Beginner's Luck /  by Anne Ylvisaker

 

While writing a novel, I often tinker with ideas and resolve plot hiccups by attempting to sketch them out on paper. I lack the skills, though, to translate what's in my head onto the page. 

So my pencils are sharpened, my school bag is packed. I start Sketch 1 tonight at our local community college. I am a beginner and I can’t wait.

When I was a classroom teacher, one of my favorite parts of the job was introducing a new skill, anything from long division to cursive writing. A buzz would go through the room as students played with the new idea, talked amongst themselves, tried it out, stumbled, and tried again. Then there’d be a ripple of excitement as one by one, they earned success.

Because even the smallest step is one not taken before, beginners are infused with the thrill of success. Lucky beginners. Lucky me. 

I've been tagged... /  by Anne Ylvisaker

There's a global blog tour galloping around the web. The Next Big Thing is a virtual game of blog tag in which authors and illustrators are sharing their latest or forthcoming work by answering the same ten questions. I've been tagged by these amazing authors who have already played:

Siobhan Fallon

and Lauren Stringer

Check out their blogs and new books, then keep reading for my interview and the authors I'm tagging next. 

1. What is the title of your latest book?

2. Where did the idea come from for the book? I found a postcard of the Grant Wood painting Plaid Sweater as I started writing The Luck of the Buttons, the first Button book. The boy in that painting was a story begging to be told. He became a model for the character of Ned. I thought of him as the boy Ned imagined himself to be, not who he actually was, football and all. After Ned was done playing a supporting role to Tugs in The Luck of the Buttons, I was eager to put him on the field and see if he could find the hero in himself.

3. What genre does your book fall under? Button Down is middle grade fiction, which means primarily readers between the ages of 8 and 12. 

4. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition? Absolutely Nolan Gould for Ned. He plays Luke Dunphee on Modern Family. I love his comic timing. I’d put a bushy mustache on Dustin Hoffman for Granddaddy Ike and cast Robert Duvall as Granddaddy’s best friend Mr. Jackson. 

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Ned, of the comically unlucky Button family, hasn't caught a thing in his life until he faces bully Burton Ward in a challenge to catch their town hero's football.

6. Who published your book? The marvelous Candlewick Press. 

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript? It took about nine months to form a complete draft from beginning to end, though in my files, that was draft version 38. 

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Richard Peck’s novels A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder are humorous intergenerational stories set in a small midwestern town during the 1930s. 

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book? One of the main themes of Button Down is the relationship between Ned and Granddaddy Ike. My grandparents lived nearby when I was growing up and were very involved in our lives. Writing this book allowed me to explore all the ways in which they influenced my childhood self. 

10. What else about the book might pique the reader's interest? Football! While I'd played pick up football as a kid, and lots of a little hand-held electronic football game of my brother's, it wasn't until I wrote this book that I really took the time to understand the strategy behind the game. It's a lot more than a simple knock-em-down sport and I had a great time writing the football scenes.

NEXT UP: 

Michelle Edwards will be posting tomorrow, February 14. 

A little boy frets that the spare room where his baby sister or brother will sleep will never be emptied of things his mother has collected from neighbors for years, but she uses those things to sew and knit everything from diapers to Hanukkah gifts.

Rebecca Janni will post February 20. 

Nellie Sue is taking her cowgirl flair to the county fair! There are rides and contests and a bicycle rodeo, too. Nellie Sue wants to win that blue ribbon. But can she do it while still being "fair at the fair"?

Thanks for joining this reading rodeo! 

 

Swoop and Peek /  by Anne Ylvisaker

I don't usually work outdoors, especially when I'm deep into a rewrite, as I am now on the third Button book. But it's January, I'm just back from Iowa, and while much of the nation is in a deep freeze, it hit 75 degrees in Monterey. I felt a responsibility to appreciate the day fully. Thought I could pull up a quiet spot of beach and write undisturbed. But there are critics everywhere. 

 

She gave me her opinion in no uncertain terms. I'll work at home from now on.  

Iowa Events /  by Anne Ylvisaker

I'm thrlled to be sharing Button Down with Hawkeye fans in Iowa this weekend. Please join me at the One Book Two Book Festival in Iowa City on Saturday, January 12. I'm on the program at 1:30, and there are authors and activities all day long. On Sunday, I'll be reading and signing at New Bo Books, 4:00. Hope to see you there! 

Can you see why New Bo is one of my favorite book shops?

(photo from the blog of author Andrew Shaffer of the incredible window design by my friend Kate Ford)

The Latest Button News /  by Anne Ylvisaker

More good news for Tugs! The Luck of the Buttons has been named to the 2013 California Collection and is a nominee for the 2014 Grand Canyon Reader Award. Go, Tugs, go!

Some nice notice for Ned as well. The Button Down audio book, narrated by the delightful Sanjiv Jhaveri got a lovely review in the November issue of AudioFile. Here's an excerpt:

Jhaveri’s Ned is doggedly determined to right injustice; his friends, predictably youthful. The voice of Jhaveri’s grandfather has a raspy, drawn-out sound that manages to pack just enough oomph when a vital point is needed.

Thank you for bringing Ned and the gang to life, Mr. Jhaveri! 

Growing a story: The art of doing nothing /  by Anne Ylvisaker

How much time do you spend doing nothing? Nothing as in being by yourself without the TV on, without your phone or computer or even a book. If you want to write, learning to do nothing is an important skill to develop. 

In her book If You Want to Write, Author Brenda Ueland calls this “moodling” time. Moodling is letting your mind wander and explore without distraction, allowing it to work out problems and find ideas. 

I was moodling one day a few years ago in my house in Iowa. There was a picture on the wall of my great-grandparents on a rickety porch with chickens running around in the yard. I looked at that picture and let my mind wander for a long while. 

I let one thought lead to another and then another, from that photo to a tombstone in a prairie cemetery with the name I’d misread as “Tugs Button,” to my grandmother and her long gangly arms and something her father had said to her once about not getting a swell head. 

The thoughts piled one on top of another until an idea sprouted. I took that idea for a walk in the woods and let it grow a little taller. I sat again in front of the picture until the idea bloomed, then I picked up a pen and started scrawling loose sentences. 

All the time that may have looked to an observer like I was being unproductive, I was actually growing a story that turned into three books about the comically unlucky Button family: The Luck of the Buttons, Button Down, and a third that I’m writing and moodling over now. 

Do you want to write? Put down your pen, turn off the TV and radio and computer and phone. It’s time to do nothing! 

Tiny Collections /  by Anne Ylvisaker

I'm on a virtual trip to New Zealand this month as Christchurch Library's Star Author. What fun to connect with readers and writers on another Pacific shore. This week's topic is tiny collections: things writers anywhere, with any amount of space, can collect. Find links to the other entries on this page's Guest Blogs sidebar. 

I am a collector of small things. One of the great things about being a writer is that even a hobby like collecting can be part of the job. Do you like to write? Here are a three collections you could start for yourself.

I’ve been collecting postcards and photographs since my great aunt started sending me art postcards before I could read or write. Hundreds of postcards and photographs fit nicely in a shoebox. Read my last post to discover how collecting images inspires my writing. 

In elementary school I started collecting names. The smallest notebook has space for dozens of names. Characters like LeRoy Pence (Dear Papa), Harold Sylvester George Klein (Little Klein), and Verlon Leek (Button Down) were inspired by names I collected as far back as 3rd grade. Whenever you hear a name that you like the sound of, or is interesting to you, write it down.

And my favorite tiny collection? Words. I keep my words on small slips of paper in an ordinary jar. Sometimes a word just strikes my fancy and I’ll write it down: labyrinth. If I’m feeling verb-y, I’ll go to a cookbook and write down all the action words: mix, stir, whisk, sift... Sometimes I start thinking of a group of words and add a bunch at once. Recently I added words I like saying out loud: Iowa, Ohio, Maori, autumn, iota, swift, oriel, oleo.

I started collecting words with my writers group several years ago. We drew words from our word jars each time we met then each of us would write something using the same four words for our next meeting. 

Every chapter in Little Klein was written using those word jar words. Harold turns out to be sickly so I could  have his mother warm a teakettle day and night. A storm arose when I had to use the word wind. 

If you like to write, I think you’ll have as much fun as I do collecting pictures, names, and words. Better yet, grab a friend and start collecting together. Then watch your writing soar!

Button Down Birthday Party /  by Anne Ylvisaker

Cake, presents, new friends who love to read. Could the Button Down birthday party have been any better? 

Manuel and I demonstrate what a three legged race is as I introduce Ned in The Luck of the Buttons. Tugs and Ned are discussing their chances in the three legged race when Ned says, "I can't catch, but I still like to play football."

Eager participants in discussion about how a book goes from idea to finished product, and all the jobs people have, and they could have someday, to make it happen. Reaching for Candlewick Press in Massachussetts

Cake from Layers Sensational Cakes of Monterey. A very sweet gift from my Iowa writer/illustrator friends Michelle Edwards, Jackie Briggs Martin, Claudia McGehee, and Carol Gorman.

What's the best present a book could get?

Readers! Thanks to the Granny Sisters - books for all!

 

Thank you, Ms. Bishop and Cesar Chavez fourth graders! 

Coming soon! /  by Anne Ylvisaker

Even in California, there is a hint of fall in the air today. There is a brilliant red-orange vine climbing the tree outside my window. It is September at last and soon Ned Button will be running onto Tractor Field, arms outstretched, hoping to catch Lester Ward's football. 

Here's an excerpt from Kirkus's review of Button Down: 

Ylvisaker (The Luck of the Buttons, 2011) returns to the lovably unlucky Button family, this time with a gentle story about 11-year-old Ned and his love of football...

Short chapters, simple yet meticulous language, a wholesome feel and the universal story of a boy with a dream combine to give this one widespread appeal. 

Check out the full review here and look for the book on September 25! 

Summer News /  by Anne Ylvisaker

 

I know it's baseball season, but I've got football on my mind. I'm counting down to the September release of Button Down, an underdog story about Ned Button, Greatgranddaddy Ike, and the opening of Iowa (now Kinnick) Stadium during the 1929 Hawkeye football season. 

For a sneak peek at Button Down, check out Candlewick's website, and take a gander at this sample chapter. 

Ned's cousin Tugs, heroine of The Luck of the Buttons, gets another opportunity to shine as well, when The Luck of the Buttons is released in paperback this August. 

And rounding out my very Button summer, I'm immersed in fascinating research and reading about the first summer of the Civil War for the telling of Greatgranddy Ike's boyhood story. Look for more Ike news in 2013!

While you wait for football season to begin, fill up on sports reading with John Coy's excellent 4 For 4 series, and take this list of sports books to your library.  

Happy summer!

Happy Mother's Day! /  by Anne Ylvisaker

 

Beautiful then and now, Mom.

This is my sister Cara, my brother Nils, and me with our mom in our Minneapolis back yard. The yard was about the size of a postage stamp but there was a swingset and a picnic table from which many adventures began. In the summer, mom laid out craft supplies on the table. We must have consumed several trees in our paper mache efforts, and we read lots of books under that shady oak, from Little Bear to Anne of Green Gables. 

Thanks for filling our imaginations, Mom!

Thanks, Michelle Edwards, for the idea of posting a family picture for Mother's Day. Take a look at her photo here.

Read on, Georgia! and other birthday news /  by Anne Ylvisaker

Today is my birthday and what better present is there for an author than to know that her books are connecting with readers? My day started with emails from Candlewick sharing great news about two of my books:

The Luck of the Buttons has been nominated for the 2012-2013 Georgia Children's Book Award. Thank you, Georgia readers! I am honored to be included on this wonderful list. 

2012 is also the ten year anniversary of Dear Papa's publication and I am thrilled to learn that there are plans to release it in e-book next spring. 

The very best celebration of Dear Papa's tenth birthday was a visit with a group of enthusiastic ten-year-old readers. I had the great privilege of spending an afternoon with Ms. Bishop's fourth grade last week. They read and discussed Dear Papa as a class over the course of several months and knew the story and characters inside and out. It was incredible to hear how the life of 1940s Isabelle resonated with these readers of today. There was talk of what to call a step-parent, what it's like when we find out Mama's having a baby, what it's like to miss someone. They shared the letters that made them laugh and had so many interesting questions and comments. I look forward to my next visit when we'll explore journal keeping. Thank you, fourth graders! 

Books to Read and Share /  by Anne Ylvisaker

I love lists. Word lists, grocery lists, even to-do lists. But my favorite list of all is a to-read list. I keep one in my planner, in the list section, of course. Here is the New York Public Library's list of 2011 children's books to read and share. Find great books to add to your lists: to-read, to-give, to-read to others. And hurray, the list includes The Luck of the Buttons!

Holiday Greeting from the Sea /  by Anne Ylvisaker

Dear Readers,

We have all three kids home this week, a sweet gift of togetherness we celebrated with a walk on our favorite beach. There aren't many shells here, so it was fun to find that the ocean had delivered this candy cane greeting, which I'll pass along to you. After studying my Sea Shells of the World Golden Nature Guide, I've tentatively identified it as a keyhole limpet, as much fun to say as it is to spot.   

Wishing you sweet surprises in the days to come, and delicious hours with family and friends. Thanks for reading along this year! 

Cheers from here to there,

Anne

Library Love /  by Anne Ylvisaker

I love visiting libraries when I travel. I was in San Francisco recently and got a tour of the main library from marvelous book illustrator Katherine Tillotson.

The library is in the heart of the civic center, surrounded by City Hall, Civic Center Plaza and the UN building. It is a bright, beautiful space humming with activity. A class of school children browsed books in the children's room which currently features an exhibit by artist Jane R Willson called The Shocking Truth of Cinderella. People read quietly in the corner study rooms which are themed, such as the Wallace Stegner room dedicated to the environment. We tried unsuccessfully to take pictures of the building's spirals for Joyce Sidman, who has a new book of poetry called Swirl by Swirl.

Perhaps my favorite feature is the "wallpaper" used on several of the floors. I've tried to capture it in photos here (click for a larger view), but it is worth seeing in person. The walls are covered in cards from the old card catalog and people have written and drawn on their favorites. Thanks, Katherine, for a fantastic afternoon! I can't wait to visit again. 






Goodhue /  by Anne Ylvisaker

Goodhue is one of my favorite place names. The word itself sparks my imagination, and I grew up listening to family stories set in towns and on farms in Goodhue County, Minnesota.

I realized today that Goodhue County has figured into each of my novels so far. In Dear Papa, Isabelle goes to live with her aunt and uncle in Zumbrota. Little Klein has a fictional setting that was inspired by the area in and around Red Wing, as well as by my great grandfather's stories of being a boy in Red Wing.

And The Luck of the Buttons is set in fictional Goodhue, Iowa. I named the town Goodhue because the family photo that led me to writing the story is taken on a farm in Goodhue County. Look closely at the cover of the book and you'll see a tiny reproduction of this image on the family album Tugs is holding. 

While there is an actual town of Goodhue in Minnesota, I brought this fictional Goodhue to Iowa because of my experiences living there when I was beginning to write the story. My inspiration for the main character came from an Iowa cemetery, and I was drawn in by the people and landscapes of Iowa artists Grant Wood and Marvin Cone. Goodhue. I could live in a place called Goodhue. 

I get the great pleasure of returning to Goodhue County this weekend for the Celebration of Minnesota Children's Authors and Illustrators at the Anderson Center in Red Wing. Come celebrate books and art on Saturday September 10 from 12-5. Let beautiful Goodhue County inspire you, too!