Shelf Awareness--Interview with Lauren Mansy

Lauren Mansy is from the Chicago area, where she grew up helping her parents in their family business. She's spent years working with youth, from young children to high schoolers, and when she's not writing, she loves staying active outdoors, exploring the city to find the best deep-dish pizza and spending time with her family. Her debut novel, The Memory Thief (Blink, October 2019), was inspired by her own journey with her mother, who was a survivor when all hope seemed lost.

What inspired you to write this fantasy about a society in which memories are treated as currency?

When I was around Etta's age, my mom was diagnosed with a heart condition, which led to an unexpected open-heart surgery. Due to the trauma my mom experienced, the doctors warned my family that if she survived, she might not remember us when she woke. I was sitting at her bedside when she first began to stir, and she squeezed my hand three times, our signal that meant I love you. I knew that my mom was coming back to me, and it was a moment I'll never forget!

After facing the possibility of losing my mom, I was struck by how our memories make up so much of our identity and the vital role they play in our relationships with others. I wondered, "What if there was a world where memories could be transferred from mind to mind... and what kind of people would exist in a society like that?" I'm so thankful to say that my mom made a full recovery, but it was during those moments of uncertainty that the seeds for this book were planted.

Witnessing my mom's unwavering courage throughout her recovery process inspired me to write a story to honor her, and placing this book in her hands for the first time is one of my favorite memories!

In your story, many people buy, sell and trade memories--and talents--instead of experiencing life for themselves. Is this symbolic of anything you see happening in our world today?

Throughout the story, Etta questions her own identity and how to find her true self in a world where it only takes one touch for someone else's memories to seep into your mind. For many in Etta's society, they often sell painful memories to avoid heartache or buy talents to avoid hardship, and they no longer value individuality and creativity. Instead of living both the joys and the trials of life together, they're isolated and disconnected from one another. Most are essentially choosing to live someone else's life instead of cherishing their own uniqueness and living in harmony with those around them.

Perhaps we face some of the same challenges in our society. I think there are quite a few things in our world today that allow us to "live" someone else's life--movies, television, the Internet, etc. Though these can be wonderful tools for expanding our minds, we also face the temptation of living an "imitation" of life instead of experiencing real life. We, much like those in Etta's world, have countless opportunities at our fingertips to gain new experiences.

It's interesting that the hero, Etta, and the villain, Madame, are both women. Was this a conscious decision? If so, why?

When I first began writing this story, Etta and Madame were characters who appeared very clearly in my mind. For Etta, Madame is like a mirror. She represents a lot of who Etta could end up becoming, depending on which choices she makes on this journey. Madame never intended to become a villain, and in her opinion, she's still very much a hero. Etta, on the other hand, has a lot of regrets. She doesn't believe she can ever do much good in this world. They're two women who are vastly different and yet they impact one another in ways neither of them could've predicted.

Forgiveness features prominently in the novel. Why was it important to you that Etta be a flawed--rather than a perfect--character?

Etta is definitely guilt-ridden, has made costly mistakes and has lost hope that things can ever be made right. But she's also a character who believes a lot of lies about herself and the world around her. She doesn't think she deserves forgiveness, let alone to forgive herself.

While on her journey to save her mother, Etta is forced to confront the things and the people she's been running from, and she'll stop at nothing to protect her loved ones. I think there's a lot of courage in fighting for something you believe in, even when it scares you. It's during these moments of heartache that Etta begins to question if she's believed the wrong definition of strength. For years, her comatose mother hasn't spoken a word, but she's far surpassed any expectations placed upon her and has shown Etta the importance of never giving up.

Etta is slowly learning that true strength is so powerful that even the worst mistakes of the past can never extinguish it.

This story has so many fun twists and turns. Did you know exactly where you were going when you began? Can you take us through a bit of your process in writing it?

That's kind of you to say! I tried to keep an open mind while writing The Memory Thief. Though the story evolved throughout the revision process, many of the major plot points remained the same. I absolutely love revising, and I kept journals detailing the process and changes--it's been fun to look back and remember the various paths that this story has taken.

When I first began writing, there were fears, doubts and worries that I hadn't yet figured out how to voice out loud when faced with losing my mom. On the cover of The Memory Thief, there's a lock, which is symbolic of Etta's journal. She uses a journal to keep track of her own memories, so in a way, this book is like one big journal entry for her. It often feels like one for me, as well. Through telling Etta's story, I began to better understand my own.

Shelf Awareness--The Memory Thief

YA Review: The Memory Thief

The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy (Blink, 368p., 9780310767657, October 1, 2019)

Lauren Mansy's debut novel, The Memory Thief, is a compelling, darkly fantastic tale, in which memories serve as commodities to be stolen, bartered or auctioned to the highest bidder.

In Craewick, one of four allied realms, Gifted citizens have "the ability to read another's mind simply by touching them." The Gifted can take ownership of these thoughts and experience "whatever joys" are to be had in the recollections of others--frequently to the point that they are so "stuffed full of rare talents and thrilling memories" that they lose themselves. Meanwhile, the Ungifted, who bring wealth to the region by toiling as "seamstresses, carpenters, blacksmiths, and farmers," regularly have to resort to bartering their few "desirable memories" to pay the rent on their "tiny shacks."

When 17-year-old Julietta Lark finds an envelope on her door, she fears the worst. Her mother lies in a coma at the asylum. Even though Etta has made a deal with Madame, the realm's power-hungry ruler, to ensure her mother would "have a place at the asylum till she woke," Etta fears the letter means that the place is full again, and Madame's Minders have drawn "slips of paper to choose a patient to kick out." Before being removed from the asylum, her mother's brain--on Madam's orders--will be mined for memories, and Etta will be allowed to keep whichever of them she chooses. With her mother as weak as she is, "the energy of having her mind read will kill her.”

When Etta finally opens the envelope, she finds it's even worse: rather than the painless death of being read, the notice announces her mother's impending auction. Many years ago, Madame set up an auction block where the memories of people she deems criminals are sold to the highest Gifted bidder. Auction Day is popular, since Madame's tight grip on her realm ensures that, for most people, "the only hope of gaining new memories is up on that auction block." Auctions bring the promise of an "agonizing" death and strangers will likely buy "her [mother's] entire life and part of [Etta's], as well."

Ryder, the 12-year-old orphan whom Etta took in four years ago, urges Etta to go to the Shadows, a revolutionary group who use their Gifts "to undermine everything Madame stands for." Ryder is convinced they'll save Etta's mother because "they help people who can't help themselves." But Etta knows what Ryder does not: Bray, the leader of this resistance group, would love to get his hands on "the memory thief who backstabbed the Shadows to pay for that asylum bed in the first place"--Etta gave up the location of the former head of the Shadows, Greer, to save her mother.

Etta ultimately decides that she must try to strike a deal with Bray, "the one person who's powerful enough to slip in and out of the asylum, get [her] mother out of Craewick, and keep [them] hidden." When Etta arrives home, Bray is there; he slips a dark hood over her head and welcomes her "back to the Shadows."

She wakes in a prison cell in the Mines, a fortress where "the best thieves in the Realms live, trade, and vanish right out from under Madame's watchful eye." Etta insists that Madame was going to kill her mother if she didn't betray Greer; Bray's "deep, bitter rage rolls off him" as he informs her that when Madame came for Greer, she killed Bray's brother and another young Shadow. She sent Greer to the Maze, a prison "invented by" Porter, the "ironfisted," supremely Gifted "madman" who rules of the neighboring realm of Aravid. There, prisoners are either killed or driven insane.

Bray knows Etta is the only one who can get Greer out: her unique Gift makes her unreadable to other Gifteds, meaning no one will be able to steal the plan from her mind. To get to Greer, she must acquire the key to the Maze: a map that exists only in Porter's thoughts. Bray assures Etta that if she doesn't agree to travel to Aravid and steal Porter's key, he'll drag her back to Craewick to "watch [her] mother die." To protect the interests of the Shadows, Bray forces Etta to travel with Reid, a powerful mind-reader and fighter who will ensure Etta's safety and keep an eye on her. As their chance of survival--not to mention success--rapidly decreases, Etta and Reid's mutual distrust turns into attraction.

Etta is a flawed character who has made mistakes, giving her depth and dimension and allowing the novel's strong message of forgiveness to ring true. Though Mansy builds an expansive fantasy world all her own, her tale uses dystopian motifs to great success, such as the corrosive effects of an overabundance of power falling into the wrong hands and her stern commentary on the divide between the haves and have-nots. Readers, like Etta and her fellow citizens, will be challenged to contemplate the nature of truth, considering the unique role that memories play in the Realms. Mansy also delivers a fine romance, made all the more gratifying by the difficulties sustained along the way. A welcome addition to the YA fantasy canon, The Memory Thief is a suspenseful page-turner, delightfully chock full of unexpected twists and turns. --Lynn Becker.

July Recommendations

Novels:

THE BOOK OF BOY, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, is the story of a boy—a hunchback-- who can talk to animals. When he catches the eye of a passing pilgrim, he’s taken along to carry the pilgrim's sack and the holy relics that are intended to fill it. Although Boy fears his new master Secundus is dangerous, the two of them travel together to Rome, collecting relics in dubious fashion, each hoping to be granted a miracle when they reach the tomb of Saint Peter. Boy and Secondus make for a compelling literary duo, in this Newbery Honor book that's an entertaining and ultimately moving look at life in the Middle Ages, when plague was rampant and relics—real and fake—were prized by all. (MG)

In THE THINGS SHE’S SEEN, by Australian Aboriginal storytellers Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina, Beth Teller’s been in an accident. She died, but she’s not ready to move on. At least not yet, when her police investigator dad misses her so much, and Beth's thinks that a new case may help get him unstuck from the muddy swamp of his grief. But it’s a brutal murder in a small town just like the one he grew up in—chock full of nasty secrets, and now they're threatening to surface. Beth’s narration is interspersed with that of Catching, an orphan girl involved in the gruesome goings on, whose got a devastating—yet magical—story of her own to tell. This is a quick and thrilling YA.

Easy Reader:

BRUCE’S BIG FUN DAY, by Ryan T. Higgens, is a Level 1 easy reader, starring the one and only Mother Bruce of picture book fame. Bruce is grumpy, but his friend Nibs is determined to cheer up the determinedly bad-tempered bear with a BIG FUN DAY. Unfortunately, BIG FUN DAYS make Bruce grumpy. The hijinks that follow will provide the utmost satisfaction to new readers.

Picture Books:

Did you ever wonder where the images on road signs go when the sun is down and it’s time to play? In SIGN OFF, by Stephen Savage, the mystery is solved, as the figures of children, animals, and machines all leave their brightly colored perches to enjoy a taste of freedom and perform a very important task. Brightly colored art brings this wordless fantasy to life for readers young and old!

SONNY’S BRIDGE, by Barry Wittenstein, illustrated by Keith Mallett, employs an energetic, rhythmic text to spin the story of jazz legend Sonny Rollins, focusing on his decision to step away at the height of success, to play in "a place no one goes,” up on the Williamsburg Bridge, “where he can make notes cry and squeak, beg and plead,/ bend ‘em up, bend ‘em sideways.” The digital illustrations use vibrant colors and dynamic layouts to mesmerize.

Board Book:

BABY LOVES STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, by Ruth Spiro, illustrated by Irene Chan, is a board book that aims to introduce advanced concepts to an extremely young audience. And it actually succeeds. Using mostly simple terms, Spiro equates engineering structures, like houses, to a baby playing with Duplo-like building blocks. The illustrations are as simple and as detailed as they need to be. It’s surprisingly satisfying.

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--Shatter the Sky

YA Review: Shatter the Sky

Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells (Simon & Schuster, 304p., ages 13-up, 9781534437906, July 30, 2019)

Back before the Empire, when the Verran people settled Ilvera, they bonded with native dragons, "creating a society neither human nor dragon, but somewhere in-between." Then the emperor, the Flame of the West, invaded, stealing all of the dragons, "tearing out the mountain's beating heart" and sweeping a reluctant Ilvera into the Empire. Generations later, Maren loves her life on the "dragon mountain" in Ilvera, but her girlfriend, Kaia, is eager for the pair to travel "downmountain" and explore. Kaia dreams that they'll meet the "the Flame of the West himself" and be given dragons. Maren knows that "the tyrant" will "never grant a dragon to a girl from Ilvera," but Kaia is determined, so Maren will go, "even if it cost[s her] the mountain."

But when the emperor's Aurati seers arrive on their customary pilgrimage, "doling out prophecies and counting up the emperor's subjects," they abruptly steal Kaia away. Knowing that "no one taken ha[s] ever returned," Maren comes up with "an impossible idea": she'll find a dragon that has not yet formed its unbreakable bond with anyone else, and storm the Aurati stronghold to get Kaia back. Dragon kits are housed in the emperor's fortress, but Verrans aren't welcome. Maren disguises herself in Zefedi clothing and manipulates her way into a job as food taster, then quickly talks her way up to an apprenticeship with the Aromatory, "the only person who knows the tools and procedures for training the dragons."

Maren watches for an opportunity to steal one of the dragons, hoarding small quantities of oils that are essential for creating a lasting bond. One day she hears "a cacophony of notes... at once unfocused and bell-like" and she realizes it's the sound of dragons singing. She also begins to understand that the vivid, confusing visions she's been having may be "dragon dreams." When she envisions Kaia--thinner, paler and "in danger"--Maren knows it's time to act. She fails miserably. Forced to escape, she finds unexpected help from Sev, a handsome young Zefedi who is also interested in dragons, and the two find themselves on the run together with a stolen dragon egg about to hatch.

Rebecca Kim Wells has crafted a top-notch dragon story. Her fantasy world-building is excellent, the plot anchored by a strong young woman who feels both nuanced and real. Maren struggles with difficult questions in ways readers will understand: Why, if she's in love with Kaia, does she dream of Sev? Is it enough to just save Kaia, or is it time to take down the emperor as well? If so, who will be installed in his place? Is there really a shadow prince conspiring to rule? The story builds momentum until its breathtaking finish, concluding the episode while leaving larger issues unresolved and ready to be picked up in the second installment of this promised duology. --Lynn Becker, blogger and host of Book Talk, a monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI.

Shelf Talker: In this YA fantasy debut, Mara infiltrates the emperor's fortress to bond with a dragon in order to rescue her kidnapped girlfriend.

July's Book of the Month--They Say Blue

July’s Book of the Month is the 2019 Boton Globe/Horn Book Fiction Award winner, THEY SAY BLUE, by Jillian Tamaki.

“They say blue is the color of the sky," but “they say the sea is blue, too.” Unless it’s clear as glass, like when the young narrator of this picture book cups some in her hands. She wonders whether a blue whale is blue, because she’s never seen one. From there, her thoughts meander to the orange yolk of an egg she holds in her hand, and the red of her blood as it races through her body when she runs. And the golden ocean of a field of grass, which she might be able to sail upon if she builds a boat that doesn’t weigh too much. Gray storm clouds, a purple budding flower, the green of sprouted leaves. Summer means staying quiet and listening, fall means brown leaves to wiggle her toes in, and winter is “all white, up and down.” Black is the color of her hair, which her mother “parts every morning, like opening a window.” And the black crows, too, those “tiny inkblots on a sea of sky."

THEY SAY BLUE is a gorgeous meditation on color and seasons and ways of looking at things differently. It’s full of wonder and creative energy. The illustrations, by Caldecott Honor winner Tamaki are alive and vibrant and always in motion, as is her text.

--Lynn

Karen Jameson Interview and Giveaway!

I’m thrilled to introduce my good friend and critique partner, Karen Jameson, whose debut picture book, MOON BABIES, celebrates its book birthday today! Karen has graciously answered my questions about how her book came to be, and what’s next for her. She’s also provided a recipe for moon cookies. And, if you leave a comment below by July 10th, you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a signed hardcover copy of MOON BABIES, written by Karen and illustrated by Amy Hevron!

Karen, how did you get the idea for this sweet and clever bedtime story?

I hadn’t yet had my coffee one morning, when a full page newspaper ad stopped me cold. Moon Valley Nursery was splashed across the page, with their logo of an adorable moon. At first glance, my sleepy brain bypassed the obvious - plant nursery- and jumped right to baby nursery. A moon baby nursery! For months, I’d been trying to come up with a fresh angle for a bedtime book and this was it!

Did you get it right the first time or did you have to revise? If you revised, can you tell us how many drafts you needed?

I did not get it right the first time or the tenth time or the nth time! Ha! I did so many revisions that I lost count. But, I knew that the concept was good and that kept me plugging away.

Judging by the art, your text really “spoke” to your illustrator, Amy Hevron. Are the moon babies in the book similar to how you pictured them?

It’s common advice to leave the art to the experts, namely the illustrator, art director and editor. So, I didn’t give it too much thought initially. It was surprising to me, when editors were quick to ask, “What do moon babies look like?” I didn’t have any idea, but Amy Hevron sure did! I was absolutely smitten with her darling moon babies from the start. Amy’s dreamy color palette and acrylic-on-board technique, blend seamlessly to create a charming moon nursery.

You were an elementary teacher for more than 30 years. Did you do any other writing before you sold this story?

Apart from the little poems and such that I wrote for my family, I dabbled in some grant writing at school. In April 2013, I was lucky enough to attend Alexis O’Neill’s UCLA Extension class on magazine writing for children. That course led to the publication of my first nonfiction science articles in ASK and AppleSeeds magazines.

Are there any future projects in the works?

I’m delighted to say that I have a few picture books in the queue! WOODLAND DREAMS (2020) and FARM LULLABY (2021) are coming out from Chronicle Books. More are on the way!

Author Bio

Karen is the author of the lyrical picture books MOON BABIES (Putnam, 2019), WOODLAND DREAMS (Chronicle, 2020), and FARM LULLABY (Chronicle, 2021). More stories are in the works! She was awarded the 2016 Sue Alexander Grant for the Working Writers Retreat (SCBWI LA) for her rhyming picture book, WOODLAND DREAMS. A retired teacher and active member of SCBWI, she holds a master’s degree in education. Lover of books, wildflowers, farmers’ markets and everything chocolate, Karen lives and works in sunny, Southern California. You can visit her website at karenljameson.com.

Crescent Moon Cookies

Makes 2 ½ dozen out-of-this-world cookies!

1 cup softened butter

½ cup powdered sugar (plus extra for dipping)

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon water

1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the water and vanilla. Gradually add in the flour on low speed.

3. Stir in the chopped nuts.

4. Shape heaping spoonfuls of the dough into 2-inch crescents and place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.

5. Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden on the bottom. Cool on baking sheets for 2-3 minutes, then roll warm cookies in powdered sugar. Place cookies on wire racks to cool completely.