The Librarian Writer

I recently won a query critique from an agented author in a charity auction. The feedback that I received was very positive. That made me feel fantastic. The author had a few notes for me (of course), but thought I was almost there. Yay me! How was I able to achieve such positive results? First, I've written the query at least a bajillion times (not a precise number), trying out different approaches until I felt I finally nailed the main question of my book in the shortest amount of words. (Hint: queries are about setting up the question of "what happens next" ... it doesn't give away the whole story). Second, I've had my critique group go over it, giving second and third and fourth pairs of eyes to help me see things I had missed. Third, research, research, research. There are a bajillion (again, not a precise number) different blog entries, websites, tweets, etc. about queries. Going through it all is time-consuming, so I've narrowed down some of the best fo...

Summer reading programs are starting and as I've mentioned before, the theme at the libraries where I work is One World, Many Stories . In addition to the books that I've previously listed , there are also some fabulous movies with multicultural stories that you might be interested in. Bend It Like Beckham : A Pakistani teen in London defies her parents by playing soccer. The Chorus (Les Choristes) : At a school for troubled boys in France, a music teacher changes their lives. Empire of the Sun : A young English boy tries to survive in a Japanese POW camp during World War II. Into the West : Two Traveller brothers find a mysterious white horse in their Irish slum. Osama : A 12-year-old girl disguises herself as boy after the Taliban takes over Afghanistan. Quinceanera : Magdalena gets kicked out of her home when she finds out she's pregnant, but finds a new home with her grandfather and gay cousin. Rabbit-Proof Fence : Three aboriginal girls escape government custody and at...

Title: Possession Author: Elana Johnson Publisher: Simon Pulse Publication Date: June 7, 2011 ISBN-13: 978-1442421257 416 pp. Reading copy from publisher via Galley Grab I don't give stars for my reviews, but if I did, I'd give 3 out of 5 for Possession by Elana Johnson . It fell in the middle for me ... somewhere between Across the Universe by Beth Revis, which I L-O-V-E-D and Bumped by Megan McCafferty, which I didn't finish. The basic story is that Violet (aka Vi) lives in the Goodlands, but she doesn't think much of being a Goodie. She breaks the rules of this particular dystopian world and ends up in prison with Jag, the swaggering and sexy Baddie from the Badlands. She breaks out of prison with Jag and finds out there's a Resistance, which she may or may not want to join. And then there's Zenn, the boy Vi was matched with back when she was a Goodie. He may be trying to help her, or he may be keeping her away from Jag. Vi doesn't know w...

One thing that I've realized doing the challenge is that it's okay to make changes on the fly. I started this as something fun to do and I wasn't very scientific on how I chose what titles to read . So if one title wasn't readily available, I would switch out with a title that was. Which is why Entwined was my May read instead of How I Stole Johnny Depp's Alien Girlfriend . And really, I'm behind a month. There was no April read. But I figure if I read 12 debut books by the end of the year, I'm good. Right? (Please say right.) To complicate matters more, I'm itching to read Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell, which isn't YA or debut. But Sarah Vowell is pretty awesome and the book is sitting on my coffee table looking all wistful and lonely, like a older cat at a pet adoption who isn't even going to try to compete with the kittens. To complicate matters even more, last year I started a summer reading program for myself to get out the fiction/n...

Summer reading programs are kicking off soon at the libraries where I work, and this year's theme is "One World, Many Stories." As I've mentioned before, I believe multicultural stories aren't just for people of color and I love that so many kids will have the opportunity to learn about the big, beautiful world we all share. Here's a short list of books about people from the four corners the world, including right here in the USA. Picture Books Angel City by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Carole Byard An African-American man adopts a Latino boy and when tragedy strikes this unlikely family, love is what keeps them going. Not for younger readers, but older children can appreciate the book’s message of tolerance and compassion. D Is for Dragon Dance by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by YongSheng Xuan Vibrant illustrations celebrate the traditions of Chinese New Year one letter at a time. Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People by Monica Brown, illustrated by Juli...

Title: Entwined Author: Heather Dixon Publisher: Greenwillow Books Publication Date: March 29, 2011 ISBN-13: 9780062001030 480 pp. Reading copy from local library There's romance and then there's Romance. Lower case "r" romance is what most people think of when they think of the word, which is pretty much anything the new Old Spice guy offers you in one of his commercials . (You know, walks on the beach, diamonds, tickets to that thing you love.) Capital "R" romance goes back to the Romantics, the literary and artistic movement in the early 19th century that took off the neatly coiffed wig of the Enlightenment and let its luscious locks get windswept in the moors. Capital "R" romance favors emotion over logic and nature over order. Capital "R" romantics are Byron, Keats, Shelley. And Heather Dixon . While there is more than a touch of lower case "r" romance in Entwined , it is, at its heart, an unabashed capital ...

Two of my favorite things are making a convergence this weekend. Neil Gaiman has written the episode of Doctor Who that will air this Saturday, May 14th. To say I am excited is to understate the level of squee this fangirl is capable of. If you haven't seen Doctor Who since, oh, the 20th century, don't let preconceptions of bad special effects and cheesy aliens stop you from enjoying the reboot of the franchise that began in 2005. Christopher Eccleston starred as the Ninth Doctor, bringing a edginess to the role. David Tennant took over as the sexy Tenth Doctor from 2006-2010. Matt Smith, the goofiest doctor I've ever seen, now stars as the Eleventh Doctor. The BBC obviously upped the budget, but what made a new generation of viewers fans of the show is the remarkable storytelling. These stories are smart, funny, tragic, and scary, often at the same moment. Not every episode is an A+, but rarely is an episode anything less than a B. I highly suggest th...