*I* still love you, Mary!

When the touring production of the Broadway version of Mary Poppins made its way to town this summer, I was excited to see it with friends. Ours was an adults-only outing, and we had a really good time. There were lots of kids in the audience, however, and most of them seemed to have fun, too. Most. We were a bit amused by the young boy who ended up sitting next to a friend of mine. He was less than enthralled.

“That’s it?” he kept whispering to his mother throughout the performance. “They just sing? That’s all they do? Sing?”

When the curtain dropped for intermission, he asked, “It’s over now, right? We can leave now, can’t we?”

I didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, so I don’t know what his reaction was when his mother explained to him that it was just intermission and it would be another good hour-and-a-half or so until the show was over. I can only assume he wasn’t too happy.

My friends and I were so mesmerized by the performance, we were at a loss as to how anyone could possibly be bored. Has anyone here seen it? It’s amazing!!! To answer the young man’s question, no, they don’t just sing. The sets, the dance numbers, the special effects—everything is larger than life and simply incredible. Here’s my favorite number:

I mean, how could anyone get bored watching that?! Bert actually tap dances on the ceiling! And his hat doesn’t even fall off when he’s hanging upside down from the rafters. That’s pretty magical in my opinion.

But apparently it wasn’t this young man’s cup of tea. Which makes me feel better about some of the rejection letters I’ve gotten. Let’s face it—you can put forth the mightiest effort in the world and some members of your audience will still fail to be impressed. Even if you tap dance on the ceiling.

So writers, take heart! Even Mary Poppins gets a thumbs down from time to time.

Have you had a young one in your life turn up their nose at a beloved movie or book?

-Dawn Lairamore

A brief history of how I came to be a writer

I came at writing slowly.

As a kid I spent most of my free time playing or watching TV. I liked to read but not in an obsessive way. And I didn’t write unless I had to for school.

My senior year of high school I had an English teacher who really knew how to bring books to life through discussion, and I discovered that I liked thinking deeply about books.

In college I started keeping a journal, but only wrote in it sporadically about girls I liked but was too shy to ask out, or about what life is all about, or about how I needed to get off my butt and do something, anything.

Sophomore year I decided to major in English because I had to major in something and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life besides go camping and backpacking.

My last two years of college I wrote lots of old-style rhyming poetry, modeling the poets I was reading, and had two poems published in a tiny student literary journal.

When I moved to Alaska a few years later and was living in a cabin outside of town, I wrote some really bad short stories about a guy living in a cabin where not much of anything is happening. Yeah, writing what you know doesn’t always work out.

Fast forward a few years: I’m teaching English in an alternative school and I discover Middle Grade and Young Adult Literature. I start bringing home books by the arm-load, searching for a few my reluctant and struggling readers will connect with, and fall in love with the genres.

Now that I’ve got my students reading, I’m looking for ways to turn my students on to writing so we start writing scenes using characters from the novels we are reading.

My students like doing the assignments, but I love doing the assignments.

I’m not sure I would’ve started writing MG and YA if it weren’t for my students. Now, I’m hooked.

How did you come to be a writer? Did you love writing from an early age or did you discover it in a more roundabout way?

Win a signed copy of VILLAIN SCHOOL, by Stephanie S. Sanders!

Please join me in welcoming debut middle-grade author Stephanie S. Sanders to Project Mayhem today. She is the author of VILLAIN SCHOOL: Good Curses Evil, coming August 30, from Bloomsbury! 

The lovely Stephanie S. Sanders

OFFICIAL VILLAIN SCHOOL BLURB:

Three delinquent villains. A school that will teach them to be bad. And one unbelievable assignment. Rune Drexler is a student at Master Dreadthorn's School for Wayward Villains. It's like a military school for the children of evil villains. Rune is nearly failing his villain studies, so he's sentenced to a Plot by his father, Master Dreadthorn. In one week he must:

1. Kidnap a princess
2. Steal a baby
3. Find a henchman
4. Overthrow a kingdom

If he succeeds, Rune will be promoted to Fiend, if he fails, he'll be exiled from the villain community forever. Luckily, he may choose two Conspirators, so Rune chooses his best friends Countess Jezebel Dracula and Big Bad Wolf Junior. Only one problem, Rune's not very evil. In fact, his behavior on the Plot seems suspiciously heroic….

Villain School is a world of fairytale villains that kids of all ages will enjoy!

Doesn't this sound fantastic??! In honor of her debut, Stephanie will be sending one lucky win a signed copy of the Villain School ARC!

LET'S MEET STEPHANIE:
Stephanie, sum up your book in a tweet! 140 characters only!

A wayward warlock, a cocoa-loving vampire, and a not-so-Big Bad Wolf set off from Villain School on a Plot to prove they can be villainous.

Stephanie, tell us something cool, creepy, or special about VILLAIN SCHOOL: GOOD CURSES EVIL, that's not in the blurb!

One of the main characters not mentioned in the blurb is Chad, Rune’s cookie-baking roommate. Curly-haired, blue-eyed, freckle-faced Chad doesn’t seem like much of a villain, but looks can be deceiving.

What inspired you to write this book? Had the idea been brewing for a while, or did something inspire you out of the blue?

This book was completely out of the blue. I awoke one morning with a vague idea and jotted down a few words in a notebook: “Evil Villain School. Hero School. Villain father is angry his son is questioning evil ways.” Those few words sparked a whole book! And although I never got a chance to write about a Hero School in this book, it’s something that fans of Villain School might get to read about in the future.

Now, I know you've written more than one book. Is there a method to your madness or do you approach each book differently? In other words, explain your writing style!

This is tough. Lots of writers talk about the writing process and how they have a whole series planned out from beginning to end before they even pick up a pen and put the first word on paper. I’m not like that. My ideas are rarely in order. They flutter and fly and roll and tumble through my mind, and I have to catch them like butterflies or pick them like flowers or sometimes run through them like rainstorms until I’m soaked through with ideas. Then I can wring them out, put them in some kind of sensible order, and that becomes a story. Sometimes I have to rearrange my ideas or even (and this is the hardest part) start completely over. If I’m lucky, in the end, they make some kind of sense and can become a great story, like Villain School! 

NOW FOR SOME FUN!

What's your favorite food?  

Dutch letters! These are sweet flaky pastries in the shape of an S (for Stephanie!) and filled with almond paste, which sounds gross but tastes amazing.

Describe yourself in four words:  

Shy, creative, sarcastic, hungry.

What's your guilty pleasure TV show (be honest!)?  

My family and I ditched cable, so I have to catch re-runs on Netflix. I tend to get addicted to one series at a time. Then I watch every episode straight through for days on end until I’ve seen them all. The last couple addictions were The Adventures of Merlin & The Legend of the Seeker. I’m a sucker for fantasy shows (and stories).

If you weren't a writer, what's the one thing you'd want to be?  

A writer. (Love this answer!)

You can find everything Villain School & everything Stephanie HERE:            

Book website:    www.villainkids.com

Author:             www.stephsanders.com

Publisher:          www.bloomsburykids.com

Agent:               www.nancygallt.com

GIVEAWAY RULES: Easy-peasy rules, people! Simply follow the Project Mayhem blog if you don't already, and leave Ms. Stephanie a comment! That's it! Winner will be announced Tuesday of next week! ;)

On behalf of all Project Mayhem Team Members & Head Mischief Makers, CONGRATS, Stephanie!!!

Confession Time

I've never read past the first Harry Potter. 

Sure, it was great, but as I was teaching at the time, there were too many other new titles in my classroom library vying for my attention, and I fell behind. I figured once I had children of my own I'd start the series again.

Fast forward a dozen years: my older son tried The Sorcerer's Stone and after three chapters wasn't interested enough to continue. My younger guy is still reading Beverly Clearly and the like. Maybe in a few years we'll read it together. It's hard to say.

Do I feel like I've missed out? I guess. I don't understand the desire to recount the coolest scenes or favorite characters or the recent last movie phenomenon. But it's really no big deal. There are plenty of other marvelous books I've devoured since 1998, when Muggles everywhere first learned of Harry and Hogwarts.

What big books or series have you never read?

And the burning question: Have I just called down the wrath of fellow Project Mayhemers on my head? 

Trauma Queen by Barbara Dee: Book Review & Giveaway!

Publisher: Aladdin
Author: Barbara Dee
Pub Date: April 2011Age Rage: 9 - 12

Publisher Summary:
Every tween girl knows what it's like to have a mom who can be a little embarrasing at times. But for Marigold, it goes way beyond embarrassing. Marigold's single mom is a performance artist, meaning she stages dramatic, wacky performances to express her personal beliefs. Things like wrapping herself in saran wrap for a piece on plastic surgery, or inviting people over in the middle of the night to videotape her sleeping. In fact, Marigold's mom's performances caused such a ruckus in their last town that the two of them, along with Marigold's little sister, have just had to move. Now Marigold's starting a new school, missing her best friend like crazy, and trying to fit in all over again in the shadow of a mom who's famous for all the wrong reasons. As if that's not bad enough, Marigold's mom takes on a new job--teaching drama at Marigold's school! Now all the kids know instantly just how weird her mom is, and Marigold's worried she'll never be able to have a friendship that can survive her mother.

My Thoughts:
"I'm standing outside homeroom in yellow flannel monkey pajamas." This is the first sentence of the book, and no, the MC is not having one of those dreams where you forget to dress before leaving the house. As usual, this thirteen-year-old character, Marigold, finds herself in an embarrassing situation because of her mom.

Most of us know how difficult life can be as a teen. Like parents divorcing, moving aways from friends you've known your whole life, making new friends or  being the new kid in school. This story touches on all of that. And more. And no, it's not overwhelming or hard to believe. Barbara Dee found a way to make all of this work together in a funny, fresh, and lighthearted read, with very realistic characters.

I might not be a teen anymore (though I don't always act like it!) but I resonated with this character and so many times I found myself embarrassed for her! I couldn't wait to see how things turned out in the end and read this book in one sitting. And sacraficing sleep was well worth it!

I could go on and on about this book, about how I admire Barbara Dee's writing style, character depth, and voice. Or about the laugh out loud moments or when I almost teared up. But instead, I'll just give away a copy of Trauma Queen and let you read it for yourself.

Just follow Project Mayhem and leave a comment below to enter!




Check out these other great reads by Barbara Dee!