They Call Me Mr. V

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to my friend April Lurie. Her new novel, The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine (Delacorte, 2008) was officially released yesterday. This is my favorite of April's books--she strikes just the right balance of humor and drama. And I'm not the only person that likes the book--it's already been nominated for the BBYA list!

Check out an excerpt from the book here.

I hate starting a new project. Every time I start something new, the following thoughts pop into my head:

1) Why am I doing this? I don't get paid enough to be this miserable.
2) I'm such a hack. No wonder ____ said _____ about my last book.
3) I could write a novel about ___, but ___ has already done it.
4) I could write a novel about _____, but ____ could do it so much better than I could.
5) I should write something funny.
6) I should write something serious.
7) I should write a fantasy novel. Yeah, Hakim Potter at the Deathly Ghettos.
8) I should write a middle grade, so that I can win a Newbery.
9) I should write an adult novel. That way I could be on Oprah.
10) I should just quit while I'm ahead.

Eventually I'm able to push through these thoughts and get something down on paper. Sometimes it just takes a while. A long while.

In other news, I wish I had something more to add about the sale, but really, there isn't much more to say, at least not now. My editor feels pretty confident that we can get the revisions done in enough time to make the Fall 09 schedule. I'll be sure to let y'all know when something exciting happens.

Rhombus continues to do well--thanks to everyone who's purchased the book or requested it from the library or posted a positive comment about it. A few weeks ago, I uploaded the Discussion Guide for My Life as a Rhombus, created by the multi-talented Tracie Vaughn Zimmer. Be sure to check it out and let me know what you think.

Just checking in to post a few updates:

1) New reviews: We got good reviews from both KLIATT and The Edge of the Forest. I especially love this part of The Edge of the Forest review:

"Johnson's book strikes a good balance; it's gripping and sensitive at the same time. It doesn't oversimplify; it doesn't pull punches. And, perhaps most importantly, it does not pass judgment."

I love that readers and reviewers "get this" about Rhombus. It gives me faith that I did something right.

2) Updated website: I've added a couple of pages to the website -- a dedicated calendar page and a page on school visits. If you see any misspellings, please let me know.

3) On the Vermont College front, I wrote my first picture book last month. It started off at about 1500 words, and by the time I submitted it, I had cut it down to 1070. Now Rita wants me to trim off at least 200 more words.

4) Among the many books that I read last month, the one that stood out the most was E. L. Konigsburg's A View from Saturday. I'm not quite convinced that it has a plot, but I don't care. It's a great story. I see why it won the Newbery.

5) I hit the big 3-1 today. I celebrated by filling out paperwork that I had neglected for the past month.

6) Congratulations to both Paula Yoo and Sara Zarr for getting nominated for the 2009 ALA BBYA list. Of course, they're both great writers, so I'm not surprised in the least.

7) Thanks to everyone that saw me at all of my book signings and at the South Carolina Book Festival. And thanks for buying books!

8) Likewise, I had a great time talking to the students at Darlington High School and at Gardner Betts last month. Talking to those kids reminded me why I started writing in the first place.

Okay, back to work!

Thanks to everyone that came out to my book signing at Barnes and Noble this past weekend. Not only was it a great success, but it was also nice to catch up with old friends. Austin authors and friends that dropped by include Cynthia Leitich Smith, Greg Leitich Smith, Jeanette Larson, April Lurie, Brian Yansky, Frances Hill, and Brian Anderson. (Note: Mrs. V did a beautiful job with all the table decorations.)


This morning, I was happily greeted with my interview in The State, South Carolina's capital city newspaper. I'll be back in SC this upcoming weekend, and will be participating in a number of events. I'll be discussing and signing copies of My Life as a Rhombus on Thursday, February 21st, at Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Florence, SC. On Saturday, February 23rd, I'm scheduled to participate in a young adult panel at the South Carolina Book Festival. Alan Gratz, author of Something Rotten (Dial, 2007) and Samurai Shortstop (Dial, 2006) will also serve on the panel; the panel moderator will be Dr. Sam Hastings, Director of the University of South Carolina School of Library & Information Science.

For those of you that haven't checked out Cynsations lately, please do. Cynthia Leitich Smith is hosting the SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series, which so far has included interviews with Tracey Adams of Adams Literary and Steven Chudney of The Chudney Agency. The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series will include 32 sequential question-and-answer interviews with agents, editors, art directors, publishers, authors, illustrators, and other publishing types about the international youth publishing scene, and will be hosted at both Cynsations and at Cynthia Leitich Smith's MySpace blog. 

For those of you that don't know, I've got a new book out, and it seems to be doing pretty well. I also have quite a few author appearances scheduled, with more coming in every day. So while all of this makes for a very tired Mr. V, it also makes for a very happy Mr. V, as I love talking to both teens and adults about books and writing.

I was all set to write a little about my SCBWI talk yesterday, but Cynthia Leitich Smith at SpookyCyn seems to have already beaten me to the punch (Thanks, Cyn). For those of you that didn't get a copy of the handout, email me and I’ll send you a copy. Books referenced in the talk include Millicent Min, Girl Genius (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2003) by Lisa Yee, An Abundance of Katherines (Dutton, 2006) by John Green, Hard Love (Simon and Schuster, 1999) by Ellen Wittlinger, and Tantalize (Candlewick, 2006) by Cynthia Leitich Smith.

In other news, things are still rolling at The Brown Bookshelf. We've had some great interviews so far—and we're only 10 days into February. Be sure to stop by and check us out there!

Speaking of the Brown Bookshelf, team member Don Tate has some really good news: he just signed with a literary agent (um...my literary agent), and he just got his contract in for first book as a writer. Yay Don!

Also, I was pleasantly surprised to see Brown Bookshelf co-founder Paula Chase-Hyman's books So Not The Drama (Dafina, 2007) and Don't Get it Twisted (Dafina, 2007) FACE OUT in not one, but two local B&N's.


 

I'm knee-deep in finishing up my work for The Brown Bookshelf's 28 Days Later campaign (be sure to check us out starting Feb 1st), so I'll have to make this quick.

First of all, I just got back from my 10 day winter residency for the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Program for Writing for Children and Young Adults, and I'm happy to say, all of the workshops and discussions and reading were great. The best thing about this residency was that, except for the cold, I knew exactly what I was getting into this time. And, I'm really excited to be working with award-winning author Rita Williams-Garcia this semester.

While I was up in Vermont, we got a few new reviews for My Life as a Rhombus. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books gave Rhombus a Recommended review--I'll post a blurb from the review next month, after the print edition of the journal is out. In addition, the good folks at TeensReadToo.com gave the book a Five Star, Gold Award for Excellence! Be sure to check out their review at their website, or on Amazon.com.

While those reviews are nice, my favorite review comes from a teen reader that emailed me to say, "...I really want to thank you for writing such a great book...You Rock!"

Good stuff, right?

My Life as a Rhombus isn't officially supposed to be out until Jan, but we've already gotten love from a bunch of libraries and librarians, including The Cincinnati Public Library, Readerlady, and Teen Bookity. And, as Andrew noted on the Flux Blog, Booklist (the American Library Association’s journal) also included Rhombus on its Core Collection: Math in Fiction list (also including Andrew’s man crush, John Green, and my new MySpace friend, Paula Yoo).

Being that my hometown didn't get its first real bookstore until I was in high school, I spent an insane amount of time at the Florence Public Library. Librarians are not only directly responsible for me becoming an author, they’re also responsible for coming up with my name.

Yes, that's right. A librarian helped to come up with my name.

As some of you know, I'm a twin, but Momma Johnson didn't realize that she was having twins until THE DAY BEFORE WE WERE BORN. I mean, we were small little suckers, but come on, how could a doctor constantly see a pregnant woman for seven months and not figure out that there were two little people in there.

Anyway, so she found out that she was carrying two of us one day, and then before you know it, she was in labor. My brother did his whole "birth thing" first, and in the process of making his way to the outer world, he twisted me around, so I was facing feet first. And that’s how I was born.

Yes, that's right. Feet First. According to those in the delivery room, it sucked for me and for Momma Johnson.

Eventually I was born safe and sound, but now my parents had a new problem—they didn't have names. We were originally going to be named after my father, but unless they were going to name us Larry 1 and Larry 2, that wasn't going to work anymore. So we went unnamed for three days. And then a Librarian intervened.

My Aunt Annette worked as a librarian at one of the middle schools in the neighboring county, and decided to hold a baby naming contest to come up with Larry 1 and Larry 2's middle name.

Yes, that’s right. I was named by bunch of middle school kids.

But, it didn't work out so bad. They came up with Bradwick and Chadwick, which, I must admit, I really like (FYI--most of my family and friends call me Chad). For a long time, I considered using Chad Johnson as my “author” name, until I realized that Varian looks a hell of a lot better on a book cover.

Now, as for our first names, Momma Johnson came up with those after watching some TV show supposedly involving aliens.

Yes, that's right. I was named after an alien. But what can I say...it was the Seventies. Perhaps there where other "extra-sensory agents" at play while Momma Johnson was picking out names.

All this is just to say that I love librarians, and I love libraries, and I love Momma Johnson, and I thank everyone for their support.

A few weeks ago, famed author and Tootsie Fruit Roll enthusiast Sara Zarr tagged me with the Seven Songs Meme. The rules are pretty simple: List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether or not they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your livejournal/blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to. If you want.

So, in no particular order:

1) Tanto Tempo by Bebel Giberto

2) Mais Feliz by Bebel Giberto

I've always been a fan of the fathers of Bossa Nova--João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim--but it wasn't until this summer that I got hip to João's daughter, Brazilian singer Bebel Giberto. Her music is more Bossa Nova as seen through Pop-stained sunglasses, but it's still good music. These two songs are from her Tanto Tempo album; I'd also suggest checking out Momento, her latest album.

3) Cold December Nights by Boyz II Men



I'm sorry, but at least for me, Christmas just isn't Christmas without some mellow R&B floating through the house. And yes, I'll admit, this isn't really a true Christmas song, but it's Boyz II Men (before they got wack). I'll take it.

4) Step in the Name of Love by R. Kelly

And speaking of soul music, what is R&B without the R? R. Kelly, that is. Whether you call him the Pied Piper of R&B or the Urinator, you have to admit, he knows how to crank out a good R&B song. The song above is the original song, you can find the remix here.

5) Death Around the Corner by Tupac

I spent part of my semester as Vermont College studying poetry, and the more I read it, the more I realized how truly talented Tupac Shakur was at poetry. Me Against the World has always been my favorite Tupac album, with Death Around the Corner being my favorite song. It's on the dirty side, though, so I figured that I'd better not link to it. However, if you look hard enough, you can find the song on YouTube.

6) ...And He Gets the Girl by Lupe Fiasco



Coltrane's blogged about this artist quite a bit, so I won't add much except to say that I love his work, and I love this tribute video someone created on YouTube.

7) Good Enough by Evanescence


I'm not a big fan of Amy Lee's Goth look (she looks like she bathes in flour, she's so pale), but she can write a damn good song. Good Enough is one of those "all emotion, all the time" songs that I really like. Plus, the song reminds me of the main female character in my current WIP (which I'm kinda sorta but not really close to finishing). I don't like the video, but I am glad she cut that bs piano intro at the beginning of the song.

Hope you enjoyed the picks. If you want to play, consider yourself tagged.

Here's to a Happy 2008!!!

...and I know it's been a long time since I've posted. I've pretty much come to the realization that, until I finish up a Vermont College, my blogging volume is going to drastically decrease. But the semester is finally over (almost). I still have to get together a bunch of paperwork to turn in to the admin office, and the way I'm going, I'll have to Fed-ex it to get it there on time.

So, I've been spending a lot of time with VC stuff, but there's still a lot of other things going on. Like, My Life as a Rhombus, which was supposed to be available on January 1, is available NOW. Well, at least it's available via Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It should trickle into the actual brick-and-mortar stores later this month or sometime at the beginning of next month. (Thanks for the nudge, Lisa).

Rhombus was also featured in a recent Booklist article about math in fiction. Check out their entire Core Collection of Math in Fiction.

We're also still going strong at The Brown Bookshelf. Again, be sure to check out the blog posts, as we're always adding content.

Okay, that's it for now. Maybe I'll have a chance to post another blog this week.

But then again, don't hold your breath.

I know I've been gone for a while, but with school / the Brown Bookshelf / work / Thanksgiving / life in general, I just haven't had the time to blog.

I've got a few things to announce, but first, some Public Service Announcements:

1) Thanks for all of your support for both The Brown Bookshelf and the 28 Days Later initiative. The last day to suggest a book is this Saturday, so be sure to head over to the site and nominate a book.

2) There's a great discussion going on at Finding Wonderland concerning just what it means to be a "brown" author. There are good points on both sides of the issue there--I highly suggest reading through the comments (up to 30 as of this evening), and perhaps even posting one of your own.

And concerning Rhombus:

It's hard to believe, but in five short weeks, My Life as a Rhombus should be on the shelves (I say should because release dates are notoriously wrong). I've updated the website to list upcoming author appearances, a new blurb from Booklist, and...the first full chapter of the novel!

Take a look, and let me know what you think.

I woke up this morning and found this in my blogger comments:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Blurb from Ellen Wittlinger":

"Without a bit of preaching..." - Why is it whenever anyone dares to take an unpopular position on a controversial moral topic in our society, their ideas are described as didactic, dogmatic, preachy, or any other apparently negative label? With all the destructive sexual activities and misinformation plaguing young adults in America, it would be immensely helpful if those with the power of the pen would use their gift to steer some attitudes in the right direction rather than be content with "keeping it real".

Dear Anonymous (if you're reading this),

I tend to ignore anonymous comments, but this one is actually interesting, so I plan to reply...but not today. I'm sorry, but I'm just too swamped with other things right now to reply, especially when I don't even know who's making the comment. However, you may want to drop a line to my editor; I'm sure he'd love to hear your thoughts on this matter. In addition, I would suggest emailing my friends as the AS IF blog; they commonly deal with issues such as yours. And of course, I have a lot of writer-friends, and they are welcome to post a reply of their own, if they wish.

And Anonymous, just for the purposes of discussion, could you please post a few books by authors that you consider to "use their gift to steer some attitudes in the right direction rather than be content with 'keeping it real'"? Thanks.

We received another blurb this week, this time from author-extraordinaire Cynthia Leitich Smith.

"My Life as a Rhombus is a sensitive and powerful friendship story about two very different girls who connect over the toughest decision either of them will ever make. In his YA debut, author Varian Johnson offers a realistic, heartfelt, and thoughtful take on unplanned teen pregnancy from the perspective of a young math whiz trying to reconcile her future and past."

I've never told Cynthia this, but I the first time I saw her in person (at the 2004 Austin SCBWI Conference), I didn't have the courage to speak to her. I mean, she's Cynthia Leitich Smith--and I was just a lowly, unpublished author. Anyway, about a year later, after meeting her husband, Greg, at another SCBWI event, she sent me the following email:

Dear Varian,
How is it that I don't know you yet? ;-)

I'm happy to report that two years later, I'm privileged to call her both a friend and a mentor.

Ellen Wittlinger, the award-winning author of Hard Love, was gracious enough to blurb My Life as a Rhombus. She says:

"Without a bit of preaching, Varian Johnson gives us a story of two teenage girls who are faced with the consequences of unplanned pregnancies. Teens will love the emotional peaks and valleys of the tale and be gratified by the conclusion."

As you can imagine, I'm very, very, happy.

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows how much I respect Ellen Wittlinger's work; Hard Love is one of the main reasons I started writing YA in the first place. I also respect that Ellen doesn't shy away from tough topics, such as transgendered teens in Parrotfish or oral sex in Sandpiper.

FYI -- for all of you Hard Love fans out there, check out Ellen's faq page. It looks like we can expect more from Marisol and Gio.

Yours truly has an article in this year's Writer's Digest You Can Write for Children Magazine titled "Pie Charts, Footnotes & Doodles -- Oh My!" The article is about how to best include supplementary items (such as footnotes) in your fiction without alienating the reader, and includes advice from a number of best-selling and award winning authors, including Ellen Wittlinger, E. Lockhart, and Lisa Yee.

FYI -- I'll be giving a presentation on the same topic at the February Austin SCBWI meeting.

 

 

15 things that were on my mind this morning:

1) No matter how much people want to deny it, race is still an issue in the United States. Just ask anyone in Jena, Louisiana.

2) I wonder if people will think I wrote a pro-abortion book. I wonder if people will think I wrote an anti-abortion book. I wonder if anyone will really care.

3) Who am I going to put in my fantasy football line-up now that Steven Jackson is hurt?

4) Who am I kidding--I don't have time for fantasy football. I don't even have time to mow the yard.

5) Oklahoma lost, but at least not as badly as Texas.

6) I'm really digging this new Jill Scott cd. Not as good as some of her old stuff, but still pretty solid.

7) Why can't I finish Righteous? It's been like, two years since I started it.

8) That being said, do you ever get the feeling that something's going to be really good, once you finish it? That's the feeling I get every time I work on Righteous. I promise, whenever I'm able to get it out there, it'll be worth the wait.

9) What the hell am I going to work on next semester?

10) How much sleep will I be able to get this month?

11) If you haven't read Story of a Girl yet, you should run to your nearest bookstore and buy it today.

12) I got a letter from Freeman's XO a few weeks ago. It kind of depressed me, but only for a little while. I wonder if that's a good or a bad thing.

13) Is it vain of me to say that I think My Life as a Rhombus is a really good book?

14) I worry a lot about my Vermont College classmates. I hope they'll all be back next semester.

15) I spend way too much time thinking about things that I can't control.

The good news: I survived my first month of the MFA program.

The bad news: I have 23 more months to go.

I turned in my first packet a few days ago. And as soon as I hit "send" I was flooded with self-doubt. Would my advisor like it? Did I read enough books? Did my essays make sense? Well, I guess I'll know soon enough--I should be getting feedback any day now.

At least for now, I've chosen to use Righteous as my main creative work for the semester. I really think this will end up being a great manuscript...if I can ever get the damn thing finished.

I think I was most surprised about how much I enjoyed writing my critical essays for my packet. Don't get me wrong--I think I suck at writing critical essays--but at least I enjoyed it. And, just writing the essays made me think about books in a way that I never had before.

I've also found that I really miss my classmates. I live for their daily emails.

And of course, I really miss spending time with Mrs. V. She's been a real trooper so far, taking care of cleaning the house and washing clothes and basically leaving me alone when I have to work.

Now if I could only get her to mow the yard, I'd be set.