Guest post

The Real-Life Power of Genies

My middle-grade novels, Eden’s Wish and Eden’s Escape, tell the adventures of a twelve-year-old genie who comes to live on Earth. Like many authors, I make frequent visits to schools to speak to students about my books. When I’m there, I often ask what the students would wish for if they were to meet a genie. I’ve learned that, fictional though they may be, genies possess a very real special power: they are gatekeepers to the imagination.

Once they start talking about their wishes, even the quietest groups of students open up. They hear one another’s responses and change their own to make their wishes bigger, grander, or more refined. They’re bursting with thoughts and ideas as they engage and collaborate with one another. Sometimes, the teacher has to pump the brakes and set them back on course. And the way I see it, that’s a wonderful thing! I’d like to point out two valuable ways that teachers can make use of the three wishes fantasy and the response that it elicits.

First, there’s the creative momentum. When students imagine what their three wishes would be, they remove limitations of what’s possible or feasible, and their imaginations run wild. Why not use this as a launching pad for them to write stories? They can write about meeting a genie and making their wishes, and explain whether they received what they had in mind. Or they can write about wishes gone wrong, where a tricky genie like Eden doesn’t give them exactly what they had in mind. Or, there are the inevitable adventures after they receive—or don’t receive—what they’ve wished for. You can also encourage students to view things from the genie’s perspective. Would the student like to be a genie? Why or why not? There are so many possibilities, and writing these stories is exciting for students because the starting point is whatever their greatest fantasy might be.

The second valuable aspect here is that the teacher receives insight as to what’s going on in students’ minds. When someone shares what their wishes would be, they’re providing a glimpse into their dreams and desires. They might reveal mindsets and thoughts that wouldn’t have been exposed otherwise. For instance, once I was speaking to a classroom of fifth-grade girls who were telling me what they’d wish for. Nearly every girl expressed a desire to change something about the way she looked. It broke my heart, but it also drew attention to a problem that needed to be addressed. The school’s guidance counselor was in the room with us, and after hearing their responses, she told me it was clear that they needed to add a unit on loving yourself the way you are to their curriculum.

Stories are powerful, and there are always opportunities to use them in positive ways. I believe that the classic wish-fulfillment premise can motivate students to turn their dreams and fantasies into stories, and can also reveal what those fantasies are so that the teacher can nurture students’ minds more effectively. Genies may not be real, but they can have real power in the classroom.

ABOUT THE BOOKS

Eden’s Wish
(Eden of the Lamp #1)
By M. Tara Crowl
From Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Ages 9-12

All twelve years of Eden’s life have been spent in an antique oil lamp. She lives like a princess inside her tiny, luxurious home; but to Eden, the lamp is nothing but a prison. She hates being a genie. All she wants, more than anything, is freedom.

When Eden finds a gateway to Earth within the lamp, she takes her chance and enters the world she loves. And this time, she won’t be sent back after three wishes.

Posing as the new kid at a California middle school, Eden revels in all of Earth’s pleasures–but quickly learns that this world isn’t as perfect as she always thought it was. Eden soon finds herself in the middle of a centuries-old conflict between powerful immortals. A ruthless organization run by a former genie will stop at nothing to acquire the lamp and its power–even hurt Tyler and Sasha, the new mortal friends who have given Eden a home. To save her friends and protect the lamp’s magic, Eden must decide once and for all where she belongs.

Goodreads

Eden’s Escape
(Eden of the Lamp #2)
By M. Tara Crowl
From Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: September 6, 2016
Ages 9-12

Eden’s new life on earth begins in New York City under the guidance of her new guardian: Pepper, a petite, bubbly genie alum who’s also a Broadway actress. Before she has a chance to settle in, though, Eden is whisked away for a granting–only to find herself trapped in a laboratory. David Brightly, owner of the world’s leading tech company, cares more about tapping into the lamp’s power than making a wish and starts performing tests on Eden. With Brightly’s plasma shield around the lamp, Eden has no way home. Left without a choice, she escapes the lab and goes on the run. After her daring exit, Eden finds herself on the streets of Paris–home to Electra’s headquarters. Left in a strange city with a price on her head (courtesy of scheming Brightly), Eden has to keep her wits about her. She dons a chic disguise and flits around Paris incognito, investigating Brightly Tech. Assisted by Pepper and her old adversary Bola, as well as some new friends, Eden embarks on a quest to retrieve the lamp and protect the secrets of the genie legacy.

Goodreads

PRAISE

“Crowl’s imaginative storyline rings with both perception and humor.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Middle grade readers will enjoy the children’s autonomy and Eden’s humorous difficulties in grasping how school works…Hand this to readers who like their magical fantasy combined with middle school drama.” ―School Library Journal

“An imaginative romp with a smart, snarky protagonist and a humorous interpretation of the world as we know it…[Eden] is also just plain entertaining, with a sassy attitude and a clever wit that saves her on more than one occasion.” ―BCCB

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tara Crowl grew up in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She studied Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, then received an MA in Creative Writing at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. She lives in New York City.

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Stories are powerful, and we can find all sorts of dreams within them! Thank you Tara for your post!

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When An Academic Write Fiction

I adore stories. I want to listen to them, watch them, write them, tell them, and live them.  Publishing a novel, is truly a dream come true because I can’t wait to share one of my stories with the world. As a college professor of communication, however, I’ve also spent countless hours and pages (over)analyzing stories, themes, and characters.

So, what happens with someone who teaches gender and culture writes fiction? I felt some added pressure to think critically about the characters I was creating and what kind of potential impact they could have on the kids who would read about them. At the same time, I know it’s impossible to avoid all common tropes and stereotypes.

In addition to my forthcoming novel, I am also co-editor of a recently released Gendered Identities: Critical Re-readings of Gender in Children’s and Young Adult Literature (Routledge 2016), and one of my primary areas of study is communication and culture, which means I really should know better.  I do know better, but what happens when theory meets practice?

When I teach popular culture in the media, I encourage students not only to analyze messages but also to attempt to create popular culture artifacts such as an advertisement.  It forces students to consider what social constructions and stereotypes they rely on.

The goal isn’t necessarily to avoid all stereotypes because it’s not necessarily possible or realistic.  My hope is that we become a little more active in the process of seeing how things like gender and culture are presented in our characters.  In my case, at times, both my editor and I took a step back a few times to ask what was necessary to the story versus what might have been a description that only belonged in my head. I may have wanted to deal more overtly with some of the issues, but they weren’t central to this particular story which is focused on grief.  Sometimes, it added an unnecessary layer to explore a cultural dimension.

That doesn’t mean books like The Haunted House Project aren’t important to discuss in relationship to those themes. Even when stories aren’t really about gender or culture, they are still telling kids what’s normal and what’s expected of them.

Here are a few things that writers, readers, teachers, and parents can think about:

Character Interests

Yes, many boys like to play sports, and many girls like make-up. But if that’s ALL we see, it can limit the possibility for kids to think outside of a rigid expectations. Having a range of characters with a variety of interests and activities can go a long way to alleviate this.  It doesn’t mean that all girls in the story need to be math geniuses or that the boys should love to cook, but if kids can see options, it doesn’t pigeon-hole them.

Appearance

We probably talk more about this than any other aspect of gender and culture. Across all genres of popular culture, we critique the overt emphasis on physical beauty for women and girls. It creates unrealistic standards that influence self-esteem.  Boys face problematic portrayals as well.  In movies and television, boys are expected to be tough, tall, and muscular.  Young adult and children’s literature deviates a bit, likely because it’s a time when young men are still developing, but then descriptions focus on perfect hair and eyes, for example. In a world of budding romance and descriptive writing, it’s not surprising that appearance is used to explain attraction.

Language and communication

Generally, for boys, expression of emotions is limited to anger and frustration, and open and honest communication about feelings is practically taboo while girls are more “emotional” and may cry more often.

Girls tend to me more willing to talk about relationships and their feelings as well.  That may reflect reality for many people, but it certainly offers opportunities for students to address what is okay in relationships between friends and family members.

If a book (yes, even my own) does rely too heavily on these kinds of boxes, perhaps, students can be trained to see it and to call it out in their reading.

• Even if, or maybe especially when, the themes of the book don’t center on gender or culture, pose questions in readings guides and discussion that help students draw make implicit assumptions more explicit.

For example, questions surrounding The Haunted House Project might include:

• Why do you think Andie’s sister worked as a waitress?
• Isaiah is openly described as geeky. Are those characteristics consistent for both boys and girls?  Are girl geeks different than boy geeks?
• Engage students in an exercise where they are challenged to write a short story without using any gender stereotypes. They will probably fail, and that will open up a great opportunity to discuss why we rely on them and what positive purposes they can serve.
• Challenge students to find problematic descriptions of characters that may limit the way they are visualized by readers.
• Ask students how characters might communicate with each other differently if they switched genders or cultures.

In many ways, children’s literature is probably more open to bending and twisting cultural expectations than other storytelling genres.  Worlds aren’t as set in stone as they might be for older audiences.

It’s the perfect time for kids to start digging into all the social norms that go unstated in books they read.  Not only does can it give them better critical reading skills, they can better understand their own relationships as a result.

The Haunted House Project
Author: Tricia Clasen
Published October 11th, 2016 by Sky Pony Press

Summary: Since her mom died, Andie’s family has crumbled. Instead of working, her dad gambles away insurance money, while her sister, Paige, has put her future on hold in order to pick up extra waitressing shifts. Andie’s afraid of what will happen if people find out just how bad things are. She’s not sure how long she can hide the fact that there’s no food or money in the house…or adults, for that matter.

When her science partner suggests they study paranormal activity, Andie gets an idea. She wants a sign from her mom—anything to tell her it’s going to be okay. Maybe the rest of her family does too. So she starts a project of her own. Pretending to be her mother’s ghost, Andie sprays perfume, changes TV channels, and moves pictures. Haunting her house is Andie’s last hope to bring her family back into the land of the living.

For anyone who loved Counting by 7s, The Haunted House Project is a journey through loss and grief, but ultimately a story of hope and self-reliance. As much as Andie has been changed by her mother’s death, the changes she makes herself are the ones that are most important.

About the Author: Tricia Clasen is a professor of communication with specialties in public speaking and pop culture and a research focus on critiquing young adult fiction. Always a lover of a good story, she grew up spending her days reading and dreaming of being a writer. This is her debut novel. She and her husband live with their two girls in Janesville, Wisconsin.

Thank you for the insight!

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Tricky Gods

When you write a story set in a made-up or secondary world, one of the small but significant problems you run into is giving characters a good way to call on their god(s). They could be cursing, invoking a deity as witness, or maybe asking for a god’s help.

This is challenging because in a secondary-world story, the author makes up things like the god(s), the cultural notions of the afterlife, and what kind of supernatural creatures might be around to tempt or help a character. A character can’t say “hell” if the culture doesn’t believe in such a place, or “she looked like an evil cherub” if the world doesn’t have cherubs.

My first novel, Finders Keepers, is a middle-grade book which compounds the problem because people are naturally sensitive about their child being “taught” religious beliefs other than their own. In some ways, secondary world fantasy eases this problem because the made-up world makes it clearer that this is all pretend. Of course, the furor around witchcraft in Harry Potter shows that some folks are particularly guarded, which I completely understand and see as their right, though I know it means they’re unlikely to enjoy a lot fantasy novels, possibly including mine.

Assuming a reader is open to a world with different gods, though, how does the writer deal with how to invoke them? When I was drafting Finders Keepers, I was reading Patrick Rothfuss’s Name of the Wind, a wonderful adult fantasy. One of the characters in that book uses the exclamation “tiny gods.” I found that charming and suggestive of a whole world of beliefs that’s never spelled out.

So I asked myself, what would my characters say about the gods in Finders Keepers? The answer, I thought, depended on what those gods were like. And, not to sound too delusional, it occurred to me that I was the god of this book. I created the world and the characters. I decided what would happen to them. I even made the weather.

And what kind of god am I? I am, I hope, a tricky one. I believe the character who’s walking along thinking today went pretty well should have the fish cart next to her turn over and bury her in mackerel. I think the one who’s waiting to deliver a vital message to the duke should have a spark fly from the fire and set the message ablaze. The banana peels of life should be spread thickly in a character’s path.

Sorry, characters, but good times make bad stories.

So Cade and Roth look with awed disbelief at how the world treats them and breathe, “Tricky gods.”

I take it as a compliment.

Deep as a Tomb
Author: Dorothy A. Winsor
Published October 12th, 2016 by Loose Leaves Publishing

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Myla feels the land in her blood and bones. Royal heir Beran wants revenge for murder. Forest native Kaven wants to protect Myla from every danger.

Like her people, the Westreachers, Myla’s tied to the green world through tombs the forest made when it made the people. So when she finds she can open tombs long thought sealed, she’s thrilled – until her father demands she use her power to help him rebel against the king. Myla would rather mix herbal remedies and spend time with Kaven, whose family is hip deep in debt and secrets.

Prince Beran is sent to impress the people of Westreach so the council will confirm him as King’s Heir. He’s to use his power to forward the king’s goals, but on his first day, an anonymous forester murdered the guard he loved like a father. Stone royal duty, because Beran wants revenge… he’s willing to make enemies everywhere to find the killer.

Thrown together as fosterlings in the same household, Myla, Beran, and Kaven must each decide how far they’re willing to use personal and political power to get what they want.

About the Author: Dorothy A. Winsor is originally from Detroit but moved to Iowa in 1995. She still blinks when she sees a cornfield outside her living room window. For about a dozen years, she taught technical writing at Iowa State University and served as the editor of the Journal of Business and Technical Communication. She’s won six national awards for outstanding research on the communication practices of engineers. She lives with her husband, who engineers tractors, and has one son, the person who first introduced her to the pleasure of reading fantasy. Finders Keepers (Zharmae, 2015), her first novel, was a finalist in the e-book fiction category of the Eric Hoffer Awards. Her young adult fantasy, Deep as a Tomb, was published in October 2016 by Loose Leaves Publishing.

Thank you, Dorothy!

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“This is Useful for Teachers”

So, Kellee and Ricki made me an offer I can’t refuse; a guest post slot on their website to help promote my book. The only requirement is that my story and presentation be useful to teachers. It’s a wonderful offer that fills me with grating nerves, stress, and apparent writer’s cramp. Yes cramp. My head hurts from the effort.

What about my book could possibly be useful to teachers? Sure, it’s probably the best work of fiction since Orwell’s 1984, but it’s a middle grade fantasy about a boy who repeatedly finds himself in near-death experiences at the hands of a genetically enhanced killer, and who finally falls into a coma while a lonely giant races to save him. Not much use in the classroom I’m afraid. But then I read their requirement a little closer and detected a flaw in their thoughtfully, but not entirely fool-proof, request. They never stated it should be helpful to teachers, in the classroom.

Now you and I know that’s what they meant. But that’s not what they wrote. Without that qualification, the entire world has opened up to me, and since I’m a fiction writer I feel at home with the entire world. In fact, I’m entirely at home in any world, even worlds that don’t exist outside of my dimente― I mean my fertile imagination. So without further ado, I present to you an earthly list of possible uses teachers can get out of my book, outside of the classroom.

First and most obvious, the hardcover version can be used as a paperweight. It can prop a door open, even in inclement weather. It can be used to flatten out older paperback books that just might have a use in the classroom. When tied properly about with a string, it can place-hold a kite for hours at a time. (The neighbors will be awed at your endurance.) Have a Formica countertop? Place hot pots and pans atop Tamar & PJ, and rest assured the worst that can happen is a small kitchen fire, easily put out with, perhaps, a second copy of my book. Finally, since the book is liable to sit idly on a shelf for years at a time, you can bore out a cavity in the inner pages and store valuables like jewelry, false teeth, and even marbles confiscated in the classroom. Do kids still play with marbles? I suppose no one really knows. Well, you’ll think of something to shove in there.

Of course there’s a paperback version of my book as well. However, lacking the weight of the hardcover, I’m quite at a loss to come up with any significant uses. Do they still have corporal punishment in school? If they do we may have stumbled upon the perfect, in the classroom, use for my book. I’ve just been told that CP went out of style quite some time ago and that I should expect a visit from the authorities. No problem. I have time for anothe― I mean my very first courteous chat with whoever they send for these types of misunderstandings. I am a writer after all.

Wait? I just thought of a few helpful contrivances for my paperback. Say you have a draft under your front door. Let’s face it, winter’s upon us folks. Five or six copies of my book should plug that gap nicely and friends will see how cultured you are.

“Are those paperback books you’re using as a draft-dodging-device? My, how cultured you are.”

See how that works? Contact me for a discounted price on multiple copies designated for insulation purposes.

Have cats? How often have they scratched the sofa and you’ve had nothing to throw at them. A three or four foot stack of my paperback books will not only be an attractive addition to any living room, they can be aimed extremely well and cause minimal collateral damage, all the while teaching your cats proper conduct through positive reinforcement. I personally guarantee, each book will stand up to dozens of slings before becoming unsightly, at which point they make great stocking stuffers or fire kindling. Unfortunately I can’t offer a discount for this particular use. The benefits to the purchaser vastly outweigh any reduction in cost I could offer. Visit my website to read the thousands of happy pet owner testimonials. Finally but not last. (What?) The paperback version of Tamar & PJ is a known construction tool standby. Installing drywall? Throw a few copies on the floor to prop up the panel just the right amount. Have an old ladder that leaves gouges on every surface it touches. An opened book, judiciously duct-taped to each top guide bracket provides years of worry-free laddering. (Can you believe that’s a real word? Who am I to argue with spell check.)

I hope you teachers have found this post informative and that you will each commit to purchasing tens, if not hundreds of copies of the best middle grade novel to come out in the last several minutes. I’m available to speak to your class on any topic I’m able to successfully convert into something I’m comfortable speaking about. Beer comes to mind, but we can discuss that at a later date.

Oh yeah, regarding Tamar and PJ: One Giant Adventure. There is at least one valuable lesson it teaches. Sometimes you can rely on friends, even new friends. And sometimes those friends will come through for you in the end.

Thanks again, Kellee and Ricki!

-Mark F. Geatches
markgeatches.com

About the Author: Mark has a Master’s Degree in trumpet performance from Florida State University and loves music of all kinds. After performing for several years, including a three year stint in Germany, he entered the business world. He built two small businesses before beginning a new chapter in his life; Mark now builds fiction. As he nudges his creativity and ambition in a new direction, music remains his constant companion. Mark finds music and writing the perfect mental connection, the nexus of focus and inspiration. Visit his website at markgeatches.com for links to his online published short stories.

Tamar and PJ: One Giant Adventure
Author: Mark F. Geatches
Published October 30th, 2016 by World Castle Publishing

Summary: What do you get when you cross Shrek with Star Trek? Tamar & PJ: One Giant Adventure! This fantasy adventure story leaves barely enough time to catch your breath as a giant named Tamar races to save fourteen year old PJ from a malicious Prince of a forest dwelling race of genetically enhanced humans.

Though initially successful, Tamar’s heroic actions have unforeseen consequences that lead the pair, boy and giant, on an epic and tumultuous adventure. When Tamar’s mortal enemy attacks, a fight for survival ensues. Just when you think PJ has survived his second ordeal unscathed, he falls into a life-threatening and baffling state of delirium. Once again Tamar must try to save his young friend, only this time not in the secluded forests of Western North Carolina, but he must kidnap him from a busy Northeastern hospital, subjecting himself to imprisonment or worse.

Discovering that PJ has been poisoned by the Vorteh Prince, Tamar hurries to create an antidote before time runs out. The epic final scene is a confrontation between centuries old enemies as Tamar offers to sacrifice himself to the Vorteh Emperor in one last attempt to save PJ and his family.

This wholesome MG Fantasy novel will be enjoyed by readers young, old, and everywhere in between.

Thank you, Mark, for this most useful post! 🙂

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