing your dream but being flexible enough to roll with the challenges and disappoints that might arise without giving up. It’s about the friendship between two disparate beings, who accept their differences and embrace their similarities.

Tag, you’re next!

I’ll just tag four authors, because I could wax poetic about everyone I like to read! However, if my tagees (!) wish to limit themselves to only one other author, that is allowed. If they don’t want to play, that’s okay too - it’s all about having fun!

Jane Mitchell

Jane Mitchell's most recently published book, Chalkline, is one of the most moving, harrowing, and beautiful books I have read in a long time. This is a book that deals with the kidnapping of a young boy and many of his friends from their village home. They are forced to train as terrorists or be killed. The book shows his world and how it changes him as he tries to survive. It also shows what his family and the rest of the village is coping with the loss of most of their boys and no idea if they’re dead or alive.

The reading is not as heavy as you might expect for such a difficult topic. You really get into the heads and hearts of the main characters and want a positive outcome for them all. Jane has won numerous awards for Chalkline and for some of her other books.

You can find out more about Jane Mitchell on her website.

Oisín McGann

If author/illustrator Oisín McGann is not already the Next Big Thing, then he should be. I’ve become a big fan of Oisín’s books over the past few years. I read a couple of his Mad Granddad series - they are great fun and have Oisín’s illustrations to accompany the text. Many of his books for younger kids are a little crazy and outlandish and funny, but things always work out in the end.

I also really like Oisín’s young adult books, like Small-Minded Giants. These are much darker and more serious, usually with a male protagonist who is struggling to survive in a violent world and protect the people around him.

Oisín is also a great presenter and regularly teaches online and face-to-face writing courses. I did a weekend writing workshop with him and a group of participants in Dingle a few years. He is very practical and down-to-earth with his advice but was also very encouraging and supportive of my fledgling work.

You can find out more about Oisín McGann on his website.

Helen Grant

Oh my god! How much can I rave about the amazing work of Helen Grant? I absolutely adore every one of her books so far. The first book I read was The Vanishing of Katharina Linden. I’ve since read The Glass Demon and Wish Me Dead. They are all set near and in a small village in Germany where Helen actually lived for a number of years. Her attention to detail is awesome, and you really get a strong sense of place. It think the location is always an important element in her books.

Even though the protagonist in Vanishing is a young girl, I feel they are all young adult novels. The main characters are usually female, sometimes a local, sometimes a blow in. They are struggling with the usual teenage issues but there is always a mystery, always some kind of spooky terror. You don’t know if it’s supernatural or not. I love to try to unravel the plot, but I don’t always get it right, and that is very enjoyable too.

Helen’s first two books were nominated or shortlisted for awards. I believe that Helen’s next book that is set in a Flemish-speaking area of The Netherlands. Can’t wait!

You can find out more about Helen Grant on her website.

Candy Gourlay

I first heard about Candy Gourlay from Steve Hartley at a writing retreat in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland in November 2011. Steve raved about how Candy had helped him to get his website up and running. I didn’t find out until later that she was also a published author of a really amazing book, Tall Story.

Tall Story is about a very tall boy, a giant, who lives in the Philippines. His mother is remarried and living in England. They are both waiting to be reunited when he is allowed to immigrate and join her. The book really captures the two different worlds and the two sides of the family. There’s basketball, a natural disaster, a local legend, a medical emergency, and a half sister who is both anxious and thrilled at the prospect of meeting her brother. It’s a funny story but also heartfelt. You can feel the love Candy has for the Philippines, and her sense of humour is always present.

I got to meet Candy last fall at the SCBWI British Isles Winchester conference. You can really feel that Candy is just like her writing style. The warmth and humour and curiousity comes through in every way. She signed my copy of her book for my three nephews - who just happen to be from the Philippines and were reunited with their mother, and their new step-father and step-sister a couple of years ago!

I am really looking forward to Candy’s next book, Shine, which is going to be something different, and wonderful.

You can find out more about Candy Gourlay on her website.

Meeting a Legend: Jane Yolen (Part 2) – BIC HOP

Jane’s day out

On September 10th, I had the pleasure and honour of escorting Jane Yolen around Dublin city centre. We went to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College, avoided a heavy rain shower and bought an umbrella in the gift shop. From there, we walked to Dublin Castle and wandered through the lovely garden of the Chester Beatty Library. After a tasty lunch in the café, we went upstairs to the see an exhibition of Persian illustrated texts called Muraqqa': Imperial Mughal Albums. It was amazing to compare and contrast these early 17th-century manuscripts with the 10th-century Irish manuscripts. Both were beautiful and compelling but completely different in style and subject matter. 

Declaring ourselves saturated by all we had seen, we stopped at Queen of Tarts, where I shamelessly waded through a mile-high lemon meringue tart while Jane virtuously enjoyed a cup of decaf tea. During that day, we talked of many things, including what she was working on, what I was working on, writing in general, the publishing market in Europe, who the other speakers were at the conference, and more personal topics dealing with aches and pains, family, friends, death, and grief.

It was a good day for enjoying the company of a down-to-earth, kind, intelligent, funny, prolific, and straight-shooting woman. Jane’s not afraid to say if she doesn’t like a book and why. With her keen eye and probing questions, she helped me to look at some stories in a different way, including one of my own ideas of having a young girl stow away in a bi-plane as part of an adventure.

I walked Jane back to her hotel via the Ha’Penny Bridge over the Liffey River. That evening, she joined me, Jane Mitchell of SCBWI and award-winning author of Chalkline, and Jennifer Jensen, another writer and SCBWI volunteer, for dinner. We had a wonderful evening chatting, sharing stories, and eating delightful and delicious food.

CBI/SCBWI Conference

Jane wasn’t scheduled to speak until Saturday afternoon at the CBI/SCBWI conference, Between the Lines, but she wanted to attend the other  workshops, so Jane M. and I met Jane at her hotel in the morning and walked down to the Luas, which took us to the venue in Tallaght. The train journey was full of teasing and talking. We were joined quite by coincidence by Judi Curtin, who was the first speaker of the day. I was basking in the reflected glory of these three talented authors all sitting around me. Sigh.

The conference was great, and it was nice to see so many familiar faces. There was a good selection of speakers including Keith Gray, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, and Adrienne Geoghegan, three editors, and two agents. The conference had the added attraction of individual critique sessions. I was quite pleased with the feedback I received from Síne Quinn on my story and spurred on to revise and send it out again. 

BIC HOP

Now, you’re still wondering what the heck “BIC HOP” is. Jane gave two talks in the afternoon, the first session was for writers, while illustrators attended a session with Adrienne. 

Jane’s second talk was the closing speech of the day. In it, Jane focused on openings and endings. She said a good opening has to be planned well. She also said: “A good ending is inevitable and surprising.” 

When asked for advice on writing (or illustrating), Jane, who has published 300 books, said two things:

• B.I.C. for Butt in Chair
• H.O.P. for Heart on Page

She said a lot more than that and said it very well. She made us laugh, cry, think, and sigh, and left us inspired and filled with the joy of crafting and publishing books for children of all ages.

Thank you, Jane Yolen!