VCFA Day in the Lone Star State

(Taken from Cynsations)

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 event is sponsored by the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults, where both Kathi and Sharon serve on the faculty.

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.

The fee for the VCFA Day in the Lone Star State event is $150.00. Online registration is available at this link. Contact Debbie Gonzales (512.426.6050) with questions.

(Note: I'm not sure if I'll "officially" be in attendance, but I hope to make an appearance at some point during the weekend.)

MFAs and LIARS

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:


Me and Rita Williams-Garcia. I'm holding the ARC for Rita's next book, ONE CRAZY SUMMER and Rita's holding the ARC for SAVING MADDIE.

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.

Things that make me happy

1) DDD's with Sarah Bird (Read recaps by Jenny and Shana)

2) New Blackberry Phones! (Who needs a stupid iPhone anyway?)


3) Vermont College Workshop Packets (with my workshop being led by the wonderful Sharon Darrow!


And last but not least....

4) ARCS and...
5) Dust Jackets!

Back to the Grind

Okay, so I know all of you guys are faithful readers of Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations (and if not, add it to your Google Reader TODAY), so by now you've seen the interview that I did with her. If not, check it out. And be sure to sign up for the giveaway!

In other news, work seems to be going well on the critical thesis that I'm required to complete for the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program. I think I kinda-sorta know the general structure of the thesis, but I'll know better once I fill in a few pieces. I've done a fair amount of research, although I have a ton more to do--which is one of the reasons why I'm not posting the topic of my thesis--at least, not yet. Once I get through a first draft, then I'll feel more confident about what I'm writing about.

On the RIGHTEOUS front, I chatted with my editor, Stephanie Lane, last week, and it looks like the novel will be coming out on the Delacorte Spring 2010 line (I know the tentative release month, but I ain't telling). Now, I know that seems like a long time away, but I promise, it isn't. Plus, if any of you read my bumbling, rambling post from last week, you'll see that I could stand to use a little extra time before the novel comes out.

What else...a few people have called me out concerning the Alumni Award that I was given at the past Vermont College Residency. It's not that I was ignoring talking about it--it's just that I always feel strange talking about awards like this. Seriously, I can think of so many people that do so much for the program that deserve this recognition at least as much as I do--if not more. That being said, I am extremely honored and humbled, and I hope that I can live up to the ideals of the awards.

On the writing front, I'm working furiously on a new project that I'll call JG for now. I've workshopped it a few times, and uber-agent Sara has seen the first forty-or-so pages of it. It's a bit of a departure from my other work, but at this point in my career, I wanted to try something different.

My career. I have a writing career. God, it feels good to say that.

I hope everyone is having fun doing what he or she is supposed to be doing in life. At least for today, I know that I am.

Don't Call it a Comeback

I just got back from my latest Vermont College Residency, as like always, I riddled with a mix of joy at being back at home, and at sadness for leaving such a magical place. As always, the residency was great--full of great lectures and workshops, laughter and tears. My class felt especially close to the graduating students, so while I was happy to see them go, part of me wanted them to stick around just a little bit longer.

I'm heading into Semester 3: The Critical Thesis Semester. I have a good idea about what my thesis will cover, and if that doesn't work out, I have a back-up idea. I'll be working with Margaret "Here's your thirty-page response letter" Bechard this semester. I also have a super secret novel that I'm hoping to work on with Margaret this semester.

And now, some pictures...

Here's a picture of my and my last advisor, Rita Williams-Garcia.















Here's a picture of one of my classmates, Rachel. And yes, that is a picture of Dean Cain in that poster behind her. Apparently, he's still making movies:















Here's another classmate, Larissa. I told her not to eat the chili in the cafeteria, but she had to learn the hard way:

I hope all you other VCers had as good of a time as I had! See you all in six months, if not sooner!

More Reviews

I'm knee-deep in finishing up my work for The Brown Bookshelf's 28 Days Later campaign (be sure to check us out starting Feb 1st), so I'll have to make this quick.

First of all, I just got back from my 10 day winter residency for the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Program for Writing for Children and Young Adults, and I'm happy to say, all of the workshops and discussions and reading were great. The best thing about this residency was that, except for the cold, I knew exactly what I was getting into this time. And, I'm really excited to be working with award-winning author Rita Williams-Garcia this semester.

While I was up in Vermont, we got a few new reviews for My Life as a Rhombus. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books gave Rhombus a Recommended review--I'll post a blurb from the review next month, after the print edition of the journal is out. In addition, the good folks at TeensReadToo.com gave the book a Five Star, Gold Award for Excellence! Be sure to check out their review at their website, or on Amazon.com.

While those reviews are nice, my favorite review comes from a teen reader that emailed me to say, "...I really want to thank you for writing such a great book...You Rock!"

Good stuff, right?

Yes, I can do the math...

...and I know it's been a long time since I've posted. I've pretty much come to the realization that, until I finish up a Vermont College, my blogging volume is going to drastically decrease. But the semester is finally over (almost). I still have to get together a bunch of paperwork to turn in to the admin office, and the way I'm going, I'll have to Fed-ex it to get it there on time.

So, I've been spending a lot of time with VC stuff, but there's still a lot of other things going on. Like, My Life as a Rhombus, which was supposed to be available on January 1, is available NOW. Well, at least it's available via Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It should trickle into the actual brick-and-mortar stores later this month or sometime at the beginning of next month. (Thanks for the nudge, Lisa).

Rhombus was also featured in a recent Booklist article about math in fiction. Check out their entire Core Collection of Math in Fiction.

We're also still going strong at The Brown Bookshelf. Again, be sure to check out the blog posts, as we're always adding content.

Okay, that's it for now. Maybe I'll have a chance to post another blog this week.

But then again, don't hold your breath.

First Packet Blues

The good news: I survived my first month of the MFA program.

The bad news: I have 23 more months to go.

I turned in my first packet a few days ago. And as soon as I hit "send" I was flooded with self-doubt. Would my advisor like it? Did I read enough books? Did my essays make sense? Well, I guess I'll know soon enough--I should be getting feedback any day now.

At least for now, I've chosen to use Righteous as my main creative work for the semester. I really think this will end up being a great manuscript...if I can ever get the damn thing finished.

I think I was most surprised about how much I enjoyed writing my critical essays for my packet. Don't get me wrong--I think I suck at writing critical essays--but at least I enjoyed it. And, just writing the essays made me think about books in a way that I never had before.

I've also found that I really miss my classmates. I live for their daily emails.

And of course, I really miss spending time with Mrs. V. She's been a real trooper so far, taking care of cleaning the house and washing clothes and basically leaving me alone when I have to work.

Now if I could only get her to mow the yard, I'd be set.

Alternative Covers and Life In General

Found this on the Netlibrary website today:


Yep, that's the cover for the downloadable version of A Red Polka Dot in a World Full of Plaid. Audible.com shows the original cover, but for some reason, Netlibrary is using this one.

I'm not sure if I like this cover better than the old one. However, I do like that there's an "A" at the beginning of the title. If I ever get a high resolution pic of the cover, I'll post in on the website.

And speaking of my website, I've added a few more things on there (including a placeholder for My Life as a Rhombus). I'll still fleshing out a few areas, so don't be surprised if you see a few misspellings (I think I caught all the broken links, however). I'll let you guys know as soon as I have content up for Rhombus.

School is going well. I was worried about all the reading that I was going to have to do, but it's amazing how many books you can read when you turn off the television.

After talking with my advisor, we decided that I'd work on Righteous for at least part of the year. I'm still undecided on what I want to focus on later in the semester--I originally thought it'd be middle grade fiction, but after reading Bridge to Terabithia, I'm not so convinced that I'm a MG author.

But hell, some days, I'm not so convinced that I'm an author at all.

Rez Number 1

Life is finally getting back to normal...or, at least as normal as it's going to be for a while. My first residency at Vermont College was great, but it really tired me out (but in a good way). So, without further ado, here are my thoughts on my first residency:

1) I have an awesome class. Really. There are some people (like me) that are writers because they work really, really, really hard at it. There are others (like my classmates) that are writers because they are extremely talented. I'm honored to be starting my MFA with these guys. Some of them are going to be big-time authors one day--I'm sure of it.

2) I have a new man crush: Tim Wynne-Jones. He's really smart and really funny, and his laugh is infectious.

3) There are a lot of freaking hills in Vermont.

4) I finally got a chance to meet Ellen Wittlinger face-to-face. I think she'd be a great addition to the faculty (hint, hint).

5) I had a chance to meet fellow Flux author Micol Ostow (and her crew of Gwenda Bond and Kate Angelella). They're all loads of fun, especially after they've been drinking. FYI--check out Micol's recently redesigned website.

6) Speaking of drinking--I drank a lot of red wine out of plastic cups. I think my class's name should be "Red Teeth".

7) Don't tell Mrs. V, but I had one teeny-tiny cigarette while I was up there.

8) An Na came to the school to hang out one night. Being that she's a Printz Award Winner and National Book Award Finalist, I thought she'd be...I don't know...more standoffish. But she's really down to earth and really easy to talk to.

9) Did I say there were a lot of hills in Vermont?

10) I'll be working with the wonderful Sharon Darrow this semester. I hope she doesn't make me cry.

11) I'm excited. And happy. And I know now, more than ever, that writing is what I'm supposed to be doing.

Back and Better Than Ever (Mini-Post)

I'm back from my first residency at Vermont College. Met a lot of cool, smart people. Learned a lot of new things. I'll post more in detail this weekend--after I've had a chance to catch up with the real world.

Things I was supposed to do before Vermont College...

1) Finish revising the first three chapters of Righteous: Well, I'm close (if you consider close being stuck somewhere in Chapter 2). But I'm still hopeful that I can at least stay on my schedule of getting the first half revised by the end of next month.

2) Finish updating my website: For anyone paying attention, I think I originally said that I'd have the revised site up and running by March. Well, March has come and gone, and the website still looks the same. I promise, I plan to get revised content up by September (or sooner, depending on when I get the final cover art for My Life as a Rhombus - hint, hint).

3) See Transformers: Yeah, I know--WTF is Michael Bay thinking, putting red flames on Optimus Prime. But it could be worse--he could have made a movie like Superman Returns.

4) Spend quality time with Mrs. V: Well, it seems that Mrs. V is actually looking forward to me being out of the house for a while...which means that I'll either be greeted with new furniture, new paint, or a new dog by the time I return.

Okay, so this is probably my last post until I get back from VC. See you guys when I get back. I think I'll have some amazing things to report on when I return.

I'd Hate To Check My Blood Pressure This Month

I got my Vermont College Workshop Packet this weekend. It comes in at just over 200 pages, and it contains pieces by 11 authors (including myself) that I'm supposed to read and be ready to critique by the time the residency rolls around next month.

No so bad, right? Except that I have an article that's due by the end of the month (I'll post more about that after I finish the damn thing), we have 2 killer projects at work with really short schedules, and I have to go out of town at next weekend (and then maybe the weekend after that).

So while I'm really excited about reading the packet, all I can think is: What the hell have I gotten myself into?

A Bit of Good News

In an attempt to be less dreary, I just wanted to quickly post that I've been awarded a merit scholarship for my upcoming fall semester at Vermont College.

Yay me!!

Mr. V Gets Schooled

So not only did I turn 30 yesterday, and not only did I submit my "almost" final manuscript of My Life As A Rhombus (only three comments from AK in this round), and not only did I get my brand new Brother HL-5250 printer (it duplexes), but I also got a call from Sharon Darrow, the Faculty Chair of the Vermont College MFA Program for Writing for Children and Young Adults.

It looks like Mr. V is going back to school.

I know what a lot of you are wondering—why in the world are you interested in getting an MFA? You’re already a published author.

Yes, I am a published author. But just because I’m published doesn't meant there isn't more I could learn about the writing craft. There are a number of things I want to do—things that I can do better with an MFA. I want to become a more critical writer and reader. I want to take my craft to the "next level." I want to learn more about PBs and MGs and non-fiction writing. I want to teach (someday).

I’m not saying that getting an MFA is the right thing for everyone to do, but I think it's the right thing for me. So for anyone else lucky enough to be enrolled or accepted in the program, I’ll see you in Vermont in July.

One more thing—I need to thank the following people for all of the advice and well-wishes: Cynthia Leitich Smith (who has her own good news to share), Carrie Jones, Brian Yansky, Brian Farrey, Sara Crowe and Andrew Karre.