Kirstin Cronn-Mills

I am sooooo embarrassed–I forgot author website links in my Outlaw Boots posts. I know I forgot it in Jon’s post, but maybe even in all of them. : Instead of going back to check, I’m just going to try again.

Courtney Summers can be found here.

Kurtis Scaletta can be found here.

A.S. King can be found here.

And Jon Skovron can be found here.

I mean, what kind of a yo-yo forgets an author’s website?

Me.

Sorry.

Graphic swiped from here.

In this month’s installment of Outlaw Boots, we have classic outlaws: rock and roll heroes in the forms of Jon Skovron and Sammy, Jon’s protagonist of STRUTS AND FRETS. If you are a music-is-my-soul kind of human, you must read STRUTS AND FRETS. Music is the thing that gets Sammy through–and through a lot. His grandfather is sick (my favorite parts of the book involve his grandfather), his best friend (Jen5, love that name) is maybe more than that, and, well, there’s his band. Sammy is someone you will understand. And don’t you love the title? Rock and roll and Shakespeare, all rolled up.

Here’s the book.

Here’s Jon.

And look next fall for MISFIT, Jon’s second novel, with an even more significant badass outlaw. The one-sentence summary of MISFIT: “A half-demon girl in Catholic school must keep her parentage a secret as she learns to control her emerging abilities and protect those she loves from the forces of Hell.” Can’t get much more badass than that, now can you?

Without further ado, here’s why Jon is an outlaw (and dig those black Doc Martens! Classic!):

–Who’s your most outlaw character (in any book)–why?
Jael Thompson from my forthcoming book MISFIT. Because being a demon in Catholic school makes you an outlaw automatically.

–Are you an outlaw too? How do you know?
Not on purpose. It’s just that there are so many rules that get in the way…

–What kind of shoes does your outlaw wear (you or your character–maybe outlaw boots?)?
A classic: black Doc Martin boots.

–Pirate, ninja, nerd, other outlaw title for you/your character:
Artist.

–Best thing about being an outlaw:
Life is never dull.

–Favorite outlaw/badass food:
A New York slice, folded in half, eaten while walking.

–Favorite outlaw/badass role model/why:
It’s a toss-up between Henry Miller and Oscar Wilde…Two very different guys, but they both stayed true to their creative spirit and boldly faced the consequences.

Go, friends–have a rock and roll break with STRUTS AND FRETS. You won’t regret it.

First and most obvious (if you are my FB friend, you know this already), this announcement from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY:

“Kirstin Cronn-Mills’s BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FOR UGLY CHILDREN, following a boy, who thinks he’s the master of disguise because his given name is Elizabeth, and his weekly, hour-long radio show, where he entertains the world as his true self; pitched as Pump Up the Volume for this generation, to Brian Farrey at Flux, by Amy Tipton at Signature Literary Agency (World English). “

I AM SO STOKED. *This*, friends, is EPIC. I am here to convince the publishing world that a book with a trans man narrator will sell a zillion copies! A big task, but I’m up to it. Flux, you won’t regret it. Thank you for your trust in me.

Second, this conversation:
Shae: Mom, you *have* to read this book [Riordan’s new one, LOST HEROES, from his new series HEROES OF OLYMPUS).
K: why? [looks at him and his grin] You’re dying to talk about it, aren’t you?
Shae: YES! So just read it!
I love raising a reader.

Third: school break.
Fourth: school break.
Fifth: the novel I’m revising.
Sixth: school break.
Seventh: fall soccer in beautiful weather.
Eighth: dodging a bullet (you know that feeling? Said bullet may not be discussed here, but I dodged it, and holy crap, my heart hasn’t slowed down since.)
Ninth: lemon water.
Tenth: you. : ) I always love you, friends!

Graphic stolen from here, a blog I now plan to read, and not just for its cool graphics.

Rock on, friends! Here’s to new adventures with BEAUTIFUL MUSIC!

Do you feel epic, friends?

Some days I do. Some days I think I can win the Internet, single-handedly make my books NYT bestsellers, make my students elect me for a Nobel Peace Prize, and raise my child to be Gandhi, while I also make gourmet dinners and provide all my loved ones with oodles of smooches and glittery unicorns carrying my affection for them.

Then there are days I definitely, positively, completely do not feel epic.

There are also days in between. I like those days. Today has yet to be determined. But I owe you a blog post.

The most epic thing in my life right now: Skull-A-Day. Have you seen it? We’re in skull season now, with Day of the Dead coming up. Even better than Halloween, if you ask me.

Here’s the epic part: Skull-A-Day is research now. Remember the buffalo book? There are now 100% more skulls in that book. I am hooked on epic skulls, and that blog has some crazy amazing ones.

Skull image from here. Thanks, Noah Scalin. You rock, and you are kind and generous. Can’t wait to dig through your archives.

So: go be epic. Blog post accomplished.

I’ve been trying to figure out how to write this post for a couple weeks. First, the deets: it would be great, awesome, and cool if you could check out Swati Avasthi’s auction (click the button above to get there). I donated a book and a critique, as did many other people who are cooler than me. Swati’s book SPLIT is a wonderful, voice-y read, and it brings up many angles of a violent situation. Please check it out.

Second, why it matters to me to be a part of this: I’ve got domestic violence in my background. There were people who were hurt by others who in turn hurt me. Alcohol abuse, mental illness, and huge needs for control and dominance were part of it. It was mild, comparatively speaking, but it’s given me a trick knee, which pops out and knocks me down sometimes. The great thing: now I get back up, which is a relatively recent skill. There were times I stayed on the ground forever.

One of my abusers is very sick now, and me and the trick knee are working it out. We mostly walk, though there is limping involved when I’m tired or overwhelmed. It’s hard sometimes. I want to say: you didn’t help me, why should I help you? But that’s dumb. This person needs lots of love. And I can give it, most days, when there’s no yelling involved.

I can’t say what it’s like for others. Forgiveness is a far reach sometimes, depending on the severity of things. But people change, and people are sorry. And abuse isn’t about the person *being* abused. They’re just a convenient target for all the hurt the abuser feels. When I learned this fact, it was a huge weight off my shoulders. And Swati’s auction will send money to help abusers not be abusers.

Please check it out and help stop the violence before it starts. Do it for the people you know who are affected by domestic violence. And when I say “affected” I mean everything from people who are still living with it to people with trick knees.

Thanks.

Today’s Outlaw Boots are worn by A.S. King, an outlaw if I ever met one (photo of her boots supplied by Amy!). She is the esteemed author of THE DUST OF 100 DOGS (from Flux, so she is an imprint-mate) a fantastic story of PIRATES! and reincarnation and history, plus the anxiously awaited (starred review from Kirkus, woo woo!) PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ, out very, very soon, and there’s a third one coming soon, but I don’t know the details. These books are for rebels everywhere. Her characters are independent, quirky, and unafraid, plus they find themselves in situations where you say, “huh?” Then you say, “hmmm,” and then you plunge back in, anxious to find out what’s next, because you can’t put her books down.

Saffron and Emer live behind the red/black cover, and Vera is behind the lime green (?) one. Spectactular art on both books, wouldn’t you say?

This is Amy.

And here are her Outlaw Boots:

–Who’s your most outlaw character (in any book)–why?
Emer Morrisey–because she likes to take out people’s eyeballs, probably. And she refused to be a kept woman.

–Are you an outlaw too? How do you know?
Yes. Becasue my actual nickname is “The Outlaw.” I’m serious, too. Also, because I never do what I’m told. Which is probably how I got the nickname.

–What kind of shoes does your outlaw wear?
All of us wear boots. Big honking boots.

–Pirate, ninja, nerd, other outlaw title for you/your character (I think this one is a duh for you):
Uh. Pirate?

–Best thing about being an outlaw:
No one tells you when to go to bed. You can spit. It’s a toss-up between them.

–Favorite outlaw/badass food:
Skittles for breakfast or, if no Skittles, Peanut Butter Capn’ Crunch. (Emer’s answer: you eating your own ear.)

–Favorite outlaw/badass role model/why:
Mickey & Mallory from Natural Born Killers. Why? Because like most outlaws, they have baggage that perfectly explains why they’re outlaws. I love that the movie explores it and I love that the characters embrace their outlawness once they decide to go for it.

Read her, read her, read her. Read her now. You won’t be sorry. And now I’m going to sit by my mailbox and wait for my copy of PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ. It’s coming out NOW–go get it!

Dear SKY readers:

After last week’s post, I realized I forgot to give credit where credit is due–to whom do I owe my first published year (besides my awesome friends at Flux)? You, kind readers. You have been astoundingly generous and completely wonderful to me. Thank you for taking Morgan into your heart and understanding her. Thank you for carrying her around the world.

I hope you laughed, too. She’s a drama queen, isn’t she? But she means well.

With my love and gratitude–let’s do it again sometime–

Kirstin

(graphic swiped from here)

. . . yawp yawp YAWP!

First, anybody know who this handsome young dude is?

That’s right! It’s our friend Walt Whitman, also known to me and my students as Uncle Walt, sometimes Gay Uncle Walt. I truly, truly heart Uncle Walt. He is into excess (soooo many words!), he has a bit of an ego, plus he is wonderful at detail and is deeply, DEEPLY in love with the world. Plus, without him we couldn’t have had lots of other fabulous poets, like William Carlos Williams and Alan Ginsburg.

Why Uncle Walt right here and now? These lines:

“I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable,
I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.”

Those words are close to the end of his crazy-ass, wonderfully intense and immense poem “Song of Myself,” from his book LEAVES OF GRASS, published in 1855 (he self-published the first edition with his own money!). Every time I think writing is stupid (like today), or blogging is pointless (like a lot), I think of Whitman’s words, and I take courage.

If he can yawp, I can yawp. Someone will hear us. And if not, we did it anyway. That’s what matters.

Bifurcation = a split. Your word nerd moment of the day. Notice how the yin/yang is split? More on this later.

I have now been a published YA author for just over one year. Craziness. Complete awesomeness. The time went FAST. Of course, I’ve learned things. A*lot* of things:

1) my YA writing colleagues are kind, giving, smart, and tons of fun. I am honored to be part of such a crowd that’s so generous. I knew this before I was published, actually.

2) I love my publishing house. Flux and its peeps are the absolute bomb.

3) I am a shy person online, but not in person. It’s a mystery. I’m working on it.

4) When you are a debut novelist, don’t teach extra classes.

5) My jealousy can be intense, which both shames me and motivates me. It also doesn’t last long, which helps, because it’s overcome by #s 1 and 2, hearing from readers, and working with book peeps everywhere.

6) People don’t want to read my book.

7) People want to read my book.

8) “Success” is relative, depending on where you’re standing.

#s 1, 2, 3, and 4 are self-explanatory. #s 5 & 6: if I want to sell a million copies and be on the New York Times bestseller list, I need different material. Contemporary YA (and/or edgy YA) is a perennial category—like the sun, we just exist—and we are not generally a hot topic. That’s all right. We persist in our wonderfulness. Some days I think I should aim for trendy, but the hot would be cold by the time the book got to market.

#7 & 8 (still related to #s 5 & 6): Man oh man. Was I “successful”? Depends on who you ask. My publisher: “well, um, sales, yeah, some, well, she almost won an award, so, um . . . maybe?” (I honestly don’t know what they’d say. They might refer you back to #3). My family: “We have no idea. When is supper?” Me: “my book got read on 4 continents, and some people really understood Morgan and Tessa. I met cool people and got to do cool stuff, including seeing/listening to Neil Gaiman, and I got to talk about what I love. Hell yeah I’m a success!” New York Times bestseller list . . . well, you know.

There’s a give and take between writing your passion and being marketable–this is the bifurcated part. I haven’t mastered it yet. Do I write that crazy-ass storyline about those boys in the Laundromat or should I try a zombie romance (I do like that idea)? Even my husband said, when I was pitching an idea, “You need to write more marketable books.” Ouch. He doesn’t know the biz, but he’s a reader, so he knows what he likes. And readers vote with $.

And that’s the bottom line–publishing is a business (duh) and runs on money. My literature teacher side says WOW THAT SUCKS IT SHOULD BE STORIES. And stories still matter. But marketing possibilities trump stories—-it just happened to me, and it hurt for a bit. But I can’t begrudge folks the opportunity to run a profitable business. No profitable publishers = no books at all.

So. Was it a good year? The best. Will there be more like it? I really, really hope so. Which to write next—-laundromats or zombies? I don’t know. I just want more years to find out.

Today, friends, we have our second installation of Outlaw Boots, this time featuring middle-grade author Kurtis Scaletta. True confession: my kid loves Kurtis’ books, which is enough endorsement for me, but I think Kurtis is awesome, too.

What does Kurtis write? Funny boy stuff (I love funny boy stuff): baseball games that get rained out for years and years (MUDVILLE), guys who have a thing for poisonous African snakes–in Africa (MAMBA POINT), and scary fungus run amok (THE TANGLEWOOD TERROR, out in Fall 2011)

Here’s Kurtis.

Here’s why he wears Outlaw Boots.

Who’s your most outlaw character (in any book)–why?
– Sturgis Nye from Mudville. As a pitcher he’s a fan of the beanball.
As a kid, he’s gotten into a scrape or two. And his theme song is
“Outlaw” by The Cult!

Are you an outlaw too? How do you know?

– No, I’m very lawful. I don’t even speed when I drive. Seriously.

What kind of shoes does your outlaw wear (you or your character–maybe
outlaw boots?)?
– Snakeskin cowboy boots.

Pirate, ninja, nerd, other outlaw title for you/your character:
– I like the cowboy-style outlaw. Jesse James or Butch Cassidy.

Best thing about being an outlaw:
– Playing harmonica.

Favorite outlaw food:
– Key lime pie and black coffee at a highway diner in the middle of nowhere.

Favorite outlaw role model/why:
– Robin Hood, because (at least in the legend) turned to crime out of
a sense of justice. But a version where he’s a cowboy outlaw.

Tune in next month for the next installment of Outlaw Boots! Kurtis is one of my role models for how to write funny boy happenings, so I need to go read about Linus and his mamba.