MacKenzie Cadenhead, author of SLEEPER, on the most important step of writing being to actually write

by Jocelyn Rish

We’re delighted to have MacKenzie Cadenhead stop by to chat about her latest novel, SLEEPER.

MacKenzie, what was your inspiration for writing SLEEPER?

I am a big dreamer. I used to talk in my sleep and there was at least one sleepwalking event in my childhood that still weirds me out. I’ve always found sleep fascinating – particularly the unknown aspects of it. When I read an article in the New York Times Magazine back in 2003 about parasomnias that included R.E.M. Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD), I knew that someday I wanted to explore this affliction that caused people to physically act out their dreams while they slept. What happened in the dreams? How did it manifest in the waking world? Who, beyond the dreamer, did this enactment affect? What were the daytime consequences of what the dreamer had involuntarily done in his/her sleep? There were so many questions to explore and so many levels of culpability for a protagonist to grapple with that the possibilities felt endless.

What do you hope readers will take away from SLEEPER?

That you always have a choice. Even after you’ve maybe made some bad decisions, there’s always the opportunity to change the path you’re on. That’s not to say that you won’t have to deal with uncomfortable consequences or that changing things up will be easy – generally change is frustratingly hard. But I believe you are ultimately the boss of you – warts, happily ever afters and all. Pretty much everything I write reflects that.

What advice would you most like to pass along to other writers?

When my first book, Sally’s Bones, was published, a friend jokingly said to me, “You know, I could write a book. If only I’d pick up a pen.” For my money, the first and most important step of writing is to actually write. Not that I’m suggesting it’s easy. Writing is often painful and slow-going. You sometimes hate your own words and there are weeks when you feel like you no longer know how to form a sentence. But if you push through and write that sh*++y first draft (as Anne Lamott calls it) then you have something to work with, to edit and mold into the book you will someday put out there for others to see. But none of that can happen until you actually sit down and put pen to paper/fingers to keyboard.

What are you working on now?

I am currently co-writing a series of young reader chapter books for Marvel Press called Marvel’s Super Hero Adventures. The first four books are team up adventures featuring Spider-Man and a super-powered friend (Spider-Gwen, Squirrel Gil) battling a classic villain. The first one comes out in September and I’ve had a total blast writing them.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sleeper
by MacKenzie Cadenhead
Paperback
Sourcebooks Fire
Released 8/1/2017

Sarah’s dreams are everyone else’s nightmares in this thriller that perfectly combines Inception and Heathers.

As a sufferer of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, Sarah acts out her dreams. Usually she’s only a danger to herself, but when she almost breaks her best friend’s neck at a sleepover, Sarah becomes a social pariah. Luckily (and stangely), Wes, a guy she’s only seen in her dreams, turns up at school and the two become inseparable.

An experimental drug offers a cure, but she and Wes soon realize that not only are they sharing the same dreams, they can now alter other people’s dreams. It’s clear that this new drug is offering a lot more than just sleep. Will Wes and Sarah choose responsibility…or revenge?

Purchase Sleeper at Amazon
Purchase Sleeper at IndieBound
View Sleeper on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MacKenzie Cadenhead was born and raised in New York City, where she mastered her driver’s ed lessons in Chinatown, but somehow never learned to ride a bike. After trying her hand at a number of odd jobs—holiday gift wrapper, tour guide, pizza delivery person, waitress at IHOP—she spat in the face of employability by delivering the one-two punch of a BA in English (Haverford College) and a Masters in Dramaturgy (Brooklyn College). Thanks to a case of mistaken identity (or to her interviewer being too embarrassed to admit that he didn’t know what a dramaturg was), she was hired as a comic book editor for Marvel Comics. At Marvel she developed new content for young and teen readers, including the all-ages Marvel Adventures line, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, Spellbinders, and Runaways, an ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults, 2006. (Check them out—they’re great!)

These days she writes children’s books and reads them to her family, most notably her dog, Smudge. Her middle-grade novel, Sally’s Bones, and her Young Adult novel, Sleeper, are both currently available wherever books are sold. Her early chapter book for kids, Deck the Malls!, will be available from Marvel on September 5th.

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Have you had a chance to read SLEEPER yet? Have you been inspired by an article you read years ago? Are you able to push through and write that sh*++y first draft? Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!

Happy reading,

Jocelyn, Sam, Martina, Emily, Anisaa, Erin, Susan, Shelly, Kelly, Laura, and Lori Ann

Jocelyn Rish

Jocelyn Rish is a writer and filmmaker who loves researching weird and wonderful animals and sharing what she learns. Her debut was BATTLE OF THE BUTTS, about ten animals that do weird things with their butts. Her latest book is BATTLE OF THE BRAINS, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection about ten animals with mind-blowing brain abilities. When she’s not writing, she tutors kids to help them discover the magic of reading. Jocelyn has won numerous awards for her short stories, screenplays, films, and novels and lives in South Carolina with her adorable dog. Find out more at www.jocelynrish.com.

Post @ Jocelyn Rish and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Aug 5, 2017

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Author Interviews

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← Previous: Patty Blount, author of THE WAY IT HURTS, on hitting a wall while writing Next: Aden Polydoros, author of PROJECT PANDORA, on not quitting after writing the first fifty pages →

The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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