From: Carmela Martino <carmelamartino>
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2005 14:54:35 -0500

I am happy to say that Brenda is not the only author to find a mainstream U.S. publisher willing to publish YA literature that deals with religion. This fall, Candlewick is publishing my middle grade novel, ROSA, SOLA. The novel was my creative thesis for my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Like Brenda, I wrote a story that grew out of my own childhood struggles to understand God's role in my life. As Norma Jean said, such novels aren't written quickly. I probably never would have attempted it at all if not challenged to do so in the MFA program. And when I began submitting the manuscript, I wondered if editors would hesitate to publish a novel for kids that openly dealt with religion. Given my experience, it seems that what matters more to editors is that the story is well-written and feels authentic, and not so much that it deals with religion. I found this VERY encouraging!

Carmela Martino www.carmelamartino.com ROSA, SOLA (Candlewick Press, Sept. 2005)


From: "Brenda A. Ferber"

with a God for who
Received on Thu 30 Jun 2005 02:54:35 PM CDT