Welcome to the Midnight at the Shelter Blog Tour!
Follow along as we celebrate the release of Midnight at the Shelter (November 1, 2022) with behind-the-scenes looks from author Nanci Turner Steveson, plus 5 chances to win a copy!
Best Writing Advice
by Nanci Turner Steveson
I learned how to write the hard way. I didn’t go to college, so everything I learned, I did so from reading, attending every workshop or conference I possibly could, listening to all the critiques without being defensive, staying open to feedback, studying, joining SCBWI and inhaling everything I could on their Blueboards, and by volunteering at every conference that would let me. That gets you invited to special dinners and in the back rooms where the guest faculty are waiting to speak. Meeting these authors and editors and agents made so much difference to me. As a self-taught writer with four middle-grade books published with Quill Tree/HarperCollins, I now work with other writers as a book coach. I love doing this because I remember only too well the rawness of trying to find my way in the dark. Keep going. You can do it. I did. In the meantime, here are some tips to keep you fresh and motivated.
* Write the story you can’t wait to read.
* When something moves you, pay attention. One of the most dramatic things that have happened in any of my books came to me while I was writing in a coffee shop in Brick, NJ. I had been struggling with a part of the plot and when it hit me, I was devastated. I couldn’t believe that was actually supposed to happen. But after trying to ignore the inevitable, after fighting the truth of my story, I finally acquiesced and it ended up being The Thing everyone who reads that book talks about. It was the thing that made them feel and turned the book into a lifelong memory for so many people. Pay attention. Your gut knows.
* If you get stuck, try writing by hand for a while, or do something creative like drawing a map of your setting, crocheting a scarf for one of your characters, sketching a picture of one of your characters, arranging some flowers or putting a living plant near you and choose the kind you think represents your story the best.
* Stay hydrated.
* I have ADD and I use an app called Brainwave with headphones that use binaural beats to help me focus. No, they didn’t pay me to say that. 🙂
* If you want to learn how to write an absolutely beautiful opening, write and rewrite the prologue of Tuck Everlasting over and over. An agent recommended that to me years ago. I did it and the muscle memory really made a difference.
* Read. And after you’ve read one hundred books in the genre you want to write, expand your library. Read all the stuff, adult, kid, picture books, non-fiction, poetry, all of it. Be a two-fisted reader. Read everything. Read out loud. Keep reading.
* Read your own work to yourself out loud and record it (smartphones have a voice memo app). Play it back to yourself and make notes of the things you hear that need to be fixed, or places where the story lags or the prose feels disjointed. Then when you are revising, you’ll have these places documented that your eyes might not pick up.
* Print your manuscript out in a different font, and a different color ink, when you are going to do a big read. This can help your brain slow down so you actually read the words and not just what you “know” is coming.
* Ask for help as needed but be VERY selective about who you ask to read your work. Don’t ask family. No need to explain, just don’t.
* And remember, you will cry and probably throw things sometimes. You’ll feel like you are in a deep, dark hole and that you are a horrible writer and you’ll never get it done. That’s okay. Those frustrations mean you are on the right path. The only reason you won’t get it done is if you quit. So don’t quit.
* Congratulate yourself often and celebrate the small victories. They all lead to the big dream.
* Be kind to yourself!! I can’t say that enough. Be. Kind. To. Yourself.
About the Book
Written with a distinctively doggy voice, great humor, and plenty of heart, this novel from acclaimed author Nanci Turner Steveson is a perfect pick for readers looking for a touching animal story in the vein of Because of Winn-Dixie or Marley & Me.
Rescue dog MahDi is happy helping his human partner, “MomDoc,” with the important work at her vet clinic and the local animal shelter. The two of them make a good team, caring for the town’s pets and matchmaking rescue animals with the families who need them.
When the shelter is suddenly down a staff member, the animals have to deal with a new caretaker: Huck, an unpleasant man who seems to have no problem threatening the animals he’s supposed to care for. As more dogs crowd into the shelter than are going to new homes, MahDi begins to worry that if MomDoc isn’t around, there is no telling what Huck might do.
With three perfectly good legs, the heart of a true leader, and his pack mates by his side, MahDi is willing to risk everything to save his shelter friends from an uncertain future.
Praise:
“Each dog’s story illustrates one of the many ways dogs come to need new homes and how wonderful rescue animals can be.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Alternating dogs’-eye views propel this immersive pack story from Steveson… Themes of love, hope, and belonging resound throughout, balancing the sometimes-dark content.”
—Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Nanci Turner Steveson grew up in Connecticut, England, and Texas, always with a book in one hand, the reins of a pony in the other. She wrote her first “novel” at the age of nine about a wild horse named Liberty. Nanci works with the Off Square Theatre Company as a stage manager and youth-performer shepherd. She is a reading fairy to book-hungry children and a riding instructor. The mother of two grown sons, Nanci lives in a meadow at the foot of the Grand Tetons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with her Arabian horse and a 100-pound rescue dog named Story. She is the founder of the Literacy for Hope project, dedicated to getting books into the hands of the homeless.
GIVEAWAY
- Five (5) winners will receive a hardcover of Midnight at the Shelter by Nanci Turner Steveson
- US/Canada only
- Ends 11/27 at 11:59 pm ET
- Enter via the Rafflecopter below
- Visit the other stops on the tour for more chances to win!
Blog Tour Schedule:
November 14th — Mama Likes This
November 15th — YA Book Nerd
November 16th — Pragmatic Mom
November 17th — Teen Librarian Toolbox
November 18th — YA Books Central
p.s. Related posts:
Top Ten Picture Books about Pets
Books for Kids to Celebrate Adopt a Shelter Pet Day
Let’s Fete: Dogs and Mindfulness Tails
10 Hilarious Cat and Dog Picture Books
DIY Gifts for Cats (Day 10), 12 Days of Shopping
Difficult To Shop For Gifts: Day 4 of 12 Days of Shopping
Easiest DIY Gift Ideas Ever! (dog biscuit recipe)
Hamsters & Guinea Pigs in Early Chapter Books
Our Hawk Adolescents Gave Us a Goodbye Present
Animal Friendship Picture Books
Top 10: Best Coping with Loss of Pets Books for Kids
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My books:
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Oh, my gosh! I would love a cop of this! I have dog-obsessed and board dogs in my home. My own dogs are always shelter dogs (or a found in the streets guy like my most recent).
My favorite animals are horses because of how gorgeous they are, especially in motion.