Summer Blog Blast Tour 2012: Robin LaFevers

For today's installment of the Summer Blog Blast Tour, we're thrilled to welcome back Robin LaFevers, aka R.L. LaFevers, author of a plethora of enjoyably adventuresome books for MG and YA readers, including the Theodosia series, the Nathaniel Fludd: Beastologist books, and the recent YA release Grave Mercy, which has its own absolutely drop-dead gorgeous website. We love her for her books, but also because she is a writing and blogging bud and a kindred spirit, whose advice we have repeatedly sought and appreciated via the blog she shares with Mary Hershey, Shrinking Violet Promotions.

Back in 2008, we talked to Robin about the Theodosia books for that year's SBBT. We were so pleased that she agreed to answer our questions about her latest book release for young adults. Read on to find out the story behind the story for this intriguing historical fantasy adventure.

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FW: What initially attracted you to this time and place--medieval Brittany--as a setting for your novel?

RLL: You know, I just started getting this itch, this desire to write a great big, sweeping, epic romance. Not just in the boy meets girl sense, but in the tradition of the medieval tales that told of knights and chivalry, hard choices, and lives and kingdoms lost.

And then I thought, nah. You can't write that kind of book for teens. But the idea stayed with me and wouldn't leave. So just on a lark, I let myself start noodling around, researching the middle ages and different countries and milieus that might make an interesting backdrop for such a story. When I learned about Anne of Brittany, something clicked and I realized that maybe, just maybe, this might work. After all, the middle ages were a very young society—teens held positions of power and were making major life decisions. That might be the exactly right place to set a book with teens front and center.

Then the more research I did, the more I became hooked into the time and place, and the medieval elements—patron saints, the drama, the intensity—became integral to the story. I don't think those aspects of the story would have worked as well in another time or place. That, I think, is a key to historical fiction or historical fantasy—the setting has to be so deeply woven into the story that they are inseparable.

FW: The setting and the power plays really resonated, and just made the book for us. And we know that must have required a ton of research. What is the most interesting/amazing/unbelievable historical fact you found out while researching your book? And/or: what astounding thing about your book would readers be amazed to find out was actually true?

RLL: Oh this is a hard question because I am fascinated by so much of what I stumble across in my research! However, I think one of the true shockers for me as a 21st century woman was learning that some medieval women preferred joining a convent because it would give them more freedom, independence, and autonomy than their other life choices! Being as how I think of becoming a nun one of the more limiting choices one could make, that really gave me pause and drove home just how little control of their own lives these women had.

As readers might be amazed to discover is actually true, I would have to say they might be amazed by just how much of the story was based on actual facts and historical figures. There really was a twelve year old girl who inherited one of the wealthiest duchies of its day, and she really had been promised in marriage to about half a dozen noblemen or princes, and her court was rife with betrayals and treason, many of those traitors some of those who had sworn to protect and serve her.

FW: Speaking of Breton independence, did you actually travel to visit modern-day Brittany in order to research the book? (Please say you did...) What was your favorite part?

RLL: I'm so sorry to have to crush your hopes, but no. I did not travel to Brittany, although I would love to. If I sell enough books, that's definitely on the top of my wish list! There are so many well-preserved medieval cities and towns there, just thinking about them make me start to drool.

FW: We hope you do get to go!!
It was pretty squee-worthy to read Nuns Behaving Badly in the NY Times in April. Was that your first NYT review? We read your Writer Unboxed piece on taking risks leading you to great rewards. Is there anything that you feel changed in your writing or your style which has turned this corner for you? Or is it entirely down to a riskier writing choice? What do you think was making you hold back?

RLL: Yes, that was my first ever NYT review! And yes, it was a totally squee worthy moment.

It turns out that the Sunday Times is very hard to find in my small town. I went hunting for a copy that Sunday and couldn’t find any! But in a truly serendipitous moment, I arrived at Starbucks JUST as they were putting their last copy out. It had somehow inadvertently been left in the back by accident until just that moment. So I have a hard copy of the real live actual newspaper that I will treasure forever.

As for what changed in my writing, hmmm. I would have to say it was mostly a matter of having written a lot, and in doing that, working my way down to my core themes and stories. And it probably has to do with letting go of fear. (Isn't it always about fear, in some way?) And the thing is, the fear never really goes away. Even now, I’m afraid that someone will laugh at the books or worse, laugh and say "Psyche! Just kidding. This book sucks and it was all an elaborate joke and we're returning ALL THE COPIES."

Or the second book will not live up to the first.

Or I won't be able to pull off in the third book what I hope to try.

That's not to say I wasn’t taking risks or trying to go deep with my earlier books. But I think it is also a process that occurs over time and with each book we write, we go a little deeper, get a little bit more used to being exposed or speaking our truth. The sky does not fall, we are not struck my lightning, nobody toilet papers our house. Life goes on. All those things we feared—even though we didn't even realize we were afraid of anything!—begin to recede or seem less threatening.

Then other times I think it has to do with reaching middle age. I know that sounds odd, but it seems like there's a certain amount of freedom that comes as you get older—especially for women—as our focus and energy moves away from family and our biological programming to nurture and act as social glue—we get to start really rolling up our sleeves and dig into our own work.

FW: I hope you did a happy dance in that Starbucks, and that everyone KNEW it was your book being reviewed in that paper!! Nurturing your craft and digging into your work really, really, really has paid off.
All of your novels have subtexts featuring empowered women. Theodosia wants to be taken seriously as an Egyptologist, a mature girl, and a sleuth. Aunt Phil balances her loving nature with a big dose of determined, brisk, and businesslike. Ismae struggles with her place as a 15th century woman, then as a Handmaiden who might know more than her patron God. How do you feel about being known as a "girl power" author? What other less obvious subtexts do you feel you weave in all of your books ( because we've all discovered that we do that, to a certain extent)?

RLL: I am wildly happy to be known as a girl power author! That totally works for me. However, maybe because I had seven brothers and raised two sons, I am also aware that not every boy child is born understanding that they have power and knowing how to wield it. I tend to think of myself as driven more by kid and teen power than by any actual gender.

And that is SUCH a good question about identifying the less obvious themes in our work, because they do crop up, whether we mean for them to or not, so best be aware and use them to the story's advantage. Being an outsider or odd duck and finding a place to belong is definitely one I see show up time and again. Also the eternal struggle to be true to ourselves, yet please others who are important to us. That is something that has dogged me all my life and I wrestle with even today. But mostly my themes are about power because it's something I've struggled with forever. I have been very blind to my own power and have often given it away by the bucketful without even realizing it. So one of the things that drives me is that voiceless child/powerless teen who was desperate to locate some small measure of power in her life.

A really interesting response - and yes, we SHOULD use our recurring themes to our advantage!
Switching gears, let's move to five lighter questions:

1. St. Mortain? Was that the first name you came up with, or were there other clunkier ones? Do tell!

RLL: Saint Mortain was actually his name from the very beginning. I knew I wanted to have mort in the name, the French word for death, and that felt right. Few things come to me that easily. :)

2. Well, is the first sentence in the finished novel identical to the first sentence in your draft? If not, what was the original? Did they go with the first cover? Can you share some cover concepts that didn't work?

RLL: Yes again! That first sentence was one of my original anchors into the story; it set the tone, the voice, the mood, everything I was shooting for. As for the cover, the concept was always a girl with a crossbow in front of a castle looking fierce, but the first photograph they were considering ended up not working out. Which was great because we got this perfect one instead!

3. Do you bounce your books off of your partner or spouse? What was their take on your first finished draft? When did you know you had something big? Or, did you know? Did someone else have to know first?

RLL: I don't bounce my books off my spouse. He always loves what I write and is not given to critical analysis where my books are concerned so he didn't read it until it was an ARC. He loved it quite a lot, but then, he is my husband, and a dyed in the wool romantic, so . . .)(Wonderland: Awww!)

I didn't know it had potential for big until I showed it to my agent, and she got kind excited. But that ended up being really distracting and I had to put her reaction aside and concentrate on finishing the story and not weigh it down with those external sorts of expectations. It is SO easy, once you begin thinking things like big, and market, to let those influence your story decisions and choices as opposed to having them serve the story, and I really wanted to avoid that.

4. You're touring with this book – what’s your best book tour experience so far? Your worst?

RLL: You know, the best tour experience is always meeting the passionate booksellers and getting a chance to connect with teens who've read and loved the book. Hands down, the best part. The worst? Eh, planes that don't have enough leg or shoulder room. And having my bra set off every metal detector on the tour. :)(Wonderland: We FEEL YOUR PAIN!!!)

5. What's one thing you'd like your readers to know about you, or your series, that you are never asked?

RLL: That I write stories because I am fascinated by questions and interested in exploring them, not because I have all the answers—or sometimes any answer at all.

YES. And don't those become the best stories, where we're just as intrigued by the answers and the things we discover as our readers? What a fabulous thing.
Robin, thank you, as always, for being willing to be part of our tour! We absolutely adore this series, we support your work, and we value your wisdom. Thanks again!

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Don't forget to check out the other stops on the Blog Blast Tour for today:

TeenBoat's Dave Roman @ Bildungsroman

L. Divine @ Crazy Quilt Edi

Check out the full schedule for the week at Chasing Ray.

Summer Blog Blast Tour 2012: Rosemary Clement-Moore

Welcome to Wonderland's first stop for the Summer Blog Blast Tour 2012! This year there's already a great crop of interviews with authors and illustrators to whet your appetite, pique your fancy, or whatever figure of speech you prefer. Today, at Wonderland we interview the most awesome Queen of Southern Supernatural Gothic YA, Rosemary Clement-Moore. Ghosts, inexplicable powers, demons and demon-fighters laced with snappy dialogue and a soupçon of sass and humor --if those are up your alley, you'll want to read on. 

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Finding Wonderland: Hey, Rosemary, thanks for visiting! Without further ado, let's get right to it. Of all the different ghost-busting, demon-fighting, supernaturally gifted heroines you've written about, do you have a favorite? What did you enjoy most about writing that character? 

Rosemary Clement-Moore: I love all my children the same! No, really. There are pieces of me in all of my characters. Maggie Quinn was one of the most effortless because she’s very open about her emotions, her goals, her doubts, her conflicts. She’s very self-aware and not afraid to lay it out there. It’s refreshing to write a character who just says what she thinks.

Sylvie Davis from The Splendor Falls, on the other hand, kept her emotions deeply in check. She didn’t want to admit them to herself, let alone tell how she felt in the narration. I had to give her a little dog so she would talk about her feelings sometimes. But I sort of loved her because she was so prickly and cranky when the book opens. She’s a wreck, and her putting herself back together as she solves the mystery of her family’s haunted home was very rewarding.

FW: Aw. We loved us some Sylvie, too - we do cranky well around here. ☺ Many of your books take place in a Southern setting. Did you look to other Southern literature for inspiration in writing vividly about the region? Who are some of the authors who have inspired you as a writer? 

RCM: I grew up in Texas (which is not technically The South, except geographically) and I’ve always been a little in love with how the culture and history of a place can become like another character in the story. Gothic literature is like that--whether its the wild moors of Wuthering Heights or the wave-battered Cornish shores of Rebecca, setting becomes an inseparable part of the book.

I also loved the books of Barbara Michaels and Mary Stewart, who wove the history of a place into the mystery of the book. When you go to the real South, you see that in the preserved homes and traditions as well as some less positive ways. That’s where you get the Southern Gothic tradition, and you definitely see that in The Splendor Falls. Texas Gothic does the same sort of blending of past and present mysteries, but with the history, traditions and culture unique to my state, including some parts that not everyone knows about.

FW: The blend of history and mystery really works - readers who don't live in Texas now are even more intrigued about the state! It seems like all kinds of awesome things happen there... Last year on the VOYA blog interview, you said, "It seems like all the advice you get as a teen either centers on “Be sensible” (uninspired) or “Follow your dreams” (utterly impractical). It’s like you only get a choice between being a tortoise or a hare. But there is a middle ground between a safe, sensible rut and throwing yourself off a ledge and hoping you’ll fly. Dream big, with a hare’s energy and enthusiasm, then work toward it with a tortoise’s dedication and purpose." That comes across as the Best. Advice. Ever for a young person or, heck, anyone. How do you apply that to your writing life? Do you feel that you take risks in your work, or are you more of a writer on the middle ground? What do you think of the idea that writers must take risks and ride the edge, or fail to make an impact in this market? Do you have any thoughts on the YA market right now, with ebooks on the rise?

RCM: I recently saw The Avengers, and the reason that’s such a great movie is that the director doesn’t hold anything back for the sequel. Whedon doesn’t say “Oh, we can’t go that big, or how will we top it in the next movie?”

One of the things I struggle with as a writer is holding back from big ideas, big emotions, big risks. I’m worried it will seem cheesy or over the top, or my characters will seem melodramatic. But holding back cheats me out of my best work, and my readers out of the best story--especially where emotional stakes are concerned.

As for how that relates to the market, I’m not sure. It’s a very fluid time, with e-books and small/big/self publishing opportunities. But this will always be true: You have to write the book that you want to write. Art should, first and foremost, tell the story you want to tell. Because you can’t control all the variables of the business end of things. All you can really control is the words on the page, so they should make you proud, whether they’re read by a hundred people, or a hundred-thousand. 

FW: "The book you want to write" -- exactly. Some excellent words of wisdom. So, we've noticed that writers are often thematically recognizable – that is, eventually, you can discover a common thread throughout most of their books. We’ve determined that at least one of your threads is the strong, feisty, “make-the-best-of it” heroine who may not have had her first choice in chance, family, or location, but who pulls things off regardless. (Maggie really would like to ignore a.) prom and b.) Stanley c.) her ability to see the supernatural; Sylvie does not want to be in Alabama, period, not to mention not the not dancing and the ghoulies; even as she loves them, Amy really wants to disassociate from the WEIRD known as her family) What would you say are your recognizable themes? Do you build your story for them deliberately, or do they show up in your writing more organically? 

RCM: I like to think about my heroines as “resourceful,” so I totally see how “make the best of it” fits into that. I keep hearing Tim Gunn from Project Runway in my head: “Make it work.” But that’s sort of my life philosophy. Happiness and success aren’t handed to you--but the tools for achieving them are inside all of us.

It’s extremely important to me that my girl protagonists solve their own problems--even if it means recruiting help from a guy or a mad scientist sister or evil genius BFF. Sometimes life isn’t about being the best at one thing--strongest, smartest, most superpowered. It has to do with being able to adapt to the needs of the situation. Plus, I think the most interesting stories are about what a character does when they can’t have what they want.

Family is a big theme in my books, which I think comes from reading Little Women sixteen times when I was a kid. You’ll also see a lot of old things in my books--history and legend and actual artifacts that intertwine with the present-day story. That’s just because I love history. (Archeologist was on my short list of career choices, but I don’t like to camp.)

FW: Hah! Well, dirt-free archaeology is working for you so far - research on the computer instead of in the dirt. ☺ According to our research, PROM DATES FROM HELL, published in 2007, boasts the same first paragraph as the initial quick scribbles from your original manuscript. Have you ever been that lucky again? Do you normally do several stand-alone scenes from what’s going on in your head, and then piece them together, or do you come up with a continuous full-length full draft, and go from there? What book has been the hardest to piece together craft-wise? 

RCM: I almost always write the first paragraph first, which stays virtually unaltered throughout revisions. The opening image is pretty solid in my mind when I put fingers to keyboard. I generally do a lot of thinking about a book before hand. It’s like filming a movie in my head. (Sometimes my working looks a lot like staring into space.) When I get enough key scenes visualized, I can start to put them into words. But I always start with the beginning and movie forward.

 I write mostly in sequence, with one big exception. I always get to page 286 and then have to skip forward to the end of the book. Page 286 (give or take a few manuscript pages) is that moment when the characters gear up for the final confrontation. I always get stuck there. But if I go and write the climactic battle, then I know what they need to collect/learn/do in order to get to the big boss fight at the end.

Well, now you can stare into space and visualize your answers for five lighter questions: 

1. Do you have personal stories of ghoulies and ghosties and things that go bump in the night that turned out to be actually scary and/or funny? 

RCM: When I was in high school I was up late reading a spooky novel, when I heard footsteps on the gravel outside my window. I froze, trying not to even breath, then heard a tap on the glass, and someone whisper my name. Of course I screamed bloody murder. And of course it was just my brother sneaking in late, having forgotten his key. He was so busted, and so mad at me.

2. In previous interviews, you mention being involved in theater. Are you still actively involved? Would you consider turning a book of yours into a play? Which one do you think lends itself to that treatment the best? 

RCM: I’m not involved in theater any more, but I have to say that I use all my acting chops in my writing--characterization and motivation and internalization and “method” acting. Only it’s more fun because I can play any character and I don’t have to stay on a diet.

I do miss performing, though. It’s a thrill. But it’s also really stressful and time consuming, and I have books to write!

My books would have way too high special effects budgets for the stage, but I’ll bet any of them would make a great movie. I always envisioned the Maggie Quinn series as a monster of the week TV series (can you imagine the cross-over potential if Maggie and Lisa met Sam and Dean Winchester from Supernatural?) but I think Texas Gothic would make the best movie. (I can dream, right?)

3. You have had a bunch of jobs – and we can certainly see where having been a ranch hand comes into play in TEXAS GOTHIC. You mention having a science degree – what science? You’ve also been a wedding singer and a telephone operator – two pretty decent jobs, and a … hair model? Please discuss this Most Awesome, Effortless Job, Ever. (And, if it isn’t effortless or awesome, we’d love to know that, too!) 

RCM: Yes, hair model. Basically it means you have to let them cut or style your hair however they want to and take lots of pictures. It was really fun to do, but the problem with those edgy styles they do for hair shows is that they take way too much effort and styling product for my daily life. I’m all for a great haircut, but my requirement is Low Maintenance.

4. In an interview with your Prom Dates From Hell character, Maggie Quinn, you said you are known to sing random snippets of Gilbert and Sullivan. Which operetta's your favorite? 

RCM: Probably Ruddigore, which isn’t as well known. But it’s a gothic story with ghosts and a cursed baronet and a heroine named Rose Maybud... Sort of irresistible, really. HMS Pinafore is also a favorite and, of course, the Pirates of Penzance. Because I love Penzance and I love pirates.

5. What’s one thing you’d like your readers to know about you, or your series, that you are never asked? 

You know what’s weird? No one ever asks me if D&D Lisa has a last name.

The answer is, “yes.”

Thanks for interviewing me! It’s great to get to talk writing with people who love reading!

Thank YOU for all the thought-provoking and hilarious answers! We're jazzed about Texas, crossing our fingers for your TEXAS GOTHIC: the movie, and honored that you stopped by to answer our questions. Thank you for continuing to write -- we can't wait to read what's next from you! 

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Yesterday Tanita was interviewed at the Happy Nappy Bookseller, and Doret makes her look intelligent! Go, read! And for today's other SBBT interviews, see:

• Cynthia Levinson - The Happy Nappy Bookseller

• Amy Reed @ Stacked, talking Crazy. No, the book, we mean.

And visit Chasing Ray for the full SBBT schedule for the week, complete with links.

This Week in the Kidlitosphere: Summer Blog Blast Tour Returns!

Hey everyone: it's that time of year again! The 2012 Summer Blog Blast Tour kicks off today with interviews on Chasing Ray, with Kate Milford; Crazy Quilt Edi, with Randa Abdel-Fattah; Bildungsroman, with Tim Lebbon; and The Happy Nappy Bookseller, with Nalo Hopkinson.

Our own contributions to the SBBT this year will be interviews with Rosemary Clement-Moore on Wednesday and Robin LaFevers on Thursday. We have been squee-ing with delight that they both so graciously consented to participate!

And, a bonus: check The Happy Nappy Bookseller TOMORROW for an interview with Finding Wonderland's own Tanita Davis, whose latest book Happy Families came out just last month. (Check out an excellent review here on Jen Robinson's Book Page.) Don't miss it!!

For the full SBBT schedule, check Chasing Ray--the page will be updated with links as the interviews are posted.

Day Four of the Blog Blast

A full and spectacular week of authors and today an author-illustrator!

Mistress Colleen has a Master List for everything you haven't yet seen. Of the Summer Blog Blast Tour, anyway. A Compendium Of Completely Useless Information is where you'll have to look for everything else.

Wednesday on the Blog Tour is a BIG DON'T MISS!

The curtains part...
The drum rolls.......

YES!! Do you see that!?
Our very own AF comes out from behind the book and the blog and gives an interview!!

If you're behind on your reading in the Summer Blog Blast Tour, it won't take long to catch up. See Mistress Colleen's Master List for everything you haven't seen.

Winter Blog Blast Tour: An Interview with Josh Berk

Welcome to another Winter Blog Blast Tour! While Tanita is getting truly blasted by winter in Frosty Olde Scotland, and temps in California dip below freezing at night, turning Californians into popsicles (and making the rest of the country laugh at our wimpiness), we're still plugging away to bring you an amazing series of interviews with authors and illustrators. Check out the full schedule at Chasing Ray.

Today, we've invited Josh Berk, author of The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin, to join us, and he's answered our nosy questions in inimitable style. Dark Days is a mystery told from the perspective of a deaf high school student, so naturally we had a lot of questions about issues of character and genre. So without further ado, here we go!

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Finding Wonderland: You've given tons of interviews about your novel, but you've not said the 's' word… that'd be sequel. What's the skinny on a double helping of Hamburger Halpin and his crazy ex-girlfriend (who we just loved) and the strange Smiley kid? Do you think you'll revisit this character, and/or stick with the mystery genre? Do you think all your novels will have that element of comedy?

Josh Berk: First of all, I'm so glad you loved Ebony! She wasn't in the first draft at all and totally came to life from my editor's suggestion that we meet some of Will's old friends from his deaf school. So she started just from that little idea and went on to become a pretty well-rounded character. I totally think of her as a real person and if I do a sequel I think it will be more Ebony-focused. I'm picturing a mystery involving high drama at the Deaf school which Will and Devon help crack. But I haven't shared this thought with my publisher and I really have no idea if they'd go for it. I hope so! It's fun to consider, though the next few things I have underway are all not Will & Devon books. So the answer is "maybe" and "not for a long time if at all but thank you thank you thank you for asking!" :)

My next few books are mysteries, but I don't think I will only write mysteries. If I'm lucky enough to keep publishing I would certainly like to try other types of stories. But will all my novels be funny books? That's a good question! And a timely one. Because just yesterday I was going through some old files and I found the opening paragraphs for a completely melodramatic YA novel. I read it to my wife and she was like "I like it. It's really different. It's really good." And I was like "Do you think I could sustain this tone for a whole book?" And she was like "No." Haha. She's probably right.

The Summer Blog Blast Tour Presents: Nancy Bo Flood

Wednesday we celebrated Gunnerkrigg Court, our favorite webcomic, which brings a story to life weekly online. Story 2.0 continues today with our first downloaded novel.

Warriors in the Crossfire was offered at Namelos.com as a free .pdf for a limited time, to jump-start interest in the novel, and to provide a unique way to intrigue readers and familiarize them with the site and the brand.

It worked. For us, anyway. And it's interesting and timely to consider whether this can be a viable model, with Amazon's recent decision to separate out its free-to-download books from its Kindle bestseller list, and Publishers Weekly raising the question of whether the free downloads will be as useful a marketing tool as a result.

Here now is our interview with author Nancy Bo Flood, author of MG/YA novel Warriors in the Crossfire as well as picture book The Hogan that Great-Grandfather Built and non-fiction children's titles including Sand to Stone and Back Again and The Navajo Year.

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Finding Wonderland: Hi, Nancy, and welcome to Wonderland.

Reading Warriors in the Crossfire, and Colleen's interview with Michael Trinklein this past week, I was struck by how little I knew about the island of Saipan, its history, or its role in the events of the Second World War. (Most people don't even realize that Saipan is a commonwealth protectorate of the United States.) More attention is generally given to the "big events" like Pearl Harbor, especially as time passes and the many individual battles recede from memory. What led you to write about the war as experienced by the citizens of Saipan?

Nancy Bo Flood: I was there, teaching the children and grandchildren of the war’s survivors. Saipan is a tropical island in the western Pacific, the kind one imagines with sweeping white-sand beaches and clear turquoise-blue waters. World War II haunts both land and sea, its presence washes in and out like the tide. I stood at Suicide Cliff where hundreds leaped to their deaths. When I wrote Joseph's story, I wanted to write a realistic and honest story that expressed not only the horror and destruction of war but the amazing resiliency of the human heart to survive, rebuild and forgive.

Few Americans know of Saipan. This island and the other 14 islands of the Marianas archipelago are part of the United States! These islands are far from mainland US – the Pacific Ocean stretches over nearly half of the world - but these islands have been critical to global history and to the Pacific battles of WWII. From Saipan and Tinian, US bombers made direct assaults on Japan, the most famous was the Enola Gay, loaded with the atomic bomb, it flew to Hiroshima.

Wonderland:That is indeed a grim piece of history that Americans should remember.

War is a continual horror, but in Warriors there is a specific moment when the tide of the war turns, and many Japanese lives are lost – civilians whose leaders believed in the phrase “Death before dishonor.” Nancy, this is pretty heavy stuff for a book that is for middle grade readers! When you’re book-talking this book with young readers, how do you justify telling this story? Do you feel there’s ever a time to hold back from telling the truth, to protect the innocence of younger readers?

NBF: What do we tell children about war? Most of the children in the world live in circumstances that many are afraid to describe in books for children. How ironic!

Does silence protect? Truth told with sensitivity, told appropriately to a child’s age – is that lack of protection or is it empowerment? When children are old enough to choose, do we want them to make informed choices about how best to settle disagreements? Or do we want them to choose war?

Heroism in war often is glorified and romanticized. Yes, of course there are heroes. Amazing heroes. During war, there are also heroic deeds done in daily quiet ways. Risking your life to get water. Sharing a precious piece of food.

War destroys childhood as it shatters schools and communities, takes parents and siblings as soldiers, and makes children into refugees.

If we want children to choose peaceful alternatives to diminish conflict, I believe we need to allow them a look at what war means. In the United States we are protected from what war really means, except for those who are deployed and their families.

I thought long and hard about these comments made by Melanie Newman, University of Winchester, in Write4Children.com, Vol 2 book reviews:

“The moving description of the tragic events that took place when the Japanese realized they were losing the battle for the island left me wondering if the book was a little stark…The truth is that children encounter war and tragedy frequently on TV but here is a form of creative expression with more emotional impact than dramatic effect. It sparked a debate in my mind about the balance between protecting children from the distressing effects of conflict and helping them to see through it in such a way that it helps them to make judgments in their own lifetime…

My lasting impression is of beauty and peace battered by politics and power; even if beauty prevails, the cost is shocking and memorable – as is Warriors Caught [sic] in the Crossfire.”

The Summer Blog Blast Tour Presents: The Hazardous Players

Summer's Almost Here!

It's time for that beloved tradition (well, for the last few years, anyway) called the Summer Blog Blast Tour, where Aquafortis and I, along with a lot of the gang in the kidlitosphere, get together to celebrate story and the authors and illustrators who make good children's literature possible. Our sort of "theme" this week is STORY, 2.0 -- because each of our interviewees this week comes at story from a new and different angle.

Our first guest this week is William, spokesman and producer of The Hazardous Players and self-described dead ringer for the Mythbusters' Adam Savage. The Hazardous Players is made up of William, Lewis and Justin (and for the sake of today's chat, Lewis and Justin are the silent partners. You'll also note that they've all left off their last names!), and together, the three of them as artists, storytellers, and actors, create what they call Knighttime.

WHAT IS KNIGHTTIME?

a.) "...a nontraditional approach to literature..."
b.) "...a fantasy adventure where we plan on constructing multiply narratives using various media..."
c.) An original, episodic fantasy which is really an old-time radio show/graphic novel mashup
d.) All of the above

It's really hard to choose anything but d. What other story site has an audio component, graphic illustration, a sort of goes-with-the-story illustrated guide to the strange flora and fauna of the region, and the occasional professorial dispatch, complete with very amusing sound effects? A safe, fun world for a kid to get immersed in, a labor of love from a Dad to his son, Knighttime will be a real find for families this summer who are looking for interactive stories to share.

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Finding Wonderland: Welcome to our blog! On your site, you mention that you repeatedly met your fellow players at various comic book conventions and the like, before you talked them into creating Knighttime. Your site mentions your children – who else was the initial audience for a work like this? How has your kids’ feedback shaped the story? What was the spark that brought the stories to life online? How does team storytelling work for you? What does a typical Players planning session look like? What is the division of labor in reference to artwork and story?

Hazardous Players: My son, Sam, was the initial audience. For years Sam had to endure my dramatic interpretations of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, whatever the current piece of literature we were reading. The characters of Sir Cottington and Sir Bratwurst made their first appearance at Sam’s tenth birthday. Often for Sam’s birthdays I constructed massive treasure hunts throughout the park adjacent to our house, and for his tenth I came up with Cottington and Bratwurst and attempted to make recordings of the knights, which, when the kids found them hidden throughout the park, would reveal the next clue in the hunt. Later, I reluctantly played the tapes for a few people including Justin and Lewis. They encouraged me to continue with it and expand the story to include art and such. So I asked them to come along for the ride and contribute their talents as well, even though they are both painfully shy (I would even say pathologically shy if it wasn’t rude, so I won’t say that). Together we became the Hazardous Players.

We began distributing recordings, plus a small book of art I produced, to friends and other parents. From that we started getting very favorable responses, plus we acquired a few young fans. I even performed it live with Sam (an aspiring actor), in full costume, at a small story telling festival, and the response was very positive. That kept us motivated to keep it going.

The internet seemed like the natural progression in Knighttime’s evolution. It allows us to grow the piece organically, making digressions into other tangential story lines that parallel the central Knighttime narrative and use whatever medium that best tells that part of the story, whether it’s writing, art or audio. Though we plan on producing more traditional modes of story telling, such as books and CD’s, the website gives us the opportunity to experiment with the narrative and see immediate results.

Wonderland: Wow! Live performances already! That's awesome!

From the professional-looking site, to the sketches, to the medieval theme song to announce each story, the whole of Knighttime is a labor of love that looks to take a lot of time. What are your day jobs? How do you balance the time it takes to produce Knighttime with the rest of your world? What do your other family members think of your labor-intensive hobby?

Hazardous Players: We all have full-time day jobs, which can make it a challenge getting the work produced. I work in a conservation lab of a museum. Conservation is where artwork goes if it's injured and needs some medical attention. It has been an interesting job over the years, and has allowed me to meet several modern and contemporary artists. My projects can range from un-framing Matisses to finding a way to dispose of four tons of Vaseline (not that easy, I assure you).

As a result much of the collaborative work is done virtually, during late night online sessions, so late it is the next day, in fact. We schedule real world meetings as often as everyone’s lives will permit, with everyone bringing ideas to the table. It can be difficult, and at the moment we are not able to produce as much as we would like. We are all dedicated to creating the work as long as people seem interested in the project, and hopefully it can eventually support itself and we can free up our schedules to give more time to the piece.

As for my family, well, my son is very supportive since he in a way was the motivation behind it. And he in many ways is a contributor, especially when he doesn’t laugh at a joke and then I know I need to retool it until I get at least a snort of a laugh. He and I have also been working towards producing a series of video "webisodes" featuring him, as one of the staff of the Henchwood's Guide, as he searches, ala Discovery Channel, for dangerous creatures in the Kingdom of Udenland in order to catalogue and enter them into the Guide. My wife has also been very supportive, she is an artist as well and understands the creative process, though she does show concern when I stagger to bed at two in the morning.

Wonderland: Can definitely understand your wife's concern! And though working as an art conservationist is a VERY cool job, just for the sake of argument, we won't even ask about the four tons of Vaseline. We just won't.

Knighttime has the feel of an audio comic book – a cross between an old-fashioned radio show and a serial fantasy story for a science fiction magazine. What are some of your influences in both areas? Who are your favorite young adult/children’s graphic novels or comics, and are there other online comics and/or story sites which you frequent? What’s the most recent children’s book which has caught your attention?