Catherine Atkins: Okay. I think it's time to start. Welcome to the YA Authors Cafe! Our guest tonight is A.M. Jenkins, also known as Amanda, author of the upcoming YA Beating Heart: A Ghost Story. Welcome, Amanda!

Catherine Atkins: I will be chatting with Amanda for about a half-hour and then we'll take questions. Amanda, please use a series of dots to indicate a continued answer.

Catherine Atkins: Amanda, what comes first for you? Character or plot? What steps do you take to grow a story?

Amanda: Character has always come first. Right now, I'm stretching a bit and learning to write plot first. But usually, it's characters...

Amanda: As far as steps, I don't have specific steps...

Amanda: I have a character, who usually has one of my own flaws, but magnified...

Amanda: I take that flaw and use it to guide the story. I rip it apart and turn it inside out.

Amanda: GA

Catherine Atkins: I saw the movie Elephant recently, about a high school shooting, and I was impressed at the low-key realism of the teen's reactions. I don't see that much in YA lit, but I did in your Breaking Boxes. In general, do you need big gestures and big reactions to come across with teen characters in YA lit?

Amanda: Actually, Breaking Boxes orginally had this over-the-top ending...

Amanda: with a police shootout. I had to learn to tone it down. Usually, the smaller the moment, the more you can bring out of it...

Amanda: with small gestures, small images, small literary devices that make for real emotional moments.

Catherine Atkins: Using a real flaw in a character, magnified--interesting. Can you share an example if it's not too personal? Or take a character from one of your books and describe the flaw you magnified.

Amanda: Let's see. In BB, the character's flaw was that he thought he didn't need anyone. In Damage, of course the MC was depressed. In Out Of Order, the MC blurted things and didn't watch what he said.

Catherine Atkins: What moved you to go for a quieter ending in BB? Have you studied writing or what helps you learn along the way?

Amanda: In BB, my editor--and some of the other editors at Random House--agreed that the ending wasn't working...

Amanda: Since then I've tried to look closely at what an ending needs, what it requires in order to satisfy the reader, without being untrue to the character. I go for the smallest ending possible, usually. You see some books where everybody's rushing around at the end, but I've consciously decided not to do that.

Catherine Atkins: How important is it to you to present realistic teens in your work? Where and how do you do your research to keep them real?

Amanda: It's funny, I don't research that much, beyond observing people and remembering what it was like for me to be a teen...

Amanda: But now my sons are teenagers, and I can feel that I'm losing my edge. I'm losing something...certainty, honesty, I don't know what it is...

Catherine Atkins: Does pop culture influence your work? Do you worry about setting in pop culture--the realism of the moment?

Amanda: I think it comes from really seeing teens from the outside for the first time, from having them impact my life in such a strong way. And from seeing them grow from little kids into bigger kids into teens. Anyway, it's affecting what I write. My writing is defintely changing.

Amanda: I prefer to avoid pop culture because it's passe by the time a book comes out. It takes a couple of years at least, to get a book out.

Catherine Atkins: Your writing is changing in what sense, may I ask?

Amanda: Something's a little glitchy here, and I think we're getting different time lags. Bear with me.

Amanda: Okay, there's the question. I'm writing about different things now...

Catherine Atkins: no problem--take your time--I'll try to stay off the trigger finger--:-)

Amanda: Girls, for one thing. More adult themes are pulling me to the work. Beating Heart stems directly from my divorce...

Amanda: But don't tell any teens that. I wanted to say to girls, "Just let him go, move on, and be happy with yourself. It doesn't have to destroy you."

Catherine Atkins: Ah, interesting. Thanks, Amanda.

Catherine Atkins: You mentioned satisfying the reader while being true to the character. In your opinion, what does it mean to satisfy a reader? What questions should an author ask herself in seeking to do this?

Amanda: That's tough...

Amanda: To me, satisfying the reader means leaving them with something to think about, something that they can't let go of, after they put the book down...

Amanda: It also means not lying about the reality of what the character would experience. I always put my characters ahead of my readers...

Amanda: And after that's done, I feel the reader's paying fifteen bucks or whatever to be satisfied, so you need to at least try to settle the most important problems you've brought up. It woudn't be very fair to do otherwise.

Catherine Atkins: What about keeping a character real? Any advice you could offer to YA writers(or any writers) about keeping characters authentic and true to themselves?

Amanda: Hmm...

Amanda: One, don't protect your characters. Let them be bad, and let bad things happen to them.

Amanda: More...

Amanda: Two, don't protect yourself. Don't write around scenes that seem difficult or painful; hit them head on because that's where your conflict lies, and that's where you connect with your readers...

Amanda: Three, forget about the market as much as possible. Be true to yourself, and your characters, because that's what makes your writing unique, and what will make it touch people.

Catherine Atkins: Narrowing down what the problem *is*--is something I have trouble with through my drafts. Do you know from the start what you are writing about, or do you have to find it?

Amanda: I think that if you know what the character's flaw is, you can have a general idea of how the story needs to end up...

Amanda: But getting to the end in an interesting and riveting manner is something else entirely.

Catherine Atkins: Great advice on staying true as a writer--thanks, Amanda. You are known for the realism of your books--but soon you will have several books out with supernatural elements. Why the change?

Amanda: Jeez, I dunno. Let me think...

Amanda: Maybe one reason is that the high school setting isn't so interesting to me right now. I've done it several different ways...

Amanda: and I'm tired of angst about popularity and fitting in and dating...

Amanda: Tired of exploring it at the moment, I mean. I think this--like I said--has to do with me dealing with this stuff at home, with my kids. It just ain't fun anymore...

Amanda: But there are a ton of other ideas I'm interested in. And those seem to come up with the supernatural element....

Amanda: Saying this makes it sound like I'm writing Stephen King. And I'm not. It's not like that at all. I dont' know what it is, exactly. Cathy, what would you call it?

Catherine Atkins: I don't know--I agree, supernatural isn't quite it.

Catherine Atkins: Otherworldly?

Amanda: I have no idea what to call it.

Catherine Atkins: How do you build realism around an experience you haven't had--one, most likely, no one has had?

Amanda: Don't ask me. I do know that my characters--dead or alive--are as pinned down as I can get them. My "vampires" aren't floating around in bat capes, they're getting carsick in cabs and having to go to the laudromat.

Catherine Atkins: Okay, question time. If you have one for Amanda, please send a question mark and I'll do my best to call on you in order.

WriterRoss: Magical realism?

Catherine Atkins: Amanda, when is Beating Heart available?

Amanda: Hey, maybe that's it! Nancy, are you here? Didn't you say something about magical realism?

NancyW: I'm here, but I don't think what you do is magical realism. However...

Amanda: Beating Heart hits stores this month, and is officially out in January. I already have my copies.

NancyW: I may be saying that because I don't care for, oh, Garcia Marquez, while I love your stuff.

Amanda: Okay, maybe we decided it wasn't magical realism. What do you think my latest stuff is?

NancyW: I think it's good. :> Seriously, does good storytelling need to be categorized and pinned down?

Catherine Atkins: Congratulations on the Jan arrival! And what can we expect after BH--when is the next one out?

Amanda: The next one--currently called Holiday--is due out in '06...

Amanda: And Nancy, I was just hoping to be pinned down to somethign besides the horror label. Oh well.

Catherine Atkins: Oh, two out in the same year? Will that be in Fall 06?

NancyW: Domestic horror? :>

Amanda: No wait, maybe it's '07. I'm confused. I've got three or four books in line right now. Yes, I think Holiday is out in '07. Sorry.

Catherine Atkins: Questions for Amanda? Lots of good writing advice here tonight. I really want to think about the idea of finding the character's flaw and playing with that.

Amanda: If you know the flaw, you know where the story's got to go.

WriterRoss: Does the flaw have to be resolved, in your opinion

WriterRoss: for the story to succeed?

Amanda: Not completely. But the character probably needs to be moving on in some way, or else the whole story probably hasn't moved at all. Do you have any examples in mind?

VarianJ: Can you speak a little as to how you broke into publishing?

WriterRoss: I think the character can still change and grow, without losing his or her imperfetions

WriterRoss: but no specific story in mind at the moment. Thanks.

Amanda: You're completely right, WriterRoss. A character without imperfections wouldn't even be human.

Amanda: Varian, after a few years of writing crappy picture books, I entered the Delacorte Contest and won. That book became Breaking Boxes.

Shirley: After you have a book accepted do you have to do a lot of revision?

Amanda: A ton. A TON!!!

Catherine Atkins: For example...? Give hope to all the revisers here, Amanda, please!

Amanda: Varian, I also want to say that I was being glib...

Amanda: I worked hard to break in, and I've done the whole slush pile thing, the whole rejection thing. I've been through the wringer and out again.

Amanda: Shirley, as you know, it's impossible for the unpublished mind to conceive of the amount of gut-wrenching work you still have to do after you sell a book.

Catherine Atkins: More questions for Amanda? Here's one--Amanda, you mentioned starting to write more with girl protagonists. What are some steps you're taking to include girl voices as main characters? I think you do in BH, correct?

VarianJ: Thanks. As a newbie author, I always find inspiration in finding how other authors "made it".

Amanda: Yes, Cathy, BH has one female character...

Amanda: I'm having trouble with female characters, frankly...

Amanda: I don't do the "girl" thing very well. I find a lot of it boring.

Catherine Atkins: Amanda, in your opinion, what pushes a manuscript over the top so an editor will buy it while *still* requiring mountains of work on it? I see this question a lot, and wonder myself.

Catherine Atkins: As opposed to, not right for our list.

Amanda: From what I've seen, after an author gets to a certain point, it's just a matter of luck as to which editor sees it...

Amanda: The question is, what is that certain point? ...

VarianJ: I have another question

Amanda: Uniqueness is one biggie...

Amanda: And if you don't have a unique story--which most of us don't--then it becomes about how well you tell it. How well you make the reader forget they're reading, so they just start turning pages...

Amanda: I would say most of the top stuff in the slush piles doesn't do that. And I'm talking the top stuff, that's getting personalized rejections...

Amanda: So that stuff is the stuff that has to find an editor who is touched by it, who is willing to put her career on the line to bring a ms to its full potental. And that's just luck of the draw, a lot of the time.

Catherine Atkins: That surprised me, and really, still does, how much work--a whole new book or two sometimes, someone will have to do while still making the sale. Varian, go ahead.

VarianJ: Amanda, what is your opinion on the status of the YA genre? And is there anything of interest that you're reading now?

Amanda: Status in what way?

Amanda: As far as reading, I have some YA ready to read, but haven't begun. Annette Klause's new book for one . I'm reading Art and Fear, plus some nonfiction about the Trojan war, at the moment.

Catherine Atkins: Varian, do you mean how YA is seen from the outside? Not too favorably, in my opinion? Can you expand on your question?

Amanda: If you mean marketing, I hear that YA is hot.

Catherine Atkins: I think from the inside, YA is growing--Amanda, do you agree? I think I've heard you say it's an exciting time to be writing YA.

VarianJ: Sorry, I meant how a YA author that has been published for a while sees YA.

Amanda: Cathy, I think it's exciting, and sick-making, too, honestly.

Catherine Atkins: Ah, sick-making how?

Amanda: How do I see YA? I see, like Cathy said, that it's wide open for us to explore any methods we care to try...

Amanda: How to word this...

Amanda: I think that marketing is making buzz where buzz otherwise wouldn't exist...

Amanda: And that there are some poor fools out there who are open to the belief that if it's being buzzed, it must be good...

Amanda: And that, unfortunately, some of those poor fools are the ones who ultimately affect how much money I get, how many books I sell, and whether my kids have food on the table. There, is that plain enough?

Catherine Atkins: The joy of buzz and marketing, yes.

Amanda: And an appalled silence falls over the crowd.

Catherine Atkins: More questions for Amanda? We'll be wrapping up soon.

VarianJ: Plain as sliced white bread. Thanks.

Shirley: I understand that

Catherine Atkins: A good topic for another show--breaking through the buzz! Creating your own, or something like that.

kimmar: I agree Amanda. Point well-made.

Catherine Atkins: I think, thanks to libraries, that good books do find an audience, if not a fortune. Or a living wage to the writer, sigh.

Amanda: Anybody else have a question? Or something to add?

Catherine Atkins: All right, I want to thank Amanda--A.M. Jenkins--for guesting tonight at the YA Cafe! Great, interesting thoughts, Amanda.

Catherine Atkins: Be sure to look for Beating Heart: A Ghost Story, coming out in January '06.

Amanda: Thanks for asking me, Cathy. I know everybody's busy at this time of year, so I'm glad you all came.

Shirley: Thanks, Amanda. You are interesting!

kimmar: thanks Amanda!

VarianJ: Thanks Amanda. I found it very insightful.

Hope: Thanks very much! I hope the chat log will eventually be on this website.

Catherine Atkins: Anyone who wishes can stay and chat a while. Thanks again, Amanda, and all for coming.

Amanda: I've enjoyed it!

WriterRoss: Very interesting discussion, Catherine and Amanda. Thanks for opening up.