I
have a lot to share today: a wonderful
new book, revision advice, and giveaways!
I’ll
start with the wonderful book. The ARC of Emily Murdoch’s debut YA/Crossover
novel, If You Find Me, sat in my
reading pile for too many months. I wish
I had read it earlier to join the chorus of admirers, but I’m squeaking in just
in time – the novel releases this week. (With starred reviews from Kirkus and
School Library Journal!)
At the end of
this post, you’ll have a chance to comment to win my ARC. You’ll also find a
link to read an interview with Emily and the blog tour stops for more chances
to win her novel. Trust me, she is such
a warm and lovely person, you will immediately want to read her book.
From the back cover:
There are some things you can’t leave behind…
A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.
Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.
A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.
Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.
My thoughts:
Lyrical,
evocative, heart-wrenching. I was immediately swept up in the emotion and the
mystery, and I feared the unfolding that came at the end. Because I am a writer
and a social worker, I thought about the worst that could have happened, and
truly hoped author-Emily wouldn't go there. I didn't want her to go there. But
I know she had to. That might sound bleak, but ultimately this is a story of love,
hope, and resilience.
This
is also a great story to analyze from a writing perspective, especially the use
of flashbacks. Writers are taught to
avoid the dreaded info-dump, to reveal in bits and pieces – never enough to
slow the story down.
I’ve
struggled with this in my own writing, and I recently received some guidance from
author Tim Wynne-Jones who is my mentor/instructor in an online writing class.
Tim commented that I was holding back too much information from the
reader. I was attempting to build
suspense, but instead it came across as coy.
I had briefly described a certain past incident, but Tim’s advice was to
make that a longer, fully developed scene – even its own chapter. Here’s one way to think of it: use small flashbacks that reveal
character through action and dialogue, but use larger flashback scenes when
important truths need to be revealed.
The best way to learn is to read books that do this
well. If You Find Me is a great
example, as well as Tim’s YA thriller, Blink and Caution.
* On Tuesday, I’ll be at Literary Rambles
for Tip Tuesday sharing more of what I’ve learned from Tim Wynne-Jones. In the meantime, here are the programs where
he teaches:
Visit the unofficial blog by faculty members
of the Vermont College of Fine Arts, MFA in Writing for Children and Young
Adults
**And finally, the GIVEAWAYS!
1. To win my ARC of If You Find Me,
simply leave a comment below by Friday, April 5th. U.S. and Canadian addresses only, and please
include your email if it’s not listed on your Blogger profile.
2. To find the launch of the If You Find Me blog tour with more chances to win the book, go here: http://www.themidnightgarden.net/2013/03/emurdochpost.html
3. It’s revision week at Deborah Halverson’s DearEditor blog. Stop by for a week’s worth of revision tips and opportunities to win a
partial or full edit of your manuscript.
Good luck!
Kristin Lenz
