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Please welcome Shana Burg, author of A Thousand Never Evers to the Maw Books Blog for a wonderful interview!  If you haven’t read A Thousand Never Evers, what are you waiting for?  You won’t regret the time that you spend with Addie Ann and her family down in Kuckachoo Mississippi (read my book review).  Shana Burg is an author to watch for, let me tell you, she’s going places, and you’ll want to be along for the ride!

Maw Books:  Welcome Shana!  It’s a pleasure to have you today.  Let’s start off short and simple.  Why this story?

Shana Burg: This story was brewing inside me all my life. I remember being about fourteen years old and there was only one African American student in my social studies class. I remember looking at her and wondering what it would be like to be her. How would I feel?

I was born in Birmingham, Alabama, where my dad was a lawyer fighting for civil rights. It wasn’t until I was a tween living in the Boston area, though, that I began to ask all kinds of questions about this time in my family’s history and our nation’s history.

I was fascinated to hear about the critical role young people played during the movement, how they helped to change the future of our country. As I got older, I wanted to learn more about the civil rights movement.

Maw Books:  How did Addie Ann come to life for you?

Shana Burg: My protagonist, Addie Ann, came to life for me when I completed some great writing exercises that I’d recommend for all fiction writers. I filled out extensive character questionnaires and I did a lot of free writing. And since A Thousand Never Evers is set in the Mississippi Delta in 1963, I also spent a lot of time interviewing people who were young in that time and place.

Maw Books:  How have these characters changed your life?

Shana Burg: They are as real to me as any “real” person. I think about them, I worry about them, I wonder what they might do in a particular situation. They really have become part of my family, because even my son who is four years old talks about his sister Addie Ann.

Maw Books:  That’s cute.  She must be the topic of conversation over dinner frequently.  On your website, you say, “I found an agent, sold A Thousand Never Evers.”  It couldn’t have been that easy.  What was the process like for you from the time of conception to publication?

Shana Burg: Well, about four years into writing my book, I got my agent, Andrea Cascardi. Andrea is a former editor. I’m so lucky I found her. She really helped me revise and polish. She sent the book out a few times, and it came back with long letters from devoted editors cheering me on with lengthy, detailed suggestions for revision. When that happened, I knew I was getting very close.

I kept revising, and then finally, finally, it seemed I got it right, because several editors were interested in buying it. I went with Michelle Poploff from Delacorte Press. Not only had I heard that Michelle’s an excellent editor, but also I had insider information that she’s a gem of a human being. This turned out to be completely true on both counts.

Maw Books:  Did you ever think that you would not only be a writer but also a published author?  Or did it sneak up on you?

Shana Burg: I’ve been writing all my life. When I was fourteen years old, I was lucky enough to join an organization called Children’s Express that trains young people to report and write the news. My articles were published in newspapers nationwide. I also edited my high school newspaper and wrote for my college newspaper. As an adult, I wrote op-ed pieces and feature articles.

But it’s the part about being a children’s author that did sneak up on me. I was teaching sixth grade. I took my class to hear David Almond speak. He completely inspired me. I thought, “ I’m going to try writing a book for young readers. I’m going to do this.” I had never tried writing children’s fiction before. But that afternoon, as soon as I got home from school, I started writing A Thousand Never Evers. It took me eight years to finish!

Maw Books:  Eight years.  I guess that means I shouldn’t give up on my husband who’s been outlining his book for two years.  What was it like when you first saw A Thousand Never Evers in a bookstore?

Shana Burg: Totally amazing! Someone told me it would be an anticlimactic event, but it wasn’t. I just felt so proud that I had persevered through eight years to get this story on the shelf. Of course, I couldn’t have done it without the help of my fantastic agent and editor.

Maw Books:  I love to ask authors to share a favorite recipe with us.  Butter bean cookies?  Seriously?  Are butter beans a Southern thing (I don’t think I’ve seen them here in Utah)?  Would you care to share the recipe?

Shana Burg: If you’re lucky enough to live in a part of the country where your supermarket actually has canned butter beans then thank your lucky stars!  If not, you can always order butter beans online and soak them.

You basically make your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, but substitute half the butter with butter beans. One cup of butter equals one cup of butter beans. But be sure to rinse the canned beans well before you start, or else…!

Then, if you’re a chocolate freak, throw in ½ cup of dark chocolate cocoa powder, so you have a dark brown batter. (This serves as the perfect background color against which to highlight a bright white butter bean.)

Five minutes before the cookies are done, pull the cookie sheet out of the oven and press one butter bean onto the top of each cookie. (Don’t just place the butter bean on top, but slightly insert it so it will stay lodged in that cookie.) Return to oven for five minutes.

Mmmm! Just thinking about them makes my mouth water!

And please note: After a couple days the butter beans on top get hard and crunchy. But fear not, the cookies are extra scrumptious this way.

Maw Books:  I’m seriously thinking that I need to track down some butter beans.  The cookies sound so . . . well, buttery.  Yum!  As a writer and a grade school teacher what are some of your favorite book recommendations?

Shana Burg: My favorite childhood author was Judy Blume. It’s a complete thrill to share a publisher with her now. But most of the books I fall in love with teach me something about other cultures and time periods. One of my all-time favorites is The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. It’s epic, the characters are so powerfully drawn, and you get to learn about China. I also love Alexandra Fuller’s book Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.

Maw Books:  I loved The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and told my husband he is taking me out to the movies when it’s released here.  What are you reading right now?

Shana Burg: Right now I’m reading Taking Away the Distance, a memoir by Miles Roston. The author describes his journey to help a 14-year-old orphan named Kevin learn how to avoid HIV/AIDS while the disease rages all around him in Kenya.

Maw Books:  You have done a lot of service work.  Has publishing a book influenced your ability to serve others, particularly children?

Shana Burg: I hope I’m serving children by going into classrooms and encouraging them to be active citizens, as well as readers and writers.

Maw Books:  Can you tell us a bit about what you are currently working on and what we can expect from you in the future?

Shana Burg: I’m working on a contemporary novel for middle grade students. Beyond that, I’m going to keep it under wraps.

Maw Books:  You are such a tease Shana!  Thanks for joining us today and wish you much deserved success in the future!

Shana’s website and blog is excellent and also provides a lot of resources about the civil rights movement during the ’60’s and discusses how much of America’s schools are still segregated.  For more Q & A visit her website and Cynthia Leitich Smith presents a great interview at Cynsations.

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