Monthly Archives: March 2013

How I got my Idea for Heart of a Shepherd

Heart of a Shepherd by Roseanne Parry Nine years ago in April, I wrote a sonnet for poetry month as I try to do every year. At the time, my son was six and my dad was teaching him to play chess, so I wrote a practice piece about that. A few years later, I got an idea for a short story about grandfather and grandson playing a game of chess which eventually became the first chapter of Heart of a Shepherd. I set that story on a ranch in Eastern Oregon because I had recently visited my friend Maria out in Malhuer County, Oregon. The idea came to me in the grocery store late at night, so I added a pencil and composition book to the groceries and then sat in the parking lot under a streetlight to write the story. I wrote the whole draft in about as long as it takes a cup of hot chocolate and a quart of ice cream to reach thermal equilibrium.

Winning the Kay Snow Award

I sent THE CHESS MEN off to a few contests and won a Kay Snow Award from Willamette Writers in 2003. I sent it out to a few editors. They all said, “This is good writing, but no thanks.” Jim Thomas at Random House, who I had met at an SCBWI conference said, “Great writing, send me something else.” So I set the short story aside and worked on other things

But something about that story and the relationship between the boy and his grandpa stuck with me, so I tinkered with it. By that time, the war in Iraq was underway and the experience of small towns in Oregon losing their most valuable citizens to deployment was on my mind, so I added that as a framework for what I thought of as a collection of short stories that would be something like Graham Salisbury’s BLUE SKIN OF THE SEA, a book I admire very much.

Finding my Editor

I wrote three more stories and got completely stuck. Fortunately, another Random House editor, Wendy Lamb, critiqued them at an SCBWI conference and was warmly encouraging of my efforts. All together, it took me two years of intensive study, research and writing to come up with a draft of Heart of a Shepherd I was satisfied with.

I sent it to Jim Thomas because I remembered how passionate he was about getting good “boy stories” out there. So after several years of hearing, “Great writing send me something else”, Jim said, “This is the one I want.” That was Sept 25th 2006, seven years and five months after I first wrote a sonnet about a boy and his grandpa playing chess.

How Teachers Can Support a Child of a Deployed Soldier

apple and books 1. Acknowledge the soldier’s absence and encourage communication. A simple note or email to the family as soon as you learn of a deployment expressing your support and willingness to help sets you up for success over the coming months.

2. Be patient with a student’s mood swings. It is extraordinarily stressful to have a parent in combat, and some children feel ambushed by sad and angry feelings that crop up with little warning. Establish ahead of time a secret sign and a place your student can go if he or she needs to scream, cry or tear up all the newspapers in the recycling bin.

3. Be sensitive about news coverage. Some families stop reading and watching the news altogether because it is too upsetting. If current events are a part of the curriculum, consider alternate assignments.

4. Display the flag respectfully in your classroom. It’s a small gesture that means a lot to military families.

5. Watch for economic distress. There are many unanticipated expenses which go along with deployment: unexpected travel, phone bills, medical bills, and the loss of a reservist’s income. Discretely help the family take advantage of food stamps, WIC, reduced lunch, scholarships and clothes closets.

6. Adjust the homework load. This student will have many extra chores and less oversight from the remaining parent, so consider shortening the homework, offering tutoring and time to complete work at school or adjusting due dates.

7. Communicate good news with the deployed parent. Take pictures at school when the student is in the play or spelling bee or science fair. Email a copy of an outstanding essay, a high scoring math test or a work of art. Describe in loving detail a smart, kind or funny thing this student did at school. It means the world to a soldier far from home.

8. Honor holidays, especially Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day. Invite a veteran from a local veteran’s organization to address you class. Remind the class why we celebrate these holidays.

9. Pray. Most military families are people of faith. If you are too, tell you students that you are praying every day for their soldier’s safe return.

Book Recommendations for the Tender-Hearted Reader

People ask me for book recommendations all the time and the type of books they are most often looking for are what I think of as books for the tender-hearted reader. Sometimes the reader is very young and reading well above grade level. This type of reader wants the challenge of a book with a substantial plot, but doesn’t want the emotional intensity, romantic interest or scary content found in some books for older readers. Sometimes the reader is an older child who suffers nightmares, is unusually empathetic, or simply prefers a gentler tale.

Often such readers either choose books written a generation ago when the public taste in children’s books was more restrained or historical fiction, which by the nature of it’s content tends to be quieter and less edgy. These readers often enjoy non-fiction and poetry as well.

Here is a list of contemporary novels that I think will meet the needs of the tender-hearted. I will only post books I’ve read myself. So it will be a slowly growing list. Please contact me if you have a title you’d like to recommend. I will post a very brief description of the books I’ve chosen and provide links to author websites where possible. Check back often for updates.

Middle Grade Novels

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman--This is an intricate and fascinating story of a world in which a tenuous treaty holds between dragons and humans and Seraphina walks a dangerous line between both camps. There’s a lot here for a precocious young reader: heaps of action without grotesque violence, intrigue without soul killing viciousness, a dollop of romance without off-putting detail.

The Spy Mice Series by Heather Vogel Frederick—James Bond for 9 year olds!

The Mother Daughter Book Club Series by Heather Vogel Frederick—a series similar to the

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants but for younger girls.

Larklight and Starcross by Phillip Reeve—light-hearted science fiction with a very British sense of humor.

Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains by Laurel Snyder—as much adventure as you can possibly have when you bring along a prairie dog and a dairy cow.

The Five Ancestors Series by Jeff Stone—if you love action and adventure but don’t like magic, this kung fu series set in ancient China is for you.

The Penderwicks Series by Jeanne Birdsall—a story about the adventures of four sisters. It’s a contemporary story but in the spirit of Little Women.

Oddfellow’s Orphanage by Emily Winfield Martin--I was originally drawn to this book by its wonderfully retro artwork. It has the feel of a classic from the 20s or 30s, and is possibly the gentlest orphan story every told with charming illustrations on nearly every page. This one is on the young end of middle grade and might make a good first chapter book to read aloud together.

If You Are a Kid Who Writes…

…Here are ten things that might help you became a grown up who writes

1. Do stuff.

Everybody says read books and everybody is right about that, but I’m guessing if you are here you already read books. Don’t forget to do other stuff, too. Get outside. Play. Make music. Grow things. Take stuff apart. Build something interesting. Have friends over. Cook something yummy. Get really dirty. Ride your bike as far as you can. Explore a museum. Put on a show. Learn to do magic. Writers are people who have something to write about.

2. Write lots different of stuff.

It takes a while to find the kind of story you can tell best. The only way to know for sure what you are good at is to try a bunch of things. For example, I really like to read science fiction and fantasy, but I have learned that it is not the kind of story that I’m good at writing. (at least not yet)

3. Find a writing friend

Most writers I know have a few writer friends that they share their work with and turn to when they get discouraged and celebrate with when great things happen. Look around at who else in you school loves to write. Start or join a book club. Ask if there is a Newbery Club or teen writing group at your library. I’d be lost without my pals, so keep looking until you find a kindred spirit. If you have no idea where to find another kid who writes, try asking your teacher or librarian.

4. Save your work.

A file box is good. Put stuff you write on the computer on a thumb drive or cd. Email yourself the file. Parents can be a great help with this part of the process.

5. Listen to the news

Part of being inspired is paying attention to what is happening in the world. So pick a news source you like. It could be a newspaper or the radio or magazines. You might like tv news or a news website. A combination of things is probably best. I get my local paper but I also get a national paper because they have different stories in them. I listen to news on the radio pretty often, and I read some news articles on line. Your social studies teacher might have some good suggestions for local, national, and international news.

6. Be smart about sharing work on line.

A good rule of thumb is not to send a story or anything else to someone you have not met in person. Also remember that once you put something up on the internet it is very public and very difficult to take down. Not that you should never post your work, but talk to your parents and decide on some guidelines for sharing your work over the internet. Your librarian might have some good ideas about safe places to share your writing including local writing festivals and contests.

7. Don’t worry too much about finishing every story you start.

If a story just isn’t working or it’s boring to you. It’s okay to move on to something new. Save the abandoned story because you might want to return to it later. Most authors start many more stories than they finish.

8. Find a good spot for your writing.

A tree house works for me. So does a coffee shop and a park bench, but I also have a spot at home to store my work and keep pencils and journals and my computer and my back up files.

9. Thinking matters.

Some writers write tons of words every day–and then think about it and throw more than half of them away. Other writers think for a long time and write a medium amount of words–and then throw a few of them away. Some think everything out ahead of time; others think things up as they go. All of these methods work. Thinking is the most important part.

10. It’s okay to stop writing if you don’t love it.

Writing well is very hard and being published is even harder. The people who hang in there long enough and work hard enough to get published REALLY love to write–even on the bad days. But if you love books and don’t love writing you might think about teaching or librarianship. Editors, copy editors, booksellers, and publishers are all people who get to work with books all day long without writing them.

Things a Kid Can Do to Support a Military Family

10 Things a Kid Can Do to Help a Friend with a Soldier Parent

1. Have fun! It’s very scary to have a parent serving in a war zone, so whatever things you do for fun, swimming or bowling or going to the movies, keep on doing them with your friend.

2. Be patient with your friend’s moods. Some kids may get angry or sad over little things because of the extra stress. Give them a break. They’re serving our country too.

3. Everybody has extra chores when one parent is gone. When you are over to play, ask if you can do a yard chore or wash the dishes together. It’s way more fun with two.

4. Respect the flag. Most soldiers’ families see the flag as a symbol of all they are sacrificing for our country, so stand up straight and face the flag when our anthem is played. Take off your hat and put your hand over your heart. It seems like a little thing, but it means a lot to military families and veterans, too.

5. Your friend’s biggest fan is far away, so when he makes a great play on the soccer field or has a strong finish in the spelling bee, cheer extra loud, take lots of pictures and let him know that you are proud of him, too.

6. Celebrate holidays together. It’s tricky to celebrate when one parent is gone, so help out if you can. For example, invite your friend to trick or treat with your family, so that the non-soldier parent can be at home passing out candy.

7. If there is a parade or ceremony in your town to honor Veterans’ Day or Memorial Day, show your support by going.

8. Listen if your friend wants to talk about the war. Or be willing to not bring it up if they’d rather not talk about it.

9. Everyone has opinions about this war and this president. Opinions are good, but most military families prefer not to talk about their political views in public while they have a family member at war.

10. Pray. Most military families are people of faith who take great comfort in prayer. If you are a person who prays, tell your friend you are praying for his or her soldier every day.