2014, Day 1

Posted

I really hate making New Year’s Resolutions.
Let me clarify—I don’t hate making them, but I don’t do such a good job of keeping and tracking them. Last year, my goal was to write 1500 words a week. Did I hit it? Maybe. I never really tracked it, so it’s hard to say. Plus, I spent a lot of time revising The Great Greene Heist—and it’s hard to count those as new words, even though it often takes just as long to revise as to write a first draft.
So I’m not going to make any big, grandiose resolutions for the new year. However, there are a number of things I want to work on in 2014, including:

1)   Finding a way to balance day job / family / writing: This is always a struggle, finding a way to keep all the balls in the air. I want to continue to find ways to be more productive when writing and when working, so I’ll be able to physically and mentally “be” with my family when I’m at home. I’ve also gone back to writing in the mornings—it’s amazing how much work you can get done when everyone’s asleep. Of course, what will really help with this balance is—

2)  Being okay with saying “No”. 2012 was a really busy year for me—I accepted a lot of teaching and speaking engagement (including a 10-day stint as a grad assistant at VCFA, a week-long teaching assignment at the Highlights Foundation Full Novel Workshop, and speaking at NCTE in Las Vegas, among other things). I promised my family that I’d cut back in 2013. Even though I missed out of a number of events I usually attend, the time away was well worth it—I got a lot of writing done, and I had the opportunity to spend a lot more time with my daughter. I’ll be doing more events in 2014, but I still plan to be very deliberate about what I choose to do.

3)   Being an author and a writer: When I talk to new writers, I often say that there’s a big difference in Varian-the-writer and Varian-the-author. When I’m in writer-mode, I’m just worried about me and the page. But when I’m working as Varian-the-author, I have to deal with everything else in the business—marketing, contracts, taxes, speaking engagements, invoices and payments, etc. With a new book coming out this year, I know I can’t totally neglect all of the business stuff, but I also want to make sure I nurture the writing as well. Writing retreats are really good for that, and I’m hoping to take two in 2014. And really, the best marketing is writing a new, great book.

Sara’s clients at the S3Q2 retreat: me, Jessica, Rachel, Marianna & Amy Rose
I’m sure there are more things to work on, but now it’s time to write. Happy 2014, people.

Favorite of 2013 (and some stray thoughts)

Posted

This post by Joy Piedmont at Someday My Printz Will Come pretty much sums up why I adore Eleanor & Park.

Note 1: I don’t necessarily think it’ll win the Printz – my money’s on Boxers & Saints – but an honor would be a well-deserved recognition.

Note 2: I also loved Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl.

Note 3: I loved the music threads in both Eleanor & Park and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and would kill to read a novel that paid homage to late 80’s and early 90’s R&B / Rap / Hip-Hop in a similar way. If this book exists, please email me and let me know.

The Great Greene Heist

Posted


The Great Greene Heist
Arthur A. Levine / Scholastic
Middle Grade
Summer 2014

Edited by Cheryl Klein
Designed by Nina Goffi
Cover Illustration by Kali Ciesemier


“If you’re going to pull a con, know how to pull a con in style.”

Catching Up and Open Mic

Posted

First of all, thanks so much for all the kind words and support you all showed concerning my blog post about the lack of black boys in middle grade literature. (Also, be sure to check out the comments—lots of good stuff there.) I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and while I don’t have a definitive solution to the problem, there are some things I know I can do to make a difference, such as:

1) Mentor more authors of color.
2) Mentor more authors writing about people of color.
3) Keep talking about the problem.
4) Continue to include diverse casts in my novels.
5) Buy books featuring people of color!

I’m not saying that my solutions are the only solutions, but I think they’re the best way for me to make a difference. I’ve already got two manuscripts lined up to read (one written by an African-American male, the other featuring an African-American male as the main character). Depending on my schedule, I hope to take on a few additional authors next year.

Finally, I can’t believe I haven’t posted about this, but I’m proud to be one of ten authors featured in the upcoming anthology, Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices (Candlewick, Sept 2013). The anthology, edited by author Mitali Perkins, has already been named a Junior Library Guild selection and will also be released as an audiobook. You can learn more about the anthology on Facebook and at the Candlewick website.

Here’s the full list of authors in order of appearance:

“Becoming Henry Lee” by David Yoo

“Why I Won’t Be Watching the Last Airbender Movie” by Gene Luen Yang

“Talent Show” by Cherry Cheva

“Voilà” by Debbie Rigaud

“Three-Pointer” by Mitali Perkins

“Like Me” by Varian Johnson

“Confessions of a Black Geek” by Olubemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

“Under Berlin” by G. Neri

“Brotherly Love” by Francisco X. Stork

“Lexicon” by Naomi Shihab Nye

Where are all the black boys?

Posted

Last week, author and librarian Betsy Bird posted this on Twitter: “At the risk of sounding desperate, can anyone name me just ONE middle grade novel published in 2013 starring an African-American boy?”
She later followed up with a post listing all the books published in 2013 featuring African-American boys as main characters. If I’m counting correctly, the number is somewhere around eight. Maybe ten, when you count some of the small publishers.
You have no idea how depressed this makes me feel.
There are a lot of theories why these books aren’t being published. Maybe authors aren’t writing them. Maybe editors and agents aren’t acquiring them. Maybe readers don’t want them.
While this makes me worry about the state of the industry, I find myself first worrying about my daughter. My nieces. And especially my nephew.
I grew up in a time when there were very few books for young people featuring people of color. There’s no way to describe how it feels NOT to see yourself in books. There’s no way to describe how it feels NOT to see other authors that look like you writing books. As someone that had wanted to be an author since I was in second grade, it was…crushing.
Hell, it’s still crushing. Have you ever scanned the shelves at your local bookstore? If the real world were like the YA section, I wouldn’t exist.
Knocking on wood—I have a new book coming out next year. It’s my first middle grade, and while it features an ensemble cast, the main character is a thirteen-year-old African-American boy. As of today, it’s titled THE GREAT GREENE HEIST (published by Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic, edited by Executive Editor Cheryl Klein). It’s about…well, a heist.
(Sorry, but I don’t do well with describing my own books. And while I’m at it, sorry for all the disclaimers, but in publishing, nothing is ever set in stone until the book’s on the shelves.)
Selfishly, I worry that no one will buy the book. Either people will think it’s not relevant to them because it features a black boy. Or they won’t buy it because they’ll think it’s about slavery or racism. Or people won’t buy it because it’s NOT true Black History Month material. (Or it could just suck, but that’s a worry shared by the majority of authors.)
I try not to obsess about things like this, but given the industry’s track record, can you blame me?
I also worry that with such a small sampling of books that feature African-American boys, my book will have to do double or triple or quadruple duty. Being a fun caper novel won’t be enough. It’ll have to be more. More literary. More commercial. More accessible. More poignant.
I know this is crazy talk. This is the type of talk that puts authors in a forever do-loop with a manuscript. I know this—but still, I worry.
I feel fortunate that this book is being published by Cheryl and the folks at AAL /Scholastic. I trust that they’ll make the right decisions about the cover—whether it features a brown face or not. I trust that they’ll do what is best to get the book in the hands of all readers, not just ones with brown faces. (And please, please read this blog post about judging coversby Andrea Davis Pinkney, vice president and editor at large of Scholastic’s Trade Books. Even as an author of color, I struggle with this issue.)
I’m working on a new project now, and it’s tough going. But in a day or so, I’ll try to forget about publishing statistics and book covers and authorial responsibility and all the other crap that can weight an author down. And then I’ll get back to work.

Rhombus – Five Years Later

Posted

I always call My Life as a Rhombus, “the little book that could.” When it was published, I had no idea what to expect. Would people like it? Would I be brave enough to talk about it? Would anyone even notice the book?

I’m happy to say that this is the five-year publication anniversary of the book. And it’s still in print (either the third or fourth printing…not sure). Even though I’m older – and more cynical when it comes to the publishing biz – my heart always warms a little when I get a message from a reader about Rhombus. I’ve gotten the gamut of responses about the book, from people telling me that the book is pro-choice or pro-life or great or horrible…or that they’re so glad to read about a character like Rhonda. A character like them. And that really means a lot.

Of course, the royalty checks are nice, too. Every six months, I get to supersize my Wendy’s combo meal.

Seriously, for all of you out there that have read Rhombus – or any of my books – thank you. I am honored that you would take the time to read what I have to write.

Last post of 2012

Posted

So while I haven’t been posting here, I have been blogging. I talked about planning a writing retreat at the Crowe’s Nest, and I talked about 2013 Goals at Quirk and Quill.

Concerning goals, I decided to get a jump start on my 2013 goal this week–which is to write 1500 words a week. So far, I’m written about 1000 words. Can I add 500 more before the Sunday night? I’m a bit skeptical, but we’ll see. I’m trying to cut myself a little slack–for me it’s always hardest to produce words at the beginning of a manuscript–but a goal is a goal.

I hope you all have a blessed and productive and awesome 2013!

Assembly on Literature for Adolescents

Posted

Even though my throat is a bit raw, and even though I may have to bring day-job work with me, I’m so looking forward to the ALAN conference. (Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it’s in Las Vegas.) Looking forward to seeing some of you there!

Sunday, Nov 18th: ALAN Reception.

Tuesday, Nov 20th, 2:40 – 3:40: Breakout Session: Issues on Social Justice (With Ann Angel, J.L. Powers, and Peter Marino).

Why I adore Rebecca Stead

Posted

As I prepare to dive into the next draft of my manuscript, I find myself thinking about this quote from author Rebecca Stead. When asked how to craft a believable voice, she replied:

“Read. Listen. Wait a little, if you want to. Let the voice gather force in your mind. But don’t wait forever.

And mostly, don’t be discouraged if it feels terrible for a while.”

(You can read the full interview at Novel Novice.)

I could go on and on about how much I adore Rebecca as a person and an author, about how I can’t wait to share When You Reach Me with my kid, about how I bought Liar and Spy on the first day it was available…but I’ve been reading and listening and waiting for long enough. Now it’s time to write.