Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Cinderella Smith, Iterview with Stephanie Barden and 2-Book Giveaway!

When I decided to get more serious about writing, I looked for books that I felt were similar to my manuscript. I had read Judy Moody and Clementine, a few well-known series for my target age group, but wanted to expand my knowledge of this section of the middle grade market. I was quite happy to stumble upon Cinderella Smith by Stepahnie Barden!

Book Description: (from Amazon) Cinderella Smith has problems with a capital P. Her new teacher laughs at her name, she has to sit at the smart-boys table, and her old best friend is ignoring her. Now the new girl, Erin, has asked for her advice on wicked stepsisters. But Cinderella doesn't have any stepsisters, wicked or otherwise! And to make things worse, she's got to find her ruby red tap shoe before the fall dance recital!

How will Cinderella solve her capital P problems before it's too late?

Why it is Marvelous: This book is full of great material for the lower middle grade crowd. What happens when you loose your best friend, and the joy of finding a new best friend. How it feels when you are not allowed to get your ears pierced and what you do when your friends think you are being a baby for holding your mom's hand in the mall. Cinderella Smith handles each situation with great integrity. She stays true to herself which is why I have enjoyed this series so much.

Cinderella is a very likable character. She is a good kid who tries her best to make everyone happy, and shines with the support of her parents and a few friends she can trust.

Diane Goode's illustrations bring life and such wonderful expressions to this fun cast of characters!

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Interview with Stephanie!

 

1. I have read about how you landed an agent and it is an inspiring, and sad, and hopeful story. Can you talk a little about that and what you learned from the experience? 

Craig Virden plucked me out of the slush pile, signed me up and helped me polish up Cinderella Smith. He had just sent it out to potential editors when he unexpectedly died. When his agency called me with the sad news, I feared that was the end of my writing career. However, in his honor, his co-workers “vowed to get my book published”! Craig was highly respected in children’s literature, so I’ve always felt it was his “stamp of approval” that got editors to look at my manuscript. I dedicated my first book, in part, to him and feel like he’s my writing-guardian-angel.  

What did I learn from the experience…hmm… 

Knowing that Craig believed in me, I gained the confidence to start thinking of myself as a writer. I’m sure if his agency hadn’t kept me on, I would have persevered and looked for another agent.

2. When I met you at the Western Washington SCBWI this past April we only had a couple minutes to chat, but you admitted to not reading a lot of MG books. You said this was because you didn't want your writing to mimic other authors. I think I would be lost without all the MG reading I have done this year. Why does this work for you? 

I love MG books and read a ton of them, but not while I’m actively writing first drafts. When I’m chatting with someone with an accent I find myself adopting it ~ and I’m always afraid that will happen when I write too! I know Cinderella’s voice now, so it wouldn’t happen with her, but I’m afraid a new character in a new book might end up sounding like Wilber in Charlotte’s Web or Arrietty in The Borrowers!

3. I also read that you didn't have a critique group when writing Cinderella Smith. Do you have one now? 

Last spring I started meeting with two writer friends every week. We haven’t critiqued each other’s work yet, (although we always intend to). Instead we’ve been sharing potential story ideas, writing challenges and helpful hints. Sometimes we do some writing, but usually we just chat, chat, chat!

4. Your job at the Woodland Park Zoo sounds like a lot of fun. What is your background (job-wise) and do you think writing will ever become a full-time career?

I came to work at the zoo after several years as a docent. I didn’t have any teaching experience when I started, just a love of kids and animals and an appreciation of the natural world.  

As much fun as the zoo is, I’d love to be a full-time writer. My goal this fall is to create a writing schedule, keep with it…and NOT let the dog, crow or my darling neighbor singing “Puff the Magic Dragon” at the top of her lungs distract me!

5. Does working with kids in your job give you any particular insight when writing for that age group? 

Absolutely! I think it’s critical to spend time with the age group you’re writing for in order to sound “authentic”. I probably ask my students as many questions about them as they ask about the animals! I counter the students: “Why is the ocelot doing that?” with: “What words would you use to describe him? Handsome? Scary? Weird?” The third Cinderella book, coming out in April 2013, actually begins on a school field trip to Woodland Park Zoo. I used an awful lot of my zoo-experiences in the first few chapters.

6. In my opinion, Cinderella Smith is such a wholesome character who (while flawed) is able to stand up for what she believes in. Did you intentionally write her this way?

Not initially ~ I didn’t have a real game plan when I started this series. I had a basic idea, (a shoe-losing kid), and a name, (Cinderella Smith), but no plot and no character sketches. (And I admit, this isn’t a very smart approach!) I just launched right in and CS came to life as I wrote. She became the kind of kid I was friends with growing up ~ respectful, courteous and always trying to do the right thing. She’s a good kid, but not a “goody-two-shoes”. My favorite description of her came from a student during a school visit: 

 

 

“Cinderella Smith is nice, but not so nice that you can’t stand her.”

 

7. Also, I love the character of Charlie! Can you talk a little bit about his role and why (from a writerly angle) he is there? 

Oh, Charlie. He’s based on two little boys I grew up with. “Tarles” was my very first friend and Tommy was my first crush, (at four years old). Every day I asked him how he thought I looked. If he approved, I stayed in what I was wearing. If he didn’t, I went back inside and changed. (Just like Cinderella does with Charlie.) 

Charlie Prince is certainly Cinderella Smith’s “prince charming” ~ although I’m not sure what that really means today. If I can convince HarperCollins to let Cinderella grow up, perhaps there will eventually be a YA romance between the two!

8. I love your promotional photo for your books and website. Is that in your house, and did you go through a professional photographer? 

That is my house in the background. I had a professional photographer, (and a friend), come over and take my picture ~ and my dog, Otis, raced around us the whole time! He nearly knocked over lighting-umbrella-things several times. Twas a bit of a circus, as is life, I suppose.

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And now for the giveaway!

Stephanie has offered a paperback copy of Cinderella Smith and a hardback copy of Cinderella Smith: The More the Merrier for my giveaway this week! All you have to do is leave a comment and I will draw one name next Monday and announce the winner then. It would be nice if you signed up to follow my blog, but not necessary to be entered in the drawing.

No international entries. US and Canada only.

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Marvelous Middle Grade Monday (MMGM) was created by Shannon Messenger. To find other bloggers participating in MMGM go to her blog for a list of links.