During the question and answer segment, a boy got up and asked her, “Why do your books always have sad endings?” Then he listed off the melancholy endings of book after book.

“Well, when you put it like that…” Kate laughed with the audience, looking a little sheepish.  Then she took a minute to really think about the question. She went on to explain that she didn’t mean to write sad endings,  but that life is full of the sad as well as the beautiful, and she tries to write what is in life.

This was a big difference from Meg Cabot (The Princess Diaries) who also talked about the sadness of life in her dynamic speech. But Meg Cabot’s answer to this uncomfortable truth about life, and especially childhood, is to write ‘pretty things.’ She said she wants strong girls and glitter and prettiness as an escape from what might be the bleakness of real life.

I found these differing answers to the same truth fascinating. And cleary, judging by the popularity of both their books, both are needed in our world, often by the same readers. Sometimes I want to read a world that has beauty and sadness that reflects our own, but whose stories often make more sense than the seeming randomness of our own lives. But other times, I want to escape, with glitter or dirigibles or princesses, to a world totally unrecognizable from mine.

What struck me the most in these two talks was that both writers, so different in their styles, their presentations, their books, knew why they wrote what they wrote. They were compelled by their subjects and it was this compulsion that led to the confidence in their speaking and in their writing.

Perhaps that is something it takes years to develop. Not just the courage to get your words down on the page or to stand up in front of readers, but a certainty in what you choose to write. Perhaps it is this, more than tears or glitter, that invites us into these authors’ stories. That, word-by-word, builds their worlds around us. And it’s this confidence that makes us want to stay.

What?

Oh. What I meant was how dare William Steig portray the police as pigs! That is outrageous.

And this poem… it just really gets under my skin.

Clearly, it’s teaching materialism by advocating shopping as an exciting activity.

What?

Oh. I meant that Shel Silverstein is teaching our children to be disrespectful and downright malicious! This is terrible.

And how about these cute penguins?? They really make my blood boil! Cause they’re cute and they look like they’re smiling and we all know that penguins don’t smile.

And… um… tell me again what was wrong with the cute penguins?

Oh right. I hate it when books show happy families that love each other. Especially when they’re based on true stories. Those are the WORST.

Clearly picture books are tearing apart the fabric of America, one penguin at a time.

Happy Banned Books Week!

My question then is, Why are teenagers, the ones who are most inundated with this scattered stimulation, reading more than ever?

I should admit a bias right here.  Despite my love of the sinisiter ‘what -ifing’ of science-fiction, I have little tolerance for people who say, “X is ruining the world.”  In my lifetime already, Sesame Street, video games, and, most dangerously, ‘certain’ books have all been accused of bringing civilization to an end as we know it.

But I will concede a point to the author.  It is, of course, important to find time and space in your life for reading.  And his end conclusion is undeniable, this can be difficult.  I’m just not sure that equals technology ruining books.

I’ve been encountering this feeling a lot recently.  Another article I read recently bemoaned lost childhood.  Children, it says, aren’t given the freedom and space to imagine, be alone, have adventures.  I agree that this is often true, but only with a for certain section of the population.  In my neighborhood, kids are still tearing around on bikes, playing clapping rhythm games (really), and buying ice cream from the guy with the cart.  And this is not main street, small town USA.  This is a street of old (and I don’t mean antique or classic) apartments in LA directly behind a strip mall. A place where we have the unique combination of flashing police lights and yard sales.

Am I still on point?  I think I am.  Every generation is different and every other generation foretells the fall of civilization based on these differences.  Has Facebook and blogging and texting changed our world? I answer with an emphatic YES.  But has this led to reading become a lost art?  I don’t think so.

I will offer another illustration of this attitude.  At the risk of offending a great author and those who are fans of his, I will mention a speech I recently heard by Richard Peck.  Now Richard Peck is a incredible writer and speaker. I remember in junior high reading Are You In The House Alone while I was babysitting.  Big mistake. I was scared out of my mind and yet I couldn’t put the book down.

And Richard Peck’s talk held the same riveting quality.  During his stunning speech at the SCBWI Summer Conference, I both laughed and cried and I’m not exaggerating.  More than that, I took away a meaningful understanding of why we write for children that I will keep with me for a very long time.

But I was also unnerved.  In his charismatic speaking style he railed against the vacuum of MySpace (a paraphrase) and a world in which teenagers text at the dinner table.   It wasn’t Richard Peck saying this that made me uneasy, it was the audience’s reaction.  I watched a room full of people who are speaking to, and often for, the younger generation get caught up in this panning of technology.  I find it dangerous that the very people who profess to give voice to the pain and experiences of childhood were also deriding the very tools that generation holds dear.

Are there crappy, stupid things about MySpace or blogging or Twitter? Yes.  But there is also a chance for teenagers and kids to reach out and connect in a way they never could before.  A way for someone who doesn’t fit into their small town to know that there is a larger world out there.  People like them.  There is a way for high schoolers to feel empowered, speaking in voices that the Gatekeepers can’t silence.

The opportunities for this technology are exciting and endless, and yes, scary.  But they are worth exploring, understanding, and giving credence.  These are the tools of our readers and it is making them active participants in this world in a whole new way.  And this will be good and bad and most of all, it will be fascinating.

I also made new business cards.  And by ‘made,’ I mean my brilliant artist of a husband designed them but I’m gonna take all the credit. 

They’re inspired by my book, The Harbinger, and the classic Rider-Waite Tarot card art.  Warning: Colors may not be as bright as in real life.

For a week, I stalked our mail carrier, hoping they’d arrive.  When they finally did, I was blown away. I’m can’t wait to swap them around this weekend.  Hey kids, collect them all!

I can’t imagine any two events more saturated with great minds, creative talent, and genuine inspiration.  So it was with a huge grin on my face that I walked out onto the expo floor on Wednesday night.  And Comic-Con did not disappoint.

There’s an infinite number of ways to amuse yourself at Comic-Con, a point that my friend and fantastic artist Andy Mitchell literally illustrates here.

One of my favorite ‘distractions’ of the long weekend was Quick Draw!  It’s a battle of speed and humor pitting 3 artists against each other.  This year, it was Sergio Aragones from Mad Magazine, Scott Shaw from Hanna-Barbera, and Floyd Norman from Disney.

Displayed on giant projectors, their hands raced to draw a cross between a armadillo and a dung beetle, or to get a member of the audience to guess a secret word, or to illustrate scenarios.  Here’s Sergio Aragones’s answer to “Tragedy strikes Donald Duck.”

I also got a chance to hear Holly Black, author of Tithe and The Spiderwick Chronicles talk about outlining a novel and “the process of ingreatening it.”  She confessed that her original outlines often consist of “insert genius idea here” or “evil is defeated.”  It’s lovely to know that fascinating stories can still materialize out of humble beginnings.

She also spoke about how lazy her characters are.  Holly Black lamented that, while other writers talk about their characters dictating the story to them, her characters spend the whole book trying to get out of being the protagonist.   She quipped that they don’t want to go on a quest, they just wanna go home.  Again, I found these confessions from such a great writer very reassuring.

I had other shining moments this weekend.  Hearing Ray Bradbury talk about the moon landing, Eoin Colfer and Mary Pearson sharing their author experiences, and literally running into Seth Green.  But what struck me most is that Comic-Con is a giant party of people that all love the same things.  All kinds of artists gather together to show each other how they make their art and how much that art is appreciated. It’s a place where you can shake your hero’s hand and snap a picture.

Where you can meet the stars that make your favorite characters leap off the screen.  Or imagine what it would be like to be them.

Where the guy who made the homage t-shirt is thanked by the guy on the t-shirt.  Here it doesn’t matter if you’re an artist, a collector, a writer, a reader, an actor, or a fan. Because at Comic-Con, everyone is part of the same great story.

It was the highlight of my summer and I always read a ton of Newberys cause they were worth more points.  It’s also how I discovered one of my favorite all-time books, Journey Outside  by Mary Q. Steele, which, tragically, pretty much no one else has ever heard of.  Luckily, I read it enough times for all of you.

Sigh.  Those were the days.

Well, there’s no prizes for this list, but if you’re going to the SCBWI Summer Conference or you just want a good summer read, these books might come in handy.  These are some of my favorite books written by authors coming to this year’s conference.  It’s YA biased and I’m only including books I’ve read, so some great ones are probably left out.  I apologize in advance!

Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey -Awesomely dark fantasy, compellingly told in both first and third person.

King Dork by Frank Portman -Best made-up band names in the history of the world.

Catherine Called Birdy by  Karen Cushman -Cause medieval humor is the wackiest!

Tithe by Holly Black- Creepy fairies and teen angst…what better combination is there?

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie – You will literally laugh and cry at the same time.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park -Exquisitely written, need I say more?

Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee – It’s funny cause it’s true.  Millicent’s humor is totally authentic.

And lets not forget picture books!  A couple of my favorite illustrator/authors are going to be speaking at the conference this year.

Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino – I can’t say enough good things about this simple, perfect father/son story.

Tuesday by David Wiesner – Flying frogs.  Let me just be clear about this.  Flying. Frogs.

Whether you’re a writer or a reader, summer is a time for sitting on the porch, munching on an Otter Pop, and falling into a book.  And each one of these is a perfect place to spend your summer vacation.

Children’s Book World is a wonderful, well-stocked bookstore full of staff who love books and want to help you fall in love with them too.  They’ll work hard to find a perfect book-match for you.  Or if you want to have a good book debate, they’re the right people: smart, funny, and with definite opinions.  It’s a joy to go there and see what’s new, what the staff likes, and what people are reading.

Last year when I read 1000 picture books in 100 days, the folks at Children’s Book World were lifesavers, creating delicious piles of books for me to read while I sat on their comfy couch.  By the time I got halfway through the pile, they had already replenished it with a never ending stack of perfect books.  As you can see, the tradition has continued.

It was also wonderful to have illustrator friends Ken Min and Karyn Raz there to share their favorite artists and new picture books.  There is nothing like savoring picture books in the company of picture book creators.

And I had a kids book first.  With my friend, Wilson Swain, there in the bookstore, I bought The Castaway Pirates, a great pop-up picture book that he illustrated.  Then, there in the store, he autographed it for me.  Today was definitely a day for reveling in creative successes, wonderful stories, and talented friends.

A box is a cozy place to be. It’s dark and quiet, with plenty of corners to curl up in. You can touch the walls around you and make certain they are there. You can make up all kinds of stories in your box in complete safety.

The box can be very important for stories just starting out life. The kind that will be vaporized under the hot sun. But if you stay in the box, that’s all they’ll ever be. Never sizzling, incredible, best-selling novels. Just stories.

Right now, I’m working hard on revising my young adult novel. I’m digging deeper to find my character’s voice. I’m pushing harder to make the world a scarier and more rewarding place for my characters. And it’s working. But when I’m try to get those characters from Point A to Point B, I’m still relying on my box.

I just keep doing it over and over. Moving my pawns around efficiently, but without regards to what builds tension or plays better for the reader. I’m just making making my story happen and working around my obstacles the easiest way possible. And easy does not make a good read.

So, I’ve started to keep a few things in mind, hoping that these tricks will help me cut some holes in my box so I can see my way out of it. One of these tricks I learned in Julie Strauss-Gabel’s revision class at the SCBWI summer conference (Thanks Julie and the class for your excellent advice!) and it was a big Aha! moment for me. Obstacles can be solutions.

Often, when I come up against a plot point that doesn’t make sense, I’ll ignore it… hoping maybe the readers won’t notice. An example: My main character, Faye climbs up to a roof to escape. A security guard is standing nearby, so she has to be quiet. Later, a roof tile breaks free and smashes on the ground. Problem: Why doesn’t the security guard react?

I came up with all kinds of rationale for this in my mind. Was he rocking out to his favorite Britney Spears song? Were the clouds so interesting that he got distracted? Did a venomous scorpion sting him, plunging him into a coma? Come on, these are very realistic scenarios! But for some reason my readers weren’t buying it.

Solution: The scene actually works better with the security guard noticing. It gives Faye someone to interact with. It builds tension. And it grounds the scene in reality. And voila! The obstacle is the solution.

I guess in the same way, the box is the solution. If you get yourself out of it, flip it over, and stand on top, you can reach higher or use it to go farther than you have before. Then it’s not, not, not a box! Vroom! Vroom!