Just one short month until Martha and the Slave Catchers is published. Remember, though, if you are curious about the historical facts behind the novel, just go to the top of this webpage and click on “Martha and the Slave Catchers.”

Let’s start with the final installment of Chapter 1. For those of you new to the blog, the first installment appears in the July blog post. We left off where an injured and confused Martha cannot remember exactly who she is, where she is, or anything much about her past. She does remember her name and when she sees an envelope with it on the small table next to her, she picks it up and begins reading. In the August blog post, the letter results in questions crowding Martha’s brain. She could picture her mama and her friend, Becky. And when we left her in September, she was beginning to remember someone called Caleb. We continue . . .

Yes, of course. Becky, her best friend. She knew in her heart that she could rely upon her. Remembering Becky also brought back Caleb. Martha’s mind drifted to the sense of him holding her and kissing her softly, but she forced her eyes to focus once again on her papa’s words, words that were helping her mind to wake up. It was as if he was right there in the room with her, holding her hands, and urging her to come back to life.

The day you left, C_____ had a most terrible confrontation with his father. He discovered that it was he who revealed our secret, all for a monetary reward. C_____ says he will never be able to forgive him. He packed his possessions, left home, and now stays in our attic room. It is a great comfort to have him at my side in the woodshop. Besides, there is so much work to do that I would flounder without him. He is very regretful, dear daughter, of his treatment of you. But I think whatever passed between you will have to be settled once you return home. I sense from him that all will work itself out once you see each other and speak deeply.

Martha ran her finger across the coded C_____ as if by doing so she could transport Caleb to her side. She smiled as she felt in her pocket for the handkerchief with the embroidered red rose he had given her. Rubbing it against her cheek brought him closer, but she had no idea what they had quarreled about.

Martha drew in a deep breath. The oppressive heat in the room added to her light headedness. Sweat trickling down her neck dampened the shirt she was wearing. She ran her hand under the collar to loosen it. Why did she have on a boy’s shirt? She gazed down at her legs. And boys’ pants? She instinctively reached for one of her long plaits that she liked to twirl around her finger. Nothing. Frantically, she dropped the letter and grabbed both sides of her head feeling for her cherished hair. Who would be so cruel as to cut it off? Could her papa tell her? She picked up the letter once again and anxiously looked for an answer.

You have been a brave and honest girl, my lovely one, and I pledge that I will do everything possible to bring you both home very soon. In the meantime, you must do all in your power to protect yourself and not to fret about us. I will anxiously await news from you, and I will send news back. Our friends will see to that.

As always, I remain your loving father.

Her papa said nothing more and apparently knew little of what had happened to her since she had left home. For now, she was on her own and desperate to pull her memories together, regain her equilibrium, and find out where she was and what had become of her brother. She folded the letter, kissed it, replaced it in its envelope, and put it into her pocket. Then exhaustion overtook her. Involuntarily, she leaned her head against the back of the sofa and closed her eyes. As she relaxed, scenes of her life in the small town of Liberty Falls, Connecticut, flooded her mind. And with them came memories of Jake.

This is a picture of me, the author. In the background, as a screen saver, is a photo of my grandson when he was a young child. Just so you know who’s who. 

Actually, what I want to talk about today is how the author of a book has to let go of that work. When I began Martha and the Slave Catchers, it was just a tiny kernel in my mind that I kept chewing on and spitting out. From the time I started playing with the idea of writing a novel for children until the day I read the page proofs, a good five years had passed. For much of that time, Martha and Jake and the entire cast of characters belonged to me. Yes, I shared parts of it with my husband, my friend Catherine, my writing group, and the faculty and students in my classes at the Gotham Writers Workshop, but the story belonged to me, and me alone.

But once I signed on with my agent, Marie Brown, and with the folks at Seven Stories Press, and with Liz Zunon, the illustrator, the story-turned-book started to slip out of my hands and become a collaborative project. And once that happened, I had to begin letting go of my ownership of it.

I learned about letting go soon after my second book, Peace as a Women’s Issue, was published in 1993. I was then teaching at Fitchburg State College (now University) in Massachusetts and decided to have a book party celebrating that book and my previous book, The Women’s Peace Union and the Outlawry of War, 1921-1942 which had appeared in 1989 but without a celebration. During the party, one of my students came up to me with a copy of the book and said, “Will you sign my book?” My first reaction (unspoken of course) was, “That’s my book, not yours.” It was then that I realized that I was actually participating in the rite of letting go of the book and sending it on its way. Since that time, I usually have some sort of celebration where I let the book go, either a party or a public talk or something like that. I picture it in my mind as my actually handing the book over to readers.

With Martha, that moment came when I saw Liz Zunon’s name on the book cover design and then the announcement of her participation on her twitter feed and then on her website. The book was no longer just mine. Next month when it is released, the book will be “out there” for any interested person to grab a hold of. I hope that person is YOU. Martha and the Slave Catchers is already available for pre-ordering on many on-line book store sites. Or you can ask your local book store to carry it. Come and join our community ownership of Martha and Jake’s story.

Until November 7, when Seven Stories/Triangle Square Books for Young Readers releases Martha and the Slave Catchers. . . .

Just two months until Martha and the Slave Catchers is published. Remember, though, if you are curious about the historical facts behind the novel, just go to the top of this webpage and click on “Martha and the Slave Catchers.”

Let’s start with the next installment of Chapter 1. For those of you new to the blog, the first installment appears in the July blog post. We left off where an injured and confused Martha cannot remember exactly who she is, where she is, or anything much about her past. She does remember her name and when she sees an envelope with it on the small table next to her, she picks it up and begins reading. In the August blog post, the letter results in questions crowding Martha’s brain. We continue . . .

Martha’s eyes welled up with tears. She had never been away from her parents before she left home just a few weeks ago. Why had she gone? She thought hard, but it was all a blank.

Your mama is not doing well.

Mama. Martha longed for her lovely mama who had been ailing for several years.
But of what?

Fear, worry, secrets and lies have all lodged themselves in her mind. Nowadays she does not move from her favorite rocking chair in the parlor. She only stares out into a world I am not a part of, mumbling in her Quaker plain speech about her childhood and the glories of her youth when nonviolence and goodwill encased all that she did. The morning you left, she went to your room and took your ragdoll and now talks to it as if you were here. “Thee is a good girl.” “Keep thy brother safe.” “I love thee both.”

Martha pounded on her head, then winced. What were these secrets and lies that had so hurt her mama that she had withdrawn from the world? Why couldn’t she remember? Somewhere deep inside she knew her mama needed her and that she had to get home. Who would take care of her if she wasn’t there?

B____ comes over once a day to help tend to her. She takes our laundry and cleans the house as well. She has been a godsend considering all the responsibilities she has at home helping her own mama with the house and the many children. She sends her love and wishes you safekeeping until she can see you again.

Yes, of course. Becky, her best friend. She knew in her heart that she could rely upon her. Remembering Becky also brought back Caleb. (To be continued . . . )

Last month, I began talking about the “team” that has joined together to produce this book. I just want to say that I have not included all the folks who supported me during the writing of it. I’ve thanked them in the “Acknowledgements” in the book and hope you will take a moment to read that section and see just how many people put their minds to work for me. This month, I’d like to continue describing three other participants in the actual producing of the final product.

Courtesy of Marie Brown.

One of the first people I mentioned earlier was my agent, Marie Brown, of Marie Brown Associates. There is so much to say about Marie that I find it difficult to even begin. When I began writing the story of Martha and Jake, I participated in classes and workshops about writing for children. I also read every book and article I could find about the topic. In almost every place I received this advice: “If you want to be published, get an agent.” This was often countered with, “Of course, this will take a while, and many writers never find one.” Now, I have five non-fiction adult books out in the world and had never worked with an agent. The thought of finding one scared the bejeezus out of me. And what did an agent do anyway?

I began searching by looking through all the websites recommended and by using the resources on the website of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), an organization that is a godsend to everyone in the field. I marked several agents (and editors/publishers) as possibilities, but I kept returning to one: Marie Brown. She just seemed like a good choice for me. Marie was the first African-American woman agent in New York City and her goal in her long career in all areas of publishing has been to foster books about and/or by writers of color. She accepts queries and proposals by snail mail, only switching to more modern technology once she has decided to represent you.

To be honest, I was reluctant to reach out to her. Her reputation and experience somehow intimidated me. But a friend of mine at City College had an acquaintanceship with her and told me to go ahead and to include his name in the letter. (Two other of my colleagues had also recommended me to agents, but nothing much happened in those cases.) So, I sent a letter out to Marie, and a while later received a real (as opposed to an email) letter back expressing interest in seeing the entire manuscript. I was lucky, not only because Marie loved the story and felt that it should be published but also because I had only sent out less than a dozen queries before this.

Over the two years it took for Marie to “sell” the book, I had plenty of time to learn what a good agent does. She suggests ways to tweak the book. She talks about the characters and plot with a knowledge and sensitivity that helps in the editing process. She seeks out publishers and editors, and when there seems to be little interest from them, she keeps the author’s spirits up. Marie is so knowledgeable and connected to the publishing world that she also stays with her authors to guide them through publicity and marketing. I’ve had wonderful conversations with Marie ranging from punctuation to race relations in the U.S. today. I can’t say enough good things about her. . . and I haven’t.

To bring this blog post to its end, I’d like to introduce you to the last two members of the “team” who I refer to as my “education specialists.” These include geographer Patricia Caro who created the two maps which illustrate Martha’s journey.

Pat is a Professor of Geography at Nassau Community College on Long Island, New York. She created a map for my son, Miguel C. Alonso’s book, The Development of Yoruba Candomble Communities in Salvador, Bahia, 1835-1986, and I was so impressed that I asked him if he would put me in touch with her. Pat was more than willing to create maps for my own book, and to accommodate the audience, she designed them to resemble 19th century creations that would be appealing to younger readers. I’ve included one here so you can see and appreciate her style for yourself.

Courtesy of Patricia Caro

Courtesy of Catherine Franklin

The final member of my team is Catherine Franklin, a professor of Childhood Education at the City College of New York, CUNY. Catherine and I met about fifteen years ago when we team-taught a class for graduate students seeking Social Studies certification in childhood education. It was a most interesting project. We designed a course where I was to cover the history of abolitionism and also the early woman’s rights campaign in the U.S. and Catherine would introduce concepts for designing curriculum. It took no time at all for us to muddy the waters. Soon I was looking into teaching methodology and she was studying history. We have continued our working relationship and wonderful friendship over the years, and when Seven Stories gave me the green light for a curriculum guide for the book, I asked Catherine if she would like to create it. Her infectious enthusiasm has resulted in a terrific tool that you will soon be able to find on the Seven Stories website. Besides looking at the text closely, the guide offers up suggestions on how to bring the history and the meaning of the deeper issues in the book to children.

So, that’s the team:
Me + Marie + Seven Stories + an illustrator (Elizabeth Zunon) +a map maker (Patricia Caro) + an educator (Catherine Franklin).

Until next month, when we’ll continue with chapter one and talk about how an author lets go of her work.