October Recommendations
Upcoming Events
The Whistler Writers Festival is upon us! I’ll be teaching a session for young writers and moderating a session with three excellent writers of books for children and teens.
Write for fun! Workshop for young writers with Sara Leach
Sunday, October 17, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. PDT
Whistler Public Library | In-person or Online | FREE (RSVP)
Writers 16 years old and younger are invited to explore writing for fun and enjoyment. We’ll practice writing snappy dialogue and characters that jump off the page. No grades or pressure to share. Just come and write! Award-winning children’s author Sara Leach has published nine books, including Duck Days and Count Me In.
Difficult Truths: Providing Children & Youth Context for Tough Topics
With Tanya Talaga, Rebecca Wood Barrett and Xiran Jay Zhao
Sunday, October 17, 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. PDT
Whistler Public Library | In-person or Online | FREE (RSVP)
Why is it important to tackle tough topics and ideas when writing for children and young adults? Acclaimed children’s author and moderator Sara Leach delves into the discussion with children’s and YA authors whose stories and non-fiction involve systemic racism and the failure of policing and justice systems; bullying, loneliness and unusual friendships; and the sacrifice of young women pilots in a misogynist, dystopian world. Featuring Tanya Talaga (Seven Fallen Feathers), Rebecca Wood Barrett (My Best Friend is Extinct) and Xiran Jay Zhao (Iron Widow).
I’m also excited to attend this event:
Thomas King in Conversation with Tanya Talaga
Saturday October 16, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. PDT
Fairmont Chateau Whistler | $22 In-person | $10 Online
Join moderator and Ojibwe author Tanya Talaga (All Our Relations: Finding the Path Forward) in conversation with award-winning novelist and short-story writer Thomas King, author of The Back of the Turtle, The Inconvenient Indian and Indians on Vacation. His latest novel is Sufferance, a sly and satiric look at the fractures in modern existence.
Adult Book Recommendation
Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga
This book should be on every Canadian’s must-read list. And anyone who lives in a colonized country will likely learn some important truths, too. From 2000-2011, seven Indigenous youth died while going to school in Northern Ontario. Talaga tells their stories and details the trauma that years of systemic racism has created. The content is disturbing and harrowing, but Talaga’s story telling makes it readable and compelling as well as important.
Children’s Book Recommendation
Clara Voyant by Rachelle Delaney
Clara wants to be a hard-hitting investigative reporter for her middle-school newspaper. Instead, she’s assigned to write horoscopes for the year. Her flighty mother and new best friend Maeve are overjoyed, especially when the horoscopes start to come true, but Clara is horrified and disturbed at the idea that she might actually be clairvoyant. This is a light, fun read with a cast of off-beat but supportive characters.
Behind the Scenes
Working with an Illustrator
Many people aren’t aware that when an author submits their work to a publisher, it is without the illustrations. Pajama Press chose Rebecca Bender to illustrate the Slug Days trilogy, and I am so thankful they did! Rebecca’s illustrations fit perfectly with the story. Rebecca and I had very little contact during the creating of the book. She sometimes sent questions or suggestions (for example, in Duck Days she asked that I use the term litterbug to describe Jonas because she could imagine a fun illustration), and I was given a chance to review the illustrations before they were finalized. We’ve never met in person, and had our first conversation over Zoom after Duck Days (the third book in the series) was published.
Professional Resource
There are so many great events at this festival that I’m including the WWF again this month. Check out these two inexpensive options:
Worldbuilding for Children’s & YA Books: Workshop for Adults
With Rebecca Wood Barrett
Saturday, October 16, 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. PDT | In-person $30 | Online $10 Fairmont Chateau Whistler
Join Rebecca Wood Barrett for a one-hour writing workshop on how to build an invented world. Drawing on examples from her middle-grade novel My Best Friend is Extinct, she will talk about where ideas come from, how to world-build, and some of the rules of worldbuilding. Bring a pen and paper or a keyboard and get ready to brainstorm fantastical creatures, one big fib, and a little bit of weirdness in a short writing exercise during the workshop.
Insights from Insiders: Trade Publishing in Canada Today
Amanda Betts, Elizabeth Kribs, Anna Comfort O’Keeffe, Nita Pronovost, Susan Renouf, Shirarose Wilensky, Janice Zawerbny
Friday, October 15, 10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. PDT | Online $10
Want to get your book published through a traditional publisher with a book contract? Join our seven publishers to find out what they’re looking for in a manuscript, how to contact them, and how to best position your book in terms of genre or category. They’ll provide an overview of the state of the industry, particularly in the current situation of the pandemic, and give sage advice on how to get your book published.
Moderator: Katherine Fawcett
Thanks for reading. I hope to see some of you at the Whistler Writers Festival!
Sara