Book Birthday Blog with Patrick Flores-Scott

 

 

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

 

Congratulations to Patrick Flores-Scott on the release of No Going Back

 

Please share a little about this book's journey. How did you come up with the idea?

I grew up in a small town very close to a youth prison. I remember summer sleep-outs and scaring each other with stories we’d make up about kids escaping the prison and going on a rampage. Looking back, our take on these kids was pretty dehumanizing. After college I worked for a short time as a drama teacher in that same prison. And then did an author event there. I also did presentations in a psych ward in a hospital where my father-in-law worked. Through these experiences, I began to wonder about the real lives impacted by incarceration. What societal forces bring people to prisons? How does that time inside impact their lives, and the lives of their families? What happens when they get out? Inside prison, every aspect of an incarcerated person’s life is controlled. There are very few choices to make inside. And one of the primary lessons taught in prison is to not trust anyone. How does that experience translate to real life when they are released? I don’t think No Going Back answers those questions. But the process of writing the book was an exploration of those questions. There are literally, sadly, millions of real stories of prison experiences out there right now in this country. No Going Back is just one broad, fictional, allegory that I hope leads to more questions and conversations about youth incarceration.  

What was the most difficult part of writing the book? 

Originally, I tried to write the book entirely in verse. I couldn’t quite figure out how to match the tone of Antonio’s backstory with the genre-ish, ticking-clock of Antonio’s post-prison present. There were a lot of dead ends. At one point, I bailed on the verse altogether and told people I was working on a “self-help novel” in which Antonio told his story as a cautionary tale, with advice for others so they wouldn’t end up in the situation he was in. It was fun to write, but in the end, it was one of several attempts that just didn’t work. Years into it, my agent, Steven Chudney, rescued me from my lost walk in the desert, and got me to write a hundred pages of straight prose with simple backstory poems. That’s the version that ended up selling. The book was a long time in coming, but I know that there is no way I would have ended up with what I have now without all the writing twists and turns and dead ends and restarts. 

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book? 

First off, I just hope readers can hop on and ride the roller-coaster of Antonio’s first (and last?) weekend out of prison. And for a little while after the read, I hope they walk around with the questions the book brings up about forgiveness, amends, restitution, family, justice… 

Where can we find the book? 

The book can be ordered via any indie bookstore and all the online platforms. And check out the audiobook recorded by the amazing, Ramon de Ocampo. 

(audio snippet: https://soundcloud.com/search?q=no%20going%20back%20patrick%20flores-scott) 

What's next for you? 

I went back to college at the age of 53. I’m in my second semester at Eastern Michigan University getting my MA in creative writing. So, what’s immediately next is a lot of reading, some experimental prose writing, and a research paper in my Young Adult Literature Class. I’m also working a couple graduate assistantships with the literary journal and the writing center.
 
Beyond that, I’m wrestling with a near future dystopian novel, in which fascism has taken root in individual states in the U.S. Inside of one of those fascist states, a group of improv drama kids become a resistance cell when they free political prisoners from a secret detention center in their town. It’s tentatively titled, Love in the Underground.

More about the book . . . 

It’s a Friday afternoon. After a year-and-a-half in prison for setting up his friend, Gary Jr., to rob his drug-dealer dad’s boss, Antonio is being released on parole. He is ready to start life over, dedicated to the 12-step process, and yearning to make amends to his mom, Carmen, and his lifelong best friend and crush, Maya Jordan. 

Antonio’s immediate plan is to lay low for the weekend, prepare for his Monday morning meeting at school with his Counselor and parole officer, and not break any terms of his parole…Antonio must stay sober, must attend school, may not have contact with his father…

The plan goes awry when Gary Jr. contacts Antonio, telling him that he buried the money right after the robbery. Now that Antonio is out, it’s time to dig it up and split it. And his chaos-agent father shows up with the warning that his boss is coming after Antonio for the money.
 
Over the course of the weekend, Antonio must break his terms of parole in order to fix the problems that prison could not. Will Antonio be sent back to prison?

Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books, Little Brown Books for Young Readers/Hachette 

 

More about the author . . . 

Patrick is a former public school teacher from the Seattle area. His 2013 book, Jumped In, was a YALSA BFYA pick, a Bank Street Best Book, won the Washington State Book Award, and was an Amelia Walden Award Finalist. American Road Trip (2018), was a BFYA pick, a Banks Street Best Book, and made the Printz Award long list. Patrick lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with his wonderful family and two cute, quirky dogs. 

http://patrickfloresscott.com/index.html 

 

 

BookSmitten Podcast Enters Season Two

We’re excited for the new season of BookSmitten, the podcast dedicated to children’s books. BookSmitten is hosted by four Michigan SCBWI authors: Kelly J. Baptist, Jack Cheng, Patrick Flores-Scott, and Heather Shumaker. We see a hopeful, human world through children’s literature, and hope you’ll join us.

This season: We’re writing picture books!

We’ve launched the Picture Book Challenge. Listeners can learn along with us as we uncover the craft of picture book writing. As novelists, we’re used to writing much longer works. There’s so much to learn about what actually goes in to writing a child-worthy picture book. We hope you’ll take the #booksmittenchallenge and create your own publishable picture book.

It’s quite a challenge for a novelist to distill a story idea into a picture book. It’s all new territory for us. We’re primarily Middle Grade and YA authors, and only Kelly has published a picture book before. To help us out, we’ve invited some wonderful guests to join the show. Guests like:

          Shutta Crum, author

          Darnell Johnson, illustrator

          Yuyi Morales, author and illustrator

          Betsy Bird, from Fuse 8 ‘N Kate, all-star children’s librarian

          Lisa Wheeler, author (check out her episode on rhyme)

       

We’re using Ann Whitford Paul’s book “Writing Picture Books” to guide us through the process, and even brought Ann on the show to give us extra insights.

Whatever kind of books your write, you can find fun, friendship, and fellowship here with the BookSmitten crew as we learn together and push our creative boundaries.  

We hope you’ll join us! Or if picture books aren’t your focus, delve into past episodes where we cover a wide range of children’s book topics, including BookSmitten interviews with YA authors Angeline Boulley and Paula Yoo.

 

Interested? Check out the 5-minute Season 2 teaser.

We hope you become BookSmitten! Listen through Apple podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google, or Overcast. Find out more at booksmitten.us. Add a review! Or write to us with ideas for new episodes you’d love to hear hello@booksmitten.us.

BookSmitten is on Twitter @booksmittenpod. You can use the tag #booksmittenchallenge this season.

Podcast webpage:  https://booksmitten.us/

 

Bios

Kelly J. Baptist hails from Berrien Springs, MI. She’s the author of three Middle Grade books ISAIAH DUNN IS MY HERO, ISAIAH DUNN SAVES THE DAY, and THE SWAG IS IN THE SOCKS, plus the picture book THE ELECTRIC SLIDE AND KAI. Kelly is also the author of a short story in the Middle Grade collection FLYING LESSONS AND OTHER STORIES.

Jack Cheng lives in Detroit, MI. He’s the author of the Golden Kite award-winning Middle Grade novel SEE YOU IN THE COSMOS and THE MANY MASKS OF ANDY ZHOU, forthcoming in June 2023.

Patrick Flores-Scott is from Ann Arbor, MI. Patrick is the author of two Young Adult novels: JUMPED IN and AMERICAN ROAD TRIP.

Heather Shumaker lives in Traverse City, MI. She’s the author of three books for adults, plus the Middle Grade adventure THE GRIFFINS OF CASTLE CARY.

BookSmitten Producers: 

Josie and Corey Schneider, Kansas City, MO

Music by Duck, Duck Chicken

 

 

Interview with Novel Mentor, Patrick Flores-Scott

SCBWI-MI is holding two novel mentorships this year. The mentors are Patrick Flores-Scott and Kelly J. Baptist. Today, we have an interview with Patrick. Please come back on April 15 for an interview with Kelly. Everything you need to know about these mentorships can be found on the mentorship page of the SCBWI-MI website. The submission window for both mentorships opens on April 25, 2022.

 

Patrick Flores-Scott was a long-time public school teacher in Seattle, Washington. He’s now a reading tutor and early morning writer in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Patrick’s first novel, Jumped In, was named to the 2014 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults list, a Walden Award finalist, a Washington Book Award winner, an NCSS/CBC Notable Book for the Social Studies, and a Bank Street College Best Books of 2014. His second novel, American Road Trip, ​received multiple starred reviews and is a 2019 Best Fiction for Young Adults pick, and a TAYSHAS Texas reading list selection

1) What do you like best about writing novels?

 

That moment of inspiration where a fire is lit as you come up with an idea that you think is worth exploring for the length of time it takes to complete a novel. This is it! Later on down the road it gets exciting again when you find that scene or that new character that feels like you’re putting a puzzle piece into the exact right spot. There are moments where you craft a sentence and it just feels right when you’re done. All that stuff is great—but it’s so solitary. I think what I actually like the very best about writing novels is the conversations that happen along the way. Handing a messy draft over to a trusted friend who you know will give feedback that challenges you, and frustrates you, but always leads to better writing--and more interesting conversations. Conversations with your editor about new ideas for that character that just isn’t sitting quite right. Conversations with readers in schools and libraries. Email exchanges with students who are working on their own writing or who identified with the book in some way. It feels like, for me, writing and putting ideas out there is a way to get to those great conversations.

 

2) What do you like least?

 Worst of all is the waiting. I’m a slow writer to begin with. For me, one book equals a lot of years of work. The publishing industry is slow as well. There is a lot of “waiting to hear back” in the sales process and the editing process. You wait for the book to come out. You wait for reviews. I think I could handle a bad review a lot better than the waiting for reviews part.

 

3) Describe a typical writing day.

 

After writing my first book, and the majority of my second book, as a full time school teacher, I am now really lucky to have the role of stay-at-home dad and writer. On a typical day, I get up about 5 in the morning. I make some coffee and do a little reading and then write until about eight. Then I help get my boys ready and take them to school. Lately, there’s been an all-family walk included. After I get back, I try to write a couple more hours and then deal with e-mail/website/whatever until about noon. Afternoon, I’ll turn to family/household stuff. That’s an ideal writing day. The last couple years everything else has been so topsy-turvy so I’ve tried to keep that early morning stretch sacred.

 

4)  When you’re reading for pleasure, what features of a book typically impress you the most?

I just started Colson Whitehead’s Harlem Shuffle. A page and a half in and I’m immersed in the protagonist’s world—his neighborhood, his job, his ethics—as he goes about a typical day on the job. I love that; learning about a character right off the bat by the way they do things. I like short chapters and great, snappy dialogue. And I love being surprised by plot turns, and when a flawed character stays flawed, but manages some brief moment of bravery or heroism.

 

5) What inspires you?

I am truly inspired by anyone who is trying their best under difficult circumstances.

As a teacher, I was inspired by students who showed up every day, trying their best, when I knew that, at the time, their families where dealing with the housing crisis, with parents or older siblings who were at war, or coming home from war, or they or someone close to them was struggling with mental illness.

Right now, I’m inspired by the young adult women who are leading with their voices and putting their lives on the line to make difference on all kinds of justice and climate issues. As difficult as these times are, there continue to so many young people displaying resilience and courage, in an attempt to make this place better for all of us.

 

6) What aspects of being a novel mentor are you most looking forward to?

I’m really excited and grateful for this opportunity.  I’m looking forward to meeting and interacting with a dynamic creative person I’ve never met before. I’m looking forward to reading a cool new novel in its early form. I’m looking forward to engaging in the creative back and forth. And, while thinking I have something to offer an up-and-coming novelist, I anticipate learning a lot about writing and creativity through this process.

 

7) Can you tell us about any upcoming projects?

I have a book under contract that I’m waiting to hear back on. It’s tentatively titled, No Going Back. It’s about a kid who has been paroled after a year and a half in juvenile prison. Over his first weekend out, we watch him struggle and succeed at putting the pieces of his life back in order under circumstances that make meeting his parole terms nearly impossible.

I’m also in the very early stages of writing a book set in a 2027 USA functioning under an authoritarian regime. It’s about an underground resistance movement at a small-town Michigan high school. The future will determine whether this novel will be considered dystopian, or realistic contemporary fiction.

 

 

Ann Finkelstein is a former scientist who discovered that writing novels is more fun than wrangling test tubes. She coordinates the mentorship program for SCBWI-MI. For mentorship questions, email Ann.

 

Becoming BookSmitten: Creating a Collaborative KidLit Podcast

 

BookSmitten is a brand-new podcast focused on children’s books, co-hosted by four Michigan authors and SCBWI members: Kelly J. Baptist, Jack Cheng, Patrick Flores-Scott, and Heather Shumaker. The first episode launched in February 2021, and I tuned in. It made me wistful for our pre-pandemic days of gathering with writer friends at a coffee shop, and I found myself nodding and smiling and wanting to join in their discussion. I even jotted down some notes, including this quote, "The pain of discipline or the pain of regret. You're going to have either one. Which one do you want?"

Read on for my interview with Heather, and then experience the podcast for yourself. Look for new episodes on your favorite podcast site every other Wednesday. It's guaranteed to lift your mood!

~ Kristin Lenz

Tell us how the idea for the podcast began and then took shape.

I’d met Kelly, Jack, and Patrick at various SCBWI events and conferences and was immediately impressed. Basically, these were people I wanted to keep talking to. I remember heading home, thinking “I wish she lived in my home town.” or “I wish we could keep talking about books together.” With this podcast, we can! Both Jack and I had hosted podcasts before, and knew how fun they could be. So we gathered together by Zoom during 2020 and discussed the idea for the pod. Everyone was enthusiastic. We discovered the four of us shared a big-hearted, hopeful view of the world. Fueled by Jack’s prior knowledge of pods, and Kelly’s contagious enthusiasm, we launched into our opening episode of BookSmitten: “We’re here, we’re happy, we’re human, and we’re BookSmitten!”

Are there a lot children’s book podcasts out there?

Not that many! We were surprised, especially given how many people love children’s books. A few children’s book podcasts have come and gone, and several focus on reading to children. BookSmitten really fills a niche, and although we’re all from Michigan, it’s intended for a national audience of librarians, parents, teachers, grandparents, book lovers, children’s book writers, and interested kids.

What can we expect from the upcoming episodes? 

Oh gosh, we have a growing list of topics. We’ve already recorded four episodes and will be diving into topics surrounding “all things kid lit.” Kelly has a new picture book out in March, THE ELECTRIC SLIDE AND KAI (Lee & Low Books), so an episode in March looks at her creative process. Jack and Patrick both wrote road trip novels, so we’re focusing an episode on road trip / journey stories. Other topics on the brainstorm list are: exploring non-white heroes in fantasy / sci-fi books, books that bridge differences, how we got serious about writing, the connection of sports and writing, portrayals of grandparents, encouraging child writers, short stories in kid lit, and so much more. We also plan to feature guest authors and amazing librarians from time to time, as well as invite child writers on to the show.

One wonderful development is that all four of us bring a unique perspective. We’re sharing from our family backgrounds, sharing our voices, and learning together. It’s a journey we’re excited to share with listeners.

What’s the format? Will each of the authors take turns or will you all be talking together?

So far we’ve been co-hosting together. There’s a nice balance of voices, with two male and two female hosts, so it’s easy to tell who’s talking. Going forward into the future, we may have episodes where just two or three of us host, especially given deadlines and busy schedules, but for now, no one wants to be left out. We’re having too much fun creating camaraderie in this new kidlit space! We hope it’s a space where everyone will feel welcome.

What have you already learned from the process?

Creating the podcast has reinforced just how creative and thoughtful my fellow authors are. Being together adds a dash of goodness into the world, and keeps us - and hopefully our listeners - buoyed up. We even recorded one episode on Jan. 6th, the day of the U.S Capitol attacks. Being together helps. It’s also continually inspiring - seeing Kelly’s prodigious output (two new books out in 2021!), Jack’s creative process, and Patrick’s goal of reaching struggling readers. We have something to share with anyone who loves children’s books.

We also learned how time-intensive bringing a podcast to life can be. Thankfully, we’ve teamed up with children’s librarian Josie Schneider, from Missouri, to produce the show for us. She shares our passion for children’s books and volunteered to do the back-end editing and technical stuff. We’re so grateful to have Josie! She makes us shine.

Anything else you'd like us to know?

For people in Michigan, you’ll see there’s a Mitten hiding in the BookSmitten name. A nod to our Michigan connection. And, if you look closely, you’ll find another Mitten hiding in the logo Jack designed for us. 

Where can you find the BookSmitten podcast?

You can listen to BookSmitten through Apple podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Google podcasts and hopefully everywhere you get your pods. If you like it, leave a rating on Apple. We hope you become BookSmitten! Join us and suggest new episodes at hello@booksmitten.us.

Here are some helpful links:

The booksmitten.us landing page: https://booksmitten.us/

Jack Cheng’s recent blog post introducing the podcast. 

Heather Shumaker's recent 5 minute YouTube video below:

Learn more about each of the podcast authors:

Kelly J. Baptist hails from Berrien Springs, MI. She’s the author of the Middle Grade book ISAIAH DUNN IS MY HERO and a new picture book THE ELECTRIC SLIDE AND KAI. Kelly is also the author of a short story in the Middle Grade collection FLYING LESSONS AND OTHER STORIES.

Jack Cheng lives in Detroit, MI. He’s the author of the Golden Kite award-winning Middle Grade novel SEE YOU IN THE COSMOS.

Patrick Flores-Scott is from Ann Arbor, MI. Patrick is the author of two Young Adult novels: JUMPED IN and AMERICAN ROAD TRIP.

Heather Shumaker lives in Traverse City, MI. She’s the author of three books for adults, plus the Middle Grade adventure THE GRIFFINS OF CASTLE CARY.

BookSmitten Producers: 

Josie and Corey Schneider, Kansas City, MO

Music by Duck, Duck Chicken

Coming up on the Mitten Blog:

Hugs and Hurrahs! We want to trumpet your good news. Please send your writing/illustrating/publishing news to Sarah LoCascio by Tuesday March 16th to be included.

Registration is open for the SCBWI-MI Spring (Virtual) Conference and critique slots are going fast. Don't delay! Register today for this jam-packed yet flexible conference where you can participate in real time via Zoom or watch recorded sessions later at your convenience. Everything you need to know is here: https://michigan.scbwi.org/2020/05/01/spring-conference-2021/

YA Success Story: An Interview with Author Patrick Flores-Scott

At the back of your novel Jumped In, your bio says you live in Seattle. What brought you to Ann Arbor? 
My wife got a job at the University of Michigan in the Rackham Graduate School, and I went from being a public school teacher to being a stay-at-home dad to our two toddlers. 

Tell us about your book and your journey to publication. 
I started writing in 2005. I got my agent in 2009. The book sold in 2011 and came out in the summer of 2013. It was a long process. My agent believed in me as a writer, but he wasn't sure about my draft. He decided to just send it out to a couple editors at a time. When the rejections came in, we'd look at the feedback and he'd say, "Whattaya think?" I'd tell him what I thought I should work on next and then I'd go do rewrites. It was a slow, but positive way of dealing with rejections. When Christy Ottaviano bought the book, it was way better than it had been after that first round of rejections. 

How did you get your agent? 
When I thought my draft was ready, I went to the library in search of a book that looked and felt like Jumped In. I thought, "If an agent liked this, they might be into my book." I picked up S.A. Harazin's Blood Brothers, and found out that her agent was Steven Chudney. I sent him a query letter and pages of the novel. He liked it. It happened really fast and I consider myself extremely lucky. 

What has been surprising or challenging about your experience? 
I think the most challenging thing has been how long everything takes. In terms of surprises, I'd say just selling the book and the smoothness of the editorial process and the fact that the final product has been pretty well received... a series of happy surprises.

What's next for you?
I just had a short story published in the MacMillan collection, I See Reality, Twelve Short Stories About Real Life. And my second novel, (tentatively titled) American Road Trip, which I started in 2009 (!), is finally scheduled to be released January of 2017. 

Patrick is a stay-at-home dad and early morning writer. His short story, The Good Brother, appears in I See Reality (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), and his second YA novel (Henry Holt/Christy Ottaviano Books) is scheduled for a 2017 release.









Patrick kept his answers short at my request, but here's a little more: he was a theater major in college, his debut YA novel Jumped In is full of poetry, and when he says he's an early morning writer, he means he sets his alarm for 4:30am!

Jumped In was named to the 2014 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults list, a Walden Award finalist, a Washington Book Award winner, an NCSS/CBC Notable Book for the Social Studies, and a Bank Street College Best Books of 2014. Learn more at:
 http://patrickfloresscott.com/index.html. 

Coming up on the Mitten blog: On the Scene in 2016 - support for debut picture book authors and illustrators, take-aways from the SCBWI New York conference, and another round of Hugs and Hurrahs. To be included, please send your good news to Patti Richards at pgwrites5@gmail.com by March 20th.

Have a great weekend!
Kristin