Behind the Scenes: Scraps of LUCKY Turn into a Novel

For me, the writing of a story almost always begins with voice, a voice so strong that it carries with it the gender, age, location, and disposition of the character. All I have to do then is think of what could be the worst thing that could happen to that character. If the voice is strong enough, I can drop the character into any situation and know how she’ll react. That’s where the real work begins: finding the right situation to exploit the voice in my head.

While I was in line edits for Me & Jack, I got hit by this image of two girls and a bike. Not just a snapshot image, it was like a short video of an old memory. The girls were in a driveway. I saw lots of trees, and it was that kind of warm/chilly day you get in spring. The main character had just convinced her reluctant best friend to let her ride her new bike (a new bike, and it wasn’t even her birthday!) by agreeing to pay a dollar and a pack of Smarties. As the MC rides away from her friend’s shouted instructions and warnings, she feels as free as the honeysuckle air wafting under her nose, yet she can’t help but compare her friend’s flashy new bike to her own embarrassing old red boy bike, bought for three dollars at a garage sale last year.

The image of these two girls was so strong, I picked up a scrap of paper and wrote down the main character’s viewpoint of that scene, dialogue and all. The words flowed like water from the tap. Other thoughts popped up over the next few days and I wrote them all down. Later, I nixed some of them and expanded others, but what remained were those first words spoken by twelve-year-old Hailee Richardson, owner of the red boy bike. She didn’t know it then, but her whole life was about to change.

The first three chapters are available on my website. If you compare them to the scraps—and if you can decipher my scratchy writing!—you’ll see that the first few published pages don’t differ much from the first scrappy words spoken by my then-nameless main character.

Parts of this book were written on the backs of old grocery receipts, a must-have for every writer’s purse.

I hope you get the chance to enjoy A Whole Lot of Lucky! Keep reading and writing!
This post first appeared in From the Mixed Up Files, July 31st

Great Stone Face Award, Me & Jack and more!

I've discovered more about New Hampshire's Great Stone Face Award and I can't help but feel excited!

From Kid's Books 101, written by Matt: "The Great Stone Face Award is an award that is given out every year to around 25 new 4th through 6th grade books  by the GSF Committee. It is sponsored by the Children’s Library of New Hampshire. The name “Great Stone Face” comes from the Man in the Mountain, which is the most historic landmark that was in New Hampshire. This year’s Great Stone Face books are really, really good."

The voting takes place next April, and the winners will be announced May. I'm proud and humbled to find my book, Me & Jack, in such notable company:

2012-2013 Nominees

• Benjamin Franklinstein Lives by Matthew McElligott
• Bigger Than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder
• Cheesie Mack Is Not a Genius or Anything by Steve Cotler
• Dragon Castle by Joseph Bruchac
• Flyaway by Lucy Christopher
• Hothead by Cal Ripken, Jr.
• Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
• Me & Jack by Danette Haworth
• The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
• Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
• Pie by Sarah Weeks
• Saving Arm Pit by Natalie Hyde
• The Silver Bowl by Diane Stanley
• Small as an Elephant by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
• Take Me to the River by Will Hobbs
• Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
• The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
• Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling
• Wild Life by Cynthia DeFelice
• Wild Wings by Gill Lewis
• With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo
• Wolf Storm by Dee Garretson
• Wonder by R. J. Palacio
• Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words and Pictures by Brian Selznick
• Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke

STARRED Kirkus Review for A Whole Lot of Lucky!

A WHOLE LOT OF LUCKY [STARRED REVIEW!]
Author: Haworth, Danette

Winning the lottery does not turn out as sixth-grader Hailee Richardson had imagined. Yes, she does get the new bicycle and cellphone that were high on her list of needs, but she also gets sent to a different school, prestigious Magnolia Academy. New and nervous, Hailee becomes consumed with Facebook and is targeted by an older risk-taking classmate who threatens to get this previously good kid, who doesn’t even swear, into trouble. Soon she’s alienated a new friend and said something terrible to an old one. Dramatic and imaginative, Hailee is both quick-witted and quick to justify herself. In her first-person, present-tense narration, she promises to tell readers the truth, and she does, in her lights. But readers will see through this unreliable narrator, recognizing her jealous moments and her social insecurity. They may even be relieved by her father’s “intervention,” which curbs her cellphone addiction. Hailee’s love for the hard-to-control bougainvillea vines and the ever-changing swamp maple outside her Florida window reflect her own issues. Her parents’ sensible approach to their newly acquired wealth contrasts nicely with their daughter’s exaggerated dreams. Haworth effectively captures the self-consciousness, self-absorption and limited experience of a preteen, and the seductive charms of Facebook friendships for that age. Realistic, modern and still familiar, this is a middle school story both children and their parents should read. (Fiction. 9-12)
 Kirkus Reviews

 

Ten ARCs for A WHOLE LOT OF LUCKY on Goodreads!

OMG, Internet people! I just listed my little giveaway of one ARC for A WHOLE LOT OF LUCKY on Goodreads and discovered my publisher already has a giveaway listed--TEN ARCs ARE UP FOR GRABS ON GOODREADS! Eleven, if you count mine! Check out my website for a sneak peek of the first three chapters. Enter here to win! Enter both! I just put mine up today, so it'll be active in a couple days. Good luck!

Read A WHOLE LOT OF LUCKY free!

The first three chapters of my upcoming middle-grade novel, A WHOLE LOT OF LUCKY, are up on my website. Come visit! And don't forget to enter to win an ARC on Goodreads!

www.danettehaworth.com

Sinbad in October, Hard Rock Cafe, O-town!

It was announced, then cancelled, then sent to me by special email--Sinbad the comedian is coming to Orlando this October!

I sweated it out buying my tickets on Ticketmaster--a stopwatch appears on the sidebar and counts down how many seconds you have left to fill in your information before T-master decides you're taking too long and zeroes you out. I was upstairs and had the wrong credit card! I slid down the banister, took the stairs in a flying leap, and blurred my fingers, tapping in my name, rank and serial number.

Hey, Sinbad, we're coming to see you!

iPhone Video Interview with Donna Gephart

Conference Tip #4: Enjoy! And What to Bring

Hi conference goers!

I'm excited because I'm attending the SCBWI FL Mid-Year Workshop tomorrow. I'm excited because I can't wait to rub shoulders and talk shop with other writers. I'm interviewing Donna Gephart tomorrow for my second iPhone video, and Christina Farley is interviewing me. I'm critiquing manuscripts, and later I'm going out for dinner.

If you're going to a conference, anywhere, anytime, you've got to be prepared, no matter what stage of your career you're at. I say, stick to the basics. This is what you should have in your laptop bag (in addition to your laptop), because you won't always have time to run back up to your hotel room:

• breath mints!
• any medications you have to take during the day
• bottled water
• energy drink (if you need caffeine)
• small snacks to eat during breaks (I'm talking protein bars or peanut butter crackers.)
• chocolate never hurts
• phone and phone charger
• books you want other other authors to sign
• bookmarks or business card
• hair brush
• basic makeup
• cash and debit/credit card
• pens/pencil/tablet
• copies of your first ten pages, your first page, your query

Clean out your purse and/or bag before going to the conference; you don't want to be flustered during the workshop, trying to find a pen.

Dress business casual. You want to be comfortable, but you should also look professional--you'll be in the same room with people who make this whole industry happen.

You are a brave person! You're taking an excellent step toward furthering your career as a writer! I hope whatever conference you're going to gives you what you need. Make sure you eat! Don't get low on blood sugar! Take care of yourself and have fun, and remember, no matter how nervous you might feel, you're crossing a threshold!

Good luck, conference goers! See you on the other side.

Conference tip #3: DON'T BE A STALKER Part 1 and Part 2

There are some people in publishing so well known to us online or through reputation that they are rock stars at conferences. I'm pretty sure Nathan Bransford and Kristin Nelson have wigs and fake noses in their laptop bags--how else to get through the madding crowd? I sat at the same table with Arthur Levine for dinner after a conference and he asked to look at my book. He touched it! This was like nirvana for me. I told my own editor about Mr. Levine's and my little exchange and she reacted the same way I did!

It's exciting to recognize people in publishing, but it's important to remember that although you feel like you know them, you don't, and they don't know you.

Conference tip #3: DON'T BE A STALKER, part 1

Now I'll be the first to tell you if I saw Nathan Bransford walking down the conference hall, I'd probably go over to him and tell him how much I've enjoyed his blog and his thread on Absolute Write. I'd mention one or two specific things he's said that helped me and of course I'd ask for a picture with him for my blog!

But that's different from waiting for him to emerge from the men's room, following him, cornering him (haha! I've captured my prey!), and saying, "Hey, I know you used to be an agent. I write X. Who in your former agency should I send it to?" That's just using people. And you can't disguise this kind of opportunist. "Hey, I read your blog. Can you read my manuscript?" WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Conference tip #3: DON'T BE A STALKER, part2

Don't reduce people at the conference to your means to getting published.

Now all that said, if you should be eating lunch and suddenly discover you're sitting next to a BIG NAME IN PUBLISHING, it's perfectly fine to introduce yourself and enter into small talk. If BIG NAME asks you what you're working on, WOW! YES! go ahead and talk about it--but briefly--key word--BRIEFLY. Return the favor--what are they working on? What was the last book  they read and loved? How do they like the city you're in and have they had time for sight seeing? Basically, treat them like another person, because that's what they are.

Good luck, conference goers!

Conference tip #2: Be Friendly!

One of the greatest things about attending conferences is getting to see all your writer friends. Maybe you're lucky enough to have a local group with whom you're going to the workshop with. So much fun! You get to talk, encourage each other, eat together. It's comfortable and easy to stick with people you know, but be careful not to err on the side of being exclusive.

Conference tip #2: Be Friendly! Don't Be Exclusive!


Many other writers are attending the conference alone. Be open to conversing with friendly people who approach you, even if they're not in your circle. They only want the same thing you do--a pleasant exchange, relief in knowing they're not the only one who feels nervous/intimidated/excited. You're talking to someone who might become a great friend, a strong supporter, a good critique partner. This person you don't know might even be on bookstore shelves one day--you don't know! (Not that you should befriend people for the potential benefits they might extend to you, but writing is a solitary act--the pecking at the keyboard and such--and it's nice to take a break and visit your friends, even if it's online.)

Remember the golden rule (lifted from the Bible): Treat others as you would have yourself treated.

Go forth and have fun, conference goers!

Going to a Conference? Tip #1 PARTICIPATE!

The season of going to a conference is upon us, and many of you are attending a conference for the first time. Hooray for you!

Going to a conference can sometimes be intimidating. I went to my first conference by myself. It was a small conference in a small town, and all the other writers seemed to know each other, greeting one another by name as they trickled into the little hotel. I felt so alone.

But I shouldn't have. The other writers were friendly--they asked me my name, where I was from, and then this question: "What are you working on?" I didn't know how to answer! What if they stole my idea? I hugged my laptop bag closer and bluffed my way with words that provided no information; after all, my material was proprietary!

Well, I've been to quite a few conferences since then, and I'd like to share some tips with you this week so you can get the most out of your conference experience.

Tip #1 is the biggest and most important tip of all: PARTICIPATE!

 At my first SCBWI conference, the middle-grade track was divided into three or four groups, each with an editor or agent heading the table. An editor headed up my table, and she wanted to help us with our query letters. If anyone wanted to read theirs aloud, she said, the group could provide feedback. My blood raced through my veins at 500 mph. As the first couple of people read their queries and the editor critiqued them, I could hardly concentrate on what they were saying. This was my first query letter and NO ONE had seen it. Ever. No feedback or critique group--I was flying solo. What if my letter broke all the rules, didn't make sense, or worse--what if it was boring?

But I knew I couldn't leave the table without putting my letter up for inspection.

My hands shook so badly when I read my letter, I had to lay the paper on the table so people couldn't hear it rattling. My throat had suddenly dried up. My voice cracked and wavered. When I finished, the editor thought for a moment. Then she pulled a phrase from my second paragraph and said that phrase arrested her attention. The group agreed. She suggested I rework my query to get that phrase in the very first sentence of the letter.

I loved her suggestion and implemented it. That query was for the first book I ever wrote, which eventually became my third book published by Bloomsbury/Walker--ME & JACK. Now the point here isn't asketh questions and be ye published, but rather become a better writer by taking risks to get the information you need. That's one of the reasons you're attending a conference--to learn! So if you can read from your piece, do so! If you can provide a comment or critique, open your mouth! When you can ask questions, ask them! You'll walk away from the conference with so much more if you brave it and speak up! Good luck, conference goers!

iPhone Video: SCBWI, Books, and a Garbage Truck

Three Beautiful Pharaohs

Recently, a group of Pharaoh Hound owners invited me to join their group. I did, and now I see photos daily of one of the most elegant dogs God ever created. The dog on the cover of Me & Jack is a Pharaoh Hound. Maureen Key-Del Duca gave me permission to share this photo with a little information that gives you an idea of their personalities: From front to back: Lola, Farley, and Titus, but Maureen tells me their nicknames are Lolabelle, Farticus (for a reason!) and Titus the bite us. Aren't they beautiful?

Me & Jack Nominated for Great Stone Face Book Award!

While perusing the Internet, I discovered a wonderful surprise: Me & Jack has been nominated by the Children's Librarians of New Hampshire for the Great Stone Face Book Award 2012-2013! This is such great news! I've read some of the other books in the list and I'm thrilled to be in the same company as Brian Selznik, Cal Ripken, Jr., Lauren Oliver and other great authors. Now I know what actors mean when they say, "It's an honor just to be nominated."

Thank you, New Hampshire Librarians!

Twinkle, Twinkle, Me and Jack

Twinkle, Twinkle, Me and Jack
                                                             
Twinkle, twinkle, Me and Jack,
Dog on the cover, paw print on the back.
Some schools have it on reading lists,
The book has adventures and turns and twists.
Twinkle, twinkle, Me and Jack,
Dog on the cover, paw print on the back.

Bookstores ask me to come and talk,
On their shelves my books are stocked.
I will come and sign them then;
I will bring a fancy pen.
Twinkle, twinkle, Me and Jack,
Dog on the cover, paw print on the back.

If you buy one, it'd be so cool.
You could show your friends at school.
A boy, a dog, and trouble await--
I hope you think this book is great.
Twinkle, twinkle, Me and Jack,
Dog on the cover, paw print on the back.

The dog is noble; the boy is brave.
There's a bully in it, too. He misbehaves.
You might laugh and maybe you'll cry;
Maybe when you're done, you'll have red eyes.

Twinkle, twinkle, Me and Jack,  

Dog on the cover, paw print on the back.         

Dylan and Cole Sprouse!

Now they're good looking guys with deep voices, but look how cute and funny they were at six years old with Jay Leno!

An Ode to My Pain

Carpal tunnel
go away.
Rotator cuff
some other day.

Leave me now,
give me rest.
I've books to write.
All my best.

Violet Raines has won CYRM!

More than 300,000 students in California voted on their favorite books, and Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning won the California Young Reader Medal for the Intermediate category! I am thrilled and honored to announce this news--Violet Raines was my first book, and to have readers think so well of it is nothing short of wonderful.

Thank you, California Young Readers!

Can You Diagram this Sentence?

Years ago, I was editing a piece and could not for the life of me decide upon the proper grammar for a certain phrase, a colloquialism I've seen written two ways. I thought if I could diagram the sentence, I would then know how to edit it, but even with the help of The Little, Brown Handbook and CMS, I couldn't figure it out.

I ended up on the phone with a Writer's Digest editor trying to determine the proper wording for this sentence:

I better be going  OR

I'd better be going.

The editor was nice and offered a lot of advice, but she was not able to diagram the sentence, either, and asked me why I needed to. I explained my endeavor to her.

"You can't diagram that phrase," she said. "It's a colloquialism." She advised thusly: Use I better be going for informal prose, and I'd better be going for more formal prose.

I've followed her advice ever since, but it seems to me as if there's somehow an object in that phrase. It niggles at me. I better be going. Is this phrase actually shorthand, a phrase that represents a grammatically correct sentence from the old days, something like this: It is better for me to leave than to stay.

Better has to have a reason for being there. What do you think? Can you diagram this sentence?

Secret Stuff I Can't Tell You and Some Other Stuff I Can!

Okay, folks, I found secret good news on the Internet, but I need to wait until I hear it officially, otherwise, I can't tell if I'm reading properly or just dreaming. I'm not sure, but I think something good has happened for this girl:

Stuff I can tell you: The ARCs for A WHOLE LOT OF LUCKY came in yesterday! Here are the front and back covers:

YAY!

Come Downtown O-Town for POETRY SLAM Saturday!

Come to the cool downtown branch of the Orange County Public Library tomorrow at four to enjoy lattes, cheesecake, and the National Poetry Month Slam competition! I'm attending as a spectator, and I'm looking forward to it. Say hi if you're there--I'll be clothed in traditional literary black.

See you there!

My New Book has a Cover!

Here's the cover for A Whole Lot of Lucky, coming out September of this year!

Orny Adams at The Improv Orlando

Orny Adams, you were wonderful!

Shot in the Arm for Writers and Goodbye

Hello writers!

Pumping myself up this morning and thought I'd share some words I found encouraging: I watched a video in which Joyce Carol Oates said the first six weeks of a manuscript are hell. Writers, we are not alone! Also, last year I went to an excellent seminar conducted by Candace Havens. She talked about fast drafting and writer's block, summing it all up with this: "When you're stuck, keep writing, even if it makes no sense." I can do that! I will do that!

And goodbye, for a few weeks, anyway. I've got to buckle down and write, so I'm dropping out for a while. Have a great day, and I'll see you later!

Two Flavors of Lucky is Now Called . . .

Two Flavors of Lucky is now called . . . A WHOLE LOT OF LUCKY! Look for it September 2012!

Chasing Squirrels is Hard Work

Casey takes a quick break after freeing her territory--temporarily, anyway--of those cheeky squirrels who blatantly climb the oak and leap onto the bird feeder when she is trapped behind sliding glass doors.

Sinbad Explains Why Older Men Should Not Date Younger Women

Lizard Seeks Role in The Summer of Moonlight Secrets

So this lizard pops in through the screen, runs up the table scrambling right for me, and I'm all screaming and "AAAH THERE'S A LIZARD IN THE HOUSE!" but he waves his hands to shush me and says, "Are you the author of The Summer of Moonlight Secrets?"

I can't shut my mouth because, you know, this lizard has just spoken and he does not have an Australian accent. "Whatdja say?" I ask. I heard him; I'm just fudging for a few seconds to cover my disappointment.

His little hands looks like mine, if mine were green and lizardy. He folds them and shrugs his shoulders. "I hear there's a lizard in your book."

I nod. "Yeah, a few of them."

"I've come to audition for the part. I could play all of the lizards, actually--no one would know." Desperation glints from his bulbous eyes.

"It's not a movie." Yet, I secretly think. "It's a book. You can get get in hard cover, paperback, bookfairs, ebooks--"

He shakes his flourescent head. "I need a job."

"Have you tried insurance companies?"

He sneers. "Yeah, that guy. Do you know he's originally from Key West?"

"No!" I pound the table with my fist. "I knew that accent was fake! How'd he get to Hollywood?"

My new friend rolls his eyes. "He knew a guy who knew a guy--you know how it works."

He jumps off the table, squiggles across the floor, and just before he exits through the hole, he turns his head over his shoulder and says, "Well, keep me in mind, will you?"

"Wait!" I rise. "Can you do an English accent or maybe Irish?"

He smiles--at least that's what I think his mouth does--and he mimes tipping a hat. "Top o'the mornin' to ya, luv."

I clap with glee. "Bring me a headshot," I say. "I'll see what I can do."

A Plea to My Husband from our Garage (with apologies to those who read this last year, but the garage suffers untouched)

O Master of the house,

I am blighted and ashamed. Lift your hand to me, and I will be restored. Once, I stood, open and ready before you. Now my contents spill over like vomit from a drunk. Your neighbors to the south snicker as they pass; your own children hold their noses against my stench. In shame, they lift their scooters and roll out through the house. In shame, they enter only through the front door. In shame, my mouth remains shut.

But you, my master, have the power to lift this ruin from me. Remember when I was new, when you saw that I was good and housed your car and not trash in my belly. Do this for me this weekend, master, that I may lift my door and show my glory to your neighbors. He is good, they will say. We were mistaken. Your children will access my innermost parts and the feet of your bride will alight upon my floor once more.

And for you, I will house you in comfort and organization forevermore.

Horn Book and Linworth Publishing review Me & Jack

Linworth Publishing Company Reviews
Library Media Connection Reviews 2011 August/September
Josh Reed is from a single-parent home where moving is a way of life since his widowed dad is in the [air force]. The Vietnam War is being fought as he and his dad adjust to life in their latest home. They adopt a stray dog, Jack, [who] proves to be both a trial and a blessing. . . . This is a refreshing read that accurately portrays "life back home" during a tough time in our country's cultural history. Douglas K. Dillon, Ph.D., Library/Media Specialist, Lakota Plains and Lakota Ridge Junior Schools, West Chester, Ohio. RECOMMENDED ¬ 2011 Linworth Publishing, Inc.


Horn Book Guide Reviews 2011 Fall
Father and son, and their dog, Jack, are greeted with suspicion in their new town, especially after one soldier comes home and another is killed. The story touches on bullying, violence, war, friendship, and trust. Though there are some plot contrivances, the complex characters are well defined. Copyright 2011 Horn Book Guide Reviews.