#Author Q and A

[sarahowritesostucky]

2023 In Review : Authors' Edition

What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again? I wrote my first drabble. Plan to do more as part of my compliments to fanart that I like and reblog.

How many fics did you work on this year? (They don’t have to be finished or published!) 28

What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer? I overuse semicolons and dashes and the first step is admitting you have a problem.

What piece of media inspired you the most? Handmaid's Tale, Snowpiercer (And of course MCU just b/c of Stucky)

What fandom(s) did you write for this year? Marvel/MCU, Actor RPF, Supernatural, Fresh, Snowpiercer, Knives Out

What ship(s) captured your heart? Stucky already had my heart. I really got into other C.Evans and S.Stan characters paired with OFC's, this year though.

What character(s) captured your heart? I liked exploring Curtis Everett and Lloyd Hansen. But I still ride or die for Steve&Bucky.

Did you write for a new fandom or ship this year? Yes!! Lots of new M/F pairings, and 5 new C.Evans characters.

What fic meant the most to you to write? "The Carter Academy for Omega Excellence"--because this was my first commissioned fic and I'm super proud of that. Plus, I've formed a friendship with the person who asked for it!

What fic made you feel the happiest to work on? No clear winner for this one, just a ton of ties. Fluffiest fic was "Angels Are Avian Adjacent"

What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing? "The Merging: A Union" - just b/c I've left the SN fandom and was glad to have given the story an end.

What fic was the most difficult to write? Did you finish it? "Medically Necessitated" - because there is SO much I want to include in the plot of this one and it just is hard to keep it all straight in my head sometimes. Plus I'm rarely in the mood to write it because I hold the tone and quality of the writing so dear to my heart, that I don't want to just phone it in or half ass it. It is not finished (yet!).

What fic was the easiest to write? "Wet Dream" was written as a Bingo fill, and it felt like it came pretty easily.

What were your shortest and longest fics this year? "It Started with Helga the Lunch Lady" - 863 words "Medically Necessitated" - 91,000 words

Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023 "Medically Necessitated"

What were you go-to writing songs? "Wicked Game," "Enjoy the Silence," "I want to," "Like U," "Say It," "Falling," "Insomnia," "Should Be Higher," "Daddy Issues."

What were your go-to writing snacks? Kratom, caffeine pills

What was the hardest fic to title? Hydra Sanatorium - the title was actually something else that I decided I didn't like, so it got changed.

Share your favorite opening line A 3-way tie between: 1. "As a gigantic fucking Duh, hiking that last mile home with an ass full of cum is no fun." (BB & his 1001 Fetishes, ch 34), 2. "The Morning When Steve Finds Out What Bucky Wants to do to His Dick:" (Modifications & Improvement of Functions), and 3. "Sebastian’s in the middle of taking a dump when he hears his phone out in the kitchen. “Ah, crap.”" (I Prefer Girls Who're Not Afraid to Cry)

Share your favorite ending line A 3-way tie between 1. "What the hell kind of simp-ass Dom even calls themself something stupid like "Bucky," anyway?" (It Started with Helga the Lunch Lady) 2. "And then, nodding at the box of Midnight Black #106 that the other man is considering, furtively advises, “... don’t do it.”" (Merry & Bright, part 2) and 3. "Well, Bucky utilized his super soldier stealth skills. Steve tripped into the floor lamp." (Good Ol' Fashioned Values)

Share your favorite piece of dialogue I couldn't sort through ALL of the dialogue, lol, but it would definitely be the dirty talk in one of them. A recent one that comes to mind is the sexually tense and taunting back and forth Bucky has with his half-sister in "Make it Stick", or the banter between Ransom and his ex-GF in "Who'd You Have to Blow to Get That Part?"

Share an excerpt from your favorite scene AGAIN, too too many to sort through them all, but I love the scene in Good Ol' Fashioned Values where Steve and Bucky are making love, and Steve is emotional over wanting to be the omega mate he used to be for Bucky, and Bucky tenderly reassures him that he's still the perfect mate: [[“Buck, oh, p-please …”

“Uh huh. That’s right Honey. So soft. You work so hard to go soft for me, don’t you Sweetheart?”

Steve whimpered in a way he rarely did anymore, hands flying up to cover Bucky’s on his neck. “Yes, yes,” he gasped. His fingers curled into Bucky’s metal ones and held on almost desperately. “Please. I can be good. Buck,”

It broke Bucky’s heart a little bit, and he cooed sadly and shook his head. “Aw, Stevie, no.” He changed his pace, slowing down and fucking in deep and staying there to grind them together. “You’re always good, Honey. Always. Even when you can’t.” Steve’s eyes got misty at that, and plaintive, sad sounds started working their way out of his throat alongside the moans. Bucky hushed him. “Shh sh sh, Sweetheart.”]]

Share the final version of a sentence or paragraph you struggled with. What about it was challenging? Are you happy with how it turned out? The last paragraph of Modifications & Improvement of Functions, because the tone of the fic was so lighthearted and so twisted at different points, I wasn't quite sure which tone I wanted it to end on. [[Steve’s old junker of a heart gets another ding in it. He pulls Bucky in close to be the little spoon, and lies there kissing at the back of his neck for a long, long time. “You always work right, Buck. You’re always perfect. I love you.” He traces the edges of the star that’s carved into the nape of his neck, and eventually he whispers, “We’ll go to the piercing shop tomorrow.”]]

What's something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story? That a 16 year old character may NOT be written engaging in even non-explicit sexual relationships in a Tumblr fic. I had to reformat a few details to be safe (but I increased the age gap super much instead, so nah nah! 😝(Got my abusive Tumblr Staff Troll 🧌to thank for that one.)

What did you use to write? (e.g. writing programs, paper & pen, etc.) Google Docs. Sometimes I'll jot something small down straight onto a Tumblr post.

If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year? I'm just really satisfied with the themes and unique way the narrative handles the subject matter in Modifications and Improvement of Functions, I think. As well as how I navigated the half-sibling incest depicted in "Make it Stick"

Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic? When I achieved 5 in a rows on Bingos, I posted the masterlists. First time doing that!

How did you recharge between fics? Sleep, binge eating, elliptical machine/gym, Youtube videos.

If this were an awards show, who would you thank? My supporters who have commissioned fics, my most frequent commentors/rebloggers, and the people who supported me when the Tumblr Staff Troll 🧌 started abusing her position. (@smlmsworld, @autumnrose40, @pia-bartolini, @pandafishao3, @albymangroves, @rogersbarneses, @cobaltmoonysart, @justsupersarahthings (@and the others who I probably forgot!)

What’s something that you want to write in 2024? I have a fic I was writing for the @stuckyhistoricalfiction challenge that I never finished because of an injury/recuperation, but I truly love the fic concept and what I have written so far, so I'd like to finish that this year, even if it's just a shorter version than I'd planned. I also had two fics I was supposed to write and another fic I was supposed to draw for, for the @stuckybangs, which I didn't complete due to the injury. I'd love to collab with those partners and fulfill their visions! BUT MOST OF ALL: I want to finish up many, if not most (or all 😅) of my WIPs that I have going. I love them all so much and have no intention of letting any of them remain unfinished forever!

[shallow-seas-we-sail]

fic writer review!

thank you for the tag @mssirey

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

12, split between two fandoms, but i have more on ff.net

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

126,154

3. How many fandoms have you written for?

Only two (Rizzles and Supercorp). Wait... does Calzona count? I wrote some crossovers with them

4. Top 5 fics by kudos?

This actually kind of fun. I’ve never gone through and looked at the stats over on ao3.

1. No Other Shade of Blue 

2. The Winning Bid (Kara’s Crisis on Earth)

3. Savior Complex

4. Best of Five (A Game Night Intervention)

5. Cover Story

5. Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

I do! I enjoy the reader/author interaction, especially beyond “great stuff! thanks for sharing!” I really like to delve into thoughtful and insightful comments and start a conversation. I love hearing how people interpret the story and specific scenes, because as an author you really want to convey an emotion or setting. And man, when someone gets what you were going for in a story, that’s a great feeling

6. A fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending

I suppose that would be Winter Song, but also if Copper and Wine ever gets finished (RIP WIP) it would be that.

7. Do you write crossovers?

Yes, I wrote a Rizzles Hannibal AU (it didn’t include Will or Hannibal, but I drew a lot from the tv show/movies/books for each, so a guess it could be a crossover? eh...) and some Rizzles/Calzona crossovers on ff.net

8. Ever received hate on a fic?

Luckily, no. Maybe some rude comments, like I didn’t make smut specific enough, or write a particular version of a charter, but never hate. And if you are a person that leaves hate on fics: get wrecked

9. Do you write smut?

Yes, but I have been told it is art house smut. I don’t write a lot of specifics when I write smut, because I like to leave it to the reader how they envision the scene. Sometimes specifics bog down a scene, and it feels almost too technical. I like to give the outline, and have the reader fill in the rest.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don’t think so, at least not outright. I have read fic with VERY SIMILAR themes/scenes, but never word for word

11. Ever had a fic translated?

Yes. I had someone ask to translate Copper and Wine into Russian.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yes, a few! The Execution of All Things, and The Clueless Detective and the Dumb Genius both with @socks-lost

13. All time fav ship?

Hands down, my first, last forever otp is Xena and Gabrielle.

14. WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I started this L Word/Rizzles fic that had Jane and Bette getting more and more ridiculous to win Maura’s affections (JANE v BETTE: The Top Off Heard’Round The World). I wrote the first 2 chapters, but got sidetracked

15. Writing strengths?

I suppose...flow? I’ve been told my writing is lyrical.

16. Writing weaknesses?

Emotions, because what are those?

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I have, but only simple sentences/phrases, and it has been in French, Italian, and Kyrptonian

18. First fandom you wrote for?

Rizzles, but I had been reading fic for a long time

19. What’s your fav fic you’ve written so far?

I really love Copper and Wine, because it is first person (which is a POV I never use) and because I really have fun tying together the shows/character traits in interesting ways. But I think it is probably East of Wishing in the Rizzles fandom and No Other Shade of Blue in the Supercorp fandom

I TAG: @socks-lost, @jobethdalloway, @mjduncan, @kendrene, @coffeeshib

[cbcdiversity]

Author Interview with Gayle E. Pitman

Tell us about your most recent book, The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets . How did you come to write it?

When my first book, This Day in June , won the ALA Stonewall Award, I received the following message: “Let me add my own congratulations. As one of those old timers who was at Stonewall and our first Pride march, it amazes me how far we’ve all come. Congrats, Fred Sargeant.” After overcoming my complete state of shock and awe at this message, I pulled it together and responded to Fred, and we struck up a friendship. Fred and his partner at the time, Craig Rodwell, owned and ran the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop, and both were key activists in the period before and after Stonewall. His message is what inspired me to learn more about Stonewall and its role in the larger fight for LGBTQ+ rights.  

Why did you choose to tell this story through objects?

Stonewall is what many scholars refer to as a “contested history.” There was very little media coverage of the event itself, and many of the people who were involved in the riots and the subsequent activism are no longer with us. To complicate things further, so much of the story is based on “he said/she said/they said” anecdotes, and many of those narratives are conflicting. Using objects to understand history is a good way to tell a story that’s complicated, especially if that story differs depending on who’s telling it. Plus, I love antiques and collectibles, and they help me bring history to life.   

How did you do your research?

Researching Stonewall was incredibly difficult, because it’s hard to find accurate and credible information about it unless you know where to look. Fred Sargeant was so helpful in this endeavor. He pointed me towards the Craig Rodwell papers at the New York Public Library and the Foster Gunnison papers at the University of Connecticut library, and even went so far as to advise me on which folders in the collection held specific items. I also combed through archival materials at the New York LGBT Center, the ONE Archives at USC, the Museum of the City of New York, and other places. I interviewed people like Margot Avery, who was ten years old when the riots occurred, and watched them from her apartment building’s fire escape. I read books and watched documentaries. I visited New York City and went to the Stonewall Inn. I explored various sites, including where the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop, the Village Voice offices, STAR House were originally located. I even walked the route of the first Christopher Street Liberation Day March. In order for me to share history authentically, it helps if I can get as close as I can to the experience.

Who threw the first brick?

The short answer is that no one really knows for sure, although everyone has their theory. Some say it was Marsha P. Johnson, others say it was Stormé DeLarverie, and still others say it was an unknown female. There are people who question whether it was really a brick that was thrown (which is a fair question – why would a random brick be lying around on the street?). If anything, I think this question is about something much bigger than “who threw the first brick.” What people are really asking, in my opinion, is who instigated the riots? Who was at the epicenter of this movement? Was it white cisgender gay men, or trans people of color, or women, or street kids? Or all of them, in different ways?

Many of your book focus on LGBTQ+ history. Why?

LGBTQ+ history is largely hidden, and one of my goals in writing these stories is to bring visibility to that history. So many LGBTQ+ people feel invisible and unmoored, and one way to root people into a community is to share our histories with one another. Thankfully, two states (California and New Jersey) now require LGBTQ+ history to be incorporated into public school curriculum, and other states are moving in that direction.

   What advice would you give to new writers?

Grow a thick skin. Use advice and feedback to improve your writing. But also remember that your writing voice is unique, and it won’t resonate for everyone. Do everything you can to improve your craft, but don’t try to mimic other writers or change your voice in order to get published. Good writers find ways to polish their writing so their unique voice shines through.

Gayle E. Pitman, PhD, is a professor of psychology and women and gender studies at Sacramento City College. Her research, teaching, and writing focus heavily on gender, sexual orientation, intersectionality, and social justice. Her first children’s book, This Day in June, won the 2015 ALA Stonewall Award. She lives in Rio Linda, California.

[pgcbooks]

Q & A with Michelle Frances, author The Girlfriend

A word of mouth bestseller in the UK, The Girlfriend is a tense and chilling psychological thriller about the potentially fraught relationship between a mother, her son, and his girlfriend.  

Author Michelle Frances graduated from Bournemouth Film School in 1996 and then from the Masters programme at the American Film Institute, Los Angeles, in 1998. Returning to London, England, she worked for several years in film and TV as a script editor and producer for both the independent sector and the BBC.

We spoke to Michelle about her debut novel, why she chose to write about the relationship between a mother and daughter-in-law, and how writing a book is different than writing for screen.  

Your debut novel is about different sort of love triangle, the girlfriend, Cherry, isn’t competing with a lover but the potential mother-in-law, Laura. What made you choose this dynamic to write about?

I’ve always been fascinated by the notion that two women who are complete strangers are suddenly thrust together in a very intimate relationship for the rest of their lives – just because one starts to date the other’s son. It’s a bit weird and great territory for emotional stress and anxiety. Will she like me? Will I like her? What about for the next forty years?!  

I really wanted to write a book that gave both the mother’s and the girlfriend’s point-of-view as each woman’s love for the same man is, although very different, of equal weight and importance. Pit these two loves against each other and who would win? I wanted to create a story that would get readers talking, debating which of the two women might be the more ‘wronged’ and the more justified in their behaviour.

There are times in the book where it’s easy to dislike Cherry and Laura! Did you feel empathy for them even though they both do some pretty bad things?

I find it hard to dislike either of them – particularly in the beginning. I want to shake Cherry and tell her to relax right at the start of the book and stop worrying so much! It’s sad really, she genuinely cares for Daniel (even though she does also like his money) and if she’d just stopped fretting about what Laura thought of her, things might have worked out very differently. And Laura does the most awful thing but she has been told by the doctors that Daniel has days – possibly hours – to live, and I can’t help but understand her actions as she’s about to lose her second – and only remaining – child.  Both women have moments of possession and jealously and they are ugly, dangerous emotions that make them do despicable things. But as people I feel sorry for them both in many ways.  

Part of the fun of The Girlfriend is trying to decide which of the characters’ behaviour is worse! Did you always intend for the story to be so morally ambiguous?

Yes, absolutely! I really wanted to test the characters, to see how far they would go, and importantly, try and make their actions justified – at least in their eyes.  I think that in some cases, particularly with Laura, even though she does some awful things, she genuinely believes it’s for the right reason. Sadly, with the combination of both Laura’s and Cherry’s individual backgrounds and the situation they now find themselves in, mixed in with the paranoia and nerves, things start unraveling quite quickly.  

What inspired you to write a thriller for your first novel?

Personally, I wrote a thriller because that was the story nagging at me in my head wanting to be told! The darker side of our psyche and how far we’ll go when pushed fascinates me. Also, the dynamic between mother / son / girlfriend is a universal story that touches on a lot of people. Plenty of my girlfriends had tales of woe about their mothers-in-law. During the course of writing the novel I also heard a radio program about the difficulties some women were having with their new daughters-in-law and one story particularly affected me. A heart-broken woman had phoned in and was in tears speaking of how she was excluded to the extent she hadn’t even known her son and his new wife had had not one, but two children. She had discovered that her grandchildren existed by accident.  It reinforced to me that it’s a universal relationship that can affect a lot of women and cause a lot of distress – to either party.

How was writing for a novel different from writing for film and TV?

Well in TV, someone else does all the work!  My work in television has been nearly all in producing and script editing (although I have attempted a script or two along the way). There are lots of key differences. The most obvious is length (!) – a script has about 12,000 words, a novel 100,000. Writing for television is also a very collaborative affair – certainly in the UK. There will be tiers of editors, producers, executives and commissioners, all with an opinion, that the writer will either embrace, or will need to successfully argue is invalid.

Things – mostly – happen on screen fast. A very respected UK producer once told me to ‘burn story’. Help, I thought, if I tell the writer to use that story beat in the first five minutes of the episode, what the heck are we going to do just before the ad break? But actually, it’s extremely liberating. It’s a bit like a natural disaster. The occurrence of one thing will set in motion other things, for example the earthquake will set off the tsunami. It’s the same with story – and more to the point, characters. Making things happen often triggers other things to happen.  

I’m stating the obvious here but television is a visual medium. But so is a reader’s imagination. In TV, you would look to cut scenes against one another that can help to tell the story. For example, a cop might be talking to a colleague wondering who could be the culprit. Cutting to a new scene featuring a particular individual can make the audience think that individual is the guilty party. The use of visuals – and descriptive prose – cut against each other can create all sorts of drama. It can build tension, create cliffhangers, increase mystery, explain secrets. This is true of novels just as much as of television.

What was your writing process like?

I tend to see writing a novel as a bit like completing a jigsaw puzzle.  After shaping up the characters, I generally start with the foundations of the story, the big plot beats and twists (which I liken to the straight edges of a puzzle). Then I will fill in some of the more detailed beats in the first few chapters only – and then go ahead and write them. Once they’re complete, the characters will be starting to tell me where to go next, and so I’ll write the next section, and this continues until I’m near the end, where hopefully the jigsaw pieces are slotting in faster than I can write them!

I write everything out by hand first in a series of notebooks and once I’ve completed the day’s word target, I’ll then type them up, doing a mini-edit along the way. I like the sensation of pencil on paper and find it more liberating.

The Girlfriend has already been optioned for a film adaptation (congratulations!). Are you excited to see how your story will be adapted for the screen?

Very much so. Having worked in TV for so long, I’m aware of how you can have two different writers take the same source material and end up with two wildly different scripts. I’m excited to see a filmmakers’ take on the novel and watch his or her vision take shape. This also applies to casting – it’s fascinating to try and imagine different actress’s versions of Laura and Cherry!

Are you working on another novel and if so can you tell us anything about it?

Yes, it’s another psychological thriller, which is set in the world of the maternity leave replacement. The mum-to-be is a TV producer who tries to like her temporary replacement, but can’t help thinking she’s got a hidden agenda.  Is she after her job – or something else entirely?

Thanks Michelle!

[sgcruz21-blog]

Author Q & A with Rebecca Kightlinger

Author Q & A with Rebecca Kightlinger

Rebecca Kightlinger, author of ‘Megge of Bury Down.’  Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Q: How long did it take you to write ‘Megge of Bury Down’ and how did the story come about? A: It took roughly seven years from concept to publication. Like many of my narrators, Megge just appeared in my mind’s eye one day when I was ready to write and started showing me around her home and telling me the…

[fanficsunderthestairs]

Q+A with theqibblah!

The lovely Suze has agreed to answer some questions for me this week! She is a fab Jily shipper and the author of lots of great one shots, a fantastic WIP called The Immortal Years, and a fun WIP called Rumours, which I've beta'd for her.  

You can find her on Tumblr at thequibblah and maraudersandthemap and on FF.net at tesstesstessa. You should definitely read her stuff and follow her because she's awesome :)

Q: What advice do you have for other writers?

A: This is going to sound very, very stereotypical and cliche - but my advice is write. Write everything. Write your feelings, write about your crappy day, write about your favourite fictional couple, write strongly worded rants - just keep writing. You can never be a 'perfect' writer, but practising definitely makes you the best that you can be, and that's what matters. Draw inspiration from anything and everything. Make a schedule and a word target if you're that kind of person. Write chapters whenever you feel like if you're that kind of person. Force yourself to write when you're down with writer's block (the only known cure, let me tell you). Basically, think, feel, write. 

Q: Where do you get your inspiration? What do you think about before writing?

A: For me, I get a lot of my inspiration from my music. As anyone who's read The Immortal Years will know, the artists and songs I listen to have a pretty heavy influence on my writing. It can be just a line that nags at me, and I'll be like, hey, that's an idea right there! Or, as in Rumours, it can be the entire theme of a song. My inspirations for original work are really just things that pique my interest. They've ranged from the seven deadly sins to a chemistry lesson. Inspiration comes from reading and learning; soon enough, you'll find something that interests you, and suddenly you'll have a plot on your hands!

As a big reader, I tend to bask in post-book euphoria for a long time, meaning the writing I churn out becomes horrendously similar to what I just read. It's a disgusting habit, so I try not to write immediately after reading a really great book. The same goes for fanfiction, though that's to a lesser extent. Definitely DON'T think about other people's work before writing. 

I have loads of ideas too, so which am I supposed to write, and which should I discard? I usually shelve the lingering plot lines somewhere in the back of my head. If, over the course of the next week, I can't stop thinking about it, then I know for sure I should write it. If I forget about it, it clearly wouldn't have driven me to writing it - it probably wasn't worth remembering anyway. 

I always develop characters before I start writing the actual story, so I have a basic idea of what they'd say and how they'd behave in certain situations. Then, I find a suitable beginning, and put them in it. I do know that works differently for different people, so if you write situation-oriented or dialogue-oriented (where the dialogues come to you before the actual storyline) stories, don't freak.

Q: What are some things you look for when reading other people’s writing? What, to you, makes a good fanfic?

A: Characterisation. Characterisation. Characterisation. Honestly, there could be no plot to speak of, and I'd read it if I thought it got the characters right. Also, points if your character doesn't match my headcanon, but is seriously interesting (see: Mary Macdonald and Dorcas Meadowes from Bloody ShangriLa). I'm a sucker for AUs, as well, so if your idea is frrrrresh, I'll be hooked. There are a WHOLE lot of fics out there, and if yours doesn't really stand out too much, I probably won't read it. If it's got too many grammar mistakes as well, I'll probably drop it even if the plot interests me. And if it's a canon fic that goes way off the canon trail. Sorry, but no. 

Q: What was going through your head when you began writing Rumours?

A: Well, I think I was coming home from school one day, and Adele's Rumour Has It was playing on the radio. It was one of those cheesy eureka moments - one minute I was staring out of the window, terribly bored, and the next I was thinking, egad! Just imagine! It got me super excited, and I first discussed the idea with Stef (tip: discuss your ideas with people you trust to be a good critic, not someone who'll encourage you even if your idea is downright stupid. We all have those friends.) as a Scorose fic. I discarded that, though, because I decided the concept would fit James and Lily better. Keeping the idea in mind, I planned out the initial storyline, and wrote The Oneshot that became my driving force for this fic. The Oneshot has major spoilers for Rumours, which is why I told myself I had to write the goshdarned thing, if only to publish The Oneshot (not setting a very good example. I know.) But I was very, very proud of that one-shot, so I started writing the first bit - and that's when I fell in love, and knew I hadn't made the wrong decision. 

Q:  What is your favorite pairing or story topic to read? Why?

A: When it comes to fanfiction, I'd definitely say the Marauders' Era. I really don't know where my love for it came from, as I distinctly remember thinking I'd rather have a next-gen sequel than a MWPP prequel. But interest suddenly blossomed to all-out love, the kind that has you sobbing because of fanfiction at 2 am on a school night. I'd say the obscurity of that era is what really draws me to it - there are so many characters that we know absolutely nothing about, except their names, and yet there are set ideas about what they were like based on one sentence Mad-Eye Moody said about them. By now, I've already got a set image of every one of those characters, but I always love reading other people's interpretations. As for pairing, it'd be James and Lily until the very end. Again, my love for them appeared out of nowhere too. But I think it's amazing that we have a universe (also alternate universes) for these people, two people who've been dead since before the series even began, and how their love makes us all write deep emotional things and cry and hug each other through the Internet. The James/Lily fandom is crazy, but awesome. Cool people, really talented authors! Seriously, half the fanfiction writers out there say that writing this kind of fanfiction revived their love for writing (it did the same to mine) and that's what really makes it the pairing for me. 

[cbcdiversity]

Author Q&A with Natasha Tarpley

What motivates your work? Sometimes it feels like blackness, at least as portrayed in books, films, and on television, is like an exhibit in a museum, a thing heavily curated around the curiosities, assumptions, and, dare I say, profit motives of mainstream media and culture. Oftentimes, the images we see don’t reflect the everyday lived experiences of black people. Here’s one example: back in the early nineties, I attended a talk by a well-known white author who wrote a bestselling book about two black kids growing up in a housing project in Chicago. The author shared a story about one particular interview session during his research for the book, where the kids were excited to tell him about something great that had happened to them at school. Instead of celebrating with them, the author quickly shut down this part of the conversation and moved on to what he really wanted to discuss: who got shot at the projects the previous night. The author later recognized the error in this approach and changed tactics, but I had a very visceral and lasting reaction to this story on a couple of levels. One, I was struck by how, even though the story was about two black boys, they were not the ones in control of their own narrative. When we look at publishing diversity stats today, it is still the case that people of color are often not the authors of books about their group experiences. And two, I imagined how deflated those kids must have felt, how they were made to feel that their joy was unimportant, somehow not valid. 

This Q&A appeared in the August 2018 issue of the CBC Diversity Newsletter. To sign up for our monthly Diversity newsletter click here.

Natasha Tarpley is the author of many acclaimed books for children, including The Harlem Charade, Joe-Joe’s First Flight, Princess Tiana and the Royal Ball and the companion to this picture book, I Love My Haircut! She is also a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship recipient and a graduate of Harvard University. She lives in Chicago.

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So how awesome is Tahereh to her fans?!  She just gets better and better!  I love how she makes herself so accessible to her fans.  She shows a true appreciation for her fans (we love you for it!)

Click the link above to head to Shattermefansite.com to see the answers to the questions she posted.  Don't forget to submit a question for next week!

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Author Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith

_By Jamie Tan and Stephanie Pando_

2018 has been full of many ups and downs, and for me, one of my ups was getting to work with Cynthia Leitich Smith on launching her latest YA novel, Hearts Unbroken.

Cynthia tells the story of Louise “Lou” Wolfe, a Muscogee teen. As the story opens, Lou breaks up with her boyfriend after he mocks Native people. Newly single, Lou joins the school paper, connects with a new (more respectful) guy, and focuses on reporting a major story - the aggressive community backlash against the inclusive casting of the school’s musical production of The Wizard of Oz.

What follows is a contemporary and really important take on escalating microaggressions and how bigotry and prejudice affect everyday life.

Working with Cynthia is a blast – she is so enthusiastic, a fervent champion for diverse titles, and incredibly friendly to boot. She is behind the long-running Cynsations blog and has done so much to support and promote the children’s literacy community in Texas and nationwide.

Reading Hearts Unbroken for the first time was such a satisfying experience. It prompted me to reflect deeply on tough topics, and I appreciated how she balanced them with healthy dollops of humor and romance.

I have long admired her, and for this interview I wanted to get more of what I love best about Cynthia - her stories.

I grabbed one of my coworkers, Stephanie Pando, and together we came up with a few questions for Cyn.

Candlewick Press: Can you tell us your favorite memory from your publishing career?

Cynthia Leitich Smith: The first memory that springs to mind was meeting a shy, teenage boy at a public library in New York City. He approached me holding a tattered copy of my novel Tantalize and proclaimed that it was the first novel he’d ever finished. His teacher confirmed that.

I asked what it was about the story that grabbed him. The novel is a contemporary urban Gothic fantasy, set in Austin, with a girl protagonist. It’s suspenseful, romantic, kind of funny, and includes make-believe monsters. I figured he’d point to one of those elements.

I was wrong. He explained that he wanted to be a restauranteur like the protagonist. That was his dream. He was eager to talk about the fictional eatery’s marketing hook, PR challenges, hiring and managing of staff, menu development, how the wait stations were stocked…. To most readers, that information was context; to him, it was the show.

You just never know what’ll capture a kid’s imagination and make them fall in love with a book, with reading. To me, that boy is a reminder that every block of story-building deserves my full attention. Writers tend to talk about magic in the broad strokes, but it glimmers in the brushstrokes, too.

CP: If you could have a publishing genie grant a wish for you, what would it be?

CLS: I’d love to see more pop-up bookstores and libraries—on wheels, under tents, whatever works— in underserved communities. I’m thinking of rural, small-town, Native reservation and urban areas where the closest thing to that is maybe a scant selection at a big-box discount superstore.

There are enthusiastic readers everywhere, and they all deserve that personal touch, regular access, and a bounty of book love!

CP: What is your favorite part about being in the book industry?

CLS: My inner fourteen-year-old is often bouncing on her toes—starstruck, grateful, optimistic.

I recall being a twenty-something, aspiring writer in Chicago, reaching for Joseph Bruchac’s Eagle Song and Heart of a Chief at a bookstore. Those became treasured model texts.

I’m such a goof. Even after publishing, it took me three conferences—watching Joe signing books from a distance, to get up the courage to go introduce myself. And he couldn’t have been more gracious or welcoming. I’m still wowed that he offered a quote in support of my new YA novel, Hearts Unbroken.

CP: Is there an event you love going to every year, and why?

CLS: Yes, the annual Austin Powwow and American Indian Heritage Festival at Travis County Expo Center. It’s the largest one-day powwow from coast to coast and a very kid-friendly occasion!

I love the Drum and dancers of course, but also enjoy socializing, shopping, and, recently, listening to performances by young Native rappers. I always leave with a big bag of holiday gifts, and it’s worth the trip for the mutton stew alone!

CP: What is a question you wished people would ask you at book events that they don’t?

CLS: Why my casts tend to be big! I’m social by nature, and, as a teen, I found myself in a variety of groups and activities at school and beyond.

I also grew up in a large, extended and interconnected family. For example, last week I was at my third cousin’s house, celebrating her birthday. And hey, we’re all cousins, right?

Everybody’s family. It’s just a question of degree.

Cynthia Leitich Smith is the best-selling, acclaimed author of Hearts Unbroken, the Tantalize series and the Feral series. She is an enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and is on the honorary advisory board of We Need Diverse Books. She lives in Austin, Texas. You can find her on Twitter @CynLeitichSmith and on Instagram @CynthiaLeitichSmith.

**

Contributors:**

Jamie Tan is a senior publicist at Candlewick Press, and is perpetually grateful to make a living doing what she loves most—talking about books. She loves petting other peoples’ dogs, making puns, and obsessively rewatching Brooklyn Nine-Nine. You can find her on Twitter @thejamietan. **

Stephanie Pando** is a marketing coordinator at Candlewick Press. She graduated from Emerson College with a degree in Publishing and Writing, loves the hell out of YA, has a TBR pile that “looks nice, in theory,” and will never stop raving about bromances. She likes coffee and anything by Maggie Stiefvater. You can find her on Twitter @allshesays

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Feature Author & Illustrator Interview with Creators of Lights, Camera, Carmen! Part 2

We are thrilled to feature Part 2 of a 2 part author and illustrator interview with author Anika Denise and illustrator Lorena Alvarez Gomez. Read about Annika's side of co-creating LIGHTS, CAMERA, CARMEN! below.

Haven't read Part 1? Check it out here!

Lorena Alvarez Gómez: I understand you used to write your own stories to perform in your living room when you were a little kid. I’m wondering what kind of stories you used to write? Where did you find your inspiration? Who was your favorite actor?

Anika Denise: As a child I loved stories where kids were empowered to solve a mystery, or do something brave on their own. I grew up on “The Goonies,” “E.T.,” and “The NeverEnding Story.” I remember being slightly obsessed with Wil Wheaton in “Stand by Me.” So, my early stories had a lot of hidden treasure, magic, and adventure in them.

LAG: What I love about Carmen is how I could vividly picture her right away after a first reading. How did you realize that picture books were a way to tell your stories?

AD: At one point, I tinkered with Carmen’s story as a chapter book—but the beats of the language kept taking me back to my picture book roots. And I felt strongly she needed full spreads of vibrant art to match her big personality, which is why I was so happy when you agreed to illustrate the books!

LAG: As a woman and someone who has been interested in the arts since an early age, I felt very close to this project. What kind of feedback have you gotten from readers, particularly from girls?

AD: Many little girls who’ve read the book say to me, “I’m just like Carmen!” Parents and teachers, too, have said: “This is my Carmen,” or “I have a Carmen in my class.” We all know a Carmen— the spunky, vivacious, fearless performer who fills the room with her elaborate productions and boundless creative energy. I love that Carmen is a confident character readers recognize and relate to.

LAG: Regarding your cultural heritage, how do you think it has shaped your responsibility as an author?

AD: Growing up, I don’t think I really registered my lack of exposure to books featuring biracial or Afro-Latino characters until I finally discovered some. All I can say is that reading them felt like a relief—a powerful moment of recognition where I found elements of myself and my family on the page. I want to give young readers that same experience—and along with it, all the magic, bravery, and adventure of those stories I was drawn to as a kid.

LAG: Are you working on a new project right now?

AD: Yes! I’ve just revised a new picture book biography about the amazing Rita Moreno for HarperCollins, and I have a middle grade novel in progress. It’s a little too early to talk about, but I’m happy to say it does have some magic in it. (Maybe even a little hidden treasure, too.)

Lorena Alvarez Gómez is a freelance illustrator from Bogotá, Colombia. Her work reflects her interest in color language and her willingness to experiment with diverse techniques and concepts.

Anika Denise is the celebrated author of many books for young readers, including Starring Carmen!, Monster Trucks, Bella and Stella Come Home, and the forthcoming Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré. She lives in Rhode Island with her husband and three daughters. You can visit her online at anikadenise.com.  

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Feature Author & Illustrator Interview with Creators of Lights, Camera, Carmen!

We’re very excited to have author Anika Denise and illustrator Lorena Alvarez Gómez interview one another about their process co-creating LIGHTS, CAMERA, CARMEN! Below is Part 1 of this 2 part interview. Keep a lookout on our website next week for Part 2!

Anika Denise: I love your artwork for the Carmen series, Lorena! Mil gracias for bringing her big personality to life so beautifully. You seemed to understand her from the get go. What drew you to the character of Carmen and made you want to illustrate her?

Lorena Alvarez Gómez: What I liked most about Carmen is that she is a creative girl who is not ashamed of her talents and works hard to materialize her vision. I loved the fact that she doesn't have to change her personality to learn something in the story. It was great to draw such an energetic, strong, and creative girl.

AD: I grew up in a home that looked very similar to Carmen’s: the plants, the colors, the hanging baskets of fruit. When I saw those cultural touches they really made me smile. Are there details from your own life (now or as a child) that you included in her world? 

LAG: Yes, the walls in my house are fully covered by photos, postcards, and paintings. I like to be surrounded by images of people and places I admire and love. Sometimes I found details I hadn't seen before in old images and it is always a good thing to add something new to my collection.  It is quite common to keep plants in your house here and I have a small garden myself with hanging pots and flowers, just like Carmen's. I live in Bogotá, a city surrounded by green mountains and I feel I'm bringing a little piece of its beauty into my home.

AD: How does illustrating others’ books differ from illustrating your own?

LAG: I started to write and illustrate my own comic books three years ago and it is quite different from illustrating another author's text. Writing a comic book demands a particular process I'm still developing; I do have more freedom to create my own universe but at the same time I'm responsible for its internal coherence, so I'm working on different levels as a narrator and a visual artist. When I'm working with an author I still have a place as a narrator but I'm working with someone else's universe and I have to respect its rules while giving an interesting interpretation of it.

AD: How does being a diverse author and artist contribute to and inspire your work? LAG: Being a Latina author makes me aware of my responsibility to create images not only to celebrate our differences, but also to question the stereotypes that oversimplify our lives and cultures. Carmen is a very particular project because there's a lot of space for interpretation, it didn't fall into a homogenic view of Latino cultures and it gave me the opportunity to work with my mind close to home and my own experience.

Anika Denise is the celebrated author of many books for young readers, including Starring Carmen!, Monster Trucks, Bella and Stella Come Home, and the forthcoming Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré. She lives in Rhode Island with her husband and three daughters. You can visit her online at anikadenise.com.  

Lorena Alvarez Gómez is a freelance illustrator from Bogotá, Colombia. Her work reflects her interest in color language and her willingness to experiment with diverse techniques and concepts.

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Author Interview with Robin Talley

What inspired you to write Pulp?

I read one of the earliest lesbian pulp novels years ago when I was doing research for another book — Marijane Meaker’s groundbreaking Spring Fire, published in 1952 — and I was mesmerized, both by the story itself and by the world it presented. It focused on the relationship between two deeply closeted lesbians living in a time when being who they were meant having to go to extreme lengths to keep their sexuality a secret, and facing horrific consequences if they ever slipped up (which of course they did). I learned that there was an entire wave of these novels, some of which sold millions of copies, all during a time and place when anyone who didn’t conform to expected norms faced terrible oppression. I wanted to explore that culture, and I thought it would be interesting to look at it through the lens of a teenage character in the present day — someone to whom all of this would seem like irrelevant ancient history, until she probes a little deeper and finds out it’s anything but.

Pulp is set in Washington, D.C., with two separate storylines taking place in two very distinct periods in American history — the summer of 1955 and the autumn of 2017. Exactly how different were these two eras?

The main characters in both of Pulp’s storylines are lesbians, but they have very different experiences in how their communities view their sexuality. What are the biggest differences between them?

Here, we do see very concrete differences. One of Pulp’s two narrators, Janet, who’s 18 years old in 1955 and secretly trying her hand at writing a lesbian pulp novel, has known she’s attracted to girls for some time, but had never heard the word lesbian until she read it in a book she found at a bus station. The other narrator, Abby, who’s 17 in 2017, discovers the world of lesbian pulp fiction from an article she randomly clicks on after looking up queer fanfic about her favorite show. Abby’s been out to her parents and everyone else she knows since she was a high school freshman. Janet never considers coming out to her parents — and if they did find out, she assumes they’d send her promptly off to an asylum to be cured. Although there are certainly still plenty of LGBTQ teens in the present day who can’t come out safely — and although conversion therapy is still legal in most of the United States — there’s no question we’ve made massive progress in terms of mainstream acceptance of same-sex relationships over the past few decades, and Abby and Janet’s experiences very much reflect that progress.

In the 1955 storyline of Pulp, the characters are also living through the Lavender Scare. What was the Lavender Scare, and why isn’t it more widely known?

The Lavender Scare, which happened at the same time as the second Red Scare (again, during the McCarthy era and the years that followed) was a massive effort by the U.S. federal government to identify lesbian, gay, and bisexual government employees and fire them. Police officers raided gay bars and turned over the names of anyone they found to the federal government so they could check their employment rolls. Meanwhile, investigators eagerly took tips from other employees and conducted highly biased interrogations. Anyone could report that they suspected a coworker of homosexuality, based on things like their voice being too high or too low, their hair being too short or too long, or any other personal traits that might be considered a deviation from the expected gender norm. Thousands of people were fired from their jobs and unable to get new ones due to the rumors that inevitably spread. Many were also forcibly outed to their families in an era when outing frequently meant disownment. Suicides of former federal employees were common.

As for why it isn’t more widely known — a lot of people involved didn’t want to talk about it publicly at the time, because that would risk opening themselves up to further scrutiny and potential negative consequences. Plus, of course, the people who have generally been in charge of deciding how history is taught have usually chosen not to center the experiences of marginalized communities, so stories like this one are more likely to get left out of classes and textbooks.

In Pulp’s 2017 storyline, the main character and her friends are very conscious of social justice and regularly go to political protests. Why did you include this thread in their story?

Like the characters in Pulp, I live in Washington, D.C., and for years I’ve witnessed and attended many, many demonstrations that are also attended by many, many local teenagers. Teens have always been engaged in politics and social justice, because they understand that these issues touch their lives directly and that one day their generation will be in charge of deciding how to approach these questions. Teen activism has taken on a deeper resonance under our current administration, which is going out of its way to harm marginalized communities. It’s been wonderful to see so many young people speak out and take action when they’re up against something so terrible, and I wanted to capture a little of that in this story.

What do you hope readers will take away from Pulp?

That none of this is new. We’ve been fighting for social justice for many, many generations. Some of the arguments we’re having now are different from the arguments we had in the mid-twentieth century, but in a lot of ways, many of them aren’t that different. We’re currently witnessing a movement to go backward, with politicians attempting to re-litigate issues that many people in my generation naively grew up thinking had already been resolved. We have to be mindful of what came before us so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past, and so we can fight back against the people who want to take us there on purpose.

Robin Talley is the New York Timesbestselling author of five novels for teen readers: Pulp (coming November 2018), Our Own Private Universe, As I Descended, What We Left Behind and Lies We Tell Ourselves, all of which focus on LGBTQ characters. Her first book, Lies We Tell Ourselves, was the winner of the inaugural Amnesty CILIP Honour and short-listed for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. Her short stories have appeared in the young adult collections Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft, All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages, A Tyranny of Petticoats: 15 Stories of Belles, Bank Robbers and Other Badass Girls, and Feral Youth.

Robin lives in Washington, D.C., with her wife and their daughter. She enjoys reading about queer characters, analyzing Disney movies, and chocolate. You can find her at www.robintalley.com.

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Author Interview with Anna-Marie McLemore

1. Tell us about your most recent book and how you came to write/illustrate it.

BLANCA & ROJA is a queer, Latinx reimagining of “Snow-White & Rose-Red” meets Swan Lake. It’s very much the kind of fairy tale where you’ll find enchanted woods and unpredictable magic, but it’s also a fairy tale about racism, colorism, queerphobia, transphobia, ableism, and so much else we’re sometimes reluctant to talk about. 

2. Do you think of yourself as a diverse author/illustrator?

3. Who is your favorite character of all time in children’s or young adult literature?

This answer is probably a little different every time I think about it, but I’ve been thinking so much about Snow-White and Rose-Red lately, especially their sister relationship. It was one of the favorite fairy tales growing up, and it still is.

4. Hypothetically speaking, let’s say you are forced to sell all of the books you own except for one. Which do you keep?

My family’s Bible. If I get one besides that, as big a book of fairy tales as I can find.

5. What does diversity mean to you as you think about your own books?

I’m proud and grateful to get to write the stories I write, and whenever anyone asks me what makes me write diverse books, I can’t help giving the same answer: I didn’t set out to write diverse books any more than I set out to live a diverse life.

Diversity in my books is so much about not excluding myself, my identities and communities, or the identities and communities of my loved ones.

6. What is your thought process in including or excluding characters of diverse backgrounds?

I want the diversity in my books to reflect the diversity in the world around me. That doesn’t mean trying to write every experience—many are not mine to write. But it does mean including characters who share my own identities, as well as the identities of the relatives and friends who are my family and community.

7. If you are an author, write an example of a paragraph that is tone deaf when it comes to cultural diversity, then write the correct version. Explain the differences in the third paragraph.

I’m seen this done so well by other authors and publishing professionals on this site, so I’ll bring up two words that Nikki Grimes highlighted at one of my first writing conferences when an audience member asked her about writing characters outside your own identity: authenticity, and respect. It’s a concise but very high bar, and it’s one to which we all have to hold ourselves.

Anna-Marie McLemore was born in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. She is the author of Morris Award Finalist The Weight of Feathers, the Stonewall Honor Book When the Moon Was Ours, which was longlisted for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature, and Wild Beauty.

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Author Interview with T.R. Simon

Candlewick Press sat down with T.R. Simon to discuss her new book 'Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground'

 CP:  How do the maturing Carrie and Zora see the world differently as they approach their teens?

T.R.S:  In book two of the Zora and Me trilogy, Zora and Carrie are now twelve going on thirteen. Although they are still children, they have encountered the sorrow of death along with the pride and joy that life in Eatonville affords them. What begins to alter them now is a slowly growing awareness of the past. While Eatonville could seem idyllic, tucked away from the daily brutality of the Jim Crow South, it is not free from the shadow of American history, particularly from the history of slavery. The history of slavery is a hard thing for young people because it requires them to confront the brutality of hate and the despair of powerlessness. Zora and Carrie grapple with the conflicted feelings that learning about Eatonville’s history brings up while simultaneously realizing that life is necessarily, for good and for bad, informed by the past.

CP:  Why did you choose to tell this book with dual narratives?

CP:  Zora and Carrie make assumptions about the reclusive and enigmatic Mr. Polk and Old Lady Bronson that end up being pretty off base. What can young readers learn from the girls’ tendencies to jump to their own conclusions?

T.R.S:  The mind always wants to fill in narrative blanks. For Zora, this always leads to an exciting story, and Carrie inevitably gets pulled into that story. In this case, two people they’ve known their whole lives, Old Lady Bronson and Mr. Polk, suddenly appear to them in a very different light. They are not the distant adults whose odd ways are part of the town’s quirky fabric, but people whose past contains a mystery. Suddenly Zora and Carrie find that, instead of looking at them from the outside, they are trying to get inside their thoughts and understand their actions. That is always the point at which objectification ends and human empathy begins. We can’t really know another person until we are willing to learn and understand their story. Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground is about how much a person’s story, otherwise known as their history, can change what you understand about them, yourself, and the world around you.

CP:  What research did you do for this novel?

T.R.S:  For the parts on slavery, I read scholarly histories and dozens of slave narratives, as well as novels about slavery. In some respects, the backstory for the slave section came easily. As a child, I lived in the Dominican Republic, and I still have vivid memories of running rings around lime trees hung with wasp nests and swimming with my mother out into the deep blue ocean waters. As an adult studying anthropology, I was joyful that Zora Neale Hurston chose to do ethnographic work on an island that was so dear to me. In this way, I began to wonder how her fascination with travel and the Caribbean might have been ignited in childhood.

CP:  By pure coincidence, 2018 will see the release of Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground as well as a never before published work from Zora Neale Hurston herself. How do you feel about reading more of her work? How do you hope it will further connect young readers with the Zora and Me novels?

T.R.S:  I am thrilled that new Zora work is being made available! Although most widely known for her fiction, Zora was a formal intellectual of great magnitude; she is one of our most compelling and culturally precise chroniclers of the black American experience. Her new book, Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo,” about Cudjo Lewis, the last survivor of the Atlantic slave trade, will be a significant contribution to the field of historical anthropology. I’m also excited because Barracoon segues beautifully with young Zora learning about the horrors and complexities of slavery and wanting to bring that history to light.

T. R. Simon is the co-author, with Victoria Bond, of the 2011 John Steptoe New Talent Author Award winner Zora and Me. She is also the co-author, with Richard Simon, of Oskar and the Eight Blessings, illustrated by Mark Siegel and winner of the National Jewish Book Award for Children’s Literature. T. R. Simon lives in Westchester County, New York.