FAREWELL FROM SPELLBINDERS

Welcome to the annual  Spellbinders lunch, which actually ended up to be dinner this time around. It's the end of the year and we were all having difficulty finding a time to get together. The story of our lives lately. Carolee and Kim met up at the Flying Star and Caroline met us later at Alamosa Books.

We have loved sharing our stories and inspirations with you these past few years, but we have found it necessary to discontinue our Spellbinders Newsletter. Sadly, this will be our last issue. We are all so busy with our writing projects and our book travels that we've had to find ways to cut back our commitments.

The good news is that we will each be continuing our own individual author newsletters with some special offerings. Carolee will be creating more resources for educators and is giving a free online summer writing course beginning June 14. If you tried to sign up previously, it unfortunately didn't go through due to changes in Yahoo policies, so please try again HERE for Carolee's Newsletter and Writing Workshop.

If you don't get a follow up confirmation from MailChimp, contact Carolee directly by EMAIL.

Kim has an exciting new book, FORBIDDEN, coming out this fall and has tons of giveaways planned. Sign up here for Kim's Newsletter.

Caroline is working on the final stages of her new historical verse novel, BLUE BIRDS, coming March 2015 as well as awaiting final art for her first picture book, OVER IN THE WETLANDS, coming fall 2015.

She has recently started a newsletter which will publish 3-4 times a year. Sign up here to follow. Other ways to keep in touch include her website, blog, Facebook page, and Twitter.

We are also sad to announce that Alamosa Books, Albuquerque's only book store catering specifically to children and teens, is closing. They are currently offering a 30% discount on all books and merchandise, so stop on by.

Farewell to all of you. We have thoroughly enjoyed the last few years. New adventures await!!

The Secret Language of Stories Explores HAMLET - Carolee Dean

FREE SUMMER CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP based on The Secret Language of Stories coming in June.  Watch for details and sign up later this month.

 HAMLET

Ordinary World – Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is grieving because his father has recently died. His uncle, Claudius, has married Queen Gertrude, and taken over the throne.

As the play begins, two guards have asked Horatio, a friend of Hamlet, to keep watch with them because they have lately seen a ghost roaming outside of Elsinore Castle. When the ghost appears, wearing the king's armor, the three men take this as an omen of impending military conflict. Rumor is that the Norwegian Prince, Fortinbras, has returned to Denmark to reclaim lands formerly seized by King Hamlet.

This is a good example of a story that begins with a new reality. If we go back just a little further, Hamlet's father was ruling Denmark and all was well. To Hamlet, this change of fortune would feel like the New World, but to the reader, these scenes simply establish the current situation, the new What-Is, and the reality of the moment.

Stories told in sequels or serials do this all the time.  At the end of one story a new reality is established, and in the next book, this new reality becomes the Ordinary World.

Call and Response- Horatio brings Hamlet to see the ghost who proclaims that he is indeed the dead king. He tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius and asks Hamlet to seek revenge. Hamlet is reluctant to kill Claudius without proof of guilt.

Mentors, Guides and Gifts- The ghost serves the role of mentor in this story. He arms Hamlet with the truth, orders him to exact revenge, and appears again midway through the story to remind Hamlet of his mission.

Crossing- Hamlet decides to act crazy to give himself time to figure out what to do about Claudius without alerting his uncle to his true intentions.

New World- Claudius and Gertrude try to find out why Hamlet is acting so strangely. They ask two of his friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to come to Elsinore to keep an eye on him. Meanwhile, Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain, suggests that perhaps Hamlet is acting erratically because he is tormented with love for Polonius's daughter Ophelia.

Problem, Prize, and Plan-  Hamlet wants to be able to prove that his uncle killed his father, and then exact his revenge if he can demonstrate Claudius's guilt. A traveling troupe of actors comes to the castle and Hamlet enlists their aid. He asks them to perform a scene reenacting the details of his father's murder.

Meanwhile, Claudius is making his own plans. He wants to find out the true reason behind Hamlet's strange behavior. Claudius and Polonius spy on Hamlet during a conversation with Ophelia. Hamlet tells Ophelia that all women are untrue and he wants to ban marriage.  "Get thee to a nunnery," he proclaims.

This scene has caused much debate about the nature of Hamlet. Is he, in fact, continuing to try to prove his madness, or is he truly becoming unhinged?

Midpoint Attempt- The actors perform their play for the royal family. during the murder scene, Claudius jumps up and leaves the room. Hamlet believes this is the proof he needs and goes to kill Claudius.

Downtime- Hamlet finds Claudius praying. Hamlet fears that if he kills Claudius in prayer, his soul will go to heaven, and Hamlet's revenge will be incomplete.

Chase and Escape- Hamlet goes to confront his mother about her hasty marriage to Claudius. He hears someone moving behind the tapestry and stabs through the fabric with his sword, believing it to be king.  It is actually Polonius.

After the death of Polonius, Claudius sends Hamlet to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Unbeknownst to them, the sealed orders they are carrying contain a request from Claudius to the King of England to put Hamlet to death.

Death and Transformation- Overcome with grief at the death of her father, Polonius, Ophelia drowns herself. Her enraged brother Laertes, returns from France and Claudius convinces him that the deaths of his family members are the fault of Hamlet.

When Claudius receives a letter stating that Hamlet is returning to Denmark because his ship was attacked by pirates, he devises a plan to kill Hamlet with the help of Laertes. Laertes will challenge Hamlet to an innocent sword fight with blunted weapons, but Laertes's sword will not be blunted. Furthermore, the tip will be poisoned. If Laertes strikes Hamlet first, Hamlet will die. If Hamlet strikes first then Claudius will congratulate him with a goblet poisoned with wine.

Climax- During the sword fight, Hamlet strikes first but refuses the goblet. His mother grabs it and drinks to his honor and then dies. Laertes wounds Hamlet but he does not immediately die. Then Laertes is cut by Hamlet with his own sword. Knowing he is a doomed man, Laertes reveals that Claudius poisoned the sword as well as the goblet that killed the queen.

Reward- Hamlet stabs Claudius with the poisoned blade and forces him to drink the rest of the wine. After exacting his revenge, Hamlet asks Laertes for forgiveness and Laertes absolves him of the deaths of his father and sister. They all hear Fortinbras, who has just returned from Poland, approaching the castle. Hamlet tells Horatio he wants Fortinbras to be king and asks Horatio to tell his story, which Horatio promises to do.

Ambassadors from England arrive with Fortinbras and report that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Horatio promises to tell them all the tragic story of what has happened and Fortinbras orders that Hamlet be carried away with the honor due a dead soldier.

Now a new world order has been established with Fortinbras ruling Denmark. An entirely original story could begin with this new set of affairs.

At the end of any story, there is the assumption that the story continues with the new reality as the norm.  Likewise, at the beginning of any story there must be the realization that the status quo has come and gone many times already, replaced by other status quos.

An interesting writing exercise is to start a story where another story has left off. Movie makers do this all the time, as do writers of fan fiction, but this is also a valuable creative writing activity for students of all ages.

MACBETH AND THE TRAGIC HERO'S JOURNEY by Carolee Dean

Before I begin my discussion on tragic heroes, I want to let everyone know that I will be offering a FREE online writing workshop beginning June 14 based on The Secret Language of Stories. 

Details and sign up will be available in April.

For a breakdown of the system visit my blog.

                                Macbeth and the Tragic Hero’s Journey

I’m often asked if the hero’s journey plot analysis works for all types of stories, such as those involving tragic heroes, so I thought I’d try it out on one of the most famous tragic heroes in literature – Macbeth. Macbeth is often taught in high school English courses during junior year, making it a pertinent story to analyze.

A tragic hero is a character who starts out with great promise. He is usually of noble heritage and held in high esteem by his peers, but a tragic flaw causes a fall from grace. At some point in the story, the tragic hero realizes he has made an irreversible error in judgement that will lead to his doom, but he faces his demise with honor.

Plot Analysis

Ordinary World – Duncan, the king of Scottland is at a military camp when he receives the news that Macbeth and Banquo, two of his generals, have defeated invading armies, one from Norway and one from Ireland.

Call and Response- On their way to meet with the king after their victories, Macbeth and Banquo come across three witches in a moor. The witches speak in riddles telling Macbeth that he will be made Thane of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland.  They also proclaim that Banquo’s offspring will rule Scotland, though he himself will never be king. Both men are skeptical until they receive the news that Duncan has in fact named Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth starts to wonder if the other parts of the prophecy might be true and what would be required of him to make it come to pass.

Macbeth starts out as brave and noble but the witches prophecy brings out the fatal flaw that make him a tragic hero – his desire for power and position and his ultimate willingness to do anything to succeed.

Mentors, Guides & Gifts- Macbeth tells his wife, Lady Macbeth, of the witches and their  prophecy and confides his misgivings about the possibility that he might have to commit murder to actualize the prediction. In the beginning, Lady Macbeth shares none of his hesitation and tells him he must kill King Duncan that very night while he is a guest in their home.

Macbeth’s reluctance and guilt are demonstrated through various hallucinations, the first and most memorable being the famous floating dagger. Although Macbeth does appear to have a conscience, it is not developed enough to keep him from committing murder. When he shows hesitancy, his wife challenges his manhood, thus propelling him to dark deeds.

Crossing- Macbeth gets the chamberlains drunk and then proceeds to stab Duncan to death. The next morning he blames the chamberlains for the murder of the king and kills them in a rage, supposedly to avenge the king’s death. This action represents crossing a line that cannot be uncrossed. Once the king's body is discovered, Macbeth forges ahead toward his goal, putting aside all of his previous reservations.

New World- Duncan's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, flee fearing that whoever killed their father will come after them next. This has the result of casting suspicion on them for possibly hiring the chamberlains to kill Duncan. All of the lords, except for Macduff, agree to name Hamlet king. Macduff returns to his own castle rather than going to the coronation, thus arousing suspicion and fear in Macbeth.

Problem, Prize, & Plan-  Once Macbeth enters the world of murder and intrigue, he must commit other murders to secure his position. Fearing the part of the prophecy that claimed Banquo’s heirs would rule Scotland, Macbeth plots to send men to kill both Banquo and his son, Fleance. Although Lady Macbeth encouraged the murder of Duncan, she falters at the suggestion of more killings.

Midpoint Attempt- The killers are successful in murdering Banquo, but Fleance escapes. The prize of kingship feels tentative to Macbeth with Fleance still alive. The noblemen arrive for the banquet celebrating Macbeth's coronation, but he becomes distraught when the ghost of Banquo appears sitting in his chair. His bizarre behavior makes the noblemen begin to doubt his sanity and his ability to rule Scotland.

Downtime- Macbeth goes to the witches for counsel and they give him a false sense of security by telling him he will be safe until Birnham Wood comes to Dunsinane Castle. They give further false hope by proclaiming that Macbeth is incapable of being harmed by any man born of woman.

Chase & Escape- Macduff goes to England to meet up with Prince Malcolm and ask for assistance from King Edward to fight Macbeth. Feeling invincible, Macbeth orders his men to take over Macduff’s castle and kill Lady Macduff as well as her children. This action marks the total moral and mental disintegration of Macbeth since Lady Macduff and her young son are no real threat to him. When Macduff finds out of this treachery, he swears revenge and proceeds to Scotland with Malcolm and the English army to confront Macbeth.

Death & Transformation- Lady Macbeth descends into madness, wanders the castle, and claims she has blood on her hands that cannot be washed away. Macbeth prepares for the coming battle feeling secure because of the witches visions. He hears a cry and is informed that Lady Macbeth is dead.

Climax- In spite of his despair, Macbeth prepares for battle, still believing he is invincible, but when he hears that the English are using boughs cut from Birnham Wood to shield themselves as they approach Dunsinane Castle, he realizes that the witch’s twisted prophecies have really hinted at his doom. While fighting Macduff, Macbeth proclaims the man cannot kill him because no one “of woman born,” has the power to harm him. Macduff reveals that he was not "of woman born" but was actually "untimely ripped" from his mother's womb. He then proceeds to kill Macbeth.

Reward- Macduff cuts off Macbeth’s head, displaying it like a war trophy, and proclaims Malcolm king of Scotland. Malcolm states that he is adopting the English system of  peerage and is turning all of his thanes into earls. They are all invited to the coronation ceremony. Everyone is a winner, except of course, Macbeth and his wife.

In the end, everyone gets his (or her) just reward.

The Difference Between An Author and A Writer

I’ve always thought there was a difference between an author and a writer.  A big difference. And it’s more than the difference between being published and not published. For me, I really crossed the line between “writer” and “author” several years ago.

 

As a freshman in college, I was pretty sure I had things figured out. I was majoring in philosophy and minoring in literature; I wanted to take creative writing but I was told I had to go through the paces of literature first before I could do creative writing exclusively. That was frustrating, but not really that big of a deal--I wanted to major in philosophy and go to law school. I didn’t really want to be a lawyer, but my dad always told me law school was an excellent education, and it sounded like an interesting challenge (clearly, I wasn’t half as smart as I thought I was). I was a hell of a debater in high school, great at public speaking and thinking on my feet. If at some point I wanted to be a lawyer, I was always pretty convinced I’d be good at it (cough, arrogance, cough).

Writing was something that I considered to be part of me. Since I was a little girl I was an obsessive writer, with the notebook collection to prove it. It was stress relief, entertainment, escapism and my idea of a fun night all rolled into one. I woke up early to write; I stayed up late after parties or studying. I wrote during classes. Every spare thought in my mind was about stories.

But I was convinced that writing would never be a viable career. Specifically because I had been told this in no uncertain terms. My advisor, my brother, the media at large. My parents never told me it wouldn’t work--only that I couldn’t expect to ever make money at it. I told myself that I was a writer in my core and nothing had stopped me thus far, nor did I need any additional money or validation. I wrote for me, and that was that.

But then I went to Scotland in my junior year. The teachers I had there spoke about literature like it was love; amid the damp Scottish winds, the bright yellow gorse against the gray clouded skies and the roses that bloomed through late December, there was a different attitude about life than anything I had encountered in the US. The cobblestones and centuries-old buildings whispered to me that life is short, but limitless in its shine and potential. The people there laughed at my American sense of capitalism, my notion that money should have anything to do with my career.

St. Andrews, Scotland was the site of a religious mecca, and then a place of religious persecution. It hosted raids and attacks, housed the bones of a saint, and welcomed to its shores princes and scholars and scientists. At my college in the US, I felt like life was a candle in a hurricane lamp--small, essential, and contained. In Scotland, I felt like the glass covering was removed and I could step close to the candle, curl my fingers around its light and feel the heat through my hands. It inspired the greatest passion and the greatest commitment to that passion that I’ve ever felt.  

Life may be short, but it’s wondrous and dazzling and you can feel that by living your passions, committing to your dreams. I think that’s the difference between a writer and an author.  A writer is someone who can use her words well, but an author is a writer with a vocation. A calling. A commitment. I ended up living for almost four years in Scotland, and I learned how to leave doubt behind. I learned how to be an author, and not just a writer.

A.C. Gaughen has been a concierge, a personal shopper, a handbag saleswoman, a wrapper (often and understandably confused with the homonym without a “w”), a call center phone-line answerer, a tour guide for the Commonwealth, a blogger, a writer of research articles like “How to Grind with a Boy”, and, most memorably, someone who couldn’t hang a shirt on a hanger correctly.  Through all of these, however, she’s also been the young adult author of SCARLET and LADY THIEF, with Bloomsbury/Walker.

HOT PLOTS - ROMEO AND JULIET by Carolee Dean

Students all around the country read Romeo and Juliet their Freshman year of high school. One of the factors that has made this such a classic and enduring story is the strength of Shakespeare's plot. This month I'm using The Secret Language of Stories (SLOS) to analyze this timeless tale.

As always, you may find a full description of SLOS on my blog.

The Ordinary World – In the streets of Verona, a fight breaks out between servants of the Capulets and Montagues establishing the long time feud between the two families. Prince Escalus decrees death for anyone who disturbs the peace. Meanwhile, Romeo Montague is despondent because Rosaline does not love him, and at the Capulet estate, Paris asks Capulet for permission to marry his daughter Juliet.

Call and Response- Capulet sends a servant out to invite guests to a feast, but the servant cannot read the guest list and asks Romeo for assistance. When Romeo sees Rosaline's name, he decides to crash the party. His friend Benvolio hopes Romeo will realize there are other beautiful women in Verona, but Romeo only agrees to go because he wants to see Rosaline. All of that changes when he meets Juliet. He dances with her and they kiss before he realizes she is the daughter of his father’s enemy. The “Call to Adventure” is represented by the inner stirrings of love felt by both Romeo and Juliet. They face their reluctance to get involved during the famous balcony scene where Juliet debates the meaning of a name, "Deny thy father and refuse thy name;/ Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,/And I'll no longer be a Capulet" (II.ii.38-40).

Crossing- Romeo climbs an orchard wall to arrive at Juliet’s balcony where they both profess their love. When Juliet expresses her concern for Romeo's safety, he replies, “I am no pilot, yet, wert though as far/ As that vast shore washed with the farthest sea,/ I would adventure for such merchandise” (II.ii.88-99). These lines show how the outward expression of crossing over into the New World may look like a simple gesture (i.e. climbing a wall) while inwardly it represents a great journey.

Mentors, Guides, and Gifts- Juliet’s nurse offers advice and guidance to Juliet throughout the play and helps to procure a ladder after the wedding so Romeo can gain access to Juliet's bedroom. Friar Laurence counsels Romeo, performs the forbidden wedding ceremony, and helps Juliet devise the plan at the end of the story that unintentionally results in the death of the two lovers.

New World- Although Romeo and Juliet both remain in Verona for the first half of the story, their situations are irrevocably altered and their perceptions changed because of forbidden love.

Problem, Prize, and Plan-  The problem these two lovers face is that they want to be together, but their families are sworn enemies. They plan to get married with the aid of Friar Laurence and Juliet's nurse.

Midpoint Attempt- Romeo marries Juliet in secret and it appears that he has won his prize. He plans to come to Juliet that night and they part, but soon after, Tybalt sees Romeo and challenges him to a duel. Tybalt is still angry about Romeo crashing the Capulet's party. Romeo refuses to fight because Tybalt is now his kinsman. Mercutio doesn’t understand Romeo's reluctance and he fights Tybalt himself. Tybalt kills Mercutio. Romeo then flies into a rage and kills Tybalt. The Prince responds by banishing Romeo from Verona forever.

Downtime- Romeo spends the night with Juliet and they consummate their marriage.

Chase and Escape: The next morning Romeo flees the city. Juliet’s father, upset by the death of Tybalt, has arranged for her to marry Paris in three days. Juliet then seeks out Friar Laurence in pursuit of an escape. He concocts a plan for her to take a potion that will make her appear dead. She will then be free to join Romeo. Friar Laurence sends Friar John to find Romeo with a message outlining the plan, but John gets detained and Romeo never receives the letter.

Death and Transformation- Juliet arrives at home and discovers the wedding has been moved up. She takes the potion and her nurse finds her body the next morning. Juliet is then placed in the family crypt.

Climax- When Romeo hears that Juliet has died, he buys poison from an apothecary. He then races back to Verona. When he sees Paris scattering flowers outside of Juliet's tomb, they fight and Romeo kills Paris. Romeo then enters the tomb, takes the poison, and dies at Juliet's side. When Juliet awakens and realizes that Romeo has perished, she kisses his poisoned lips. When this fails to kill her, she stabs herself in the heart with his dagger.

Reward- Although this story is a tragedy, there is still a reward of sorts. The Capulets and Montagues arrive at the graveyard. Monague's wife has died of grief over the banishment of Romeo. When the two men see their dead children’s bodies, they agree to stop their feud and raise gold statues of the two lovers in Verona as a memorial of their love.

NOTE: If you are using this play with your students, you may want to have them create a modern parody by replacing each section of the plot with experiences from contemporary life. For example, teens could explore situations that pit groups against each other such as rivalries between gangs, schools, and sports teams. The story could even take place at the Olympic Games with team members from two rivaling countries falling in love. Although taking poison seems like a melodramatic (and unrealistic) way to fake one's death, there might be other examples from modern experience such as taking part in the witness protection program or pretending to die in a car crash or fire. Students don't have to write a story. Just brainstorming the possibilities helps them to connect the story to their own experiences.

CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS: MAY B. BY CAROLINE STARR ROSE + GIVEAWAY

 

age range: middle grade
setting: 1870s Kansas frontier
May B. study guide
May B. book talk
May B. book trailer

School Library Journal review:

Told in spare, vivid verse, May’s story works on many levels; as a survival story, a coming-of-age tale, and a worthwhile next read for “Little House on the Prairie” fans.

Publisher's Weekly starred review:

Writing with compassion and a wealth of evocative details, Rose offers a memorable heroine and a testament to the will to survive. 

Hornbook review:

The verse novel form is particularly well suited to this spare survival story set on the homesteaded Kansas prairie. Rose uses a close-up lens and a fine sense of rhythm to draw us into her stark world, Little House on the Prairie without the coziness. 

Kirkus starred review:

As unforgiving as the western Kansas prairies, this extraordinary verse novel—Rose’s debut—paints a gritty picture of late-19th-century frontier life from the perspective of a 12-year-old dyslexic girl named Mavis Elizabeth Betterly… May B. for short.

Please tell us about your book.

Mavis Elizabeth Betterly, or May B. as she is known, is helping out on a neighbor's Kansas prairie homestead, “Just until Christmas,” says her Pa. Twelve-year-old May wants to contribute, but it's hard to be separated from her family by fifteen long, unfamiliar miles.

Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned to the oncoming winter, trapped all alone in a tiny snow-covered sod house without any way to let her family know and no neighbors to turn to. In her solitude, she wavers between relishing her freedom and succumbing to utter despair, while trying to survive in the harshest conditions. Her physical struggle to first withstand and then to escape her prison is matched by tormenting memories of her failures at school. Only a very strong girl will be able to stand up to both and emerge alive and well. 

In this debut novel written in gripping verse, Caroline Starr Rose has given readers a new heroine to root for, one who never, ever gives up.

What inspired you to write this story?

Because of my childhood love for the Little House on the Prairie series, I wanted to create my own strong pioneer girl. I was also curious how someone might write about solitude and challenged myself to experiment with a storyline that would confine one character to a limited space (believe me, there were many times I didn’t feel up to this challenge!). I’d also fallen hard for Gary Paulsen’s HATCHET and wanted to create a survival story told from a girl’s perspective.

May’s name, Mavis Elizabeth Betterly, came to me before I did any character development. I liked the way I could shorten Mavis Betterly to May B. and loved the way her name hinted at the wishy-washy word “maybe” (which is a word like mediocre or okay; it doesn’t carry a lot of conviction), but also contained the strong word “better”. Though I wasn’t quite sure of the specifics, I determined there had to be something in May’s life that made her feel mediocre, something she longed to do better and something that spoke not only to her lack of ability but also her sense of worth.

As a teacher, I’d always wondered how children with learning disabilities had fared at a time before their challenges were understood, especially in the days when recitation and reading aloud were the major means of instruction. Dyslexia became a perfect obstacle for a child striving to do better and mirrored nicely May B.’s theme of isolation.

Could you share with readers how you conducted your research or share a few interesting tidbits you learned while researching? 

My first attempt at writing had been historical fiction, and I learned from that disastrous manuscript that regardless of the history, the story had to belong to the character; I couldn’t beat historical facts into my readers’ heads. I went into May B. trusting that if I kept my protagonist’s perspective and understanding of her world, enough history would organically seep in.

One special challenge was locating where May’s sod house stood. There’s a reference in the story to THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER, so the book had to take place in 1876 or later. I wanted her in a part of western Kansas that wasn’t very developed and was semi-close to a railroad. It was also necessary to have wolves around. The first place I located May was outside of Dodge City, where she would have been smack dab in the middle of the Chisolm Cattle Trail -- not exactly the solitude I was looking for (I also wasn’t interested in telling the sort of rowdy cowboy story that Dodge City brings to mind). The story couldn’t take place much beyond 1880 because in order to have wolves, buffalo still needed to be prevalent; by 1880 these animals were largely wiped out. Gove County, Kansas became a good location: the railroad (and therefore surrounding communities) was still relatively new but old enough to have been there before 1880; the short-grass country of western Kansas supported sod houses; and wolves, while not spotted everyday, would have still roamed in packs at this time.

What are some special challenges associated with writing a verse novel?

May B. didn’t start as a novel in verse. I poked around with some scenes in prose but quickly found the writing wasn’t right. I wasn’t close enough to the character. I wasn’t telling the story as honestly as I could. Continuing with my research, I picked up Elizabeth Hamsten’s Read This Only to Yourself: The Private Writings of Midwestern Women, 1880-1910. Reading these women’s first-hand accounts was like finding a magic formula: their stark, terse, matter-of-fact way of sharing their lives showed me May’s voice. I began writing again, this time in verse, and the story fell into place.

What topics does your book touch upon that would make it a perfect fit for the classroom?

• the frontier era
• pioneers
• Kansas history
• one-room schoolhouses
• learning disabilities
• blizzards
• survival / isolation
• shame / self-worth

Giveaway
In celebration of May's recent paperback release, I'm giving away one signed copy. To enter, please email Caroline your mailing address with "May B." in the subject line. The winner will be announced in next month's Classroom Connections.

Writing Resolutions

For our first feature article of 2014, Spellbinders asked some of our author friends what their writing resolutions are for the upcoming year. Check these out. You may find a few you want to adopt for yourself.

Shirley Raye Redmond
www.shirleyrayeredmond.com







S is for Social Media—I will make use of Amazon’s Author Central, Good Reads author page and Facebook, although this is just not my sort of thing. I’d rather be writing!
M is for Marketing—I will spend at least 30 minutes each day actively marketing my titles by contacting libraries, bloggers, bookstores and appropriate museum gift shops, etc. I’m even considering contacting photography shops about carrying my FAIRIES: A TRUE STORY (Random House) as it is about a photographic hoax.
A is for Achievable—I have set a realistic goal of writing at least 1000 polished words per day.
R is for Reading—I will make time to read books, blogs, and pertinent magazines.
T is for Time Sensitive—I will take all deadlines seriously, even my own self-imposed ones.
E is for Exercise—I will strive to take 10,000 steps a day (I wear a pedometer) so as not to come down with repetitive use injuries and other aches and pains caused by too much sitting.
R is for Revision--I will not resent it, but learn to relish it.

Betsy James
http://listeningatthegate.com
http://betsyjames.com        






I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I make resolutions about every three months, when I nuke yet again the piles of books and papers and swear that next time I won’t let the piles get overwhelming. As if. Recently I did make a resolution-like decision, though. I can’t print it here because there’s a curse word in it. It goes something like, “From 9 to 12 in the morning, drop everything, including &%$#, and write.” I suppose I could have printed that as e***l. It is the curse.

Judith Schiess Avila
www.JudithAvila.com



It was a huge relief seeing the ball drop on 2013. My 90-year-old father died in April, 2013, leaving our family deprived of his gruff strength and humor. My amazing little sister was diagnosed with breast cancer that same month. So was one of my best friends. My two wonderful, longtime dog companions both died. And I loaned my new truck to a friend who totaled it in a freak rain-related accident. So, plowing ahead in my old Subaru, I found comfort watching 2013 grow smaller and disappear in the rearview mirror.

Sometime during 2014, I hope to get my sanity back. Last year I wrote virtually nothing, using travels with my book Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII as an excuse. But I have learned that writing brings me happiness, focus, and (I hope) sanity.

This year I vow to be present in every minute. When a news item catches my eye, I will tell myself, Wow! This could be a story. What if… When my friends relate funny or touching incidents, I will examine them for story potential and again ask myself, What if… When I see an inspiring movie or read a fascinating book, I’ll take it further – great tale, but what if… Everything that passes the “what if” test by making my imagination soar will be captured in my computer journal. And when I am asked to write something, I will never say I’m too busy.

These few short paragraphs are a start.

Kersten Hamilton
Kersten's website







I'm giving up on social media for 2014. No Twitter, no Facebook, no blog. I'm going to take the time I would have spent on social media and spend it writing instead.

And here are two resolutions from the Spellbinders:

Caroline Starr Rose
www.carolinestarrrose.com







Keep plugging away! If I look at the big picture, I tend to freak out. Day by day, bird by bird makes it feel doable.

Carolee Dean
http://caroleedeanbooks.blogspot.com







I plan to be more active on social media - Twitter (@CaroleeJDean), Facebook, and my blog, so I can stay connected with readers. At the same time, I don't want it to become a huge time suck, so I plan to do a little something each Sunday and spend the rest of the week writing books. Its funny that this is exactly the opposite of Kersten's resolution above.

The bottom line is do something, shake it up, keep it fresh. That's what writing is all about.
Now go out there and make it a great 2014

CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS: MAY B. BY CAROLINE STARR ROSE + GIVEAWAY

 

age range: middle grade
setting: 1870s Kansas frontier
May B. study guide
May B. book talk
May B. book trailer
 

School Library Journal review:

Told in spare, vivid verse, May’s story works on many levels; as a survival story, a coming-of-age tale, and a worthwhile next read for “Little House on the Prairie” fans.

Publisher's Weekly starred review:

Writing with compassion and a wealth of evocative details, Rose offers a memorable heroine and a testament to the will to survive. 

Hornbook review:

The verse novel form is particularly well suited to this spare survival story set on the homesteaded Kansas prairie. Rose uses a close-up lens and a fine sense of rhythm to draw us into her stark world, Little House on the Prairie without the coziness. 

Kirkus starred review:

As unforgiving as the western Kansas prairies, this extraordinary verse novel—Rose’s debut—paints a gritty picture of late-19th-century frontier life from the perspective of a 12-year-old dyslexic girl named Mavis Elizabeth Betterly… May B. for short.

Please tell us about your book.

Mavis Elizabeth Betterly, or May B. as she is known, is helping out on a neighbor's Kansas prairie homestead, “Just until Christmas,” says her Pa. Twelve-year-old May wants to contribute, but it's hard to be separated from her family by fifteen long, unfamiliar miles.

Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned to the oncoming winter, trapped all alone in a tiny snow-covered sod house without any way to let her family know and no neighbors to turn to. In her solitude, she wavers between relishing her freedom and succumbing to utter despair, while trying to survive in the harshest conditions. Her physical struggle to first withstand and then to escape her prison is matched by tormenting memories of her failures at school. Only a very strong girl will be able to stand up to both and emerge alive and well. 

In this debut novel written in gripping verse, Caroline Starr Rose has given readers a new heroine to root for, one who never, ever gives up.

What inspired you to write this story?

Because of my childhood love for the Little House on the Prairie series, I wanted to create my own strong pioneer girl. I was also curious how someone might write about solitude and challenged myself to experiment with a storyline that would confine one character to a limited space (believe me, there were many times I didn’t feel up to this challenge!). I’d also fallen hard for Gary Paulsen’s HATCHET and wanted to create a survival story told from a girl’s perspective.

May’s name, Mavis Elizabeth Betterly, came to me before I did any character development. I liked the way I could shorten Mavis Betterly to May B. and loved the way her name hinted at the wishy-washy word “maybe” (which is a word like mediocre or okay; it doesn’t carry a lot of conviction), but also contained the strong word “better”. Though I wasn’t quite sure of the specifics, I determined there had to be something in May’s life that made her feel mediocre, something she longed to do better and something that spoke not only to her lack of ability but also her sense of worth.

As a teacher, I’d always wondered how children with learning disabilities had fared at a time before their challenges were understood, especially in the days when recitation and reading aloud were the major means of instruction. Dyslexia became a perfect obstacle for a child striving to do better and mirrored nicely May B.’s theme of isolation.

Could you share with readers how you conducted your research or share a few interesting tidbits you learned while researching? 

My first attempt at writing had been historical fiction, and I learned from that disastrous manuscript that regardless of the history, the story had to belong to the character; I couldn’t beat historical facts into my readers’ heads. I went into May B. trusting that if I kept my protagonist’s perspective and understanding of her world, enough history would organically seep in.

One special challenge was locating where May’s sod house stood. There’s a reference in the story to THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER, so the book had to take place in 1876 or later. I wanted her in a part of western Kansas that wasn’t very developed and was semi-close to a railroad. It was also necessary to have wolves around. The first place I located May was outside of Dodge City, where she would have been smack dab in the middle of the Chisolm Cattle Trail -- not exactly the solitude I was looking for (I also wasn’t interested in telling the sort of rowdy cowboy story that Dodge City brings to mind). The story couldn’t take place much beyond 1880 because in order to have wolves, buffalo still needed to be prevalent; by 1880 these animals were largely wiped out. Gove County, Kansas became a good location: the railroad (and therefore surrounding communities) was still relatively new but old enough to have been there before 1880; the short-grass country of western Kansas supported sod houses; and wolves, while not spotted everyday, would have still roamed in packs at this time.

What are some special challenges associated with writing a verse novel?

May B. didn’t start as a novel in verse. I poked around with some scenes in prose but quickly found the writing wasn’t right. I wasn’t close enough to the character. I wasn’t telling the story as honestly as I could. Continuing with my research, I picked up Elizabeth Hamsten’s Read This Only to Yourself: The Private Writings of Midwestern Women, 1880-1910. Reading these women’s first-hand accounts was like finding a magic formula: their stark, terse, matter-of-fact way of sharing their lives showed me May’s voice. I began writing again, this time in verse, and the story fell into place.

What topics does your book touch upon that would make it a perfect fit for the classroom?

• the frontier era
• pioneers
• Kansas history
• one-room schoolhouses
• learning disabilities
• blizzards
• survival / isolation
• shame / self-worth

Giveaway
In celebration of May's recent paperback release, I'm giving away one signed copy. To enter, please email Caroline your mailing address with "May B." in the subject line. The winner will be announced in next month's Classroom Connections.

Countdown to ALA Newbery 2014 Winners!

COUNTDOWN TO ALA NEWBERY 2014 WINNERS!

Many schools and libraries put together Mock Newbery Award book clubs, rallying their students to read the books that are getting “winner buzz” each year and then putting together discussion groups to talk about the books they’ve read.

In December or January, ballots are assembled and the students can vote on their favorites and see which book “won” that year’s Mock Newbery Award. Sound like fun? It is!

Here are a few links for more information to get started at your school:

Newbery Book Club

Eva Perry Mock Newbery

ACPL Mock Newbery and General Children’s Book Site

If you’re on Goodreads, there is a forum filled with librarians, teachers and readers, who discuss books all year long as books are published. They discuss the pros and cons about each title’s potential as a Newbery Medal contender.

I’ve often learned about new books that I’ve missed, and I enjoy the conversation about good books in these forums.

Newbery 2014 Discussion Groups on Goodreads (all the boards are at this link and it’s super easy to join – just one click at the top left!)

In case you’ve been a bit swamped with lesson plans or life (who isn’t?!), here are a few of the books (down below!) folks have been buzzing about all year long as potential Newbery winners. (We’re focusing on the Newbery since this is a Middle-Grade Savvy Site. Of course, all the awards from Picture Books through the Young Adult Printz Award are at the links below.)

Let us know which are your favorites for the 2014 Newbery Medal, and don’t forget to watch the ALA Newbery Broadcast next Monday, January 27th. (This link takes you to a full page from ALA with all the info and details!)

Information about how to log in and watch it LIVE is right here: Live ALA Youth Media Awards Broadcast (This is a direct link to the *live* broadcast Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. ET).

Just a *few* titles – and there is NO predicting what will happen!

     

Kimberley Griffiths Little’s next Middle Grade novel, THE TIME OF THE FIREFLIES, will publish July, 2014 by Scholastic. (Her Young Adult debut, FORBIDDEN, launches November 2014 with Harpercollins). You can find her hanging out a lot on Facebook. Enjoy Teacher’s Guides, Mother/Daughter Book Club Guides, and “filmed on location” book trailers at her website.