First, I should say how excited, overwhelmed and even a bit scared I am to be the first-ever Passion Project winner. I am excited for the obvious reasons. Winning this contest will at the very least get me closer to publication. I am overwhelmed because I have a lot of work to do, and I am scared because everyone is watching.
I have been a student of the craft for nearly two decades. I have read, written and read some more. Yet, the agent and the book deal have eluded me. I knew I was doing something wrong; I just couldn’t figure it out. Or maybe I did and needed someone to show me.
When I heard about the Passion Project on SheWrites.com, I thought it could be the boost I needed to land an agent and possibly a book deal. I feel one step closer to that reality after talking with Christina Baker Kline about my proposal.
She wanted to know how she could help. I had written a few notes about some items I wanted to touch on, mainly comments from agents who had turned down my project. “I like the concept, but I cannot offer representation,” many wrote. “It’s a magazine article, not a full-length book,” a few told me. “You’re not an expert because your children haven’t gone through puberty,” one said.
It was enough to make me stop writing. I am addressing the expert matter by interviewing black mothers, attending and participating in conferences on the mixed experience and by creating an online survey of mothers raising biracial children.
My mistake, and I suspect it is common, is that I didn’t address those issues in my proposal. Christina likened it to hiding under the bed with my eyes closed. Just because I didn’t mention the cracks doesn’t mean they aren’t there, she said. She urged me to anticipate criticism, deflect it, and defuse it.
For example, I should address the magazine versus book question head on. RAISING SIMONE AND NADIA is a much richer and deeper story and could never be addressed in 5,000 words. Then I need to support the premise with examples from my book. I also need to frame the book as a five-year experience and invoke successful memoirs that have a small timeframe. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is just one example. My homework is to come up with a few more.
In my quest to show how different my book is from those already in print, I didn’t spend enough time talking about my book in my proposal.
I need to frame it as a journey of a mother who deals with some uncomfortable truths in the years leading up to a groundbreaking moment in this nation’s history. I need to let agents know I have several strong characters, am willing to write raw prose about a taboo subject and provide them with solid statistics about the book’s audience. In other words, I need to tell them why my book is new and groundbreaking and not expect them to hunt for it and come to that conclusion on their own.
Thank you, Christina. I have a lot of work to do.
The Year of the Tiger: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac
Written by Oliver Chin
Illustrated by Justin Roth
Just in time for the Chinese New Year comes The Year of the Tiger: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac. It is an unlikely story about a cub who befriends a little girl named Su. Despite his parents’ warning, the cub named Teddy ventures to the edge of forest, where he sees Su. She is afraid of him at first and screams, prompting a hunt for the tiger. When the tiger’s learn of the hunt, they decided to move to a new part of the forest. Teddy, though, rushes back to see the girl one last time, and the adventure begins. She follows him into the forest, steps on a snake and falls over a cliff. By then, their parents are in pursuit of them both, following his roar and her cries throughout the forest. Teddy pulls Su to safety, and they prove the forest is big enough for man and beast and they join their parents together. The Year of the Tiger is a story about friendship and how children can help bridge the divide. The book is filled with bright, colorful illustrations chocked-full of animals, and Simone and Nadia enjoying identifying them as I read. This library find also introduces children to the ancient tradition of the Chinese zodiac.
Don’t Bring Home A White Boy
By Karyn Langhorne Folan
When the signed copy of Don’t Bring Home A White Boy arrived, I tore into it. I knew how I had been quoted, but I wanted to read the rest of the book. It was an education of sorts. I can understand having concerns about family, children and slavery. Some black women, though, can’t get over the color of white men and view them as weak. As a black woman who has been happily married to a white man for nearly nine years, I couldn’t help but think some black women may be shortchanging themselves. Whatever the argument, Folan picks it apart. She also provides readers with some history of race in America and stories of successful interracial couples. Pick up the book. That is, if you’re open to hearing the other side of the story.
The Jump At The Sun Treasury: An African American Picture Book Collection
Simone received this book as an infant. The anthology features seven picture books previously published by Jump at the Sun — from a biography of slugger Willie Mays, to a ghost story, to a poem about prayer.
It is a true picture book, and Simone and Nadia like to see how the stories are told through the illustrations. The piece about Willie Mays is one of my favorites, while Simone and Nadia love the lyrical play of ”Can I Pray With My Eyes Open?” and another piece called, “These Hands.” A few longer stories are in the back of the book and will be more appropriate as Simone and Nadia grow up and master reading, which means we will be pulling this book from the shelves for many more years to come.
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
By Doreen Rappaport
We read this book all year long. Simone and Nadia, who have an ear for lyrical text, pull it off the shelf on a regular basis. The lessons are obvious but still need to be taught or preached. I want Simone and Nadia to know they can do anything and they shouldn’t shy away from using big words. Among the other lessons: standing up for what’s right, standing up for others, and peacefully pursuing a purpose.
The book is written for children 4 and older, and tackles tough subjects with grace. The picture book begins with King’s experience of seeing “White Only” signs in his hometown, and his mother makes sure he knows he is “as good as anyone.” Young readers and listeners receive an introduction to the civil rights icon and some history about him, including his role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and a march for the Sanitation Workers’ Strike in Memphis. ”On his second day there, he was shot. He died.”
This is the only children’s King book we own, and for now it is all we need.
Happy Girl Hair is giving away a first edition copy of Happy To Be Nappy by bell hooks on Feb. 5. This is not the usual giveaway. The hardcover book is out of print and selling for $60 on Amazon. If anyone knows anyone who has this book and will part with it for far less than 60 bucks, leave a message below or message me at honeysmoke @ honeysmoke dot com. In the meantime, register for the giveaway over at Happy Girl Hair.
Mixed: An Anthology of Short Fiction on the Multiracial Experience
Edited by Chandra Prasad
A friend gave me Mixed a few weeks ago, and I have finally opened it. I prefer nonfiction for a multitude of reasons. Still, I am enjoying this work. What’s interesting is that while the short stories are works of fiction, they feel very real and true to me. All of the contributors come from blended families and give voice to the multiracial experience. I see this book as one I can turn to when Simone and Nadia are much older, when someone has done or said something hurtful.
Has anyone else read this work? How would you use it?
