Hope in the Mail: A Book Review

January 15, 2020 by Amanda Zieba

When I read Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen, I saw a trio of my students in the main character, Wren. Bad choices, toxic relationships, hard situations. I saw what their lives could become if they didn’t make a conscious decision to turn around and walk the other way. I bought three copies of that book and wrote a note to each girl. “I see you,” the note said, “and it doesn’t have to be this way.” I messaged Wendelin on Facebook and told her about my students and plans for the books and notes. For my students and I, hope in the mail looked like three personalized and autographed book plates (stickers) accompanied by three gorgeous feathers the girls could use as bookmarks. “I see you,” Wendelin said to us through her actions, and gosh does that feel good.

As a writer who has many words under her belt, but who has yet to cross the chasm into the traditionally published world, I often feel unseen. The thing about the writing world is that there are so many people wanting help, and only so many people who have enough experience to provide responses to their questions and panicked pleas for advice. This problem is compounded by the fact that the people who do have the experience are often too busy doing the actual publishing work to be able to stop and help the people needing it.

Enter, Wendelin and her new, generously beneficial, book.

Hope in the Mail is an honest look at one author’s writing career, from its seedling beginnings to the solid status of an eighteen-book series. Through this part-memoir, part writer’s guide, I feel seen. As I read these pages it’s like Wendelin is leaning across the dozens of states that separate her desk from mine, and gently whispering in my ear, “I see you. I know you are working hard. Hang in there and hey, let me offer you some free advice.” (Or some $17.99 advice).

2020 Word of the Year: Hope

January 08, 2020 by Amanda Zieba

For the past few years I’ve picked a word to symbolize the year ahead. A word, that when reflected upon, would give me a boost, a bit of inspiration, or a pep talk. In the past, my words have been very action oriented. Connections. Evolve. Elevate.These words embody my inner hustle. While I’m not ready to throw in the towel, I’ve begun to have a different feeling deep down in my core. A light, airy feeling that centers in my chest. It is different than the mechanical whir of a motor that had previously occupied that space and when pressed to name it, I think I’d call it HOPE.

The sentiment that “Hope is not a plan” has been attributed to many famous people, including journalist Anderson Cooper and military man Benjamin Ale Okland. It is a phrase my husband and I will often say to our students and athletes. Hope on its own does not accomplish tasks or achieve goals.

But, I feel I’ve spent the last four years getting all the right pieces in place and all that’s left for me to do, is hang on and hope.

Gifts Galore

January 01, 2020 by Amanda Zieba

A word of warning: when you brand yourself a certain way, people tend to purchase you gifts in connection with that particular passion.

For example, my husband is a big baseball fan. Not only did he play throughout high school and college, he has now coached at both of those levels as well. For six months of the year, when he is not with us at home, my husband eats, sleeps and breathes baseball. Typically for Christmas, his gifts reflect this passion. Goodies for the dugout like sunflower seeds, extra chapstick and a heated shirt to protect him from the brisk spring breezes and gloves thin enough to allow him to keep book during the game, but warm enough to keep his fingers from freezing off. (Spring baseball in the Midwest can really be a beast!) This year he even got a cup made from the barrel of a baseball bat!

Similarly, I found myself inundated with gifts to make my word nerd heart happy. In case you are also a bibliophile, a story-enthusiast, an office supply junkie or a writer-sort-of soul, I’ve decided to share my gifts here.

Best Books of 2019

December 25, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

In 2019 I read twelve books and listened to twelve more. This does not count the picture books I shared aloud with my students or read to my own children. These are books I read simply because I wanted to, because their premise intrigued me. Twenty-four books doesn’t sound like all that many. I know lots of people who read more. But, I did a few other things this year, as I’m sure you have. Reading, is not a contest, at least, not if you don’t want it to be.

Next year I’m challenging myself to spend less time on Facebook and more time reading. Not because the number twenty-four disappoints me, but because mindless scrolling isn’t improving the quality of my life and a book probably could. So, less phone, more books.

As I looked back over the list of my books read, (you can check out the entire list here) there isn’t one title that I was unhappy to revisit. They were all good books, but some, as they always do, rose to the top. Below you will see my favorites of the year and the impact they had on me. I’ve organized the titles in genre/age groups, but other than that, it is a random list. Rest assured, any book you pick from this list will be a good read, whether they are found at the top or the bottom.

Go on, read through the list and then pick out your favorite. Go find that gift card you just opened for Christmas and give yourself the gift of a great read. Also, feel free to drop the title of your favorite 2019 read in the comments! I’d love to add it to my 2020 pile of books to tackle.

Happy holidays and happy reading!

Amanda

Gifting Yourself Grace

December 11, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

Last week was… off. Unproductive. Frustrating.

It seemed that every task, every chore, every project required just a little more effort, a little more patience, a little more time. No one thing was HARD or a really BIG deal. It was a week full of first world problems.

A sick kid that required washing puke covered sheets at 5:30 AM.
A jammed printer that delayed the start of class by twenty minutes.
An inconvenient, but necessary stop for gas.
An unprepared student testing the very last reserves of my end of semester patience and compassion.

And a dozen other little things I have already forgotten because they are so insignificant. But collectively, they make the week exhausting.

I think the entire week could be summed up in a Monday afternoon trip to the bathroom. As I entered the stall and pulled down my pants, $27 fell into the toilet, which would have been annoying enough, but it was made worse by the fact that I didn’t see it until I had already peed all over it. What should have been a two-minute pitstop on my way off of campus because and exercise in money laundering. And while it was totally legal, it was kind of gross and took time I wasn’t planning to spend.

After three straight days of these shenanigans I began to think that the universe was trying to tell me something. Maybe these seemingly random occurrences of frustration had a message buried deep down inside them. But what could it be?

The Truth in My Fiction

December 04, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

It’s no secret that my newest book, Close Quarters, was inspired by my family. As the dedication page says and the story alludes to, we are a loud, interconnected, overstepping group of humans who love each other very much. The memories we have created were the foundation for this story of the Ames cousins, who come together when times got tough. But just how much of the story is true? Today I will use my weekly blog post to point out a few of the absolute truths woven into the fiction and share a few behind the scenes stories as well.

If you know my family, this might be especially fun. But if you are a random writer, stopping by my site by chance, I’ll invite you to stay. It is my hope that seeing how one writer takes their real life and spins it into a saleable story will be worthwhile and worthy of your attention.

I’ll start at the beginning.

A Poem of Gratitude

November 27, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

Almost exactly a year ago I posted a list of writing-related things for which I am grateful on this blog. It is a lovely list and almost everything on it remains a solid and beneficial impact on my life… writing or otherwise. I thought I might make a second edition of this list, but after reading the original, I’m hard pressed to come up with anything that I didn’t already include.

So instead, I’ll leave you with a Gratitude poem.

Yep, you heard me right. I said a POEM.

I’m currently playing around with ideas for a novel in verse. A novel in verse is a story told entirely in poems. A few of my favorites include When My Sister Started Kissing by Helen Frost and The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. I’ve confessed before that I hold no English degree. Similarly, I have zero training in poetry. But, like anything else, I’m diving in head-first and willing myself to figure it out as I go.

Writers Helping Writers

November 20, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

Today’s post comes from my fellow author friend, Brea Behn. I first met Brea when she attended my Word Nerd Writing Retreat back in the summer of 2018. In addition to being a great writer I can tell you that she makes a dang-fine lemon meringue pie. Unfortunately we don’t have any dessert to serve up today, but Brea is serving up loads of helpful advice in her guest blog post, giving authors what she wishes she had when she first began pursuing publication. I’m grateful to have Brea’s wisdom on my blog today and hope that you find inspiration and hope in the words she shares.

When I finished my first book, publishing was far from my mind. Writing for me was processing and healing trauma. Then it became more. A passion and my happy place. The first time someone suggested I pursue publishing my book, I had my doubts but thought it would be a fun challenge.

Fun is not how I would describe pursuing publication. Brutal would be more like it. I did months of research and preparation. Prepared a cover sheet and query letter. After countless rejections from agents, I turned to independent publishers instead. More rejections and disappointment. Then I went to a literary conference and got a critique done on my manuscript. She told me I was pursuing the wrong genre. That my book was not adult dystopian, but YA. I started sending out query letters again with new hope. Still, when rejection number 50 came in I almost gave up.

Close Quarters Launch Party Recap

November 13, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

Monday night was an incredible night.

I know that a few weeks ago I likened sharing a book with the world to the process of growing and birthing a baby. Well, if I’m going to stick with lifetime milestone event analogies, I’m going to say that the Close Quarters Launch Party felt like a wedding. So, so many of my people… from childhood neighbors and teachers to current co-workers, from my best friends from my prior town to my current Bingo besties. Family and friends. Fellow writers and even a few strangers who took a chance and joined the celebration. Everywhere I looked I was surrounded by kind and supportive people who chose to come and share in the joy of my new book. To say I am grateful is an understatement.

Writing Local

November 06, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

When I created my Champion Chocolatier series, I had so much fun writing about the city of Duluth. I enjoyed reliving vacation memories and my favorite tourist spots. Because the pages were built on a foundation of real experiences, the words came easy and the process of world building, one that is normally time consuming, went a whole lot quicker.

As I embarked upon writing my new series, Close Quarters, I fell in love with the idea of placing the story in my hometown of La Crosse. My characters were bound to visit restaurants and hair salons and go on dates, right? Why not use real locations, ones that already held a host of memories fueled by dozens of sensory details that I’d already experienced? The decision was a no-brainer.

Today in my blog post I am going to highlight a few of my favorite local locations featured in the book and share how these places impacted my life. As a special treat, I’m even going to share a few sneak peek snippets from the book, Close Quarters!

Writing Wisdom from Barbara Joosse

October 30, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

This past weekend I had the honor and pleasure of being a featured author at the Edgerton Book and Film Festival. It was three days (if you count the full day I spent at their middle and elementary school talking to their thoughtful and engaged students… which I do!) of books and book loving people. The entire event and organization is a testament to what a small group of committed individuals can accomplish. Thank you, to everyone associated with this event, but especially Logan Nelson, Pat Brabazon, Kirsten Almo and Leslie Bakkum for inviting me to participate in this year’s festival.

The highlight of the weekend for me was not one of my own speaking presentations (I did two, one on my process of writing The Orphan Train Riders and one entitled Self Publishing 101), but the hour I spent listening to and learning from Barbara Joosse.

Birthing a Book

October 23, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

Many people liken the process of creating a book to the experience of growing and birthing a baby. I would agree on many levels. For the most part growing a baby is a behind the scenes job. Many of the tasks are accomplished beneath the mother’s flesh, unseen to the world, except for the growing bulge of her belly. Even the writers who work in public places and are visible, rarely show their work in progress. It’s all a mystery, until the final reveal.

There are some people who are very good at showing their creative process to the rest of the world. Creative entrepreneur Austin Kleon discusses this idea in his three-book series (which I highly recommend).

#MGBOOKTOBER

October 16, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

Last week I was scrolling through my Instagram feed when I noticed that it was suddenly inundated with pictures of middle grade book covers accompanied by the hashtag #MGBOOKTOBER. This caught my attention for several reasons. As a former middle school teacher, I LOVE middle grade titles. I love their innocence and the way these titles help readers see the world through the eyes of their target audience, mainly, kids stuck in the hard times of middle school. Many adults have recently been drawn to read books in the YA age bracket, but as of yet, this slightly lower target age range seems to be outside of the average reader’s radar. I am thrilled that #MGBOOKTOBER is attempting to change that.

I was also drawn to this monthly challenge of naming a book for each day of October because I recently started teaching pre-service education students. Namely, I teach future teachers how to teach reading. A common woe of my current student population is that they are unfamiliar with the current book publishing landscape. Unless they were tutoring in an elementary school or it was on the required English reading list, they didn’t/don’t do much reading. (sigh.) Especially “kids books”. If a book was published after they left middle school, it’s likely they haven’t read it. I am hoping I can use #MGBOOKTOBER to highlight a few of my favorites and give them a quick peek into this niche market/audience.

Books & Beer: A Different Kind of Book Club

October 09, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

Guest post written by Valerie Biel

It all started in a bar . . .

Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke or a dubious romantic comedy, right?

More than four years ago, a few readers were gathered at a brew pub in Columbus, Wisconsin, discussing how they wanted to start a book club. But—they wanted it to be a different kind of book club. They wanted to talk with the authors of the books they read. But this isn’t how book clubs typically work. So the question was posed:

Did they know any authors?

This is when all heads pivoted to me. I was the only author they knew personally. So on April 28, 2015 I was the inaugural guest author at Books & Beer Columbus where the group read my first book Circle of Nine: Beltany. I became the coordinator of the group because as an author I already knew other writers and frequently meet them at writing conferences and book festivals.

Beta Readers

October 02, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

Today’s blog post from Constance Malloy is all about beta-readers. I find this so ironically fitting because last week I put out a call for a last minute guest post because I was too busy to write my own post. Why? Because I am putting the final touches on a manuscript so that I can send it to my own pool of trusted readers before the final draft! Stay tuned for more information about this project soon!

But before we continue, what exactly is a beta-reader?

A beta-reader is kind of like a practice audience for an author. Keep reading to learn more and see how one author uses this process to ensure her work is the best it can be.

Since publishing my memoir Tornado Dreams, I have been asked many questions by people who want to write a book. Many of those questions have focused on the topic of readers. Did you have readers? How many did you have? How did you go about selecting them? What did they need to know to help you? Did having readers help or hinder the process?

These are important questions to ask, since having one’s work read by others prior to submitting is so vital to a writer’s success. That statement implies my answer to the first question, so let’s dive in.

Legacy and the Queen: A Review and Look at the Process of Co-Authoring

September 25, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

Earlier this month I found myself with an hour to burn. Somewhere between teaching a class or picking up children I found I had nowhere I absolutely needed to be for one, blessed hour. Driving twenty minutes back to my home, when I’d just need to get in the car to go somewhere else seemed silly, and so, instead, I went to one of my favorite places in the city, Barnes and Nobel. After twenty minutes of browsing I sent the store manager this message and then settled into read.

Fall 2019 Literary Event Line Up

September 18, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

What’s that? You say you are a writer? A writer who would is ready to spend time with other writers? A writer who is craving connection, critique and super fun social interactions? (Hey, we aren’t all introverts!) Well then you are in luck! Today on my blog I am sharing the massive list of writing opportunities that can be found and attended in Wisconsin in the upcoming months. Get out your calendars, save some room in your budget and buckle up… because fortunately for us… the options are plentiful!

The Columbus Art & Author Fair

Saturday, September 28, 2019 from 2 - 6 P.M.

This event will be held along with the OddFellows' “Oddtoberfest” Celebration in Columbus, WI. Local artists and authors will be on hand in lower level of the Fireman's Park Pavilion with a variety of styles and genres of art and literature. More information including a list of attending authors can be seen here.

Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival

October 11-13, 2019

The Festival, established in 2010, believes in the transforming power of the literary and visual arts to bring thousands of children and teens together with world-class authors and illustrators at schools and at our beautiful, welcoming festival venues including the Mead Public Library, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, and Bookworm Gardens. Come to the see presentations by Janet Wong, Matt de la Peña, Liesl Shurtliff, K.G. Campbell, Suzanne Kaufman, Jacqueline West, and Jennifer Swanson. The festival schedule and presenter information can be seen here.

Wisconsin Festival of Books in Madison

Friday, October 18, 6:00 pm

The Madison Public Library is committed to ensuring that all Wisconsin Book Festival events are free and open to the public. Since creating the series in 2013, they have hosted more than 600 events for audience members, including award-winning author events. This year one event during the festival that I am especially interested in attending is Writing Books for Children, a presentation by Wisconsin author Kevin Henkes. In the presentation, Kevin Henkes will discuss his three most recent books — a picture book (A Parade of Elephants), a book for beginning readers (Penny and Her Sled), and a middle-grade novel (Sweeping Up the Heart) — pointing out how they are different and how they are similar. He will talk about inspiration, process, and his philosophy about books and children. He will also share autobiographical information, including childhood photos and glimpses of his studio. The event will take place at the Central Library, in Madison, Community Room 301.

Think that nothing ever happens in our lovely little La Crosse? Think again, the below events will feature both big name (HUGE! EPIC!) authors and local talent.

Wine and Words, Beer and Books

Thursday, October 17, 2019 at 5:30 PM – 8 PM

The fourth annual Wine and Words, Beer and Books will take place at The Pump House and will feature readings by twelve local writers, book and SWAG sales, prizes, and a cash bar. This event is organized and sponsored by my local writing group, the Mississippi Valley Writers Guild, formerly Women Writers Ink. Join us to celebrate local literary talent while enjoying a beverage of your choice.

Kate DiCamillo Visits La Crosse Barnes and Noble

Friday, October 18, 2019 at 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Newbery Award winning (twice!) author Kate DiCamillo will visit our very own Barnes and Noble as a part of her Beverly Right Here Book Tour. Everything that Kate writes, from her picture books, to middle grade novels, to Facebook posts, brings me sheer joy. I am DYING inside (honestly, on the outside too) that I will be out of town for this event. Do me and yourself a favor, and go. Get your books signed, listen to her literary wisdom, drink in her old soul and childlike heart. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. More information on the event can be found here.

Sterling North Book and Film Festival

October 26, 2019

I am thrilled to share that I will be a featured author at this year's Sterling North Book and Film Festival in Egerton, WI the last weekend in October! I will be presenting alongside Jennifer Chiaverini, Barbara Joosse, Pardeep Kaleka, Scott Spoolman, Mark Hertzberg, Louis V. Clark III, Margaret Rozga and Rick Pfeifer. My presentations will feature information on my writing process and also on self-publishing. Join us for a wonderful weekend of words!

So, there you have it! Six different events to keep your writing life full and rich and inspired! If you know of any other Midwest based events coming up this fall, please share them with us in the comments below so that we can add them to our calendar! If you plan to attend one of these events, let me know and maybe I will see you there! Happy writing my word nerds! – Amanda

** If you liked what you read on my blog today (or are in search of weekly word nerd goodness) and would like to have it delivered to your inbox every Wednesday morning, you can sign up HERE. As always, feel free to share this post with others you think might be interested via email, Facebook or Pinterest. *

Percolate Your Fall Productivity

September 11, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

As your Facebook feed has likely told you, many of America’s children went back to school this week. If you are the parent of a school-aged child you have also been clued into this fact by your suddenly bursting at the seams schedule and extreme fatigue. As excited as I get for fall… the colors, clothing, productivity… I have to admit, that it can also be exhausting.

When asked how our back to school routine is going, I’ve described this first week back as mental gymnastics. There is so much to organize and so many places to go (at very specific times) and so many responsibilities to juggle. This fall I am feeling all the feels, x4 because not only are my kids and husband back to school, but I am also back in the college classroom with an additional two new classes bumping me back up to teaching five days a week. Oh, and did I mention that my sons’ football started and it is Fall Ball season for college baseball coaching husband?!?!?

In my family say we’d rather be busy than bored, but I think this fall we are taking it to a whole new level. Which brings me to today’s post. when I started musing about a topic for this week’s Writing Wednesday, my mind kept wandering to lesson plans and carpool schedules and what in the heck we were going to eat. As I dug through my folders in search of a prompt for my writing club’s critique group meeting I came across a folder full of writing advice articles. And so, because my brain is mush and I actually find these articles incredibly helpful, this is what I have to offer to the writing universe.

Friday Night Lights: Thoughts on the Success of the Show

September 04, 2019 by Amanda Zieba

Last night my husband and I finished watching Friday Night Lights. We’d been working our way through the five-season series on Hulu all summer and it seemed appropriate, on this holiday weekend before the chaos of our Fall started, to stay up and finish the remaining episodes. It was a delightful binge.

Throughout the summer, I’ve shared with people that we are watching/re-watching the show. When I mention Friday Night Lights, I get an array of reactions. Most of them sound something like this.

“Ahhh, I love that show!”

“I failed so many finals because of that show.”

“It’s the best, isn’t it?”

“We should watch that one again.”

These comments come from people of a wide variety of ages, careers, and stages in life. As a writer, it makes me wonder what made this show so great. How was it able to reel in so many different people? I’ll try to digest this in the points below.