Beth Fehlbaum, YA fiction author

In honor of today, International Day Against Homophobia

Thu, 17 May 2012 22:35:00 +0000

I like the guy on the right...

Thu, 17 May 2012 02:55:00 +0000

Check out the kid in the white shirt. Read his spiral.

Thu, 17 May 2012 01:40:00 +0000

The Survivor Mission

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:55:00 +0000

Quote from Dr. Herman's book:

"Most survivors seek the resolution of their traumatic experience within the confines of their personal lives. But a significant minority, as a result of the trauma, feel called upon to engage in a wider world. These survivors recognize a political or religious dimension in their misfortune and discover that they can transform the meaning of their personal tragedy by making it the basis for social action. While there is no way to compensate for an atrocity, there is a way to transcend it, by making it a gift to others. The trauma is redeemed only when it becomes the source of a survivor mission."

I can definitely identify with feeling called to engage in a wider world; for me, it is spreading the message that recovery from childhood sexual abuse is VERY POSSIBLE. It is incredibly hard work; the thing that I believe allowed me to move from victim to survivor was realizing how very strong I was to have come through the hell of the recovery journey. Make no mistake: it is something to be undertaken with the guidance of a competent mental health professional and a support system, because it is scary as hell to step out of that shadow. It's also reassuring when one knows one is NOT ALONE and that others are here to say, "I understand, and you matter."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/05/11/1090657/-Books-That-Changed-My-Life-Trauma-Recovery-by-Judith-Herman-M-D-

YA Writer Wednesdays welcomes Adam Glendon Sidwell, author of EVERTASTER!

Wed, 16 May 2012 06:00:00 +0000

YA Writer Wednesdays welcomes Adam Glendon Sidwell, author of EVERTASTER, the first middle grade novel in Trident Media Group's soon-to-launch line of original ebooks. Also available in paperback, it releases June 14th!

What's your book about? Evertaster is a real-world fantasy-adventure novel in the vein of Harry Potter or Holes. It’s the story of the Johnsonville kids, Guster, Mariah, and Zeke who learn about a legendary taste from a dying chef in a dark, abandoned corner of New Orleans. They go searching across the world through perils and danger just so they can try it for themselves. And because Guster won’t eat any of his mother’s casseroles, and it turns out he’s got a pretty serious condition -- he’s an evertaster. They run into a lot of danger as they’re forced to go into deep jungles and ancient ruins.

What inspired you to write it? I was browsing through the book store, when I happened upon a cookbook – the cooking aisle is a somewhat frightening place for me – I saw how thick it was, and how many other books there were like it, and thought about all the cookbooks in the whole world, and how many there must be, and how many were written over the centuries. That’s when I wondered: what are all those chefs looking for? What are they after? In science, there’s an idea that there is a grand Theory of Everything that is waiting to be discovered. What if there is was grand Recipe? The final answer to all cooking and food. From there, the Johnsonville family developed naturally, with the mom, Mabel, who feels inadequate about her abilities as a cook, and Guster, the eleven year old for whom food burns or stings his mouth and tongue as he swallows it. It made for a fun dynamic. The setting and adventure itself were inspired by some of the places I’ve had the chance to travel to. They were such interesting settings, I just had to put them into a story.

When is your book coming out / When did it release? It’ll be here June of this year! So very soon.

Has the reality of being published been different than you thought it would be? I still don’t ride in limousines, but I’m sure there’ll be one out in front of my house tomorrow.

What's the best part of being published? The chance to work with professionals who make your work better. You can only take a manuscript so far, no matter how hard you push it. When you work with an editor who knows her stuff, it can make a huge difference in the final product.

What is something about publishing that you wish someone had told you in advance? How rich and famous I’d be overnight. I can’t believe that all I had to do was write a book to become a bajillionaire.

Who's your publisher? Tell us your story-- how'd you come to be a published author? Alyssa Henkin from Trident Media Group requested my manuscript when I queried her a few years back. We revised it for 2 years together, pushing it the next level with each draft. She’s a great coach. We shopped it around and had some great interest from major publishing houses, but ultimately decided that Evertaster would be the first in Trident’s original line of ebooks. It will be available in paperback as well.

Do you write from an outline or are you a "pantser"? I don’t start a story until I have a feel for where it’s going. There’s a loose story spine that has to develop in a secret place in my head. I take pages and pages of notes. It’s really actually quite fun. When that spine has matured enough, there’s a moment when I say “aha!” and then I start writing. I don’t write that outline down. And I always adapt the story as I go.

Who's your favorite author? What is it about his or her writing that has made you a fan? Roald Dahl. He’s incredible with his use of language and twisting and turning his wee little syllables into magical phrases that make you spin. Beyond that, he’s got a knack for taking his stories into scary places, then bringing you safely out again.

What's the last book you read that you still haven't been able to shake off? What was it about the book that stayed with you? The Man Who Was Thursday. It’s not a YA book. It’s about a couple of cops at the turn of the last century in London who try to infiltrate an anarchist circle. It’s very metaphysical. The whole thing reads like a waking dream. Sometimes you’re reading through pure symbolism and metaphor, but it’s completely funny and witty, like you’re lost in Wonderland, but you’re reading about detectives. GK Chesterton takes you into a meaningful fantasy, and you come out of it thinking “Did he just do what I think he did?” At one moment he has you rooting for anarchy, the next for order and Rule of Law.

Are you a full-time writer or do you have a "day job"? What do you do in your "day job"? For the next few months at least I’ll be a writer full time. In my day job I’m a Character Technical Director for visual effects studios. That means I build monsters and creatures for movies like TRON, KING KONG, or Pirates of the Caribbean. So stories and characters are always on my brain. In between films I set aside a few months at a time to write books.

Why YA as opposed to some other genre? I love the freedom of imagination that comes in the territory. Who knows? Maybe someday when I research courtroom dramas enough, I’ll write one of those. Or maybe if I learn enough about cement I’ll write a novel about sidewalks. I guess I know what it’s like to be an early teen, so I write about that.

Who's your agent? Take this opportunity to brag on him/her if you'd like! Alyssa Henkin of Trident Media Group is my agent. She’s been championing Guster ever since that first phone call. She’s been fighting hard for him ever since. She’s a skilled editor as well, and working with her has really brought the manuscript up to the next level. She’s also so supportive, and keeps me motivated through the ups and downs. If you’re reading this -- Thanks Alyssa!

Follow Evertaster on Facebook. The book will be available for purchase June 14, 2012 on Amazon. Follow the Facebook page for the link to buy the book on Amazon.

My review of THE DOWNSIDE OF BEING CHARLIE by Jenny Torres Sanchez

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:55:00 +0000

Jenny Torres Sanchez's debut novel, THE DOWNSIDE OF BEING CHARLIE, is fantastic. Her protagonist, Charlie Grisner, is hurting-- and his parents are too wrapped up in themselves to notice. His dad's having an affair and his mom seems trapped in mental illness. Charlie's attracted to Charlotte-- but afraid if she knows the real him, she'll run the other way. His parents are sending him the message that he's unworthy, and he's believing it. Charlie's trying to hold on to a 30 pound weight loss (achieved after his dad sent him to Fat Camp)-- but he's veered into bulimic behavior to do so.

I want to take this kid home and give him a break.

I can't wait to read more from Jenny Torres Sanchez, a fellow writer and teacher. The world she has created for Charlie is full of authentic characters that teens (and adults) will latch onto and cheer for (Charlie), despise (Mark), want to shake the fool out of (Charlie's dad, mom, and the love interest, Charlotte.)

I LOVE the works of Chris Crutcher, Terry Trueman, and Jennifer Brown. And now I can add Jenny Torres Sanchez to my list of favorites. All of this is to say, YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK. I LOVE THIS BOOK.

For my daughters on Mother's Day:

Sun, 13 May 2012 09:25:00 +0000

"Like" My New FB Page and Win!

Thu, 10 May 2012 09:20:00 +0000

[Eh hem:] "Woo Hoo!" Besides that there are ONLY 15 school days left in my district this year, I *ALSO* have a new FB page and I'm giving away a signed copy of HOPE IN PATIENCE once a week through the end of May!

I think it's pretty fitting that one of my teaching colleagues won this week's copy (next drawing: 5/16!).

At 12:05 PM on May 31, I will collapse into a happy, exhausted person who survived teaching 4th grade after a 14 year career of teaching older kids. So, say it with me, people: WOO. HOO. I have listened to more earnest reports of who did what to whom this year than at any time in my life, and may I just say that having to stand in the doorway of the boy's bathroom so that these people do not wrestle on the urine-splashed floor has been a test of my endurance.

Worry not: I can't see anything that would cause my eyeballs to begin bleeding just before they fall out of my face and roll across same urine-splashed floor... Hmmm: this had SOMETHING to do with liking my FB page. Must be the urine fumes that have eaten away the lining of my brain...

ANYWAY, congrats to this week's winner of a signed copy of HOPE IN PATIENCE! Audrey M. Thurston "Liked" Beth Fehlbaum Books and won! Next drawing of all those who "Like" my new Facebook page: 5/16!

http://www.facebook.com/BethFehlbaumBooks

Mumford and Sons: Awake My Soul

Thu, 10 May 2012 05:35:00 +0000

Mumford and Sons: Thistle and Weeds

Thu, 10 May 2012 05:35:00 +0000