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I wrote a book called ME & DEVIL BOY. Here’s the scoop.

Our home in West Philadelphia was tiny, had a Victorian façade, and was cozy as a bird’s nest. It’s where I wrote ME & DEVIL BOY—a love story about a thief girl with a warm heart and a magical boy who doesn’t speak.

I wrote it in a flash of lightning on our floppy queen bed with the ratty green comforter, as Mike watched Jeopardy or read books or cracked up at dog videos on YouTube or whatever he did back then—I don’t remember. All I know is that I wrote the manuscript in a psychotic haste while listening to the soundtrack from Edward Scissorhands over and over and over again (please listen to this song. It is amazing). Perhaps it was my secret escape from the terrible job I had at the time. I didn’t tell anyone I wrote it. I usually don’t talk about my writing, mainly for fear that nothing will come of it. But I’m tired of keeping it all inside.

I loved writing this book. You know that saying, All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed? That’s what writing this book felt like. When I finished writing it, I criedddd. I sobbed that my characters were gone, static, frozen. When I write, my characters become like friends or children. And I mourned them.

I submitted the manuscript to one publishing house. It was quickly rejected.

I chopped it up—turned it into a short story. It was picked up by The Head & the Hand, a boutique publishing group in Philadelphia. It was available in chapbook size in a….vending machine. Pretty cool. I figured ME & DEVIL BOY was done.

I moved on.

I quit that terrible job.

I started working in book publishing.

I wrote six other manuscripts.

I got married.

Had a baby.

Lived.

Six years later, I looked at ME & DEVIL BOY again. It was like revisiting an old friend. Some parts I had forgotten, and other parts came alive again as though I’d never left.

I fixed up the manuscript and put it on a reading platform called Swoon Reads. Swoon Reads is an imprint of Macmillan where readers help select what gets published by commenting, rating, and sharing their favorite reads.

I don’t know what the fate of ME & DEVIL BOY will be. But I’m glad that, at least, the book and characters have come back to me. And some other readers seem to be enjoying them as well! I hope to one day share them with more people, but that’s not for me to decide. Only the publishing gods can figure that one out. For now, I have to figure out what to do with those six other manuscripts…! Yikes!

If you’d like to check out ME & DEVIL BOY on Swoon Reads and offer YOUR feedback, you can read it here. It would mean a lot.

Thanks for reading my scoop.

XOXO,
Elizabeth

ABOUT ME & DEVIL BOY:

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:

“…a beautiful story with a sharp reminder of the darker side of human nature.”
—Ashlaster, Swoon Reads reader

“I finished this and enjoyed every moment. It has a nice snappy tone to it, clever and imaginative.”
—Carol Riggs, Swoon Reads reader

“I really enjoyed this. There’s definitely some Lemony Snicket vibes going on.”
—Amy-Le Owners, Swoon Reads reader

I wrote this song awhile ago, but the lyrics still hold true today. Not only do I really need to get some actual sleep, but I am also still continually daydreaming. Always thinking up new book ideas, imagining my characters, thinking of them right before sleep, and dreaming up their possibilities. Have a listen, won’t you?

Happy back-to-school!

I miss the days of shopping for school supplies. Notebooks, folders, pencils, and oh man, books! One thing I always looked forward to about starting a new school year was the Scholastic Book Fair. Thinking back to when I could freely roam the shelves, circle books I wanted in the catalog, and open up a package of fresh new books, still gives me chills.

But even though I am a big person now with big person things to do, that doesn’t mean I can’t stop reading books for children. And with a little baby boy by my side, I now have a reading partner who gets to enjoy all the books with me! For that, I am truly grateful!

Here are some new middle grade books I’m looking forward to reading this fall!

Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead
Feiwel & Friends

A charming middle-grade novel about friendship and the power of imagination, told in alternating chapters by Rebecca Stead, the Newbery Medal winning author of When You Reach Me, and Wendy Mass, New York Times bestselling author of The Candymakers

Find it here

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
Feiwel & Friends

Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood “wishtree”—people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red’s branches. Along with a crow named Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red’s hollows, this wishtree watches over the neighborhood. When a new family moves in, not everyone is welcoming, and Red’s experience as a wishtree is more important than ever. With a message of inclusion for dreamers and welcomers, this is a book for our lives and times.

Find it here

The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
Sky Pony Press

“This is a compassionate look at poverty, hard choices, and defending one’s right to be treated humanely. A very fine first novel, written with a deft hand.” — Karen Hesse, Newbery award winning author of Out of the Dust

Find it here

She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah) by Ann Hood
Penguin Workshop

Determined to regain her social status and prove herself to her father, Trudy looks toward the biggest thing happening worldwide: the Beatles. She is set on seeing them in Boston during their final world tour–and meeting her beloved Paul McCartney. So on a hot August day, unknown to their families, Trudy and crew set off on their journey, each of them with soaring hopes for what lies ahead.

Find it here

Happy reading everyone!

xoxo

I had the pleasure to interview storybook artist Emma Levey! To celebrate the release of her newest book Hattie Peck: The Journey Home, she talks here about her creative inspiration and advice for other aspiring artists. This book introduces readers to Hattie and her diverse brood. Since she cannot lay eggs herself, she fosters abandoned eggs and cares for them like her own. Then, one day, they must all fly the coop. I must say that I welled up a bit reading Hattie. All it takes is a cutely drawn hen with a heart of gold to get me going. This is a very cute story to read as a family, and I would imagine it’d be a especially nice to read around Mother’s Day—to celebrate all caregivers.

Elizabeth: Where is your favorite place to create?

Emma: Well I think little cafe’s including my most favourite one around the corner are great for the beginnings of my process but when I’m working on the finals of a book, I’ve got a great studio that I’m a part of with other creative people. The support and friendship that they all offer is really invaluable.

 

Elizabeth: Do you have advice for aspiring storybook artists?

Emma: I think the best advice I can give is to keep writing, keep drawing, work from your heart and DON’T give up! At the beginning of my career I had three different part-time jobs just to make sure I could keep a roof over my head. Juggling my time was really difficult but it’s definitely worth putting all the hard work in as I really do love what I do. All along the way you will doubt yourself; so long as you always prove your doubts wrong, even when you find it really tough, you’ll eventually get there.

 

Hattie Peck adores eggs of all kinds. However, she cannot make any of her own. No worries—Hattie has collected eggs from all over the world, hatched them, and raised her blended family of cockatoos, storks, owls, anything from an egg—even reptiles.

But now it’s time. They all need to leave her big loving nest. So off the flock goes, on their biggest—and saddest—adventure. Even though, in her heart, Hattie knows it’s best.

A poignant story about family and differences, making hard decisions, letting go and inclusion. It’s not all sad, though, due to a nice twist ending as in the first book.

Bright colorful and lively illustrations and lots of information about egg-bearing animals round out the story.

While writing The Dust Bunnies, I tried to put myself in the shoes of a child during the Dust Bowl. What interests and hobbies would I have had? And would I still have them despite devastating climate conditions, poverty, and hunger? What would I think about my family? Would I love them? Resent them?

I reached out to author and historian Bob Burke, a Dust Bowl expert who has written 127 historical non-fiction titles, on what it was like to be a child during this time. He offered insightful responses that further provoked my empathy for children who survived the Dust Bowl.

Elizabeth: What was it like to be a child during the Dust Bowl?

Bob Burke: It was difficult and dangerous as a child during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl Days that began with the Stock Market crash of 1929 and worsened as a searing drought hit the southern plains in the middle of the United States. Dust blew in such quantities that trains stopped, businesses closed, and chickens went to roost at noon because it was so dark. Tractors and other farm equipment and cars were buried by mounds of blowing sand. There was little food and school was sometimes closed for a week. Families who lived far from town were isolated by piles of sand on roads that were far from modern in the first place. Farmers could not grow crops to feed their animals or gardens to feed their families because of the drought, blowing sand, and blistering heat. People began to leave Oklahoma. They lost their property because they could not sell enough crops or cattle to pay mortgages. Families also believed they would die from inhaling dust if they stayed in the region affected by the dust storms. When a baby was born, a wet cloth was placed over its mouth and nose for the first few weeks to keep dust from clogging its airways.

Elizabeth: I’ve heard that children had to wear face-masks when they were outside. Is this true?

Bob Burke: Children had to stay inside if a dust storm was coming. If they went outside to do chores, they had to hold a cloth over their nose. It was commonplace for adults and children to wear homemade masks. There were stories of animals and humans suffocating to death when they were caught in a thick dust storm. Their lungs filled with dust and they choked to death. But in the worst of dust storms, even the improperly built homes on the plains provided little protection for children. Often, there were cracks in the walls or floors and dust churned up by high winds found its way onto the food and furniture inside. There was no way to escape the wrath of the dust. Kids went to bed at night with sand on their nightclothes and sand in their beds. It was awful.

Elizabeth: How did children spend their time? How did they manage duties between home and school?

Bob Burke: There was little school for kids living in rural areas. It was too dangerous to travel for miles to school and risk being caught in a dust storm. There was no television or weather forecasting, so one never knew when a dust storm was coming until a huge black mass appeared on the horizon and covered the sun, blocking out light necessary for human and plant growth.

Many parents tried to spend the time indoors to have their children practice reading or math. This was not very successful because few parents had even a high school education. They wanted their kids to do better, but they were not equipped with the knowledge to teach their children. Often, without radio or TV, the only entertainment was reading the Bible, playing inside with brothers and sisters, or listening to the old folks tell stories of a better time.

Elizabeth: What was the biggest struggle for children during this time?

Bob Burke: The biggest struggle for children during the Dust Bowl days was to keep from getting depressed by seeing their parents stressed because of having no money and seeing their crops and gardens dry up and their animals die because of the lack of food. Many times, children of this era went to bed crying at night because they heard their parents praying in the other room for a miracle. Imagine staying inside all day some days with no radio, TV, video games, or books.

Elizabeth: What was the most interesting thing about being a child during this time?

Bob Burke: The only good thing that came out of the Great Depression was the closeness developed by members of families who lived through the daily struggles and survived to a better time. Children never forgot their parents and grandparents’ stories of the “old country” or of frontier times. Living through that era also made people tough. When problems came along later in life, they had the courage and intestinal fortitude to meet difficulties head on. Depression era Americans were the toughest, if not the greatest generation.

Bob Burke, attorney, author, and historian, has written more historical non-fiction books than anyone in history (127). He is a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, and the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame. He has six children and nine grandchildren.

I am a sucker for historic fiction. The 1930s especially holds a special place in my heart. I don’t know if it’s because it was a time of great change, with music and arts booming, women making amazing strides, or cheeky slang to boot: it just blows my wig!

When I was doing research for my middle grade book The Dust Bunnies, which happens to be set in the 1930s, I looked to other middle grade books set in the ‘30s for inspiration.

Here are some of my favorites, which I believe are great sources for all ages to learn about history and experience a unique place and time in our nation’s history.

Out of the Dust
by Karen Hesse

The quintessential Dust Bowl book. I remember reading it as a child, not really understanding why Billie Jo had to suffer in the way she did. But as a piano player, I do remember being drawn to her love of music. It shows her creativity amid such hard times. She found her music. Something we all must do.

Esperanza Rising
by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Perhaps what is so unique about this time period is the fact that the Great Depression forced individuals had to reinvent themselves and rise above the odds. It’s as though hardships snuck up from behind people and knocked them down without warning. That’s what happened to Esperanza who was forced to migrate from Mexico to California to work at a camp for Mexican migrants. Esperanza represents so many young children who faced such trials and who continue to manage with hardships today. She is a strong and inspiring hero for young children.

Sweet Home Alaska
by Carole Estby Dagg

It is important for children to understand true events, no matter how tough they may be. This is why I believe historic fiction is so helpful as a learning tool. It is a way to connect with characters and see history through their eyes. In Sweet Home Alaska, readers learn about a New Deal colony in Alaska to give loans and land to families struggling during the Great Depression. Also, the main character’s name is Terpsichore. Win!

Blue Willow
by Doris Gates

Blue Willow resonated me because it is a story of a young girl migrating across the nation to escape hardships of the drought, which is similar to the crisis my main character Lyla finds herself in in The Dust Bunnies. I love that the story is about finding home. For people who don’t have the same walls and roof to find shelter behind each night, what does home mean? And what does it mean to be without possessions? In Blue Willow, we learn through Janey Larkin what it means to find peace when home and possessions are abstract things.

The Velvet Room
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

The Velvet Room was published in 1965 and tells the story of Robin who finds solace in reading and dreaming—an escape from poverty, hard labor, and her father’s illness. Snyder published 43 books in her lifetime, and Robin Williams—the protagonist in The Velvet Room—may be one of my all-time favorite middle grade characters. Robin is always getting in trouble for running off, being curious, finding comfort in a velvet room lined with books, and for seeming to want to escape reality. Sounds like my kind of gal.

The Mighty Miss Malone
by Christopher Paul Curtis

This book is an emotional roller coaster. The Mighty Miss Malone follows Deza whose family is hit on hard times when there are no jobs for black men in Gary, Indiana, and so her father leaves to find work. When Deza and her family go in search of him, they end up in Flint, Michigan clinging to hope. I enjoy that this book is about the powerful magic of hope. Sometimes, that’s all there is. But sometimes it’s all we need.

Stella by Starlight
by Sharon M. Draper

I absolutely adore the cover on this one! The illustration is tight, but it also delivers such a haunting message. The KKK is a tough subject to broach with children, but this book captures modern race relations in a way that is digestible for children. I think it should be handed out in every school across America. The main character Stella is a strong girl, facing opposition of the KKK in Bumblebee, North Carolina, and she teaches us to listen to our inner voice.

Turtle in Paradise

by Jennifer L. Holm

11-year-old Turtle goes to live with distant family in Key West, Florida in 1935 when her mama has to part ways due to work. And it is here where she begins to come out of her shell, learn about family secrets, scams, and even pirate treasure. This would be a great vacation book for a child to read, as it’s an interesting way to learn about the dirty thirties and some of its icons like Shirley Temple (who plays a significant role in the book). It also has a wonderful message of dreaming big—a message that is timeless, no matter the era.

Check out more middle grade books set in the 1930s. And come back to visit soon as my middle grade book set in the 1930s, The Dust Bunnies, unfolds!

Growing up with a mother who was an animal lover and a father who thought the only proper place for an animal was inside his stomach, has created some interesting memories in my life as a child. It’s taught me how to love, but also how to say goodbye.

I was the most ecstatic and awkward nine-year-old ever when my mom brought home a new dog. And then I learned to accept that life moves on when my father recognized that it was too much of a financial burden on our family. This trend continued through our lives. Cats come in, cats go out. Ferrets come in, ferrets go out. Birds come in, birds go out. It wasn’t until a rabbit was brought into our lives that something changed. When it came to that time—time for him to go—I had an idea. In school, our class hamster had just died. We were in desperate need of a new pet. Perfect solution: my bunny Brownie would become the new class pet! Dad was tired of him, mom was onto another pet plan, he’d bring joy to my classmates, and I could see Brownie every single day! Ideal.

So began my fascination with rabbits, a lifelong love that would even lead me to write a book about one.

In college, we couldn’t have any pets. But we snuck in a floppy-eared rabbit simply called “Bunny.” He hated his cage. He was potty trained. And he slept in bed with me every night (see also: chewed up my blankets and pillowcases while I was conked out). He was our dear mascot.

During adulthood, my husband and I adopted a rabbit. We named her Eema. She was black and white. She was our baby. It was also around this time that I learned of the horrific jackrabbit drives of the Dust Bowl. My realization of this dark period in history occurred during my children’s literature class at Rosemont College. We were studying the graphic novel The Storm in the Barn, and the scene where the jackrabbits are brutally bashed astonished me. It did not astonish everyone—many students in the class had already known about jackrabbit drives from learning of them in school; mainly those who grew up in the Midwest. Us east coast misfits were uninitiated.

I had never known that around 35,000 jackrabbits were massacred in an attempt to stop the plague of nearly eight million jackrabbits, nicknamed “Hoover Hogs” that swept across Kansas counties during the 1930s. I learned that children took part in the beatings too. Can you imagine being so hungry and desperate that you gather your children to literally club animals to death? I wondered how this would have been explained to kids.

I started writing The Dust Bunnies, a middle grade novel set in this time period, which touches on issues of hunger, poverty, and yes, the jackrabbit drives. My inspiration came from discovering the realities of these lethal drives. It also came from my connection to Eema the rabbit.

Shortly afterwards, Eema became fatally ill. I came home one day to find her laying on her belly, blood beneath her. I drove her to the emergency room only to learn she had cancer and wasn’t going to make it.

Also around this time, I learned that my younger sister with Down syndrome had also fallen ill.

I was back and forth, from the hospital to the vet, praying for both of my loved ones. With my sister, I stayed overnight, researching ways to help her. Meanwhile, the vet called me to tell me the very slim chances of Eema’s survival. I needed to say goodbye. I should’ve been used to this, right? But I sobbed into the phone. I know now that I was transferring my sadness for my sister onto Eema. The two merged in my mind. I was low. Very low. I needed to find a way to stay sane.

I continued writing The Dust Bunnies as a way to deal with the pain. My main character Dill, a scared little jackrabbit who so desires to be brave, became my sister and Eema rolled into one. He was going on a journey, he was sick, and he needed to be saved. As the writer of the story, I needed to save him just as I needed to save my sister and Eema. Perhaps if I could control his destiny, his journey to health, I could somehow, magically, rescue my sister and Eema. I wrote with a vigor that can only come about by extreme hope and fear combined.

The vet called me up. Eema wasn’t going to make it.

Unless…I was prepared to let her have a blood transfusion. It was a fifty/fifty survival rate.

For all the times I learned to say goodbye to pets, I was not prepared for this one. With both Eema and my sister bed-ridden at hospitals, the emotional pressure pounded on my chest. In normal world, my energies should have only been concentrated on my sister. But in emotional-stress-world, I was confused. Eema started to represent my sister. How could I refuse a blood transfusion? What if I said no? Would I be saying no to my sister? Of course she needs the blood transfusion! Please! That night I added another chapter to The Dust Bunnies, just as I had throughout this entire painful process.

The next day, the vet called me. Eema survived.

And three years later, my sister is healthy.

To this day, The Dust Bunnies has been very much edited, because the draft created during this time period was wrought with much more emotional turmoil than a middle grade reader should be privy to. But it was a way for me to cope at the time. It was a way for me to rescue my sister in my mind when I knew I had no control.

Sometimes I’m asked why I like rabbits. They don’t play fetch and they don’t purr like cats. But they are peaceful animals, aren’t they? A rabbit is built to constantly be on guard, to not get eaten. Their job is to survive. But when the chaos of life is calm, you see a curious creature emerge. A loving creature. A happy creature. Have you ever seen a rabbit do a binky? Please, do yourself a favor.

And this is life. We are built to survive, to endure chaos. But when the storms are calm, we must find our inner joys. We must do our happy dances, our binkies. Because we never know when it’s time to say goodbye, no matter how many times we’ve practiced. It may not get easier. But we can always get stronger, through hope and the magical bond of family and friendship.