Mel: I am just pleased out of my shoes tonight with the way this chat has evolved, far beyond my fondest dreams of what a chat could be. I had invited Elaine Marie Alphin for the chat, especially to talk about her latest book, The Perfect Shot. Then I found out that Elaine's editor at Carolrhoda Books, Shannon Barefield, was willing to chat with us too! And I welcomed the opportunity, which I knew YOU would love also, to talk to BOTH an author and her editor in one chat, and have the chance to ask questions of both of them. I am deeply grateful that you both, Elaine and Shannon, took the time out to be here. WELCOME to both of you, and THANKS for coming!

 

Elaine: Thank you for having us both here! I'm really looking forward to this chat, and only hope I can keep up. I'm having a right wrist joint replacement in a couple of weeks, so please forgive any typos.

 

Mel: Typos FORGIVEN, friend!

 

Shannon: I am really pleased to be here, too—thank you for inviting me!

 

Mel: Elaine, please refresh our memories here at the start. How did you first come to writing for children and when?

 

Elaine: I started writing for kids shortly after my decision that adult journalism wasn't for me. I had always wanted to write fiction, but it was my husband who suggested in 1982 that I seriously consider writing that fiction for kids, and he was right!

 

Mel: YEA for Art Alphin!!!

 

kittycat: What was wrong with writing for adults? Did you get many rejections?

 

Elaine: As an adult journalist I discovered that editors worked from a slant way too much. I disliked the slants, and after a blow-up on a cover feature story for a glossy city magazine I decided to go back to what I loved doing, telling a pure story and, hopefully, telling it well.

 

Mel: Shannon, did you start out as a writer, and/or how did you reach the editor's chair?

 

Shannon: I think I’ve always been a bit of both. I’ve been interested in fiction writing since I was a kid, but I’ve also had a long and deep enjoyment of helping other writers improve their work.

 

Mel: When did you join Carolrhoda?

 

Shannon: Just about nine years ago.

 

Mel: Shannon, could I get you to ask Elaine some questions, perhaps first about her writing habits, please?

 

Shannon: Sure, I’d love to!  Could you describe your writing habits? Do you have a certain daily pattern, for example? Where do you write? What atmosphere do you find most conducive to your writing?

 

Elaine: My daily writing habits vary based on whether I'm planning a book, writing a first draft, revising, or researching. In the beginning stages, I like to really just live with my characters, and see where they take me. I keep a plotting notebook where I write notes about them, because their decisions and actions will direct the plot of the book. I can do that anywhere—I literally carry my plotting notebook in the car, on airplanes, everywhere I go so I can jot down notes as the ideas hit me. But I do have an office where I actually sit at my computer and do most of that first draft writing and later revising. I do write every day.

 

Mel: Can I stick my nose in here with a question that came to me?

 

Elaine: Sure, Mel.

 

Mel: When you say "live with your characters," how do you do that? In your imagination? Do you "SEE" them? Are they "real" people you've seen in life?

 

Elaine: Ah—no, I don't "SEE" my characters around me (or someone in a white jacket might be knocking on my door as I type); but I do "talk" with them, and they talk back, with a small assist from my voice. I ask them questions—for example, I know a lot about football, and originally I wanted Brian in The Perfect Shot to be a football player. But he was adamant that he was a basketball player, so what could I do? Living with them, talking to them for days and paying attention to what they tell me is what shapes the book I'll write about them. And sometimes they are based on real people, but they're not the real people walking off the street onto the page.

 

Shannon: Go Minnesota Vikings! :)

 

Elaine: I wonder if the fact that Shannon and I both went to the same college—and that college produced Tommy Kramer, a Vikings quarterback, was behind that aside from her? ; )

 

Mel: Shannon, the next of your GREAT questions, please! But I must tell you first that most of us down here in Iowa ARE Vikings fans! (-:}  And Shannon, I MUST say seriously and candidly, that YOU are an editor with a GREAT sense of humor!

 

Elaine: That's one of the reasons that Shannon is such a delight to work with.

 

Mel: That MIGHT be a surprise to some people here—an editor with a healthy sense of humor—and it's VERY refreshing for us writers to hear!

 

Elaine: We laugh a good deal as we discuss the ins and outs of revision.

 

Shannon: Laughter IS the best medicine.

 

Mel: Ask Elaine another one of your great questions, please, Shannon.

 

Shannon: You write across many genres, both fiction and nonfiction. This seems fairly unusual among children's authors. Do you perceive yourself as a novelist first and a nonfiction writer second, or the other way around, or do the two balance equally in your sense of yourself as a writer?

 

Elaine: My passion is writing strong fiction that inspires readers to question their assumptions and explore new ideas. So I guess I think of myself as a novelist first—but at the same time, nonfiction, especially biographies about inspiring people, can make young readers think also. I think the two balance each other well in my sense of myself as a writer.

 

Shannon: That passion really shines through in your work.

 

Elaine: Thank you—that's what I hope will come across. Chatsters, can you see why I love to work with this editor? She's not only complimentary, but she zeroes in on what I love about what I do, and what I try to accomplish, and praises it.

 

Shannon: Do the deadline-oriented aspects of nonfiction writing make it difficult to fit in your fiction writing? How do you juggle the two?

 

Elaine: That's a good question, particularly since Shannon and I have worked on nonfiction and fiction at the same time! I like the nonfiction deadlines—they add structure. I don't usually take on a nonfiction project when I'm in the heat of a first draft, but when I'm working on a nonfiction book and planning or polishing a novel, I find it clears my head to go back and forth between the two types of writing. And, of course, my subconscious is thinking about one while I'm working on the other, so I often come back to the other with new insights.

 

Shannon: Our editor-author relationship has evolved over many years and many books. It's a wonderful illustration of how one thing can lead to another in the world of publishing, a very encouraging notion for new writers. Could you touch on those experiences?

 

Elaine: Writers sometimes think that editors are only focused on the one project at hand but Shannon would read other books of mine while we were working on different projects. For instance, she read Counterfeit Son, with its references to John Paul Jones, and asked me if I liked Jones and might be interested in writing a biography of him, which I thoroughly enjoyed doing. Also, she saw that I enjoyed writing the scientific and technical aspects of the Household History Series, and suggested I try a scientific biography, which led to Louis Pasteur. As she just pointed out, each time she's come up with a connection like this, it has turned into a successful project that we both enjoyed working on. And her skillful editing of nonfiction and the way she throws herself wholeheartedly into a project led to my wanting to work with her on fiction as well as nonfiction—a great decision.

 

Shannon: Throughout our editorial processes, we've had many frank and complex discussions. Could you give an example of a time when you needed to stand your ground in spite of editorial input from me, and explain why this was the case?

 

Elaine: Our work together ends up being so synergistic that usually when we disagree initially on something, we work together to understand why we disagreed. I explain why I did something, and Shannon explains why it didn't work for her. When we understand where each of us is coming from, we better understand how to solve the problem. I can really only think of one time, in The Perfect Shot, when we disagreed about something and I felt I needed to hang tough about it. It was a scene in which Brian, the main character, was present at an argument between two brothers, in which the brothers really blew up at each other. Shannon felt it was too emotionally charged between the brothers, and not really Brian's business, and wanted me to tighten the scene to cut a lot of the argument.

 

Shannon: The entire argument didn’t seem to belong in the book.

 

Elaine: Exactly—but I felt the argument was important for the character development of the brothers, and one of the guys was a very important character in the book. As we discussed it, however, I came to understand that what was really bothering Shannon was that I hadn't shown enough of Brian's reactions to the argument as it proceeded. It was as though he had slipped into the background, but the book is his story. So once she explained that and I understood how he seemed lost along the way (good way of putting it!), I could fix the scene without losing what mattered to me. I guess this is really an example of where our discussion got to a synergistic solution, instead of leaving us polarized on the issue.

 

Shannon: Similarly, how about a time when my input changed your mind on an issue with positive results?

 

Elaine: Hmm.... I guess the example I just gave illustrates this, too, doesn't it? I won't make changes in a novel that I don't believe will have positive results, but when the two of us discuss something and I see why Shannon feels so strongly about it, it makes me see the issue with new eyes, and that always nets positive results.

 

Mel: Do you have an example of that, Elaine?

 

Elaine: In The Perfect Shot, I had one character, Julius, who is arrested for the crime of being a black teenager in a white neighborhood. He's badly treated by the police, and he changes from being a well-brought-up teenager in a small town that admires his basketball prowess to a boy with a black chip on his shoulder so big that it threatens to destroy him and destroy the team. I wanted him to act out his anger and his new identification with his being black, and one of the things I did was have him speak differently. Before he sounded like the rest of the guys, now he's trying to sound more black than black, but he doesn't know how to do it—all he knows is what he's seen from TV and movies. Shannon didn't think it worked, and she pointed out that the other guys on the team should react more strongly to this change. I was thinking that they wouldn't react (I was probably being too careful about their being politically correct here), but as I thought about her reaction I thought she was probably right, and the result was that the impact of how Julius has been damaged, has been altered by this event, became much stronger.

 

Shannon: And the book itself became stronger because of those changes!

 

Elaine: Thanks, Shannon. : )

 

Shannon: How can a newish author, working with an editor for perhaps the first time, best choose when to revise and when to hold steady with a passage as it is?

 

Elaine: That's a very important question for new authors to consider. You have to think very carefully about why you wrote that passage, about how you think it serves the story. Then you have to be sure you understand what the editor is getting at in telling you to revise it. If the editor's input and the purpose for that input serves the story you want to tell, then you should think very strongly about revising. No book is perfect as first written, no matter how much we love our words! But if the editor’s input doesn't serve your story, then it's possible that the editor really wants to edit a different book than you want to write. When I was originally trying to place Counterfeit Son with a publisher, I did find one editor who was enthusiastic but wanted me to change the ending. She wouldn't publish it without my changing the ending.

 

Mel: It wouldn’t have been your book, right?

 

Elaine: Exactly! That would have changed the book I wanted to write into another book! So I said no. By refusing to make a change that didn't serve the story, I had to wait longer to see the book in print, but I finally found the right editor who offered strong editorial guidance that served the book I wanted to write.

 

Shannon: May I make a comment here, please?

 

Mel: YES!

 

Shannon: May I make a comment here, please?

 

Mel: YES!

 

Shannon: There are probably some editors who want to make an author’s book “their own” book; but that isn’t the kind of editor I am.  I want to make any book the best book the author has written.

 

Elaine: Thanks, Shannon. : )

 

zubbycat: Do you usually get characters or a plot in your mind first, Elaine?

 

Elaine: Good question, zubbycat. I guess it's a chicken or egg question. I have a situation in mind, and I ask myself what sort of characters would be involved, but then the situation changes, based on the characters who come into focus. I'd say it's the characters who are the most important, then the situation, and then the way the characters react to the situation to shape the plot.

 

dydy: How many readers read a manuscript before it gets to an upper editor like you, Shannon?

 

Shannon: Sometimes I’m the first reader. In many cases, a submissions editor or an assistant editor would read a manuscript first and pass it along to me if it seems like a good fit for our list.

 

ondevine: Elaine? How much time do you spend on writing now that you are an editor also?

 

Elaine: Hi, ondevine. Actually, I'm not an editor—just a writer. And it's pretty much a full-time job for me. The only work I do other than write is talk to kids at schools and to other writers about writing. That contact serves to inspire me as well as energize them, I hope!

 

raye: For Shannon: Does Carolrhoda publish many novels?

 

Shannon: We’re currently publishing 18 to 20 titles a year, of which about 8 are novels. The rest are picture books and standalone nonfiction. (The school library series books formerly published by Carolrhoda will be published by other Lerner imprints starting this fall.)

 

Elaine: raye, Carolrhoda is now publishing more novels. I was lucky to start working with Shannon just as she began editing more YA novels for Carolrhoda, and I think they'll be doing more novels in the future—at least if Shannon has her way!

 

carrieh: How did the two of you meet? Was Shannon assigned to you, Elaine?  Shannon?

 

Elaine: Yes she was, Carrieh. I had been working on the Household History Series with Carolrhoda, and the editor I'd started with had Shannon do her first editing job on Irons with me. We hit it off wonderfully right from the start, and have been working together for the past nine years. Now I ask for her specifically if I place a new book with Carolrhoda—I'm so spoiled by working with her that I don't want to work with somebody else there on a novel!

 

Shannon: I began at Carolrhoda as an assistant editor in 1996, and Elaine’s book Irons, part of our Household History Series, was my first assignment. It became my first finished book as an editor!

 

Mel: Elaine, briefly, what is The Perfect Shot about?

 

Elaine: It's a mystery about a HS basketball player whose neighbors, including his girlfriend, Amanda, are shot and killed in their garage. Brian thinks he saw a suspicious stranger in his cul-de-sac the day of the murder, but he's not really sure what he saw and his parents and friends urge him to focus on school and basketball and not get involved. The police have arrested Amanda's father for the crime, and Brian figures they must know what they're doing—an innocent man couldn't be convicted. But then he does a school project about a 1913 murder case in which a 14-year-old eyewitness kept silent out of fear, and an innocent man was convicted and lynched. Worse still, his teammate Julius is arrested in a case of racial profiling. Brian realizes the justice system isn't working, and what he saw could be critical. But if he speaks out about the stranger, Brian wonders if the real killer will try for another perfect shot—this time against Brian and his family.

 

Mel: Sports and mysteries are two distinct and separate genres—why combine them here?

 

Elaine: They seemed a natural match—especially in this book. Mysteries, especially murder mysteries, are all about finding justice—they're about fairness. And high school sports are all about fairness and sportsmanship. Brian stresses throughout the book that “what you do in the court you do in life.” In other words, if you play fair while you're playing ball, you will act fair, or do what's right, while you're living your life. So when a player like that runs up against unfairness, or injustice, in real life, he comes to realize that he has to act to prevent it, the way he would do on the court; only the cost can be a lot higher in real life.

 

Mel: Kids and teens love mysteries, but isn't murder too intense, even for the Young Adults?

 

Shannon: Nope!

 

Elaine: I agree. Some years ago, when I was working on another mystery, my editor was dismayed that two of the teen characters were on the verge of killing another boy. I told her that three young teen girls were currently on trial in the small Midwest town where I lived, for the torture and murder of another teen. Sadly, teens are capable of violence, and they see violence all around them. I wouldn't have an elementary school character go up against a murderer, but I don't think it's inappropriate, or too intense, for high school characters. They see death and killing on the news and in movies all the time but there it doesn't always have consequences. In real life (and in good fiction) it should. And there's another reason that life or death situations are so powerful in fiction. When a character's back is against the wall, when his (or her) life is on the line, or the life of someone he cares about is at risk, then that character must discover what he's really made of. Even if he thought he was brave—is he really the kind of person who will turn and run? Is he the kind of guy who will collapse and beg for mercy? Or is he the kind of person who will stand up to it? It's a moment of truth.

 

Shannon: As ever, the author speaks more eloquently than the editor. :)

 

Mel: Elaine, is the no-violence a holdover from the old days, in the conservative atmosphere of children's books--that USED to be, I mean?

 

Elaine: I think it is, Mel. Adults like to believe that they can protect kids, in their homes, in what they see on TV through V-chips, and in what they read. But kids are more realistic and tougher than adults give them credit for (or perhaps would like to think), and I think contemporary YA fiction needs to go beyond the conservative, protective, "rules" of the past.

 

Mel: Awomen/Amen!

 

Shannon: To try to compensate for my glib “Nope” earlier. :) I believe that being a teenager is in part about the work of figuring out how to live in the world, who to be. And teens need and deserve literature that reflects the world as it truly is. And that includes violence to some extent.

 

Elaine: I agree completely

 

Mel: Elaine and Shannon, I want us to "plot out loud" here—OK?

 

Elaine: Okay

 

Shannon: Yup!

 

Mel: You mentioned the V-chip, Elaine. What PLOT does that suggest to you for a teen or YA novel?

 

Elaine: First thing that comes to mind is use of the V-chip to prevent teens from finding out something that is going on that they might object to—something at their school, changes in metal detectors or locker searches, etc.

 

Shannon: "Monitoring. Invasion of privacy.

 

Elaine: And, of course, a clever geek would try to outsmart the V-chip, thinking he could watch cool TV—only to stumble onto the plot and try to expose it.

 

Shannon: Ah, more accurate, yes :)

 

Elaine: Would the other teens believe him? Would they listen? Maybe not until he gets an unexpected suspension and disappears from view. Then they take him seriously—but is it too late to do anything about it?

 

Mel: So YOU have come up with a NOVEL novel plot! VERY quickly!

 

Elaine: Absolutely—a character in a situation, and what he does about it.

 

Mel: THANK YOU! EXCELLENT! I just wanted to probe how two GREAT writing minds, writer and editor, would PLOT a novel!

 

Elaine: It's a good starting scenario, Mel. And there’s good encouragement from my editor!

 

Shannon: See, all I have to do is listen and make supportive comments. My job is easy!

 

Mel: Elaine, why did you tackle the legal and justice system? Isn't that kind of an abstract notion for most teenagers?

 

Elaine: I don't think so. We tell small children to do the right thing, to be honest and fair. Then when they're in 5th or 6th grade and cry out in outrage, "But that's not fair!”, we tell them that the world's not fair. By adulthood, we're even telling ourselves that, to the point where we shrug off injustice all around us. So what are young adults supposed to believe? Is life supposed to be fair, as we told them, or isn't it?

 

Mel: You’re right on-target, Elaine!

 

Elaine: By the time they're teens, they've seen that unfairness goes beyond kids treating each other unfairly, or teachers treating students unfairly. Teens are often viewed with suspicion because of their age and appearance. And minority teens, like Julius, often find themselves the victims of racial profiling. These are issues that are real, and frightening, for teens—not at all abstract notions. This age is the perfect time to get teens to think about their place in the justice system—if they believe they deserve a fair shot, like any other citizen, then it's their responsibility to make sure the system works, as much as it is our responsibility to try to give them a just system to inherit.

 

Shannon: One of the hallmarks of Elaine's work, and a key reason that I believe it's successful, is that she respects her readership. She believes in the intelligence and capability and sophistication of young adults. Her writing sparkles with this confidence in them, and they respond accordingly.

 

Elaine: Thank you, very much. I do hope I respect my readers—they deserve our respect, and I do try to live up to that responsibility.

 

Shannon: It shows in your work, truly.

 

Mel: I agree, wholeheartedly!

 

cosmos: Elaine: It seems like by combining sports with a mystery that you give added dimension making more complex plot twists possible.

 

Elaine: Thank you, cosmos—that's exactly what I was hoping to achieve! And I'm also hoping that the basketball element adds a suspense of its own, woven through the twists of the murder mystery. In fact, in plotting this book, I used a plotting bulletin board filled with index cards of scenes. The scenes were color-coded—one color for basketball, one for the school project, one for the murder mystery. I wanted to make sure that one element didn't get left off for too long, or ended up overwhelming the other elements. The board helped me envision the arc of the book and the character growth and the team's progression as the season went on, and keep it all in my mind as I actually wrote the book.

 

cosmos: Elaine: Did you choose to write for young people because you make more of a difference in a teen’s life at a critical and difficult time?

 

Elaine: Yes, I did, cosmos. I believe that throughout childhood and the teenage years, young people are making discoveries about the world around them and about themselves and I want to give them more ideas to consider, to help them choose. I don't want to tell them: Think my way because it's right. I want them to see what my characters do under pressure, and ask themselves what they'd do. The answers aren't easy—but the opportunity to consider the questions is what will help today's youth make more of a success of this world than I fear we have.

 

zubbycat: How long does it typically take you to go from first draft to polished/edited piece?

 

Elaine: Good question, zubbycat. I'd say that it takes me about half a dozen revisions to go to a version I'd feel right sending my editor, and we'll do another two or three revisions after that. This process of having my critique groups read the manuscript and my husband read the manuscript (his feedback is critical) and my own re-reading of the manuscript, can take anywhere between eight or nine months to eighteen months. Then the process with Shannon can take another six months to a year. It takes a lot of time and effort to make a novel come together on the page as beautifully as it comes together in your imagination.

 

Mel: Shannon, anything to add to that writing/editing process time?

 

Shannon: From a publishing perspective, I would add on another six months at least for production and marketing before the book is released. It's not hasty, that's for sure!

 

Elaine: If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well!

 

Mel: YUP for sure!

 

eggamy: What kind of children's writing do you like best, Elaine and Shannon?

 

Elaine: Hi, eggamy. I love all the different types of children's writing, for different ages and in different genres, but if I had to pick ONE kind only, I think it would have to be fiction for middle graders and young adults. OK, I know that's two kinds, but both groups of readers can read well, have open minds, and are thirsting to experience life and to consider alternatives beyond what they hear at home or in their classroom or in church. They reach for books to show them wider worlds, and I love to write for them.

 

Shannon: What a deceptively simple question, eggamy. But if I had to pick ONE kind only, I think it would have to be fiction for middle graders and young adults. I embrace a wide range of books. I have this vision of Carolrhoda as an imprint that replicates the many and varied pleasures of an excellent children's bookstore.

 

kittycat: How many books have you written that have been published, Elaine?

 

Elaine: Good for you for differentiating between books I've written and those I've gotten published, kittycat! The Perfect Shot is number 26, if you count the collections I've written as graded readers for a literacy project. I have more in the works and more making the rounds and look forward to seeing more in print.

 

Shannon: I especially like to be surprised, in an organic and natural way, by originality of thought and voice in writing, whatever the age level.

 

Elaine: Yes, indeed—Shannon edited nine of those published books! See? We make a great team.

 

Shannon: Nine books is a nice lot of books to have worked on with such a talented author!

 

kittycat: Elaine, doesn't it make you crazy, working on two different writing projects at the same time?

 

Elaine: I can't write a first draft at the same time I'm working on another writing project, kittycat, but otherwise it's refreshing to switch from one thing to another. Think about other types of work—a little variety always keeps you on your toes. It works the same way with writing, at least for me. But when I'm in the throes of a first draft, I'm living the book, and I can't be interrupted (even to cook supper reliably for my husband, who puts up with it very patiently, I must add).

 

Mel: Elaine, a lot of writers worry about writing Young Adult fiction because of language issues. How do you write believable teen dialogue without swearing? Especially writing sports team dialogue?

 

Elaine: That's an important issue, Mel, because many writers feel it's important to keep teen dialogue "real" by using all the swearing they hear "real teens" using. Personally, I think you should only use swearing if it helps the story or is essential to the character—and I find few instances where that's necessary. That's a good thing—since librarians know that a book with language problems will be challenged sooner or later by parents, and they may have to fight for it. I've had librarians thank me for not making language an issue in my books, even when I'm writing about serial killers and child sexual abuse. In The Perfect Shot I spoke all of the characters' dialogue out loud to make sure it sounded natural for teens, but I looked for other ways to express emphasis than swearing. I was going for natural cadence instead, and you'd be surprised how effective that can be.

A lot of times kids swear for effect—particularly to impress any adult who might be listening, and to impress other kids as well. So I tried to let them have the same impact on each other by using strong (as in powerful, not objectionable) language, but not swearing—until things really build to a climax. When Julius explodes in the classroom after his unjust arrest, he actually starts to say "nig-" but is interrupted by the teacher. The anger and violence have escalated and the language reflects it, but comes just short of what would cause librarians and parents problems, without cheating the character of honest expression.

 

Mel: EXCELLENT point! Shannon, how do you feel as an editor about "swear words" in a book?

 

Shannon: I would hesitate to include gratuitous swearing that might keep the book from reaching its readers. That said, if the book is for young adults and the questionable language is truly critical to the moment, I would support keeping it.

 

Mel: Gutsy author and gutsy editor!  Elaine, if The Perfect Shot is a murder mystery and the main character has seen the murderer, how do you keep the book suspenseful?

 

Elaine: That was a challenge here. Typically you build suspense by having the main character desperate to find something—perhaps information—because something terrible will happen if he fails. Here Brian has seen a stranger, but he didn't pay any attention and isn't sure exactly what he's seen. It could even have been Amanda's father who committed the crime. So the suspense comes from his trying to come to terms with losing Amanda—even though he's trying to concentrate on nothing but basketball, he's got to have closure. His trying to decide what he's seen and whether or not it's important and what he should do about it is suspenseful, and his trying to deal with Julius's arrest is suspenseful; and at the same time the basketball season is building to its climax with the team crumbling under these outside pressures. Put it all together, and who Brian has seen is only part of the suspense.

 

Mel: The Perfect Shot is written in first person, while your book Counterfeit Son is written in third person. Why did you choose first person this time?

 

Elaine: Third person kept us outside of Cameron in Counterfeit Son, which was fitting, because even Cameron didn't want to be inside his own head. But Brian is different - he's a guy who's been comfortable with himself until Amanda's murder, and I knew his first-person voice would be honest. Using his voice was one of the ways I wanted to build suspense in the book. Amanda's murder is a prologue in third person, but the book begins with a gunshot that is louder than Brian expects. We soon realize that he has fired a shot—but he has also been shot. The action of the book itself is his viewing of his life passing before him in the moments between life and death, interrupted only by snippets of dialogue between the emergency medical people as they struggle to save him. So in addition to the mystery of Amanda's murder, this voice keeps the reader wondering who shot Brian, and whether he's going to live or die.

 

Mel: What are the benefits and limitations of each voice in writing mysteries?

 

Elaine: The third-person voice gives the author a little distance from the story, so it's often easier to keep secrets from the reader, and to make clues seem unimportant. This helps the writer build tension—it's hard to hide the clues in the first person, unless the main character doesn't understand what he sees, or is an unreliable narrator who is either deliberately lying or is hiding the truth from himself, like Ian in Picture Perfect. But a first-person voice makes the mystery more immediate and more personal. It's also a challenge—if it's first-person past tense, then the reader knows the narrator survived the story he's telling—in Brian's case, that would tell us he's not dying. So I made it first-person present tense, in that time between life and death, so we don't know if Brian is going to survive. Also, if it's first-person past tense, and the narrator already knows who the murderer is, it's not fair of him not to tell us here and now. But as Brian watches his life go by, the Brian who's watching doesn't know the solution to the mystery, so the reader doesn't feel cheated. The voice is what the reader will believe or disbelieve, so you have to choose a voice the reader can trust.

 

Mel: How do you title a mystery? What's the significance of the title of The Perfect Shot?

 

Elaine: I like a title that has many different meanings as the story evolves in the reader's mind. The Perfect Shot refers to the way Amanda and her mother and brother were killed—each with a single perfect shot. That gives us a clue to the murderer. At the same time, the title refers to the long-range sweeping jump shot that Julius owns, and Brian yearns to make. And by the end of the book there are two other "perfect shot" interpretations that Brian and the reader will come to see. So when you look for a title, think about what your mystery hinges on, and how your main character will solve it, and try to come up with a phrase that captures that without completely giving it away.

 

Mel: How do you name your characters in a mystery?

 

Elaine: First, I wanted names that would work in Indiana—Brian is a very common name here, and it's spelled with an “I,” not “Bryan”. I checked with a bunch of Indiana residents to be sure! Also, I found myself thinking about Hamlet a lot while I was writing this book. I've always had trouble understanding why he didn't just take care of his father's murderer and not dither about it for so long. A lot of characters die because he dithers, and I like my characters to be people of action—but not Brian. He resists getting involved, and then he's not sure what he's seen even after people urge him to act. So I sort of paid homage to Hamlet in many of the names—Brian's last name is Hammett, like Hamlet. One family who tends to be rigid about the law and about right and wrong, but not always accurate about justice, is the Pollian family, like Polonius. And the victim family is Daine, as the murdered King Hamlet is the Royal Dane, and so on. Just as with titles, I want the character names to work for me, and for the story, on different levels.

 

Shannon: This is all quite subtle, though, when you read Elaine's book!

 

Mel: TWO hours with TWO of the best in their fields, Author Elaine Marie Alphin and Editor Shannon Barefield, have passed ever too swiftly. You both have shared with all of us so MUCH of the relationship between author and editor that so many of us do not understand; and you've shared it clearly and openly. It's easy to see from what you've shared how important it is to have BOTH author and editor making a book the very best it can be written and best it can be edited—simply the best a book can be. And you as a team have turned out excellent, award-winning books. I would like VERY much if you would both say yes to being our Chat Guests again sometime, so that we can explore even more of the author/editor relationship. Will you come back again someday, please?

 

Elaine: I'd love to come back, Mel. And I'd love to tag-team with Shannon again!

 

Mel: Shannon, will YOU come back, too?

 

Shannon: I would love to, by all means.

 

Elaine: I'm sorry we couldn't answer more of your questions, chatsters! Good luck with your own mystery writing.

 

Mel: On Thursday, July 21, two weeks from now, you'll be hearing from another Sizzling Summer Chat Guest, Kathryn Lay. Kathryn is a writer, a speaker, and a teacher. She asks: "Do you dream of seeing your writing in print? Do you wish your writing would sell again and again?" And with over 800 articles, essays, and stories included in magazines and anthologies, Kathryn Lay is WELL prepared to share her experience and her writing. Her writing ranges from religion to children's stories, essays to fantasy fiction, parenting to marriage, humor to how-tos. Kathryn has been published in Woman's Day, Guideposts, Home Life, Woman's World, Grit, Writer's Digest, The Writer, Cricket, and many more publications. Kathryn Lay will help YOU zero in on the most probable markets for your story, article, and book manuscripts.

 

Mel: Heartfelt THANKS to you, Elaine Marie Alphin and Shannon Barefield, for sharing something RARE tonight, the relationship between a very successful children's writer and a very successful children's editor. You have turned lights on for us so that we now can see and understand that relationship that is so special, a relationship without which there would be no good books for children. We SO appreciate your coming tonight. GoodSummerNight to all of you, and I hope to "see you" again July 21!

 

Elaine: GoodSummerNight, and happy writing!

 

Shannon: Thanks for coming tonight!

 

Mel: Goodnight EveryChildren’sWriter!

 

To avoid missing a single article, transcript, or important news announcement, sign up for the Institute’s free weekly e-mail updates. Simply go to this link, type your e-mail address, press SUBMIT, and you’ll be subscribed! http://www.institutechildrenslit.com/rx/email_updates.shtml.