I always said I was going to do a Wordle for SAVING MADDIE, and as I’ve been too lazy to generate an actual post, I figured now was as good of a time as any.
And while it’s still a little too early to share a “full” excerpt, I can share the passage we’re using on the dust jacket:
“Some things about her were still the same: freckled cheeks; round brown eyes; fully, pouty lips. But her hair, which had once reached past her shoulders, was now short and wavy. And those pouty lips were lined in purple lipstick. Not a neon purple, but more like a dark, blue-black mix. Like the color of blackberries.”
I should be posting my Spring speaking schedule sometime at the beginning of the year (psst–I’ll be at both ALA Midwinter and TLA, among other places). I hope everyone has a happy and safe holidays.
For the rest of the month, I’ll be all over the place. Hope to see some of you at one or more of these events!
Oct 15, 2009 at 7:30 PM: Writer’s League of Texas Monthly Program: A Writer’s Guide to PR and Marketing Writers’ League of Texas Office 611 S. Congress Ave, Suite 130 Austin, TX 78704
Children’s Young Adult: Varian Johnson’s UNTITLED companion novel to the forthcoming SAVING MADDIE, again to Stephanie Elliott at Delacorte, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger, NA
As you can see from the Publisher’s Marketplace blurb, we decided to go with the “less-is-more” option. For right now, all I can say is that the book will be written from Madeline’s POV, and…well, that’s about it. More details to come later, probably after Saving Maddie is released (March 9th, 2010).
Sorry for all the vagueness…but to make up for it, I’m thinking about giving away my last, lone, final ARC of Saving Maddie. Stay tuned to the blog, Facebook, or Twitter for details….
…but instead I’m watching Youtube videos from my college years. This stepshow is a parody of the old Kung Fu movies we grew up watching. And yes, I’m in there…
Recognize this guy? It’s not Austin Powers…it’s Jay Asher. Groovy, baby!
I’m not even gonna try to list everyone I met, because I know I’ll leave someone out. All I’ll say is that I had a great time, and I can’t wait for next year!
Round Rock, Texas — Acclaimed authors Kathi Appelt and Sharon Darrow will lead a conference on the craft of writing for young readers on Oct. 2 and Oct. 3 at Teravista (4333 Teravista Club Dr.) in Round Rock, which is located just 20 minutes north of Austin.
The VCFA program intends for this retreat to serve as an opportunity for alumni and their colleagues to reconnect with one another as well as to reignite their passion for the craft of writing for children and teens.
You do not need to be a VCFA graduate to participate.
Newbery Honor winner Kathi Appelt will lecture on “Writing the Novel” and lead a craft class and writing workshop on “Writing the Picture Book.”
Former faculty chair Sharon Darrow will lecture on “Braiding the Character’s Emotional Trajectory into the Story’s Event Trajectory.” Her craft class and writing workshop will focus on “The Plot Sentence & Major/Minor Dramatic Questions.”
Together, Kathi and Sharon will discuss the rewards of the writing life, product, and process.
Festivities will begin at 6 p.m. Oct. 2 with a social gathering at Teravista’s historic Ranch House, and continue the following day with lectures, workshops, and panel discussions at Teravista Golf Club.
I’m in the process of switching domain registration and hosting services (in preparation for the BRAND NEW WEBSITE!!!), which means varianjohnson.com may be out of commission during the next week or so. Feel free to check out my schedule of infrequent blogging at Livejournal, or you can also follow me on Twitter or Facebook. You can also email me at varianjohson(at)gmail(dot)com.
And for those of you going to the SCBWI Conference, see you in LA!
Since this is now up on the Random House Site, I figured I’d go ahead and post the catalog copy for SAVING MADDIE, along with a “not-quite-but-almost-100%” cover:
Joshua Wynn is a preacher’s son and a “good boy” who always does the right thing. Until Maddie comes back to town. Maddie is the daughter of the former associate pastor of Joshua’s church, and his childhood crush. Now Maddie is all grown up, gorgeous—and troubled. She wears provocative clothes to church, cusses, drinks, and fools around with older men. Joshua’s ears burn just listening to the things she did to get kicked out of boarding school, and her own home.
As time goes on, Josh goes against his parents and his own better instincts to keep Maddie from completely capsizing. Along the way, he begins to question his own rigid understanding of God and whether, as his mother says, a girl like Maddie is beyond redemption. Maddie leads Josh further astray than any girl ever has . . . but is there a way to reconcile his love for her and his love for his life in the church?
So, yeah–I’m a Master of the Fine Arts. I don’t have a picture of me with my fancy hood, but believe me, I graduated. Here are a few pics from the residency:
And if I haven’t said so before, I love, love, love me some Rita Williams-Garcia (and if you haven’t read JUMPED, go and buy it now!!)
Me and my good friend Rachel Wilson. Many of you haven’t heard of Rachel yet (unless you’ve been lucky enough to catch her performing with Barrel of Monkeys) but Rach is a superstar waiting to happen (that is, if she ever finishes that novel…). Unfortunately for her, Rach is one of my best friends from Vermont, which means she knows way too much about my nose hair grooming habits (long story) and affection for meat.
Seriously, Rachel is amazing, and I would happily give her a kidney if she ever needed one (again, another long story).
And speaking of meat…that’s a MEAT tray from the party the 4th semester’s threw for my class. As many people at VCFA know, I have a thing for meat, and the Sweet Dreams and Flying Machines were kind enough to provide a little protein nourishment at the party.
All kidding aside, Vermont College of Fine Arts is a magical place–a place that I’ll miss dearly. I made some lifelong friends there, and I learned so much about the craft of writing. I am a better writer because of this program, and I only hope that any future novels I write will honor the fine VCFA tradition of quality literature.
— FYI – While I was in Vermont, I missed all sorts of things concerning Justine Larbalestier‘s cover for her new YA novel, LIAR. I’ll have more to say in this topic at some point, probably closer to the release of SAVING MADDIE, but I do want to say that I’m in awe of how honest and brave Justine has been about this. She is made of awesome.
