Daniel Kraus is a Chicago-based writer, editor, and filmmaker. His debut novel, THE MONSTER VARIATIONS, was selected to New York Public Library's "100 Best Stuff for Teens." FANGORIA called his Bram Stoker-finalist, Odyssey Award-winning second novel, ROTTERS, "a new horror classic." Upcoming novels include the Junior Library Guild selection SCOWLER (2013) and TROLLHUNTERS (2014), co-written with Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. Visit him online at http://danielkraus.com/.

Your new novel, SCOWLER, reads like a bit of a modern allegory (albeit one cloaked in horror). Can you tell us about how you conceived of the story?

It has been a long, strange journey. I had a nightmare in eighth grade, wrote a three-page story about it, and then thought about that story for, oh, 20 years or so. Along the way the idea picked up other little notions, like burrs onto cotton. But it was always the goal to write about a family that was scared, really deep-down scared, and what kind of extremes it would take to turn that family into something scary enough to fight back.

SCOWLER is written in third-person, switching from one character’s point of view to another’s. What led you to tell Ry’s story in this way?

As you suggested in your first question, I wanted this to have a bit of a lyrical feel to it, like a Midwestern gothic. Grafting that kind of style into the voice of Iowan farmers would probably feel disingenuous. Plus, there's a key moment in the book where I knew I had to pivot away from the main point-of-view. So it wasn't a difficult decision.

Many of your books focus on the strange relationship between father and son. Does your own relationship with your father provide inspiration for the characters in your novels?

This is kind of a no-win question, isn't it? I guess I'll say yes? But within limits? I mean, my dad didn't bury my homework to teach me to rob graves and he certainly didn't chase me through the forest for two days in order to kill me.

Traces of real relationships are all over my writing, but that's just how novels work. The question is why do father-son relationships in general intrigue me, and I don't think that's so hard to figure out. Historically there's rites of violence and toughness that mark the passage to manhood and that's good stuff for fiction, always has been.

You’ve said that good-versus-bad stories bore you. Do you ever plan on writing a novel that strays from your norms of dark and dangerous?

I think it's safe to say that the next three things I'm working on stretch outside what people are expecting from me, and in pretty major ways.

That said, that core idea that we're all bad guys when seen through the right person's eyes is not going to change. I'd like to think nobody gets off scot-free in my books.

You are co-writing your upcoming book, TROLLHUNTERS, with Guillermo del Toro. What’s it like authoring a book with an Oscar-winning filmmaker?

Serious fun. TROLLHUNTERS is a dark book but it's lighter than what I've done so far—how could it not be?—and I really needed that after SCOWLER. It also has a major fantasy element, something I've not dabbled in before.

Sitting down and inventing a monster—an actual monstrous monster-type monster—turns out to be a lot of fun, you know?



5 Questions With... Melina Marchetta (JELLICOE ROAD, FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK)

5 Questions With... Holly Black (WHITE CAT)

Rhonda Gowler Greene is an award-winning author of over 20 children’s books. Her books have received several honors such as IRA Children’s Choice Book, Bank Street College Best Book, Children’s Book Council Showcase Book, and starred reviews in major periodicals. Being a former elementary teacher, Rhonda especially enjoys visiting schools where her goal is to get students excited about reading and writing. To learn more about Rhonda (and also see a book trailer of her newest book), visit her website at www.rhondagowlergreene.com.

Your latest book, NO PIRATES ALLOWED! SAID LIBRARY LOU, was released this past Wednesday. It’s not every day that a scary pirate and a witty librarian cross paths. What inspired the story?

Two great picture books inspired the story—LIBRARY LION and HOW I BECAME A PIRATE. A few years ago, I saw them listed on the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller list. They sparked an idea—why not put a pirate in a library? A pirate is always looking for treasure. I thought the treasure could be books. Pirate Pete has to discover that for himself though, with some help from Library Lou.

That wasn’t the first time other children’s books have sparked a story idea. I’m constantly reading and studying children’s books, from picture books to novels, to get ideas and also to help my writing. I’m a firm believer that if you want to write great children’s books, you need to study and study what’s already published.

It was fun creating the character, Library Lou. I can relate to her love of reading and books. I actually have my Master’s to be a school librarian, but I never became that after starting a family. My house has so many children’s books in it, though, it could probably pass for a children’s section of a library!

NO PIRATES ALLOWED is a rhyming book. What are some of the challenges of writing in this style?

Well, one challenge is that some editors will not even consider manuscripts written in rhyme. It’s because over the years they’ve gotten so many that are poorly written. It’s much harder than it looks to write successful rhyme. Other big challenges are getting the beats (stressed and unstressed syllables) just right and coming up with fresh rhymes. A tool I use is a rhyming dictionary.

To me, writing a book in rhyme is like putting a very difficult puzzle together. I try to get my writing to “sing.” I don’t really study meter. I have a music background (minored in music and piano) though, which probably helps. I do study children’s poetry books. I especially admire the works of Alice Schertle, Joyce Sidman, Linda Ashman, J. Patrick Lewis, Karen Beaumont, and Kristine O’Connell George.

And though Aileen Fisher’s books (over 100) are somewhat dated, I’ve always liked her work. She passed away in 2002 at the age of 96. I have a letter she wrote me several years ago, which means a lot to me. She thought poetry should be delightful. I hope my rhythmical writing delights children (and adults too).

You are a former teacher and mother of four. How has being a teacher and a parent influenced your career as a writer?

I don’t know if I would have ever tried my hand at writing if I hadn’t become a parent. When my kids were growing up, I quit teaching and stayed home with them. We read and read and read books. The more I read great books to them, the more it made me want to try to write books like that.

It was not easy getting published though. I got 220 rejections within three and a half years before I sold my first book manuscript.

Being a former teacher, I think, influences my author presentations. I really emphasize reading, writing and revising. I try to impart to students what some of the great educators, such as Lucy Calkins, Ralph Fletcher, and Katie Wood Ray, say: to be a good writer, you need to learn from the best—real authors and real books.

Being a teacher also definitely played a part in my book THIS IS THE TEACHER, which is a humorous, cumulative story about things going wrong during a school day. It starts out—“This is the teacher all ready for school.” It ends—“This is the teacher all ready for bed!” (The clock on the nightstand reads 3:30 PM.)

You have an interesting hobby: collecting reading figurines. Can you tell us more about that?

Just like I love being surrounded by books, I also love being surrounded by art about reading. I have about 180 reading figurines. Most are whimsical ones of people (mainly children) or animals. A couple of favorites are two Inuit girls and two Ukranian girls. The animal ones include bears, mice, rabbits, cats, pigs, monkeys, owls, raccoons, frogs, turtles, and a mole. And there are some book character ones too, such as Pooh, Eeyore, and Christopher Robin.

I’m always on the lookout for figurines. It’s exciting to find a unique one when I’m in another country. Sometimes when writing in my home office, I’ll look up from my computer and glance at all the animals and children sitting on the shelves. They’re always busy reading. It’s like the room is full of friends who have the same love as I do.

On your website you’ve said you visit schools across the country to inspire students to get excited about reading and writing. What do you feel is the most important lesson that you instill in them before you leave their school?

I think it’s that they can learn to write well. I tell them they can learn to write the same way real authors learn—read like writers and then weave great techniques found in books into your writing. After my main presentation about the stages of a book, where I get ideas, etc., I point out examples of great writing. We talk about how their own stories can “sparkle” by using some of the same things, such as lots of details, strong “muscle” verbs, alliteration, patterned repetition, onomatopoeia, having a problem in the story that builds, etc.

When I was a student, I never had the opportunity to meet an author. I think it’s wonderful that so many schools have author visits now. I find from my visits that students think authors are rich and famous. I’ve been asked more than once if I ride in a limousine. I like students to know that authors are ordinary people who work hard at something they’re passionate about. I want them to know that they can become authors, too, if that’s what they hope to be.

Also, of course, I instill in them what Pirate Pete discovers in my NO PIRATES ALLOWED—that books are the best treasures of all.



A Tribute to Literacy: K-12 Book Reviews

Book Reviews: Cat Tales

Ruta Sepetys was born and raised in Michigan in a family of artists, readers, and music lovers. Her award-winning debut novel, BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY, was inspired by her family's history in Lithuania and is published in 40 countries. Her new novel, OUT OF THE EASY, is set in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1950. A historical tale of secrets and lies, OUT OF THE EASY is a story of identity, family, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny. Ruta lives with her family in Tennessee. For more information on Ruta, visit her at www.rutasepetys.com.

Your debut novel, BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY, shed light on the history of atrocities against the Baltic people carried out by Stalin. What drew you to tell this story—and why do you think it’s a story not told more often?

My father fled from Stalin as a young boy. In 2005, I discovered that after my father left Lithuania, some of his extended family members were deported to Siberia. I was unaware of the deportations and was shocked when I learned that they had affected so many people.


Yet, somehow, the story remained untold. The U.S. and England were allied with Stalin during WWII and after the end of war, Lithuania remained under Soviet control. The story went dormant. I wanted to give voice to this piece of history.

International reaction to BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY has varied between countries and cultures. What has surprised you the most about this?

The book is now published in 42 countries and 26 languages. I still can't believe it. What has surprised me most is that each country interprets and relates to the story according to their own national history and culture. One country might use the book to study identity and another might use it to study patriotism. I've been fascinated to learn how different the teaching methods and curriculums are outside of the U.S.

Your new book, OUT OF THE EASY, transports the reader to New Orleans in 1950. That’s a difference of almost 10 years and 5,500 miles from the setting of BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY. How did you land in the French Quarter for your follow-up project?

Many years ago, someone gave me a vintage pair of opera glasses for my birthday. They were still in the original case from jeweler in New Orleans. I traced their history and learned that they belonged to a woman who lived in a French Quarter brothel.

I began to think about what it might be like for a teenage girl to grow up on the fringes of a brothel. What kinds of obstacles she would face? Would she be branded with the identity she was born into, or could she build one of her own?

I had a vision of 1950 that was pure perfection and happiness, but when I began researching I discovered that there was a lot of pain and secrets in post-war America. It made me want to dig deeper.

Many authors do extensive research for their novels, but you’re something of a “method” novelist. What are some of the lengths you’ve gone to while in “research rapture,” to make sure you’ve got the story right?

I love research. It's my favorite part of the process! While writing OUT OF THE EASY, I took many trips down to New Orleans trying to experience the city as deeply as possible. I’m originally from Michigan so Louisiana felt very exotic to me.


I spent a lot of time in the Williams Research Center in the French Quarter sorting through photos and newspapers. I interviewed many locals. I tracked down the 1950 yearbooks from colleges in New Orleans and also Smith College in Northampton. I spent hours poring over the 1950 New Orleans social directory and listened to old radio programs from the time period.

The most amazing part of my research was being able to visit the former brothel of New Orleans madam, Norma Wallace. When I first visited the brothel building, it was abandoned. As I was writing the book, someone bought the brothel and restored it. On my last research trip to New Orleans I decided to drive by one last time. The building was completely restored. One of the residents invited me in and gave me a tour. Walking through the brothel, the whole thing came to life.

In a former life, you worked in the music industry, as a manager of artists. Before that, you pursued a career in opera. What inspired you to become Ruta 3.0, the young adult author?

I was always interested in both music and writing but decided to pursue music first. After twenty years in the music business, the nagging desire to write finally got the best of me and I joined [the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators]. I attended my first SCBWI conference and never looked back.

Come see Ruta Sepetys at IRA 2013! She will be participating in “Putting Books to Work: Pairing Literature Authors with Classroom Teachers” on Sunday, Apr 21, 2013.



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