The Home Stretch and What's Next

The National Book Awards Longlists have been announced!



This signals a slowdown in the crazy that has been the past few months for me. Plenty of other things have been happening, but I hardly looked up from my stack of reading to pay much notice.  Now, with the bulk of the work done (I'll be hashing out the short list with my fellow judges very soon!), I can take a moment to share some nice things.

First of all, I'd like to say thank you to the fine folks that chose ORLEANS as a:

2016 Louisiana Young Readers Choice Nominee

2015 Magnolia Book Awards Nominee (which I might have mentioned already.. the mind, these days, really!)

ORLEANS was written for the people down South, my own mother included.  I'm happy to know my love letter has reached them!

I've also learned Flygirl is a 2014 ALA Popular Paperback Selection in the category of Conflicted: Life During Wartime.  It's sad to think there's a special category for this, but I am honored to be a part of the literary conversation.

I've also got a few events coming up:

Sun, 10/12/14, 2:00 pm – Teen Read Week:  Meet the Author

Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles, CA 90071

Celebrate Teen Read Week by meeting great teen authors, enjoying snacks, and entering to win free books! Author appearances by Cam Baity and Benny Zelkowicz (The First Book of Ore: The Foundry's Edge), Cherry Chevapravatdumrong (Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices), Simmone Howell (Girl Defective), Jessica Love (Push Girl), Kathryn Rose (Camelot Burning), and Sherri L Smith (Orleans).

Thurs., 10/23/14, 8:00 pm – Book’d In Burbank

Theatre Banshee, 3435 W. Magnolia, Burbank, CA 91505

Join the season finale of Book’d in Burbank with a selection of Mystery, YA, Horror, Romance and Humor readings from by Steph Cha (Beware, Beware), Sherri L. Smith (Orleans), Devan Sagliani (Zombie Attack:  Army of the Dead), Zoe Archer (Wicked Temptation), Melissa Cutler (Risky Business) and Diane Haithman (Dark Lady of Hollywood).  Tickets available through Eventbrite or at the door.  General admission:  $10.

Fri. 10/31 – Sun. 11/2/14 – Comikaze Expo – Details TBA

Wed., 11/18/14 – National Book Awards, NYC

If you are in the LA area, I hope you'll swing by and say hello.  If you're in New York, maybe I'll run into you at the Strand Bookstore.  When I was an undergrad at NYU, they claimed to have 8 miles of books.  It's gone up to 18 in the intervening years.  I think I could run a marathon in book miles.  (I think I already have!  Here's a great article on judging the National Book Awards).

How I Spent My Summer... and a Sweepstakes!

Hi kids!

I've been MIA from the blog, I know, but the light at the end of the National Book Awards Reading Tunnel is in sight!  I'll be back in the next week or so with a new post.

In the meantime, I'm happy to announce ORLEANS is part of Penguin Teen's End of Summer Sweepstakes!  Enter, and you can win a stack of books.  Come on, hold on to that last bit of summer before the textbooks take over!


As part of the sweepstakes, I've done my own bit of school work-- a "How I spent My Summer Vacation" essay.  Check it out and you'll know why I've been offline and on the page.

Hope your summer was sweet!

Sherri

Host the Author! - School Visits Fall 2014

Calling all teachers and librarians! 

I'm scheduling author visits for the 2014/2015 school year and I want you! 

Author visits are a great way to engage your kids and your community in the art and joy of writing.  But you know that already.  What you might not know is how much I love to visit schools and libraries.  Writing is my greatest passion, and that includes talking about it with readers, non-readers-- quite frankly, anyone who will listen.  It's fun!  It's necessary.  Everyone has a story.  Let's help them tell it!

Thanks to my crazy life, I offer:

• Talks about my writing career, animation, film, comic books, and more.
• Writing workshops-- I can show you kids how to come up with story ideas and shape their work into a useful three act structure.  These sessions are storytelling improv, with kids sharing their ideas to move the narrative forward.  It's hectic, hilarious, and invigorating for all involved. 
• I like to tailor my visits to your needs.  I come from a family of teachers, so I know this is key.  What's in your curriculum?  Let's see how we can address it together.

I'm setting a goal of two school visits per month, possibly three.  So far I have space available this September, and a slot in October as well.  I will be in the New York area in November, so that's a possiblity as well.  If you are interested in other dates, let me know. 

I love to travel, so don't let distance be an obstacle. To date I've done visits in California, Florida, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Nevada, Washington D.C. and Louisiana.  And the list keeps growing.  You can read more about my visits here.

Sound interesting?  Drop me a line and let's discuss and make 2014 is the year of the author visit!

Meet the Author - Grand Park's Downtown Bookfest 3/29/14

Goodness!  I've been so busy (writing, always writing), that I'd forgotten to let you know where I'll be next.  On the last Saturday of March, I will be at Grand Park's Downtown Bookfest here in sunny Los Angeles.

I'll be joining awesome YA authors Cecil Castellucci and Sonya Sones as we read from our latest books.  We're on at 2:00 PM, the festival runs from noon to 5 PM.

2:00 PM Saturday, March 29 - Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles 90012

And also...

It's been pointed out to me that I failed to announce the arrival of Orleans in paperback!  Sorry about that!  We ran into it at Barnes and Noble on my birthday and my husband was stunned-- apparently, I failed to tell him, too.  So you're all in good company.

There's been one little change from hardcover to paperback, and that is the title font.  The vagaries of font rights (yes, you purchase the rights to use certain fonts), called for an adjustment.  I think it looks pretty good.  What about you?

"In the wild" at Barnes and Noble, the Grove, L.A.

Do You Know What It Means (To Miss New Orleans)?

Well, I went back.

Six years after my mother's funeral and the sale of her family home in Uptown, I returned to New Orleans.  It had been on my mind from the moment I left, but I could not imagine the city without my mother in it.

And then I got one of those emails that, in Joseph Campbell terms, represented my "call to adventure."  Ruth Brewington, the brilliant librarian at T.H. Harris Middle School in Metarie had been using ORLEANS to teach her students about Katrina (Hurricane Katrina that is.  For some reason, I feel we are on a first name basis, that storm and I).  And by "using" I mean using-- every little last part.  She was breaking down the curriculum the way a good cook uses every scrap of meat on a pig to feed a huge crowd.  The Reading, science and Louisiana history classes were all tackling the book.  Her students had been busy: 1) building the world of ORLEANS in Minecraft-- Fen's village and the Market (the Market floods!); 2) bartering in a game she'd created, trading Halloween candy for goods to get Baby Enola out of the city alive (it turns out candy is a powerful currency, but far too easy to eat); and 3) visiting actual locations from the book.  The kids were drawing maps.  Ms. Brewington had a tour planned of the the Market (the French Market in the Quarter), the Professor's Place (Sacre Coeur school in Uptown), the Library where Fen reads the ominous email (Latter Memorial on St. Charles), and so on.  The trip, she said, would begin with a visit to the Presbytere Museum on Jackson Square for their "Living with Hurricanes:  Katrina and Beyond" exhibit.  It was scheduled for All Saints Day, just like in the novel.  Would I be willing to come down at some point and speak to her kids?

How could I say no?

I flew to New Orleans with a lump of fear in my stomach.  I'd never been to the city without family beside me or waiting before.  I was afraid it would be hard.  It was.  But it was also like coming home.

I spent a day visiting the old family home, and walking through the French Quarter.  Ruth had urged me to see the exhibit at the museum.  I am so very glad I did.  My photos, sadly, are much too dark and blurry to post here, but believe me when I say it was a moving experience.  Video diaries combined with news coverage, sections of drywall where a man kept a diary while trapped in his home by floodwaters.  Sections of chairs torn out of the Super Dome.  Amazing Mardi Gras costumes made from those darned blue tarps the Army Corps draped across the city.  An in-depth display on the science of hurricanes, and the importance of wetlands.  Small black marbles representing flood waters roll through metal pins that rise and fall as the wetlands give way to buildings, and the city goes under.  And then a moment of reflection and renewal, as residents tell stories of survival and rebuilding.  It was intense.  And worth the trip alone.

But then, there was New Orleans, waiting outside to get reacquainted.

Jackson Square from the Presbytere Museum

Beautiful art by Wayne Manns framed in 9th ward salvage.

My first stop?  Felix's.  One of my mom's old go-tos for oyster po'boys.

Gumbo and po'boy

Literally five minutes later.

 Then I moved on to the reason I go to the Quarter in the first place.  Cafe du Monde.

Couldn't resist a nod to the Ursulines along the way.

There's something about the food in New Orleans that's not like anywhere else.  I was hungry for it. It had been too long.

Breakfast at my hotel.  Love it!

 And then, it was time to visit Harris Middle School.

What a welcome!

Do you see the smile on this kid's face?  His copy of ORLEANS is downright battleworn!

Fen's camp in Minecraft

I toured Orleans in Minecraft and watched a computer glitch bring snow down on the city.  In another simulation, we walked through the OP camp in a simulated AB attack.  It was surprisingly emotional to watch the camp burn, even in 16-bit resolution.

The "local" section of the Harris School Library

I spent the day in the school library talking to students, answering questions about the book, about writing, and why I made Fen suffer so.  (That last one was the hardest question-- why do writers let bad things happen to good characters? The short answer is "for dramatic effect."  The long answer has something to do with showing us how to overcome situations by example...)

It was an amazing trip.  I am so very blessed that Ruth found my book and turned into a meal that could feed a village instead of just one reader.  Thank you, Ruth!  And thanks to all of the smart, funny, devoted readers at T. H. Harris Middle School.  You brought me back to my roots, and I will always be grateful.

New Year News - BCCB Blue Ribbons Announced!

I am thrilled to announce ORLEANS is a Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon selection for 2013!  What a great way to start off the new year.  My thanks to the dedicated readers of the Bulletin staff for pouring over a mountain of great books and choosing my novel as one of the top!  Congrats to all of the other authors on the list.  I'll consider this the place to start spending my Christmas bookstore giftcards!

Well, I owe you bigger post, one with lots of pictures and a great story-- my return to New Orleans after almost seven years.  Over the holidays I got notes on my manuscript and I'm in the attic with my writing cap on, but stay tuned.  There'll be a new post next week.

Until then, here's to a happy, bookish new year!

Another Reason to Celebrate

I finished my draft late Sunday night.  And then I did this:

... although, admittedly without the splits or the shaming at the end.  I have no shame.  And then I went and stood in front of the TV and made my husband watch me dance.  It feels SO GOOD to be done!

Now, before I get the Grumps, I have a few things to tell you about:

First of all, I mentioned possibly being on a panel at Comikaze this weekend.  Unfortunately, that will not be happening this year, so I apologize if you were planning on swinging by to see me.  Barring something cropping up in the next few weeks, I believe I'm done with public appearances for the time being.  Stay tuned right here for updates.

Secondly, LitCrawl.  Last Wednesday, I joined a bunch of lovely writers to do "Book and a Movie" at the Republic of Pie in North Hollywood, CA as part of the inaugural LitCrawl NoHo.  The Los Angeles Review of Books sponsored our YA event, and it was fun! 

Right before we went on, the management pointed to the room full of 20-something art school students and other people-- not one of who was under the age of 18-- and said "this is a family establishment, so keep it clean" in a stern voice. Which lead some authors to literally say "bleep" during their readings, and had me explaining violence doesn't count in a movie if it's toward a zombie.

Aside from some technical difficulties (um, if you don't have sound, why are there microphones?) which were quickly cleared up*, we had a decent roomful of folks and some hilarious movie/book combos:

1.  Cecil Castellucci's First Day on Earth - Close Encounters of the Third Kind
2.  Gretchen McNeil's 3:59 - Donnie Darko
3.  Lauren Strasnick's Then You Were Gone - Skins (the BBC show)
4. Orleans - Doomsday (the world, not the story!)
5.  Sarah Skilton's Bruised - Haywire

A scene from the movie of choice was played, then the writer took the stage and read the scene evoked by the movie, and then the movie trailer played.  I confess I was hesitant at first, but also curious.  The first scene started to play and a woman sitting next to me asked "Why are we watching these clips?"  I said, "Hold on, it's a thing..." And it was a thing!  A fun thing that totally worked out and made people clap.  It also made them want to see Doomsday, which I can't really recommend as a "good" movie but hey, I watched it, so why shouldn't everybody?  And I've been meaning to see Haywire.  Now I can imbue that decision with literary purpose!

Thanks to the fabulous Cecil Castellucci for making me show Doomsday to the world!  Litcrawl is still getting it's legs under it (ha!) but it looks like it will be a fun annual event!

In a further attempt to stave off the Grumps, I went to the bookstore tonight and came home with a giant book on Victorian Households (did you know a widow was expected to wear mourning clothes for two years or more?), and The Twistrose Key by Tone Almhejll.  Looking forward to tea and text tonight!

GRAVITY

Okay, so movie reviews aren't my usual thing.  Well, don't worry, this is not a movie review.  I'll go ahead and say SPOILER ALERT, which isn't really needed.  I don't give anything away, but if you want to see the movie without any inkling of what it's about (other than what I just gave away in the poster) then cease reading here and come back later.  For the most part, this is a genre discussion. 


Alfonso Cuaron's new movie GRAVITY came out this weekend.  I just saw it and I confess, as much as I love Cuaron (CHILDREN OF MEN, come on!), I was reluctant to see this one.  I take issue with Man versus Nature stories.  Ever since being forced to read "To Build a Fire" in grade school, I've shivered at the thought of the futility of man in the face of the great big insert-here (world, universe, everything).

So, a movie about two astronauts trying to survive in the vaccum of space?  Kind of awful.  I just think of Jack London's protagonist and those damned matches.  And then I think of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Match Girl" and those damned matches and it makes me want to stay home forever in footie pajamas by a warm fire with a cup of cocoa.

The thing is, Man versus Nature is such a stripped down format, but it's so darned effective.  It's just Man (or Woman or Child) with nothing more than the clothes on their back-- if they're lucky-- and maybe one or two not-so-impressive tools.  And then there's Nature, red in tooth and claw, with all of her glory suddenly gone not-so-glorious for said Man/Woman/Child.  What more do you need?  These stories are about tension, hope and hopelessness, and digging deep for the will to live.

It gives me a stomach ache.

So, SPOILER ALERT (again, not really, unless, etc.)

What's impressive about GRAVITY is the way the ante, which is already literally sky high, gets upped, and upped along the way.  "The Little Match Girl" and "To Build a Fire" are short stories.  They both have one villain, manifested in one simple way-- the cold gets colder.  In GRAVITY, there's more than one way to die.

So, I'm sitting in the theater with my stomach clenched and my feet flexing at the ankles, like I'm trying to pump the brakes from the passenger seat and I come out of the theater more stonyfaced than entertained (appreciative of the effects, the camera choices, my belief in Cuaron as one of the most talented, thoughtful directors of our time, yes) and it occurs to me:  I wrote ORLEANS.  And I've been told that its given some readers the same tension tummy.  And yes, it is in some respects a Man versus Nature story in which there are many ways to die.

What was I thinking?  So, this is my apology for making any of you guys feel oogie while reading ORLEANS.  Hopefully it will stay with you, the way Andersen's and London's stories did with me.  It's funny how what you read as a child influences what you write as an adult.  It's also interesting to create something I considered "fun!" (ORLEANS, to me, is dark, difficult, but a romp with a badass heroine aka "fun!") from a place of childhood fear.

Maybe I should write something set in space?  Truly, just the thought makes me cold.  Which probably means it's worth looking into.

Hey, don't forget, I'm at the Teen Book Fest on Saturday, 10/12/13 at the Central Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.  Come on by and say hello!

An interesting afternoon

Pin up by my talented friend Ren from Tired Girl Collective-- check us out at SDCC!

Yesterday I did my first podcast with Black Girl Nerds.  My favorite part?  Hearing the host say "Caller, you're on the air, what's your question?"  It brought me back to all those episodes of "WKRP in Cincinnati" my parents used to watch-- surprisingly exciting!  A big thanks to Jaime and Cynthia for making me feel so welcome. 

You can catch the podcast right here, but I encourage you to visit the BGN blog.  (While you're at it, join their book club.  WILDSEED by Octavia S. Butler is next up!)  In this day and age when so many people are openly living the lives they choose, it's astonishing to me that some folks are still shy about owning their nerdiness.  The founder of BGN, Jamie, started her blog as a safe place for women of color, and all people to embrace their inner geek.  I, for one, am down with that message.  Live long and prosper, y'all!

For a real blast, take a look at the talk on their twitter page.  Some great dream casting suggestions (complete with pictures!) for ORLEANS!

Listen to internet radio with Black Girl Nerds on BlogTalkRadio

Podcast - Black Girl Nerds Book Club 7/7/13

Join me this Sunday, 7/7/13 at 7pm EST (4pm PST) for the Black Girl Nerds Book Club podcast!  ORLEANS is the book of the month, and we will be discussing all things ORLEANS and nerdy.  I can't wait!

March Madness - Interview with A.L. Davroe - 3/29/13

Just when you thought the blog madness was over, here's another stop on the ORLEANS blog tour!  Swing by A.L. Davroe's fantastic (as in fantasy, steampunk, paranormal awesomeness) blog today for an excellent interview.  I spilled my guts about the snags I hit writing ORLEANS, and I even learned a little something about myself!

Sorry for the tiny picture.  It's low res! 

Tonight we had a very cozy teen read night round table at the Central Library in LA (I love that place!).  Got to hobnob with some cool authors-- Chris Howard, Margaux Froley, Aaron Hartzler and the fabulous Cecil Castellucci, not to mention the librarian with the coolest boots, Mary McCoy!  (The boots are too cool to appear in this photo-- you'll have to use your imagination).  Teen Read Night is an awesome monthly event.  The next one is April 18th.  Check it out!

Next week, I'm down in Redondo Beach at Mysterious Galaxy.  Come on by and say hello!

Meet the Author - Skylight Books - 3/25/13 (today!)

March Madness continues!



See you all tonight at Skylight Books in LA!

And don't forget Thursday at the Central Library in Downtown LA!

It's Here! ORLEANS in stores TODAY!!!

Run out and get your copy now!  Give it to everyone you know!  Excuse my enthusiasm!  I'm just so excited to share this book!

I will now call around to all the bookstores in LA to see if I can find it on the shelf. And then I will make it face outward so everyone sees it.* (Am I the only writer who does this?)

Happy ORLEANS Day!

Don't forget to keep following the March Madness Orleans Blog Tour (details below)-- today I'm at Green Bean Teen Queen, and there will be more to come!

*Note: A friend's mom started doing this with my books in her town years ago.  She calls it "grassroots marketing."  And yes, I have been known to join in on the "face out" campaign.  To all you booksellers out there, we promise not to make your shelves look messy, but we just can't help ourselves!

MARCH MADNESS—Announcing the ORLEANS Blog Tour!

Folks, it's time for March Madness, YA-style. 

 

Last week I promised you details on the official 2013 ORLEANS Blog Tour.  I am delighted to announce the line up, as well as a few other fun events to celebrate the launch of my first speculative/SF novel, ORLEANS!  Mark your calendars-- it's going to be a blast!

WEB EVENTS:

Monday, February 25 - ORLEANS:  CARNIVALE - Young Adult Review Network

An ORLEANS short story to whet your appetite.  "Carnivale" takes place approximately nine months before the events in the novel. 

All March Long - Check out the ORLEANS Giveaway at Young Adult Book Central

 

2013 ORLEANS BLOG TOUR*
Date	Blog
Monday, March 4	The Compulsive Reader
Tuesday, March 5	The Story Siren
Wednesday, March 6	The OWL for YA
Thursday, March 7**	GreenBeanTeenQueen
Friday, March 8	I Read Banned Books
Monday, March 11	Poisoned Rationality
Tuesday, March 12	The Book Smugglers
Wednesday, March 13	Charlotte's Library
Thursday, March 14	Literary Escapism
Friday, March 15	Cari's Book Blog
Friday, March 29	A.L. Davroe

*The blog tour comes with GIVEAWAYS!  Who knows, you might win your very own DELTA RELIEF FUND PACKAGE—everything you need to navigate ORLEANS, at least from the comfort of your armchair!

**ORLEANS hits stores Thursday, March 7, 2013!

Tour Giveaway:  a signed ARC, fun-sized Snickers, a glowstick

and your very own blood type dog tag! 

 IN-PERSON EVENTS

Monday, March 25 – Dystopian YA Fiction Panel – Skylight Books, Los Angeles, CA (details TBA)

Thursday, March 28, 6:30pm – LA Teen Author Reading Night – Central Library, Los Angeles Public Library.  Join me, MargauxFroley (Escape Theory), Aaron Hartzler (Rapture Practice), and our awesome host, Cecil Castellucci (The Year of the Beasts) as we read our work and answer your questions.

 

Squee!  I'm so excited!  This book was many years in the making and I couldn't be more thrilled to finally have it on shelves.  It's like throwing a debutante ball.  ORLEANS is coming out!

 

Stay tuned for updates. There's sure to be more to come!

The Rumpus and Other Things (like a blog tour!)

Here's something cool.  Letters for Kids from The Rumpus.  The Rumpus is an online culture and arts magazine.  LFK is a subscription service for letters from published authors.  They offer Letters in the Mail, and Letters for Kids for… well, you know.  Take a gander:
 

Letters For Kids is just like Letters In The Mail, except intended for subscribers six years and older. We’re helping people appreciate the post office at a younger age.

You or your child will get two letters a month written by middle-grade and young adult authors like Lemony Snicket/Daniel Handler, Adam Rex, Kerry Madden, Natalie Standiford, Susan Patron, Rebecca Stead, Cecil Castellucci, and more.

Some of the letters will be illustrated. Some will be written by hand. Some will be in color, some will be in black and white. It’s hard to say! We’ll copy the letters, fold them, put them in an envelope, put a first class stamp on the envelope, and send the letters to you (or your child, it’s up to you who to put in the shipping address).
 

How cool is that? 

A few weeks ago, curator and awesome YA author Cecil Castellucci asked if I would be willing to write a letter.  Of course I said yes.  So, if you love getting mail (and who doesn't?) and you like books or reading or writing, consider Letters in The Mail.   It's better than pretending your name is Occupant or Current Resident just so you have mail every day.  (Am I the only one who used to do that?)

Also in the news:  the ORLEANS blog tour!!!  Yes, I am doing a two-week, whirlwind virtual book tour for ORLEANS starting Monday, March 4^th.  There will be interviews, essays, revelations and giveaways! 

 

Stay tuned for details next week.  Hooray!

Throw Me Something, Mister! Fat Tuesday 2013

Tomorrow is Mardi Gras!  The pub date for ORLEANS is less than a month away and down in the Big Easy, there's a party going on.    My mom was from New Orleans so sometimes we would take an early spring break and go to visit my grandparents during Mardi Gras.  The parade scene in my second book, SPARROW, is a pretty good illustration of the festivities.  Picture hundreds of people shoving and pushing at edge of a parade as giant floats roll by with costumed riders tossing plastic necklaces and coins called doubloons into the crowd.

Our favorite parade was Zulu because, while far from being politically correct, they had the best loot.  In addition to doubloons and necklaces, Zulu throws coconuts and hair combs.  Which sounds dangerous and kind of lame perhaps, but trust me-- it was awesome. 

Photo courtesy of MuffyJenkins-Andrews's Twitter pic (@_yungNwreckless)
 

 People really want these things.  In fact, Zulu coconuts are more than a tradition, they're a cottage industry.

Photo courtesy 610 Stompers Facebook Page

So, go out and grab yourself a coconut to decorate today.  If you're in NOLA (that's New Orleans, Louisiana for you uninitiated) then, Laissez les bon temps roulez!  And if you sit tight for two weeks, you'll get the ORLEANS version in a short story called "Carnivale" that will post on the Young Adult Readers Network blog.  (I'm so excited!)

 Happy Lundi Gras, everyone!

 

The Last Next Big Thing (with apologies)

If you read author's blogs, by now no doubt you've heard about The Next Big Thing.  It a rather clever chain letter-type blog event making the writing world rounds like a flu virus.  You answer 10 questions and pass it on to 2 to 5 other writers for them to do the same.  I like the fan club feel of it, but I confess I'm terrible at these things.  I don't know why.  (Send me an online questionnaire or an email about being a child in the 80s and I won't ever get around to it, either.  So be warned!)

In the case of The Next Big Thing, I have been tagged by several writing friends including Tanita S. Davis and Rahna Reiko Rizzuto and Cecil Castellucci. My apologies for not posting in a timely manner.  Because I'm so late to the party, I believe I am officially the end of the line. (Hence the title of the post.)

 Without further ado:

• What is the working title of your next book?

The title of my next book is ORLEANS

 

• Where did the idea come from for the book?

My mom was a Katrina survivor.  In the aftermath of the storm, while we worked to get her evacuated and put the pieces back together, I read a lot about what was happening in the city. One story talked about gangs protecting their neighborhoods when the police were nowhere to be found. A little while later, the character of Fen popped into my head, telling me her story.

• What genre does your book fall under?

It's speculative fiction.  Some will call it dystopian or SF.  Speculative to me covers it all—the ultimate "what if?"

• What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

If I had to cast the movie, I actually don't know who I would choose, with the exception of Morgan Freeman for Mr. Go, but I'll give it a go.

Fen:  I have no idea.  Probably an unknown.  A friend suggested Quevenzhané Wallis in another six or seven years. 

Daniel: Nicholas Hoult

Mr. Go:  Morgan Freeman

Lydia:  Kerry Washington

• What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

After a series of man-made and natural disasters devastate the Gulf Coast and give rise to a virulent disease, the US Government builds a quarantine wall, abandoning the survivors in the former city of New Orleans to a tribal society based on blood type in which a teenaged girl must save the life of a newborn baby.

• Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

The publisher is G.P. Putnam and Sons.  My agent is the dashing Kirby Kim at WME.

• How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

The first draft took a record three weeks during a writing residency at the amazing Hedgebrook retreat in Washington State.  That's about four months of work crammed into less than a month thanks to their creedo of "radical hospitality!"

• What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Elements might remind people of Paolo Bacigalupi's Ship Breaker, as they are both set in the Gulf Coast.  I'm more inclined to compare it to movies and books that came to mind as I was writing:  Escape From New York, DUNE, The Wizard of Oz.  Heck, there's a little Lord of the Files and some Dickens in there, too.

• Who or what inspired you to write this book?

A native New Orleanian, my mom was a Katrina survivor.  During the week it took us to get her evacuated from the city post-storm, I read everything I could get my hands on about what was happening in the city.  One article was about gangs protecting their neighborhoods after the police fled.  A few days later I was driving home and I heard a girl's voice in my head say, "O-Neg Davis, he beautiful."  And then I knew—instead of gangs, there were tribes, instead of race, blood type was the great divider.  The girl was Fen de la Guerre, and the story grew from there.

• What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Hmm.  There's a knife fight.  And some really haunting imagery of the city.  It's like those big disaster movies where LA falls into the ocean or a volcano blows up Denver or something.  There's something fascinating about imagining the "after" for any place you know in the now.  Also, Fen is really kickass.  She's my toughest heroine yet and worth spending a little time with. 

*

 

And there ends The Next Big Thing by Sherri L. Smith.

Now comes the hard part.  I am supposed to encourage you to visit three to five other writers who are also answering the above questions.  The trouble is, every single writer I know has already done it!  And so, instead, I encourage you to seek out those honorable men and women who did what they were supposed to do on time.  Please check out:

Cecil Castellucci's post about her new, adorable new graphic novel/picture book ODD DUCK.  It will charm the pants off of you.   Cecil is a Young Adult Fiction maven, by the way, and way cooler than me.  So, if you like cool.  If you're a rocker, a geek girl with edge, read Cecil.  Check out BOYPROOF and BEIGE if you doubt me.  But don't stop there.  After ODD DUCK, she's got a YA novel coming that will Knock. Your. Socks. Off.  (Neither claim is literal.  Your clothes will not fall off.  I promise.)

Tanita S. Davis's post on her upcoming novel FAVORITE SON.  I e-met Tanita when she was just tapping the shell on her baby chick writer egg.  Then she went and won a Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award.  Clearly the wings have spread!  Read the award-winning MARE'S WAR, and don't forget to check out her last book, HAPPY FAMILIES!

Rahna Reiko Rizzuto's post on her books SHADOW CHILD and THE MATRIX OF FEAR.  Reiko is a gorgeous writer.  Her work so far is for adults (see the National Book Critic's Circle Finalist HIROSHIMA IN THE MORNING—stunning!), but MATRIX is a YA trilogy.  She also holds the distinction of being the only person to give one of my books a tarot reading.  She is part of the reason why ORLEANS works.  Friend of the book, talented writer, and teacher at Goddard in Vermont, you can learn a thing or two about beauty from reading her work.

Cheers!

After the Storm




A parking lot full of yellow cabs is flooded as a result of superstorm Sandy on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 in Hoboken, NJ. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

Hurricane Sandy was downgraded to a tropical storm rather quickly, but that did not stop the devastation she caused.  Sadly, one of the lessons I learned from Katrina is the aftermath is often worse than the storm.

If you live in any of the affected areas and are lucky enough to have power, please consider registering with the Red Cross's Safe and Well website.  Phone lines tend to be overloaded during emergencies.  This site is a way your loved ones can search for you by name and address to find out if you are okay.

If you are not affected by the storm directly, please use it as a reminder to be prepared.  There are plenty of resources online to help you come up with a disaster plan. 

Lastly, if you want to help, consider giving blood or donations through reputable sources.  This article lists a number of organizations poised to respond to the disaster.

This is another one for the record books. 

Everyone, be safe and sound. 

Noo Yawk Comic Con!!!

For all you lucky devils out there in Manhattan standing in line to get into this year's NYCC, I have a treat for you!  My wonderful publisher, G. P. Putnam and Sons will be at the Penguin Books booth handing out advanced reader copies of ORLEANS for your reading pleasure!  Just head over to booth #921 and say "Hey Mister, throw me something!"  And when they stare at you blankly, just ask for the book.  Not everyone has been to Mardi Gras.

Have fun my fellow comic book geeks.  EXCELSIOR!

At long last...

First came the storms.

Then came the Fever.

And the Wall.

After a string of devastating hurricanes and a severe outbreak of Delta Fever, the Gulf Coast has been quarantined. Years later, residents of the Outer States are under the assumption that life in the Delta is all but extinct . . . but in reality, a new, primitive society has been born.

Fen de la Guerre is living with the O-Positive blood tribe in the Delta when they are ambushed. Left with her tribe leader’s newborn, Fen is determined to get the baby to a better life over the wall before her blood becomes tainted. 

Fen meets Daniel, a scientist from the Outer States who has snuck into the Delta illegally. Brought together by chance, kept together by danger, Fen and Daniel navigate the wasteland of Orleans. In the end, they are each other’s last hope for survival.


In stores March 7, 2013.  Are you ready?  I am!   Three years in the making.  I hope you will think it was worth the wait!