"The Ketchup Bottle & the Takeover" author Maggie Grinnell

It’s great to have Maggie Grinnell, author of “The Ketchup Bottle and the Takeover,” on my blog today. Maggie has been writing since 1992. She writes poetry, short stories and articles. She is also a book reviewer/staff member for Poetic Monthly, and a member of SCBWI.

Katie: What a great sounding name for a book! It’s got me intrigued already. Can you please give a brief synopsis?

Maggie: Sure. Tommy Tomato, a ketchup bottle with an ego, moves into the refrigerator with plans to take it over. When he goes missing, everyone in the fridge forgets his ego and searched for him because they want him back.

Katie: Is this your debut children’s book? What was your motivation behind writing this book?

Maggie: This is my debut book. My motivation for this book and idea was seeing the biggest ketchup bottle I had ever seen in a fridge. I then wondered if this ketchup bottle had an ego and what would happen if he tried to take over a fridge.

Katie: How did you happen upon writing for the earlier reader group?

Maggie: I use to write suspense stories. Then one day, I wrote a poem about my inner child and I thought about writing a story about childhood and there it grew.

Katie: What did you learn, as you wrote, about writing for the early reader group?

Maggie: I learned that just because the reader group is younger, it doesn’t mean that they are any less educated. These kids are smarter today then I was at that age. Writing for children isn’t any easier than writing for adults.

Katie: I wouldn’t think so, but did you have to do any research for this book?

Maggie: Laughing. No I didn’t have to do any research for this book. All I had to do was look inside a refrigerator.

Katie: What about the early reader group as a whole makes it interesting for you to write for that age group?

Maggie: I have always felt like a kid at heart. I sometimes even feel that I haven’t quite grown up yet. I am always looking for that next adventure, that next story which I feel that the early reader does too.

Katie: Do you think you will continue to write for this age group? Why or why not?

Maggie: I feel as if I will continue to write for this age group. Because I feel that I can relate to always wanting to go on an adventure and see what is out there, to have my mind constantly being engaged.

Katie: Why did you decide to self-publish this book?

Maggie: The publisher is part of a magazine that I write for monthly online. I submitted my story to this publisher. Even though it is self-published, I feel it is still a great story. I don’t know if I will take this path again but I will write another children’s story.

Katie: What are the three most important things you learned about self-publishing?

Maggie: First is to be patient. Not everything goes as planned so waiting is the real test. Second, to keep the confidence that this is your idea and no one can take that away from you. Third, just because the book is self published, it is your story to tell no matter what.

Katie: Thanks, Maggie, for being a guest on my blog today! Learn more about Maggie and her books through checking out these links: www.writer65.com, http://agpressma.books.officelive.com/MaggieGrinnell.aspx and can be ordered through Amazon.

Blah, blah

I got some new furniture for my office, and while the end goal is to make everything more organized and accessible, it is presently having the opposite effect since one piece has yet to be put together. My new desk has a lot greater area than my old, and I can hardly reach some things, like the telephone, or my calculator.

Still, though, isn't that how our writing is? Sometimes, when we think we've organized to the max, our writing suffers from a lack of focus, and from the picture being "too big." Novels take creating bite sized pieces and hooking them together. If your words are beyond reach, then it is time to sit back, take stock, and figure out which things need to be at your fingertips, and which things can sit in the background for awhile.

The good thing about today? The coffee pot is within reach!

Indian author and illustrator, Jey Manokaran

I’m pleased to be hosting Jey today on my blog. Jey is an author and illustrator from India that I met at a Highlights Foundation writer’s conference. She has eight picture books published by Scholastic and has illustrated three books for U.S.-based writers, as well as 3 articles to be published by Highlights. She has won a UNESCO award for illustrating.

Although she has written fiction, she prefers to write non-fiction based on Indian culture.

Jey writes fun stories for kids, draws portraits of tribals, climbs hills, and loves to be outdoors with friends and animals. She believes her sense of humor to be a great asset in connecting with kids.

Katie: Welcome, Jey, to my blog today. Please tell us about your easy reader book, “Wake up Lazybones!” How did you get the idea to write for the 4-6 year old age group?

Jey: I wanted to use the Warli folk art style for illustrating it, and my idea to place the book in a village setting took off from there. There needed to be plenty of action for this kind of style and some humor too. I love animals, and a big fat lazy buffalo pitted against a scrawny, noisy cock seemed ideal.

Katie: Do you write mostly stories based on folk tales? If so, why.

Jey: Oh no. This has nothing to do with folk tales. Its a totally original story. Its the illustrations which are folk art.

Katie: Have you “always” been a writer and illustrator?

Jey: No. I began as an illustrator, but have always enjoyed both. I have a degree in art and one in English Literature as well. This prepared me to be creative in both fields.

Katie: How have you been able to balance writing with illustrating?

Jey: Sometimes is awfully tough. In the market, some editors prefer to see you as either or. You do the writing and pass it on.. or you illustrate it, and that's it.

Katie: In a publishing world where the publisher usually chooses the illustrator, how did you become your own illustator?

Jey: I did have to market myself quite strongly...since I have a UNESCO award for illustrating, that talent was easier to sell in the beginning. Once I showed them I was capable of both, I did pull in a few more orders.

Katie: What special hurdles did you have to jump being an Indian author?

Jey: I found that the best way to get published with Highlights or to be taken seriouly by an American publisher is to be true to myself. I am an Indian and that's what I write about - India. If I can give my ideas a fresh slant, editors will take a closer look at it.

Katie: When you finished some of your books, how did you manage to get Scholatistic interested?

Jey: The top management at Scholastic was previously the Head of the National Book Trust which had also published some of my books that seem to be popular. And how did I get through to National Book Trust? - that too was an uphill task which took plenty of perseverence.

Katie: What is the hardest part of melding story with illustration?

Jey: I have clear pictures in my head when I write. The tough part is to say less and allow the pictures to do more of the talking. The wordcount for picturebooks has to be so low.

Katie: You say you have a passion for creating learning materials. How does this translate into your books?

Jey: I love environmental topics and for Scholastic I had a sidebar of information given in the end to support the story.

Katie: What advice would you give to an author who also wants to illustrate their own works?

Jey: Take lessons in illustrating, attend relevant workshops and be totally professional in both writing and illustrating. Its tough work - a book takes double the time to complete when you're doing both writing and illustrating, so you do need patience too. If you're not good enough to compete with the best in the market, you can learn photography instead. I do both, and it certainly helps.

Katie: Thanks for being my guest today, Jey. Jey’s works can be ordered through www.scholasticindia.com.

Are You Lost?

Are you lost? Do you know where your work-in-progress is heading, what the end point is? If you don't have a good idea of where you want your story to end, how can you tell if you're headed in the right direction? It is conceivable that you could write oh, 40 or 50 pages, then have to scrap it because you have no further vision for your story.

Now, I know there are writers that are out there that sit down and write, and the story unfolds easily. My writing is not that way. I knew, vaguely, where I wanted my WIP to go, and had an even more vague end in sight. But how to get there from the beginning?

Help was on the way.

Yesterday, my husband and I sat down and talked about the story. We tossed out ideas, possible plot points, a more focused ending. I came away from our brainstorming session revitalized, and knowing more about my story and my characters. What a relief, because, I tell you, I was stuck. This brainstorming means I have to go back and change a few plot points that I've already written.

I know that some people say to brazen your way through your story, and make changes later. That doesn't work for me. This is the reason: if my plot points changes the direction of my story, and plot points pop up, then I need to make the changes in the middle for my story to head in the right direction. Think of your story as the vanishing point. In geometry (I know, you thought you'd never use it, didn't you?), if you have two points that begin at the same point, then take the first a line straight out from there, with a slight angle, then add the second point, but veer off a miniscule amount from the other line. When you follow the lines out, even though they are close at the beginning, the further out you get, the more those lines deviate.

This works the same way as your story. If you don't get the first plot points right, then your story is going to veer off, down the road, in a direction you don't want it to go. Thus, I change those first plot points to keep my story on track.

So, check yourself. Are you lost, or do your plot points take you down a road in a direction that will ultimately be far from your end goal? Don't be lost! Make those changes today.

Author Beverly Stowe McClure

I’m pleased to welcome children’s author Beverly Stowe McClure on my blog today. A self-proclaimed non-reader as a child, she nevertheless attended college and read hundreds of books! While teaching school and reading to her students, she discovered that reading is fun! She also started to write and was surprised that her stories and articles were published in leading children’s magazines. She is the author of four novels for teens.

Katie: Your tween/young adult contemporary story is entitled “Just Breeze.” Can you please give us a synopsis of this book?

Beverly: Eighth grade starts out the same as every other day for Breeze Brannigan. She’s still the tallest student, boy or girl, in her class, wears shoes that would fit an elephant, and her smile reveals dazzling braces that blind everyone within ten feet.

Then she meets Cam, the new boy in school, who speaks with an accent and must be from another planet, for none of the earthling boys she knows are so polite. He also has a secret that could mean life or death for Came and his mother, and that Breeze must help him keep.

Katie: After discovering that you loved to read, what prompted you to begin to write?

Beverly: I think reading fun stories in children’s magazines and Newbery winning books and seeing how much the students and my sons enjoyed them was the beginning. What if I could write stories and books that the kids liked and even helped reluctant readers discover the excitement of books? So I decided why not? I started with magazine articles first, since I’m interested in animals and science and had a lot of ideas from things we did in the classroon. Fiction soon followed. I’ve been writing ever since, and loving it.

Katie: What prompted you to write children’s stories specifically?

Beverly: I’m still a kid at heart. I loved teaching and the school environment. Kids are super. And frankly, children’s and teen’s stories appeal to me more than most books for adults. Maybe I’m just a simple person, or perhaps I don’t want to grow up.

Katie: Are you traditionally published? If so, what led you to your current publishing house?

Beverly: Yes, all but one of my books are traditionally published. Twilight Times Books, publisher of Listen to the Ghost, Rebel in Blue Jeans, and the forthcoming Caves, Cannons and Crinolines started as an e-publisher then went to print books in 2004. When I was looking for a publisher for my paranormal story, I saw TTB mentioned on a message board. They sounded right for my story, so I sent a query and a few months later had a contract.

Just Breeze, my latest novel for tweens or middle-grade readers is 4 RV Publishing, another traditional publisher. I heard about them at the Muse Conference and also noticed other children’s books they had published, such as Bubba and Giganto: Odds Against Us, that I reviewed. I really liked their books so sent them a query and now Breeze is out.

Katie: Do you have an agent? Why or why not?

Beverly: No, but it’s not from lack of trying. When I first started writing, many large houses accepted unagented work, and I wasn’t too concerned about having an agent. I just sent my manuscripts to the publishers. As you know, that has changed in the past few years, and it’s almost impossible to break into the “big” publishers without an agent. So I’m looking. Several have responded positively to the manuscript I’m shopping around, but haven’t signed me.

Katie: Breeze sounds like my kind of gal. What prompted you to create this character?

Beverly: I don’t know. This girl with the frizzy hair, who hates the way she looks, just popped into my head one day. From years of teaching I know how important “fitting in” is to most (not all) girls in elementary and middle school. So Breeze told me her troubles and I wrote them down.

Katie: What is a “typical” writing day like for you?

Beverly: My favorite day is when I can write and write and write and forget about the world. Unfortunately, that seldom happens. Usually, I check my emails first thing and reply to those that need attention right away. The others I wait until later in the day to answer. Sometimes several days later. I like to write on my current story from about 9 am to 11 or 12.

Afternoons are spent on promo: calling to book signings, typing media releases or brochures to mail, answering mail, blogging, and stuff like that. Saturdays are catch up days. I might work on a synopsis or character profiles, but mostly promo and keeping track of expenses and sales for the IRS. It never ends, but one day I will catch up.

Katie: For words of advice would you have for other writers who want to write for children?

Beverly: Basically, if you want to write for children then do it. Don’t let others tell you you’re too old, too young, too this or that. Just do it. Be patient. Be persistent. Be positive. And never, never give up. I tape “no thank you” letters where an editor has written nice remarks about my work or words of encouragement to the wall by my desk. They lift my spirits when I’m having a rough day. Hang in there. It’s a tough business, but one day, you’ll be glad you did. You can read my “Breakthrough” article in the June 2007 issue of the Writer magazine.

Katie: Thanks, Beverly, for being my guest today. For more information, check out Beverly’s sites: http://beverlystowemcclure.wordpress.com; http://justbreeze.wordpress.com; http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com

Beverly: Thank you, Katie, for hosting me.