News and Views
Signing at OLA
Are you going to the Ontario Library Association Conference at the Toronto Metro Convention Centre? If so, check out the excellent line-up of author signings, including me! You can find me there on Friday, January 26 at 1 pm to sign copies of Monster vs. Boy. Just head to the Penguin Random Canada booth. Plus, I’ll be presenting at the CANSCAIP Book Tasting event at 10:30 to 11:30 am. Hope to see you there!
Upcoming Workshop: Feeling It
I’m happy to announce my next workshop with Whale Rock Literary Workshops. I’ll be co-teaching Feeling It: Creating Emotional Depth in Your Novel with US author and poet Laura Shovan.
Feeling It: Creating Emotional Depth in Your Novel
Dates/Times: Thursday, Feb 15, 22, 29 and March 7 at 7:00 to 8:30 pm ET (four sessions)
Cost: $499 US
Delivery: Online with sessions recorded for later viewing“I just didn’t connect with the character.” “The character didn’t resonate with me.”
How many times do writers hear these phrases when submitting to editors and agents? These dreaded, vague responses can often leave writers scratching their heads. Was it the writing? The plotting? How can they write stories that readers can’t resist?
Emotionally deep stories grab readers’ attention and encourage them to care about the characters and their world. It’s one way to improve your writing and craft stories that readers (and agents and editors) connect to. Join Whale Rock faculty Laura Shovan and Karen Krossing for a deep-dive into getting your characters’ emotions on the page.
Participants are expected to bring a chapter from a novel at any stage of development. Each session will tackle different ways to achieve emotional depth, whether you are connecting emotionally to your writer self, your characters, or your story ideas. Sessions will include exercises and side-writing assignments and will explore drafting and revising to achieve emotional depth. Participants will have homework to complete between sessions.
Each participant will walk away with a chapter of greater emotional depth as well as the tools needed to tackle all their manuscripts. Participants will submit ten, double-spaced pages and receive feedback from one of the instructors.
This Workshop Is For You If
- You are writing a middle grade or young adult novel.
- You love plot and/or dialogue, but struggle with getting to your character’s heart.
- You’ve received the dreaded “I just didn’t connect…” feedback on your manuscript.
- You would like to explore new ways of emotional connection in your writing practice.
- You are gearing up for submission and want to be sure your book hits the emotional highs and lows.
- You are a novelist looking to enhance your skills.
To register, go to the Whale Rock website. While you’re there, please also check out their many wonderful offerings for new, emerging, and established writers for children and youth. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Whale Rock newsletter!
Monster vs. Boy on CTV
Once a month, children’s author Vikki VanSickle goes on CTV’s Your Morning to recommend Canadian kids’ books. Recently, Vikki was on the show to talk about Halloween-themed titles for all ages, and included Monster vs. Boy. My book was in great company!
Plus, this book has received wonderful reviews over the last few weeks:
“While some readers may pick up Monster vs. Boy because of the promise of a horror story, Karen Krossing’s latest middle-grade novel is more a reflection of what we see and fear in others before we know them….Karen Krossing also reminds us of the magic of books and reading.”
CanLit for Little Canadians
“Monster vs. Boy is a heartfelt and charming story about family, community support, and the power of acceptance of yourself and others.”
The Miramichi Reader
“Rich with fantasy, the novel explores the definition of family, the power of friendship, and the healing that comes from confronting the trauma we may have locked behind closed doors.”
Canadian Children’s Book News
I hope you’ll pick up a copy and check it out!
It’s Official!
Guess what arrived? In June, illustrator Dawn Lo and I were honoured to win the 2023 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award in Canada for One Tiny Bubble, and I just received this lovely recognition of it!
I have so much gratitude to Owlkids Books for taking on this project. Karen Li first championed the project, Stacey Roderick was such a thorough and vigorous editor that she was a dream to work with, Dawn Lo brought one tiny bubble to life with the magic of her brush, Alisa Baldwin designed it so well that the book won second place in the Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design (Children’s Category), and the marketing and publicity team at Owlkids have been on point and supportive at all times.
This book began during my MFA at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and I want to acknowledge the wisdom of faculty advisor William Alexander and workshop leader Cynthia Leitich Smith, who enthusiastically welcomed my fledgling manuscript, as well as the support of my writing partners who read many early drafts of this manuscript.
Thanks also to Dr. William F. Martin, author of many scientific articles on life’s early evolution and professor at the Institute of Molecular Evolution in Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. Dr. Martin enthusiastically reviewed the text and illustrations, and I greatly value his expertise.
And of course, I must recognize the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and its members. This award is implemented by the SCBWI and peer-selected by its members. I’m grateful for their support.
If you’d like to learn more about One Tiny Bubble, please check out these resources:
Join Me at the CNE!
On August 28 at 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm, you can find me at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto! I’ll be in Kids World at the Storybook Nook, reading from my picture books Sour Cakes (illustrated by Anna Kwan) and One Tiny Bubble (illustrated by Dawn Lo). I’ll have a few books for sale too. I hope to see you there!
Recommended Books about Monsters
Hey monster-loving readers, you can now check out my list of great middle-grade books about monsters and facing our fears on Shepherd.com.
Monster vs. Boy Giveaway!
Enter to win one of two signed copies of my latest middle-grade novel Monster vs. Boy published by Charlesbridge Publishing. Here’s what Kirkus Reviews had to say about it: “In this thoughtful story that deals with serious topics but is lightened by humor, Krossing expertly navigates what it’s like to be young and unsure of yourself…. A moving tale of learning to accept yourself, flaws and all.”
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Monster vs. Boy
by Karen Krossing
Giveaway ends September 15, 2023.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
No one in the ramshackle house knew that a monster—who was smaller than a bear cub—lived in Dawz’s bedroom closet. She called herself Mim.
Dawz wants to practice Recipes of Extreme Greatness for the Bakers’ Brawl competition and forget about his mom, who left him and his sister, Jayla, years ago. He does not want to see a monster that no one else can see.
Mim wants to explore her closet’s nooks and crannies, and listen to stories through the door. She does not want to share her space with the horrible boy outside the closet.
When Mim leaves Dawz’s closet for the first time, the two learn they’re connected in ways neither can explain. While Mim searches the wide world for a friend, Dawz searches for a way to get rid of her so that he can be normal. Can the two find a way to break their connection without losing who they are?
This moving middle-grade novel is about found family, facing our fears, and mental health. It asks the question: What if the monsters that haunt us aren’t monsters at all?
Guest Post: Addressing the Monster in the Closet
Recently on L.E. Carmichael‘s Cantastic Authorpalooza blog, I talked about my inspiration for writing Monster vs. Boy. To check it out, go to “Karen Krossing: Addressing the Monster in the Closet.” Also, please check out L.E. Carmichael’s fantastic books!
To hear me reading from Monster vs. Boy, please check out this video.
For ideas about how to share Monster vs. Boy with young readers, please see this Discussion Guide.
Chat with Crystal Kite Award Winners
I participated in a picture-book chat with illustrator Dawn Lo about One Tiny Bubble, which won the 2023 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Canada. NYC indie bookstore Books of Wonder hosted us along with other talented picture-book creators who had won the Crystal Kite Award in their regions. This award is peer-selected, voted on by members of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, so it feels like a special honour.
You can watch our Chat with Crystal Kite Award Winners. Plus, there’s a link to buy signed copies of the books!
New Review of Monster vs. Boy
Sometimes, you receive a book review that gets what you were trying to achieve.
“A book whose story of a boy hunting a monster is really about mental health and learning to accept the darkest parts of oneself…. Stated differences in racial and sexual identities also feed into themes of acceptance and support the idea that Dawz must appreciate everything about himself, just as those around him accept and appreciate each other. Monster vs. Boy is a supportive novel in which a boy learns to address his trauma—with his community’s support.“
Foreword Reviews
Six more sleeps until this book launches into the world with a gorgeous cover by Markia Jenai!
