by Heidi Schulz | Jan 29, 2014 | In the Middle Interviews, Other Books and Reading, Word
Today, we are In the Middle with Rachel Searles and her Middle Grade debut, The Lost Planet.
This is what the boy is told:
– He woke up on planet Trucon, inside of a fence line he shouldn’t have been able to cross.
– He has an annirad blaster wound to the back of his head.
– He has no memory.
– He is now under the protection of a mysterious benefactor.
– His name is Chase Garrety.
This is what Chase Garrety knows:
– He has a message: “Guide the star.”
– Time is running out.
The Lost Planet is available on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Indiebound, and bookstores near you.
Q&A with Rachel
What draws you into writing for a middle grade audience?
Middle grade books are the books that made me fall in love with reading, with classics like The Prydain Chronicles, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Ballet Shoes, A Little Princess. I read them over and over, adored them, pushed them on my friends, and knew right away that I wanted to write books of my own one day. I’ve tried writing for other ages, even adult, but it’s middle grade that makes me happiest.
If you had a time machine and could visit middle-grade you, what would you tell her?
I was such a little bookworm—I’d probably tell myself to go outside and get some fresh air once in a while! And to not worry about being a nerd, because nerds rule.
Middle Grade Rachel
Choose your own adventure: Is there an interview question you’d love to answer, but haven’t been asked?
No one’s asked me yet what superpower I’d like to have, and the answer to that is telekinesis. It would be like having the Harry Potter Accio summoning charm at my disposal all the time—no more lying on the couch and uselessly shouting “Accio phone I left upstairs! Accio bowl of cereal from the kitchen!” I could just stay under my blanket and make it all come to me, finally.
Oh my gosh, me too! At this very moment, I’d accio pie. Really, at any moment, I’d accio pie. Thanks for being here with us today, Rachel, and congrats!
 Rachel Searles grew up on the frigid shores of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where she spent her childhood studying languages and plotting to travel around the world. She has lived abroad in Munich and Istanbul, working as a cook, a secretary, a teacher, and a reporter for the Turkish Daily News. She now lives in Los Angeles with her rocket scientist husband and two cats, and spends her free time cooking her way through the Internet and plotting more travel. Connect with Rachel on her website, Facebook, or Twitter. |
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by Heidi Schulz | Jan 8, 2014 | In the Middle Interviews, Other Books and Reading, Word
Hey guys, guess what.
My very first book comes out this year!
You know who else is debuting fun, new middle grade fiction this year?
Lots of people! Hooray for readers everywhere!
I thought you might like a chance to get to know some of these authors and their fabulous books, so I’m starting a new feature: In the Middle with {Insert Amazing Middle Grade Author Here}.
Watch this space—I’ll be posting short interviews with fellow debut authors and details about their books as they release.
Our first victim guest is Michelle Schusterman with her simultaneous release of
I Heart Band and I Heart Band 2: Friends, Fugues, and Fortune Cookies.
Holly Mead’s first day of seventh grade isn’t going as planned. Her brother ruins her carefully chosen outfit, she’s almost late, and her new band director has some surprisingly strict rules. Worst of all, it seems like her best friend, Julia, has replaced her with Natasha, the pretty, smart, new French horn player! Holly is determined to get first chair, but Natasha is turning out to be some pretty stiff competition—and not just in band. Band might be a competition, but friendship isn’t—and Holly needs to figure it out before she loses Julia for good.
Both books are available on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Indiebound, and bookstores near you.
Q&A with Michelle:
What draws you into writing for a middle grade audience?
I know this is by no means an original answer, but while I’ve always read books in all sorts of genres and at all age levels, it’s the books I read in elementary and middle school—Matilda, The Witches, Sideways Stories from Wayside School—that really made me a lifelong reader. Those are the stories that have stuck with me the most, and they’re the stories I want to tell.
If you had a time machine and could visit middle grade you, what would you tell her?
“Everybody else is just as insecure as you.” Honestly, I was so painfully shy and withdrawn at that age, and I just assumed the other kids were all brimming with confidence. Being a teacher definitely taught me otherwise!
Choose your own adventure: Is there an interview question you’d love to answer, but haven’t been asked?
Honestly, I’ve been asked some pretty great questions! But one thing I’ve never gotten to talk about is Warlock, a card game Holly and her friend Owen are addicted to that’s sort of a mix of Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons. It was really fun to create the characters and rules as I wrote. And my awesome illustrator, Genevieve Kote, drew a pretty adorable set of Warlock cards which very sadly did not make it onto the cover of book three, so I’d love to share it with you here!
Thanks for dropping in, Michelle, and congratulations on your releases!
 Michelle Schusterman is a former band director and forever band geek, starting back in the sixth grade when she first picked up a pair of drumsticks. Now she writes books, screenplays, and music in New York City, where she lives with her husband (and band mate) and their chocolate lab (who is more of a vocalist).
Connect with Michelle on her website or on twitter. |
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