The Obstacle Course

Writing is simply the written form of communication, and if we can talk, then we can write. Sounds easy, right?

Well…writing is not that easy. It can be a real challenge—something like completing an obstacle course, but what makes the course even more challenging is that we all have different obstacles in front of us.

To write, we have to endure the false starts of dead-end topics, hurdle over self-doubt, leap over the big writer’s block, climb up the proverbial tower of grammatical rules, take a few wrong turns in a storyline, crawl through the long and tedious tunnel of the editing process, and then we have to sprint toward the end because this, like everything else in life, is being timed.

Right now, I’m trying to get over that second-book hurdle—and wondering how to make it “feel” different from the first novel in the series. So…I’m stuck in revision land with lots of helpful notes from the editor. Now I understand why the second book is so difficult: Writers have a tendency to replicate style, characters, and plots, but readers want something fresh and different every time.

So…do you have any advice for someone trying to jump over that second-book hurdle? And do you have any obstacles standing in your way right now?

It's Getting Crowded in Here

There is a group of people that live inside my head and I rather like it. They're mostly in their teens, are both male and female, and they all moved in while I was writing their particular stories. The interesting thing is that many of them do not choose to move out.

I would worry about this if I didn't like it so much. After all, since I am such a slow writer I tend to live with my characters for extended periods of time, so it's no wonder we all get cozy the longer we hang around together. For at least two of them, finishing their story after taking so long to do it almost broke my heart because as soon as it was finished, the nature of our relationship changed a bit. They knew they would take a back seat to whomever was moving in next, and I knew it would never be the same again because I finally had their story in its entirety. But at least they're both still around.

On the other hand, in return for free rent in my synapses, they gift me with different points of view and sometimes that makes life both more bearable and more interesting. When I'm in a situation that is distressful, worrisome, or just downright more annoying than it ought to be, sometimes I will try looking at that situation from the point of view of one or more of my characters. Perhaps some bozo in a huge gas guzzler just cut me off during a lane change on Highway 53. How would my buddy Jake react to that? Or would he even bother? Or maybe a complete stranger was inexplicably rude to me at the grocery store. What would my good friend Finn do in that situation? Actually, I know exactly what he would do and if I did that I would probably get arrested. But just the thought of it can make me feel so much better. Sometimes just that little tweak in perspective will be enough to shift my mood or even make me laugh out loud. For someone like me, who is waaayyy too sensitive, that can be a life saver.

Maybe all of this makes me a bit mad, I'm not sure. My husband would simply say that by definition, fiction writers are mad anyway and maybe he's right. Whatever, it works for me. I don't have multiple personality disorder. I'm just a fiction writer. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Global eBook Awards

I'm happy to announce that my YA Historical Fiction, Caves, Cannons, and Crinolines, has been nominated for the Dan Poynter's Global eBook Awards.

While having votes and comments isn't supposed to make a difference in the judging, (they'll base the winners on the book), I would appreciate comments and your votes. If you have a spare minute, please stop by the Contest Site and say "Hi." You'll also see 5 little e letters at the top, on the left side. When you hold your pointer over the e on the right it says: "You gotta read this one." I've been leaving comments on all my friends pages, and I'm discovering some new stories that sound interesting.

Thanks, all. You're the best. If any of you are entered, please let me know, and I'll be there in a flash.


Then, in my mail box this morning, I found more good news. And the way this year has been going, I really needed my spirits lifted. My book has also been named a Finalist in the Novella category of the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. At first I thought it was a mistake because I entered the teen division. However, the letter said they sometimes put a book in the category they feel it's better suited for. It is short, so I'm happy.

Oh, and I'm even invited to attend an awards reception at the Plaza Hotel in New York, (during BEA.) Now that would be a dream. Anyway, I'm sorry to run on so. Will get back to work.

Have a great week. Happy reading and writing.

My DEAR TEEN ME letter

My DEAR TEEN ME letter is now up:

http://dearteenme.com/2011/05/09/dear-teen-me-from-author-kim-baccellia-the-earrings-of-ixtumea-crossed-out/#more-1802

I love this blog.  A number of other YA authors have posted letters to their teen selves.  Mine is a little gritty and raw and I thank Cheryl Rainfield, the author of SCARS, for giving me the courage to write this.  I can't help but think how much a letter like this would have helped me during my darkest moments.

If you could, what would you write to your teen self?

(Mothers) Book Readings for the Naive & Fearless (Mothers)

(Mothers) Book Readings for the Naive and Fearless (Mothers)

Since May 8^th is/was Mother’s Day, some of you might be expecting a blog entry that ties into “mothers”. I’m sorry to disappoint you but I could think of nothing I felt I could say on the subject.

The closest I came to a subject was, “The Character of ‘Mother’ & Her Role in YA Lit”.

Sounds like a Ph.D. thesis title, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of anything much to write on the subject. The only interesting mother in YA lit who came to mind was the multitalented and charming chemist/mom in Madeleine l”Engle’s books (A Wrinkle in Time; A Wind Through the Door, etc) She can simultaneously give her kids advice, run an experiment and cook beef stew (in a beaker) in her garage lab for pete’s sake! And never once does she put hydrochloric acid in dinner either. Now she is one supermom!

Perhaps some of you can suggest other literary moms who are as great or quirky as she is--or else a few moms who are, uh, at the other end of the spectrum. Like all those stepmothers who are invariably nasty. I invite you to tell us about memorable mom characters in the Comments!

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In the meantime, I’m brazenly changing the subject to:

"Book Readings for the Naive and Fearless"

I participated in a book reading at a local public library back on Saturday the 16^th of April. The WRWG reading went off perfectly. In spite of heavy rain, our room was about four fifths full. Some of the people in the audience were people we didn't even know. (!) The only negative in my opinion was that afterwards when we left New Castle, the group in my car tried to drive into the Delaware River.

The reading was mutually sponsored by the New Castle Public Library, by the Delaware Council for the Arts, and by WRWG, i.e. The Written Remains Writers Guild. I've been a member of the latter since 2003. Back in the day (mid-1990's through about 2007), Written Remains was strictly a genre writers critique and mutual support group. Members tended to write mystery, speculative fiction, suspense, etc. I’m the only one who focuses on YA fantasy. Our director, Joanne Reinbold’s long term goal is to transform us into what I guess is partially a professional authors’ PR/marketing consortium. We still read and critique each others’ works. Recently we’ve begun offering membership to literary fic authors.

Justin Tyme (Joanne’s son) set up everything tech for the reading, Carol Maurer was at the book table and Ramona deFelice Long introduced us all. I read first (from “Earthbow” vol.1). Then Greg Smith read, then Weldon Burge, then Kristy Nicholls and finally Joanne. Everyone brought great pieces and everyone read -wonderfully-! My friends, Brandon and Michelle made it to the reading but, alas, a bit late. Pictures were taken. No, you do not get to see them. I was in the middle of a computer crash at home and had to rush to get ready for the reading. I was not at my best, appearance-wise. I had a chance to talk to all sorts of people once the readings were over. All-in-all, I came away with the illusion that I was a professional author.

Several readers sold copies of their books, or magazine issues in which their stories appeared. I sold one copy each of "Seabird", "Earthbow vol.1" and "Earthbow vol.2". All to a lady who is going to hate them. (I trust my “vibes” in these things. ;-P ) She came up afterwards, had me sign the books, and remarked that I had stopped reading at a point that left her wondering what happened next. (Grin. Gee. I hadn't noticed!) I hope she gives the books away to someone who will enjoy them—perhaps a niece or son.

Speaking of which, I have yet to participate in a reading where young adults were present! This isn’t so bad for my fantasy books—which are on the cusp of YA and adult. Still I would love to read to a room full of age appropriate kids.

This was the most "successful" reading in which I've ever participated. WRWG had a similar public reading a couple of years ago, held in the Greenbank Mill Museum meeting room. The audience was much smaller and consisted of virtually no one besides friends & family. The DE Council for the Arts was not involved back then. I sold nothing at that reading nor did others. AND I messed up my second reading—which I had not rehearsed.

I've also been involved in readings hosted by Broad Universe --women writers of speculative fiction-- held at several regional SF/Fantasy cons. In most these, we "Broads" outnumbered our “audience” of friends. In November 2010, the PhilCon conference committee inadvertently locked us out of our meeting room for our reading. We called the con-comm office, waited for a key, gave up, and sat in the hallway outside our room to read. Very close to the elevators, with people dodging us as they came out of the doors. In my experience, when it comes to BU readings at cons, lack of promotion and organization by the local con committees tends to ruin any chances for a good turn-out.

Right after my first book, "Seabird" was published, I tried to get a reading gig at my local Borders. I thought it was a sure thing, because I’m a local author and because a former member of Written Remains worked there. They weren't interested. The same thing happened with the local indie store, where I used to buy most of my books. Their answer? “No room” Those are all my personal experiences with public readings.

The only WRWG member who has ever had huge success with public readings is Greg Smith (adult suspense/murder, “Final Price”). He has managed to get gigs at a variety of bookstores and libraries in the area. Don’t ask me how. And please don’t ask how many books he’s sold. You really don’t want to know.

I bring all of this up for a reason. I'm curious about the experiences of YAAYNHO authors—and of course anyone reading this blog entry. How many of you have participated in public readings? How did you land them? Where were they? Did you read mostly to an age-appropriate audience or to adults?

Did the reading go well, re audience numbers, sales on the spot, or sales bumps directly afterwards? Do you think this is a viable promotional tool for YA adults or just for certain other subsets of authors? Why?

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Back to Mothers

Now if you really would like to read a blog entry & comments that have to do with Mother’s Day and real mothers, may I suggest the following very thoughtful entry:

MuseItUp Publishing (blog name)

“Harder Than I Thought” by Terri Main (entry/author)

One thing! Please leave a comment here first, before you go there. And, of course, you’ve long since bookmarked our page. Right?

http://museituppublishing.blogspot.com/2011/05/harder-than-i-thought.html?showComment=1304797562358#c7960851514697153424

ZooZinky Babba Poo

I became fluent in the language nonsense at a young age and I can thank one Theodor Geisel for it. I am not sure why it captured my imagination as it did- but reading "Big Z, little z what begins with z? I do- I am a Zizzerzazzerzuss as you can plainly see!" filled my imagination and heart with joy. 


Why? Well - it goes back- I believe - to the invention of language itself. One sunny morning when Zog and his wife Uga were strolling the African veldt seeking breakfast- Uga spotted a new strange animal scampering through the grass. She searched her memories and came up blank. What was this thing? Her imagination sparked.  Her synapses fired. Her language centers bubbled and her mouth and tongue went to work. Her vocal chords vibrated and the sound Kahawamys sounded. She had named what we know as an ancient, prehistoric rodent. (Well- maybe not that Latin word- but I make my point!) It is what Tolkien called sub-creation. Humans are good at it. Our egos revel in it. It is why I sit hear typing this. It is why Kindles around the world buzz with best sellers and basement dwellers. Our minds create words to mean things. Then link these words to tell tales. And when there is a blank to be filled we simply make it up. 


So are nonsense words really nonsense? Meaningless? I say NO. The Dr. Seuss example I give above defends my case. A Zizzerzazzerzuss make sound silly - but that is the name of the genus of creatures in the zoological records of Teddy G. What else was he going to call it? A Giraffe? Taken.


Try it right now. Just let words fly from your mouth. Nothing from Webster. Be your own Dr. Seuss. I'll start:


Bashinky bippy zoocopa suspinka dabba kanoo.


Its fun. And liberating. An powerful. In fact, there is a practice called glossolalia - speaking in tongues that can- it is said- create altered states of consciousness in the practitioners.  Chanting works on the same principle. 

Babies will babble endlessly- having apparent thoughtful conversations with themselves and others. Again- unfettered dialogue. Words - "nonsense" perhaps - but words nonetheless flowing carefree and ripe with deep meaning from our sub-conscious.  

I love making up words. My writing tends to be fanciful fiction so I get to play god with my universe. 

And he grabbed a handful of frumblestock and formed it into a Garbingo. And it was good.

There is no greater joy than the imagination left to flourish and plant seeds. Water them and watch the seedlings sprout. It is vital to talk to your plants. So let the nonsense flow. 

Chubabab skumaloo partinky!!

TV Tie-ins

How does a book get noticed? I am up to my eyeballs generating word-of-mouse as I promote my new middle grade novel, Letters to Juniper.

Natalie Collins and I often discuss marketing techniques and run promotion ideas by each other. Book reviews. Interviews. Booksignings. School visits. Advertising. Blog tours. You name it. What works? What doesn’t work? Okay, some days we agonize over book promotion.

“If there was some magic bullet, we’d all be doing it,” I always tell her.

When it comes to Natalie Collins’ books there does seem to be a magic bullet that definitely has an impact on sales. Her books get noticed.

Ever since the reality show Sister Wives gained national attention, Natalie’s book Sister Wife has been selling remarkably well. It’s the most amazing thing. Sister Wife is a great story, solidly written by the master of behind-the-Mormon-veil mysteries. But the book has been around a few years.

We had seen this life-imitates-art thing with her book Wives and Sisters. Natalie signed the contract with St. Martin’s after Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped. Wives & Sisters, which was penned long before the famous abduction in Utah, just so happens to be about the disappearance of a young Mormon girl after an encounter with a stranger [cue Twilight Zone theme].

So you see, it was no great leap to make the connection between Sister Wives and Sister Wife. Natalie and I agreed it’s definitely the popularity of the TV show that has captured readers’ interest in Sister Wife – the book.

So what does it mean?

It means I need a TV tie-in for Letters to Juniper. That’s what it means!

One day I pitched Natalie these reality show concepts to tie in with my book:

%*$@ My Fundamentalist Extremist Gun-Dealing Dad Says
I Don’t Know I’ve Got a Secret
My Crib is Surrounded by Big Brother

She ROTFLMAO’d back.

Alas, those reality shows – however clever – do not exist. So my next option is to tie Letters to Juniper to a show that’s already on TV. I decided to build on Natalie’s theme and started with the obvious:

Brothers & Sisters – A show about a dysfunctional family with a lot of dirty secrets. That explains the Smith family in Letters to Juniper all right. Except the kids in my book are a little young to be so cutthroat – and they don’t drink.

Sons of Anarchy – The title is perfect! A tight-knit gun-dealing clan with dark secrets. Now that describes the Smith family to a T. But this show is about a biker club. No motorcycles in my book.

No Ordinary Family – Again, the title says it all. The Smith family is anything but ordinary. However this is a show about a family with super powers. No super powers in my book either.

Fringe – This is my favorite show! FBI agents investigate unexplainable phenomena and an alternate universe. Alas, as much as I’d like to tie in my book with this awesome show, it’s too much of a stretch. The closest I can come is the Smith family as a target of a Fringe Division investigation.

Gossip Girl – Another apt title. Gossip plays a big role in Sarah’s story. Problem is, she’s not a rich Manhattan teen.

The Secret Life of an American Teenager – Even though Sarah’s not quite a teen yet, she is definitely living a secret life. Same glitch as the above though, Sarah’s not a teen living life in the fast lane. She’s a tween living life in the slow lane.

Lie to Me – Adventures of Dr. Lie Detector? Don’t think so.

Smallville – Clark Kent’s boyhood? No way.

Justified – A western? Nope.

Fear not. There are dozens – maybe even hundreds – more TV shows. Like Dog the Bounty Hunter. What a great title – that has absolutely nothing to do with my book. But it’s okay. I am undaunted in my search. I know the secret. The magic bullet. I’ll stumble onto it eventually …

Peggy Tibbetts

Letters to Juniper now available at Amazon.

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