When Dr. Joan Kaywell asked me to be a co-presenter at the 2017 ChLA Conference, I said yes first and asked questions later. The reasons I automatically said yes were:
1. I love Dr. Joan!
2. The conference was being held in Tampa, practically in my backyard. And...
3. I actually enjoy public speaking.
My first question for Dr. Joan was: What are we going to talk about?
Her answer: When Will We Ever Learn? Linking Relevant Fiction With Nonfiction to Examine Equality in the United States.
Dr. Joan went on to say all she really wanted was for me to talk about my books, and she'd handle the rest.
The burning question was how did my books fit into the topic? It turns out Dr. Joan is smarter than I am, and though I'd never really thought about it, all of my books have an equality theme running through them.
The BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL is set in 1922, two years after women got the right to vote. My heroine, Jessie, wants nothing more than to go away to teachers' college, but household chores, the expectations of her family and community, and a tuberculosis epidemic, all stand in her way. THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL has a Women's Rights theme.
RUBY LEE & ME's theme is evident. It's set in the summer of 1969, the summer before the local elementary school in Shady Creek, NC will become integrated. Two girls--one black, the other white, must confront how racism affects their friendship. RUBY LEE & ME's subplot tackles Civil Rights.
My third book, ONE TRUE WAY, forthcoming on February 27, 2018 has an LGBT rights theme. The book is set during 1977, using Anita Bryant's Save Our Children campaign, as a backdrop. If you're not familiar with Ms. Bryant's crusade, there are great YouTube videos about it, like this one here:
To date, I've written about Women's Rights, Civil Rights, and LGBT rights. I'm excited to see where my writing takes me next.
I have been writing for many years, and each Christmas there would be a tinge of sadness because the gift I wanted most, a published book, continued to elude me. The Christmas of 2012 was different though. That year I held my debut novel, THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL in my hands. It was magical!
And this year, the Christmas of 2015, is just as special. I met my editor, Andrea Davis Pinkney in New York, and she handed me a wrapped package. Inside was my new novel, RUBY LEE AND ME. It will no doubt be my favorite present of this holiday season.
There is no place on earth more beautiful than New York City at Christmas. Here are some photos from my trip:
Happy Holidays to you and yours! May you also receive your heart's desire this Christmas season. Here's a picture of my favorite gift, and you can read a description by clicking here:
The view outside my window at the WOW Retreat in Helen, Georgia!
I recently attended the 2015 WOW Retreat, and it changed my writing life. My original goal was to write historical novels and historical picture books, and while I have one published novel, (THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL), and one novel forthcoming, (RUBY LEE and ME), picture books had eluded me. I finally figured out why when Candace Fleming spoke.
I'm paraphrasing here, but Candace said every picture book has a vital idea. My picture book biography is about an oral storyteller. I jotted down my vital idea. Stories saved Ray, and then he saved the stories.
Next Candace said, "Every scene must contribute to the vital idea." Oh WOW! I pulled out a red pen. My manuscript is about stories, and I had included three spreads that showed Ray singing ballads. I love ballads, and I love those spreads, but they didn't contribute to my vital idea. As Candace lectured, I hacked 300 words with a red pen. It tightened the story right up and it became evident what the story is ultimately about.
The following day, Kristen Fulton weaved her magic. She emphasized the importance of the opening spread which she called, Once Upon A Time, and the last spread, which she termed, They Lived Happily Ever After. I spent a lot of time reading and rereading my opening and closing. One right after the other, skipping everything in between. This manuscript needed to come full circle.
You know that saying writers have, "Don't revise in a vacuum?" It turns out five heads are actually better than one. As my revisions took shape, I had the opportunity at roundtables to get feedback from industry professionals.
The icing on the cake was meeting writer Jackie Wellington. Jackie read through my manuscript and helped me play with ways to add more lyrical language.
I fell in love with my manuscript all over again--that's the magic of WOW! And I'll go you one better: I had a similar experience with a second manuscript, but that will be the focus of a later blog post.
If you write picture books, especially if you write non-fiction or historical ones, I can't recommend this conference highly enough. The 2016 WOW Conference will be held July 17-23rd. More details are available here:
At the Miami SCBWI Conference, my book THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL was awarded the Crystal Kite Award for the Southeast Region. Chris Cheng, who is the originator of the Crystal Kite Awards, made the the presentation. Our Regional Advisor, Linda Bernfeld looks on:
The award is in the shape of a kite and comes with white gloves so you don't smudge the crystal. Here's a closer look at it:
A big thank you to everyone who read and voted for JESSIE. I appreciate it!
I met Aimee Reid, author of MAMA'S DAY WITH LITTLE GRAY, at the Miami SCBWI Conference.
Aimee asked me to write a post for her blog on raising a reader. I took her up on that challenge because my son is a voracious reader, and I knew it would be fun to reflect on all the reasons why. Hop over to Aimee's blog to read my thoughts on Raising A Reader.
A photo with Augusta Scattergood following our presentation, Putting the Personal in History, at the Bloomingdale Public Library in Valrico, Florida.
Here's the official description:
SCBWI FLORIDA TAMPA BAY AREA WRITERS
PUTTING THE PERSONAL INTO HISTORY
Presenters:
Augusta Scattergood and
Shannon Hitchcock
Saturday, November 1, 2014
2:00-4:00 p.m.
Bloomingdale Public Library
1906 Bloomingdale Ave. Valrico, FL 33596-6204
In this session, Augusta Scattergood and Shannon Hitchcock will reveal how they used events that were up close and personal to write their Crystal Kite Award-winning novels GLORY BE and THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL, as well as their current works-in-progress. Augusta and Shannon will interview each other to reveal how writing what you love, finding the hook, and careful research can benefit any manuscript, not just historical fiction. I like to think of this session as dueling banjos, but with books.
Augusta and Shannon will also dialog about how to find your story's heart. And will share the best writing advice they ever received, as an extra added treat. Plus there will be some fantastic door prizes, including a book bag full of brand new books!
Bring your writing notebooks, pens, and ideas for your own stories and we'll brainstorm together in this interactive session.
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Augusta Scattergood's next book, THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY, will be released by Scholastic in January 2015. Learn more about Augusta at her website. Shannon Hitchcock's next book is entitled CAROLINA GIRLS and will also be released by Scholastic. Learn more about Shannon at her website.
Lee Wind posted a very nice interview with me about winning the Crystal Kite Award for the southeast region. You can read it on the Official SCBWI Blog:
And in case you missed it, I wrote an article for Writers Digest called Writing Historical Fiction Based on a Family Story. You can read it here:
A text set is a collection of materials to supplement the study of a topic, a picture book, or a novel. A good overview can be found here.
Emily Roderique, M.Ed. English III Teacher, recently developed a text set to be used in conjunction with my book, THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL. A text set gives a book an advantage with educators because some of the prep work for using it has already been done.
My text set is divided into four categories: I. Tuberculosis, II. North Carolina Sanatoriums, III. Famous People Affected by TB, and IV. NC History, Culture, and Geography. Under each of these categories, Emily listed nonfiction books, websites, articles, documentaries, even blog interviews, and Pinterest boards. All of these resources supplement understanding the world in which my protagonist lived.
My favorite nonfiction book included in my text set is Jim Murphy's INVINCIBLE MICROBE.
And perhaps the most famous authors to die from tuberculosis are the Bronte sisters. Catherine Reef's wonderful biography is also included.
THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL'S text set is available for free download. Leave any questions you might have in the comments. Both Emily and I are available to answer them.
THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL recently won the Crystal Kite Award for the Southeast Region. That was the perfect way to end my debut year. Looking back, here are some of the highlights:
Pre-publication: My cover art was revealed on September 15, 2012. Shortly thereafter, I worked with my publisher on flap copy. With the help of Linda Kaufman, my website designer, I overhauled my blog and website. Wendy Hostetter Davis designed my book trailer. You can watch it here:
Publishers Weekly gave The Ballad of Jessie Pearl its first professional review. Kirkus, Booklist, SLJ, and several others soon followed. My publisher collected all my reviews and posted them on the namelos website.
The Ballad of Jessie Pearl's official book birthday was February 1, 2013. JESSIE and I were featured on the front page of my hometown newspaper, The Yadkin Ripple. My friend Regine Gordon threw a launch party for all my Tampa friends. I had a book signing at my hometown library in East Bend, North Carolina. This picture is at the library with Brad Matthews, one of my friends from elementary school.
Since the initial launch, I have spoken at the 2013 ALAN Conference on a panel of Southern writers, cheered when Booklist Online named JESSIE'S cover art as one of the year's best, led a workshop at the North Carolina Reading Association Conference, and been interviewed in the ALAN Review.
My debut author journey has been a satisfying experience and winning a Crystal Kite Award was like getting an extra cherry on my nut sundae. The only thing more exciting is that I get to do it all again! My second novel, Carolina Girls will be edited by Andrea Pinkney and published by Scholastic. Stay tuned!
I am thrilled and amazed that my book won the Crystal Kite for the southeast region, (Florida, Georgia, SC, NC, and Alabama). That means my book earned a sticker. And though I'm much too old for kindergarten, I am still excited about that!
I was in the bathtub when I got "the call" from Linda Bernfeld, my Regional Advisor. Luckily, I had the phone close by. Who am I kidding? I'm a mom...the phone is always close by. Linda asked if I'd looked at my email. And then I knew. I just knew deep down that JESSIE had won! Forget relaxing in the bathtub. I had enough adrenaline pumping to launch a rocket ship!
It will be a week tomorrow since Linda called, and all I can say is thank you. JESSIE and I feel truly blessed.
When presenting to students and teachers about my book, The Ballad of Jessie Pearl, I always mention Jim Murphy's non-fiction title, Invincible Microbe: Tuberculosis and the Never Ending Search for a Cure. So it was with great interest that I read a blog post by Lisa Storm Fink called Looking for the History in Historical Fiction: An Epidemic for Reading.
Lisa shares ways teachers can use historical fiction and nonfiction titles about communicable diseases in the classroom. I particularly like that she offers two attachments:
Questions to Consider While Reading Historical Fiction and
A List of Applicable Titles.
Several more books about infectious diseases have been written since the list in number two was compiled. I would suggest teachers also consider the following:
1. Winnie's War by Jennie Moss, (Spanish Influenza).
2. Blue and its sequel Comfort by Joyce Moyer Hostetter, (Polio).
3. The Ballad of Jessie Pearl by Shannon Hitchcock, (Tuberculosis).
4. Invincible Microbe: Tuberculosis and the Never-Ending Search for a Cure by Jim Murphy.
On March 18th, I led a workshop at NCRA called, "A Writer's Toolbox and How to Apply It In the Classroom." Here's the official description:
See inside author Shannon Hitchcock's Writer's Toolbox. Learn how to use an idea folder, writing prompts, and even an egg timer to engage your students. Shannon will touch on all parts of the writing process: idea generation, first drafts, revision, fact checking, proofreading, and how to be a successful critique partner. She will share how professional writers approach these tasks and how those strategies can be adapted for the classroom.
I also used NCRA as a learning and networking opportunity. I attended a workshop taught by Tammy Powell, an educational/historical consultant, titled "Brown Bagging History: Not Your Typical Lunch." Tammy gave each participant a brown lunch bag. Inside were items linked to NC history: a picture of the Shackleford wild horses, carrots, representing Carrot Island, seashells etc. Tammy shared how these brown bags pique students curiosity and get them interested in researching and writing about history. I have since corresponded with Tammy and sent her a copy of The Ballad of Jessie Pearl. Maybe there is some synergy between my historical fiction set in North Carolina and Tammy's work. Only time will tell.
Another favorite workshop was "Exploring Untold Stories of WWII through Text Sets," taught by grad student, Emily Roderique and Dr. Jeanne Swafford both from UNC Wilmington. A text set is a collection of resources, (articles, photographs, brochures, websites etc), focused on a common topic, theme, or anchor text. Emily says text sets have some great advantages:
They give reluctant readers access to a variety of interesting texts and texts of varying levels of difficulty.
Text sets foster collaboration among teachers, (cross-disciplinary projects).
Emily has developed text sets using Between Shades of Gray and Bombas anchor texts. I introduced myself to Emily afterward and she agreed to help me develop a text set for The Ballad of Jessie Pearl. That should be a great learning experience for me and hopefully a marketing tool to use with teachers as well.
I had a wonderful time at NCRA: presenting, learning, and networking. An author can glean lots of useful information hanging out with teachers and librarians. I hope to participate again next year.
My dear friend and critique partner, Cynthia Chapman Willis died on March 3rd. I am heartbroken. For those of you who didn't know Cindy, it's not too late to get to know her. She left behind two wonderful novels, Dog Gone and Buck Fever. Both showcase Cindy's love of animals and her big heart. The following video shows Cindy during happier days, just after the release of her first novel:
Cindy worked with me every step of the way on my debut novel, The Ballad of Jessie Pearl. That novel is about a young woman wasting away from tuberculosis. She grows weak and has difficulty breathing. It's ironic that lung cancer caused many of those same symptoms in Cindy herself.
The morning after Cindy died, I went to the gym. I was pushing myself hard, but all I could think about was that Cindy would never move again. It was much like this passage from The Ballad of Jessie Pearl:
I grab an old coat that Tom outgrew and let myself out the back door. The wind makes a moaning sound like it's grieving too. I whistle for Patches and race down the dirt road. Carrie will never move again, and knowing that pushes me to run for both of us.
I have corresponded with Cindy almost daily for the past ten years. I keep expecting an email to pop up in my inbox. It doesn't seem real that she's gone. Jessie Pearl experienced those same emotions when her sister died:
I've seen Carrie every day of my life, but after tomorrow I'll never see her again. Poof--she'll be gone. I can't even conceive of it.
And like Jessie I'm struggling to believe Cindy is in a better place.When Jessie's other sister tells her that she'll see Carrie again some day in heaven, Jessie expresses her doubts:
I wish there was a guarantee of that. Do you really believe it?
Here's how Anna answers her:
I think everybody lives with doubt, Jessie, but I'm trying hard to believe. Faith brings me comfort.
In the end, faith is all we're left with. Rest in peace, dear friend. I hope we'll meet again.
Barnes and Noble kicked off the holiday shopping season with Discovery Night on November 22nd. I had the opportunity to speak and sign books along with Rob Sanders, (COWBOY CHRISTMAS), Augusta Scattergood, (GLORY BE), and Nancy Cavanaugh, (THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO RATCHET).
My agent, Deborah Warren at East/West Literary will be presenting at SCBWI Alaska's Midnight Sun Conference on September 6th and 7th. As part of her presentation, I was asked for a quote, something that I learned along the way, but wish I had known at the start of my writing journey. Here's the advice I provided:
Not every critique is created equal. Listen to feedback with an open mind. Take notes. Give yourself a couple of days to digest what was offered, but in the end, it's your story. Only make changes that feel right to you.
Deborah will also be using THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL in a workshop as an example of strong first page voice. I am honored that she's showcasing my book.
In other news, I will be traveling to Boston on November 25th and 26th for the ALAN Conference. I will be part of a panel called, Past and Present Southern Voices of YA Literature.
From Alaska to Boston that Jessie Pearl is a travelin' girl!
Writing a novel is one thing and learning to promote it is another kettle of fish entirely. When THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL was first released, there was a flurry of activity. I mailed bookmarks to everyone on my Christmas Card list, I was featured on several blogs, professional reviews rolled in, but around mid-July the summer doldrums hit. I decided to spice things up a little with a giveaway through Goodreads.
The giveaway was extremely easy to do. I picked start and stop dates, entered a description of my book, the ISBN number, and I was good to go. Goodreads advertised my book based on tags. I used Young Adult, rural North Carolina, historical fiction, tuberculosis, and romance. Over a three week period, 942 people requested my book, and 491 people added it to their "to read" shelves.
Goodreads selected ten winners and sent me an email with their names and addresses. I mailed away books from as close to me as Florida to as faraway from me as Wisconsin. It will be interesting to see if any of the 491 people actually read the book, and if the number of Goodreads reviews increases dramatically. I'm new at this marketing thing and hopefully I'll be more savvy next time around.
