YA Fresh

What's Fresh with Stacy DeKeyser's Jump The Cracks

What would you do?

As far as I'm concerned, there's no excuse not to be decent...Especially when you're responsible for a kid.

It just figures that fifteen-year old Victoria's dad fails once again to be at the train station like he's promised. Fuming, Victoria watches as a teen mom stashes her bruised little boy in the train's bathroom. When the mom gets off the train alone, Victoria decides she has had it with all the poor excuses who call them selves parents. Making a split-second decision, Victoria boards the next train out of town-taking the little boy with her.

No, really, what would you do?Victoria's staying on the run until everyone responsible starts keeping their promises. This kid's not falling through the cracks. Not on her watch.

Hi Stacy, great to have you here! Could you please tell us a little about your writing background and how you made your first sale?

Stacy: My first sale was to Scholastic Library Press. I got a two-book deal! I wrote two 64-page biographies for midgraders: Sacagawea, and The Wampanoag. I loved writing them. It was after I'd been writing for about 8 years and decided I had no future writing fiction. :)

Readers and writers often like to get a behind the scenes peek of an author's writing routine. It would be great if you could please share your typical writing day schedule.

Stacy: First thing, I get my kids up and ready for school. Then I feed the dog. Make coffee. Read e-mail and a few blogs, check my website stats...when all that's done, and my coffee is gone, and I think I ought to be doing laundry...I start writing.

Please tell us about your latest novel Jump the Cracks and what we can expect from your characters.

Stacy: Jump the Cracks was published by Flux in March 2008. It's about a girl who decides she has to break some rules in order to do the "right" thing.

What's up next? Do you have another project in the works? If so, please tell us about it.

Stacy: Yes! I just finished a new novel about a girl who hears voices. Which worries her, but the thing is, she likes the voices.

Sounds great! Thanks for sharing, Stacy! Would you like to close with a writing tip?

Stacy: There are no shortcuts. Writing well enough to be published is similar to playing tennis well enough to play at Wimbledon. You have to practice a LOT.

Growing up in Wisconsin, Stacy DeKeyser spent her childhood summers reading at the library. The author of two middle-grade nonfiction books, Stacy has since turned to writing fiction. She received a Work-in-Progress Grant from SCBWI for her first novel, and is now working on her second novel for young people. She lives in Connecticut. Visit her website, http://www.stacydekeyser.com.