Margaret Willey

Sometimes I do feel that I wear too many hats as a writer. I have so many different in-progress projects--it's one of the reasons that my office is always stacked and piled with different materials. I flit from project to project, moving this or that along a little further, only rarely finishing something. Sometimes I look at this tendency in myself and wonder what is has cost me to be a creative person whose energies are always scattered.

In May I did several end-of-the-year school visits to talk about Folktales in general and my own original folktales in particular. The kids were so terrific. Putting together these presentations, and presenting them , took a tremendous amount of planning and preparing. Not to mention the traveling, searching for schools in other parts of Michigan. It took me far, far away from what I am doing now--the new novel, my editing tasks, my essays about my childhood. Far, far away. But I wouldn't have missed being in those schools for the world. Look at these beautiful children. Their smiles. I am so happy that this is still part of what I do--share folktales, and my love for these traditional stories, with young readers. Read More 

The first story of my novel told in stories has been published at Literary Mama.com.
The story is titled "Simple Addition." The novel, which I was calling HOW SHE LEFT, is now titled ADDITIONS.

Here is the link.

Wonderful recent news about my novel FOUR SECRETS. It was listed by Booklist reviewer Ilene Cooper as one of the TOP TEN crime fiction novels for young readers in 2013. The rest of the distinguished list is here. I am so encouraged and grateful for this distinction because I worked so hard on the plot of FOUR SECRETS and on the slow and methodical revelation of the secrets. The whole time I was doing it, I was wondering if it was working. If the plot would hold water. If it was the right balance of suspense and revelation.
It was like writing my first folktale (CLEVER BEATRICE), a time of uncertainty and self-doubt (which needed to be ignored), followed by true feelings of accomplishment.

FOUR SECRETS took me to a new place as a writer and this is the best thing about pushing your creative limits. Read More 

I have sold Beetle Boy to Carolrhoda Lab and I am so happy about it. It is another novel narrated by a sensitive boy--like Nate Wilson, tortured but noble in his integrity and his compassion. It has set me to thinking about why I am now so much more comfortable writing in the voice of such a boy--Pete Shelton, Nate Wilson and now Charlie--especially considering that my earlier novels were so girl-centered (a good example: The Melinda Zone). Perhaps it is the adolescent boys I have known since I first started writing for teenagers and my appreciation for their struggle. Somehow I believe in a wellspring of romanticism and emotional innocence in boys that no longer seems possible for girls, given what society asks of girls in the 21st century. Girls need to be harder, more wary, more defensive, more angry. With a boy, I can create a reluctant warrior, a sweeter creature torn by sexual longings and sexual ignorance. An adolescent confused about manhood and yet wanting to be manly in the best sense of the word. That is Charlie. I am so fortunate to have a manly editor to keep me in line regarding Charlie's voice and Charlie's dilemma. Think there is another essay in here somewhere.  Read More 

A recent discovery: January is still too post-holiday hectic. Withdrawal from family is impossible and unwanted. But February. Everything slows and whitens and stills in the February cold. The new novel hums. Writing about 3 new pages a day. I know, not very much, but A LOT of writing for the tortoise of a writer that is me.  Read More 

One of the highlights of a quiet January was spending an afternoon at the Ottawa County Juvenile Detention Center, the facility that I used as the setting for my novel. The experience was, from beginning to end, almost unbearably meaningful. 30 kids at the JVC had read the novel and had questions for me about plotting and characters. Most of the questions were WHY questions; WHY did I write Nate's journal in the language I chose; WHY did I make Renata an artist. It was a perfect opportunity to talk about decision-making in writing. We talked a lot about the illustrations. At the end of my presentation, each student gave me a thank you note in the shape of a crow. A few girls lingered at the end of the afternoon, wanting their picture taken with me. They were just girls. They were just kids. My heart sang with gratitude for the rest of the day. Special thanks to Carmen Dahlhoff for all her good work to make this happen. Read More 

I have started a new novel. This means that I have a recently published novel (Four Secrets), a submitted for publication novel (Beetle Boy), a recently finished novel (How She Left), and now...a new as yet untitled novel unfolding. All four of these projects fill my imagination and my office and the various notebooks scattered through my house. Right now feels particularly chaotic and I am not quite sure what to do about it. How to become more organized for a more productive 2013? I am stumped. I have begun cleaning out my office--this may help, although much of the creative jumble is inside my head.

One good thing--the novel I have started is taking shape nicely. I feel that I have made the right choice about what to do next. I will soon be at the place where there is no turning back, where the novel insists on full arrival.

And I am so happy about my new granddaughter Beatrice and all the promise that she brings for 2013 and beyond. Read More 

The Connecticut Library Consortium has recommended FOUR SECRETS as a Book for Holiday Giving. Hooray! See all the CLC's TOP PICK recommendations here

Last week visited South Elgin High School, Pleasantdale Middle School and Glencrest Middle School in the Chicago area. Hard to describe how it feels to have real students tell me that they were bullied and that my book helped them. Priceless. My thanks to all who helped organize these visits, teachers, librarians and Anderson Bookstore. But especially the young adults who welcomed me into their schools and their lives. Read More 

Four Secrets mentioned as a Best Book Bet for November by blogger S. E. Toon.

"Secrets are fragile things, hard to keep and promises even easier to break. As the bullied become the bully each girl's friendship with the other is tested in this honest story of the complexity of emotions and the repercussions of one's actions. This is one book that addresses bullying without the reader feeling that they are being preached at."

I appreciate this clarification because S. E. Toon is right; my book does not preach about bullying. Rather it celebrates the trial by fire that bullying brings to the innocent and celebrates the heroic teenager who must rise above cruelty and ignorance. Wow, I am sounding like Nate tonight.

To check out this and other recommendations on this blog click here
 Read More