And…the winner of the 10 page manuscript critique, courtesy of author Eric Patten is……
Marla Bowie LePley!!
Congrats! Please contact me, Amie Borst, at AmieBWrite (@) yahoo (dot) com and I’ll see to it that your manuscript gets into Eric’s bound and tied hands.
I’m thrilled to welcome Bruce Hale to the Mixed-Up Files. Bruce has written and illustrated over twenty-five books for kids, including his Chet Gecko Mysteries and Underwhere series.
Can you tell our readers a bit about your series and how you came up with the idea to write them?
The Chet Gecko books came from someplace deep in my subconscious, I suspect. I’ve always had a love for hardboiled detectives, ever since I was a kid watching Humphrey Bogart movies with my dad. That love grew as I got older and read Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and other classic noir writers. The gecko part? I think that came along because I was living in Hawaii, in a house that was lousy with geckos. And the name “Chet,” I suspect, came from Chet Baker, a jazz trumpeter whose recordings I love. But really, Chet Gecko emerged when I was doing some free writing, noodling around on an idea for a mystery book. He showed up feisty and fully-grown — sort of a Gecko Venus on the half shell.
The Underwhere books have a more straightforward origin. As a longtime cartoonist, I was toying with the idea of doing a book that was part-graphic novel, part-conventional fiction. I tried and discarded several ideas, trying to establish the logic behind switching between the two forms of storytelling. Finally it hit me: a world at the center of the Earth beneath our feet, called (what else?) “Underwhere.” Once I had that play on words, I couldn’t resist. The graphic novel sections take place in Underwhere, and the narrative fiction sections are in our own world. It was only later that I realized I may have unconsciously based the concept on the Pellucidar novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, an author I loved in 3rd-5th grades.
Your books are really funny, and whenever I’ve seen you in person, you always have the audience laughing. When did you realize that you have a gift for humor?
I guess I’ve always had a twisted sense of humor, but it started coming out most strongly in my acting and cartooning when I was in high school. A gift? I look at it that way, but I’m not sure all victims of my puns would agree.
What advice would you give to people who want to write funny stories?
Part of being funny is being willing to take risks. There’s the risk of offending, as well as the risk of falling flat on your face. And no risk is greater (or joke funnier) than telling the truth. In life, that’s where a lot of my favorite humor comes from — telling truths that everyone is thinking, but no one is saying. In writing, if you take a risk and get a little “out there,” you might come up with something funny, or you might flop. Same thing if you tell uncomfortable truths in a funny way — sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But unless you risk, you’ll never know. My philosophy is, give the joke a shot; you can always revise it later.
Another thing about writing funny: it’s all about revision. Dave Barry, one of my favorite humorists, says he spends hours searching for exactly the right word, and phrasing his sentences in exactly the right way. That’s what it takes to write humor — lots and lots of revision.
Which middle-grade novels make you laugh the most?
One of my favorite middle-grade series is MT Anderson’s Lily Dare and Jasper Dash books, like WHALES ON STILTS. Hilarious stuff. Recently, I read Mac Barnett’s first BRIXTON BROTHERS book and snorted frequently. And as far as classics go, both WINNIE THE POOH and THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH still make me smile.
Do you have a fun writing exercise to share with us?
Yes, it’s called Teen Villain Questionnaire. Chet Gecko villains invariably have goofy names and fearsome aspects, but sometimes they’ve got a hidden motivation or a weakness/soft spot that you wouldn’t expect. Design a teen magazine-style questionnaire, and answer it as if you were a Chet Gecko villain (create your own goofy name and villainous character). Example questions: Name your favorite hobbies? Your idea of a dream date? Who’s groovier, Elvis or Edward? Have fun with it. You’ll find a lot of humor comes in creating strong contrasts between the questions and answers, or within the answers themselves. (Ex: Hobbies? Thievery, world domination, and stamp collecting.)
Thank you so much for participating in our Skype Giveaway! What do you love about Skype visits, and what makes yours special?
Skype visits are a blast! I love that I get to work with smaller groups in Skype visits, as I normally do large assemblies when visiting schools in person. I like that the kids get plenty of chances to be a star, standing up in front of the group to ask me questions. My visits are special because we tend to laugh a lot, while at the same time getting inspired and even learning something. My sessions include storytelling with character voices, plenty of Q&A, a brief slideshow on how I went from being a reluctant reader to an author — and, best of all, a short cartooning lesson. And you never know who will show up — sometimes my dog Riley joins the conversation mid-visit, which kids love.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Just this month, I had a short story published in the new Guys Read collection, GUYS READ: THRILLER. It’s a spooky tale of a kid who hunts for cryptids. I’ve got two picture books in the works: POOCH IN BOOTS, and BIG BAD BABY — as well as a longer novel that will remain top-secret for now.
I have teaching guides for CHET GECKO and SNORING BEAUTY on my website. I’m passionate about helping people become better storytellers. If you could use some help on the road to getting published, I invite you to subscribe to my free monthly e-newsletter of writing tips. You’ll find interviews with agents and editors, feature articles on aspects of craft, Q&A, inspirational quotes, and the occasional bad joke.
One lucky winner will receive a signed paperback of DIAL M FOR MONGOOSE. Leave a comment below and our random generator will choose a winner on Saturday, September 24th. You’ll get extra entries for sharing a link on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
***Please mention each link in a new comment so the generator will add your extra entries. Winners must live in the US or Canada. Good luck!
Mindy Alyse Weiss writes humorous middle-grade novels and is constantly inspired by her ten and thirteen year-old daughters, adventurous sock and underwear munching puppy, and two stinky but adorable ferrets. Visit her blog to read more about her writing life, conference experiences, and writing tips.
There is something that is quite close to my heart and something that I live with daily: a child with learning disabilities.
So when I had the opportunity to interview Judith Mammay, I was really excited.
It kind of helps that she’s one of my crit partners and is kind of amazing.
But the best part is that Judy really gets where I’m at, what it’s like to live with a child with disabilities and she is simply one of the most caring, understanding and supportive individuals I’ve ever met.
Well…sort of met. You see, we’re online crit partners…so we’ve never had a chance to actually meet in person. But through a year of emails, through tears, frustrations, joy and excitement, Judy has been there. I believe we know each other quite well….And I’m so excited to share this interview – with this amazing author – with you!
ME: So, I understand you were a teacher for 20 years, is that right?
Judy was a presenter at this year's SCWG-FL conference.
JUDY: Yes, I started teaching physical education, but after I had kids, I went back and received my masters in learning and language disabilities, and taught special education for seventeen years.
ME: So when did you start writing ?
JUDY: I have always enjoyed writing, and usually was the one who produced the newsletters for the various organizations I was in. Then in the nineties, during a personal crisis, I started writing poetry to help me through it, and when I came out the other side, I had learned that maybe I had some talent for writing. (You can see some of my poems on my website, www.judithmammay.com ) That is when I started sharing my writing.
ME: I think writing is a great release! That’s why I started, too! So what inspired you to become a writer?
JUDY: Once I decided I could write, many things inspired me to become a writer. First, the idea of my poems helping others to cope better motivated me to write more. Then when I could not find simple enough stories for my young special ed. students to read I wrote some and they made their own books ( my story, their illustrations)…which helped motivate them to read and gave me suitable materials. Finally, as I approached retirement, I knew I would have to have a plan or go crazy. So I decided my next job, after retirement would be to write books for children.
ME: That’s one of the things I love about writing, too – knowing that it’s helping someone else. So I imagine your years as a special education teacher had a great influence on your writing, didn’t it?
JUDY: My experiences as a special educator at an inner city school, where the poverty level was at 85%, and both the special needs and ESL (English as a second language) populations were at 25% each, with little overlap, showed me there was a need to address some of the problems these kids dealt with on a daily basis. With the observations I had made, I thought that books showing that kids could survive and do well in spite of their poverty might be an inspiration to some of these kids. I had kids coming to school and saying, ‘Mrs. Mammay, I couldn’t do my homework last night because my father tried to shoot my mother and the police came.’ The sad part was that it was true; we read about it in the local paper. So in a nutshell, I thought I could make a difference through my writing, even if it was with only a few, and that was something I wanted to do.
ME: That’s great, Judy. I wish there were more teachers like you! I’ve noticed that most of your books have characters with disabilities. What did you most hope to accomplish by creating these particular types of characters?
Although this book is an easy reader geared for younger children, it is an excellent reminder for us to celebrate every victory.
JUDY: The three books I have had published are about kids with autism. When I was teaching, my students with autism were in the regular classrooms, and it was difficult to find books that would help explain the behaviors and needs of children with autism to the rest of the class. Having those books available to classroom teachers and their students was part of my motivation for writing It’s Time and Ryan’s Victory. I believe that kids who do not understand about kids with disabilities, or even kids who are different are less likely to accept them and more likely to bully them, so helping them to understand autism through books may help them accept and even become friends to the child with autism or other disability. If nothing else, they would know that the child who has a meltdown, for example, is not being bad, but is not necessarily able to control his behavior.
Knowing Joseph was the first of my published books, and while much of my motivation was the same, it goes beyond that. After I had learned a great deal about autism so I could better work with my students, I learned that one of my grandsons had autism. One day when he was four or five, I was at the bowling alley with him, his brother, two years older, and their mother. On the way out, my autistic grandson had a meltdown on the sidewalk because his mom had asked him to wait until we got home to have a Sprite. As my older grandson and I walked to the car, he said, “I’m glad I don’t know that kid,” and of course he was talking about his brother. In the next breath, he said, “but I love my brother.” I could see the inner conflict he was going through as a sibling of a child with autism, and knew that there were other siblings who were probably experiencing the same degree of conflict. I decided to write Knowing Joseph not only to help educate a slightly older audience about autism, but also to let kids with autistic siblings know they were not alone, and hopefully to give them a story that may help them understand that it is okay to have such conflicted feelings. I have used this scene as the beginning of Knowing Joseph, and the beginning line is “I’m glad I don’t know that kid.”
This easy reader is an excellent tool in helping other's understand Autism.
ME: I loved Knowing Joseph. You really captured the essence of what it’s like living with someone with disabilities, especially someone with Autism. Your first line drew me right into the story as well. I was so impressed with it, I even read it to my children. It’s pretty challenging to write these types of characters…so why do it?
JUDY: Thank you! I write realistic fiction about such challenging characters, because LIFE is challenging for kids in one way or another, and what better way for kids to learn that they are not alone on their journeys than through books? And I have chosen to write about kids with disabilities, because that is what I know and have seen a need for.
ME: Have you tried any other genres?
JUDY: Actually, I have written in another genre…I am currently working on a chapter book mystery, and have plans to write more mysteries with the same characters (one character has autism <G>). But I like realistic fiction because I think kids can identify more with it…I see my mystery book as a more fun book, where kids can see if they can beat the characters in solving the mystery.
ME: I loved your mystery story! 🙂 (To Mixed-Up Files readers, no it’s not published yet…but that’s one of the perks of being her crit partner…I get to read these great stories firsthand!) Have you seen a change in your interactions with others and their perception of learning disabled children because of your books? And how have your stories helped others?
Judith Mammay at "Walk for Autism"
JUDY: In some of my school visits, I have noticed that kids really want to know about kids with disabilities, including autism, and they ask good questions. I like to think the attitudes of some may change because of my books or at least help them to understand better. I also have had many children who want to share their own experiences with their siblings or friends with autism, ADHD and a variety of other disabilities. I am sure the books have had an impact on them.
ME: I know you have some goals, aspirations, dreams…care to share them?
JUDY: Like any author, I would like to have more of my books published and readily available to kids. My goal is to work to make that happen. My dream is to have more teachers use these books in their classrooms to help more kids understand about children with disabilities, and to know that even with disabilities, these kids have feelings, dreams and goals just like every other kid. Ultimately, I would like to hear from children who have benefitted from reading them or otherwise gained insights from my books.
ME: What can we expect from you next?
JUDY: Besides my mysteries, I am working on a story about a boy with ADHD who is also from a dysfunctional home (his father ends up in jail). Aside from learning to control his behaviors and survive his abusive environment, he has to deal with the fear of one day becoming just like his father.
ME: I love that story, too, Judy! Can’t wait to see it through to publication 🙂 Thanks so much for joining us and all the best to you!
Judy is so generous that she’s giving away TWO copies of Knowing Joseph! A paperback to one lucky Mixed-Up Files reader and a hardcover to be donated to that winner’s location of choice (a local library, school, Autism center, etc)! Just leave a comment to be entered.
This Middle-Grade reader is perfect for all children to help them better understand and respect the differences in others.
