The Mystery of the Disappearing Hours (or, Finding Time to Write)

One of the number one questions I’ve gotten this year as I’ve done book events for Malcolm at Midnight is: “How do you do it? How do you work full-time and have two kids and still find time to write?”

The question flummoxes me a little because I don’t have a good answer. Truthfully, most days, I’m frustrated with my lack of writing time. I don’t feel like I do a good job of it. I am an incredibly S L O W writer. But people don’t want to hear that. They want to hear about a magic formula to increase word count or some nifty trick to sleeping less—or maybe even that I’m making ridiculous sacrifices they would never, ever consider: “Well, I buy my kids disposable clothes." Or, "We only eat drive-through, except on third Sundays.”

But if I’m being kinder to myself, I actually DO write. I have published books, so there is physical proof of it, even if it feels like I don’t. Yes, I wish I could write faster and more efficiently. But I am writing. And I do--somehow--make time for it.

Here are my secrets to writing in the midst of busy-ness.

I find the time because I like it.

I haven't watched a Packer game since
they won the Superbowl.  (This is
probably actually considered a ridiculous
sacrifice for most Wisconsinites.)

One of the best things about having a “day” job, is that I don’t HAVE to write. I have a steady income. I have insurance. I have a retirement fund. Any writing that I do is purely because I WANT to do it. Sometimes I tell myself, “Don’t feel like writing? Then don't. Quit.” But I always come back to it. I enjoy writing. Others shop or watch the Packers or scrapbook or bake in their spare time. I write.

I don't have a writing time or place. 

If I waited for “writing time,” it would never happen. I have to constantly be on the offense and aggressive about compiling bits and pieces of time to write. Get up a half hour early. Write for 15 minutes during lunch. Write while the pasta boils. Be the anti-social parent who writes in the car while waiting for baseball practice to be over. If you do this regularly enough, eventually, there is something long and book-like.

I write, even when I don’t want to.

Lest you think it’s all hearts and daisies…yes, there are some days I don’t want to write. Many, many, MANY days--when I’m tired, grumpy, and lazy. And on those days…I make myself write. Because that’s what writers do. On those tired, grumpy, lazy days, I ask myself, “Do you want to be a writer? Or do you want to watch Dancing with the Stars?”

I embrace the low-tech. 

There’s a lot of discussion about what online presence sells books best. I cling to the train of thought that writing another book is the best use of my time. I cling to it because it’s the only option I have. There’s not time to do it all. So I’ve let go the blogging, the tweeting, the Tumbling, the Facebooking. I’m on those places, but I’m not a Voice. Or a Platform.

This stupid AlphaSmart has eliminated
 most of my excuses—my laptop is
 running updates, my hand hurts
when I write long-hand, we’re camping/there’s 
no electricity, I just need to respond to this 
Facebook post really quick—
for not writing in the little spaces of my day.

I also have some really old technology in my arsenal: an AlphaSmart. We had these back in the day when I first started teaching. You can only type on the thing. There’s no clicking. No web surfing. No formatting. No word count checking. You type, then you plug it into your computer, hit “send,” and your words spill out into Word or Scrivener or wherever you designate.

It’s ugly. I get funny looks. But it’s lightweight, take less than a second to boot up, is virtually indestructible, the batteries last eons (maybe literally; I’m on my second year with the same AA’s!), and there’s NO INTERNET.

I have a secret weapon.

Here’s where my tips may become less helpful to you. Because you might not have access this secret weapon. And if you don’t, well, most of my list is a lot harder to do.

What is it? I have a family—a large, extended family—that supports my writing like crazy. Like CRAZY.

My birthday presents consist of things like new slippers (a writer’s “uniform”), gift cards to coffee shops, and starter funds for housecleaners. My family talks up my books everywhere they go. They attend my book events, even when they’ve heard the speech seventeen times. They keep the laundry and the errands and the meals flowing when I have a deadline or go away to events they can’t attend. They listen--without rolling their eyes--as I debate things like, what kind of injuries would a rabbit get, falling out of a clock tower?

Over and over again, they give me their time and encouragement to keep writing. It’s huge. If you have people like this backing you up, well, it makes every “secret” listed above a lot easier to do.

So, yes, there is not a lot of time to write while working full-time at another job and parenting two busy kids, but it can happen. It DOES happen, word by word, day by day…if you decide you want it to.

And you can even do it without magic formulas, nifty tricks, or having your kids eating drive-through every night.

___________
W.H. Beck is an elementary school librarian by day and mystery writer by night. Her website is here: http://www.whbeck.com.

The Mysterious MacGuffin

Mac·Guf·fin  noun \mə-ˈgə-fən\
Definition of MACGUFFIN : an object, event, or character in a film or story that serves to set and keep the plot in motion despite usually lacking intrinsic importance (Merriam-Webster) 

Okay, I’ll admit it: I partly chose to write about MacGuffins because I just like saying the word (go ahead, try it!). But on a more serious note, I’m in the midst of crafting a new mystery and it’s got me thinking about them.

In case you don’t know a MacGuffin is, it’s what the whole story is about, yet at the same it doesn’t really matter what it is. Clear? ☺

Wikipedia says, “a MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin or maguffin) is a plot device in the form of some goal, desired object, or other motivator that the protagonist (and sometimes the antagonist) is willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to pursue, protect or control, often with little or no narrative explanation as to why it is considered so important.”

Alfred Hitchcock is probably best known for MacGuffins. Here he is, explaining it all:



It’s R2-D2 and the Death Star plans in Star Wars, the statuette in the Maltese Falcoln, the ring in The Lord of the Rings. Frodo and Samwise and everyone else could just have easily been questing over a necklace or a stone or the deed to Middle Earth. The story would be the same, no matter the object.

In kidlit, it’s the baseball card in Swindle, the veena in Vanished, the horcruxes in Harry Potter, the painting in Chasing Vermeer, the million dollars in The Westing Game, Hamiathes's Gift in The Thief, the 39 clues in….well, The 39 Clues.

And, as I write that, I can’t help but think, the MacGuffin is also, oftentimes, the hook of the book. It’s the funny, intriguing, unexpected thing that might get kids to pick it up. In the library where I work, I can barely finish saying “original Babe Ruth baseball card” before Swindle is snatched out of my hands (that dog on the cover helps, too!).

I also think that the tighter the link the MacGuffin has to who the main character is, the more compelling the story. That’s why Neela’s story is so strong in Vanished. It’s her veena that’s stolen and it has deep ties to her family and her identity (it also may be cursed, which, again, helps with the hook). 

So…back to plotting. A MacGuffin that’s unique, funny, or surprising—AND that is personal to who your main character is. Hmmm. MacGuffins may be trickier than they seem...even though they’re not really about anything at all.

__________
W.H. Beck is a school librarian by day and middle grade author by night. Her first mystery, Malcolm at Midnight, stars classroom pets at midnight (it's MacGuffin is a missing iguana). You can find her online (Beck, not the iguana)  at http://www.whbeck.com.

New Mysteries for Kids and Teens This Winter

Way back in September, I did a post on the new mysteries that were coming out this fall. Well, I can't believe it, but with the 14 inches of snow we just got yesterday in my part of Wisconsin...well, I guess it's true: winter is HERE.

The good thing is that means a whole new batch of mystery to snuggle up on the couch to read. They are pinned over on Pinterest, on a page appropriately titled, "New Mysteries for Kids and Teens (Winter 2012-2013)."

 

(http://pinterest.com/whbeck/new-mysteries-for-kids-and-teens-winter-2012-2013/)

Here are the ones I'm "dying" to read. (Sorry. Bad mystery pun. I didn't get enough sleep. :-P)

1950, New Orleans, and the daughter of a prostitute caught between an elite college and clandestine underworld.

It takes place in Wisconsin! And there are passenger pigeons! Also a missing sister and a sharpshooter girl.

My students can't get enough of Jacqueline Davies Lemonade War series. This one sound great--a little exploration about what personal information should be made public or stay private.

How about you? What are you hoping to read?

_______

W.H. Beck is a school librarian by day and a children's writer by night (well, actually, very early morning). Her first novel is Malcolm at Midnight, a funny middle grade mystery starring classroom pets at midnight. You can find her online at http://www.whbeck.com.

Interrogation Room #21: F.T. Bradley, author of DOUBLE VISION

DOUBLE VISION from fellow sleuth F.T. Bradley is out in stores today! Internal Affairs has hauled her in for a few questions, but we're finding it hard to pin her down. We do know that DOUBLE VISION is getting rave reviews. Jack D. Ferraiolo, Edgar Award nominated author of THE BIG SPLASH, says, “Lincoln Baker is an awesome main character: savvy, funny, and like a young James Bond, he can’t resist the chance to start some trouble. Give him a mystery to solve, stick him in Paris, arm him with gadgets, and watch stuff go boom.” And Horn Book Magazine calls it, “A great voice, with a good heart, some self-awareness, and a funny style.” We double agree.

Enter to WIN A SIGNED COPY OF Double Vision below this Interrogation Room session!

A bit about F.T. Bradley:

F. T. Bradley is originally from the Netherlands and still likes to travel, like Linc, whenever she gets a chance. Her husband's Air Force career has F. T. and their two daughters moving all around the world, but for the moment the family lives on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This is the first book in her new series about Lincoln Baker and Ben Green. 

A bit about DOUBLE VISION:

One's a Secret Agent, One's Not.

Twelve-year-old Linc is a trouble-maker with a dilemma. His antics on a recent school field trip went way overboard, landing his already poor family with a serious lawsuit. So when two secret agents show up at his house, Linc is eager to take them up on their offer to make the lawsuit disappear. They just need one tiny favor.

Turns out Linc looks exactly like one of their top kid agents—an agent who's vanished during a vitally important mission. But no debriefing can prepare Linc for how dangerous the mission really is. It's too bad he isn't a black belt, a math genius, or a distance runner like his agent double. He'll need all those skills and more if he hopes to make it out of this mission alive. . . .

Confess please. You sold this book before it was fully written, didn’t you? How did this story idea come about and what was your path to publication?

I had written several YA novels that everyone seemed to like, but no one wanted to publish… After I sent my now-agent a query, he suggested I write middle-grade. So we sort of came up with it all together. Long story short, we worked on the proposal for what is now the Double Vision series, and my nice editor at Harper Children’s liked it enough to buy it.

Then we still revised a lot of the concept and the pages, and I wrote the rest. Throughout the process, Linc (my main character) stayed the same, though. It’s a strange path to publication for a fiction writer, but there you have it.

Congratulations! So, most of DOUBLE VISION is set in Paris. Our sources have told us you have moved a lot. Have you ever lived in Paris? Or did you send spies to do your research? …or perhaps you gleaned information through OTHER means? 

I wish I’d lived in Paris, that would’ve been sweet… And no spies, alas, unless you count Google. I had to do a lot of research on the city, and all the places Linc visits. Don’t tell anyone, but I used the library a lot…

Montmartre, Paris, France

Speaking of Paris, I loved learning that Leonardo Da Vinci would go to Montmartre to buy birds to set them free. What is your favorite Leonardo Da Vinci tidbit of information? 

That was one bit of info I loved too. Apparently Leonardo da Vinci was a vegetarian. And he painted two versions of the Virgin on the Rocks painting—one hangs at the Louvre in Paris, and one is in London.

For my kid readers, I thought it was important that da Vinci wasn’t always seen as the genius we view him as today. The man didn’t finish a lot of projects he started. I think we can all relate to that a little bit…

I love that--makes me feel a little better about some of my works-in-progress! One character that doesn't seem to leave things unfinished is Linc’s friend Henry. Henry is Linc’s “gadget guy,” an inventor of sorts who designs tools and technology to help Linc out. How did you come up with all the ideas for the gadgets? What’s one gadget you wish Henry could invent for you? 

I tried to think of something that would be helpful to get you out of a jam, and then I’d have Henry work his magic to create a gadget to suit the scenario. Henry is one of my favorite characters, so that part of the story practically writes itself.

I wish I could have a device that stops time—it seems I never have enough of it…

So...our investigations have turned up that you are a self-proclaimed reluctant reader and that you wrote DOUBLE VISION with reluctant readers particularly in mind. How are reluctant readers different than regular readers? And, as a writer, what did you pay attention to in order to address this?

I think we’re all a little bit reluctant in our reading: we skip lengthy narrative passages, and avoid books that don’t strike our fancy… I’m very guilty of this. As a writer, I use a lot of dialogue and action. It’s what I would like to read—and you can still have meaningful moments and depth.

To get on my soapbox for a second… There are kids that wouldn’t pick up a book at all unless you made them—part of the problem is that assigned reading is just not their speed. We need more fast-paced mysteries and thrillers, adventure stories that keep you turning the pages. I worry that the middle-grade department doesn’t reflect what we like to read when we grow up (like mysteries/thrillers), and I hope that Double Vision is a book that connects with kid readers.

If we lose readers, it’s at the middle-grade level.

Ouch! Someone just kicked me off my soapbox…

DOUBLE VISION is the first book in a series. How much did you have to plan out what happens in subsequent books as you wrote the first book?

Because of the way the book sold (as a partial), we made most of it up as we went. I think the double artifact element was established early on, and the characters were already in place—that’s the hard part. The series now can go anywhere I want to drop Linc… It’s fun.

More importantly, I have young readers in my house who need to know: when is the next book is coming out—and will it involve more farmyard mishaps?

No farmyard mishaps—I think Linc is happy to leave the chickens behind this time around.

For book two, I’ll reveal that we go deep into the spy world of Washington D.C. Oh, and Linc is still getting himself into plenty of trouble. It’s out sometime in 2013…

And finally, DOUBLE VISION is packed full of codes and ciphers. First, this investigator has been dying to know: what IS the difference, exactly, between a code and a cipher? And, second, do you have any parting code/cipher messages for your readers?

I had to look that one up, I’ll admit, but I think a cipher is a coded message, where a code can just be numbers and letters. If that makes sense *scratches head*.

On a related note: I have a bunch of links on the Double Vision books website (www.doublevisionbooks.com) to the NSA, CIA and International Spy Museum with code-breaking games, and lots of kid-friendly secret agent fun. You know, for the kids (or adults, if you’re like me).

A parting code… Here’s a book code I came up with. You’ll have to use Double Vision to decode it:

24-2-1

31-4-8

57-2-4

70-4-4

150-27-5

187-8-1

Uh-oh. Readers, we need your help. Please check out the links below for more on F.T. Bradley and to find out where you can get a copy of  DOUBLE VISION to help us crack this code!

Website: www.doublevisionbooks.com

Twitter: @FTBradleyAuthor

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Falling into Mysteries

There's always mystery in the air in fall. Shorter days, brighter moons, sudden gusts of wind, leaves skittering down the streets. Maybe that's why fall is my absolute favorite season for reading mysteries, and if they cross over into thriller-land, even better.

Is it just me, or are there more mysteries than ever coming out this fall? A few weeks ago, W.H. Beck listed fall 2012 kidlit mysteries she's looking forward to (some YA, mostly MG), and she also has a formidable Pinterest board with an even bigger list. Here's my own fall reading list, which skews more YA.

BURNING BLUE, by Paul Griffin. (October 25. Dial/Penguin)
When Nicole Castro, the most beautiful girl in her wealthy New Jersey high school, is splashed with acid on the left side of her perfect face, the whole world takes notice. But quiet loner Jay Nazarro does more than that--he decides to find out who did it. Jay understands how it feels to be treated like a freak, and he also has a secret: He's a brilliant hacker. But the deeper he digs, the more danger he's in--and the more he falls for Nicole. Too bad everyone is turning into a suspect, including Nicole herself.

This is one of my all-time favorite YA authors. If you haven't discovered his work yet, you should drop everything and do so at once. He writes somewhat gritty -- and beautifully written, emotionally moving -- contemporary stories about urban kids. When my sales rep out in Seattle gave me an ARC of this forthcoming book, I might have danced a little jig. Or at least jumped for joy. I'm thrilled he's turned his talents to mystery in this novel, and I can't wait to read it. (Psssst.... Paul Griffin will be hauled into our Interrogation Room in early November!)

THE EDGE OF NOWHERE, by Elizabeth George (Just released! Viking/Penguin)
Whidbey Island may be only a ferry ride from Seattle, but it's a world apart. When Becca King arrives there, she doesn't suspect the island will become her home for the next four years. Put at risk by her ability to hear "whispers"--the thoughts of others--Becca is on the run from her stepfather, whose criminal activities she has discovered. Stranded and alone, Becca is soon befriended by Derric, a Ugandon orphan adopted by a local family; Seth, a kindhearted musician and high school dropout; Debbie, a recovering alcoholic who takes her in; and Diana, with whom Becca shares a mysterious psychic connection.

I'm originally a Seattle girl AND a longtime Elizabeth George fan, so I am very excited to read her first YA mystery (which is also the first of a planned series). This story is set on Whidbey Island, a real place not far from Seattle. The cast of characters intrigues me, too.

THE DIVINERS, by Libba Bray (Just released! Little, Brown)
Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies." When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

I love the 1920s and love Libba Bray, and the whole ingredient list for this book sounds divine! I've also been meaning to read more historical mysteries, so I'm looking forward to time-traveling through this book.

HORTON'S MIRACULOUS MECHANISMS, by Lissa Evans (out now! Sterling Children's Books)
As if being small for his age and also having S. Horten as his name isn't bad enough, now 10-year-old Stuart is forced to move far away from all his friends. But on his very first day in his new home, Stuart's swept up in an extraordinary adventure: the quest to find his great-uncle Tony--a famous magician who literally disappeared off the face of the earth--and Tony's marvelous, long-lost workshop.  Along the way, Stuart reluctantly accepts help from the annoying triplets next door… and encounters trouble from another magician who's also desperate to get hold of Tony's treasures.

This mystery for younger readers (10+) looks charming. The cover makes me think of Edward Gorey, and the premise makes me think of childhood books I devoured and re-read, especially the mysteries by John Bellairs. Just leafing through the book in a store, the voice pulled me right in. This one came highly recommended to me from a bookseller at Seattle Mystery Books.

THE GHOST OF GRAYLOCK, by Dan Poblock (Out now! Scholastic)
Everyone's heard the stories about Graylock Hall. It was meant to be a place of healing - a hospital where children and teenagers with mental disorders would be cared for and perhaps even cured. But something went wrong. Several young patients died under mysterious circumstances. Eventually, the hospital was shut down, the building abandoned and left to rot deep in the woods. As the new kid in town, Neil Cady wants to see Graylock for himself. Especially since rumor has it that the building is haunted. He's got fresh batteries in his flashlight, a camera to document the adventure, and a new best friend watching his back. Neil might think he's prepared for what he'll find in the dark and decrepit asylum. But he's certainly not prepared for what follows him home. . . .

What would a fall reading list be without a good ghost story? We interviewed Dan Poblocki last year for our Interrogation Room on this blog, and ever since then I've been a huge fan of his creepy middle-grade mystery/horror novels. I confess, I'm not a huge horror fan (I like my horror served up on the mild side, kind of like my Indian food in a restaurant). Dan's stuff is not exactly mild. It's genuinely creepy, and even though it's for the 10+ crowd, I get a little jumpy after reading his atmospheric, suspenseful prose. He makes me feel like anything could be lurking around a corner in my own neighborhood; he's the master at making the familiar unfamiliar. There's a bit of an old-fashioned quality to his prose too -- with nods to H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe -- so I'm looking forward to curling up with this new book. Um, maybe with the lights on.

Have you read any of the books on this list? What mysteries are YOU reading this fall?

Diana was born in Seattle and now lives outside of Boston with her husband and son. TOKYO HEIST (Viking/Penguin, published June 2012) is her first novel.

Interrogation Room #18: W.H. Beck, Author of Malcolm at Midnight

MALCOLM AT MIDNIGHT from fellow sleuth W.H Beck is out in stores today! Internal Affairs has hauled her in for a few questions, but we're pretty sure she's innocent. After all, MALCOLM is getting rave reviews. It's no surprise it was a BEA buzz book this past June. "A rip-roaring tale!" Kirkus says, "Even rodent-haters will have to like Malcolm." Publishers Weekly calls it, "A first-rate debut." We couldn't agree more.

A bit about W.H. Beck:
W.H. Beck grew up in Wisconsin, the oldest of four kids. As a kid, her dad always teased her that she would be a librarian someday. That’s because she read all the time—walking home from school, while brushing her teeth, under the table at dinnertime, and under the covers at night. And, sure enough, after earning an elementary teaching degree from the University of Wisconsin (go Badgers!), she went on to get a master’s degree in information studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Yes, that’d be library school.

She still lives and reads in Wisconsin, but now she shares her home and books with her husband, two sons, and two big black dogs. Malcolm at Midnight is her first novel. She's hard at work on her next.

A bit about MALCOLM AT MIDNIGHT:

When Malcolm (a smaller than average rat) arrives at crumbling McKenna School, he revels in the attention, the Poptart crumbs, and his new Comf-E-Cube. He also meets the Midnight Academy, a secret society of classroom pets that protects the students. There’s just one problem: it turns out that rats have a terrible reputation. Have you heard? They are sneaky, disloyal, dirty, and greedy! So when everyone assumes Malcolm is a mouse, he doesn’t exactly squeak up. Maybe once he proves himself in the Academy, he can admit his rattiness.

But Malcolm’s is not the only secret at McKenna. Why does fifth grade teacher Mr. Binney roam the halls after midnight? Who is stealing chemicals from the science room? And what exactly are those shrieks from the clock tower? Then Malcolm’s secret is exposed—just as an Academy member disappears. The Academy turns on Malcolm with suspicion. After all, rats can’t be trusted. And now, banished from the Academy, Malcolm must use all his rat traits to prove his innocence—and to learn what kind of rat he really is.

Kristen Kittscher: MALCOLM AT MIDNIGHT has a classic feel that reminds me of some of my all-time favorites, like Stuart Little, The Borrowers, and – a book referenced in MALCOLM – The Tale of Despereaux. Who are your favorite authors and influences?

W.H Beck: Oh, boy. You do realize that you just asked a librarian what her favorite book is? Pretty much the whole reason I went in to librarianhood is because I loved so many of them and wanted to be near them all. But to answer your question—and because this IS the interrogation room—I’ll try to be more specific.

The three you named are all close-to-my-heart favorites. I can still remember my second grade teacher’s voice as she read aloud both The Borrowers and Stuart Little. Others I dearly love from my childhood—and that have been a lasting influence on me—are A Wrinkle in Time, The Rescuers, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Ramona, Summer of the Monkeys, Anne of Green Gables, Watership Down, and Nancy Drew.

While I still read all kinds of books, my very favorites are still along these lines. Books with a lot of action, an element of mystery, and generous dollops of humor and heart. More recent influences would include Megan Whalen Turner’s Attolia books, Andrew Clements’ school stories, Gary Paulsen’s funny stuff, and Harry Potter. I do read books for grown-up, occasionally, too, but mostly nonfiction, which I do think sifts down and influences my middle grade writing.

KK: I read somewhere that you wrote many versions of MALCOLM and revised for many years. What insight can you give us into your revision process? Any lessons learned or advice to share?

WB: I did. There are 10 versions/drafts of MALCOLM on my computer and it’s been a 4-year span from idea to publication. Yikes! However, while that sounds like it’s been a long, grueling process, it really hasn’t been. First of all, part of the reason it took so long was that, in the beginning, I was also writing a nonfiction series (Follow That Food Chain) for Lerner. So my time was divided. And the first four drafts were really barely drafts, they were so loose and incomplete. Just sketches and lists of ideas, really. In fact, I had set aside MALCOLM—after all, it was pretty much what every editor says they DON’T want: talking animals, second-person voice, footnotes—when it won a Work-in-Progress grant from SCBWI in 2009. That vote of confidence was what really got me plowing through and finally finishing a complete manuscript.

As soon as I finished that one, I already had a list of notes of things to change, so I turned right back around and fixed those. So I think it was the 6^th draft before I shared MALCOLM with anyone in the world. And even that draft, as I sent it off, I knew was going to change the most. Because, while the story made sense (finally!) and all the characters were there, it was sad (Mr. Binney was looking for his recently-killed son’s class ring and Amelia was Troubled). And that wasn’t exactly the story I wanted to tell. So I brainstormed ways to make it lighter, then I got out my index cards of scenes and sat down with my fistful of highlighters and went through the manuscript, marking down all the plot threads and places I’d need to rewrite. That 7^th draft is what secured me an agent, the 8^th is what sold to Houghton Mifflin, then there was a small revision for my editor, and copy-edits—which I think brings us to 10…and 4 years later!

Lessons learned or advice to share? Well, I learned I can only write one manuscript at a time—I turned down some additional nonfiction work to finish MALCOLM. I learned that early drafts are HARD, but it’s okay to have starts and stops, scenes out of order, and for it to not make sense to anyone but you. The only point of a first draft is to finish it. And I learned that, once I finish a draft, it’s important to step back and think about it as a whole—is this really the story I wanted to tell?

KK: I fell in love with Malcolm—his struggle to be a rat of “merit and valor,” his endearing anxiety, his unique exclamations (“Oh, crumb!” “Sweet Nubbins!”) all stick with me a year after reading it. I’m very curious to hear more about how you developed his character. What, if anything, inspired his story?

WB: I’m so glad to hear you’re fond of Malcolm. (I am, too.) As a writer, his character is probably what I’m most proud of in this book. Past writing efforts have had great plots twists and fun premises, but have lacked the depth of character Malcolm and his gang have. Writing Malcolm felt different, and I think it’s because of my connection to them.

As far as inspiration, it sounds trite, but Malcolm came about as a bedtime story for my then first-grade son. My son was pet-obsessed, and I was writing a nonfiction animal series, so I think we already had critters on the brain. At the time, too, we were doing a lot with restitution at the school I work at (and my son goes to) and talking about choices and being the person we want to be, so I think Malcolm just bloomed from there. And after that—well, I just put in anything that would make us giggle.

As for character development, I wrote about this earlier on Sleuths, Spies, & Alibis, but as I searched for ways to make my characters stronger, I was really helped by Cecil Castellucci’s Superman analogy—that every character needs a special skill or superpower, a flaw, a place of their own, an arch enemy, and a love/passion. I used this to go back and analyze favorite books and characters and found she was right. Another really useful thing I did early on, was write a letter from each of the characters, explaining what had happened from their point of view and in their voice. These letters were really useful to refer back to throughout subsequent drafts.

And the “slang?” Well, I have a dog who is VERY food motivated, so I extrapolated that most pets would be. I had a lot of fun creating sayings for the critters based on that.

KK: MALCOLM is illustrated by the very talented Brian Lies. Can you tell us a little bit about what it was like to work with an illustrator?

WB: I am so fortunate to work with Brian Lies on this, in more ways than one. First, I have to say that I’ve taught a unit with his Bats books for the past several years in my library. So when my editor made her offer on MALCOLM and said she’d like to bring in Brian, I was beyond thrilled. His work is so perfect for MALCOLM.

A lot of times, there is not a lot of contact between an author and illustrator working on a book, and there wasn’t with us at first. Eventually, though, he had so many questions about my text that we started talking more directly. (Brian was a great copy-editor of sorts, pointing out all sorts of inconsistencies!) I ended up sending him links to rat cages, oscar fish, clock towers, and my rough sketches of McKenna school’s floor plan. Throughout it, I felt really lucky that he had such attention to detail—I was (and still am) one of those kids who noticed when the illustrations don’t match the story. However, in return, I tried not to be too bossy and to be respectful of his creativity. It’s been my past experience working with illustrators that they usually come up with amazing stuff I’d never even dream of, and I didn’t want to get in the way of that. Brian didn’t disappoint.

Throughout this whole process, Brian’s become a friend. We’ll get to meet at some dual book events this fall, and I’m very much looking forward to it.

KK: As an elementary school librarian, you’re in the business of introducing books to young readers that you hope they’ll love. What are some of the mysteries you recommend to them?

WB: Some never-fail favorites of mine are Icefall, the Buddy Files series, Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye series, Smells Like Dog, and The Trouble with Chickens. However, I tend to think that most stories are a mystery of sorts, so sometimes I stretch the definition and recommend old favorites like Harry Potter or Holes as mysteries. And sometimes I include nonfiction, too, like Ain't Nothing but a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry or The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs: A Scientific Mystery. As far as recent mysteries? I’m very much looking forward to booktalking The False Prince, Three Times Lucky, The Case of the Deadly Desperados, Explorer: the Mystery Boxes, and The Secret Tree to my students this fall.

KK: Since this is the Interrogation Room, we have to torture at least some secrets out of you. Tell us: what’s the most mysterious thing that’s happened to you lately?

WB: Well, since you’ve asked, I will confess that I recently had a very mysterious occurrence. It was at night and at my parents’ cabin in the Wisconsin north woods. I stepped outside to get something from the cabin next door, and was stopped by a hoarse whining coming from the edge of the trees. It sounded a little like a dog who badly needed a drink of water and was maybe hurt. However, since there are bears, cougars, and wolves up there, I wasn’t about to go out investigate. Then, as we stood on the porch listening to it (yes, I went in and got reinforcements), a second creature, on the other side of us, started making the same growly, whining noise. And they began to circle us. All night we could hear whatever it was talking to each other. VERY creepy.

We did finally figure out what it was, but I’ll let you listen to it too, and you can see if you can figure it out. 

Thanks for coming in for questioning, W.H. Beck! We're so glad everyone else is going to have a chance to fall in love with Malcolm. The book hits stores today. You can order it at your local indie, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon. 

Interested in a sneak peek? Check out the MALCOLM trailer here: