Kristin Butcher... has novel ideas

Golly, how can it be another new year already? My life is zipping by before my eyes. I'd slam on the brakes, but apparently I don't have any. I don't have a reverse gear either.

So ... since I can't go backwards and I can't stop, I might as well keep going forward to 2012.

Christmas was quite wonderful, but I have to admit I am happy it's over and life is back to normal. Strange as it might sound, I quite like routine. I find it comfortable and calming. It's the special events I have to psyche myself up for. Even so, the new year has arrived with a bang. I contracted two new books in December, and that means I have lots of work on my plate, especially since one of the books isn't even written yet. No problem. It's totally outlined, and that makes the writing a piece of cake. The other is written, but it's just hit the desks of the editorial department, and in a few weeks I'm sure I'll be up to my eyes in revisions. Both books are scheduled for spring 2013 publication. One is called Caching In (Orca Book Publishers) and is about two fifteen-year-old boys caught up in the treasure hunt of their lives. No angst in this one -- just pure adventure, mystery, a little danger, and a lot of fun. The second book is titled God is a Yankee Fan (Dundurn Press). This one is also for teens (maybe a tad older), but the storyline couldn't be more different. It is about Dani, a seventeen-year-old girl who spends the summer with an uncle she didn't know she had. Everything is wonderful -- better than wonderful -- until it turns to disaster.

I am also reading -- a second-round juror for a writing competition, and I have to tell you, the stuff I'm looking at is terrific. There are some fabulous new writers coming up.

I need to get my picture taken too -- professionally. I always thought authors were invisible; people might know their names but not their faces. So how come I'm always having to send off a photo to some writerly thing or another? The last time I had my photo done was 14 years ago. It's time for an update, even though I run the risk of frightening my readers -- and myself. (Once again I wish I had that back-up gear.)

At the end of April I'm off to Moncton, New Brunswick for the Frye Festival. It is the biggest literary event in Atlantic Canada, and I am very honoured to have been invited. I shall be visiting a bunch of schools while I'm there, as well as attending the big Hackmatack Gala. (Zach & Zoe: Bully and the Beagle is one of this year's nominated books for the Hackmatack Award.) So I've got some preparing to do for this adventure.

All of these activities should carry me through to June at least. After that ... well, we'll see where the year takes me.

I can't believe it's been over four months since the last entry in my blog. I am ashamed. Why would anyone follow my blog if I don't write in it? All I can say in my defense is that I guess I didn't have anything to say.

Well, today I do. 

Writing is a good example of feast or famine. From 2006 to 2008, nothing much was happening for me. Oh, I was writing, but publishers weren't answering my knock on their doors. And then suddenly all the doors opened, and I even had publishers knocking on my door! From the spring of 2008 to the spring of 2011, I published 7 books.

And then suddenly there was nothing waiting in the wings. No cushion. Nothing coming down the pipe. Yikes! Time to panic.

But calmly.(If you know me, you know that makes perfect sense.) 

In October of 2010 my cousin -- a very creative mind in his own right -- came for a visit. I told him a cute anecdote. We both laughed, which was the objective of the anecdote, and I told him that one day I was going to write a book that embodied that anecdote, and I was going to call it God is a Yankee. I confessed I had no idea what the book would be about, but that very night, as I drifted off to sleep, the entire plot of the story came to me, and suddenly I knew what I needed to write. And boy, was I excited! It took me seven months to write the story, but I finished it at the end of June and promptly sent it off to one of my favourite publishers. The editor assigned the reading of the manuscript got back to me quickly. She didn't like it. (But you already know that. That was the last blog entry.)

If there's one thing I've learned about this industry, it's that the faster you get back on the bike, the less sorry you will feel for yourself and the more quickly you'll have success. So, that same day, I sent the manuscript off to another publisher.

The acquisitions editor at that house is a very odd bird in as much as she keeps writers informed. So, though I didn't get the final feedback on the fate of my story until yesterday afternoon, she kept me posted the whole way on what was happening. That is a writer's dream. Bottom line: the house is going to publish my book. Woo-hoo! Colour me thrilled. And ... I can't tell you this part yet, because it's not a for sure. But I'll get back to you.

Meantime, back at the ranch ... well, the computer, actually ... I had another idea for a book. It wasn't a new idea ... I've had it for a while, but I am finally ready to act on it. So, I write an outline and the first chapter and send it off to the appropriate publisher. They get back to me in about six weeks. The answer: YES!! Write the book. So, Caching In, will be in bookstores in the spring of 2013.

So once again things are happening for me, and I gots to get busy. 

Of course, I have other ideas too. And I'll get to them ... at some point.

And there's a bonus to all this as well. The Frye Festival, which is the biggest annual literary event in Atlantic Canada has invited me to take part in next April's festivities. How cool is that? Even better, it will allow me to attend the Hackmatack Award Gala in Moncton, for which my book, Zach & Zoe: Bully and the Beagle, is nominated.

Have I mentioned before how lucky I am to be living this dream I live? Well, I am. I couldn't be more thrilled or grateful.

Okay ... I'm officially in the groove. I just received the first rejection for my latest manuscript. Pfffffft! It never gets easier. But I tell myself that many of my stories that have gone on to be published elsewhere AND that have achieved much success were also rejected a time or two before they found homes. One such novel was rejected by this very same editor and went on to become a series, so in a way, that first rejection was a blessing in disguise. The thought doesn't completely eradicate the uncomfortable lump in my stomach, but it does inspire me to move on to lucky publisher #2.

The thing that riles most about this rejection is the editor's observation that the central character doesn't feel like a teenager. My characters have received this criticism before, and it always irks me. My characters are thinking, rational beings even though they are adolescents. I don't see this as being unteen-like. That's the kind of kid I was, and if I was like that then there are other kids like that out there too. In fact, I'm willing to bet that there are more kids like that than people realize. I taught teens for a long time and I was a parent, and in my dealings with young people I discovered that, given the opportunity, young people will think and respond to most situations in responsible, appropriate ways. It just has to be their idea. Teens don't have to be shortsighted and self-absorbed. I think we do them a disservice when we stereotype them like that.

And that's my rant for the day. Now where is the email address for the next publisher?

During my career in education, I taught everything from grade 1 science and social studies to grade 11 gifted English, so it's not really surprising that my books target audiences from 7 to 18. So far I've written early reader chapter books, primary biographies, middle grade fiction, YA novels, a fiction/science mix, and an illustrated (Martha Newbigging did the illustrations) information book. Just about the only genre I haven't managed to crack is picture books, and I'm not holding my breath. That's 18 books in 14 years as a published author -- I'm happy.

One of the arenas I threw my hat into is Hi-Lo books. As a teacher, I know how tough it is to connect reluctant readers to books, so when Orca Book Publishers initiated the Soundings imprint in 2001 -- Hi-Lo books for teens, I wanted in. My first Soundings book was The Hemingway Tradition (2002). After that came The Trouble with Liberty (2003) and Zee's Way (2004). Then Orca expanded the concept and started another Hi-Lo imprint for slightly younger readers -- Orca Currents, and I have had two books published there as well -- Chat Room (2006) and Cheat (2010).

Both series have been amazingly successful, and most importantly, they have achieved what Orca set out to do. They have captured reluctant readers. The books are short -- generally around 15,000 words, but they are not dumbed down. Though the sentence structure and vocabulary are kept simple, the storylines are gritty, making the books ideal for the target audiences. The thing is that avid readers like the books too.

Here's the pet peeve part. Often when the books are critiqued, reviewers will say things like, "The writing is good, but the book is very short," "Interesting but not very challenging," "Wish it had been longer," and "Pretty easy read."

Hello?!!? Does the term Hi-Lo mean anything to you? If the books are interesting but easy to read, then we authors have done our job, haven't we?

June 30th was the self-imposed deadline for finishing my latest WIP, God is a Yankee. And I did it. (Never mind that the previous May 31st deadline and the April 30th deadline before that went by the board.) I got the book done. Moreover, I've sent it off to a publisher. (Can't get this rejection ball rolling too soon.)

Since then, I've done diddly-squat in the writing department. I've read and reviewed a book, and read one and a half other books for my own enjoyment. I've played numerous computer games. I've coloured my hair, had it cut, and have had a manicure. I entertained guests. I've gone out for lunch a few times, and in a couple of days I'm going for a short holiday with my mother and sister. But I haven't really done any writing.

Well, not anything that amounts to anything ... yet. I got down the three opening pages for what I'm hoping will be another hi-lo teen book, and I've invested some time researching it. I've also come up with what I think is a cool concept for an information book, but aside from throwing ideas around in my head, I haven't done anything with that either.

That's over two weeks of slacking off. And to be perfectly honest, it's felt great. But then ...

My latest chapter book for early readers, Zach & Zoe and the River Rescue, got a good review in CM Magazine and a highly recommended rating. It also earned an Excellent rating in Resource Links Magazine. The Last Superhero made the CCBC Best Books for Kids and Teens publication, and Cheat was named Editor's Choice by Library Media Connection and was named to the PSLA Top Forty list.

All while I've been sitting on my duff not writing.

So, of course, I feel fabulous for about four seconds, and then I start to panic. Those are the last of my published books! I have nothing else contracted! I have to get some more stuff out there before publishers forget who I am! I have to get writing!

Okay, slack time is over. Consider the fire lit.

ME!!! Yes, it's true! Zach & Zoe Bully and the Beagle has won the 2011 Chocolate Lily Children's Choice Award in the chapter book category. Isn't it gorgeous! The award is made of crystal sculpted into the shape of British Columbia -- very unique and very beautiful.

I was happy just to be nominated for the award, so when I actually won, I was pretty much speechless. (That doesn't happen often.) The awards gala was held at Kidsbooks on Broadway in Vancouver, and it was in direct competition with the first playoff game of the Stanley Cup finals. So thank you so much to everyone who chose to attend the gala instead of the game. Thank you also to Kidsbooks for hosting a lovely evening and to everyone involved with making the Chocolate Lily Awards happen. A special thank you goes to my sister who chauffeured me to the gala and attended as my guest. (I know she would really have liked to be watching hockey.)

I would also like to congratulate all the other nominees, especially the other winners -- Cynthia Nugent in the picture book category and Iain Lawrence in the novel category.

Though I'm about 3/4 of the way through my latest WIP, it doesn't feel like I've been doing much writing lately. Other parts of my life have been eating up my time -- which is okay, because a person needs balance and variety, and I'm not generally very good at accomplishing that. I tend to work with blinders on much of the time. Don't see the dust. Don't see the empty fridge. Leave my painting supplies untouched for months. Don't even notice it's been raining since November.

But this spring has taken me into schools and libraries quite a bit, and a new grandchild (#6!) recently took me to flood country for a week of cuddling the new baby and learning to be a two-year-old again. It was a much-needed holiday. I didn't even take my computer, and what's more -- I DIDN"T MISS IT!!

Sigh. But that was last week, and now it's time to get back to some serious writing. I had originally wanted to get this latest book finished by the end of April. Here it is the end of May, and it's still a ways from completion. New deadline: June 30th. Nose to the grindstone, here I come.

However, I have one more distraction -- albeit a very pleasant one. The Chocolate Lily Gala (Zach & Zoe Bully and the Beagle is a nominee) is being held in Vancouver on June 1st, and I shall be in attendance. I'll probably stay on and visit with my sister for a bit, so there go a couple more writing days out the window.

But I shall get this book done. I'm determined. Discovering Cheat will be released in French as La Triche in the Fall, and Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers is nominated for the 2012 Red Cedar Awards is exactly the motivation I need.

Back in late February/early March, I conducted a series of writing workshops with grade 12 students at Carihi Secondary School in Campbell River. The goal was to create picture books. Since I've never had a picture book published, I saw this undertaking as a bit of a challenge. In theory I knew the basic concepts and criteria, but could I impart that to a group of 17 and 18 year-olds who likely hadn't opened a picture book since grade one?

I needn't have worried. Teachers, Trevor McMonagle and Nick Pisterzi, with the help of librarian, Betsy Muir, and two wonderful educational assistants had prepared the students well and followed through afterwards, seeing the stories to completion.

Yesterday I was invited back to view the finished products. A casual reception including coffee, tea, cookies, and squares provided by the home economics students preceded a session of readings and discussions of some of the students' stories. I was impressed. The teachers were impressed. I think the students were impressed too. And so they should be. A good job was done by all.

Don't you just love a success story?

It's been a fun week. The money arriving in the mail has exceeded the bills. (That's always good.) I got my tax preparation done and delivered to my accountant. I completed a painting I am very happy with. I had a great time at the Courtenay Library talking to readers and would-be writers. My new book, Zach & Zoe and the River Rescue is making its way into bookstores and landed on my doorstep a couple of days ago. I completed another chapter of my WIP. God is a Yankee. I read half of a novel I have to review. And last, but not least, another of my books, Zach & Zoe: Bully and the Beagle has been nominated for The Hackmatack Book Prize, a Maritime children's choice award.

Now, if I can just climb from 4th place to 1st in my March Madness pool, everything will be perfect.

Okay. I admit it. Two weeks ago, when I headed off to one of the local high schools to give my first writing workshop to 50 grade 10, 11, & 12's, I was nervous and more than a little intimidated. I knew there would not be enough chairs at the back of the room. Elementary school kids sit right on my feet if they can, but senior high students can't get far enough away. I know it has nothing to do with me personally, but the cool teen persona still poses a challenge.

The fact that the workshops were supposed to focus on picture book writing didn't help. For one thing, I don't have a single published picture book, so I'm not exactly an expert in the field. Secondly, I was having a hard time imagining that teenagers would want to write a picture book. And finally, picture books are half illustrations, and this was supposed to be a WRITING workshop. How could we get a finished product?

The students dribbled into the library and immediately headed for the reading area, draping themselves over the stuffed couches and chairs as only teenagers can. Late comers had to settle for the more uncomfortable, stacking chairs. When everyone was settled, I found myself surrounded -- literally. There were kids on every side, and I had to twirl in circles in order to talk to them all. (I could really have used a lazy susan!)

Before I even began, I had to throw my plan out the window. I had expected to be working with students who had a special interest in writing, but for over half of these students, the opposite was true. They weren't readers or writers. So, right out of the blocks, I had to improvise. Thankfully, the teachers had done a lot of groundwork, and the students had a good idea about what constituted a picture book. The teachers, librarian, and EA's also helped implement my instruction, which was great.

Somehow I muddled through the first workshop and came more appropriately prepared for the next two. Once we got past the first few minutes and the kids got a chance to ask some questions about me and writing, the teen force field keeping me at a distance came down, and we all became just a bunch of people working towards a common goal.

These were nice kids -- not scary at all. Some were funny, some were sensitive, some were on their phones. It was like teaching again, but without the headaches. I enjoyed working with these young people and was a little sorry when it was all over. I hope they had a good time too.