Antony John » Writing

A sense of place

Antony — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:13:52 +0000

I was asked to write about what inspired me to set my new fantasy trilogy, ELEMENTAL, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. As you’ll see (if you follow this link), the answer is that I simply had to set it there.

By the way, the link includes a giveaway of a signed ARC of ELEMENTAL, so please enter!

Oh, yeah, and I only just realized that I haven’t actually shared the cover before (at least not on this blog), so . . . what do you think? It rocks, right? (I had nothing to do with the cover by the way, much as I’d like to take credit for it. It was all the work of the extraordinarily talented Tony Sahara, who book covers are amazing, as you can see.)

Moments of joy

Antony — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:29:50 +0000

While I was chatting with the wonderful and inspiring Sara Zarr the other day — that’s us with William Shatner, who was one of the more interesting cardboard cutouts I’ve ever spoken to — I made a confession: I don’t celebrate release days. I know I’m supposed to, but by the time the book comes out, I’m already thinking several projects ahead. I’m thinking only in terms of getting books into readers’ hands. I’m barely thinking of the release at all.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t celebrate anything. For instance, I sent the final draft of ELEMENTAL to my editor yesterday. I love this book, and am enormously proud of it. There’ll be a lot of copyediting, as usual, but I’ll celebrate that too, because it means I’m honing in on the finished book. And as for the cover . . . whoa! I can’t share it yet, but let’s just say it’s freaking amazing. In my mind, the book is already coming together. And that is something I can truly celebrate: the pursuit of the dream is every bit as compelling for me as the realization of it.

All of which reminds me of something many talented authors have told me: enjoy the ride. As long as these intermediate goals (first draft, final draft, copyediting, receipt of cover) are cause for celebration, I’ll be a happy camper a lot of the time. The same goes for all writers. Books are as much about the journey as the destination. Make it a pleasant one.

Sara Zarr wrote about this kind of thing herself–and far more articulately–in case you want to see.

On a different note:

* Today I’m guest blogging at Eating YA Books about my history as a reader. No, I didn’t read very much when I was a teen. Now you’ll find out why.

* Two new fantasy novels MUST be added to your wish list ASAP: ASHFALL by Mike Mullin is a captivating story of a boy struggling to reach his parents in the aftermath of a supervolcano eruption. It’s almost unbearably tense, and so real. LEGEND by Marie Lu doesn’t come out until next week, but it’s a dystopian novel about two 15-year-olds on opposite sides of a war. The pacing is breakneck, and the plot twists and turns so much you just can’t put it down. I loved them both.

Wanna Skype?

Antony — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:16:33 +0000

I love school visits. I mean, I really love them. But if the school is in Saskatchewan or Pocatello, Idaho, say, it’s kind of hard for me to get there and back in the five working hours I have each day. Which is why a particularly resourceful Ohio teen librarian proposed that I Skype with her reading club instead. And a teacher in Glencoe, Missouri, asked me to chat with her middle school reading club.

Well, you know what? Skyping rocks! (And the commute time is significantly shorter.)

All of which gave me an idea . . .

If your class or book club (whether teen or adult; school, library, or private) is reading Five Flavors of Dumb, and you’d like to discuss it with me, please drop me an email and we’ll set something up. There’s no cost — I’m happy to do it free — and as long as you have a couple of scheduling options, we’ll find a mutually acceptable time for sure.

All I ask is that participants have read at least a few chapters of the novel. Otherwise, my responses may not make much sense. Better still, give readers the chance to read the whole thing. That way, the conversation won’t become a stream of spoilers!

ELEMENTAL news (and giveaway!)

Antony — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:53:40 +0000

So I have this new fantasy trilogy coming out. It’s called ELEMENTAL, and the first book comes out in fall 2012. I’m incredibly excited about it, and the editing is going really well. There’s no doubt this is some of the best stuff I’ve ever written.

Just as exciting, bloggers are getting on board (dystopian fantasy is rather popular, you see). And today, my first official ELEMENTAL interview has posted over at Presenting Lenore, as part of her Dystopian August series. Amongst other things, I confess that I’m a chronically slow reader, and also detail my daughter’s issues with Mary Poppins. (What could be more dystopian that that?) In a particularly delightful coincidence, Lenore also has a fantasy novel called LEVEL TWO coming out in fall 2012, and it sounds awesome.

Best of all, you can enter to win signed copies of both FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB and an ARC of THOU SHALT NOT ROAD TRIP. Go on . . . what are you waiting for?

On cooking and writing …

Antony — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:59:25 +0000

Although no one will ever mistake me for a good cook, the lovely folks at Pots & Pens invited me over for an interview.

There’s some new stuff there (for anyone who is wondering what I’m up to at the moment), and even a bonus soup recipe. And it’s so easy, even I can’t screw it up! (Yes, that’s an Actual Photograph of the soup, made by me.)

Hope everyone is surviving the heat wave. Unless you’re a member of the British cohort, in which case you probably think I’m bragging any time I mention sunshine.

When I’m Not Writing

Antony — Fri, 06 May 2011 14:22:26 +0000

Missie at The Unread Reader has interviewed me for her “When I’m Not Writing” series. (There’s even a book giveaway.) You’ll be able to read top tips on how not to intervene in sibling rivalries, and you’ll discover the extraordinary lengths I’ll go to in order to procrastinate. Since Gayle Forman was the last interviewee, I’m in pretty illustrious company!

In other news, the paperback version of Five Flavors of Dumb has a release date: September 29th. I can’t wait!

Happy weekend, everyone!

In praise of copyeditors

Antony — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:15:55 +0000

I’m often asked what’s the best part of being a published author, as opposed to an unpublished author.

Well, there are the obvious things: I get to see my book in print; I actually get to make money doing something I love; I get to do school visits and talk about my work, etc etc. But there are other things too, that aren’t as obvious. One is that I get to work intensively with a very gifted editor, Liz Waniewski, who knows how to tease out the real story behind my story – sounds simple, but believe me, it isn’t.

Another thing I adore is having a professional copyeditor. As a graduate student I did a fair amount of copyediting for my professors, although mine was definitely of the “this word is spelled wrong” and “this sentence is missing a verb” variety. To be honest, my copyeditor at Penguin, Regina Castillo, is in an entirely different class.

For instance, my next book (now entitled THOU SHALT NOT ROAD TRIP) has just received the Regina treatment, and . . . whoa! She doesn’t just highlight typos (although she found plenty of those) or sentences that aren’t quite right (although she found plenty of those, too), but she’s like a continuity editor on a movie–making sure that actions aren’t duplicated or missing altogether, keeping people’s behavior consistent, and pointing out other inaccuracies. Here are a few examples of my sentences from the book with her comments in brackets:

All eyes are on me, and it’s clear that even drenched in sweat, everyone knows who I am. [Recast? Everyone is not drenched in sweat.]

I shake her hand again, and it’s not until she’s gone that I realize what she just said. [When did he shake her hand the first time?]

Still, I don’t think Matt wants to hear it, so I pretend it was a rhetorical question and nod sympathetically. [If it's rhetorical, Matt doesn't expect any response.]

Teresa pouts her lips. [Is lips redundant here? I'm not sure it's possible to pout anything else.]

See what I mean? Bear in mind that these are taken at random from the first few chapters. There are about 500 more comments where those came from! It’s such a luxury for me to have my novel go through this process – it makes me look much smarter when the finished version comes out.

Anyway, thanks to Regina, and to copyeditors everywhere for making us authors look good.

Finally, a quick shout to my wonderful hosts this morning: the students at Lindbergh High School in St. Louis and their librarian Mrs. Siefert. You’re all awesome.

A Busy Friday Five

Antony — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:27:44 +0000

For anyone wondering what life is like four months after the release of FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB, the answer is, uh . . . chaotic.

1. For a start, I’ve had a few school visits recently, which I adore. Today, I met with the students at Marquette High School in Chesterfield, MO. A couple of weeks ago I visited Rockwood Summit High School in Fenton, MO (where there were sign language interpreters – a first for me), and participated in the Writers’ Week festivities at Hazelwood West High School in Hazelwood, MO. In each case I was reminded just how amazing high school students are, and met with several aspiring writers. Thanks to the librarians and teachers who made each visit such a success.

2. I’m wrapping up the final draft of what will be my next contemporary YA novel. It’ll be coming out in spring 2012, though I can’t divulge the title just yet. Not because it’s a secret or anything, just because . . . it doesn’t have one.

3. DUMB has been mentioned in a nice column entitled “Award-winning books about kids with disabilities” that is doing the media rounds. In particular, it features some information about Katherine Schneider, founder and sponsor of the ALA Schneider Family Book Awards. Great read.

4. Talking of awards, the International Reading Association recognized FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB as a Notable Book for a Global Society. DUMB has also been nominated for the 2011-12 Georgia Peach Book Award. It’s up against incredibly stiff competition, but it’s an honor simply to be included.

5. It’s always lovely to hear from readers, especially deaf readers. One, in particular, shares Piper’s moderate-severe hearing loss, and wrote a really great (and detailed) review. Thanks, Tricia!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Back to school

Antony — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 03:36:28 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I went back to college, although for once, I wasn’t after another degree (you can breathe again, Mum and Dad). My hosts were the faculty and students of Connecticut College, an extraordinarily beautiful campus nestled against the River Thames in New London, CT.

In case you’re wondering how on earth I managed to finagle an invite, the answer is that my graduate school “flatmate” (English for: we shared an apartment) was Professor Simon Hay, who is on the English department faculty. His colleague Professor Michael Reder, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, has been teaching a freshman writing class that deals with issues of identity. Well, as luck would have it, FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB deals with that, too, and was one of the assigned books.

I loved my class with Professor Reder’s students. They had all read DUMB and really thought about it, so we could have talked for hours. They even chatted with me about it (and the writing process in general) over lunch . . . and dinner. It’s not every day that I get to talk to highly intelligent and erudite folks about my own book, and maybe that’s a good thing; it was actually kind of intimidating!

In the afternoon, I sat down for a conversation with the college’s own award-winning writer-in-residence, Blanche Boyd. Although our genres and approaches couldn’t be more different, we had a great time talking about the ins-and-outs of writing, the challenges and the particular satisfaction it brings. The college newspaper even did a wonderful write-up of the event (with photos!).

Oh, and one of the writers for the newspaper, Shannon Keating, wrote an astoundingly thoughtful (and frankly, hilarious) review of DUMB that coincided with my visit. She’s a brilliant writer, I have to say.

Huge thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcome. And before I sign off, here (in no particular order) is the list of 12 MUST-READ YA novels that several audience members asked me to include (what do you mean, you asked for 10?):

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart. Hyperion, 2008

Before I Die by Jenny Downham, David Fickling Books, 2007

Candy by Kevin Brooks. Chicken House, 2005

Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going. Putnam’s, 2003

Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock. Houghton Mifflin, 2006

Looking for Alaska by John Green. Dutton, 2005

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. Wendy Lamb Books, 2004

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1999

Holes by Louis Sachar. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1998

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. Alfred A. Knopf (Random House), 2000

Feed by M.T. Anderson. Candlewick Press, 2002

Life as We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer. Harcourt, 2006

The Music Interview . . .

Antony — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:19:06 +0000

with John from Dreaming in Books, in which I discuss deafness and why I was so mean to Ed (the marimba player).

Incidentally, I discovered that John plays in his school marching band, which I happen to think is awesome. And yes . . . GO MARIMBAS!