Cynthia Reeg (one of my former students) asked me to do a “cover reveal” for her forthcoming book, FROM THE GRAVE, the first book in the MONSTER OR DIE trilogy. (The book comes out on October 18, 2016, just in time for Halloween!)
Booktalk: The BIG Picture
Monster is as monster does, but Frankenstein Frightface Gordon is totally the wrong shade of ghastly green—pale, baby blue, in fact—and he’s more concerned with keeping his pants neat and tidy than scaring the pants off his victims. But when a new law is passed to rid Uggarland of misfits such as Frank, he must decide if he will become the monster his parents can be proud of or be the monster he can be proud of. Trusting the most monsterly monster he knows, Frank looks to the grave and his dead grandmother to make his choice, entering into an adventure that most likely will seal his doom.
Or prove he is truly monster enough.
#kidlit Writing Lesson: the small details
Q. When did you start writing, Cynthia?
A. Really, I hardly remember a time when I didn’t write. As soon as I learned to read, I started thinking of my own stories and poems. Throughout my schooling from elementary to college, I enjoyed literature and writing classes. I went on to earn a Masters in Library Science, so as a librarian I was surrounded by books every day. After working in school and public libraries, I decided to take some specific classes on writing children’s literature because I loved igniting a literary fire in students. Anastasia’s online classes were especially helpful to me at this time. I also joined SCBWI and made it to as many conferences and courses as I could.
Q. Describe your writing process.
A. When an idea comes to me, I like to let it ferment a bit. I might start exploring the characters, fleshing them out on paper. But in my first draft, I don’t like to study my characters too much before throwing them into motion. I love to have them come to life on the page, see them play off each other in dialogue and action. This is how I get to know them better, when I let my subconscious mind take over. New characters and subplots show up for me when I allow the story to happen. In Anastasia’s chapter book writing class, I first learned about breaking down a scene. This was an eye-opening exercise for me, examining the beats and the plus and negative emotions in a scene.
I also like to have a very simple outline—1 or 2 sentences highlighting what will happen in a chapter. This helps prevent writer’s block. Often though in subsequent revisions, many scenes/even sometimes chapters will be deleted, but I find there is less major revising if I make a simple outline. And I really do love revising. The fine-tuning for me is like creating a symphony—trying to make all the different elements work together throughout the entirety of the piece. As you may have guessed by this last analogy, I always have classical music playing in the background while I work.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that there is also research involved in pre-writing. Even with my fantasies, I research various elements and personalities. For me, this research provides invaluable building blocks for the story, as well as impetus for new ideas.
Q. Tell us about your latest book.
A. I wanted to make a fun, engaging fantasy that would appeal to both boys and girls. Plus, I wanted the book to explore the concepts of bullying and prejudice in a surprising setting—a world of monsters. I enjoyed combining humor, horror, and action in a relevant literary work for middle grade readers. And I hope that even with its share of silliness, that FROM THE GRAVE will provide an avenue for discussion in the classroom about these issues—and it’s sequel as well. INTO THE SHADOWLANDS is slated for release in 2017!
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