Chatting with Danette Vigilante!

Author Feature: Danette Vigilante

The Trouble with Half a Moon by Danette Vigilante

DF: Your first book about a teen girl named Dellie titled The Trouble with Half a Moon, has received great reviews. What inspired you to write this story? What has been the response from your teen readers?

DV: As a kid, my heart had been broken by a little boy who was very similar to Corey, the neglected boy from Trouble. I carried that little boy around with me all these years and though I didn’t know exactly what I was writing when I finally sat down to write The Trouble with Half a Moon, I knew I wanted to give that little boy a chance for a good life. I realized right away that I needed someone brave enough to step up and help Corey and that’s where Dellie came in. Not only is she courageous but she was able to reach beyond her own hard times in order to help save him.

The response from my teen readers has been goose bump inducing! The greatest thing I’ve heard from several students was that before reading my book, they didn’t have an interest in reading for pleasure (one even said she thought reading was for nerds!) but now that has all changed. I think back to when I was a kid struggling with reading and then one day, I stumbled upon Judy Blume’s books and BAM! Everything changed for me. I couldn’t get enough reading in. It thrills me beyond belief that it’s possible that maybe, just maybe, I’ve done the same for someone else.

DF: Your forthcoming book, Saving Baby Doe (2012, G.P. Putnam’s Sons) has a teen boy, Lionel as the protagonist. What was it like as a female author, writing from a male voice? What resources, internal or external helped you to envision and create Lionel?

DV: Writing from a male voice was a challenge. I have two girls which meant that I had to listen more closely to my nephews or to groups of boys hanging out at places like the mall— all while trying not to be too creepy!

As far as envisioning Lionel, I was lucky. For the longest time, there seemed to be this tall for his age, rounded cheek, kid hanging around in my head. Yes, I do realize how crazy that sounds but I was not about to argue. After all, he (Lionel) had waited patiently.

DF: What life experiences do you draw upon as a writer? Do your own children “show up” in any way in your stories?

DV: I grew up in the Red Hook Houses in Brooklyn. It was a scary time and I witnessed some things a kid shouldn’t be exposed to. But still, I wouldn’t change where I grew up for anything. Those apartments, hallways and people (especially the people) run through my veins and make me who I am.

Growing up in a housing project had many negative things attached to it. Starting Junior High School began my understanding that I was from the “other side of the tracks” (or in my case, the highway). I soon learned that people from outside the projects had this preconceived notion of what we were like, or I should say, what we were supposed to be like.

Naturally, when I started to write, I found myself back in my housing project, only now I had the opportunity to show the world that all kinds of people live there. People who work and care about the world, people who love their families and people who want the very best for themselves and for their children.

So far, I haven’t had my children show up in my writing. Maybe when they’re older and out of the house … revenge will be mine! Sorry, did I say that out loud?

 

DF: Living in New York City is every writer’s dream. How does being a lifelong resident of NYC influence your work?

DV: I think living in New York City is the best place to people watch! What better way to pick up bits and pieces for characters, by watching the many different people who live here or are just passing through?

 

DF: Any tips for aspiring children’s writers seeking to be published?

DV: Yes, I think it is very important for you to read. Reading and writing truly do go hand in hand. I think of reading like a vitamin. It’ll help your writing to stay healthy and in the game.

Also, NEVER GIVE UP. But, that doesn’t mean you should keep trying to get in the door using the same key over and over again. No matter how painful, you have to be willing to listen to what others have to say about your work. This is especially true if you’ve gotten a rejection from an editor or an agent and they took the time to write you a note regarding what they felt wasn’t working in your manuscript. If you’re lucky enough to have this happen, be happy! You’ve just gotten free advice from a professional.

Read your work over with those words in mind to see if they ring true. This happened to me with TROUBLE just before Putnam picked it up. It was like having the map to a treasure chest I had spent years searching for.

One other thing, read your work aloud. You’ll be amazed at how much you catch this way.

For more information on Danette and her books, visit her website and blog.  Connect with Danette on Facebook. 

Chatting with Kelly Starling Lyons!

Author Feature: Kelly Starling Lyons!










NEATE: Eddie's Ordeal by Kelly Starling Lyons

DF: You are the author of several children’s books: One Million Men and Me, NEATE: Eddie’s Ordeal and forthcoming Ellen’s Broom and Tea Cakes for Tosh. How did you start writing for children?

KSL: As a child, I rarely saw children’s books featuring African-American kids. That’s why it moved me so much to see them as an adult. The first picture book I read with an African-American character on the cover was Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth. That story spoke to me in such a special way. I knew I had to add my voice.

The first story I wrote for kids was called Butterfly Wings. It was a story about a girl who wanted time to hurry up and make her taller. It was never published, but it still has a special place in my heart. The next was more personal. Isaiah’s Cake was about my brother’s relationship with our grand-dad and how he coped when my grand-dad passed away. For the first time, I started getting personalized rejections. That let me know I was on the right path.

My break came when Just Us Books invited me to try out for their chapter book series, NEATE. I won the assignment to write book #4 about character Eddie Delaney. With the publication of NEATE: Eddie’s Ordeal, I was a children’s book author. A few years later, Just Us Books made another of my dreams come true by publishing my first picture book, One Million Men and Me.

One Million Men and Me by Kelly Starling Lyons

DF: I remember the Million Man March being a highly publicized historic event. What inspired you to write One Million Men and Me? What has been the response from parents and children about your book?

KSL: I attended the Million Man March and was transformed by what I saw. So many images touched me -- a sea of Black men spread like a quilt across the Washington Mall, brothers of all beliefs and backgrounds hugging and praying as the voices of speakers soared around them, an amazing youth addressing the masses like that was what he was born to do. Then, I saw a little girl walk past the Reflecting Pool clutching her daddy's hand. Her eyes, big as quarters, glittered like diamonds. She looked like a little princess among kings.

Years later, when I started writing for children, I thought back to that amazing day and that sweet girl there with her dad. I realized that I was there for a reason that day just like she was.

I’ve been blessed to receive wonderful feedback from parents and children about One Million Men and Me. Adults tell me that it takes them back to that historic day. They thank me for keeping the memory of the March alive and sharing it with young people. Children share special moments they’ve spent with their fathers and father-figures. They tell me how much it means to have books that feature characters like Nia and her dad.

DF: Tell us about your forthcoming books, Ellen’s Broom and Tea Cakes for Tosh. What inspired you to write these stories?

KSL: Ellen’s Broom (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) is set during Reconstruction and celebrates black history and family relationships. It was inspired by a cohabitation register I saw while researching family history in a North Carolina library. When I told my mentor at the Writers Workshop at Chautauqua about the cool record I found, he said there was a story in there. I had never thought of it that way. But I reflected on what he said and started writing Ellen’s Broom that week. I feel so blessed that it’s being published. It feels surreal to see the proofs for the book. Daniel Minter created such beautiful illustrations. Can’t wait to celebrate its release on January 5, 2012.

Tea Cakes for Tosh (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) is probably the story that’s closest to me. Though I made Tosh a boy, my grandma and I had the same kind of relationship Tosh has with his grandma Honey. My Gram made the best tea cakes and told wonderful stories about her own grandma who would carry tea cakes in her apron pockets and pop them into her children’s mouths just when working on the farm got tough. That inspired me to envision a story where the oral history about tea cakes and recipe went back even farther. And when Honey, like my grandma, started to forget things, I made Tosh her memory. Tea Cakes for Tosh is illustrated by E.B. Lewis and debuts fall 2012.

DF: What were some of your favorite books when you were a child?
KSL: As a kid, I loved Miss Nelson is Missing, Wrinkle in Time, Bridge to Terabithia. As an adult, some of my favorite children's books are Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth, Coming on Home Soon by Jacqueline Woodson, Mabel Dancing by Amy Hest and The Memory String by Eve Bunting.


DF: Any tips for aspiring children’s writers seeking to be published?
KSL: I’ll pass along another great piece of advice I got at Chautauqua: “Write the story only you can tell.” So often, we hear about topics that are hot right now. Sometimes you wonder if you should scramble to work on something that will fit those trends. But I believe it’s the story from your heart that will get you published. Dig deep and write about what matters to you.

Visit Kelly's official website www.kellystarlinglyons.com and connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kellystarlinglyons .