Middle Grade Week, Day 2

This week is all about Middle Grade: writing it, indie publishing it, and especially marketing it! As you may know, reaching those elusive middle grade readers is tough, doubly so when you're indie published. Plus there are giveaways (see below)! 

Here's the schedule:

MONDAY: 

Warrior Faeries and Math Magick: How Susan Kaye Quinn is using a Virtual Author Visit video and Teacher's Guide to reach readers with her MG novel, Faery Swap.

TUESDAY: 

Faery, Fairy, Sweet and Scary: a discussion with MG author Kim Batchelor on writing about Faeries in kidlit.

WEDNESDAY: 

Sci Fi for the Middle Grade Set: a discussion with MG author Dale Pease about writing SF for kids.

THURSDAY: 

Writing Indie MG: a roundup of indie MG authors (Michelle Isenhoff, Elise Stokes, Lois Brown, Mikey Brooks, Ansha Kotyk) about why they write MG and how to reach readers, including their indie MG author Emblazoner's group catalog.

FRIDAY: 

Marketing Indie Middle Grade - The Hardest Sell - about reaching MG readers as an MG author.

Faery, Fairy, Sweet and Scary 
with Susan Kaye Quinn and Kim Batchelor

Most of us are introduced to Tinker Bell and fairies as cute but contentious little creatures that, if we are lucky, we might find in the bushes outside our window. But in the Irish and Scottish myths that gave birth to these creatures, they were not always sweet or cute. The original faerie (or fairie, if you will) stories came from myths about the Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of people in Irish Mythology gifted with supernatural powers. Fairies were known as aos sí, aes sídhe, or simply the sidhe, and some—like the banshee or bean sí—were in mythical reality faeries who wail near those close to death. (And hence the term “screaming like a banshee”.) Yikes! Imagining (and reimagining) those faeries has been happening in literature ever since. Today, Susan Kaye Quinn and Kim Batchelor chat about the kind of faeries they have in their middle grade fantasies, and where the inspiration for those stories came from. 

Sue: Kim, you have the classic Tinkerbell fairy in your Peter Pan re-imagining, The Island of Lost Children. But first, tell me a bit about your (not yet released) book, The Mists of Na Crainn, and how you imagined the fairies in that story.

Kim: Several years ago, while driving home after an evening of teaching, I learned a few things about fairies that I never knew. Throughout the journey on a long stretch of highway, a Celtic music station played a series of eerie songs in recognition of the night before Halloween. Faeries kidnap mothers and their babies and take them to caves where they are held captive. Listen. When it’s completely quiet, you can hear their songs calling out to you to rescue them. “You’re part fairy, aren’t you?” Somewhere on the drive, that line came into my mind and gave birth to the story that would later become my book, The Mists of Na Crainn (not yet in print but hopefully soon). Imagine learning that you were part of a race of people prone to stealing women and babies, among other bad practices, and you never knew it. That became Lyric Doherty’s story, and in the book I introduced her to her classmate, Andrew, whose mother, along with his brother, also went missing, never to be found. I loved writing about a mythical place coexisting alongside of the world as we know it.

Sue, your book, Faery Swap, takes those fairy myths to a completely different level. In your story, this mythology is clearly situated in our world, with tension, conflict, and adventure suitable for the middle grade reader. The two boys at the center of the story and conflict each find themselves located on an unfamiliar side of the rift between the Otherworld and our world. Where did the inspiration for your story come from? 

Sue: I was also driving in the car, oddly enough! (That's where I seem to find many of my ideas!) I wanted to write a middle grade fantasy, but with science elements. With my background in science and engineering, I always like to bring some of that into my stories - and I love the intersection of the mystical and the scientific because, to me, science is magical! Not only because today's mysteries are tomorrow's science, but because the idea that we can understand how the universe works by applying our minds to it is wondrous to me!

Kim: I love how you combine science and magik. I work in clinical research, so science is important to me, too. In The Mists of Na Crainn , "pixies" have taken over all the leadership positions in the Village Na Crainn and banned the teaching of all but the most rote and boring information. In pursuit of what they’re not being taught, Andrew introduces Lyric and her friend Saoirse to the Arbor Fair, where forbidden knowledge on science and math combine with the fantastical.

Sue: I love the forbidden science! Nice.  

Kim: How do your characters combine the two?

Sue: In Faery Swap, my warrior faeries use knowledge (specifically mathematics and science) to enhance their faery powers - they command the elements but also a dimensional magick just by virtue of their birth as faeries. But their powers are increased when they acquire new knowledge about how the universe functions. In the story, the faeries travel from their Otherworld to Earth, swapping places with humans to steal their knowledge and bring it back to the Otherworld. Our knowledge is literally their power... and I love the message that sends to kids. (Along with a rollicking good fish-out-of-water adventure for both my faery and human protagonists!) Kim, what kind of powers do your faeries have, and how does that affect their interactions with humans?

Kim: Our knowledge is their power. That’s literally fantastic. In The Mists of Na Crainn, Fairy have the ability to "soar" in the wind, melt into and move through the mists, use potions, and through a strong connection with nature have the ability to manipulate it, for ill or good.  The anti-science “blunt thinkers” not only affect village life, they have a connection to the evil forces in the Otherworld, where Lyric searches for her mother.

In Island of the Lost Children, Belatresse the Fairy can fly, shrink down in size (she’s slightly smaller than most children) to fit into a pocket uncomfortably, and, of course, influences child archers to shoot unsuspecting 12-year-old girls out of the sky. Human children know it’s best to stay out of her way, or can easily divert her attention with a couple of packets of granulated sugar.

Sue: Ok, all those powers sound like tremendous fun! And I love that the anti-science people are "blunt thinkers!" Thanks for chatting faery (and fairy) lore with me today!

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Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, which is young adult science fiction, and several adult fiction stories. Faery Swap is her foray into middle grade, which is her first writing love. Her business card says "Author and Rocket Scientist" and she always has more speculative fiction fun in the works. You can subscribe to her newsletter (hint: new subscribers get a free short story!) or stop by her blog to see what she's up to.

Faery Swap

Kindle | Nook | Print

Fourteen-year-old Finn is tricked into swapping places with a warrior faery prince and has to find his way back home before the dimensional window between their worlds slams shut. Faery Swap is on tour March 3rd - March 21st with a $25 gift card and magick wand giveaways! Sign up here.

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Kim Batchelor writes for children and adulst. She writes fiction short and long, real and fantastical, foreign and domestic. Her first published book is The Island Of Lost Children, a re-imagining of Peter and Wendy. You can find Kim online at her website.

The Island of Lost Children

Kindle | Print

The Island of Lost Children: The story of Peter and Wendy set in modern times.

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More Middle Grade Coolness coming up this week! Enter the Giveaway below from all the participating authors!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Day 3

It's day 3 of the blog tour! Next stop on our list is a great website, http://antagonistinterviews.blogspot.com/. Here you will find an interview given to the villain in The Dream Keeper book. Fyren is an evil shifter, who is trying to take over the world of Dreams. His goal is to break down the barrier that separates our world from the dreamworld. Should he succeed, every man, woman, and child would be subject to the rule of nightmares. It is really a fun interview!

Author Interview: Diann Thornley Read

I am pleased to share with you a fantastic interview with an incredible sci-fi author, Diann Thornley Read. I’ve met Diann in my writers group online, the Authors’ Think Tank, and later in person at the LTUE Writers Conference. She has been a great source of information and is truly a good friend.

Diann wrote her first story at the age of five and never stopped writing. She taught herself to type on her father's ancient manual typewriter at the age of six because that was faster than pushing a pencil. After winning a statewide writing contest, junior high division, at the age of fourteen, she began her first novel, which was based on the Arthurian legends. This endeavor filled most of her high school years and freshman year of college--until a handful of friends introduced her to science fiction. There she stayed writing numerous books. And here is the interview:

The Sergey Chronicles were originally published by Tor in the late 1990’s but it was then called The Unified Worlds Saga. How do you feel about the name change?

Diann Read: I made the name change myself. The books are, after all, about the Sergey family, not about the interplanetary alliance called the Unified Worlds (which is similar to our NATO). Admiral Lujan Sergey (Commander-in-Chief of the special forces group called the Spherzah), his combat surgeon wife, Captain Darcie Dartmuth, and their teenage son, Tristan Sergey, get caught in the political/military intrigue leftover from an old war, and discover it's up to them to stop an impending new threat.    

There are currently four titles in The Sergey Chronicles, do you plan on continuing the saga now that you have the books available as an eBook?

Diann Read: Actually, there are three books--Ganwold's Child, Echoes of Issel, and Dominion's Reach--but for the Kindle (and soon-to-be Nook) editions I also created an omnibus version: All three books in one download--and there are two covers for the omnibus! But back to your question. I've had a few requests from readers about my age for more stories about Lujan and Darcie and what they do after Dominion's Reach. I'd had no idea there was a market for middle-aged action heroes! I have loads of ideas filed away, so I may eventually go back and write some of those stories, but they'll likely be novelettes or novels rather than full-fledged books. (I'm currently working on a new YA series that's got my full attention.)

Orson Scott Card has said about book one, Ganwold's Child, “This novel is exemplary for showing how the effective military mind really works—you’ll find no romantic military nonsense here.” Can you share tips on how you created such a fantastic space military? Was there anything you used as a reference guide?

Diann Read: Well, I spent 23 years in the USAF, both on the active duty and reservist sides, and did a few deployments to "interesting" parts of the world, so a lot of the military stuff was drawn from personal experience. I wasn't a pilot but I did work around some, so I picked their brains for the pilot-specific details. When I brought back the first draft of Tristan's pilot training to one of my fellow officers, he went off into a corner to read it and next thing I knew he was laughing out loud. I thought, "Oh no, I'm never going to live this down!" but I gritted my teeth and asked him, "Okay, what did I do wrong?" He said, "Nothing! It's exactly right. I just can't believe you went into so much detail." Well, he'd given me all that detail!

What do you like most about writing Sci-Fi?

Diann Read: World-building, including climates different than ours, and coming up with strange (and sometimes violent) plants and unusual animals. I enjoy anthropology, so I really enjoy creating new cultures. I'm especially having fun with that in my Seventh Shaman series.

If you could be any planet in our solar system, besides Earth, which you be and why?

Hmmm, I've never thought about that. Saturn, probably. If you've ever seen NASA photos of Saturn (my husband, Jon, is a rocket scientist at NASA), those rings are breathtaking!

Do you have a favorite character that you’ve created? What about them do you like best?

Diann Read: That's like asking which is your favorite child! And by the time you've written a book or three about your characters, you do feel like you've brought them up! I was madly in love with Lujan while writing the Sergey books--that was before Jon came into my life--but Tristan and Akuleh (protagonist of the Seventh Shaman series) are my boys. They have enough in common that they'd probably become buds if they met--after some initial mutual misgivings--but there are some distinct difference between them, too.

What have you learned the most as a published author?

Diann Read: To take the bad with the good, accept it, and move on. In other words: Keep Writing!!! Not everyone is going to love everything you produce. After Ganwold's Child first came out from Tor Books in 1995, one critic said it was only good as a script for a video game. But all three Sergey books were out by the time I deployed to Bosnia in late 1997, and a handful of SpecOps guys liked them so much they made me an honorary member of their support team and took me along on one of their weekly runs up a local mountain. (Only time I've ever seen human bodies steam the way a horse does when you take off the saddle after a hard ride in winter! Watch for that in a future book.) 

What advice can you give to a writer just starting out? Are there any mistakes to avoid?

Diann Read: Do your homework (research) on your subject so you really know what you're talking about. That's a lot easier now with the Internet than when I was researching all the medical stuff for Dominion's Reach. Don't be afraid to try new things--within reason, of course!--just for the experience. Wherever you go, always have some way to take notes--you never know when you're going to get that blockbuster idea! Most important, write SOMETHING every day, even if it's just a few sentences. You're not really a writer if you don't really write. 

What book, besides your own, do you recommend every writer have on their bookshelf? This can be anything from crafting tips to a novel you just love to pieces.

Diann Read: Here are two must-haves for my professional library: Hooked, by Les Edgerton. He focuses on gripping openings but also talks about story structure, and ratcheting up the tension and conflict. Hands down the most useful how-to book I've ever read! And Painless Grammar, by Rebecca Elliott. A very clear, concise, and even slightly comical approach to all those pesky issues like lay/lie, was/were, and who/whom.

Is there anything else about your books that you’d like to share, or anything you’d like to shout out?

Diann Read: We haven't talked much about my current project. The Seventh Shaman series is similar to the Sergey books, except aimed at the YA audience. My protagonist, Akuleh (the name means "Looks Up," which he has to learn to do on a few levels, but he goes by Ku), would be American Indian if the books were set on Earth. Having a non-Anglo protagonist was a very deliberate choice; I see far too few non-Anglo, especially American Indian, kids in YA fiction.

Ku is an orphan being brought up by an abusive stepmother. He knows a prophecy was made about him at his birth but he doesn't know what it said, so when his stepmother starts calling him Death Bringer he believes the worst. Time to leave before anyone else he cares about is killed! So he runs away from home, lies about his age, and joins the military. Ku also has a snarky streak, which is a lot of fun to write.

Like Lujan, Ku is a natural combat pilot, but that's as much curse as blessing during pilot training. He also has to deal with cultural issues--his latent shaman capabilities, which adds a fantasy element, his clan's traditions, and that prophecy--on top of facing prejudice and the usual teen challenges of boy-girl relationships and heartbreak. In the end Ku will hear the contents of the prophecy and learn that his life does have worth and purpose--a great purpose. And that's the message I want to get across to kids, especially at-risk kids. 

Where can we find more about you and your books?

Diann Read: My website is at www.diannthornleyread.com, my Amazon author page is www.Amazon.com/author/diann.t.read, and my blog, Hero Journeys, is at www.diannread.wordpress.com. Please Like my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Diann-T-Read/291193624316145?ref=hl, and follow me on Twitter @DiannTRead. I'm also on LinkedIn and Goodreads. 

Thank you so much for letting me interview you for the blog.

Diann Read: You're very welcome, Mikey. Thanks for letting me interview you, too!

Author/Illustrator Interview: Travis Hanson

I'm excited to share with you Travis Hanson, an Eisner nominated creator of the webcomic/graphic novel series the Bean. An epic fantasy tale of a dishwasher. I have been a fan of Travis’ work and was happy he accepted the invitation to be interviewed. Here is a little about him:

Travis Hanson: I am an artist and storyteller. I have been illustrating professionally for about 15 years now. I am also a father of 5 incredible kids, and husband of a beautiful enduring wife. “the Bean” is my story. Published both as a webcomic and as printed graphic novels. In 2011 Bean was nominated for an Eisner in the “Best Digital”. That was a huge motivation to keep the story going. I am lover of fantasy art and epic story telling. I am also a believer that “If you truly want something bad enough, you will find a way to make it happen.”. I also believe that it is our responsibility to teach others how to achieve their dreams as well. Yet, in the end it really comes down to how bad do you want to see your own dream happen.

I have to say I am a fan of your work and look forward to your weekly posts. The Bean series is a compilation of graphic novels. For those unfamiliar with graphic novels can your share what sets these apart from say comic books?

Travis Hanson: Why thank you, I am excited you are enjoying my fantasy adventure of a dishwasher.  I would say though as for what sets graphic novels apart from comics is not much really. They are comics and they both tell a story. Comic books though tend to tell in 24 pages while graphic novels take a little longer.

As an illustrator myself, I know that hours of work go into creating one illustration; from sketching, to penning, then paining it can be a challenge. Can you explain the process you go through in creating your art?

Travis Hanson: It usually just starts with a sketch. Nothing more, nothing less. Once I get the pencils done, I then ink on vellum, tracing paper. This creates a perfect piece of line art when I scan. After that it goes into a layout program or a coloring program, depending on the needs. Music though is a big part of my art. I use it all the time in the creation process.

How did you get your start in illustrating? Have you always done it or was it something you picked up later in life?

Travis Hanson: I have always drawn pictures but I did not get into the industry until my mid-twenties. I got a little sidetrack and then was pleasantly reminded that artistic gifts can go away if you do nothing with them, After that I got my first job as a cartoonist for a local print shop and the rest is history. :)

I can tell from The Bean series that you favor fantasy and epic stories. What inspired you to write these books?

Travis Hanson: I love epic fantasy and my inspiration comes from many sources. Books like Bone and ElfQuest, to a general disdain of doing dishes, to watching my kids play. It all sort of just got lumped together and gelled. I am still getting inspiration on my story though and it is getting stronger because of it.

I believe you used a Kickstarter program to help publish your series of graphic novels. Can you share how that worked and if you recommend others like you to use it? How has your journey to publication been?

Travis Hanson: I have run 3 successful Kickstarter campaigns. Each one was stronger than the last. It's been a fantastic ride. The key though is to have an audience (hence my love for webcomics) and build off that. I would also say prepare. Just don’t jump into it. It can be a very, very bumpy ride. :)

I am a fan of James Owen and I have a quote of his attached to my computer screen. It helps me stay positive and focus on my goals as an author/illustrator. “Never, ever, sacrifice what you want most, for what you want most at the moment.” I’ve seen that you and I favor a lot of the same artists. Can you share one or two things that you have learned from your mentors?

Travis Hanson: James asked me a question when I first got into this field. He asked, “Trav, how bad do you want this?” before I could answer he stopped me and said, “you cannot tell me how bad you want it, you have to show me.” I have lived by that ever since.

What are some tips you can share to an author/illustrator just starting out?

Travis Hanson: Stick it out, pay your dues, listen to c/c, treat it as a job, and . . . “How bad do you want it?” I can't repeat that enough. Only you as a creator know the answer to that and if you want something bad enough you will figure out how to be successful at it—No matter what the odds.

Is there anything else you’d like to share or shout out?

Travis Hanson: That dreams are meant to be followed and sometimes it's a rough road, but in the end the payoff is not always monetary but satisfaction that you created something that people appreciate.

Thank you so much Travis, these are words to truly live by.

For more information on Travis Hanson creator of the Bean series, visit his website at: http://www.beanleafpress.com/. You can also find him on Twitter at: @Travsthebean, on Facebook as Travis Hanson - The Bean

Author Interview: Ryan Hunter

I am happy to introduce you to Ryan Hunter author of the new dystopian thriller inDIVISIBLE.  I met Ryan in our writer’s group The Authors’ Think Tank. When she asked if anyone was interested in sharing her new book I jumped at the opportunity. Ryan Hunter is a published author, journalist and freelance writer. She enjoys the outdoors, hiking, running, baking and chocolate. Her passion in writing is suspense. Her passion in life is her family - oh and adrenaline.

I love the underlining theme of your novel that we as people take our freedoms for granted. Is there something that inspired you to write this book?

Ryan Hunter: inDIVISIBLE started as a dream, a dream that left me with a disturbed feeling that I couldn’t shake. I had this crazy desire to write this story, and I couldn’t put it off. Once I started plotting, I had a trilogy outlined in a single day, and the words just flowed when I began to write. It was beautiful.

I put a lot of myself into this story … ideas, feelings and thoughts like anger at my daughter’s old school for telling me, “Children at E**** Elementary are not allowed to excel” and the horror of the idea that the original draft of Obamacare actually included the option to allow devices to be inserted into us to keep files on us. It all just merged to create this world of One United that amazed me even as the words spilled onto the page.


InDIVISIBLE is a dystopian thriller. Can you give tips on how to create a fractured world that mirrors our own?


Ryan Hunter: I actually hadn’t read much dystopian before writing inDIVISIBLE, mostly because I didn’t want it to feel too much like the other novels out there. I wanted it to be its own story because of how intense the initial idea felt to me. So, I think that’s my first bit of advice: find your own voice in dystopia.

Find an issue or set of issues that you think could be exploited by the government or blown out of proportion … what happens next? How would that affect the general population and how could that continue to multiply? As the government moves to enforce actions or counter plagues, does it make them more powerful or weak?

I think I like to take issues or fears I see every day and blow them up, make them a little excessive and just go with it.

If you were a utensil would you rather be a fork or a spoon. Please share why.

Ryan Hunter: I’ve absolutely never even considered this before this moment … but I’m going to have to go for it all. We have this super cool fork spoon knife thingy. I’d have to be that. Seriously, fork on one end with a knife on the side of the last prong, spoon on the other end. Entirely useful. Strange but useful and fun.

What have you learned most about yourself while writing this book?

Ryan Hunter: I went through a long period of depression prior to writing inDIVISIBLE and when I sat down to start I was scared. I still lacked confidence but I knew I had to write the story of One United. I grew a lot, gained confidence and felt fulfilled again by the end. Then when I sat down to write a short dedication at the beginning, I realized what the biggest message in the book was, and it was for me more than anyone.

inDIVISIBLE begins with Brynn, a girl whose life is turned upside down, who’s scared and yet determined to see changes in her life. She pursues her dreams despite the fear, and I realized that it’s a message of determination. Sometimes we have to go through hard experiences to become our best and sometimes accomplishments only come about after pushing ourselves further than we ever imagined possible. Life can be hard, but we determine how we handle it.

Can you share your experience getting your book published? What made you decide to go indie?


Ryan Hunter: I went the traditional publishing route while writing under my other name, Robyn Heirtzler, but I decided the market’s changing enough that I wanted to play with it and see what I could do on my own. It’s been a great experience and I’ve learned a lot.

What is your writing technique? Are you an outliner? Keyboard or pen?

Ryan Hunter: When writing, I know the beginning, the major hurdles and an approximate ending before I begin, but I don’t plot it all in detail right away. I plot a few chapters and being writing. As the story takes form, I plot a little further and a little further, writing as I go. I find I’m more creative and the story stays fresh when I plot as I go. If I plot the entire novel, it restricts me too much and I get really bored with the storyline before I get halfway through. But if I experience it for the first time just ahead of each chapter, I keep momentum and excitement!  

Occasionally I sketch my characters in my notebook but otherwise, I do everything on my laptop. I’m not fast enough writing by hand to keep up with my own thoughts.

I’ve read reviews that share you leave the book open for a sequel. Is there a sequel planned? When do you hope to have it available?


Ryan Hunter: I’m working on the sequel now and I’m excited about it. There are some new characters, some twists and definitely more adventure. I’d say more, but I think I’ll let you read it when it comes out this spring.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about the book or shout out to readers?


Ryan Hunter: Funny you should ask … I’ve had some feedback recently that made me reconsider the cover for inDIVISIBLE and so I decided, why not try something a little different and see if it gets a better response. I think the new cover captures the feel of the novel better and better portrays a YA novel. In fact, you’re the first blog, aside from my own, to show off the new cover. What do you think?

I think the new cover is amazing. Much more thrilling. I am privileged to be the first blogger to show it off. Thanks for allowing me to do this interview with you and good luck writing the sequel!

You can find more about Ryan Hunter and her novel inDIVISIBLE by going to: http://authorryanhunter.blogspot.com/ or visiting her Amazon author page at http://www.amazon.com/Ryan-Hunter/e/B009HX2HR0/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1.Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGbjp8YmcGg&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1