Jacqueline West has about one of the most awesome covers coming out in June, with one of the most awesomest of awesome stories. I'm not the only one who thinks so--Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey has also bought the rights to The Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows. Talk about a dream of a first book deal! But I'd expect nothing less from a woman who's been nominated for a couple of Pushcart awards.
When Olive moves into a decrepit Victorian mansion, she has no idea that the old paintings on the wall and a weird-looking pair of glasses are going to take her into a world that is a lot like hers--but eerily not. In this alternate world inside the paintings, it's up to her and an odd little boy to keep the evil that's stalking her from getting out into the real world.
Susan: Why write Middle Grade? It's not often you hear about two-time Pushcart nominees writing MG.
Jacqueline: I’ve experimented with all sorts of forms and genres – poetry, short fiction, graphic novel scripts, adult novels. (Some of the products of these experiments are hidden in boxes in my garage, never to be seen by anyone except the spiders that might be sneaking inside and subsequently dying of boredom. Or laughter.) I wrote The Shadows because I had a string of connected ideas that wouldn’t leave me alone, and I knew they belonged in a book for younger readers. My goal was to write a book that my brothers and I would have loved when we were kids.
Even though I’ve published quite a bit more poetry than fiction, I don’t really think of myself as a poet. I don’t think of myself as a novelist, either, or as a children’s author. I just want to be a writer.
Susan: What came first for The Books of Elsewhere--characters or story?
Susan: What keeps you inspired during a book like TBOE? Music, food, art, photos of who would play what in a movie?
Susan: I've been through my fair share of cover angsts. Do you think your cover properly conveyed the story you wrote? (By the way, the cover hooked me!)
Even when you are paired with the ideal illustrator or designer, it is strange to see your characters as they are envisioned by someone else. I very deliberately avoided describing Olive’s appearance anywhere in the novel, because I wanted any child who read it to be able to identify with her. This meant that the illustrator had to make a lot of decisions about what she might look like. I admire what he did, but I also have my own version of Olive in my head, and I hope anyone who reads the book will, too.
Susan: Please tell me there's going to be a Books of Elsewhere movie!!
For more about Jacqueline, visit here or here!
Inspiredly yours,
Susan
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susancolebank- susancolebank
I get frustrated from writing. I get exhilarated from writing. I get inspired from writing. This blog details those feelings, with maybe the occasional cat-puke vent every now and again. And on Tuesdays, someone special will be here. Question is, is your definition of special the same as mine?
Books I've written and am awaiting Lifetime to call me about to option: BLACK TUESDAY (Dutton, 6/07) and CASHING IN (Dutton, 11/09).
You can also find me over here, talking about books (and as we know, books are a fantabulous, splendiferous thing:
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Comments
I like her writing inspirations: especially the isolation and the coffee!
:o)
I'm sick.
-S.
though they are sort of hard to tear your eyes from aren't they? Like a trainwreck... only with more preening.
In the meantime, who can I bump off to get an ARC? =)
You ARE almost to the 5,000 mark after all!
-S.