Peek-A-Book: The Secret of the Sacred Scarab

If your powers of deduction are good, then you probably have a good idea what today’s Peek-a-Book is all about! Author Fiona Ingram’s first book, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, takes place in Egypt, and the adventure is packed with fascinating bits about that ancient part of the world. When I was a kid, I thought the pharaohs and pyramids were exciting and even a little scary. What a perfect backdrop for a mystery!

Fiona Ingram was a bookworm kind of kid who loved to make up stories and act them out! Perhaps that’s what led her to study Drama at the University of Natal in South Africa. It’s a sure bet that her theater background helped her develop a great ear for dialogue. Fiona also enjoyed a career in freelance journalism, but her journey to writing a children’s book was a new adventure that’s taken its own unexpected turns. Her book, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, has won several awards, including a Finalist in the Children’s Fiction section of the USA National Best Books 2009 Awards. She also went from writing one book to making plans for an entire series! I asked Fiona a few questions about writing a series, and researching projects like The Secret of the Sacred Scarab.

Your characters travel from one exciting destination to another, picking up clues and meeting up with bad guys! What’s involved in research for a writer who chooses an exotic locale like Egypt?

Going to Egypt, or whatever the exotic locale you have chosen. This may sound difficult, but in fact travel is fun and easy, and if the locale is really exotic (and the locals don’t speak English) go on a tour where you’ll be looked after. Tour guides are brilliant at making sure you don’t miss out on all the amazing things their country has to offer. They also have many snippets of information you might not find in the actual guide books, such as old legends and customs. At the same time, you’ll have to put in the extra research later to make sure you get your facts right. The actual visit should be for you to ‘taste’ the atmosphere, the ambiance, and the very different environment—sights, sounds, food, language, traditions, weather … it all counts. Although I was inspired by my trip to Egypt, I absolutely had to do lots of homework when I started writing the book to get my facts straight. I have a few more really interesting and exotic locations lined up for the next few books—I can’t wait to pack!

Your protagonists are two young boys, which makes this a great read for guys! Can you give some insight into how you developed these characters?

I used the real characters of my two nephews as the basis for my fictional characters. Their responses and reactions to the events of our trip also gave me a deeper insight into where my fictional characters would eventually go. They are both very different: the older boy is bold, practical, and something of a ‘know it all.’ He’s great to lead any expedition into Darkest Wherever. The younger boy is more spiritual and imaginative, and made the perfect template for Adam, the hero who turns out to be the bearer of the sacred scarab. In my opinion, it helps to use real life examples (or maybe just aspects of them) when creating characters. It helps to convey a better sense of authenticity.

The Secret of the Sacred Scarab is the first book in a series. Did you know from the outset that you wanted to do a series? Do you think a writer should make that decision from the beginning?

When I began writing the story I hadn’t developed the back history or mythology behind the series because I’d only thought about writing one story. At the same time I really liked my two young heroes and I had toyed with creating different adventures for them to pursue once The Secret of the Sacred Scarab was finished. But apparently the book had other ideas! About halfway through the project, the adventure suddenly took a quantum leap forward. Because the entire book is based on real facts (check it all … the Shemsu-Hor, the Neteru, and all the gods!), I found myself delving deeper into ancient mythology and seeing the fascinating threads that connect most of the ancient world and various mythologies. Once I’d created the mythology behind the Stone of Fire (again based on a real legend), ideas literally began to pop out of my head. By the time the two-thirds mark was reached, I’d already planned more books to develop my ever-growing theme. The adventure was too big, too all-encompassing to end with the first book. I am not sure if a writer can make that decision alone. Just as the characters come alive during the writing process, I think the story itself will dictate how far it can go. Let your imagination fly while you write and (amazingly) things will take shape.

What should a writer consider when developing a series?

I think the writer should consider the strength of the story. My Chronicles of the Stone series incorporates Seven Stones of Power, which means Justin and Adam have seven ancient artifacts to find, thus seven strongly linked adventures that all lead to a grand final conclusion. The books need each other to make sense of the adventures. That’s one kind of series. On the other hand, a writer can develop a strong cast of characters who share a good theme—let’s say, kid detectives. The kid detectives could solve different mysteries, not necessarily related, but with the strong thread of the characters’ shared experiences as the backbone of the series.

You can find out more about The Secret of the Sacred Scarab at Fiona Ingram’s website (www.fionaingram.com) or visit the book site.  Or ask Fiona! She’s happy to tackle your questions, so drop back by Finders and Keepers to find the answers to your writing mysteries!

Finding Writing Rules from a Ghost

I’m not sure if Mark Twain’s ghost still writes in his old haunts, but I’m sure that many a writer has been haunted by Twain’s rules for writing.  And it being that spooky time of the year, I thought it might be fun to raise his words from the dead so to speak, so that you, the children’s writer (or any writer) might benefit from his wisdom. Especially since a few noted rules relate, in an uncanny way, to the dead.

To wit:

Rule Number 3: The personages in a tale shall be alive, except in the case of corpses, and that always the reader shall be able to tell the corpses from the others.

Rule Number 4: The personages in a tale, both dead and alive, shall exhibit a sufficient excuse for being there.

I think Rule Number 4 should be written in bold letters across every writer’s forehead. Barring your ability to manage that, perhaps you could just write the words across your computer screen, once every day before you begin any actual writing.

Rule Number 3, on the other hand, has been grossly ignored by writers of late; writers, who I might add, have enjoyed a fair amount of success by throwing, willy-nilly, the undead into their stories. And it’s all getting pretty confusing, keeping up with who’s a ghost, or a vampire, or a werewolf, or what-have-you in the undead department. I’m sure it’s enough to keep Mr. Twain rolling in his grave.

You can read all the rules here (from an essay Twain wrote about James Fenimore Cooper, who, by the way, broke every single one of Twain’s rules). And then you can decide whether you dare to break the rules…or not. (Ooooooooooo)

Keeping the Light on to Read

I don’t have little guys reading in the Hall house these days, but I write for little guys. So, I like to keep up with what guys read. (I keep up with what girls read, too. Nothing sexist to see here, folks.)

I check out books from the local library (I’m very big on supporting my local library with tons of overdue fines), and peruse booklists to see what the kiddies are reading. And I get to read books when I host a blog tour. In fact, I’ve got a great 8 to 12 year old read coming up November 3rd.

It’s called Secret of the Sacred Scarab (you may have noticed it on Keeping the Light On to Read). It’s a mysterious adventure that takes place in Egypt, and weaves ancient Egyptian history, culture, and religion into an intriguing tale . The author, Fiona Ingram, sent me a list of all kinds of books about Egypt.  I thought I’d share a few that you might find at your local library, just to get you in that old Egyptian mood:

Egyptology by Emily Sands (also her Egyptology Code-Writing Kit.)

The Ancient Egypt Pop-Up Book by The British Museum and James Putnam

Fun with Hieroglyphs by Metropolitan Museum of Art, Catharine Roehrig

Don’t those books look like fun reads? Be sure to join me November 3rd for Peek-a-Book with Fiona Ingram and The Secret of the Sacred Scarab. You’ll find a great read here for your guys (and dolls)!

Finding an Exquisite Corpse (Not as Icky as You Think)

Now, here’s a great idea, brought to you by the Center for the Book and the National Children’s Book and  Literacy Alliance!

First of all, I have to explain that Exquisite Corpse is an old parlor game. I think it started with the concept of passing around a paper, having each participant add a body part, until at last you had yourself an “Exquisite Corpse.” It evolved into a game where a line would be written, and added upon, until the story traveled through the room of players, and you had yourself a funny tale.

A group of accomplished children’s writers, headed by none other than Jon Scieszka (he really has been popping up frequently around F & K. Cue Twilight theme music), have joined together to write a book based on the Exquisite Corpse game. Scieszka started the body, so to speak, with an introduction.

Honestly, he threw in everything but the kitchen sink. And I suspect the sink will make an appearance somewhere. The second installment has already been added (by Katherine Patterson), but it’s not too late to sign up. And the kind folks at Read.gov will send those installments right to your inbox. Free!

Check it out at this Library of Congress link (www.read.gov/exquisite-corpse/) or click here for all the fun details.

See? That wasn’t icky at all!