First Friday - Five Favorite Things - Debut Novel Day

by Dave Amaditz and 

Marcy Collier

Welcome to November’s version of - First Friday - Five Favorite Things - Debut Novel Day. In this monthly series, we ask five simple questions about a debut novel that will hopefully entice anyone reading this post to pick up the novel and read it themselves, and/or give them at a glance some insight into the author's writing style and voice as well as how some of the characters might think or act. We do this by presenting, first, answers to our Five Favorite Things, followed by the author's answers in a follow-up post.

This month we're pleased to highlight debut YA novelist, Geoffrey Girard and his novel, Project Cain.  This fantastic read will pull you in from beginning until end. We hope you enjoy our answers and encourage you to buy the book.

1) What is your favorite line or paragraph from the novel as it relates to the main character's development and/or growth?

Dave – There were quite a few passages to choose from, but in the end I chose this because it gave insight into how Jeff, the main character, was able to rationally process information so that he could cope with everything that had gone wrong in his life (since he was created).

One thing I've learned from all of this is that there aren't answers for everything.

Science and logic and facts can't cover all of it.

Sometimes stuff just can't be explained.

Marcy – I really enjoyed this passage in the novel. It provoked thought and gave me great insight into the main character, Jeff. It ended up being his mantra throughout the remainder of the novel. 

EXTREME LIFE would have been simple enough for any skate park. Extreme sports and lifestyle and all that stuff. It meant “to stay radical and colorful and dangerous and loud and outrageous.” And I’m sure that’s how most of the skaters here took it. But the “FOR,” I think, added something else entirely. Something that whoever’d spray painted this message however many weeks, months, or years before had meant for the whole world to see. Or maybe just for himself or herself. It meant, I think, to fight FOR life. Not taking it for granted. Call it carpe diem or YOLO or whatever. This person embraced life, was made for it. It meant don’t take one minute of life for granted. It meant DON’T EVER BE AFRAID OF THE DARK. A challenge. And a promise, too.

2) What is your favorite chapter ending or cliffhanger?

Dave - To me, there were so many parts throughout the book where the tension was so high, so riveting, that I could've found a cliffhanger to write about on nearly every page.  As insight, the "dark men" were created by the government to seek out and find people like Jeff. Chilling.

All that whole day, Castillo and Ox and the other guys prepared.

A lot of it involved explosives. Mines and stuff.

Consequently I was asked to stay in my room.

A room surrounded by concrete that was a hundred feet below the ground.

They took turns guarding my door.

I tried to sleep. To heal.

All that whole day, I could feel the dark men in my head.

Listening for me. For my blood.

All that whole day, I could feel them getting even closer.

I closed my eyes.

Come and get me, I said to the dark.

Marcy – I won’t go into detail as not to spoil this scene, but Jeff is quite intuitive. The deeper I got into the book, the more dark secrets I learned about Jeff’s dad. This chapter ending kept me reading late into the night. And I have to say, I had some very bizarre dreams while reading this novel!

He’d wanted me to have it. Just another one of his little experiments for me. Left it precisely where I’d find it. Wanted me to see all that he’d been up to.

So I guess he got exactly what he wanted.

Because when I opened the door, the very first thing I saw was the dead guy.

3) Who is your favorite secondary character and why?

Dave – Castillo. Not to be repetitive, but ditto Marcy's comments found below.

Marcy –  First, Jeff is scared of Castillo. He feels like he’s being held captive against his will. But the more I get to know the strong, silent Castillo, the more I like him. His true personality is uncovered, and he becomes this gentle, protective giant.

It was a paperback. The Pillars of the Earth. Something about building a Gothic cathedral in England. What’s this for? I wondered out loud.

Castillo said: You said you were a reader. He positioned his new lawn chair at the back window. Unless you wanted a romantic thrill, he said. That’s all the store had.

I flipped through the book. It was, like, eighty thousand pages long and weighed fourteen pounds. I had the feeling Castillo had bought it only because it was the biggest one they’d had. Guess he thought we were gonna be in an empty house awhile.

Castillo watched me, looked like he wanted to say something, and then turned to look out the window again.

4) What is your favorite line or paragraph of description?

Dave – As Marcy has said below, there were so many interesting descriptions to choose from. I took the liberty of picking two.

First, can you imagine knowing your father thinks of you like this:

The night my father left, he'd told me I was part of the special 5%.

That when living conditions become too crowded in any environment, 5% of the population will resort to violence to achieve its goals.

They've done studies with rats. Perfectly calm and nonviolent animals until they're introduced into an environment with limited resources. Limited food, mates, and space. Then 5% of the previously nonviolent rats get medieval. They murder other rats. Rape other rats. Eat other rats. Even though they'd never done any of these things when in small groups or appropriate space. It was just part of their nature to adapt. To survive and thrive in a more challenging environment.

These are the dominant ones, my father said. The ones meant to rule their world.

That's, I guess, who I was with now.

Second, I think this explains a lot of what the main character has to deal with throughout the novel on a very personal level as to why he is always having visions of some sort.

Online I found all sorts of information about other people who claimed to see faces. Mostly right when they were falling asleep. But most of what I found talked about weird stuff like astral projection and passed lives and something called the Akashic Records, which is like a universal storeroom for all human knowledge that can be assessed during deep meditation. None of this was too helpful, so I basically just went around for years weirded out by it all.

The mystery was solved only when my father handed me that folder. Inside, remember, were pictures of all of Jeffrey Dahmer's known victims. Pictures with names.

I'd looked only at the top sheet. Hadn't known any of the names.

Their faces, however...

I'd recognized everyone.

Marcy – This perceptive line rang so true to the book and everyday life. Totally relatable to most everyone. There were so many “ah ha” statements made by the main character that it was extremely hard to choose a favorite.

It was funny to think about the whole world just going on. I mean, when shitty things are going on in your life, everyone else just kinda carries on. Business as usual. All those people passing had no idea what was going on in the motel room below me.

5) What is your favorite line of dialogue?

Dave –  This line comes from Castillo. It made me wonder. Do we all become our parents? Also, Jeff's thoughts following the response are worrisome, but I'll let you read for yourself to find out what he's thinking.

Castillo suddenly said his own dad had taken off when he was nine.

Yeah? I prompted.

Yeah, Castillo said. I hated the son of a bitch for close to twenty years. And the more I tried hating him, the more I became just like him. The way he moved, talked. Things he said. Christ... I don't know. In a couple of years I'll probably be him.

Marcy – Again – another way that the reader can identify with Jeff. Even though his circumstances are way over the top extreme of normal people, he tells it like it is and makes the reader think deeply about everyday life.

If everyone told the truth, even half the time, we’d probably all jump off a bridge.

To read more about Geoffrey Girard’s debut YA novel Project Cain or his adult techno thriller, Cain’s Blood, please go to:

Website:  http://www.geoffreygirard.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGeoffreyGirardPage

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Geoffrey_Girard

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Project-Cain-Geoffrey-Girard/dp/1442476966

Good Reads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/226368.Geoffrey_Girard

Are You Asking the Wrong Questions?

by Jenny Ramaley

If one were to grow up with a father who escaped the Nazis in 1939, one might absorb the stories and perhaps grow up with a slightly darker take on the world than, say, someone with a bit less horror in their family background. That someone might grow up to write children’s books filled with sad but resourceful children who survive the alleged loss of their parents and numerous unsavory characters and dangerous situations. That someone might be Daniel Handler. You might know him better by his nom de plume, Lemony Snicket, who has sold more than 60 million books as author of the dreadfully successful “A Series of Unfortunate Events” in addition to other adult, YA and picture books. In case you’ve lost track of Mr. Handler, who plays a mean accordion by the way, he began a new book series last year. In “All the Wrong Questions”, Lemony now fills the roles of main character and author.

 

Since our Wednesday blogs pertain to ‘writing’, let’s cover what Mr. Handler, who happened to be in Pittsburgh on Friday to speak at the Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures Kids and Teens Event, says about writing. His love of books is deeply ingrained and by the age of 10 he was quite picky about what he read – choosing to hurl the ‘moralistic treacle that passed for children literature’ across his attic bedroom. He wanted to read about terrible things, about series of unfortunate events or all the wrong questions, but no one was writing those types of stories. Back then, children’s books featured plucky heroes who were unpopular with the (fill in the blank) crowd because of certain differences, but the bullies got their comeuppance at the story’s  rousing end, or plucky heroes dealing with near-death illnesses that they overcome with the help of a dear relative.

Even at a young age, Daniel knew all those stories were nonsense. There will always be cliques that ignore you. Bullies never get their comeuppance. And certain things will kill you whether you’re plucky or not. Horrible things can happen again and again.

 

With an outlook like that, it’s much easier to see how the Baudelaire youngsters got into such a mess. But what’s even more noteworthy is that even after 13 volumes, their story WAS NEVER NEATLY RESOLVED WITH A ROUSING END. Why? Because Mr. Handler believes questions are more interesting than endings wrapped up with a bow.

 

That is, as long as you don’t ask the Wrong questions.

 

When Daniel asked his father, “Don’t you think you were brave to escape the Nazis?”, the father, who always answered a question with another question, asked, “Do you think I was braver than the ones who didn’t make it?” The right question was “Where did Grandma hide the diamonds? The ones that got them across the border and bought food and help.”

The next time you find yourself mired in the middle of a story, frustrated and ready to pull out your hair, stop and think. Are you or your characters asking the Wrong Questions? A slightly twisted perspective may be just what you need.

IT'S A MYSTERY!

     I’ve been hard at work writing an early chapter book mystery story and it hasn't been easy! I love a good mystery but I’m finding that to write one you have to stick with a formula, like so many of these books do. The goal is for the reader to follow along with the detective and figure out “who-done-it” before the end of the book. What I like about these series is that they encourage reluctant readers with a quick read and several books in the series to choose from. Here’s a review of just one of the popular Cam Jansen books:

Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones (by David A. Adler, copyright 1981, Scholastic)

The detective: Cam Jansen is a not-so-ordinary fifth grader with a photographic memory and the ability to “click” and record a mental picture that helps her solve the crime. 

Friend and assistant: Fellow classmate Eric Shelton

Setting: Natural History Museum

The crime: Bones are missing from the dinosaur skeleton.

Clues: A milk carton, book about dinosaurs, postcard picturing a dinosaur, milk delivery truck

Suspects: The tour guide and scientist who started the museum

The investigation: An after-hours visit to the museum, home of the perps.

Resolution: Catching the bad guys red-handed as they replace the stolen bones with plaster replicas.

Here are a few more early chapter book mystery series: A to Z Mysteries, A Jigsaw Jones Mystery, A Chet Gecko Mystery and Encyclopedia Brown.

Wednesday...oops, a Thursday's Writing Prompts!

Female Fertility

I took this photo when I was in Ireland. This ancient symbol of female fertility is on a stone in one of Ireland's oldest castles. The guide told us that all a woman has to do is touch it and wish for a baby and one will be granted. He said unless you want twins, don't touch it twice. He also said it could work for others, just imagine their face as you touch the ancient woman.

 Ancient woman is quite contorted. The breasts huge and the spread legs...well, I need say no more.

But perhaps someone will look at this and go, hmmm, what if...and we'll have a story. What if a woman . . . well, you take care of the rest.

Let your mind wander, snap, crackle, pop...sometimes a little spark leads to something wonderful.

Read these, see if anything lights up:

1. It was the first snowfall of the year and she remembered the warning.
2. He hadn’t seen her since the day they left High School, did she remember his promise?
3. The boy held the burning match.
4. She studied her face in the mirror.
5. The smell of cookies couldn't hide the other smell.
6. Why did that woman put flowers there every year on the same day?
7. The streets were deserted. Where was everyone? Where had they all gone?
8. This time her boss had gone too far.
9. Did he realize his eyes changed color when he was lying?
10. She woke to birdsong.
11. ‘Shh! Hear that?’ ‘I didn’t hear anything.’
12. She woke, shivering, in the dark of the night.
13. The garden was overgrown now.
14. He’d never noticed a door there before.
15. His feet were already numb. He should have listened.

TEN for TUESDAY--TEN CLASSICS

I asked friends to give me a book that they read as a child and that they still can recall today. Number one on that list?
The Secret Garden. Why? Because it was about friendship.

Here is the list:
1. The Secret Garden
2. The Little House Books
3. Nancy Drew Series
4. Anne of Green Gables
5. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
6. The Little Princess
7. The Black Stallion
8. Up a Road Slowly
9. The Giving Tree
10. Bridge to Terabithia

There you have it! A list of remembered classics.

The Joy of Friends

Cheep! Cheep!

How wonderful it was to go into a bookstore on Okracoke Island, North Carolina and see a dear friend. 

Part of being in a writer's group is not just having good writer friends, but having their books as friends. 

I have given "Cheep! Cheep!" many times as a present and I know what the receiver will always say, "We just loved this book." 

It's a tender, gentle, delightful story about welcoming someone into the family. Told with very few words and the cutest birdies, it's a cuddle-up, give me a hug kind of book. 

So, when I saw it on this bookstore on this remote island, I patted it and took its picture, the way you would if you found a dear friend in an unexpected place. 

Writing in Real Time: A Wednesday Writing Tip

Posted by Carol Baicker-McKee

We are auditioning a new feature for the blog: Wednesday Writing Tips. And exercises. And maybe the occasional illustration tip too.
Please let us know what you think! We welcome requests for writing-related issues you'd like us to address. And don't hesitate to chime in if you have your own great idea to share.

This week's tip is a simple idea I devised to trick myself into being more efficient and productive.  Right now, I'm working on too many projects - reworking an adult mystery that had gone off-track, trying to finish a first draft of a YA contemporary, and revising a picture book dummy and sample art. I found myself feeling overwhelmed, missing all my personal goals, and wasting more time than ever as a result.

Then one day, the folks ahead of me in line at the coffee shop were chatting about NanoWriMo and the ones behind me were discussing the old TV series 24.

Lightbulb!

What if I tried writing my novels in real time? That is, what if my daily goal for each novel was to write what took place just on that day? 

It was particularly apt for my situation for a couple of reasons. First, both my novels take place over a fairly limited period of time (about four months for the mystery, and six for the YA), which fit my overall goals fairly well. Second, both begin in the fall, so I could jump right in and be in sync with my stories.

Not only has this work process made me more productive and focused, it's bringing a richness of detail and verisimilitude to both manuscripts that I hadn't expected. The mystery is set in my hometown of Pittsburgh during this year, and writing this way enables me to weave in references to the actual weather and current news (and sports and entertainment). The YA is set in a nearby fictional suburb and a more amorphous year, but it's still a huge help to be keenly aware of important details like seasonal characteristics and the local school calendars.

Writing in real time has also led me to make small plot changes that I'm liking. For example, at one point my mystery protagonist needs to be delayed en route to an appointment. Originally, I had him narrowly avoiding a car accident and then being stuck in the aftermath. But on the actual day in question, traffic on the road he was traveling was for real tied in knots by fans arriving for a Pearl Jam concert. Being surrounded by happy, boisterous concert goers provided a nice counterpoint to my character's dark mood that was lacking before - and even set up a believable save-the-cat moment that I'd been struggling to create in my earlier attempts at the scene. Perfect!

And finally, the time pressure to capture each day in a couple of hours max has given my writing some unfiltered freshness, as well as a sense of immediacy that fits well with teen time-perception for my YA, and an urgency that's just right for the mystery. 

Here are some suggestions to help real-time writing work for you:

Create a calendar for your manuscript 
Use whatever form - paper or electronic - you prefer. On mine (paper), I've penciled in the big events ahead of time. At the end of each day, I note how many words I've written (with bonus chocolate for good progress!) and write in the bones of what will happen the next day (or so), so I can get right to work when I sit down. I use different colors for the main plot line and my subplots, which makes it easy to see whether I'm keeping track of the different strands on a regular basis.

Keep a daily file of background details
I start each day's work with a page devoted to observations that might prove useful (and sometimes add more notes before bed) - stuff culled from news sites, entertainment, the sports world, weather forecast, as well as quirky things I've noticed, like whether the crickets are still chirping in the evening or there's dew on my car when I get up or the cable goes out. Even if I don't use these details in the current draft, they may prove helpful in revisions.

Plan to compress. Or expand. Later
One drawback I've noticed is a tendency to make each day have the same "weight." Or at least length. When I do my next round of revisions, I'm going to have to spend some time thinking about what I don't need in such detail - and what I need more of. Of course, I'm taking advantage of days I miss getting my work done to be the boring ones, where little or nothing happens to advance the plot.

Take liberties
This is fiction after all. Say, the government shutdown would be a headache for your plot - feel free to write it out - or perhaps to write in a transit strike instead, if that would make things run more smoothly (in a throwing-rocks-at-your-protagonist kind of way).

Tweaks for books set in history, far-away lands, and fantasy
You can use the same basic strategy for these novels. Research may uncover considerable detail for even day by day events and weather in history. For far off settings, you can access online local news or even use resources like live webcams (which I'm actually doing to see conditions in the neighborhood where my protagonist lives, since it's located over the "mountain" from my home and weather is often noticeably different there even though it's less than 10 miles away).  And for fantasy, well, you can make up your own conditions day (or imagined time period) by day.

If you give this a try, let me know how it's working out! The biggest thing the system is lacking is a nanowrimo-like support group, but there's nothing stopping us from forming our own. Good luck!