The Importance of School

Hi everyone! I am YA author B A Binns , writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for teens. My tagline tells you what I am about - Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them. 

There are few things more important in the life of young people than school. Over 250 schools have reopened in Houston. I felt a rush of triumph when I read that on Monday in a story from NPR, (http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/09/11/550218485/houston-public-schools-open-after-delays-from-hurricane-harvey). For children, school is a symbol of normalcy, and normalcy is something we all need now.

Naturally, the Internet had many comments about this, including one troll who told the world that the kids had to be really bummed out about that development.

Seriously.

I chose not to feed him.

The kids of hurricane ravaged Houston, on the other hand, gave positive messages to the news that school was back:

• I'm feeling good today 
• I don't have to sit in the house anymore and think about everything else. 
• I was just waiting to go to school. I was like, 'Why did Harvey have to come? We got to go to school and learn!'

They echoed my own thoughts. When I was a child, I reveled in the first day of school. Rain or shine, it couldn't come soon enough for me. Summer was too long, too hot, boring, and frankly the "vacation" aspect had worn out it's welcome by September.  I knew my future lay in that education thing I got inside the walls. Besides, other kids might laugh at me, or ignore me, but I could always impress my teachers.

As a parent, I looked forward to that first day of school for a different reason. I knew the importance of an education for my daughter, and of having the middle of the days to myself again. The return to school was a celebration of parental freedom.

As a writer – well, I write MG and YA fiction. School and schoolchildren are my milieu so naturally I attended NCAAL  (National Conference of African American Librarians) in Atlanta, Ga last month. There I picked up a number of tips for my writing and for attracting readers during the valuable three-day learning experience with librarians and teachers. I also taught them something, giving a workshop about innovative ways to use diverse books and materials in their programs and classes.

I love the start of school. Not only are school-aged youth the subjects I write about, they also constitute the audience I write for. Furthermore, I still enjoy enhancing my own education. I recently attended the tenth

 None of the stories I write take place during school vacation (although my WIP does have a few important scenes that occur during the Thanksgiving vacation). School is one of the number one social activities and bonding experiences for young people. That’s how I use school in my books and short stories.

For my first novel I invented a Chicago high school called Farrington for my first book. That school became and remains a unifying character. It’s the location where most of the action occurs, the place where teens socialize, get angry, and even fall in love – you know, all that real life drama. (BTW, Farrington H S is NOT Barrington H S in disguise. I not thinking of that school I have never been to. Then two years ago I was invited to speak at a workshop where the moderator introduced me as a former Barrington HS teacher. Not understanding, I can be very dense, I corrected the presenter, stating I had heard of the school but had never attended or taught there. I was half-way through my talk before I made the connection. Sometimes I wear blinders.)

School has a way of throwing people together. In adult novels, the workplace frequently provides the grounds for keeping people together and helping them bond. Farrington High School functions like a character in its own right, doing the same for the teens in my novel.

David meets and woos bad girl Yolanda, aka “The Dare,” inside the halls of Farrington in my debut YA novel, Pull. Fittingly, David is a survivor of domestic violence, and Yolanda’s self-esteem is being shattered by an abusive boyfriend.

In my second book, Being God, Yolanda’s former boyfriend and David’s arch enemy, Malik Kaplan takes center stage. He falls hard for Barnetta, David’s sister, both in Farrington’s school halls and while sparring in the boxing ring. (Turns out Barnetta had a mean left hook and she uses it to force him to choose between his growing feelings for her and his love of the alcohol that keeps him in trouble.)

In my third book, Minority Of One, Farrington forms the arena where the off-again, on-again relationship between gay teens Carl and Neill deepens into love.

My new book, Courage, coming May 2018 from Harper Collins, takes place in seventh grade. The kids may be a little young for conventional love and romance, but in even at twelve and thirteen, feelings are developing. The school in Courage (unnamed school, I have learned my lesson) provides opportunities for the kids to explore their diverse world and get to know each other.

The characters in Courage have connections with some of the Farrington high students. Linda is  David and Barnetta’s youngest sister. She plays a critical role in shaping some of T’Shawnt’s decisions, while continuing to wrestle with her own response to the domestic violence in her past. And T’Shawn Rodgers, the protagonist, was once mentored by Malik Kaplan. My brain finds it easier to maintain some continuity between my characters this way. I love expanding and embellishing old characters and revealing their personal stories. I love expanding the stories and lives of my minor characters,

COURAGE Excerpt:

“Romance” means something different for seventh grade kids than it does for older readers. At twelve and thirteen, young people are beginning to grasp that there’s the possibility of something more to relationships than simply being buddies. They know the differences between male and female no longer has anything to do with “cooties,” even if they don't yet understand or want much more.

For T’Shawn, the protagonist in Courage, the idea of a birthday kiss from the self-styled prettiest girl in class is huge, at least in the beginning as you see in this brief excerpt from Courage where T'Shawn Rodgers daydreams.

I come to the pool for the snacks. And to swim, the only sport I don’t hate.
And for the girls in swimsuits.
Well, for one girl, at least.
Carmela Rhodes.
She’s the brown-skinned mermaid in a shining blue and black swimsuit with a white swim cap. She’s already thirteen and is the prettiest girl in my seventh grade class. (If there is any question on that, you can ask her or one of her satellite besties: Marianne Smith, Fantasia Grey or Linda Murhasselt.) Linda is at the pool with her today, only she sits in the bleachers. Carmela stands beside one of the diving boards. I have one goal that I’m aiming for, a birthday kiss from Carmela Rhodes. My first real kiss ever.

But by the end of the story, T'Shawn's relationship with Carmela, and with a number of other classmates, has evolved. Not even finally getting his kiss helps him recover from her insistence that his brother be banished.

No one seemed more surprised by the news of my brother’s departure than Carmela. “Are you sure?” she asked after I told her he was gone.
“I saw him leave,” I snarl.
“You mean we won!” she squeals and then throws her hands over her mouth to stifle the sound. A moment later, she puts her arms around me and kisses me on the cheek.
I step back and wipe my face with the back of my hand.

The good news is, in spite of everything, a friendship forged by problems and misadventures has begun. One that will keep T'Shawn and Carmela, and a host of their friends, close as they move on toward adulthood.

On a personal note:

My personal education saga continues. On October 21, I am scheduled to assist in the Middle School Writer's Workshop during the Day of YA activities at the Illinois School Library Media Association’s conference in Springfield, Il. Then, just before year’s end I will be teaching a workshop to aspiring authors about the Business of Writing for KidLitNation.

If you are interested in finding out more about these events, and about Courage as it marches toward publication, let me know, OK?

Why YA?

Hi everyone! I am YA author B A Binns , writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for teens. My tagline tells you what I am about - Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them. 


Why do I write YA? Especially since I began with an adult romance (and someday intend to get back to that genre, I promise.) In fact, my first YA was all about the coming of age of the main characters from my adult romance, David Albacore and Yolanda Dare. And I can truthfully say David made me do it. He becomes such an arrogant, overbearing adult, but he kept telling me that if people only knew what I went through when I was growing up they would understand.

That's how I got hooked in the process of crafting coming-of-age stories.  The possibilities are fascinating. We all have those moments in our lives when we are choosing which path our futures will take. I write novels about those paths, those choices, and the days before young people know their limitations, or accept that there is only one "right way" to do things, or have their passions dulled by adult responsibilities. Teens and tweens are:

These young people deserve good stories that tap into those emotions, stories filled with complex issues and even more complex characters. YA characters are truly limitless. The genre needs authors who understand young people and want to touch them in meaningful ways. Not adult books masquerading as YA to cash in on a trend; or simple, watered down stories from publishers who think kids can't handle real issues.  They need stories that show our young readers possibilities and options for the future. Even more important (at least to me) are stories that promote empathy, caring and understanding. These are all commodities in ever reduced supply, at least here in the 2016 United States.

I view my job as a YA author is to light up young people, feed their passion for story and hand them endings that satisfy their emotional needs.

Many young people are looking for their spot in the world, that's the cause of teen angst, where do I belong? I write for them, trying to present a map and say here, kids, you belong right HERE.

I don't mind if adults read my books, if they feel nostalgia and remember the good old days when they were there. But I aim right for the kids.


This is a quote from one of my favorite TV shows, serendipitously shown last Sunday, March 20, MADAME SECRETARY. (I do hope I don't get nabbed for plagiarism) 

Lighting them up for the first time, that age when they're so passionate. Falling in love, getting their hearts broken.

This was from a conversation where a former high school teacher explains to a college teacher exactly what he is missing by never having dealt with younger students. I've heard many teachers insist they would never want high school students, they want third grade and under, "before they begin hating teachers and school." While I visit high schools and swear I would run away screaming if the teachers left me alone with the students, the truth is I feel a difference in the air when I deal with the older and younger kids. Second and third graders are impressed by anything you say.  Eighth grade and up let you know, it is your job to impress them.

I actually admire them for that. They deserve someone who will accept that challenge.  They are the reason I write. I do everything I can to keep in touch with today's teens to keep my stories relevant and real. That includes spending time with them, going to music festivals, talking to classrooms, attending high school events. Last week I judged at the Chicago Public Schools science fair, dealing with 7th and 8th grade students. My field was Behavioral Science, which provided a double dose of research into today's youth, since some of the budding scientists used their classmates for their experiments. The passion was potent in one girl whose research was on gender differences. God, she reminded me of me in my twenties as she explained gender issues and sex stereotypes, even quoting Gloria Steinem to me with fire in her eyes.  Our tweens and teens really are so much more sophisticated than we give them credit for being.

Young people hold that fire and passion. They  can bleed so easily, over so many different things. That's the real definition of passion, caring so much it hurts. Those are the people I love writing for, the ones that care so much about so many things. When they love a book, they really LOVE it.

Its not always about an HEA in YA romance. Sometimes young readers just need a really satisfying HFN to fall in love with a book and the hero/heroine.

In my first YA, Pull (http://www.amazon.com/Pull-Farrington-Tales-B-Binns/dp/0988182106), I personally know that my hero and heroine, David and Yolanda, do have an HEA, with all the ups and downs a long, happy marriage will entail.  But I end the book with an HFN. My hero and heroine care for each other and vow to remain close no matter what tries to come between them. And that is what's right for the 12-16 year old demographic I'm after.

  

My second book features an independent fourteen-year old freshman and the senior who doesn't want to admit he secretly likes her. He and her brother are near mortal enemies. But somehow, Malik Kaplan, the near anti-hero of Being God, (http://www.amazon.com/Being-God-B-Binns-ebook/dp/B00B9EWAEK), can't help liking the girl who is as tall as he is, slightly overweight, and bordering on being a nerd.   Minority of One (http://www.amazon.com/Minority-One-Farrington-Tales-3/dp/0988182122/) deals with a gay teen, still reeling from the loss of his boyfriend. He and the new girl in school become friends and each helps the other find, or perhaps rekindle, the fire of romance.

And now, before I end this post, I am happy to announce the next step in my writing for young people journey. I recently stepped into the shoes of even younger readers and completed my first Middle Grade novel, tentatively titled:

This time the twelve year old hero and heroine get to take that first step at looking at each other as maybe something special.  Technically it's not a romance, but it is bursting with hope and caring, and I hope lots of kids read it and see themselves in the joy of life - and of getting that very first kiss.

The rights to Courage have been bought by HarperCollins, and it will be traditionally published in winter 2018. Feel free to contact me on Facebook facebook.com/allthecolorsoflove or via email rtgblog {at} babinns {dot} com to get on my newslist for more information about the progress of Courage or other stories I have in the pipeline.

Lynn Lovegreen's Writing Advice

I attend the Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference in Homer, Alaska, every summer to participate in great workshops with Alaskan writers and hear fabulous keynote speakers of national reputation.

This year, Andre Dubus III, author of House of Sand and Fog and other books, gave the keynote. He spoke eloquently about many things, but the concept that struck me the most was:

We don’t know what we’re doing—and that’s a strength.

Sometimes, accomplished writers speak as if they have the truth straight from the Oracle of Delphi. We can trick ourselves into thinking, “If I do this or that or that other thing, I will be a brilliant writer, too.” But it doesn’t work like that. Andre offered no easy formulas or guidelines for writing. He admitted he doesn’t know what he’s doing, either.

To support this concept, Andre offered a couple ways to look at writing that I found useful:

You need curiosity and perseverance to write.

You must be willing to fail.

I was comforted by the last one.  It gave me permission to muck around and try different things. Andre Dubus III’s speech came at the perfect time for me. By the end of the conference, I decided that I needed a different hero for my current WIP (work in progress). And as scary as it is to throw away 44.944 words and start over, I’m doing it. Because I don’t know what I’m doing, and that’s okay. I have to try it even if I fail. I have faith that I’ll have a better book in the end, even though I don’t know yet what shape it may take.

To aspiring writers: I can’t make it easy for you, any more than it’s easy for me. But I encourage you to give yourself permission to be curious, risk failure, and persevere. Who knows—one day, you might be the one giving that keynote speech.

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. Her young adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com.