GREEN EYED MONSTER BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: (Gift Ideas)

So yesterday I discussed the green-eyed monster of the children's literature world. Me. And jealousy.

Today, I'm going to call attention to some of my fellow writers who I hope have much success. (Although if they do, I'm going to be really GREEN!)

These are writers of solid books I've read in the last few years. None have won the Newbery or the National Book Award. (Yet) But some have gotten starred reviews, been named to ALA lists, and are the favorites of readers around the country. Each has succeeded in one way or another. But success in one area does not mean bringing home the bacon. In the writing world, only a few books at the top earn a living for their authors.

In the midlist of books are some gems more people should be buying.

So here in no special order except what my image browser finds first, I give you:

I spent a few hours driving to a writer conference with award winning Author, Lisa Williams Kline. (And another hour or so getting lost at the very end.) Lisa spoke eloquently at the conference about realistic books that have one magic element. Fascinating topic! Then I came home and read WRITE BEFORE YOUR EYES to see how Lisa incorporated this concept into her writng. This is a fun, contemporary read that tackles some weighty questions. Highly readable fiction!
I met Kathy Erskine in 2003 when we carpooled to a writing workshop. At the time, Kathy was a twinkle in Philomel's eye. But at our workshop with Patti Gauch, she found her dream editor who later published QUAKING. Continuing on the theme of jealousy here, there is a paragraph in this book, that I totally wish I'd written. And the rest of the book? Well, I wouldn't mind if my name were on the cover too.

Or of the forthcoming Mockingbird which is already getting terrific reviews. But back to that great book another time.
The NIGHT OF THE BURNING won the Sydney Taylor manuscript award. I quote from this book often when I speak on writing historical fiction. Author, Linda Press Wolf took the snippet of info she had about her mother-in-law's childhood experience and turned it into a novel. I love this book as I do so many eastern European stories. But it's the storytelling that makes it work.

HUGGING THE ROCK by Susan Taylor Brown is a quiet little verse novel that struggles with the loss of one parent and celebrates an unexpected connection with the other. It is profoundly spare in the telling. The page I am most jealous of in this book, has no text other than a title - Mother's Day. Would I be brilliant enough to let a blank page speak for itself? Probably not.

I've never met Susan Taylor Brown but she's one the best virtual friends any writer could have because she 's so internet savvy and consistently shares her info and encouragement with the rest of us.
DRIVE by Nathan Clement surprises us with unexpected perspectives - both in the art but also in the characterization of a truck-driving dad - a man who peeks in on his sleeping son before going to work, who works hard and well all day long, and who comes home at the end of the day to play with his kid. If you know a preschooler with a dad who drives truck (or works at any job) this is such a great gift!

I met Nathan at a writer event and since then, he designed my webpage! (And bookmarks. And postcards of my books.) Nathan totally lives up to the sensitivity and work ethic exemplified in DRIVE. So, if you need some design work, hire him!
CAMPING WITH THE PRESIDENT is history in a picture book. A slice of Theodore Roosevelt's life. A look at a National Park in the making. Lively language. A lot of info told in an engaging style with lovely pics. I've never met author Ginger Wadsworth but we swapped some emails, shared some LOLs, and really connected. I adore this book.
I also never met Jeannine Atkins but we're LiveJournal friends AND, get this; she noticed from my blog posts that I am working on a story that takes place in a mental hospital. Turns out she had a book on her shelf she thought I might need. So she packaged it up, sent it to me and told me to keep it for awhile. Very risky move! That was back in the summer and I still have it. (But I prrrromise to return it!)

ANNE HUTCHINSON'S WAY tells the story of a puritan woman who was imprisoned because she insisting on teaching a compassionate view of God. I love that Jeannine reminded me of this great historical character and I've even used the book in my junior youth Sunday School class.

I haven't read UP CLOSE; HARPER LEE by Kerry Madden but it's gotten great reviews and I've read much about Kerry's sensitive research in her blog posts. And I will eventually read it.
I did read Kerry's Maggie Valley Trilogy which takes place in North Carolina's mountains. I met Kerry a few years ago when she spoke to NC teachers. She's lovely and has many friends in the writing world who would agree with me. Her website and the feeling you get when you visit it, tell you a lot about Kerry! And these great southern books do, too.
Last September I was lucky enough to sign books beside Emily Smith Pearce at an event that connects North Carolina authors with teachers and librarians. So, I bought ISABEL AND THE MIRACLE BABY, a small story that gets right into the head of a child who feels crowded out by her mother's illness and a new baby. Great voice going on in this book!
And finally, there's WILD THINGS. Author Clay Carmichael and I connected frequently via Twitter and email this year. She was so good to inform me of award lists we'd both been nominated for and she introduced me to others. Wild Things is getting great reviews - from Kirkus to Fuse 8 and is showing up on Best of the Year lists, mock newbery discussions, and ALA lists! So watch out - things could get wild for this author!

To all of these writer friends, Congratulations and Good Luck!

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list of books or authors I love and cheer for. More to come on another day.

TUESDAY 2: Two questions of Kerry Madden

Kerry Madden, author of the Maggie Valley Trilogy and Harper Lee signing books at a teacher workshop in North Carolina.

On April 2, I posted a brief Q & A with Kerry Madden, author of the Maggie Valley Trilogy. Check out that interview here. Today I continue the interview with some questions regarding Kerry’s newest book.


1. Kerry, I know you have a biography of Harper Lee (starred review from Kirkus, no less!) When did you first read To Kill A Mockingbird? Do you remember how you felt about it at the time?

I didn't read it until I was in college - I don't know why - I had assumed Harper Lee was a man, and I'd assumed that "he'd" written other books. But a friend in Knoxville told me that Harper Lee was a woman, and she'd only written one book.

This sparked my curiosity and I bought it at a used bookstore in Knoxville and loved it...and then I saw the movie on the big screen at the TENNESSEE THEATRE in Knoxville on Gay Street, and I was just stunned by the beauty. I went back and read the book again and it stayed with me.

I would show my children part of the movie on Christmas Eve when they were little. I was such a crazed, haphazard mother myself and watching Gregory Peck parent his children was a kind of solace. That's silly, I know, but the book and the film made me want to be a better person and to treasure childhood more - meaning that of my own children. They were growing so fast that I wanted to hang onto them a little.

That led me to write Gentle's Holler, so I could capture them a little. Norah inspired Caroline the fairy child...and Flannery was like Emmett, headstrong and determined to do what he was going to do, and Lucy was like Louise - an artist who sees so much more than what is on the surface.

2. I’ve loved reading your blogposts about research trips to Alabama . Can you tell us about your favorite source of information?
I blogged about much of the Alabama research on the Penguin Blog at this link.

These blogs are mostly about Monroeville, Alabama and meeting Miss Alice Lee, (Harper Lee's sister), Mr. George Thomas Jones and Mr. A.B. Blass (Harper Lee's schoolmates), and Jennings Carter (Truman's cousin)...and finally a trip to Gee's Bend.

The best part of writing this book was that so many people that I interviewed were in their 80s and 90s! They had so many wonderful stories. One of my favorites was Kathryn Tucker Windham. She covered crime for the Montgomery Advertiser during World War II. The police chief asked her, "What is a lady doing covering crime? Why aren't you covering weddings and society?" She told him, "I don't know enough adjectives."

I wrote a very long essay for the literary magazine: FIVE POINTS: A JOURNAL OF LITERATURE AND ART about three Alabama authors - Harper Lee's silence led me to them. I called it WORDS ON FIRE, and the authors in the story are: HELEN NORRIS BELL, MARY WARD BROWN, and KATHRYN TUCKER WINDHAM.

I'll be back in a few days with more conversation with Kerry! Meanwhile take note of the paintings in the picture below. They are the handiwork of Louise, a character in the Maggie Valley Trilogy.

THANKFUL THURSDAY: Hospitals & Books

I had no intention of hanging out in the Emergency Room for 9 hours last night. Or for all of today or tomorrow and possibly the next day too.

Other than being fatigued, I'm fine. My husband? Not so much! But the doctors are sorting that out...

Meanwhile, family & friends and others are sending lots of encouragement. One of them suggested I grab a good book and be "patient". And of course, I did bring a book along. Wanna' see what I tucked into my bag as I flew out the door?

TADA!


Jessie's Mountain is the final book in the Maggie Valley Trilogy by Kerry Madden.

Here's the thing. If you have to spend 9 hours in the ER, then a story about 2 girls who run away to Nashville is an excellent distraction! Of course, it was supposed to be only 1 girl but that was before pesky little sister, Jitters tagged along with Livy Two. (I do love Madden's penchant for naming characters!)

Livy Two wasn't actually running away. She was seeking her musical fortune and had every intention of rescuing her family from poverty and the possibility of leaving their home in Gentle's Holler.

Let me just say that all did not go as planned...

I love the Maggie Valley Trilogy for their downhome ethos , for the colorful characters, and for Madden's beautiful writing.

Lucky me! I met Kerry Madden in 2008 and wow! Her spirit is as big and beautiful as the Smoky Mountains themselves. Kerry is an on-the-go author, writing instructor, and devoted mom but lucky me, again - I managed to snag an interview.

For today, I'll share her responses to just 3 questions about these picturesque North Carolina stories.

Kerry, I’ll be driving by Maggie Valley next week and thinking about you when I do. Tell us again why you love that area of North Carolina and how your stories found their setting in Maggie Valley.

In 1994, we were on a road trip with our two older kids, ages 3 and 5 at the time. We covered 21 states and something like 4500 miles...From Los Angeles, we drove north to 80 and headed East in search of thunderstorms, lightning bugs, and attics. (We don't have them in California). I was also doing research for OFFSIDES, my first book, and I wanted to see the old football towns where I'd lived like Manhattan, Kansas and Ames, Iowa. We went to Washington DC to see my grandmother and then headed South to North Carolina to visit my husband's people (as they say.)

In Asheville, I thought it would interesting to see Thomas Wolfe's house. Lucy, age 3, did not find it at all fascinating and threw a rip-roaring tantrum on the porch screaming, "DIS IS SO BORWING!" Translation: "Can we leave now?" I looked at a map and saw Highway 19 and the name Maggie Valley. We have to drive to Knoxville, and I said, "Let's take Highway 19 instead of the Intestate...there's a little town called Maggie Valley, and it's got to be better than this..." I thought it sounded so beautiful.

So we took the back roads and found the Pancake House and Ghost Town in the Sky all in Maggie Valley...it was just a little mountain town, but I love the mountains so much, and the kids had a great time. We stopped and played in the Smokies and it was a magical few days before the long drive back West.

Fast Forward to 2001...I was longing to write something I loved and cared about, and I wanted to set it in the mountains, and suddenly the name, "Maggie Valley" came back to me...and I knew that was where my Weems' family was going to live...

When I first met you at a workshop for North Carolina teachers you showed me a piece of art created by one of your characters. I was a bit taken aback at first, since I thought Louisiana was fictional. But I love how you’ve created the Gentle’s Holler world replete with art and music. The line between fiction and truth is slightly blurred. But that is so appropriate, because fiction is filled with truth. But it’s also a great concept for presenting your work to the public. Did this evolve serendipitously? And in what ways is it reflective of you and your family?

My friend, Logan Lark, loves the Weems' family of Maggie Valley, and while I was writing GENTLE'S HOLLER, he came to stay for a while in 2001. At that time, I was trying to write some Uncle Hazard Tall Tales, too, and managed to salvage one in LOUISIANA'S SONG when Uncle Hazard (the wiener dog) makes a wish to be a lighthouse. I wrote three other tall tales, and Logan painted a couple of scenes. We couldn't interest any publisher in the Tall Tales of Uncle Hazard, but Logan gave me the paintings and said, "Tell the kids in your writing workshops that Louise painted them." So when I bring them to my workshops, that is what I do.

I also love to collect things that I believe my characters love and care about such as Gentle's fairy rocks, Caroline's fairy wings, Cyrus's mummy costumes and Greek Gods, Jitters' book of SUPERSTITIONS, Emmett's Saturn Girl Comics from the Legion of Superheroes, and Louise's paintings. I also have some of Livy Two's favorite books with me and always her notebooks. It's a way of connecting to them...I have pictures of old bookmobiles on the wall. Our family life is pretty messy and cluttered, and I think that shows in my characters.

One of the things I love about your books is your gift for naming characters. How do you do that? And what is a favorite character name from one of your books?

----I honestly don't know...It takes a good long time, and finally they just come to me. I didn't even know Louise was named Louisiana until the second book in the Maggie Valley Trilogy, Louisiana's Song.

----And my mother said, "You have a great great great grandmother, Appelonia, and I think that would be a fine for one of those kids." So the new baby became Appelonia.

----I always thought Hazard, Kentucky was a funny name for a town, and so a wiener dog named "Uncle Hazard" amused me.

----I found out later that the name Emmett means truth, which works for the character of Emmett.

----I also went to high school with a boy named, "Buddy" and I just liked the name.

----I like the name "Jitters" (the kid who is always dropping things and tripping)...after a while the names become very real to me, and I can almost imagine the characters living deep in the holler in Maggie Valley on Fie Top Road.

Okay, so there my friends, you have a glimpse into the heart of Kerry Madden. I'll be back with more Q & A with Kerry in another post.

Until then, if you're looking for a series that oozes family love, 60's memories, and southern culture, then run on over to your favorite bookstore/library. Ask the good folks behind the desk for Gentle's Holler, Louisiana's Song, and Jessie's Mountain.