P.S. Be Eleven

You know that thing about knowing somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody?
That's kind of how I feel about Rita Williams-Garcia. I've never met this writer, nor have I heard her speak, except on the occasional YouTube someone shares. But I know a few people who know her and probably know a lot of people who have heard her talk about how to write. I suspect she's brilliant.

I want some of her Writing Fairy Dust to spill my way.

And while I try very hard not to envy anybody's fabulous talent, Rita Williams-Garcia's books about those Gaither girls are truly enviable.

Three things I love about this new book, P.S. Be Eleven.

1. You get a sense of history without being banged over the head with it. The girls are funny in a way that a lot of kids will truly get. They constantly bicker. They laugh and swoon over the Jackson Five. Standing in Mr. Mack's Candy Store, they remember Power to the People from their One Crazy Summer in Oakland with their poet mother. But Fern chimes in- in a way that younger sisters even today might - with "Free candy," instead of Free Huey.
So funny.

Their Vietnam veteran uncle's serious story is interwoven with the girls' worry about seeing Michael Jackson. Beautifully and seamlessly told, this subplot is an important, yet kid-friendly discussion.

2. Those authentic character voices. Wow.
I love all three sisters. I love Big Ma, their grandmother.
But Delphine is wise way beyond her 12 years.

Here's her take on the 6th Grade Dance:

       For me, the sixth-grade dance meant trying to match steps with boys I'd slugged...For me, and me alone, it meant waiting to be asked to dance when no one would ask because they'd have to look way up at me...
       I surely didn't want to be the girl no one asked to dance. I didn't want to be the girl who swayed by the punch bowl and cookie table, pretending to enjoy watching everyone else dance. I didn't want to be Miss Merriam Webster's definition of a sixth-grade wallflower.

Oh, how I remember those days!

3. The sensory details and descriptions inspire author-envy, I'll admit.
Like the teacher's letter. "The smell of purple ink swirled up my nose when I unfolded the bright white paper."  
Yes, I know. That mimeograph machine smell!

And Big Ma dressed for church, "with a pinned-on hat, a shiny black purse, and black gloves that crawled past her wrists."

I've been thinking a lot about Historical Fiction lately. I love reading books with terrific and true tiny details.
I'm excited about my upcoming whole novel HIGHLIGHTS FOUNDERS WORKSHOP on Historical Fiction.
(There may be a couple of places left. Click that link up there for details.)

I could go on and on.
But I'll let you see for yourself. And feel free to let me know your thoughts.


For my thoughts on the first book about these fabulous characters and my review on Joyce Moyer Hostetter's history blog, CLICK RIGHT HERE, please.

Strands of Bronze and Gold

Here's a book that may have escaped your reading radar. 

A "thrilling retelling of the Bluebeard fairy tale," 

according to the publisher (and me).

Although the publisher bills it as "Ages 12 and up," it's one of those Crossover Young Adult novels that will appeal to more than teens. A romance set in 1855 that's also a chilling mystery, a ghost story, and a page-turning adventure.

Guess what? The author lived in Aberdeen, MS, while raising her children and beginning her writing career. 

Here's a little about Jane Nickerson, from her own website: 

Living in small town Mississippi was like Coming Home. The Nickersons all loved the south. They bought a hundred-year-old, derelict house with twenty-three rooms, which they named “Tamarind,” because Jane liked the sound of that word. 

Read about the book, also on her website, HERE. 
And there's a second book, another based on a fairy tale, coming in April, 2014! 

(I've been revisiting lots of Historical Fiction in anticipation of the upcoming HIGHLIGHTS FOUNDERS WORKSHOP. Check out the website. http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/workshops/whole-novel-workshop-historical-fiction/
Filling up fast!)

One thing Jane Nickerson did so well? Realistic details. 
 I totally agree with the author: 

 I don’t like anachronism, and the copyeditors helped me a lot to prevent this. They told me things like: “The word ‘footwear’ did not come into usage until 1881.”

Ah, what the world needs is more copyeditors like this in the book world.









 

Writing Friends

Friends who write. Friends who critique. Friends who cheer you up and give you pep talks. They're the best!

Here's an interview just posted by my friend Helen Hemphill.  As she notes, I met her a while back, as we both might be inclined to say, at the excellent Rutgers One-on-One Conference. That would be New Jersey, where I happened to be living.
The way I remember it was that we were possibly the only two Southerners in the entire auditorium at the start of our day. And we found each other. After that, we both signed up for a terrific Highlights Founders weekend with Carolyn Coman. Possibly one of the best writing treats you can give yourself, by the way.



I love Helen's books (my favorite might be Long Gone Daddy- so funny and so beautifully written), and I was honored when she asked if she could interview me about my own first novel.  

Here it is! Click right here. 

Related post: Writing/ plotting is Hard Work