Today is the second Anniversary of the paperback publication of Book Scavenger book 1! In celebration of that I have a preview interview with Jennifer Bertman whose next book Alcatraz Escape (Book Scavenger book 3) comes out on May 1st. More info on my Previous interview with Bertman here.
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| Alcatraz Escape out May 1st |
Full of whimsy, history and plenty of
mystery, the newest Book in the Book Scavenger Series, the Alcatraz Escape, is
the most fun a kid can have visiting Alcatraz today. Emily and James are back as
witty teenagers whose Book Hunting reputations follow them around. Our quirky
dynamic duo along with a new cast of characters, find their way into
another multi layered and character driven game called “unlock the rock” full of
even tougher puzzles. Our dynamic duo ends up discovering much more than simple
answers while they find themselves exploring new parts of the Bay Area and it’s
history. They leave a legacy in the story’s carefully and accurately crafted
rendition of San Francisco. Treat yourself to another heartwarming multi layered
mystery gem of a book from Jennifer Chambliss Bertman.
With out further ado here is my most recent interview with Jennifer Bertman.
1.
Please introduce your new book in your own words?
In The Alcatraz
Escape, Emily and James hope to play Mr. Griswold’s latest game
extravaganza, an escape-room-style challenge set on the famous San Francisco
landmark, Alcatraz Island. Their efforts to play the game are sabotaged and
they soon discover there are more mysteries to solve than simply the one
presented in Mr. Griswold’s game.
2. How
was your writing process different from the first two books?
One thing I
did differently with this book is I wrote in only one Word file. Maybe that’s
something every other writer always does, but for me it was very different from
how I’ve written my last two books.
With the
first Book Scavenger novels, I had many, many digital files—files for
brainstorming, research, experimenting with scenes, freewriting about
characters, bits I’d cut but worried about deleting permanently,
fussing-with-revisions files, and on and on. I also had paper notebooks and
binders with notes and lists and printouts of things. Working this way gave me
the illusion of being oh-so-organized with a purpose for each file and
notebook, but in actuality it was a very messy way to work. I was constantly
trying to remember where I’d placed a certain bit of writing or research note
and would spend a day searching through all my files for that one little thing.
I knew I
wouldn’t have any time to waste working on the third book, so I wrote
everything in one file. It began as a sketchy outline and I gradually replaced
my bullet points with brainstorming notes, which grew into written scenes, which
I eventually broke into chapters. I typed my research notes into the file in
the places where I thought they might be useful, then moved those to the end of
the file once they’d been incorporated so I could find them easily for the
Author Note. If I realized something needed to change in my next round of
revisions, I added it to the list in the very long comment bubble I kept at the
beginning of the file. Basically all the writing I generated that related to The
Alcatraz Escape I kept in that one file. I imagine it might have
looked like a nonsensical mess to anyone else much of the time I was working on
the book, but it made sense to me and felt more efficient than how I’d worked
previously.
3. What
were the top 3 major influences on The Alcatraz Escape?
One
influence was, of course, Alcatraz itself. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay
Area and Alcatraz has always been a fixture of history I was aware of, and also
a little scared of. But my knowledge of Alcatraz was limited mainly to the
infamous prison, so learning about more of the island’s history was
fascinating.
A second
influence is the relatively new phenomenon of Escape Rooms, where a small group
of people are locked in a themed room with a story created around it, like a
spy has hidden blueprints in what appears to be a studio apartment and your
group has a set amount of time to find the blueprints using puzzles and clues
hidden around the room in order to “breakout.” My writing group and I did one
together a few years ago and I absolutely loved it.
A third
influence was visiting a place called Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I went
there with my family and, honestly, I will probably have stories inspired by it
for years to come. It is a magical, amazing place. I suppose you could describe
Meow Wolf as an interactive art installation, but that sounds so stuffy and
clinical and doesn’t give the experience justice. "Wandering into
Wonderland" might be a better way of putting it, but I suspect every
person who goes there will take away something different.
4. Why
write three books in the same city?
San
Francisco is the city I know best and has always been a fixture in my life,
even now as I live states away. The more I learn about the history of the city,
the more I love it. Also, speaking from a storytelling perspective, it didn’t
feel right to have Emily’s family move on from San Francisco so soon. If the
series were to continue in other locations, I think either her family would
have to go through a progression that takes them to that point of moving again or
the characters would be traveling temporarily for some reason or the
story would feature new main characters playing Book Scavenger in a different
city.
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| Yours Drewly with Jennifer Bertman last year promoting book 2, which has my name in it. |
5. The
book scavenger series is not just a love letter to San Francisco, but also a
loving reflection on local bookstores everywhere. Please describe the role
of independent bookstores in your stories and the role of bookselling in your
own life?
In my ideal
world, every neighborhood would have its own charming bookstore with the
bookseller everyone knows, like Hollister. Maybe also a bookstore cat or dog or
llama that you greet as you wander through the shelves.
I feel like
bookstores—like libraries—have the capacity to bring people together in a
low-pressure but profound way. There are books for every type of person and all
interests, so they have the potential to be inclusive and welcoming places
within the community. These are the bookstores I’m always drawn to in real
life, and Hollister’s is a fusion of many different bookstores I’ve known and
loved.
6. How
can kids of all ages and parents promote the series and its real-life
applications?
Recommend
the book to others! Start a Book Scavenger club and play the game. Suggest Book
Scavenger to teachers or librarians for a classroom read-aloud (there’s an
excellent Teacher’s Guide on my website). Partner with your local library to
plan your own Book Scavenger book hunt event.
7. What
do you want the legacy of the book scavenger series to be?
The series
is only three years old, so thinking in terms of a “legacy” feels . . . I
don’t know. Like I’d be getting ahead of myself? Right now, I’m hoping people
will buy the third book and enjoy it, and that the series will continue to stay
in print for years to come. I don’t think many readers realize how special it
is to simply have your book stay in print and be found on the shelves of a
bookstore. The fact that Book Scavenger is nearly three years old and I
continue to hear from readers who have newly discovered it feels like a
wonderful, wonderful gift.
I will add
that my intention with each book in the series has been to write a good story,
first and foremost. A story that keeps people turning pages, a story where
readers feel like the characters are alive and well and bustling around in San
Francisco even after the book is closed, a story that makes people laugh, that
has heart, that has unexpected moments, that leaves the reader feeling like
they’ve visited San Francisco even if they never have. I’m always excited when
a reader tells me about connections they’ve drawn from my books into their
everyday life, like the reader who told me he’d participated in an event with a
cipher challenge and, even though he was the youngest on the team, he was the
only one able to solve the puzzle because he’d read Book Scavenger and
remembered the chapter where Mr. Quisling talks about decoding a substitution
cipher. I’ve also heard from readers who have been inspired to visit San
Francisco and see some of the locations in person, and others who have gotten
so interested in codes and ciphers that they’ve made up their own and trade
encrypted messages with friends.
My favorite
books when I was young always inspired me to do something outside my experience
of reading the book, whether it was creating art projects, learning more about
a topic the characters were interested in, or devising my own game or activity
or business based off what the characters did. If the Book Scavenger series has
a similar effect on its readers, I’m thrilled by that.
8.
What’s next for you and the book scavenger crew?
Well, the
Book Scavenger crew is shuffling to the back of my imagination for a bit while
I work with a new cast of characters on a very different middle-grade mystery.
It’s too early to say much more than that, but I hope fans of the Book
Scavenger series will enjoy this new adventure just as much.
Thank you all!
Thank you all!
To find Jennifer Bertman there are links below. To see her in person come to this event at Books Inc Burlingame!
Thank you all!
Thank you all!
--------------------------------------------
Jennifer Chambliss
Bertman
Twitter:
@jabertie
BOOK
SCAVENGER (Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt)
New
York Times Bestseller | Best Book of the Year: Bank Street,
Amazon | NCTE
Notable Book
BOOK SCAVENGER
2: THE UNBREAKABLE CODE (Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt)
New York Times Bestseller
| Junior Library Guild selection
"Readers who loved
the first volume will find this follow-up even more satisfying. Purchase extra
copies where there are fans." --School Library Journal
Junior Library Guild selection
| An Amazon Best Spring Book for Ages 9-12
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