Interview with YA author, Jenny B. Jones

by Maddee Schrader, RT Staff Writer

Maddee: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

Jenny: I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I used to write plays in elementary school and force my classmates to watch my one woman show. (Reasons not to go to the reunion…) The stuff I wrote in school was REALLY bad though, so take heart if you’re age 5-18, and you haven’t cranked out anything fabulous yet.

Maddee: That’s definitely encouraging – I know a lot of writers that age, including myself. I know you’re a teacher – how did this play into the Katie Parker books?

Jenny: I was blessed with the opportunity to start a drama program at a small school some time ago. We saw kids coming into their own, using talents they didn’t know they had and just many a-ha! moments. I had a student who found her place through drama—something she discovered she totally rocked at. But then I also had a student, “Maggie,” who came from a horrible home life and got “stuck” in the class. Though she did her best, it wasn’t her cup of tea. I will never forget the night of the play for the community. The kids got a standing ovation, but “Maggie’s” family didn’t show. (more…)

Do Hard Things?

by Maddee Schrader, RTF Staff Writer

She fidgeted, twitching a French fry between her fingers. Juan and Kara were seated behind her. Most people would not hear their conversation, or care. But she inherited good hearing from her mother. It was genetic, so how was the guilt she felt her fault?

Kara sighed, the sound fighting for rights in the chatter of the cafeteria. “I don’t know anymore. Why shouldn’t I?”

Juan took a moment to answer. “You still have your mom.”

Kara snorted. “Yeah, in all her Walgreens-employee glory.”

“She’s still someone.”

“Yeah? Barely.” (more…)

The Break

by Maddee Schrader, RTF Staff Writer

The silence hangs so heavy, dense
A thick, dark sheet of fog between us two.
A deep part of my soul cries ‘Speak’;
But then my stubborn lips seal as adhered.
I lodge hard in the couch, stare at the rug.
I try to keep my gaze from him, avert my eyes
When the thought comes bright and new.
In old days, when King Herod, Caesar
Lived in palaces of marble, mansions on high cliffs
Stone was separated from its mother lode
By placing lengths of wood in cracks already formed.
Then they would wet the wood; it then expands
To force the stone apart; to separate forever.
In such discomforting quiet, I come to realize
The silence, disagreement is our wood
And we ourselves the cracking stone.
I can not break away; I will not split apart
I will dry up the wood, and try to mend the break.
I reach across the table; I dare outstretch my hand.
I am so wrong, forgive me. I never want to harm.
I never want to shatter, break the love I’ve found in you.

Summer Haze

by Maddee Schrader, RTF Staff Writer

Seniors: pay attention. Most of you have a month until that glorious day when you’ll fling off graduation caps. By now you’ve probably made plans about college. As summer sets in, invading your mind with thoughts of sand and sun, it tends to overwhelm those university-related musings. After all, it’s the last summer. Next year you’ll be worrying about dorm rooms and fall schedules.

That’s okay – enjoy summer. Take a trip with your family. Relax. Remember to slather on that 30+ SPF sunscreen. But don’t forget that your life is changing in a few months. You might consider setting aside a day each month to check on college-related stuff. There are a few issues you should check on. (more…)

Shallow Pots
by Maddee Schrader, RTF Staff Writer, 16

So bloom! She said, Where you are planted for
If not you’ll wither quick. The novelty
Of being new will only shade you for
So long from sun of loneliness and sighs.

The soil is too hard, I whined, the ground
Unyielding still. The people do not see
Me; I am like a potted tree that is
Not flow’ring bright for bees to see and come.
I’ve been here for a year and yet I do
Not belong still. This place is not for me.

She looked askance at me, her shaking head
To tell me how she disapproved of that.
You answered it yourself, my dear, when said
That you’re a potted plant. Those trees, you see,
Have roots that do not grow. To be in life
And live and love and laugh, you must break out
Of shallow pots, and struggle through the rough
And rocky soil ‘til you find the soft
And tender ground that’s somewhere underneath.

Maddee Schrader, 16, RTF Staff writer and Suzie interview author Erynn Mangum, author of Miss Match!

Maddee: Congrats on your recent wedding! After writing so much about a single girl and her dating relationships, what is it like to be married?

Erynn: It is awesome! My husband, Jon, is my best friend – we have so much fun together. Thanks for the congrats!

Maddee: Are any of the characters in your books based on real people?

Erynn: A couple of characters are based on composites of different people I know – but there isn’t one that’s just based on one specific person.

Maddee: You say you love coffee, so what are your favorite three drinks at Starbucks?

Erynn: Oh gosh…Mocha, Caramel Frappuccino and um… oh! The Cinnamon Dolce Latte. That one is yummy. (more…)

(Idea) Spark

by Maddee Schrader

Just like a spark it comes and fires in my mind,
A single flame that falls from space and rests upon
My thoughts. It touches down and lights a flame, does start
A little burn. I stop right there and listen as
The flame begins to speak. Sometimes it talks of lands
That do not yet exist. And some days it will tell
Me of new people, kings and beggars, girls and boys,
Computer geeks and cops. Sometimes I sit and hear
This, fanning flames into a blaze, but oft I know
I do not have the time. So on those days I let
Real life extinguish the idea. But now and then
It speaks insistently; I hear and smile, and write it down.

Maddee Schrader is a 16-year old author who plans to major in Writing and Spanish, beginning this. She loves talking with her sister and running, and is currently working on her second novel. You can connect with Maddee at her blog.

From Suzie: Maddee is an amazing writer! We hope to hear more from her in the future. If you want to share your poetry, lyrics, testimony, devo, or review on RTF, e-mail me. We are currently looking for eight full-time staff writers to write once a month!