Welcome to a Teachable Moment extra helping!  The holidays had things a bit off schedule so this awesome interview with Daniel Nayeri was delayed by the loads of turkey, stuffing and leftovers that worked their way around the blogosphere. Please take a moment to visit with Daniel.

MF: What’s the one teachable moment you’d like for readers of Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow to walk away from the book with?
DN: A “teachable” moment? Hmm. Like, don’t mess with Middle Eastern dudes who walk around New York talking to their goldfish? That’s pretty good advice.

I forget who it was (a writer far better than me—David James Duncan, or Walter Wangerin, or someone, I honestly forget), who described a good work of fiction like a deep river. In a shallow river, the water all flows the same direction. There’s no ambiguity. But the deep river has swirling eddies, and undertow. It moves in many directions at once, thought the entire body of water is flowing one way. To him (or her?), a work of writing was similar. A good work is deep enough to be interpreted and misinterpreted. I would hope STRAW HOUSE has a whole number of teachable moments, but I’m not sure if any one of them is absolutely necessary. I’d hope they look at Sunny and see an 18-year-old boy asking himself what it means to be a man. In Our Lady of Villains, I hope readers will look at the question: “Should we really accept the prevalent notion that each person is the hero of his or her own life”?

MF: What additional genre would you have been interested in exploring as part of the book?
DN: Two words: talking animals. I’d love to try my hand at a story about a bunch of woodland creatures…something like all the rabbits from Watership Down march into to the Hundred Acre Wood and they take one look at Pooh and Eeyore and can’t fathom the ease they have. And so they flip out and start a war. (Those rabbits were pretty hardcore.) Man, Brian Jacques was a genius.

MF: Publicity materials for the book have emphasized that this book was written entirely on an iPhone.  Why is that significant?
DN: Raymond Chandler is one of my favorite writers (and the inspiration for “Wish Police,” the detective story in STRAW HOUSE). Once, when he was asked about the significance of the genre, he said:

“Nor is it any part of my thesis to maintain that it [the detective story] is a vital and significant form of art. There are no vital and significant forms of art; there is only art, and precious little of that.”

Similarly, I don’t ascribe an undue importance to the idea. Several years ago, I was reading a lot of thoughts on how the cell phone novel was “low form.” I felt a lot of that had to do with the fact that the critics didn’t like the content, not the form (an argument comic books faced several decades ago). I thought it was an interesting idea. I wanted to explore the amount that a form could influence the content—which is a question every English major is forced to explore with THE ODYSSEY (“Did it matter that it began as an oral tradition?”) and Dickens (“Did it matter that he was paid by the word, in a serialized format?”). I think it matters some.

MF: Sophie’s Choice time….out of the four novella’s which is your favorite?
DN: Tough question! I think “Toy Farm” achieves the most in terms of delivering a farm allegory, playing with the convention, and executing a concept. I also think it had the highest quality of prose out of the four, and grappled with the largest questions. It was easily the most ambitious, and I think that deserves praise (or, if not praise, at least it deserves the fondness I have for it).

MF: In writing the different genres describe which challenged you most and why?
DN: I stacked the deck with this project, as each of these genres happens to be one that I’ve read a lot and enjoyed. The biggest challenge with it was the huge range in style, diction, cadence, and pace. Obviously, a western has a languid pace. It builds tension slowly. The gunfights are rarely more than a few shots. It’s not about a ton of physical action. Conversely, a hard-boiled detective novel is about set pieces, with off-the-wall characters, quick dialogue, and outlandish similes.

I wanted to showcase four very different pieces. That was the hardest and most gratifying element. The best compliment I could get is when people can’t believe one person wrote them all.

MF: What are your plans for your next book?  Any chance for follow-ups on these stories?
DN: STRAW HOUSE has four very western genres, so I’m working on another set of four stories, but this time in eastern genres. I’m from Iran and immigrated to Oklahoma, so collections about the East West interaction have always fascinated me (Rushdie wrote a great essay collection call EAST WEST).

There’s an Ibn Battuta travelogue, a 1001 Nights tale, a parable, etc. I’m about halfway finished. After that, I’d like to go back to “Wish Police” and write more cases for them to solve.

Thank you for visiting again Daniel.  For a great read pick up his book Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow now available from Candlewick Press.

I’m excited to be participating in the blog tour for the release of Julie Kagawa‘s The Iron Knight [review].  For my stop Julie was kind enough to do a little Q and A for my readers.

Q: Why did you decide to do The Iron Knight from Ash’s point of view?
JK: Well, Meghan’s story had come to an end in The Iron Queen. I had a very specific character arc in mind for Meghan when starting this series; she had to learn to accept responsibility and act for the good of all, even at great cost. And she did. Her story was done, so it was up to Ash to continue the tale, to figure out how far he is willing to go to be with the one he loves.

Q. Where did you get your inspiration for the physical environment of the Nevernever?
JK: For me, the home of the fey should be beautiful, haunting, and just a little bit creepy, much like the faeries themselves. So I took an environment and made it so that something was just a little off about it. I wanted readers to experience the same unease as Meghan when traveling through the land of the fey.

Q. Before writing this series did you always know how it would end or did it develop as you wrote each one?
JK: I knew how Meghan’s story would ultimately end, yes. But within each book, I knew there were certain things that had to happen, and I wrote toward those events.

Q. If you had no other choice, which character would you want to step into the life of within your Iron Fey series?
JK: It would have to be Grimalkin. Super smart, super snarky, and can turn invisible whenever he wants. Who wouldn’t love to be a cat?

Thanks go out to Julie for stopping by.  You all know that The Iron Fey series is one of my favorites so please hurry out to get all four!  They are definitely a fantastic read.

Welcome back to this month’s Teachable Moment featuring author Robert Sharenow‘s The Berlin Boxing Club.  As you read in my review I enjoyed this book a great deal and think it is ideal for the classroom.  More than that it’s a book that appeals to a wide audience by spanning both age and gender.  I’m excited to be able to share some insight into the book and author by providing you the brief interview below.  Please join me in welcoming Robert Sharenow to Galleysmith!

MF:  What appeals to  you most about writing historical fiction?
RS: I’ve always been interested in the emotional  lives of historical figures, and how there was always a deeply felt human  story going on behind the headlines of world events.  George  Washington, the father of our country, had no biological children of his  own.  JFK suffered from crippling back pain and Addison’s disease.   Hitler was a failed painter.  These personal insights make history  so much more real and dimensional to me.  And I try to give this kind  of authentic context to the people and events I write about.

MF: As a producer for A&E you’ve created content for a  largely adult audience, why did you choose to write for a younger demographic  instead?
RS: I actually don’t tailor my writing for a younger audience  at all.  Both of my books were written for adults or  teens.  Each features an adolescent narrator, which is the main  reason they attracted a YA publisher.  When I was in high school, I  liked to read “adult” market books.  So I don’t feel a need to soften or  simplify anything.  Teens are amazing readers and can handle  whatever a grown up reader can.  It’s been amazing to write for the  YA market, as there is a wonderful infrastructure of librarians and teachers  out there who want to support good literary fiction.

MF: What inspired Berlin Boxing Club?   Were you more interested in the boxing side of the story or the focus on  historic Nazi Germany?
RS: I first got interested in the subject when I was working  as a writer for the History Channel and wrote a story about the Louis vs.  Schmeling fights.  And I became more of a boxing fan as I researched  the book.  I certainly had an interest in Nazi Germany as well.   When you’re writing historical fiction you have to be inherently interested in  your subjects or you lose interest in doing the research. For me, it was easy  and actually fun to delve into the worlds of boxing, cartooning, art, and  WWII.

MF:  Can you  explain a bit of what went into the process of writing Berlin Boxing  Club?
RS: All told it took about ten years from conception to  publication.  I researched for several years before I actually  sat down to write anything.  I write relatively quickly, so  I think I wrote a first draft in approximately a year.  And then I  spent at least a year revising.  Part of the challenge of writing this  book was that it takes place over several years, with more than a  dozen characters, so I had to track their stories over time.

MF: In the story Karl is shown as “less” Jewish (in  appearance and, in part, in faith) than other boys his age.  What  factored into your decision to portray him as such?
RS: Great question.  I’ve wanted someone to ask me  that.   I created Karl’s physical appearance and lack of religious  background very specifically to demonstrate just how completely  unfair totalitarian regimes can be.  Despite not having any Jewish  education, religion, or looks, Karl is labeled a Jew.  It was a way  of magnifying the pureness and blindness of the Nazi’s hatred.  But also,  I wanted Karl to feel unfairly labeled.  I think most adolescents, myself  included, desperately want to be able to define themselves. The fact that the  Nazi government defined Karl’s identity against his will is one of the central  themes of the book.

MF: If you  could choose another point in history to write about what would it be and  why?
RS: There are so many.  I’ve always been drawn to  Colonial America and the birth of our democracy, which I  consider one of the most miraculous stories in history with such a  great collection of characters, Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin,  Hamilton.  The current book I’m working on takes place in the 1900s  in New York.  At the opposite end of the spectrum, I’m also  drawn to Biblical times and I’m intrigued by the challenge of writing  about the world during that era.  It’s fun for me to think about  characters like Moses or John the Baptist as real men, who had everyday  lives like we do.  As I said earlier, its those connections that excite  me about history, that give me a sense that we are all part of the same  story.

As you can see, Mr. Sharenow is a very dynamic man!  I’m certainly interested to read any of the work he puts out as his passion for history is evident.  I also encourage you to do the same.  Please grab a copy of The Berlin Boxing Club it’s a greatly emotional (and educational) read.

I’m very excited to be the next stop on Walden Pond Press’ blog tour for author Anne Ursu‘s wonderful middle-grade novel Breadcrumbs [Indie Bound] [Amazon].  I read Breadcrumbs over the weekend and have to tell you I’m in love with Hazel.  What a fantastic heroine for kids growing up.  But, you’ll see more of my thoughts on it tomorrow when my review goes up.

Today, however, I bring you an insightful interview between Anne and her editor Jordan.  They share some great stuff about middle-grade fiction, magic and location/world-building.  I’m very pleased to be able to share it with you so show Anne and Jordan some love!

Jordan:  What is the place, or purpose, of “magic” in middle grade fiction?  (I know one could probably write a dissertation on this, but is there a short version?)
Anne: Middle grade fiction is all about the journey of the character, about kids figuring out the world, and magic is both a metaphor and vehicle for that process.  As adults sometimes we look at the magic in these stories in a vacuum, as if it were a pyrotechnic show separate from the main event—but that misses the whole point. The magic itself isn’t what’s important. What matters is how it interacts with the protagonist, how it affects her, challenges her, and changes her. In the case of Breadcrumbs, the magic is a manifestation of Hazel’s real life challenges, and the magical world she’s thrown into is as chaotic and lawless as the real one she can’t quite adjust to. It’s not about magic having rules; it’s about the shock that comes when you realize growing up does not.

Jordan: One of the things I love about Hazel is that she has an acute awareness of the fact that believing in magic and believing in the truth of stories aren’t exactly the same thing.  Can you talk about belief in the book?  What role does it play in Hazel’s journey?
Anne: I think kids inherently can see things on the level of myth—they understand that something can be true and not real. It’s one of the reasons they are so open to magic in stories—the space between metaphor and reality is much more permeable, they can hold the two states in their minds at the same time. Hazel loves fantasy and these stories are part of how she understands the world (Jack’s mom, who suffers from severe clinical depression, “looked like someone had severed her daemon.”) but she doesn’t believe magic is actually real. This is why she’s able to navigate the woods—a fairy tale world that’s entrapped so many other wounded people with its promise of magic and rules and order; at the end of the day she evaluates it as a reader and sees it for what it is.

Hazel’s internalized the real message of fantasy—that when something’s wrong in the world and you’re the only one who knows, you’re the one who has to fix it. And when your best friend has been taken into the woods by a force you don’t understand, you must go in after him. It’s the pull of narrative—the belief that if your best friend needs to be saved, you can save him—that ultimately leads her into the fantasy world in the first place.

Jordan: How did the city of Minneapolis creep into and affect things?
Anne: I grew up in Minneapolis, and though I’ve lived in a number of other places, it’s always been home to me. My own childhood memories are so thick with my city—especially when you coat those memories with a Minnesota snowfall. I can remember vividly waiting for the bus on blisteringly cold mornings, the way your moon boots crunch against the snow, and those snowstorm drives when every car is inching forward like prey. That Minnesota is the perfect place for the Snow Queen to drop by for a visit. I also wanted Hazel and Jack to be very specific kids from a very specific place—one that had the wholeness and texture of my own memories. Jack goes to my sledding hill, my dad took me to the same Burger King after softball games that Hazel’s dad used to take her to. My brother went to Hazel’s elementary school and still describes the smell of fast food that wafted over them at recess. Smells like learning!

Jordan: Your fantasy world is made of up so many disparate elements.  What was your philosophy when it came to constructing and populating your woods?
Anne: I wanted the fairy-tale woods that Hazel finds herself in to be a Hans Christian Andersen-like world, with characters and situations that had the flavor of his fairy tales. In that spirit, there are a few references to Norse mythology in there. Mostly, though, it’s made of people who have become trapped by their own longing. The stories of the people who live in the woods never get resolution because they’re not supposed to—these people are stuck in a state of perpetual wanting. It’s supposed to feel like a dream, symbolic and episodic, where the logic takes a back seat to the experience.

Jordan: Without giving anything away, the book leaves a number of things unresolved.  Why did you feel this was necessary?  Does every question need an answer in middle grade fiction?
Anne: I think sometimes as adults we want to protect kids. We look to stories to give happy endings because we want to reassure them that there’s some tidiness in the world, that everything ties up in neat little bows. We wish for that for them in their lives. But life isn’t tidy, and kids know this, and I think stories have tremendous potential to help kids deal all the mess and uncertainty. We’re not telling them that all questions have answers, but rather that some don’t, and that that’s okay.

This story isn’t girl-has-boy, girl-loses-boy, girl-rescues-boy—that was never the point. It’s about growing up, and getting the tools to function in the world. I think the tidy ending in this story wouldn’t really have been a happy one at all, because it would have been short term—it wouldn’t have given Hazel anything for the future. And it certainly wouldn’t have been an honest one.

This summer I went to a book club of middle school age readers who had all read an advance copy of the book. I asked them what they thought of the end, and to a one they all said that the story simply couldn’t be happily ever after. One seemed very concerned, as if I might go back and change it, and gravely instructed me, “A very happy ending would be unsatisfying for this book.” I resisted the urge to hug her.

Jordan: What was the biggest shift in the story between your first draft and your final draft?  (I have my own answer, but I want to hear yours.)
Anne: For me, I think it was that the fantasy world gained focus. At first, there was no rhyme or reason to who Hazel encountered in the woods and why they were there. And then as I was revising, it just came out in a dialogue that everyone who was there had undergone some kind of loss, that they’d all been lured into the woods. So then the whole landscape became about loss and grief and how you deal with it, and each episode challenged Hazel’s assumptions about the world.

Jordan: When has a person “grown up”?  If we think of this story as Hazel’s journey toward young adulthood, what is the key shift for her?
Anne: There’s a moment late in the story where she realizes that she’s not just the star of her own narrative journey, that somewhere her mom is very worried about her. And she realizes that Jack isn’t only the object of her story but the subject of his own, and as much as she might want to rescue him he might not want rescuing. The world suddenly becomes exponentially bigger—it stops being all about her. And that’s essential to her task, because she has to understand what’s happened to Jack before she can help him. And that means understanding that saving him and getting him back aren’t necessarily the same thing.

Jordan: What happened to the Twins this year?
Anne: Shut up.

Isn’t the art beautiful?  There are some fantastic pieces shown as part of Breadcrumbs.  A big thank you to Anne and Jordan for spending the time to talk about Breadcrumbs with us.  Be sure to come back tomorrow to read my review. And don’t forget to follow the blog tour to see more great stuff, the stops are listed on the Walden Pond website.

I’m so excited for the upcoming release of Anna Godbersen’s Beautiful Days.  I reviewed it yesterday (check it out!) and think that if you haven’t yet had a chance to get in on this series you should.  It’s a fantastic look at the temperance era that I think lovers of historical fiction and romance will enjoy.  As part of the release I have been lucky enough to ask Ms. Godbersen some questions.  Please join me and welcoming her to Galleysmith.

MF:  What draws you to writing historical fiction?
AG:  When I was a bookish teen, I loved novels set in other times, other realities, other universes. So that’s part of it—being able to create this world that looks and smells and sounds different than the one my readers and I walk around in every day. I want to transportthem, and myself. And then, once you’re there, the historical setting means that the realities of life, the situations my characters are going to find themselves in, will often be ones you couldn’t have in a contemporary setting, which is exciting stuff for a writer! Very plot-friendly.

MF:  You’ve written the gilded age and now the roaring 20′s.  What time period are you hopeful to write about next?  Anything in the works already?
AG:  I love the 1960s, that transition from a really uptight culture to one that was free to the point of chaos, and all in a decade! So I’ve got that on the brain. Nothing in the works yet, though.

MF:  If you could be one character in Beautiful Days who would it be and why?
AG:  All of my characters are pretty close to my heart, and I’d say there are bits of me in all of them.  But if I got to just drop into one of their heads for a little while? Probably Astrid Donal, because she really doesn’t care what anyone thinks, and is just all about being light and free all the time.  Also for, you know, reasons of wardrobe.

MF:  If you lived in the 20′s what would you miss most about the lifestyle you leadnow?
AG:  This is going to make me sound like such an old lady, but… I’d really miss the yoga.  Not that there wasn’t yoga, obviously, but the easy access to it.

MF:  If Astrid traveled through time to land in modern NYC what would be the one thing she’d love?  One thing she’d loathe?
AG:  I think she’d love the things about New York that were true in her time, too—that it’s a city full of strivers and eccentrics and beauty-seekers, that there’s so much to look at and smell and be transported and horrified by. But I think she would see how some parts of the city are Disneyfied versions of their old selves, and she’d be super bored by that.

MF:  What’s in store for Astrid, Cordelia, & Letty?  Can you share a little about where they are when we next see them?
AG:  I’m working on the third book now, and the scenes I’m writing these days are ones in which the girls are really on top of their games—Astrid and Charlie are in a super romantic place, Cordelia is ruling New York nightlife, and Letty is making inroads to being a star. But I don’t want to give away too much! It will be fun, I promise.

Thank you for visiting Anna, I love hearing about what’s coming up next for the girls!  I’m eagerly anticipating the next book in the series.  For those of you interested in picking up a copy check out my giveaway.