Dayton Literati

November is National Novel Writing Month. Put your leftover Halloween candy to use as midnight fuel for frantic writing sessions and gain an easy excuse out of an awkward family Thanksgiving dinner.

In the month of November, a few hundred thousand aspiring novelist attempt to write 50,000 words in a single month. But it’s not for the faint of art: over 200,000 WriMos attempted the Great American Novel last year but only 37,500 novels were completed.

Success Stories

The event has had its success stories though. New York bestseller Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen began as a NaNoWriMo novel, which transformed into a summer blockbuster featuring Reece Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. And author Erin Morgenstern became an overnight sensation with her fantastical book, The Night Circus, which earned a six figure advance, starred reviews and a movie deal as well.

NaNoWriMo is free to join at the website. The site is notorious for crashing and running sluggishly during the first week of November due to massive traffic. But the staff at Office of Light and Letters, the creators of the NaNoWriMo project, recently converted to Ruby on Rails to prevent these problems. Registering early is key, as it is hard to play catch up once the month begins.

Dayton Events

Dayton has an active writing community and online forum board for its WriMos. There is an online meeting on October 31st at 11pm to countdown that last sane minutes before kickoff at midnight, where any questions can be answered.

The official launch party is on Saturday, November 5th from 1:00-5:30 pm at the Kettering-Moraine Library. The largest attended meeting, you can meet and greet your fellow Wrimos in person, brainstorm plot, snack on goodies and play Word Wars.

The rest of the month features coffee house meet-ups, word wars online, write-ins and TGIO (Thank God It’s Over) party in early December.

NaNoWriMo operates on an honor system where you log in your words online, to be verified at the end of the month. And whether you win or lose, any word count in the busy of month of November is an accomplishment to be celebrated.

You can join the NaNoWriMo adventure at www.nanowrimo.org. Log onto the Dayton forum to meet more aspiring and established local writers.

Readers and writers will appreciate the collection of literary minds at this year’s Books by the Banks event in Cincinnati.

The free event is held in the Duke Energy Convention Center on Saturday, October 22, 2011 from 10 am to 4 pm. Both young and old will find a favorite author from the 100+ local and internationally known authors.

The event is free and open to the public. The day consists of book talks, author readings, panel discussions and book sale opportunities. For the younger set, story times, kid’s crafts, and character appearances fills the day.

A Book for Every Reader

The topics and genres are diverse and broad, covering everything from local Ohio history to best sellers.

Younger children will enjoy Alyssa Satin Capucilli and her literary creation, Biscuit. Slighter older children will enjoy the DC Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book, brought to life by Matthew Reinhart.  The day has plenty of children’s activities to keep your young ones entertained.

Foodies will enjoy Jeni Britton Bauer’s decadent book, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home. And if you indulge in too much Salty Caramel ice cream, you’ll be inspired by the authors of The SparkPeople Cookbook: Love Your Food, Lose the Weight.

New York Times best-selling authors are also on hand, including Dennis Lehane, the author of such greats as Mystic River, Shutter Island, and his newest book, Moonlight Mile. Paula McLain leapt onto the New York Times Bestseller list with her second novel, The Paris Wife. And Chris Bohjalia, also a bestseller, recently released The Night Strangers. Both Lehane and Bohjalia have panel discussions during the day.

Local Dayton YA authors, Katrina Kittle (Reasons to Be Happy) and Kristina McBride (The Tension of Opposites) will also be in attendance and hosting a panel addressing whether today’s tween/teen books are too dark.

For a free, word-filled day, plan to attend this annual event. At the end of the day, less books should be by the Banks and more by your bedside.

Katrina Kittle’s first tween novel, Reasons to Be Happy, is a touching look into the life of 8th grader Hannah, a young girl trying to find her identity while attending middle school in Beverly Hills. The novel itself is much like Katrina Kittle; endearing, sweet, and has many valuable lessons to teach. Reasons to Be Happy is a story grown from an idea that began in Kittle’s previous novel The Blessings of Animals where Hannah was featured as the daughter. Kittle, however felt that Hannah’s character needed her own story; the two novels are not connected though.

Kittle’s inspiration for her new novel comes from her time as a middle school teacher, where she was pained to see young girls going through such emotional turmoil. The novel sheds light on an issue that is affecting more and more girls at younger ages. Kittle’s main hope is that her novel will help young girls be able to skip an identity crisis and continue to high school with more self-confidence.

“I would teach these young girls and watch as they seemed to become less bold versions of themselves. It was heartbreaking to me because I felt like they didn’t need to go through something like this at their age. I hope that this novel helps young girls,” said Kittle.

Kittle herself is an amazing individual. Besides the fact that for one year she spent her time as a gypsy, which means she traveled from home to home just living and writing.

“I think I lived in 18 different homes in the length of one year. My favorite was Brooklyn. I wrote so much while I was in Brooklyn,” said Kittle.

She also has been quite successful as a novelist. Her previous novels have all been for an adult audience which is why she’s especially excited about Reasons to Be Happy because it’s for young girls.

“I hope to write more young adult fiction. I already have one idea I’m working on,” said Kittle.

Kittle is very grateful for the life she has and celebrates every day the fact that she can be a full time writer. Among the many reasons she has to be happy are her niece and nephew, her strange cat Joey, and spending time tending her elaborate garden. A new venture Kittle is proud to say she is a part of is Puddingstone Project, a dance and music theatre production. Kittle is the scriptwriter for the production with Kevin Anderson writing music and Beth Wright doing the choreography.

“It’s just a wonderful experience. We had our first reading just the other day. And I already feel like I have to get rid of a character. Which makes me sad but they just don’t fit,” said Kittle with a sad look but she immediately was smiling again as she talked more about the project.

Reasons to Be Happy releases October 4 from Sourcebooks Jabberwocky and the debut reading and signing will be October 13, at 7PM at Books & Co. at the Greene. Enjoy a good book and talk to Katrina Kittle about the reasons you have to be happy.

We have Hurricane Katrina to thank for the latest Dayton-set novel. Jen Violi, an 11-year Dayton native and UD graduate, escaped the flooding from Katrina by returning to Dayton and writing the short story that launched her book Putting Make Up on Dead People.

Donna Parisi, a senior in high school finds her calling in a casket.  Having mourned her father’s death four years prior, she finds she is more comfortable with the dead and the grieving than the average person. But not everyone is quick to embrace her choice to attend mortuary school instead of traditional university.

The book, published by Hyperion Books deals with dual awakenings—the newness of adulthood and the realization that we all will die but first we all mourn.

Certain elements parallel Violi’s own life. She too lost her father early in high school and spent many formative years in Dayton. She graduated from the University of Dayton with a BA in English and Theater and a MA in Theological Studies. Having spent many years enmeshed in the downtown Dayton, suburban and college scenes, she accurately portrays them in her book. Local restaurants, businesses, landmarks and even Midwestern sensibilities appear throughout.

Accidentally Young Adult

It was during her exodus from a flooding New Orleans that Violi first met Donna Parisi, the protagonist of the story. She was the voice behind a series of short stories, ranging from age five to her late-30s.

“The YA genre chose me. I didn’t originally write the book as Young Adult. The series of stories-as-a-novel was submitted as my thesis for my MFA from to the University of New Orleans. I kept revising and then began submitting to agents who liked my writing, but they didn’t know what to do with the book.

“I was introduced to my agent through a writer friend. He saw the stories as a young adult book, but condensed down to one year. Once I made the decision to take that leap, things happened fast. Within three months, I had a whole new book written and ready to submit. A month after that, I accepted a deal with Hyperion,” said Violi.

The book is set in the last year of high school and that tremulous first year of college but the story transcends age. Readers of any age will recognize the scent of grief and the dazzling lights of new possibilities.

“I believe in the transformational power of story. Stories can be so healing.  I’ve been honored to get really great feedback from my readers, especially those who have experienced grief and loss.  When they share their personal stories with me after reading the book, I feel a profound sense of connection,” said Violi.

Jen now writes from Portland, Oregon. Her next work in progress is also YA, exploring another young woman on an unexpected journey of self discovery.

Jen can be found at: http://www.jenvioli.com/. Putting Makeup on Dead People can be found at any of the local bookstores or online.

God’s War starts with an intriguing first line, preparing the reader for a brutal ride:

“Nyx sold her womb somewhere between Punjai and Faleen, on the edge of the desert.”

Local author Kameron Hurley tells a dystopian tale of female assassins set in a terrifyingly harsh world of bugs, magicians and religious wars.

Nyx, a female bounty hunter, finds herself in too deep when she takes an assassination note for a missing alien who might be the key to ending the perpetual war in her land.

The inventive and dark story is Hurley’s first published novel and the first of a planned trilogy.

Bloodlines

Bel dames are the thread for the ambitious story. Most people envision a strikingly beautiful woman, but Hurley borrowed the term from ancient Assyrian/Babylonians, which actually means blood avenger. God’s War follows Nyx unflinching through a world of intense, ongoing religious wars, where bugs are both technology and food.

“A lot of what I researched is driven by fascination. There is some terrifying imagery in the Bible. Those Old Testament Bible stories are utterly violent. Heads are chopped off and they are burning people…and as I’m reading, I’m thinking, this is awesome!”

“I really wanted an Old Testament feel for God’s War. I read a lot of accounts of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Ancient Babylonia and Assyria—really getting into a different world view than my own,” said Hurley.

The bug research came from real world experience as well, since Hurley lived in South Africa for a year and a half, in a home overrun with bugs.

“I thought, what if this was normal? How could you leverage them? They use hornets to sniff out explosives in some places. What if bugs could be controlled and utilized in otherworld technology? I took these little nuggets of what happened in the real world and extrapolated it out.”

Next Up

Publishers Weekly calls Hurley’s world-building “phenomenal, with casual references to insectile technology and the world’s history that provide atmosphere without info dumps.” As weighty as the book is, the sensory feel is rich, deep, and at times overwhelming. The main characters—deeply scarred and caustic—can be brought to mind long after the book is finished.

Hurley has mentioned Zuleikha Robinson (Ilana in Lost) as an appropriate choice to play Nyx in a movie version of God’s War.

“Then when I saw Isaiah Mustafa [from the Old Spice commercials] I thought, he could play Rhys. Absolutely!”

It would be fascinating to see two traditionally beautiful people abused and scarred as Nyx and Rhys. The entomophobics among us would cringe at the idea of millions of CGI created bugs populating the movie—but using the real thing would both break the bank and freak people out.

With one book under her belt and more slotted, Hurley has three full time jobs—a marketing and advertising writer in Dayton, promoting and marketing God’s War, and writing and editing her next books.

“I’m not a plot person. It’s on my list of things to do. I start with the different characters and settings and the rest is the process of discovery. I also don’t let myself play World of Warcraft online until the draft is done.”

A self-defined late adopter, Hurley doesn’t own an e-reader yet, but her fans clamored for God’s War in a digital format. Sci-fi and fantasy readers are often ahead of the curve in technology, so it’s no surprise that the book is in demand for e-readers.

“I’ll always have printed books. They are definitely a good thing. But digital publishing will be great in the long run.”

Book two and Hurley’s next novel, Infidel, is slated for a December 2011 release. Building on its success, she is hopeful Night Shade Books, her publisher, will pick up the third book, Babylon.

Visit Kameron at www.KameronHurley.com. God’s War can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Borders.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Kristina McBride fell into the young adult genre with her first book, The Tension of Opposites. As a high school English teacher in Springboro for eight years, she spent plenty of time around teenagers.

“Plus I can vividly remember the swirl of emotions and conflicts I endured as a teenager. For me, teens come to life in a way that adults just do not. The characters that pop into my head and start talking simply happen to be teens. And then I’m just along for the ride,” said McBride.

And what ride it has been. McBride wrote three full manuscripts which were rejected over 200 times before she landed a literary agent. Even after catching the interest of her dream agent, she still faced almost a year’s worth of additional revisions on The Tension of Opposites. But after the initial struggle, McBride was rewarded with a two book deal after her manuscript went to auction.

“I wish I’d known when I was struggling that I would eventually accomplish my goal of being an agented, published author. But the perks have been amazing! Emails and fan mail feel like little, zero-calorie treats.”

The Tension of Opposites is a novel that examines the cost of friendship when tragedy strikes. When Tessa’s best friend, Noelle, is abducted, Tessa tries to cobble her life back together even as she hides behind her camera lens. When Noelle returns—different and mysterious—both Tessa and Noelle have to learn how to live again.

Strong visual images are the hallmark of the book which plays nicely to the newest trend in book marketing—book trailers. McBride connected with one of her former students, Rocky Smith, who had graduated from Wright State University as a talented filmmaker. They reconnected over Facebook and McBride asked if he’d be interested in helping with the book trailer.

“I initially visualized as a montage of pictures with some text included, all played to some super cool music. Rocky wouldn’t have it,” said McBride. “He insisted that we film a live trailer. I was a little nervous but the finished product has been very well received in the literary world. He told my story in a new way.”

Next on the horizon for McBride—besides promoting her current book—is a second book tentatively slated for a 2011 release.

“When we were in the process of selling The Tension of Opposites, I was lucky enough to experience an auction between three publishing houses. I actually sold two books to my publishing house. My second book, another YA, is a little on the edgy side which is challenging when you’re writing for the 14-and-up age range. You have to be careful not to push the limit.”