Winter is Coming! Happy Book Birthday to Michelle Houts!

WINTER is coming…

If the doggiest dog days of summer have just set in where you are (here in Ohio, it’s been stinking hot!), it might be hard to imagine, but summer will turn to fall. And, eventually, fall always gives way to winter. It’s the order of things. It’s just the way it happens.

Today, September 9^th, my third middle grade novel releases. WINTERFROST (Candlewick Press) is a tale that ruminated for more than 20 years in this author’s brain. It has its origins in Danish folklore and modern tradition. It comes from stories told to me as a young American visitor to an enchanted Scandinavian county and from pictures and legends sent across oceans for many years to follow.

Here’s the folklore: On Christmas Eve, it is customary, required even, to set a steaming bowl of rice pudding in the barn for the nisse, a small gnome-like being who resides on the Danish farm, looking after the animals and the family. Humble servants, nisse require very little to be happy. The rice pudding is enough.

Here’s the modern tradition:  The Danish believe we all need fresh air. Every day. Everyone needs fresh air in their lungs. No matter how old. No matter how young. No matter how cold. Even babies nap outdoors.

My friend sent me this picture a few years ago.

And here’s where the two collide:   As authors, especially authors of books for children, it’s our right responsibility to ask “What if…?” What if a Danish family forgot to leave their nisse rice pudding on Christmas Eve? What could happen? What if a baby left out to nap disappeared while peacefully slumbering? What if that baby were in the care of her sister?  How would she find the baby? Where would she look? Because even in the white of winter, the forest can be so dark. What if…

And here’s the result:

I hope many young readers will follow Bettina into the forest as she searches for her baby sister in a blur of frost and leaves and roots and cider in a world she barely believes exists.

And, I hope aspiring writers will follow me to a place where we sit ourselves down, roll up our sleeves, and answer those unanswered “what ifs.”

Because the worst question I can think of is “What if we didn't tell the tales that knock on our hearts and beg to be told? What if…?”

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Michelle Houts is the author of three middle grade fiction novels and one nonfiction, a biography coming in October 2014. She lives and plays on a family farm in Ohio.  Michelle dreams of returning to Denmark at Christmastime so she can show her gratitude to the nisse with a warm bowl of rice pudding.

Historical Fiction and Girls of Gettysburg ~ Bobbi Miller

At the beginning of this month, our own Bobbi Miller's wonderful book, The Girls of Gettysburg, was released. This historical fiction middle-grade masterpiece has gotten fantastic reviews already! Bobbi was generous enough to share her insight on just what a novelty historical fiction truly is, as well as introduce us to who the Girls of Gettysburg were. 

 Take it away, Bobbi!

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One hundred fifty one years ago, twelve thousand Confederate forces gathered along Seminary Ridge. Almost a mile away, at the end of an open field, a copse of trees marked the Union line standing firm on Cemetery Ridge. When the signal was given, the men marched across the field. The line had advanced less than two hundred yards when the federals sent shell after shell howling into their midst. Boom! Men fell legless, headless, armless, black with burns and red with blood. Still they marched on across that field.

And in the middle of this gruesome battle, the bloodiest of the Civil War, were The Girls of Gettysburg…

As I was researching another book, I came across a small newspaper article dated from 1863.  It told of a Union soldier on burial duty, following the Battle at Gettysburg, coming upon a shocking find: the body of a female Confederate soldier. It was shocking because she was disguised as a boy. At the time, everyone believed that girls were not strong enough to do any soldiering; they were too weak, too pure, too pious to be around roughhousing boys. It was against the law for girls to enlist. This girl carried no papers, so he could not identify her. She was buried in an unmarked grave. A Union general noted her presence at the bottom of his report, stating “one female (private) in rebel uniform.” The note became her epitaph. I decided I was going to write her story.

Historical fiction is the coming together of two opposing elements: fact and fiction. As we know, it isn’t easy to define historical fiction. For some, historical fiction is first fiction, and therefore anything goes. Others condemn this blending.  Yet, nothing about history is obvious, and facts are often open to interpretation. Once upon a time, it was considered factual that the world was flat, that blood-letting was the proper way of treating disease, that women were emotionally and physically incapable of rational thought.  In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue, but he didn’t discover America.  Some would say he was less an explorer and more of a conqueror. History tends to be written by those who survived it. As such, no history is without its bias.

So when I tackled the battle of Gettysburg as the focus of this new novel, I had to first get the facts right. This was a daunting task because no other battle has been studied so thoroughly. As such, I researched extensively, reading diaries, personal accounts, regimental histories, military reports. But then, there’s the emotional truth, the story behind the facts.  

Historical fiction makes the facts matter to the reader. If I didn’t get this right, creating characters true to their time and place, the readers won’t care about the facts. For me, the only way to discover this emotional truth was to walk the battlefield of Gettysburg, and witness that landscape where my characters lived over one hundred and fifty years ago. I traveled to Gettysburg four times, walking the battlefield and talking to re-enactors and the park rangers.

David McCullough once said,  “We are raising a generation of young Americans who are by-and-large historically illiterate…The textbooks are dreary, they’re done by committee, they’re often hilariously politically correct and they’re not doing any good. [But] there are wonderful books, past and present. There is literature in history.”   Avi, an award-winning master of the genre, once said that some historical fiction stays close to the known facts, while others are little more than costume drama. But facts do not make a story. Ultimately, what is most important is the story, and the characters, according to Avi. “Truth may be stranger than fiction, but fiction makes truth less a stranger.”

The literary process that defines historical fiction allows readers to connect emotionally to historical figures and events. It introduces readers to different points of view. As Tarry Lindquist (1995) said, historical fiction “puts people back into history.” While textbooks tend to underscore coverage, this lacks depth, and as a result, “individuals—no matter how famous or important—are reduced to a few sentences…Good historical fiction presents individuals as they are, neither good nor bad.”

Historical fiction helps young readers develop a feeling for a living past, illustrating the continuity of life, according to Karen Cushman. Historical fiction, “like all good history, demonstrates how history is made up of the decisions and actions of individuals and that the future will be made up of our decisions and actions.”

The best historical fiction “brings both story and history to life,” said Janet Fox (Faithful, 2010). Well-researched and well-written historical fiction is packed with—but not burdened by—the details. “In the best historical fiction, story trumps truth, because story is truth: we are all protagonists of our own stories.”

Ladybug and Gentleman Beetle

Ladybug & Gentleman Beetle

My First Early Reader Book

Inspiration

When I was first introduced to Abigail Samoun in 2010 at the Bay Area SCBWI Illustrator’s conference by John Clapp, my former teacher from San Jose State, she mentioned this as one of her favorite pieces in my portfolio: 

It was one of mine as well, so when she agreed to represent me this last year, I decided to write a story to go with it called “Ladybug and Gentleman Beetle,” with the intention of submitting it for magazine publication. Abigail liked the story so much that she suggested that it could be expanded to become an earlier reader chapter book. I agreed, and wrote three more stories, one for each season. My inspiration was classic books like Frog and Toad are Friends, Little Bear, and the original Beatrix Potter books, as well as the sequential action in more contemporary books like Olivia.

 Character Designs


The character designs posed a number of challenges. I wanted the designs to have the charm and appeal of the characters in the story I’d written, but I didn’t want them to lose their essential beetleness. Though the tone is whimsical-- they have picnics and drink tea-- in some sense I wanted them to also be real insects. When I wrote the story, Abigail and I discussed real insect subjects like hibernation, and whether bugs have tongues (apparently not, according to Abigail’s entomologist husband), and I wanted these considerations to be reflected in my designs. Here were some of my first attempts: 

Though definitely bug-like, none of these designs had quite the charm and character I was looking for. Eventually I came up with these: 

Now they finally looked like the Ladybug and Gentleman Beetle that I had gotten to know when I’d written the stories. I kept Gentleman Beetle’s hat and cane from my original painting, but since the segment of carapace just above Ladybug’s head gives the suggestion of a hat or bonnet, I decided that this was all she needed. Similarly, Gentleman Beetle’s body color and shape gives the suggestion of a tuxedo, and in keeping these elements of clothing spare, there’s no doubt that they are true beetles. 


Illustration


In this first illustration, Ladybug has gone to Gentleman Beetle’s house—the hollow of a tree-- to tell him she has seen a monster. The monster turns out only to be a Jack O’Lantern, and the story ends with an image much like the initial pumpkin illustration that inspired it. Nighttime in the book is a magical place, but this is the dawn, and I wanted the mood to reflect Ladybug’s anxiety. 

In these two vignettes, we’re introduced to the warmer atmosphere of Gentleman Beetle’s home. Ladybug is reassured by Gentleman Beetle and the comfort of the familiar ritual of tea. In these images I wanted to show the range of expression and animation of the characters. As these images reflect, the characters are lively and expressive, and there will be plenty of movement throughout. 

Style and Intention 


There’s a hint of nostalgia in the story, and inspired in part by watching a lot of Downton Abbey, another favorite of both mine and Abigail, I decided to give the interiors an Edwardian decor. The daytime scenes will have a slight patina to reinforce this feeling of the past, while night scenes will be richer in color to make them feel warm and whimsical rather than moody.

Instead of framing the characters from unusual angles, I decided to portray them throughout the story at the same relative scale. This consistency allows the young reader to recognize the characters right away as symbols, and through repetition and the addition of sequential action (as portrayed in the sequence above) the characters will appear to come to life, drawing the reader into their unique world. 


Sentiment vs. Sentimentality 


Ideally, children experience the unconditional love of their parents, but the first relationships they make themselves are among their most significant. As an author for children, I feel that it’s important to show, rather than teach, what healthy friendships are. Ladybug and Gentleman Beetle are generous and caring. They listen and share. In the old fashioned fairy tale, we care about the fate of Hansel and Gretel because they are abandoned by their parents, not because of who they are, or who they are to each other. Jeopardy alone can only gain our sympathy, but real sentiment must come from our empathy for, and understanding of the characters. 


Writing for Early Readers 


This was my first attempt at an early reader book, so it was a new challenge for me to distill my vocabulary and phrasing to the very basics. This required some sacrifices. At one point I had to eliminate a favorite passage in which I described how the lightning bugs looked like paper lanterns behind tall blades of grass. It was a nice image, but I decided that it would be better served by illustration. Abigail helped to guide me through this process, pointing out where illustration would serve the story better than prose, or when I’d fallen into some lazy cliché. With fewer words to work with, it was harder to come up with more imaginative choices, but meeting this challenge always turned out to be for the betterment of the book.

An early reader book may end up being the first book that a child reads by themselves. Kids can sense when they’re talked down to, or when they’re spoon fed a moral or lesson. And this is the trick—to respect the reader by speaking to them clearly and honestly.With any number of books to choose from, they’ve given you a great gift by choosing yours, and if you’ve done your job right, you have a gift to give right back to them. As an author, there’s little more satisfying that that. 


Thanks for reading,

You Never Know What's around the Corner

Since Abi is enjoying a well-deserved rest this week, I’m going to take her place as our resident blogger and say thanks to everyone who made our launch so over-the-top exciting! I’ve had some pretty terrific experiences in my life, but waking up on June 15th, 2011, to the avalanche of support and good wishes from so many of you in the children’s book world was right at the top of my bucket list!

And let me just say that had someone told me on January 3, 2011, when I re-launched the Karen Grencik Literary Agency, that such a collaboration would be in my future, I would have told them they were crazy. That just goes to show that we have no idea what’s in store for us.

It was so exciting to be back in the saddle at the 2010 summer conference, and running into Abi was definitely a highlight of the experience. Then attending the Tricycle Press Open House at Random House’s new offices in Berkeley was thrilling as well. But then came news of the closure of the imprint and an invite to a going-away party for Abi and the other Tricycle Press staff at Marissa Moss’s lovely home, and a new chapter was begun. When I asked Abi what was next for her, she rattled off several options, one of which was that she’d been offered a position at a very large agency in NYC. I somewhat jokingly said she should come work with me, and look what happened!

It took a month of contemplation and analysis before Abi decided to jump off the cliff with me, and then another 2-1/2 months for her to painstakingly design our new website and build her own client list, before Red Fox Literary was open for business. Abi’s creative juices have been flowing like Niagara Falls since the idea took seed, and my need to communicate and support and champion authors and their books has been completely sated. We are both right where we’re supposed to be in our lives, and it feels GREAT!

So, all you children’s book lovers, keep your eyes and ears open to see and hear what’s in store for you, and seize every opportunity that presents to take you right where you’re meant to be. You never know what’s around the corner. Carpe Diem!

Karen Grencik