Day 3: Jennifer's VIP

In getting to know Jennifer we've learned her husband has been a strong influence on her writing, but we wondered if there was a teacher or librarian along the way who set her on her path to publication. Here's her heartfelt answer....


I'm pretty sure the expectation for this question was that I'd talk about a teacher or librarian from my own schooling that influenced me. And I had some great ones—Gail Kirkland at Daviess County High School and Linda Tatum from Tamarack Elementary to name two—but the person who really got me started writing in the way I'm writing now is Cathy Belben.

Cathy is the librarian at the school where I taught for eight years, Burlington-Edison High. She was assigned as my mentor my first year, and I'm so lucky for it. Cathy is an amazing teacher, a passionate librarian, and absolutely one of the funniest people I know. But she is also a gifted writer. She's published hundreds of articles on all sorts of topics. From incorporating crafts in the library for professional magazines to her piece on donating her own remains to the body farm for Bust Magazine. She's published award winning fiction, spent a season living in Hollywood writing for Veronica Mars, and generally inspires everybody who comes into contact with her. She's the one who really got me hooked on great YA, and who invited me to join her writing group even though I didn't really write much at the time. She's just one of those people who make you want to join the party of words and story and craft, and we're so lucky to have her in our community.

She's also a great friend. Here we are on one of our homecoming dress up days at school. I think it was superhero day, and we came dressed as twin triathletes. Goggles, running pants, towel capes. We took our bike helmets off for the photo so we wouldn't, ahem, look dumb.

Here we come to saaave the day!

Cathy truly is a superhero. (But she might need to hire a new costumer.) Tomorrow we learn why some writing contests left Jennifer wondering if she'd ever get published.

Day 2: An interview with Jennifer Bradbury

We're back today with Jennifer Bradbury for a nice, cozy interview. So, pull up a chair, grab your fave drink and let's get to know this well traveled author.

2k8: So tell us, Jen. Where do you do most of your writing?

JB: I do most of my writing in this chair. Since I write while my daughter is sleeping, I work in the opposite corner of the house from her bedroom, which happens to be our office/playroom (we call it the "rumpus" because the elderly woman we bought the house from called it that. Kept the name in her honor, but got rid of the geometric self-stick pea green linoleum.) The chair is sort of halfway between the office and play parts of the room, which is kind of appropriate for a calling that when its going right is equal parts work and play. Plus, I can kick back with the laptop.

2k8: We bet a lot of moms can relate. Can you tell us how SHIFT came about? How did you begin writing it?

JB: We were living in India while I was on a Fulbright teaching exchange. I'd been given a light teaching schedule, and had been thinking for years about how to write a YA featuring a bike trip. So in an effort to keep myself busy, I'd go downstairs for a couple of hours every afternoon to the library and write a chapter. My husband (who was not working while we were there) was usually at home waiting to read the chapter when I arrived. All this was happening while my friend who was getting our mail for us here at home was opening rejections from agents on a manuscript I'd been working on before we left. But my husband's enthusiasm and my own need to keep busy kept me going, and by the time we got home in January, I'd made it through a couple of passes on the story.

2k8: Your husband rocks! And how did SHIFT find a publisher? What's the real scoop?

JB: I'd queried my agent on that story that I mentioned above, and she'd liked it enough to ask for some revision, but ultimately passed. Then when I came home and decided to start sending out this new one, I thought of her again. I queried her, and her office requested a full. I took some time getting it to her (my daughter was born and I sort of forgot all about wanting to be an author for a while!), but they actually emailed again a few months later to ask why they hadn't seen it yet. So I sent it off, and she called within a few weeks with an offer of representation. I remember feeling like if this was as far as I got, I could be happy—just having someone who didn't love me but liked the story and had some faith in it. But it did go further. And quickly! The following Monday, my agent called to tell me she had an offer from Atheneum, and here we are!

2k8: They emailed you? Wow! Did anything surprise you or catch you off guard when you were writing your book?

JB: I was definitely shy about writing from a male point of view. But I ended up having a blast. My favorite bit of confirmation on this came from my brother-in-law, who is one of my early readers. He read a draft of the story while we were still over in India, and emailed me to tell me what he liked and said that he'd always known I'd make a really great guy. Which is really nice—maybe a little weird—but mostly nice.

2k8: That's a high compliment! Okay, now imagine you have an offer from your dream press to publish your dream book, no matter how crazy wild or unmarketable it might be (though of course it might not be). What story would you want to write and why?

JB: Um . . . whatever I'm working on at the moment? I do have a draft of something that I love but I think might be destined to languish in a drawer for a while. It’s a historical spy YA novel, dealing with debutantes and mummy unwrappings in 1815 London. But I love such a range of stories and subjects, that its fun to mash up my enduring adoration of Jane Austen with a past addiction to Alias. But I've always known fun for me isn't necessarily universal. I wrote it between SHIFT and APART, my next book for Atheneum. APART follows three sisters divided by a father's mental illness, the pressure ofliving with a secret everyone already knows, and what it means to makethe most of the family you find yourself in.

2k8: Please, please, please do NOT let the debutantes and mummies languish and APART sounds incredible. Can't wait for it. Last, but not least, what question won't most people know to ask you? And what's your answer?

JB: What's the first book you read all by yourself?

Answer: DANNY AND THE DINOSAUR by Syd Hoff. Love that book!

You've come a long way, baby!

Tune in tomorrow when we'll learn about a special librarian who had a lasting influence on Jennifer.

May we introduce you to...Jennifer Bradbury

We're very pleased to introduce you to Ms. Jennifer Bradbury, a YA author who's spinning onto the scene with her enthralling debut novel SHIFT.

Jennifer Bradbury used to teach high school English, now she is a stay at home mom who writes (mostly) during her two-year old daughter's naptime. She and her husband took a two month long bicycling trek from Charleston, South Carolina to Los Angeles, California for their honeymoon, changing more than fifty flat tires along the way.

SHIFT tells the story of what happens when Chris Collins returns home from a cross-country bike trek without his former best friend and riding partner, Win. As Chris deals with pressure from Win's father, a persistent investigator, the challenges of his first semester of college and his own concerns about Win, he recounts the trip in flashbacks. Ultimately, the story asks what it means to outgrow a best friend. Want a sneak peek? Click here.

Advanced praise for SHIFT:

"Bradbury's keen details about the bike trip, the places, the weather, the food, the camping, and the locals add wonderful texture to this exciting first novel, as Chris remembers the trip and returns to find what really happened. Best of all is the friendship story; many teens will recognize how even between close buddies, there's rivalry, anger, and heartbreak."
-Booklist, starred review

" Fresh, absorbing, compelling."
-Kirkus, starred review

"I found SHIFT to be an exceptional coming of age story about fathers and adolescent sons."
-Richie's Picks

"Though the element of mystery is always there, Shift is not a whodunit. Instead, it asks: Why did Win leave? Who is he, really? How well do we really know anyone?"
-Little Willow

" Making skillful use of flashbacks to tell the story, Bradbury does a terrific job of balancing details of the bicycle trek with development of the relationship between the friends (and their parents), and Chris's attempts to uncover/accept what really happened. Part road trip, part mystery, SHIFT is at all times compelling and thought-provoking."
-Greg Leitich Smith

Tune in tomorrow, as we have a more in-depth talk with this fascinating author and discover how she came to write SHIFT in India, why it's cool to be considered one of the guys and how she'd like to bring debutantes and mummies together.

Lit Vids

We're unreeling three new book videos for your viewing pleasure....

A Difficult Boy by M.P. Barker



Alive and Well in Prague, New York by Daphne Grab



Shift by Jennifer Bradbury

And Jennifer is our first debut author of the month, so return tomorrow for a proper introduction!

Shameless Self Promotion Saturday!

Sale!

Daphne Grab announces her second sale!

The Wonder Years meets Dairy Queen in HALFTIME a Middle Grade novel about a twelve year old football fanatic who doesn't actually play the sport until his long lost half-brother, and the best college football player in the league, shows up in time for middle school team tryouts, tackling bullies, and talking to girls.

Reviews

Terri Clark has a new novella on stores shelves in the YA anthology BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO with Ellen Hopkins, Lynda Sandoval and Niki Burnham. Kirkus said this “box of candy for the lovelorn satisfies” and Book Chic called Terri’s story “an extremely hilarious paranormal story that has a very awesome girl power message." For Book Chic’s review, plus exclusive mini-interviews with the authors, visit here.

The School Library Journal gave our own M.P. Barker a thumb’s up for A DIFFICULT BOY saying, “Like L. M. Elliott's Give Me Liberty (HarperCollins, 2006), this is an eye-opening look at indentured servitude in American history." Click here to read it.

The Compulsive Reader loves Daphne Grab's ALIVE AND WELL IN PRAGUE, NEW YORK. “Smooth, empathetic writing will easily reel in readers by the hordes as she artfully portrays the hurt of everyone knowing your business in a small town, and the joy of true friends.” Witness the gushing here.

Abby the Librarian said Elizabeth C. Bunce’s A CURSE DARK AS GOLD “is a book to lose yourself in, a deep story you can really sink your teeth in.” Give it a look-see.

Julie M. Prince of YABooksCentral had this to say about Sarah Prineas’ THE MAGIC THIEF, “I didn’t leave my house from the time I started the book until I finished it the next day.” Check out the rave review in its entirety!

Biz Buzz

Marissa Doyle's BEWITCHING SEASON, Sarah Prineas's THE MAGIC THIEF and Liz Gallagher's THE OPPOSITE OF INVISIBLE have been named to the Spring 2008 New Voices Pick list of the Association of Booksellers for Children. The list of 20 books will be printed in a brochure and sent to Association member bookstores in June.

Hull-lo! Anybody home?

Every writer plays out THE CALL in her mind. The scenario might differ in each day dream, but chances are there's one thing you never imagine...not being able to share the news. Regina Scott certainly never expected that to happen.

Selling La Petite Four wasn't my first book sale, though it was the first sale for a major change in my writing career. My agent and writing friends were certain that my voice and themes fit better in YA than in the adult Regency-set romances I'd been writing. While I loved the YA books I'd been reading, I didn't know if a publisher would find my work half so enchanting. So, when my agent called to say that no less than Penguin Razorbill had made an offer, I was thrilled!

The first time I sold a novel, I was so giddy I tried calling everyone I knew. I called my husband at work; he was in a meeting and couldn't be disturbed. I called three of my closest friends; none answered. I called my parents; they were out. Finally I called my grandmother, who had always been a wonderful supporter, and blathered like an idiot for at least ten minutes. When I stopped to take a breath, she said, "Is this a good thing?" I said, "Yes, Grandma, this is a very good thing." "Then I'm happy for you," she replied with a smile in her voice.

When I sold La Petite Four, I also called everyone I loved to tell them the good news. But I couldn't call my grandmother this time. She passed away a few years ago. But I think she's still happy for me, and I know she's smiling.

We know Grandma Ruby is thrilled and proudly looking on. (Isn't she adorable?)

Hopefully you've found our week of first sales stories inspiring, no matter what your dream is. We think Astrid Alauda said it best, "Dreams are free, so free your dreams."

Stick To It

Helen Keller said, "We can do anything we want as long as we stick to it long enough." Let's face it, the road to publication is often pebbled with rejection, criticism, self doubt and frustration. Those who continue the journey will eventually find success. Just ask Terri Clark.

I'd been writing for over 11 years when I finally got THE CALL. I’d begun by writing romance and for several years I kept hearing “You’re sooo close,” but I never quite got over that hump. Well, that’s not exactly true. I actually had a Harlequin editor tell me she wanted to buy my book after reading it when I finaled in the Golden Heart for the second time. Then she got fired and the book was never bought. Needless to say, my frustration was overwhelming. I just didn’t know what I could do differently. Then my best friend, Lynda Sandoval, suggested that my voice was really well suited to YA. She started me reading Meg Cabot’s 1-800 and Mediator series’ and I immediately fell in love and knew that’s what I was supposed to write. For a year I read nothing but teen book after teen book. Not only did the books inspire me to write YA fiction, they inspired me to pursue working with teens at my library. The first YA I wrote was never bought, but my agent at the time had heard that HarperCollins was looking for gritty stories and she knew I’d just started one. She asked me to get something to her ASAP and I did. On December 19, 2006, while I was walking into my daughter’s orthodontist appointment, I got the call. After five complete adult romances and one YA I ended up selling SLEEPLESS on proposal. The long, long wait finally led to everything I imagined and more. You might not know exactly when your dream is within reach, but if you give up you'll never get there.

Isn't that the truth? Guess we're learning two things writers must have are patience and persistence. (One may be easier to come by than the other.) Tommorow we're going to hear possibly one of the worst things ev-er. Imagine t his: you finally get that sale and pick up the phone to call everyone you know and no one is home! Could anything be worse?!?