Interview with Catherine Murdock, on her new release: Heaven is Paved with Oreos

Thanks for being on the blog today, Catherine. I'm excited to showcase your newest title, Heaven is Paved with Oreos (releasing today!)

Here's the book blurb:
 Fourteen-year-old Sarah Zorn intends to spend the Wisconsin summer with her “boyfriend” Curtis, waiting for a dead calf named Boris to decompose in time for the science fair. Her plans upend, however, when her fake-boyfriend strategy goes seriously awry just as her hippie Grandma Z invites her on a last-minute Roman holiday. As Sarah explores Italy’s ancient wonders, she can’t stop “boy-liking” Curtis . . . or puzzling over her grandmother’s odd behavior. Written as Sarah’s journal, this satisfying middle grade novel navigates the murky waters of first love, friendship, and family with heart and good humor.

RH: I love your title. How did you come up with it?
CM: thank you. And I didn't come up with it -- I saw it posted on a fortune-cookie fortune taped to a wall, just as it's described in the book. This must have been, oh, 20+ years ago, but the phrase always stuck with me. And now I get to use it in a book!

RH: You are a master of voice. Football playing DJ is one of my all-time favorite voices and I'm thrilled she's plays a roll in Heaven is Paved with Oreos. I'm excited to get to read the younger voice of fourteen year-old Sara. How do you find the right voice for your MC's? Was it harder to write a younger voice?

CM: Again: thank you! Voice is something I take very seriously, so I'm thrilled you noticed. I'm always a bit flummoxed when asked how I "master" a voice . . . It makes me feel like I should be reviewing Italian (ha) or practicing my figure skating (ha ha ha ha). Voice, to me, is something that you *say* -- the character is in your head and you need (recognize that I'm figuring this out as I type) to move your lips to let the character out -- not simply come up with the right words but develop the right tone, because the tone makes the words . . . I suspect that this sounds ridiculously flaky and also useless: "aspiring writers should simply speak with their characters' voices," but, yeah, that's what I'm saying. Equally important: if you can't speak with your character's voice, don't. Use another voice (omniscient narrator is always good) to tell the story. Otherwise it's a terrible distraction . . . at least it is for me.

RH: Have you had a Roman holiday like Sara (or are you planning one)? I know you've been learning Italian this summer.
CM: Yes, I've been learning Italian -- or more properly I *was* learning Italian, because I've forgotten it all already. Languages are so difficult! A trip I took to Rome years ago with my sister planted the seed for Heaven is Paved with Oreos, then I returned in late 2011 to research the book, and last fall to fact-check it . . . Obviously I love the city! The hardest part was trying to look at Italy from the POV of a fourteen-year-old girl who isn't terribly worldly. I had to keep remembering my own first travel experiences, when the tiniest things (trash cans, for example, or dogs) left huge impressions.

RH: I know your inspiration for Dairy Queen came from from a dream. Is that how you typically find inspiration for your stories?

CM: I wish! No, recently I've had to come up with books the hard way, by actually creating them. Much more challenging.

RH: Can you tell us what you're working on now?

CM: I feel like I'm not done with Rome quite yet. What comes out of this feeling . . . Everyone will have to wait and see. Including me, I'm afraid. Sigh.

RH: Since writing DJ's story you've been involved with sporty girls. Can you tell us about some of those interactions?

CM: I've had the great joy of emailing and meeting girls who played boys' football -- girls who sometimes played because of Dairy Queen! That's huge. I'm awed.

RH: Thank you for your support of sporty girls and for writing the types of characters we crave to hang out with.

To find Catherine's favorite sporty read check out this previous post. 

A Title IX Anniversary Celebration!

Title IX!!

What is Title IX and why are we celebrating it today?

Title IX is a section of the Education Amendments of 1972 that states: 

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance...

Title IX is a legal act that has helped girls and women fight gender discrimination. Sinces its passing 41 years ago today, girls participation in sports has risen by 90%! 37 words that changed opportunities for thousands of women and girls.

How are we celebrating?

We have been celebrating all month with interviews of the authors of Sporty Girl Books. At midnight tonight we will be picking one lucky follower. That follower will win a copy of Karen Day's No Cream Puffs, a copy of a signed copy of Maria Padian's Jersey Tomatoes Are the Best, the choice of one of Catherine Murdock's books (any of her Dairy Queen books or her newest book, Heaven is Paved with Oreos which will be delivered on its release day, 9-3-13), and a copy of Liz Fichera's Hooked (interview coming next week). We are also adding to that a $25 gift card to Modells Sporting Goods. 

How can you win?

All you have to do to win is to let people know about this blog. Sign in to the rafflecopter giveaway on the sidebar and it will tell you all the ways you can add entries. We've given you so many options, it's definitely not to late to start now. 

How else can you take part in celebrating Title IX?

We would love to hear your experience as a girl in sports, as a sports fan, as a sporty book reader, or as a guy who supports girls in sports. Tell us your story by posting a comment on our Your Stories page. Our hope is that through your stories and comments, this blog becomes a community of people who care about girls in sports and the books written about them. We hope to hear from you soon. Watch this YouTube Video from Title IX's 40th to hear more about Title IX. Also make sure to check out our featured video that has the voices of women in sports.

Happy Anniversary Pictures

Catherine Murdock's Favorite Sporty Read

(Robin here.) Laughing, dancing, and flailing, that's what I'm doing right now because I'm staring at an email from Catherine Murdock sitting all pretty in my email box.

And she was so sweet. She's offered to come on the blog later this year when Heaven is Paved with Oreos releases, so look for that in September! DJ, the main character from Dairy Queen, plays a major role in this companion book.

Are you ready for Catherine Murdock's favorite sporty read?
Here it is in all its glory:

My favorite sporty girl read as a kid was Fox Running, about a native American girl who wants to break the 4-minute mile. I still get goosebumps thinking about it! 

About the author: RR Knudson:
In an era when women's sports were virtually nonexistent, Rozanne Knudson blazed new trails by participating in male- dominated sports like football and basketball. She turned her then-considered roguish interests into many young adult books about strong female athletes. The classic novels Zanballer and Zanbanger feature a semi-autobiographical character with the author's own nickname, Zan. Knudson has done extensive research in many sports that has helped her write authoritatively on these subjects. In addition to her novels, Knudson has written biographies on Martina Navratilova and marathoner Julie Brown and has published two books of sports poems.

If RR Knudson were still living, I would have loved to have her on the blog. I'm excited to start reading her work and researching her life.

Thank you, Catherine Murdock, for sharing your favorite Sporty Read. We'll see you in September.

Catherine Murdock and the Dairy Queen Series

Robin here with my favorite sporty girl read for launch month. I have many favorite sporty reads, but the one that rose to the top, like the cream in those cows she milks twice a day, is Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock.

Book Blurb:

When you don't talk, there's a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said. Harsh words indeed, from Brian Nelson of all people. But, D.J. can't help admitting, maybe he's right. When you don't talk, there's a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said. Stuff like why her best friend, Amber, isn't so friendly anymore. Or why her little brother, Curtis, never opens his mouth. Why her mom has two jobs and a big secret. Why her college-football-star brothers won't even call home. Why her dad would go ballistic if she tried out for the high school football team herself. And why Brian is so, so out of her league. When you don't talk, there's a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said. Welcome to the summer that fifteen-year-old D.J. Schwenk of Red Bend, Wisconsin, learns to talk, and ends up having an awful lot of stuff to say.

Although the author, Catherine Murdock, doesn't play football-or any sports involving balls, for that matter, she is an athlete in her own right racing in triathlons like Sporty Girl Books own Anna Boll. We weren't able to interview her personally, but below are a few exerpts from her interview coutesy of Houghton Mifflin

How did you come up with the idea for this book?
It always sounds goofy, but I really did have a dream about a girl playing college football against a boy she loves passionately. When I woke up, my first thought was "What an amazing premise for a story!" Followed by "Babe, you don't know one thing about football." But that kernel stayed with me, just kept growing in me for days, as I thought about it and worked it – dream or no, the story idea was just a lump, and I had to do a lot of shaping. I immediately tossed the college notion – that was ridiculous – and I spent hours trying to figure out where to place the story... finally came up with Wisconsin. ... Then of course I had to develop the characters . . . The heart of the story, its essential climax, if you will, remains this dream-moment, when D.J. looks across the football scrimmage at Brian. All my work went into building up to that eye contact, which ultimately was only a couple of sentences, but I had to make it as real, as full of emotion, as I could. Hence the first twenty-eight chapters.

You don't skirt around the complicated relationship D.J. has with Amber.No, although it's not like I'm breaking new ground. I knew from the beginning that I'd have to address homosexuality at some point. Writing a story about a large, strong, assertive girl playing the hyper-masculine sport of football really brings that issue to the fore. But – given the inspirational dream I'd had – I very much wanted D.J. to be straight, and I loved the contrast between the "butch jock" stereotype being forced on her and her own passionate feelings for Brian. In a way, she's forced to break just as many boundaries in her yearnings for a handsome, popular boy as Amber is in her yearnings for D.J. That said, I didn't originally intend for Amber to be gay. But, again, I really felt D.J. needed to become increasingly isolated over the course of the summer, even from her best friend, and this seemed like an good way to develop her estrangement.

My Take:
From its opening line, DJ's voice pulled me in.

"This whole enormous deal wouldn’t have happened, none of it, if Dad hadn’t messed up his hip moving the manure spreader."

Catherine Murdock not only nailed this voice, but she also created a character I believed in, and more than that, one I ached for. Life and farming and Brian and being the only daughter didn't make life easy for DJ. I still can't believe the author never played football or worked on a dairy farm. She knows how to do her research, but then she does have a PhD.

One of my favorite movies growing up was Quarterback Princess. I'd never heard of a girl playing football in high school. I wanted to play football so bad after that (my parents squashed that one though). Reading Dairy Queen brought back so many of the same emotions of girls being girls, but being tough, able to do hard things, and keep up with the boys. I hope you'll give DQ a try.

For our mega launch giveaway (see the sidebar) I'm allowing my winner to choose either one of Catherine Murdock's DQ books or her newest book Heaven Is Paved with Oreos (delivered on its release day: 9-3-13). While not technically a DQ book, it is a companion novel.

Thanks for stopping by Sporty Girl Books. Have you read Catherine Murdock? Do you enjoy DJ's voice as much as I do? What's your favorite sporty read?