Check This Out: Charlotte Cuts It Out

Yes, today is the day that I reveal the winners of The Lost Celt. (Click here, if you’re totally confused by that sentence.) But first, please help me greet the still fabulous Kelly Barson, who is back on the blog to talk about her latest contemporary young adult novel, Charlotte Cuts It Out. This book was published by Viking this past April. If you are a regular follower of this blog, you might remember Kelly from this interview a few years ago when her first novel debuted.

 

Kelly is represented by Sara Crowe. Click here to read a synopsis of Charlotte Cuts It Out. We’ll wait till you return. You’re back? Just in time to hear some good news. One of you will win a copy of this book. Now, let’s talk to Kelly.

El Space: Four quick facts about yourself?
Kelly: 1. I’m a grandmother.
2. I—well, my family really—collect antique steam tractors.
3. I’m left-handed and can write in mirror image, like Leonardo Da Vinci.

4. I’m an INFJ who married an ESTP six months and one day after our first date.

El Space: I don’t think I’ve seen a book recently where a teen pursues a vocation. Very refreshing! So, what inspired you to write Charlotte Cuts It Out? I couldn’t help thinking of someone I know who participated in the cosmetology program of her high school. She’s out of high school now and working at a salon in my area.
Kelly: My daughter was a high school cos student. She’s now working as a stylist. Out of my four kids, only one went to college. The other three work in the trades, and each of them got their training while still in high school. Trades are viable career options, and they’re often misrepresented, if presented at all.

El Space: What were the challenges and joys of creating a character like Charlotte, who really seems to know her own mind?
Kelly: Charlotte was both fun and challenging to write. Her sass was fun to write, but the annoying parts of her often mirror my own nature, so that was weird/interesting. The hard part was allowing her to be herself while still trying to present her as somewhat likeable, so readers care. Was I successful? That depends on the reader, I guess. My critical thesis at VCFA was on unlikeable protagonists, but that didn’t make writing one any easier.

El Space: If Charlotte had to create a style palate for Michelle Obama, what would she do first and why?
Kelly: This is hard because Michelle Obama doesn’t really need style help. She is already fierce and awesome. Charlotte (and I) would love to see her hair in its natural curl. She typically has it straightened with a flat iron, and it always looks fabulous, but she could mix it up a bit by going natural now and then. As for colors, she looks amazing in bright jewel tones. She and Barack are a stunning couple who can light up a room. No need to hide that. Her makeup is usually understated and accentuates her beautiful features, which is perfect for her. Oh, man, I’m going to miss her in the White House!

El Space: If you had a chance to name a nail polish color, what name would you choose?
Kelly: This is easy. I did this in Charlotte: Iridescent Iris!

 

El Space: What’s the best writing tip you’ve heard recently?
Kelly: This tip is from the prolific Cori McCarthy (AKA Cori McAwesome): Plot, but then don’t be beholden to it. Cori plots out her books, but isn’t afraid to let the story evolve how it needs to and change the outline as needed. She is fearless.

El Space: What are you working on next?
Kelly: I have several works-in-progress. One is another YA project about a girl and her sister who live with their hoarding grandmother. Another is a dual-POV story that takes place in 1976 and explores affirmative action. I worked on this at VCFA with Rita [Williams-Garcia]. I’m also working on a MG Christmas story. Then there are the stories that are still marinating in my brain space.

Good to have you as my guest, Kelly!

You can find Kelly at her website, Twitter, and Facebook. Charlotte Cuts It Out can be found here:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Indiebound

Do you know someone who pursued a trade, rather than attending a liberal arts college? Comment below to be entered in a drawing to win a copy of Charlotte Cuts It Out. (Please comment, even if you don’t know someone.)

Now let’s get to the winners of The Lost Celt by A. E. Conran.

    

Those winners are

Andy of City Jackdaw

and . . .

and . . .

and . . .

Penny of Life on the Cutoff!

Congrats to the winners. Please comment below to confirm. The winner of Charlotte Cuts It Out will be announced on June 13.

Author photo by Hal Folk. Book covers from Goodreads. Michelle Obama photo from africancelebs.com. Iris image from clisawrite.files.wordpress.com. Nail polish photo from Pinterest. Da Vinci mirror writing image from imgarcade.com. Cosmetology student photo from sites.google.com.

Check This Out: Brotherhood

Hello. Glad you found your way back to my neck of the woods and didn’t get lost along the way. I could tell you stories about getting lost! But I won’t digress. Instead, I’ll announce that with me today is the fascinating and fantastic Anne Westrick. Anne is represented by Leigh Feldman of Writers House.

If you’re a regular reader of the blog, you can probably guess the place Anne and I have in common, so I’ll save myself some typing and instead tell you that Anne’s book, Brotherhood, is what we’re here to talk about today. (If you’re new to the blog, just click here and you’ll have the answer.)

Check out this synopsis for Brotherhood:

The year is 1867, and Richmond, Virginia, lies in ruins. By day fourteen-year-old Shadrach apprentices with a tailor and sneaks off for reading lessons with Rachel, a freed slave, at her school for African-American children. By night he follows his older brother to the meetings of a brotherhood, newly formed to support Confederate widows and grieving families like his. As the true murderous mission of the brotherhood—now known as the Ku Klux Klan—emerges, Shad is trapped between his pledge to them and what he knows is right. In this unflinching view of the bitter animosity that stemmed from economic and social upheaval in the South during the period of Reconstruction, it’s clear that the Civil War has ended, but the conflict isn’t over.

Brotherhood debuts on September 12, courtesy of Viking/Penguin. But one of you will receive an ARC of Brotherhood very soon. It even comes with a bookmark! More about that later.

El Space: Thanks for stopping by, Anne! Please slip us four quick facts about yourself.
Anne: Through junior high and high school, math was my favorite subject. I don’t live to eat; I eat to live. I love sudoku puzzles. I hate to shop.

El Space: Wow. For two out of four of those answers, we are twins separated at birth! So, how did you come up with the idea for Brotherhood?
Anne: It really started with a feeling more than an idea—with the feeling of being stuck in a situation you can’t get out of. When my father was growing up in the South in the 1930s, he felt stuck, and vowed that he wouldn’t raise his own children there. I thought about that a lot, and started writing scenes with a character who felt stuck. My protagonist is a boy who has joined a gang, because it offers him a lot of support. Then the gang—the Klan—makes demands on him, and he wishes he hadn’t joined. But it’s too late.

El Space: How long did it take you to write Brotherhood?
Anne: I started in 2008, completed a first draft in 2009, then rewrote it five times during 2010. In 2011, I polished the story and the manuscript got the attention of an agent who sold it to Viking. My editor there asked for revisions, and I worked on those in 2012 and early 2013.

El Space: What tools were helpful as you researched the time period?
Anne: Books, libraries, museums, and the Internet were great. I set the story in Richmond, Virginia, where I live, and I made a point to walk or drive down every street mentioned in the story, and linger en route, taking in the details—the angle of the light, the toll of church bells, the views of Richmond’s hills.

El Space: What appealed to you about this time period? What were the challenges of writing about such a turbulent period in history?
Anne: Many have written nonfiction about this time period—Reconstruction—but I hadn’t seen a lot of good fiction set after the Civil War, so I figured that even in today’s saturated market, there might be a place for a novel set in the late 1860s. I’d also noticed that while there are books featuring Southern elites—plantation owners—and African-Americans, both free and enslaved, few books feature ordinary poor white tradesmen. I didn’t think their story had yet been told.

El Space: Many writers sprinkle a little bit of themselves in their characters. Which character, if any, is very much like you? Which is extremely different from you?
Anne: I was a little goody-goody growing up, so my bad-boy character, Jeremiah, was really hard to write. I’d like to think that the character most like me is Rachel, the African-American teacher who is strong and funny and determined. But I’m probably more like the protagonist, Shad—sometimes unsure and questioning how I got into a situation I didn’t plan on, and basically trying hard, but not always succeeding.

El Space: What authors or books inspire you as a writer?
Anne: For writing inspiration, I’ve read Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird three times. She was the first to give me permission to write badly and revise later, and without that advice, I wouldn’t have a book coming into the world this year.

Thanks, Anne, for visiting today! Anyone else who stopped by need not say good-bye to Anne. You can visit her at her website, Facebook, or on Twitter. And don’t forget that Brotherhood is available here:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Indiebound
Powell’s Books

I’ve got an ARC of Brotherhood signed by Anne and a bookmark ready to leave my hands and find a home in yours. Simply comment below to be entered in the drawing to receive both. The winner will be announced on Saturday. Previous winners sadly remain ineligible until September. But please don’t let that stop you from commenting! As Edna Mode from The Incredibles would say, “I enjoy our visits.”

Photos of Richmond from Wikipedia. Bird by Bird cover from Goodreads. Edna Mode from msednamode.blogspot.com.

Check This Out: 45 Pounds

With me on the blog today is the fabulous Kelly Barson, whose young adult novel, 45 Pounds (More or Less), debuts today, people! Exciting times! And yes, if you’re curious, I know Kelly from VCFA!

  

Kelly is represented by Sara Crowe at Harvey Kilinger, Inc. Her publisher is Viking/Penguin.

Here is a synopsis of 45 Pounds (More or Less):

Here are the numbers of Ann Galardi’s life:

She is 16.
And a size 17.
Her perfect mother is a size 6.
Her aunt Jackie is getting married in 10 weeks and wants Ann to be the bridesmaid.

So Ann makes up her mind:
Time to lose 45 pounds (more or less)
in two and a half months. 

Welcome to the world of infomercial diet plans, endless wedding dance lessons, embarrassing run-ins with the cutest guy Ann’s ever seen—and some surprises about her not-so-perfect mother. 

And don’t forget the last part of the equation: It’s all about feeling comfortable in your own skin—no matter how you add it up!

To celebrate, I’m giving away one copy to a random commenter. More on that later. Let’s talk to Kelly right now!

El Space: Happy Release Day! Please share four quick facts about yourself.
Kelly: I have four dogs and four kids. I love bright colors. I’ve lived in Jackson my whole life—Jackson, Michigan for most of it, except for sixth and part of seventh grade, when I lived in Jackson, Mississippi. I’m both introverted and extraverted, in equal parts.

El Space: When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?
Kelly: I don’t remember ever not wanting to write, but I decided to commit to it seriously in 2004, when I was 34. Before that, I thought it was a pie-in-the-sky kind of dream, like being a pro basketball player or an astronaut. It wasn’t until I’d met several other author/friends that I realized that not everyone is Judy Blume or J. K. Rowling, but lots of people are writers, and I could be, too.

El Space: Which authors inspire you? Why?
Kelly: Authors like Rita Williams-Garcia and Cynthia Leitich Smith inspire me because even though they’re accomplished and talented and extremely busy, they always make time to encourage other writers. Children’s lit writers, overall, are a lot more encouraging to their peers than other professions. We focus on camaraderie, rather than competition. I like that. That’s the kind of author I want to be.

 

El Space: What inspired you to write this book? Were the conflicting messages in the media about beauty a help or a hindrance?
Kelly: Both the media and prevailing perceptions of people made it hard. I think overall people are against discrimination on any level, yet when it comes to obesity, there are a lot of misconceptions. I wanted to show that overweight people aren’t lazy or unaware, and that they do care about their health. I wanted to show that the issue isn’t as simple as going on a diet, losing weight, and becoming happy.

El Space: What strengths do you have in common with Ann? How is she different from you?
Kelly: I’m like Ann because when I decide to do something, I commit wholeheartedly. She and I also share the tendency to procrastinate. Our family lives are different, though. My parents never divorced, so I’ve never had step-parents or step-siblings. I did have a kooky grandma, though, who called people “fat ass,” but just like Gram, she wasn’t mean-spirited about it.

El Space: What would you say to teen you if you could?
Kelly: I would tell teen Kelly to lighten up. I took everything too seriously and worried too much what people thought—more like, what I thought they thought. I wish I could invent a magical mirror that showed teen girls how people really see them. Maybe then they could appreciate all they have going for them. Most every teen girl I’ve ever met is prettier than she realizes.

El Space: Ann’s goal is to lose weight for a wedding. Why do you think weddings are such a catalyst for change for those attending (other than the bride and groom)?
Kelly: It’s a tangible goal. A ticking clock is more likely to motivate than a vague idea of “someday.” Besides, wedding pictures last forever, sometimes longer than the marriages themselves, unfortunately. Everyone wants to look their best in them.

El Space: You’re married, but have you ever been a bridesmaid? If so, what was the most fun aspect of that experience?
Kelly: I was a bridesmaid in my cousin’s wedding, about a year after my wedding. We picked out floral dresses that I imagined I could wear again someday. Don’t we say that a lot? Who ever really wears them again, aside from maybe Halloween? I loved that we also bought the matching hats. I loved that hat. Why, I don’t know. I’ve never worn it since.

El Space: I haven’t worn any of mine either! So, what are you working on now?
Kelly: I’m working on another YA contemporary, again for Viking (Penguin). It’s about a high school cosmetology student who thinks she has her whole life planned and under control, until everything falls apart.

El Space: Cool! What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Kelly: If you find that subbing to agents and editors isn’t going where you’d like it to, take a break from submitting to really work on craft. Go to workshops. The Highlights Foundation has great ones. There are many others, too. Read tons and tons of great books and not just in your genre. Study them. What makes them great? Never give up writing, and never give up submitting totally. Be bold. You go from unpublished to published in a moment, and you never know when that moment will be.

Thanks, Kelly, for being such an awesome guest today!

Thanks to all who stopped by. You can find Kelly at her website or on Twitter. Also, you can get 45 Pounds (More or Less) here:

Indiebound.org
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Powell’s Books
Anderson’s Bookshop

If you order from Nicola’s Books in Ann Arbor, Michigan, you can get it autographed or, for one week only, personalized. For autographed or personalized autograph, please specify in the comments section at checkout.

One of YOU will get a free copy simply by commenting below! This offer is good TODAY only. The drawing is NOT limited to the U.S. Winner to be announced on Sunday.

Author photo by by Hal Folk. Book covers other than 45 Pounds are from Goodreads.