On No News is Good News

June 27, 2009 by maureen.ulrich.

Is it really?!

It’s been nearly three months since I handed Coteau Books my manuscript for Power Plays’ sequel — unofficially titled Face Off.

And – nothing yet.

But you can be sure I’ll keep you posted on the outcome of Coteau’s deliberations.

In the meantime, I have been working on bits and pieces of a YA fantasy called Stranger at the Gate. One of the issues I am having with this manuscript is the lack of humour. At this point the characters are all taking themselves far too seriously  – something I will have to remedy very soon. So far vengeance is a strong theme, and there’s nothing funny about that.

I have spent some of my time reading the other books nominated for the Willow. So far I’ve read, The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman, Dear Jo by Christina Kilbourne, Alexandria of Africa by Eric Walters, and The Broken Thread by Linda Smith. My favourite so far is Dear Jo. It is very poignant, powerful, and disturbing – a must-read for parents who are concerned about their children taking risks on the internet. Kilbourne has stepped convincingly into the psyche of a tween-aged girl, and I was totally engaged while reading her novel.

After twenty-five and a half years, I have handed in my resignation to the SE Cornerstone School Division so that I can devote myself to writing and doing presentations. I will continue to work for Randy, but now that we have someone else helping out in the office, I am able to step away for a few days at a time.

I recently presented to Grades 6 – 8 at Lester B. Pearson School in Saskatoon. It was a real treat!

I am planning some visits for the fall.  Although we have not yet decided on dates, I will be presenting in these communities sometime in 2009-2010: Alameda, Prince Albert, Loreburn, and Saskatoon.

Power Plays was recently nominated for the Stellar Award – BC’s version of the Willow. Eighteen other books have been nominated, so I’ve got lots of reading to do!

Sorry about the long hiatus. Hopefully I will be back again soon with “good news” instead of “no news.”

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