25 Jul
Check out my profile/interview just posted on the youthconnect.ca website for teens. It’s part of the new Get Inspired! series on Canadian YA authors.
http://www.youthconnect.ca/
I’m not sure how they chose me, but I’m so pleased that they did. And I’m delighted to be in such good company.
5 Jul
I’m often asked where I get my ideas, as if they’re something I go out and buy, or maybe order online. I used to be tempted to reply, “Up at the mall, 40% off today.” Or, “Down at the farmer’s market, if you want organic.” But now I’d say, “Sugar Beach, for free!”
I wondered where ideas came from too, when I first started trying to write. Where could I find inspiration? What should I write about? I envied people who had lived adventurously or had astounding family stories. They didn’t need to go shopping for ideas. They’d already bargained for them in exotic bazaars or had them hand-delivered by an eccentric aunt.
But what did I have to work with?
My life seemed … um, you know, not all that exciting. I often felt I was trying to turn straw into gold, like the miller’s daughter in the Grimm’s fairytale. How I wished for a Rumpelstiltskin to appear and help me spin my boring life into a book. And if he’d shown up, I might well have 
promised my first-born.
Alas, no such magic exists. But I did learn that golden ideas are anywhere and everywhere. I also learned that the secret to finding them is to look beyond your own life and think like a writer.
How? By adding a big handful of “what if?” to your straw. Here’s the way it works for me:
I spend half the year in Toronto, and have the great good fortune to live only a few blocks from Lake Ontario. On summer weekends when it’s too hot to do much of anything, I walk down to the waterfront with a book for the afternoon. In the past I’ve always ended up at Harbourfront or Toronto Island.
But this year Sugar Beach is my favourite spot to sit and read.
At the foot of Jarvis Street, tucked between the new Corus Entertainment building and the historic Redpath Sugar Refinery, Sugar Beach has sparkly sand, comfortable lounge chairs, and umbrellas the colour of strawberry ice cream.
Talk about spinning straw into gold. Sugar Beach used to be an ugly parking lot. Then somebody said, “What if we unpave it?” And now it’s a paradise.
But Sugar Beach isn’t just a cool place to read. It’s also an ideas paradise.
It’s hard for me to concentrate on reading a book when everyone and everything at Sugar Beach is possible material for a story. I find myself observing from behind my sunglasses, and eavesdropping on conversations.
There are so many great ideas fluttering around for free that I could never use them all. But if I wanted to choose one to take home to develop, I’d start by asking myself:
What if that hip young woman on the boardwalk wanders too close to the edge, trips in her platform sandals and falls into the water?
What if that hot guy who just came out of Corus tries to rescue her? What if he drowns in the attempt?
What if someone who worked at Redpath Sugar fifty years ago suddenly appears on the beach? What if she’s related to the dead guy?
What if those grandparents on bikes are meeting here to plot a crime?
What if those little kids building castles find a diamond ring in the sand? What if they find a bloody knife that’s surely a murder weapon?
What if? What if? What if?
Sugar Beach. Free ideas. Sweet!
21 Jun
As soon as I read that now infamous Wall Street Journal article “Darkness too Visible”, which slammed Cheryl Rainfield’s Scars along with much of today’s YA fiction, I rushed to get her book. I’m sure many others did too. 
In my day there were no YA books to give an innocent high-school girl insight into things that parents and teachers didn’t want to talk about. I was stuck with what were then considered scandalous adult books, so dangerous to a person’s morals that the London Public Library didn’t keep them on the open shelves. Instead such books were hidden in a back room and adorned with “restricted” labels, lest they fall into the wrong hands.
You had to be over eighteen to read Fanny Hill, Candy, Lady Chatterly’s Lover, Lolita or In Praise of Older Women. You had to fill out a special request form. The librarian had to approve your request, and then you had to endure public shame as she checked out your risqué choice.
But lucky me. As a teen I worked at the library after school and on Saturdays, so had easy access to those evil books. I never told anyone at the time, but I’m ready to admit now that I “borrowed” those books when no one was looking. That’s right. I didn’t ask for permission, since it would have been denied. Instead I sneaked the books home, hidden under my coat.
So as not to incriminate myself, I didn’t even stamp the books’ pocket cards with a due date. Oh, the guilt! I can assure you that to a dedicated library page such as I was, that felt almost as wicked as wanting to read those books.
And read them I did. 
After that I quickly became, to quote that WSJ article, “one who seeks out depravity”. I began to write heartwrenching poetry full of angst, moons and roses. I shortened all my skirts and sometimes went braless. A couple years later I took up with an older man and dropped out of university.
Eventually, I fell even farther from the nice southwestern Ontario United Church girl I’d once been. I became the kind of woman who reads edgy YA books and attempts to write them!
My forthcoming YA novel, How to Tend a Grave, Great Plains Teen Fiction, Spring 2012, is full of unpleasant stuff that might upset some people: prostitution, vandalism, teen pregnancy, miscarriage, death.
So you can totally see why I was excited to read Scars, a book so lurid that The Wall Street Journal had warned the world about it.
Well, what a surprise! Scars is not at all the dark, damaging horror I’d expected. Brave would be a better word. Uplifting would be another. Yes, it’s true that the book deals with difficult subjects, but in a positive, life-affirming way. Plus there’s hardly even any profanity!
All good YA books offer at least a sliver of hope, but Scars beams it out. And at the heart of Cheryl Rainfield’s dark story you’ll find love and light.
Sorry, WSJ, but anyone seeking depravity will have to look elsewhere.
As for my own moral decline brought about by “restricted” books, just so you know, I reformed, destroyed all my terrible teenage poetry and went back to school. I wear underwear most days now. And I returned those books to the library.
Okay, yes, I returned them in secret. But would a girl who’d been irredeemably corrupted by her inappropriate reading material have bothered at all?
14 Jun
Do you listen to music when you’re writing?
I know a lot of writers make playlists. Playlists for helping them create atmosphere, evoke a time period, bring characters to life. And playlists for you to enjoy while reading their books. 
But I find listening to music while I’m writing is just too distracting. Songs are stories, after all. Why would I want someone else’s stories in my head when I’m trying to write my own? What a way to lose focus.
Plus, I love to sing and can’t stop myself from singing along and then I get all emotional and start to obsess about whatever the lyrics remind me of. Good songs evoke strong feelings, and even the happy ones make me cry over something, someplace or someone. And it’s so hard to see the page or computer screen while I’m weeping.
As for instrumental background music, that’s even worse. It makes me feel like I’m at brunch in a fancy hotel, which makes me hungry. Or like I’m stuck in an elevator, which makes me claustrophobic. Or worst of all, like I’m on hold with Bell or Canada Post to complain about their shoddy service. Not good creative places for me!
Thing is, every writer’s creative place is different. Some work best in public spaces, like libraries or cafés, while listening to their favourite music.
I prefer silence and solitude.
So, no playlists to write to here.
But because I can’t imagine my world without music, I have made a playlist for surviving and enhancing the writer’s life. Singing along is highly recommended.
“Paperback Writer” - The Beatles
A good vocal warmup. Instead of “paperback”, feel free to sing “children’s”, “fantasy”, “romance”, ”mystery” or whatever kind of writer you want to be.
“Satisfaction” – The Rolling Stones
Exactly the right attitude when your brilliant ms has been rejected by every agent and editor in the universe. Warning: screaming this song can cause serious damage to your vocal chords.
“Let the Mystery Be” – Iris Dement
Help with the big questions writers ponder. Proof that the best ending is always on a high note. Sing word for word.
“Three Little Birds” – Bob Marley
When your computer crashes, you lose all your work and you’re on deadline, what else can you do but chirp along?
“Money, Money, Money” - ABBA
Sing “two-book deal” for “wealthy man” and do the happy writing queen dance!
“Foux du Fafa” - Flight of the Conchords
As a writer, you sometimes have to pretend to know more than you actually do. So fake it till you make it, but sing it in French.
“You Raise Me Up” - Josh Groban
Dedicate this to your talented and inspiring but underpaid editor. Sing with awe and gratitude. Don’t forget to bow.
“The Gambler” - Kenny Rogers
Sing “writer” for “gambler” and “book” for “hand”. Best sung with writer friends, this one says it all.
Happy writing life!
24 May
The fantasy world we Earthling writers call Publishing is a bleak, competitive and discouraging place. We diligently write, blog, twitter and pray for a bestseller, even as Publishing’s traditional boundaries shift around us and tree-books morph into wild electronic creatures.
If you choose to venture into this dark realm, talent alone will not be enough. Publishing’s fearful streets are stacked with remaindered books about to be shredded, and littered with rejected queries and manuscripts. So you must also pack superhuman courage, discipline and determination for your quest.
Unless you fancy living on breadcrumbs, bring an alternate source of income. Be sure to wear your thickest skin, preferably made of dragon scales. And if you are offered a special power, choose luck.
Once past the gatekeepers, those no response agents, no unsolicited editors and no time slush-pile readers, you must still be wary. Contracts signed in your precious writer’s blood might prove to be false documents. Your Publisher might simply vanish, casting a spell of invisibility over your rights and royalties. Or your Publisher might be conquered by a bigger Publisher, whose leader has no interest in your work.
Make no mistake: even after you’ve been admitted to the High Court of Publishing, you and your beloved book babies are always in danger.
But don’t despair. Sometimes good things happen in Publishing. Here’s a heartening tale to revive your spirits.
I’ve just finished reading Captured and The Darkening, Books 1 & 2 of Maggie L. Wood’s The Divided Realms series, which I was delighted to win in a Twitter contest.
I met Maggie online when we both had first books published around the same time with a small literary/feminist publisher, Sumach Press. I read Maggie’s The Princess Pawn, set in the mythical world of Mistolear, and then The Princess Mage, and really enjoyed both. I was looking forward to the third book.
But then Sumach Press was sold. When it became an imprint of an academic house, Maggie’s popular princess series was slain, leaving her first two titles orphaned and her third unborn.
Not to be thwarted, the intrepid Maggie set out to battle the powerful forces of Publishing. And the happy ending is that she stayed on quest until she eventually found a new home for her series. 
Lobster Press has just re-released the first two books. The third is forthcoming in Spring 2012 and three more are planned. The originals were good, but these revised editions with cool new titles and gorgeous new covers are even better, and they’re getting great reviews. So if you’re looking for intriguing YA fantasy with a feisty female protagonist, plus an engaging blend of magic, romance and humour, go read these books!
And remember that Publishing is a complex world. Yes, it can be heartbreaking. So beware. But never give up. When you’re least expecting it, wishes are granted and magic happens.
3 May
First drafts make me crazy. I’m a reviser. I’ll happily spend days cutting, developing and shaping a story. But how to produce a has-potential-but-needs-work ms in the first place? Even with characters, setting and plot in mind for a new project, a blank screen is so intimidating. I’m always tempted to shut down and go hiking.
Besides revising, I love to hike. There’s something about the physical effort that frees my mind and leaves me open to fresh ideas in a way I rarely am at my desk. One of the many reasons I appreciate living part of the year on Vancouver Island is the abundance of great hiking trails - up mountains, through rainforests and along ocean beaches.
My husband and I are day trippers - we haven’t yet done the West Coast Trail or anything that strenuous. But we do like a challenge, and discovering places we’ve never been. Recently we went looking for Ammonite Falls, outside of Nanaimo, near Mount Benson.
As we walked I thought about why I dread writing first drafts. I think it’s because they always begin so well, but then somewhere around the middle everything goes to mush. The urge to hit delete and switch to another project is overwhelming. Anything would be better than this stupid, contrived, derivative, unpublishable nonsense I’m wasting my time on.
The route through the forest to Ammonite Falls is just over 5 km roundtrip, easy at first and then more rugged, with lots of ups and downs and stuff like rocks and tree roots to trip over. Hmm, kind of like trekking through a first draft.
Around Mount Benson, a popular hiking and mountain biking spot, there are many trails, but few signs. We could easily get lost. Yes, we had a map, but maps aren’t perfect. Hmm again. Kind of like trying to stick to an outline or notes for a first draft. Helpful, but not foolproof.
We decided to follow the sound of rushing water. Our view of the falls from the trail was breathtaking. But for the best photo op, we had to descend a steep, slippery slope, with the questionable help of a frayed rope tied to tree roots. Scary!
I began making my terrified way down. Though knotted at intervals for gripping, the rope was so wet and muddy it was painful to hold on to. I wanted to give up and turn back. I felt the way I do when I’m struggling with a first draft. Like, ohmigod this is such a bad idea why am I doing this it will never work I’m such a loser I need chocolate.
For first drafts, I try to use a technique known as freefall. Don’t overthink, don’t edit, just write. But here, freefall might literally be the end of the story. At the very least I’d land in the wild water with broken legs. Wimping out seemed my best option. And yet, other folks had made it and were admiring the view. I didn’t want to miss my chance, so held on tight and slithered down. Eventually, shaking, swearing and covered with mud, I reached my goal.
Ammonite Falls, so named because of the fossils in the layers of rock below Benson Creek, is lovely. All misty and sparkling in the sunlight, the cascade looked like something out of a fairytale. I kept expecting to see magical creatures frolicking on the rocky shelf behind the falling water, or splashing in the clear green pool below.
What a setting! I’ve never written fantasy, but if I ever do, places like Ammonite Falls will definitely be featured. Hiking is so inspiring. 
It’s also enlightening. Here’s what it showed me about first drafts:
Go somewhere you’ve never been before.
Follow the sound of rushing water.
Take risks.
Trust your instincts and skills.
It’s okay to get dirty.
If freefall won’t work, hang on tight.
Be brave. But just keep going, one foot in front of the other, word by word.
And one more thing: hauling myself back up that cliff was way easier – more like revising.
8 Apr
Last Friday night I had the pleasure of attending the launch of Susan Juby’s new book, The Woefield Poultry Collective, at the Urban Beet in Nanaimo, BC. Here’s a photo of Susan signing her book for me.
I’m a big fan of Susan Juby’s YA books, especially the Alice series. The Woefield Poultry Collective is her first adult novel, and it’s every bit as engaging and entertaining as I expected. Both funny and dark, it bears her trademark emphasis on the bizarreness of life.
The book is set on Vancouver Island, an incredibly beautiful spot with spectacular mountains, ocean beaches and ancient rainforests. But there’s another side you won’t see in the tourist info – drive along any back road and you’ll find a place like Woefield Farm, full of ramshackle buildings, questionable livestock, and nutbar characters living wacky and often desperate lives.
In The Woefield Poultry Collective, Susan Juby mocks just about everything, while at the same time acknowledging with insight and humour the very real effects of misfortune, irresponsibility and despair. But in the end she delivers a message of hope.
My hope is that she’ll write a sequel. I’d love to know what happens next on Woefield Farm. Meanwhile, I’ll be reading her addiction memoir, Nice Recovery.
16 Mar
I’m thrilled to announce that my new YA novel, How to Tend a Grave, will be published by Great Plains Teen Fiction in Spring 2012. I’ll be working with the awesome editor Anita Daher. The book features two grieving teens who meet in a cemetery and … well, more about all that another day.
In honour of signing the contract I decided I needed a new website and blog.
For the past year, while How to Tend a Grave was out looking for a publisher, I’ve been working on my first historical YA novel. Set in 1868, it made me more concerned with my protagonist’s hand-written letters in pen and ink than in figuring out how to use Facebook or Twitter. But now that the manuscript is finished and under consideration, it’s time for me to return to the present and catch up with social media.
I find the Internet amazing but scary. Like many writers, I’m worried I’ll be so distracted by what’s out there that I’ll never write anything but blog posts and tweets again. Still, the chance to connect with the online reading and writing community proved impossible to resist. So here I am.
Many thanks to Crystal Stranaghan for designing my new website and explaining so patiently how everything works. Also to Debbie Ohi for her wonderful Writer’s Guide to Twitter, and to Shrinking Violet Promotions for their very helpful blog and Online Persona Workshop for introverts. I highly recommend them all.
12 Mar
A big thank you to Adrienne Mason , who compiled this list of great Canadian children’s and YA books with strong female characters for International Women’s Day.
