Ingrid Law is the New York Times best-selling author of Savvy and Scumble.
Click here to read my review of Savy. Here is Ingrid Law in her own words: Perhaps it was the Lake Champlain monster that started it all. Born in northern New York in May, 1970, my first home was a stone's throw from the waters of Lake Champlain and its legendary prehistoric sea monster. From the very start, life was steeped in the lure of the fantastic, of tall tales and big ideas. When I turned six, my family moved to Boulder, Colorado. My father drove up into the mountains every day to teach in a one-room school house in the tiny mountain town of Gold Hill. While visiting Gold Hill and places like it, I discovered that small things and small places can be just as interesting and extraordinary as big noisy ones, and even now, I'm drawn to tiny towns and quiet places possessing their own charm and quirky character. Today, I still live in Colorado with my daughter, close to family, friends, and the mountains, all of which help keep me from getting lost. We only have one pet at the moment, but it is imaginary. And I am managing, at last, to keep a plant alive. (That reminds me, I should probably water it.) If you want to know my favorite color, I can’t tell you because I don’t actually have one. I like them all. When I’m not writing or imagining new stories (which is seldom) you can probably find me in a movie theater. I see practically everything that comes to the theater closest to my home--and that theater has 24 screens. So I see a LOT of movies. I also enjoy listening to music and audio books, and sitting and walking next to and around my favorite ponds. And now Ingrid Law faces the 7 Questions: Question Seven: What are your top three favorite books? I hate picking favorites, and my favorites often change, but since the question's being asked, I'll say: Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card Red Glass, by Laura Resau The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley, written by Colin Thompson, illustrated by Amy Lissiat Question Six: How much time do you spend each week writing? Reading? Since it's my job now, I try to write for about 6-7 hours a day. But if I'm working on a deadline, I've been known to put in much longer hours... sometimes up to 16-17 hours in one day (though, after that, I'm usually a little crazy). Reading all depends on my writing schedule (and what I'm reading), but I try to read for at least 30 minutes a day with my daughter, and another 30 before I go to bed. I also love listening to audio books in the car. Question Five: What was the path that led you to publication? I've been writing for fun off and on since college, but I did not try seriously to get published until a few years ago. Before 2007, I had my share of rejections on a previous manuscript or two, but I was much more fortunate when I wrote Savvy and found an agent and a publisher right away. Question Four: Do you believe writers are born, taught or both? Which was true for you? Perhaps a little bit of both. I've always had a vivid imagination and have loved making up stories ever since I was a child. However, I did not actually start writing my stories down until my late teens, after I learned to type and I no longer had to be frustrated by the fact that my handwriting could not keep up with my imagination. I only took one creative writing class, but there are many ways to learn to write. Reading a lot is one of the best ways, I think! Question Three: What is your favorite thing about writing? What is your least favorite thing? My favorite part of writing is when time seems to stop and the story becomes the 'real' world for a while. My least favorite part is when I have to 'wake up' and come out of the world I'm building before I feel ready. Question Two: What one bit of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring writer? (feel free to include as many other bits of wisdom as you like) BE BRAVE. Trust your voice. Dig deep. Go places that feel uncertain. After all, your characters should have to do these things too and it's not fair if you ask them to do them all alone. Question One: If you could have lunch with any writer, living or dead, who would it be? Why? William Shakespeare... for the alliteration. And for the words. And the wit. And don't you think he'd be very funny and entertaining?
Did you have a nice Thanksgiving, Esteemed Reader? Are you worn out from Black Friday shopping? Not me. I avoid stores at all costs on Black Friday, which means I miss out on amazing bargains, but am less likely to be trampled to death by folks trying to reach toasters at half off. The Ninja is willing to pay full price for his toaster and considers the extra money spent to be purchasing the right not to have to shop among the insane hordes.
I’ve got a lot to say about Savvy and there’s no way we’re going to get through it all. I highlighted so many passages to share with you that if I reproduced them all, you probably wouldn’t need to read the book. So we’ll dispense with the review early: Savvy is a fantastic read and should be enjoyed by anyone who likes middle grade fiction, and I assume that’s you, Esteemed Reader, or you wouldn’t be here. There’s a reason it was recognized by the Newberry and has become a best-seller, and if you’re a writer hoping to duplicate Savvy’s level of success, you need to read this book. You also need to tune in on Thursday to read Ingrid Law’s advice to writers.
Here is one of the finest opening lines in a book for adults or children I have ever read:
When my brother Fish turned thirteen, we moved to the deepest part of inland because of the hurricane and, of course, the fact that he’d caused it.
It would take a tremendous dullard not to want to read beyond that first sentence to find out just how a thirteen-year-old boy is capable of causing a hurricane. And by the time you get far enough along to find that out, Law’s got her hooks into you and you will finish the book.
There’s not a chapter in Savvy that ends without leaving an unanswered question in the reader’s mind or otherwise builds expectation in the reader about coming events. The reader is like Al Pacino in The Godfather Part III: Every time he thinks he’s out, Law pulls him back in. That’s sort of an odd reference to drop in a blog about children’s books, but I’m just going to go with it.
There’s something different about the Beaumont family, our narrator, twelve-going-on-thirteen Mississippi Beaumont tells us. On their thirteenth birthday, a Beaumont child discovers their “savvy,” which is actually an old slave word I don’t know the meaning of and am too lazy to Google, but in the context of this story it means “mutant super power,” like the ability to control electricity (or grow andamantium claws). Fish is a non-Haley-Berry Storm and that’s why he caused the hurricane.
I wish I could tell you that all of this super-power having led to a galatic battle between heroes, but that’s another story. Here, the powers, or savvy’s (savvies?), though used as super-powers, are metaphors for something more true to life. Here’s a passage I think clears up all you need to know about savvy’s and their metaphorical significance:
Momma said that lots and lots of ordinary folk have a savvy, but most simply don’t recognize it for what it is. “Some people know they feel different, Mibs,” Momma told me. “But most don’t know quite what makes them that way. One person might make strawberry jam so good that no one can get enough of it. Another might know just the right time to plant corn so it’s juicy and sweet as sugar on the hottest day of the summer.” Momma had laughed then, and I wasn’t too sure if she was telling me the truth or pulling my leg. “There are even folks who never get splashed by mud after a rainstorm or bit by a single mosquito in the summertime.”
But as I grew up, I began to understand that a savvy is just a know-how of a different sort. Some people get called whiz kid or prodigy because they can do puzzles or play music better than anyone’s supposed to, or they can recite the numbers of pi, 3.141592653… on and on for hours without a hitch. There are those who can run fast and win medals, and others who can talk anyone into buying anything at all. Those things are all just a special kind of know-how.
Ingrid Law’s savvy is writing books better than most of us. There are tons of points I want to make about Law’s craft, but as I see we are already halfway done, I’m going to limit myself to just three. The first is that she is every bit as much a master of the set up/pay off as Bob Gale or J.K. Rowling. Bob Gale, for those of you who don’t know, wrote the Back to the Future movies with director Robert Zemeckis.
Almost everything in the first half of a Back to the Future movie is dropping in bits of seemingly unrelated information, such as a flier for the town’s clock tower having been struck by lightning years ago, that pay off huge in the second half. As for Rowling, she spent two novels introducing us to Scabbers the friendly rat only to reveal a huge pay off in the third Harry Potter novel that is perhaps the most amazing and unexpected twist I have ever read in any book.
In the first chapter of Savvy, Law drops in a bit of info about Mibs's little brother Samson and his pet turtle. No one has the heart to tell Samson his turtle is dead and they let him go on feeding it. This is sort of humorous (if you’re not the turtle, that is) and it characterizes Samson nicely, and that’s all there is to it… for a time. Law goes on to tell us about other interesting things and to introduce other characters.
Just before Mississippi’s, or Mibs’, thirteenth birthday she is told how: Poppa’s car had gotten crushed up bad, like a pop can under a cowboy boot, and how he’d gone and forgotten to get out before it happened, landing himself in a room and a bed at Salina Hope Hospital, where now he lay broken and asleep, not able to wake up. Therefore, Mibs’s birthday is to be held at the church, which could be a disaster as Mibs has no idea what her savvy will turn out to be. It could be dangerous, and whatever it will be, she doesn’t want it to be public knowledge.
The morning of her birthday, Mibs discovers Samson’s turtle is moving again. Could it be her savvy is the power to raise the dead and/or comatose? I’m not going to tell you if she’s right or not as it would spoil the story, but in any case, Mibs hides in the back of a Bible salesman’s bus with friends and they set out for Salina Hope Hospital so Mibs can wake up Poppa.
Now Law could have waited to tell us that Samson’s turtle has been comatose the morning its awake, but it wouldn’t have the same impact if she had. It’s better when the reader knows something and then is surprised with new information in a set up/pay off. Some characters have tattoes, which seems like mear characterization until… but I’ve promised not to spoil. Still, it is fascinating to see how Law is able to establish a villain over several chapters before she is actually physically introduced to the story through a method I would again have to spoil the book to reveal.
My second point, or observation, is that Savvy is a prime example of how to successfully discuss religion in a mainstream story intended for readers of all different faiths (or lack thereof), without marking the book as “religious.” There is nothing more irritating than a story that serves only as a vehicle for some important “message,” which is a problem that plagues much religious fiction. I’m looking at you, Left Behind. People who agree with the important message may love the book, but the writer is risking alienating readers who do not agree and were hoping for just a good story, not a sermon.
For a non-religious example of irritating, on-point writing that creates a hollow shell of a story that serves only to reinforce a particular philosophy, see the collected works of Ayn Rand, which focus on a message so misguided surely no one could take it seriously as to do so could lead to financial policies that wreck the economy and create a small number of elites with such great wealth and influence they could purchase our democracy and subvert our government. Wait, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan was an objectivist and devotee of Ayn Rand the entire time he was making major economic decisions? Dang it! You’ve won this round, Rand!
Unlike the dreadful Ayn Rand, the wonderful Ingrid Law does not preach. Many writers simply avoid the subject of religion altogether in middle grade fiction, which is fine. But the Ninja lives in the Bible Belt and grew up in youth group and knows that a majority of Americans come from a somewhat similar background. And for people in general, religious beliefs and religious activities (whatever they may be) play such a huge role in day to day life that to leave them out of fiction would be to leave out a huge part of who human beings are at this time in our history.
Law introduces religion into her novel only as a means of characterization. Savvy isn’t a religious story, but rather a story that contains some religion—and to be fair, could serve as a religious metaphor, but only if the reader so chooses to interpret it in that way. Characters go to church, they pray, and they even ride around in a Bible bus, but it is not imperative that the reader do any of these things to relate to them. Here is a excerpt revealing some of Mibs thoughts on God that convey a sentiment I believe most atheists could relate to:
“…Don’t you worry, Mibs, I have connections.” Miss Rosemary pointed one finger up to the ceiling, though I guessed she was really pointing up toward heaven. Apparently, she was going to get God to help her plan my party. I figured God had much, much better things to do, like keeping people from starving to death or from killing each other, or helping my poppa, and so I hoped He’d just stay out of it.
And that’s it, Esteemed Reader. Be sure to check back on Thursday when Ingrid Law will be here to face the 7 Questions and on Saturday when we’ll have a surprise literary agent. What’s that? Oh, I promised three points and I only made two? But this review is already so long and I wasted so much time with that Ayn Rand stuff. Okay, fine.
My third point, or observation, is that Law also has a savvy for writing great descriptions. She reaches far and beyond to find similes that are fresh and interesting without ever laboring them and she does this as a finishing touch after crafting an excellent story that hooks the reader from start to finish. I’ll leave you with some of my favorites:
Rain pelted us like gravel thrown by a playground bully...
The itty-bitty town of Bee, Nebraska, was just about the size of a yellow striped bumbler; it could buzz right by you if you blinked too slow.
...a grinning giggle spread through the ranks, turning into a gut-busting crackup as the day's tension released like waves hitting shore.
I felt as though someone had punched me in the stomach and pulled out all my bones, turning me into a queasy, useless blob of Jell-O.
(when Mibs is faced with a boy who wants to do some snogging--MGN) Will looked back at me, startled, and I kept my heart muscle strong, feeling something inside me shiver like a pale green flower shoot just waking up for spring. But whatever that thing was, it was still too new to feel ready to bloom; it wanted time to send down roots. Someday soon I was going to bloom like crazy, and then I'd have what I needed to keep me standing tall.
STANDARD DISCLAIMER: Book
of the Week is simply the best book I happened to read in a given week.
There are likely other books as good or better that I just didn’t happen
to read that week. Also, all reviews here will be written to highlight a
book’s positive qualities. It is my policy that if I don’t have
something nice to say online, I won’t say anything at all (usually).
I’ll leave you to discover the negative qualities of each week’s book on
your own.
Daniel Lazar, the oldest of six children, is originally from Israel. He grew up in Baltimore where his mother took him and his sisters to the library every week, which undoubtedly fed his passion for books. He then moved to New York for school where he landed an internship at Writers House. The highlight of his internship was reading slush on Al Zuckerman's couch, and before long, he found himself with a full time job. He's now been with Writers House for over eight years and is always on the lookout for fiction and non-fiction that that grabs him and won't let go. His clients include: Tiffany Baker, Oscar Bennett, Doug Brown, Pat Carlin, Joel Chasnoff, Tish Cohen, Janine Driver, Anne Fortier, Anna Hays, Denise Joyce, Martin Kihn, Evan Kuhlman, Ingrid Law, Chris Lincoln, Betty Londergan, Matt Mason, Jennifer McMahon, Theo Pauline Nestor, Matt Rothschild, Kari Anne Roy, Rachel Renee Russel, Scott Seegert, Bob Sullivan,Candy Tan, Nancy Watkins, Sarah Wendell. And now Daniel Lazar faces the 7 Questions: Question Seven: What are your top three favorite books? I'm sure, like everyone who loves books, I find this question hard to answer responsibly. So I'm cheating. I'm listing a bunch of the kids titles (since it's a middle grade blog) that I see on my bookshelf right now, which I have very fond memories reading many times: THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE by Avi, THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH by Norman Juster and JUNIE B. JONES by Barbara Park, which I was still reading along with my little siblings well into high school. On that same shelf, I see some adult titles like THE SHINING by Stephen King, THE OBSERVATIONS by Jane Harris and I'm about to place THE GLASS ROOM by Simon Mawer on there too. Question Six: What are your top three favorite movies and television shows? Right now, the shows I'm watching religiously are MODERN FAMILY, THE WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW, CHELSEA LATELY and reruns of CHEERS and FAMILY GUY. (Oops, that's 5. I watch a lot of TV!) I also recently saw TOY STORY 3 which just made me gosh-darn glad to be alive; INCEPTION, which blew my mind; and THE SECRETS IN THEIR EYES, which was a great and passionate puzzle of a story, and also some of the most interesting visuals I've seen in ages. Question Five: What are the qualities of your ideal client? Hmm. Tricky question! I think the most valuable client is one who constantly surprises me with every new book they write, and yet still somehow delivers something familiar in those pages that reminds me of why I fell in love in the first place. My client Tish Cohen's novels (ZOE LAMA middle grade series, and her YA novel LITTLE BLACK LIES) always do this. Question Four: What sort of project(s) would you most like to receive a query for? In terms of kids books, I'm really open to anything so long as the writer is excited to be sending it. From the serious (see my client Ann Leal's ALSO KNOWN AS HARPER) to the very funny and out-there (see HOW TO GROW UP AND RULE THE WORLD by Vodak The Incomprensible or BRAINS FOR LUNCH by K.A. Holt), it's all welcome. I also love graphic novels, such as my books THE POPULARITY PAPERS, DORK DIARIES and MEANWHILE-- graphic books find a wider audience more easily with kids (no surprise, kids are smarter!) so I'd love to find more talent in that world. In terms of query letters, I prefer to read a letter and the first 5 pages pasted into the email. Hardcopy or email are both fine. Email is usually a bit faster. And you can see more here: http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/DanielLazar/ Question Three: What is your favorite thing about being an agent? What is your least favorite thing? Well there's the ever-wonderful moments: getting an offer for a client, getting a wonderful review, getting great sales figures. I do have one very beloved memory: When my client Ingrid Law was touring for her debut SAVVY, I had the chance to see her doing an event in a Boston classroom. By then, I had read the book (between the various manuscript drafts, galley and finished copy) several times. And watching those kids raise their hands and asking simple questions that, my goodness, had never even occurred to me! -- that was a tremendous thrill. Seeing them discover a great book all on their own, interacting with the story and meeting those characters, just like I did (and without any of the commercial or business considerations that always have to creep into my reading) -- that is one of my most favorite things about being an agent who is lucky enough to work on kids books. Least favorite... well, I think the hardest thing these days is when one of the major bookseller accounts just decides to "pass" on a new title. Flat out decides not to carry it at all. I understand the economics of it, and I also understand that not every book can earn that premium Front of Store table. (And in terms of indie stores, I understand space is limited; I'm talking more about the big mega stores.) But to not even have a copy in the store, even for just a few weeks, that a customer might discover? Or that a bookseller might happen upon later and decide to promote eventually on their own? Hey, where there's life, there's hope, and even in this situation it's not impossible for a book to find its audience. But I do find this circumstance incredibly demoralizing. Question Two: What one bit of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring writer? (feel free to include as many other bits of wisdom as you like) Resist the temptation to finish your manuscript, raise a glass of champagne, and hit "Send." Force yourself to close the document. File it away in your computer or put it in the back of your closet under the old jeans, and don't look at it for 2 weeks minimum. As the World's Most Impatient Guy, I know how very hard this can be, but I find that some time away from a project always sheds new light on what more can be improved. Don't send that manuscript out until you're so sick of looking at it, you'd rather give away one of your children than bear the prospect of changing even a comma. My client Evan Kuhlman (THE LAST INVISBLE BOY-- a brilliant novel) once emailed me and said, "I just finished my next manuscript. I'll send it to you in 3 weeks." I found this very prudent! And my next bit of wisdom is, keep that champagne chilled. So when some pesky agent or editor calls you and says, "Hi, so, this needs work, is that ok?" you'' resist the temptation to just hang up. You'll have a stiff drink at the ready... Also, try to find another jumpstart to your story's adventure besides "Kid Sent to Aunt Martha for the Summer" or "Kid Moves to New School." I'm not saying this can't work; Ingrid Law's SCUMBLE is a wonderful example that works. But I am saying the competition is fierce!
Question One: If you could have lunch with any writer, living or dead, who would it be? Why?
How about... Mark Twain! I imagine that would have been a really fun time.
and Scumble
. 
