Ellie Lieberman's Blog: Dusty Shelves - Posts Tagged "society-s-foundlings"

First published on Acorn Tops Blog:

When you are a child, you are handed down a lot of different things from your family. You have your name. Some idiosyncrasies you pick up along the way. You have the physical gifts and keepsakes. You also are given references, and by that I don’t necessarily mean what you would put on a job application. I mean, culture, whether it is the classics or more modern day pop culture. I mean, things they loved that they shared with you that you now have grown to love.

Growing up, if my family wasn’t randomly breaking out into song (because, yes, my life is and has always been a musical), we were tossing references back and forth. Close to every sentence has at least one reference, some so obscure those eavesdropping would have thought we were speaking a foreign language. This is probably why my newest book, Society’s Foundlings, is riddled with random references.

In the acknowledgements of my book I thank and tip my hat to a few of the people who have given me the building blocks of my reference palace, including my brother, Ben, my mother, Barb, and one of my best friends, Alyse. Someone who I failed to mention, though, was my Grandmother. And she is someone who deserves mentioning.

Anyone who knows about my Acorn Tops business knows well about my Grandmom’s influence and inspiration. One of the gifts she gave me, a picture, is now my logo and how I got the idea to carve fairy doors. She has also inspired products from my business, such as my collaboration with Seeds of Inspiration, the Seeds of Remembrance Rosemary Scented Fairy Pillows!

Though she passed away when I was very young, she has given me a lot. She has added to my love of reading. I have her Anne of Green Gables books, the ones with her name written in them. I have her Anne of Green Gables doll. I order Eggs Benedict whenever I can for breakfast and orange cream ice cream at the boardwalk and the beach, just like she did. I share a name with her and am named after the same strong and incredible woman, she is named for. And, most relevant to this post, I share a love of Harvey, the movie about the 6ft 3.5in tall pooka. I even dressed up one year for Halloween as El Wood P. Dowd, with a hat that had slots cut in it for rabbit ears and business cards with one number crossed out (call me at this number, not at this number).

In Society’s Foundlings, the reference appears when three of the characters are gathered around the television. One, sitting upside down on the couch, offers non-stop commentary while they watch and another is showing off his knowledge of every movie ever made. It’s a very minuscule part, one that could easily be missed and would not even be worth mentioning, if not for the personal significance, and not necessarily my own.

A book, a movie, a song, a television show- they have memories tied to them. You see them, you hear them, and they make you pause for a moment with a small nostalgic smile. Because you remember that person it reminds you of, who first showed it to you, who watched it, read it, sang it with you. You remember that moment it’s associated with, like a photo album you don’t have to pull out of the top shelf of a closet. And you remember how it made you feel. The way it spoke to you.

John Green (yes I am referencing him once more), did a whole vlog about Harvey. As he says, “All I know is I woke up the morning after watching Harvey feeling a little bit better and in all the years since, I have never felt quite as hopeless as I did before I watched Harvey.”

If you haven’t watched Harvey, I suggest you do. It’s a life changer for sure. And maybe when you’re reading Society’s Foundlings and you come to the part where they are watching it, you will pause for a moment and smile.

Originally posted on Acorn Tops blog:

The box of my books finally arrived! (Can you hear the squealing from there?) And, let me tell you, it is like all the best Christmases all rolled up into one (I might have stolen that line from my mother)! For a profession that relies so heavily on words, it’s ironic that there are no words for moments like these. It is truly indescribable. I mean, I wrote that. This is my story, my baby.

It’s important to understand, though, I did not accomplish this alone. Yes, I wrote a story, but to get it into a form I can hold and open (and caress the cover and sniff) was the support and work and patience of many individuals. What makes these moments even more special is having these people I love stand beside me and support me on this incredible journey, like my boyfriend and the people I mention in the acknowledgements, such as my editor, my brother, one of my best friends.

Another person I mention is my other best friend and cover artist, Jessica Johnson. She deserves more recognition than I could possibly give. Her talent alone is award winning. But the reason why my books are so beautiful, part of the excitement when opening the box, is the masterpiece she made for my cover.

I know I’ve been saying that a lot on social media, but there is no other word that could possibly fit. The details alone are outstanding, like that on the bricks or the wood (or the whole thing, really). But it’s also the attention to detail in the way it fits the story so perfectly - The shoes and wooden porch and the brick steps and the dandelion. And everything about the design came from her. She was one of my first readers and there could be no better book cover for my story.

This attention to detail is not unique in the beautiful book cover she illustrated for me. You can find it in all of her work, from her Cherry On Top or Pokémon Pinups to her newest goddess art print. Be sure to check out her work. Because trust me, whether you order her work online or buy it from her in person at one of her events, you will be as excited as I am!

Check out more of her work at: http://www.jessiejinspirations.com/

Between the interview with Dot Cannon from Over Coffee (http://twomaverix.com/) at my last event and the most recent question I received on Goodreads, I’ve been recently exploring my characters more, especially the characters who are not the main four, such as Nicole Brennerman and Ophelia Cortes. What I have come to discover is a better understanding for not only these female characters, but the male characters as well and for my book as a whole.

During the interview, one of the questions asked was why the friendship with Sampson was so important to Nicole Brennerman. And like a pro, I completely froze. Somewhere between the anxiety and trying to get the character to talk to me, I think my answer was something along the line of “I’m not sure she herself knows.” While I think there is a truth to this, the answer does not provide the whole picture. It’s taken some stewing, but allow me to elaborate my understanding and interpretation of the character here.

Nicole Brennerman likes attention. She is drawn to Sampson for a similar reason that he is drawn to her, at least in the beginning. They are both so very different than what the other knows. For Sampson, however, it’s more of the life she’s been handed (the nice car, the relationship with her father, the money and the security it provides to her future). He wants what she has. For her, though, he is very different than her usual friends (Insta-friendships, just add money and stir in the drama). In a way, she craves his friendship because he is the one person who isn't wrapped around her finger. It’s so important that he cares, even just a little, because how could someone not care.

She is used to the spot light, center stage. And, Sampson is the first time the entire world does not revolve around her.

In complete contrast to Nicole Brennerman, you have Ophelia Cortes. She shows up in one short scene with Carver, a total of 574 words. A question asked on Goodreads about who my favorite character is (Yes, Ophelia is one of them) spurred some deeper exploration. To quote some of my answer, “She represents a type of freedom within the same restrictions the main characters, and even Amy Bishop, feel so fiercely. For her to achieve this type of freedom, or "more" as Carver would put it, within these same struggles, to defy the challenges each of the characters face, including herself, was sort of a breath of fresh air, if that makes sense. I think she was that for Carver, too.”

Another female character I explored a little due to that question was Math and Sampson’s mother (who is another character I like a lot). She doesn’t make an appearance in the book. However, both boys reference her. To me, she is vital to these two characters, as well as the book itself, because she is the only positive experience any of the characters have with an adult. It makes her absence in the story that much sadder. The hole she leaves in Math and Sampson and how strongly they feel it, prove what a huge influence she was to them.

Staying on the topic of positive moms, as I’m typing this I’m realizing the part Amy Bishop’s mother plays as well. She is only mentioned once, and could be easily missed. To understand the importance of her mother, one must first understand Amy Bishop. To me, she is the epitome of the pressure and expectations put on today’s young women.

During the week, she stays with her father. As Math points out, at school she dresses like a nun, compared to during the weekend where her mother is “a bit more relaxed.” Her mother offers her a chance to explore with her outward appearance and her identity in a way she can’t with her father. Her mother allows her the freedom and ability to also be heard, as Amy, too, has expressed the feeling of being voiceless and how “sometimes, it can feel like no one is listening. And sometimes all you need is someone to listen.”

At a recent event, when attempting to explain what Society's Foundlings is about, the customer said it sounded more like a book for guys. While it’s told in the perspective of the four teenage males, the female characters are as much foundlings of the society around them as Clem, Carver, Sampson, and Math, and they, too, have a story to tell.

How much can you change about your characters and still stay true to them?

A common exercise suggested to writers is to take their character and drop them into a different setting. This exercise is said to give a writer a better understanding for their character. If you know your characters well enough outside their story, how they would react and what they would say and do to something completely different then what they would normally encounter, it will help you write them in the setting they belong. But, how much of their environment affects who the characters are?

What if you changed their back story? And, how much of their back story would change them? Take for instance, Barbara Lieberman’s Ellen Price from Message on the Wind. If you change her wealth, you still have Ellen Price. She would still stick her nose in other people’s business and run into situations without looking. Compare this to her male counterpart, Alexander McEwen. If you changed, for instance, his culture and heritage, the fact he’s Native American, you change a huge aspect of the character as a whole. Why? Because, this is such a huge part of who he is, how he sees the world and himself, and effects even the smaller details, such as how he wears his hair.

Or is it? This brings up the whole nature versus nurture debate. How much of the characteristics of your characters are innate, would never change and are simply part of who they are regardless. And how much is dependent on the world around them, including their families, upbringing, and etc.

In Society's Foundlings, how much would be different if one thing changed? If Math and Sampson’s mother was still in the picture? If Clem came from money? If Carver went to college or invited Math to live with him instead of Sampson? Some might argue very little, while others would suggest a lot.

And how much is open to interpretation? How much could be open to debate?

How much can you change about your characters and still stay true to them?

When I was ten years old, I sat at my desk reading Go Ask Alice. My teacher came over, hands on her hips and asked me accusingly if my mother knew what I was reading. Looking up at her, I said, “She’s the one who gave it to me.” The reason she gave it to me was because it had an impact on her and, to be quite honest, it worked better than the DARE program ever did. And, when she was ten, her school board was asked to ban it. My mother always taught us to read everything, even the books considered most dangerous. Especially, the books considered most dangerous. As Oscar Wilde put it, “An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea.”

This is probably why censoring books seems ridiculous to me. And, why it shocked me in eighth grade, when we were told to pick a book and read it in small reading groups, a group of classmates of mine were told they had to choose a new book halfway through. Why? Because there was a scene, about a paragraph in length, that some of the teachers thought might be inappropriate. This was a book all those classmates were enjoying, and they were about the only ones in this reading program. Which book it was or what the scene was I have a very vague recollection of. But, I remember the disappointment and frustration they faced at suddenly having a beloved book taken away and forced to not only start over, but with a book that was nowhere near as good.

And, it is also probably why it startled me at the age of 18 when I went to pick up On the Road that I ordered through the local library, the librarian asked if I was 18 or over, as though she would not give it to me if I wasn’t. I remember walking home thinking what a strange question that was. What difference would my age make? And then, when I realized the implication behind the question, it made me angry. Who was she to try to censor my reading?

The books I wind up enjoying and loving the most have been banned or challenge, even if I do not seek them out for this reason. Why? I love the themes they talk about. I love their depth and the way they make me think and feel. Oscar Wilde also said, “The books the world calls immortal are the books that show the world its own shame.” And these are the books that taught me to have a passion for reading, that ignited that flame, even when public education’s “English” and “literature” courses threatened to blow it out.

There is a magic to a book you pick up on your own. And there’s even more enticement when you are told you shouldn’t pick up that book at all. This is why The Uprise Books Project is so essential. By giving underprivileged teens, free of charge, the very books that many have tried forbid them and other readers, they help end the cycle of poverty through literacy and establish a love and passion of reading.

Most if not all of the books referenced or read in Society's Foundlings has and/or is banned and/or challenged, even Winnie the Pooh. The reason was not intentional; it was simply the books they could relate to most. It was the books that spoke to them in a way nothing else did, with the exception of music and movies. It made them feel not quite so alone. As Clem put it, “Those moments you go, “Yeah, someone else gets it. That’s what it’s like.” It doesn’t matter if it’s fictional, because you whisper to the page words of mutual understanding.”

It seemed only fitting to have Society's Foundlings support The Uprise Books Project. 10% of the proceeds of Society's Foundlings will now go to helping corrupt young minds. If you would like to aid in this incredible cause, check out their website: http://uprisebooks.org/

I’ve been thinking about tag lines of late. Businesses tend to have tag lines, a sentence long catchy slogan, as do some authors. So far my favorite is Barbara Lieberman’s “Reimaging Happily Ever After.” And, it really does fit her work.
What fits my work? What would my tagline be?

Recently, a reader called my writing fearless. I mean, what a way to stroke my ego. Nothing gets my pen scratching and my fingers typing faster than praise like that. She called it fearless for “going there.” When people first pick up Society's Foundlings there is this assumption that because it’s about young men written by a young woman it would be a sweet story.

Truth is, sweet is not exactly my cup of tea when it comes to writing. It can be a little dark, a little sad, and in some parts bitter-sweet. However, as Dot Cannon, a local blogger from Noelophile (http://noelophile.com/) and Over Coffee (http://twomaverix.com/) pointed out, despite the dark nature and tough themes I discuss in my writing, the ultimate message is that of hope.

A Light in the Darkness…

Whether it’s Carver’s cigarette matches from Society's Foundlings or dragon’s fire from the upcoming Dragon Anthology.

There’s my tagline.

What’s in a name, Juliet asks. Would a rose by any other name still smell as sweet? It depends on who you ask. Here’s what is in a name: identity, how they view themselves and how others view them.

Sometimes characters come with a name. It’s like transcribing a play. They walk in and they are introduced to me, as the writer, as they are to you, the reader. An example of this is Nicole Brennerman. Often times, we think of people as their whole name when they are something or someone “bigger” than ourselves. Do you refer to Jane Austen as simply Jane or simply Austen? How about John Green? They are both their first and last name. Regardless of what we think of them, that is how we see them. As a celebrity, or something almost untouchable, someone we put on a pedestal, we associate their individual identity as both first name and surname.

This is in comparison to Ms. Emerson, for example, who has a different level of separation and distance. Math’s teacher is simply Ms. Emerson. Her identity provides enough individuality for Math’s character, but offers more individuality than Sampson’s unnamed film instructor. Why? Ms. Emerson has an individual active and important role in the influence on Math, where Sampson’s unnamed instructor becomes the embodiment of every other person who has held a similar position. The unnamed college instructor is also simply yet another voice in the crowd telling Sampson a similar sentiment, while Ms. Emerson gives a name to the very way Math feels.

Remaining unnamed also allows a person or character to be reduced to a role, such as Math and Sampson’s father or mother. The importance they hold in the story is in the expectation of what a father should be in comparison to who he truly was, and in how important the mother was to both boys and the positive influence she had on them. This contrasts with the shooter in the park who is neither named nor actually seen. He is but a ghost and you can make of that what you will.

How does a full name or lack of name create distance? Consider how the four main characters identify each other, such as Clem or Math. Clem and Math are both shortened nicknames. Clements Walker and Matheus Thomas are their names, yet the only time you hear their actual names are for emphasis or used in anger and frustration. Consider also, the way in which Nicole Brennerman goes from calling Samspon, Thomas to Sampson. There’s intimacy, closeness, and a level of equality when being addressed in such an informal and comfortable way. The same way Carver calls Sampson “Sammy” in a moment of attempted comfort.

Sometimes other factors are an influence, such as another literary source. An example of this is Ophelia Cortez. In writing the introduction to this character, it was also an introduction to her name and who she was as a person. I discovered it while writing as new eyes would when reading. “… A name tied to a tragedy she would never let herself experience…” Boom! We’ve got a name; Ophelia, which is a reference to Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Clem’s name also has a small tie to a literary source. When I first started writing Society's Foundlings I was revisiting some of Andrew Clements work. As with most things in my life, basset hounds were also a big influence. At the time, I also had a conversation with my brother and we were discussing what we would name basset hounds we would get in the future. The names he gave me were Clemson and something similar to Matheus. Math’s name was also influenced by a Welsh God, Math. Personally, I think he would be thrilled with this aspect of his name.

Sampson’s name is also influenced by a pet. It was the name of my cat growing up. We gave the little kitten a big name to grow into and he had. The name itself perhaps had some influence on me, but it just seemed to fit the character as well.

Where did Carver’s name come from? Your guess is as good as mine. It is perhaps the only thing he and Nicole Brennerman has in common. I can tell you this, though. At the very start of writing it his name was Carson. Turns out he preferred Carver. Would he have been different had his name been Carson? Would the reader have seen him differently? Would I have written him differently? What is in a name?

You decide.

Using the questions asked in Inside the Actor's Studio, I will be interviewing characters from my books. I'm starting with Carver from Society's Foundlings.

1. What is your favorite word?
Redemption.

2. What is your least favorite word?
Can’t. I don’t like limitations.

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
A well written book and any conversation about books in general.

4. What turns you off?
Little princess-bitches in platform five-inch heels who shrills in a voice equivalent to nails on a chalkboard and a dying cat and whose favorite book is about sparkly vampires, whose favorite show is a tie between some soap and a reality, and who owns more shoes than books. My friend, Ophelia, tells me I’m a stuck up bastard and a snob. It’s mostly the righteous attitude, like a parent who gets pissed off that I’m cursing when they’re at a sleazy fast food joint at midnight and buying their kid caffeine. If a few curse words is the worst thing a kid experiences, than I’d call it good.

5. What is your favorite curse word?
Pardon the French, but Fuck.

6. What sound or noise do you love?
A page being turned.

7. What sound or noise do you hate?
Gunshots. Police sirens.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Travel writer. As Jack Kerouac said, “The road is life.” Anything to find whatever “more” I can.To go places and meet people, with “nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever on the road.”

9. What profession would you not like to do?
Any of the jobs I am currently doing. Laundromat, stocking shelves, cashier, etc.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
I’m surprised to see you here.

Home and belonging is a common theme in my books. Whether it's the dragon from A Dragon's Treasure in A Horde of Dragons. or it's Math from Society's Foundlings wondering why what feels like home can't be where he rests his head at night.

For the dragon, belonging is a chain around his neck until a friend tells him, "There's a difference between being someone's treasure and being treasured by someone." For Math, home transforms from a brick-stepped, light-flickering sanctuary where no one can trespass to a hand that catches you when you fall.

Home, what it is and how we define it, changes as we do. It doesn't always look the same, but there are common elements. As Billy Joel sings, "Home is just another word for you." One constant is the people. Those you've known all your life who become more than just family, and communities, no matter how big or small, who become more than just friends. These Shadows, as I like to call them, like Shadow from The Treasure of Ravenwood. Those bosom friends and kindred spirits as Anne of Green Gables called it.

For Jenna from Solving for X it was the memories within the place or the person. The plaid blanket where she and Erik watched fireworks. It was the line of photos. For Erik, it was the smell of salt water and the old basketball courts.

Sometimes home is in the traditions. Mom's coffee in the mornings. Jenna's painting. Decorating for the holidays or Friday night dinners with the grandparents.

And, home can be a place. Where love abounds and there lies a type of safety one can only find in those four walls.

Home for me is a lot of things. It is paint and pencils, notebooks and sketchpads. It is an orange, furry hug. It is a steaming cup of tea.

It is laughter and kisses goodnight by a porch light and under stars. It is a hand on my knee, fingers that tickle mercilessly, and his hat that I wear like a crown.

It is smiles and shared dreams and a hand to hold and a hug I've known since birth. It is my mom. It is a Christmas tree decorated the day after the turkey is cooked. It's dancing and singing Ten Minutes Ago from Roger and Hammerstein's Cinderella. It's Chinese Food for Christmas. It's stories I now know by heart.

It's a neighbor who I count as family. A blessing in the form of fabulousness. Another Pheonix- I am so fortunate to be surrounded by so many!

My Fairy Godmother! Filled with as much wisdom as magic. Who could touch dust and turn it to gold. Whose sparkle always makes the day brighter.

It is a goddamn masterpiece. A modge podge worth of 21 years. Home is where I rest my head at night.

I think Sally Fingerette said it best, "Home is where the heart is. No matter how the heart lives. In your heart where love is, that's where you've got to make yourself a home."

What do you consider home?

A couple days ago was National Popcorn Day. So, of course, what came to mind for some of my readers as well as myself was Society's Foundlings, since the main item of food consumed within the 90 pages is overly buttered, stale, movie theater popcorn. While this is but a simple detail, it got me thinking about what that popcorn represented to each of the characters.

The popcorn is a very minor detail. It is used to illustrate the lack of food, finances, and resources offered to the character. Yet, despite this simple view of food, it has a larger meaning to Sampson, Carver, and Math in particular,

Sampson sees it as a divide between himself and others, such as Nicole Brennerman. He wonders how she could possibly understand comparing past cheap food that created a regular diet (plain spaghetti and minute rice) to the assumption of richer, more expensive foods she grew up eating (lobster). This is not only used as a dividing line, but to illustrate and represent the feeling of being an outsider.

For Carver, it remains solely a representation of things he cannot have. Lack of resources, lack of security, lack of the 'more' he's constantly searching for. It remains a barrier in not only what he can provide for himself, but what he can provide for the people he cares about, seen when he questions what else the three other main characters had to eat that day.

Math views popcorn as the complete opposite. For him, it is belonging and security. He includes it in his descriptions of Sampson and Carver's place, which in and of itself is a sanctuary. It is a sure and constant thing for him in a world that is slowly falling apart around him.

Each of these representations become even deeper when the reader recognizes nobody else would necessarily think of or even know they eat mostly popcorn. It illustrates an internal struggle, and how they view themselves and their situations.