You’re invited: KEEP OUT! launch: Markham Village Library
Date: Wednesday April 28, 2010Posted in: Red Dune Adventures
Introducing the Teachers’ Guide for KEEP OUT!
This junior chapter book is ideal for grades 2-4. The guide is catered for those grade levels with activities, discussions and links to curriculum. A bit about the book:
André and Lucas are twin brothers who live on PEI with their park warden mother and veterinarian father. Their mother is working to protect piping plovers, and the boys join in, helping to put up gates around nests and making sure no one trespasses in the sensitive area. When one nest is destroyed, the boys have to do some handy detective work to find the culprits.
Written in an accessible, engaging style, and illustrated with line drawings by Diane Lucas, Keep Out! is the perfect choice for emergent or reluctant readers who like a good mystery.
Read the first chapter: HERE!
View the book trailer: HERE!
Buy: chapters.indigo.ca │amazon.ca
If you have used the Teachers’ Guide, please drop me a line with your feedback. I’d love to hear how it goes!
Jill Murray’s RHYTHM AND BLUES
Date: Wednesday April 7, 2010Posted in: Author profile,Interviews,Red Dune Adventures
Jill Murray’s young adult book, RHYTHM AND BLUES is hitting store shelves and her main character, Alya has popped by to interview Andre and Lucas from KEEP OUT! This is great since Andre and Lucas are young enough to be Alya’s annoying little next door neighbours, waking her up early in the morning after a late night of dancing and singing, bouncing their basketballs and screaming up and down the street with their bikes.
Fun!
Get your very own signed copy of RHYTHM AND BLUES when Jill is in Toronto this weekend:
And now for the interview…
Alya: I LOVE any kind of music you can dance to, especially hip hop, and pretty much all R&B, especially ballads. How would you describe your favourite music?
Andre: Me and my mom love to blast the truck stereo. Anything loud with a good beat is good enough for me. Oh, and don’t forget the bass.
Lucas: Ugh. How many times do I have to tell you? Hearing loss begins at 100 decibels you know.
Alya: So I was pretty happy being a dancer, and then all of a sudden one day, this producer guy asked me to audition as a singer, BUT I COULDN’T EVEN SING. Yikes! If you could have any talent in the world, what would it be, and why?
Lucas: One day, I’m gonna invent the best aerodynamic shield for my bike. I’ve already increased my speed by 13%!
Andre: Yeah, but remember–you’ll never be as fast as me, little brother.
Lucas: Just because you were born 11 minutes before me, doesn’t make me your little brother. Plus, don’t forget I’m 1/2 an inch taller than you.
Andre: Details, details…
Alya: Sometimes I think my life is not turning out like anyone else wanted it to. It’s hard to figure out, let alone stand up for half the stuff I think I want now. What was something or someone you had to stand up for to your parents or teachers or friends, when you were a teen?
Andre: Well, we’re not teens yet, but we once had to stand up to a group of campers when we found out they were destroying piping plover nests.
Lucas: Yeah, that big guy could have crushed us.
Alya: If you read Break On Through, you already know I am SUCH a huge fan of Bershawn Sera, the best singer in the universe. What celebrity would you most like to meet? How do you picture it happening?
Lucas: Me and Andre would love to meet Lance Oliver. He just won the World Body Boarding Championships.
Andre: His boarding skills are sick.
Alya: How would you deal with it if you had a huge secret– OK, more than one huge secret– and you needed help, but for some reason, you didn’t feel like you could talk about it to your BFF, the person you usually turn to for EVERYTHING?
Lucas: Not like I have any choice, but Andre knows everything that happens to me. We’re always together and even share the same room. It’s great, cause he’s always got my back but I just wish he’d keep his smelly socks on his side of the room.
Andre: Hey!
Alya: Look at what you are wearing RIGHT NOW. (Be honest with yourself, even if you are wearing pajamas, or a t-shirt with a splotch of dried toothpaste.) If you had to go on stage in the next five minutes (Pretend you’re singing on reality tv or something. It’s your big chance.) and couldn’t go get a better outfit, how would you make it work, using only the clothes you are wearing and the contents of your makeup bag (if you have one.)
Andre: Well, for Lucas, I think a pink feather boa would be perfect. And maybe some purple hair gel.
Lucas: SO not funny! Don’t mind him, Alya. Andre would just pick something grubby and gross from that disgusting pile of clothes he keeps at the end of his bed.
Andre: Amazingly, Lucas is right on that one. Thanks for coming by, Alya. Have fun while you’re in Toronto and say hi to our friend, Helene!
KEEP OUT! the Book Trailer & read Chapter 1!
Date: Friday March 19, 2010Posted in: Red Dune Adventures
COMING: April, 2010!
In KEEP OUT! Lucas and Andre try to solve the mystery of who, or what, has destroyed the endangered piping plover’s nest of Prince Edward Island National Park. And Lucas hatches a plan to get Andre to keep his dirty socks on his side of the room!
Read the first chapter: HERE!
Pre-order: chapters.indigo.ca │amazon.ca
Illustrations by Diane Lucas. Visit her online portfolio HERE.
A variety of links to news, views and interviews…
*An interview with Brigita Pavshich over at ALL THINGS GIRL/EVERYTHING GIRL.
*A fun podcast I did with the wonderful folks at JUST ONE MORE BOOK , chatting about the complex art of storytelling.
*Ten minutes with Simone Joseph at the ECONOMIST & SUN.
Query queasy? Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!
Date: Wednesday February 24, 2010Posted in: Writer's Toolbox
Well, maybe not easy peasy, but you’ve written a whole novel, right? A super awesome unputdownable, potential to rival the greats novel, right? You’re not going to let a one-page query come between you and getting it published, are you?!
I know, I know…queries are super hard. I know!! I’ve written about a kajillion of them and have had to tinker with them endlessly before coming up with my final copy.
For those wondering what a query actually *is*, it’s a letter from an author to an editor or an agent, querying (or asking) whether they would like to read your novel (and-fall-in-love-with-it-and-help-you-publish-it-and-offer-you-a-trillion-dollars-for-it).
Okay, maybe not the last part…
Basically though, I am here to impart any kind of tenuous wisdom I may have on the subject. So, here goes…
I think it’s helpful to think of the query as the *tease*. You want to give just enough information to entice an agent/editor to read on and request your work, but not too much or you’ll bury your pitch.
Keep it short! If you’re taking more than about 250 words to get your point across, it’s probably too much. Agents and editors are scanning and are probably spending about 20 seconds on your query (if that!), so make it EASY for them to pull out the salient points of what you’re proposing.
THE PITCH: First 125 words or so…
Here are my 4 C’s & a V to a hooky pitch…
* CHARACTER: who is your main character?
* Why should we CARE? What’s at stake?
* CONFLICT: what is your main character up against? what are the obstacles standing in her/his way?
* CONSEQUENCES: Give a hint of the outcome: …but not the ending (keep that for the synopsis)
* VOICE: As much as possible, try to match your pitch’s voice to your manuscript’s voice. This will give an agent a sense of your writing style.
THE MARKET: Next 50 words or so…
* TITLE (in caps so it’s easy to spot on the page), genre, word count, target audience, why this agent might be a good fit
ALL ABOUT YOU: Next 50 words or so…
* writing credits, etc. keep it SHORT, keep it RELEVANT to writing
ADDITIONAL INFO: Last 25 words…
* Mention whether you’ve attached a bio below your signature (I always did) and re: sample pages (add them if you’re allowed)
Just remember, you’re not trying to tell your life story in a query, just enough to hook an editor/agent so they’ll read on to your sample pages and hopefully request your manuscript.
But don’t take my word for it! Check out Pub Rants for great (successful!) query examples in the sidebar about 2/3 down the page:
Plus, you never know, part of your query MIGHT just end up as the quote on the cover of your upcoming novel.
Just saying… 
GOOD LUCK, everyone!
xo H
You might also like: Synopsis writing in 9 easy steps…
I hope I can do this correctly, but here is my cover for my new early chapter book KEEP OUT! (spring 2010), the first volume in the RED DUNE ADVENTURES SERIES. (the cover! 
)
In KEEP OUT! Lucas and Andre try to solve the mystery of who, or what, has destroyed the endangered piping plover’s nest. And Lucas hatches a plan to get Andre to keep his dirty socks on his side of the room!
It will be out in Canada in April and (hopefully!) everywhere else this fall.
Synopsis (or outline!) writing in 9 easy steps…
Date: Thursday October 15, 2009Posted in: Writer's Toolbox
Ah, the dreaded synopsis. Authors hate to write them but they’re a necessary, albeit evil, step in the querying process.
When querying agents/editors, some require a 1 or 2 page synopsis with your initial query. Others will ask for it when they request pages, especially a partial. A synopsis is a re-telling of your story from beginning to end, hitting all of the major plot points (and yes, in a synopsis, agents/editors want to know the end).
I know, I know…it’s sooo hard to distill a whole novel into one page…*whine*…BUT, I’m here to tell you it’s not impossible. Come on, I KNOW you can do it! You wrote a whole freakin’ novel, didn’t you? This is one measly page.
*sendingyouabitoftoughlove*
Okay. No grumbling. You ready?
This is how I structure my synopses. (Also, very useful for outlining, btw: NaNoWriMo, anyone?) I’ve listed the 9 major points I want to cover when retelling my story. I write a paragraph or so under each point and once done, I’m left with about a one-pager. Of course, before I send it off I take away the headings, but this framework helps keep me on track.
1. Inciting incident (The big problem)
What is the incident/problem which sets your story in motion? What is your MC’s goal, quest, problem s/he needs to overcome?
2. Plot Point 1 (first obstacle)
What is the first obstacle, roadblock, conflict your MC must face en route to his/her goal?
3. Plot Point 2 (second obstacle)
What is the second obstacle, roadblock, conflict your MC must face en route to his/her goal? This shows your MC in increasing difficulty and displays the ramping up of tension.
4. Plot Point 3 (third obstacle-situation is about as bad as it can get)
What is the third obstacle, roadblock, conflict your MC must face en route to his/her goal? This should be your character’s ‘darkest hour’.
5. Climax A (lighting the fuse)
What sets things in motion for the big show-down?
6. Climax B (watching it burn)
What conflict/tension/precariousness happens to make us wait and wonder? This is the point where things could go either way…
7. Climax C (kaboom!)
This is where the excrement hits the ventilation device. The ‘final showdown’.
8. Denouement
Everything becomes clear. The world makes sense again. Story questions are resolved.
9. Resolution
And they all live happily ever after. Or not.
See? That wasn’t so bad, was it? Now, you can write a synopsis in 9 easy steps too!
And, psst…, if this looks a bit like my plotting outline…as I mentioned, it is…
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Happy synopsis-writing, outlining, NaNoWrimoing, everyone!
What a week! I’m shaking my head in total disbelief. First THIS happened and now MORE good news. Far more than I deserve.
From today’s Publisher’s Marketplace:
Children’s/Middle Grade
Helene Boudreau’s REAL MERMAIDS DON’T WEAR TOE RINGS, about an aquaphobic mer-girl trying to balance the drama of two-legged teenage life with her quest to rescue her mermaid mother from really scary mer-dudes, to Rebecca Frazer at Jabberwocky, for publication in Fall 2010, by Lauren MacLeod at The Strothman Agency (World).
Other things I don’t deserve:
1. My fabulous super agent, Lauren MacLeod. Lauren had to talk me off so many ledges over this whole submission process. She has nerves of steel and can leap tall buildings in a single bound, which is why SHE, on the other hand, TOTALLY deserves this good news.
2. My amazing new editor, Rebecca Frazer. Rebecca is just a whole lot of awesomeness. From the second we spoke on Tuesday, I KNEW she totally *got* my manuscript. Like, how often does THAT happen?
3. My phenomenal critique group. Where the heck would I be without their kicks in the pants and knocks upside the head? Nowhere, that’s where. And yes, they’re that violent, but no pain, no gain.
4. My friends and family. You guys put up with so much. Half the time I can’t believe you’re all still listening. The other half, I whine anyway.
And yes, maybe I don’t deserve all these things, but I sure am grateful! Though, I’m pretty sure I’ve used up my quota of good news and sparkly karma for a good long while.
Hugs, all! 
When I was 9…my teacher wrote a picture book. She brought it to school to show us and I remember how she went from teacher to goddess that afternoon, with every flip of the page.
Wow!
A real author! In my little town! I was in absolute awe and went straight home that afternoon and wrote (and illustrated!) my own picture book about a couple of kids with a crazed robot that goes off on a rampage through town, flattening hedges and knocking soup cans off grocery store shelves.
Um, yeah. Bestseller, fer shur…
But, a spark ignited in my gut that day. I knew from then on that I wanted to write picture books like my teacher, now an author. I wanted to BE that author more than anything in the world.
Many (many) years passed and about five years ago, I decided to get serious about that childhood dream of mine. So, I wrote a picture book. And another one. And started a novel. And by a very lucky twist of fate, had that novel published. And then wrote more picture books.
And this was one of them (announced today on Publishers Marketplace):
******
CHILDREN’S: PICTURE BOOK
Helene Boudreau’s I DARE YOU NOT TO YAWN, an anti-bedtime story testing the theory of whether yawns are contagious, to Mary Lee Donovan at Candlewick, by Lauren MacLeod at The Strothman Agency (World).******
Yup, that’s me. And yup, that’s my book! Needless to say, I’m BEYOND thrilled!
So, I want to give my shy and awkward 9 year-old self a hug right now and say…guess what?
You did it…
I’d long forgotten that 9 year-old’s book, my first picture book, until last year when I was in my hometown launching my first novel ACADIAN STAR.
Something you should know about my mom: I have 7 siblings and we joke that our mom passes off the same baby picture for all 7 of us. READ: She’s not very sentimental.
Who can blame her, she was too BUSY to be taking pictures. But that day last October, she went into her back cupboard and pulled out a manila envelope.
She’d saved it.
Thirty years later, she pulled out that very first story of mine, each page laminated, each pencil-drawn sketch of my crazed robot, unsmudged, and said, “I knew you’d want this someday.”
And there it was; the defining moment of my decision to be a children’s author, perfectly preserved.
I’ll admit, I’m bawling as I write this. Maybe I’m up too late, maybe it’s the sense of relief that I can actually share this wonderful news with you, but thank you for reading.
And thanks to my teacher for showing me what was possible, to my wonderful agent, Lauren MacLeod, for believing it was possible for *me* and to Mary Lee Donovan at Candlewick for opening a whole new world of possibilities for me and this book.
