Teresa Toten, author of BEWARE THAT GIRL, on pushing through word by word

by Jocelyn Rish

BEWARE THAT GIRL is the latest book from Teresa Toten, and we’re delighted to have her here to tell us more about it.

Teresa, what was your inspiration for writing BEWARE THAT GIRL?

I had a picture in my head for years. Two young women in a hospital ICU. One is unconscious in the bed hooked up to wires and monitors and the other is covered in mud and sweat rocking in a chair beside her. That picture eventually became the opening scene in Beware That Girl. The rest of the book was my journey in trying to figure out which girl was in the bed and which was in the chair. I honestly didn’t know the answer until I wrote that final scene at the very end of the book!!

What scene was really hard for you to write and why, and is that the one of which you are most proud? Or is there another scene you particularly love?

Any scene with Kate and her father. I had a much older half brother (now deceased) who I now realize must have been a sociopath. The few and brief times that he was in my life were chaotic, exciting and often violent. I drew on those emotions and memories for the Kate scenes with her dad. Clearly, the things that happen to Kate did not happen to me but there was enough emotional honesty in them that they affected me.

What book or books would most resonate with readers who love your book–or visa versa?

The very wonderful: We Were Liars by e. lockhart

How long did you work on BEWARE THAT GIRL?

Just over two years.

How long or hard was your road to publication? How many books did you write before this one, and how many never got published?

Beware That Girl is my 12th book. I was miraculously lucky to have my very first manuscript published and the luck has held all the way to Beware That Girl!!

What do you hope readers will take away from BEWARE THAT GIRL?

I absolutely hope that my readers find Beware That Girl thrilling, chilling and . . . unsettling.

Was there an AHA! moment along your road to publication where something suddenly sank in and you felt you had the key to writing a novel? What was it?

Twelve books and twenty years later—I’m not there yet with the global AHA! Each book is a sweat soaked crisis of confidence and I just push through that word by word.

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

Keep writing through your own sweat soaked crisis of confidence and FINISH what you’re writing. Keep writing, keep writing, keep writing!!!

What are you working on now?

I am ever so slowly, painfully (word by word) working on another psychological thriller.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Beware That Girl
by Teresa Toten
Hardcover
Delacorte Press
Released 5/31/2016

The Haves. The Have Nots. Kate O’Brien appears to be a Have Not. Her whole life has been a series of setbacks she’s had to snake her way out of–some more sinister than others. But she’s determined to change that. She’s book smart. She’s street-smart. And she’s also a masterful liar.

As the scholarship student at the elite Waverly School in NYC, Kate has her work cut out for her: her plan is to climb the social ranks and land a spot at Yale. She’s already found her “people” among the senior class “it” girls–specifically in the cosseted, mega-wealthy yet deeply damaged Olivia Sumner. As for Olivia, she considers Kate the best friend she’s always needed, the sister she never had.

When the handsome and whip-smart Mark Redkin joins the Waverly administration as head of fundraising, he immediately charms his way into the faculty and students’ lives–especially Olivia’s, although she doesn’t share what’s going on. It becomes increasingly obvious that Redkin poses a threat to Kate, too, in a way she can’t reveal and can’t afford to ignore. Mark has his own plan for a bright future and never doubts that he can pull it off. How close can Kate and Olivia get with Mark without having to share their dark pasts?

Purchase Beware That Girl at Amazon
Purchase Beware That Girl at IndieBound
View Beware That Girl on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TERESA TOTEN is the author of the acclaimed Blondes series, as well as The Game, The Onlyhouse and The Taming (with Eric Walters). Teresa has been nominated three times for the Governor General’s Literary Award and won it in 2013 for The Unlikely Hero of Room 13b, which also won the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award, the CBC Bookie Award, was the CLA Honour Book for 2013 and was nominated for the 2014 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. For more information, visit www.teresatoten.com.

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Have you had a chance to read BEWARE THAT GIRL yet? Do you find each book you write to be a sweat soaked crisis of confidence? Are you able to push through and finish what you’re writing? Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!

Happy reading,

Jocelyn, Shelly, Martina, Anisaa, Sam, Erin, Susan, Michelle, Laura, and Kristin

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: Jun 4, 2016

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Author Interviews

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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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