Hi, everyone,

Welcome to Issue #2 of the Barker Street Irregular.

April and May have been, to steal from Charles Dickens, both the best and the worst of times. On the good side, I've been keeping pretty busy, with ten events so far since the book came out. The best part has been the opportunity to hob-nob with lots of terrific authors, share stories and advice, and discover some great new books. I had the absolute best birthday party ever, with a Big Book 'n' Birthday Bash at the Blake Courtyard of the Museum of Fine Arts in Springfield (see the web site at http://tinyurl.com/3z62zl). I couldn't think of a better place to give Ethan and Daniel a grand send-off than in a gallery surrounded by gorgeous 19th-century American paintings. A HUGE thank-you to Springfield Museums Association President Joe Carvalho for providing the space, to Robert Goff and Emily DelPadre, who sponsored the party, to Mary Morisi, the museum's events programmer, who made sure every detail was perfect, and to Maggie Humberston, my boss, who dropped plenty of hints to make sure there was ample chocolate and the right kind of wine. Friends and family were there in abundance, as was chocolate cake and asti spumante. Life doesn't get any better than that!

Little did I know that pretty soon life was going to get really, really bad. After many trips back and forth to Tufts Veterinary Hospital, our beautiful Golden Retriever, Spruce, died of cancer this Memorial Day weekend. She was a retired breeding dog (read - puppy factory) when we got her three years ago and had pretty much lived her first five years of life in a box--a very nice box, but a box nonetheless. She was a wild child at first--mostly because she was bursting with love and didn't know how to contain it. I fell in love with her at first sight, and it was definitely worth the challenge of teaching her house manners, taking her to remedial puppy school, and getting her calmed down. Of course, everyone thinks their own dog is the best--but she really was the sweetest girl, even converting some confirmed dog-haters. Losing her is like having a huge chunk of my heart ripped away. All I can do is keep busy so I don't have to think about how much I miss her.

April and May drawing winners
On May 1 and June 1 I drew names from the past month's new newsletter subscribers and readers who'd made comments or emailed me about the web page.

April winners:
Drawing #1 - Webpage feedback - Reader Rabbit!
Drawing #2 - Newsletter subscribers - "waitingformyedward"

May winners:
Drawing #1 - Webpage feedback - Michael Teal
Drawing #2 - Newsletter subscribers - "jastarzyk"

I'll be contacting the winners to send you an autographed copy of A Difficult Boy

Upcoming Events
June looks as though it'll be nearly as busy as April and May, with at least one event a week. I hope you can join me! I'm especially looking forward to returning to my old stomping grounds at Old Sturbridge Village on June 28.

6 Jun 2008, 9:30 a.m.: Presentation for Worcester students (open to general public as well)
Worcester Public Library
3 Salem Street
Worcester, MA 01608
508-799-1655

6 Jun 2008, 7:00 p.m.: Book signing
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
541 D Lincoln Street
Worcester, MA 01605
tel: (508) 853-2236
fax: (508) 853-9527
crm2172@bn.com

14 Jun 2008, noon-1:30 p.m.: Panel discussion on writing with Class of 2k8 writer Marissa Doyle (author of Bewitching Season), short-story writer and teacher Nancy Gardner, poet Teresa Cader, children's writer Mitali Perkins (First Daughter and Rickshaw Girl), mystery writers Catherine Cairns and Leslie Wheeler (author of Murder at Plimoth Plantation and Murder at Gettysburg), and me
Cary Memorial Library
1874 Massachusetts Avenue
Lexington, MA 02420
For more information, contact Catherine Sibert
Or call the library at 781-862-6288

21 Jun 2008, noon-3 p.m.: Book sales and signing
June Strawberry Social
Ramapogue Historical Society
West Springfield, MA

28 Jun 2008, 3:00 p.m.: Book signing and discussion
Old Sturbridge Village
Old Sturbridge Village Road (off Route 20)
Sturbridge, MA

Want to set up a signing or other event? You can contact my publisher at kmorandini@holidayhouse.com or you can get in touch with me directly through the email link on my webpage. Whether it's a book discussion group of six readers or an auditorium full, I'm happy to meet with groups of any kind.

(If you would like an autographed copy and can't make it to any of these events, you can order a copy from Chandler & Reed Books of Sunderland, MA (http://www.abebooks.com/home/CHNDLRBK/), Broadside Bookshop of Northampton, MA (www.broadsidebooks.com), or Pam's Paperbacks of Wilbraham, MA (413-596-3612). Or you can contact me directly using the email link on my webpage. If you're a brand new newsletter subscriber this June, you'll be entered in a drawing to win a copy; the winner's name will be drawn July 1.)

Recent Events

I think one of the coolest events of the past two months (besides the Big Book 'n' Birthday Bash, that is) was getting my very own book trailer, created by Madison Meyer of M2 Productions and Joe Barker, and set to the music of Irish musician Sharon Hussey. I absolutely love it! It almost feels as though my book really will be made into a movie. You can see it on my home page or on TeacherTube - http://tinyurl.com/4vuwjg Feel free to pass it along!

As I said earlier, April and May seemed just about jam-packed with activity, with readings and book-signings in East Longmeadow, Concord, Worcester, North Easton, Barre, Amherst, Northampton, and Springfield. A HUGE thank-you to the host libraries, bookstores, and clubs and to friends and family who came out to support me!
Authors who joined me were:

Historian Rusty Clark, author of the Stories Carved in Stone book series about gravestone carvers in Massachusetts and Connecticut

Teen author Amanda Butcher, author of the fantasy novel Lark and the Magic Pencil (this high-school freshman girl totally blew me away with her poise, self-confidence, and articulate presentation!)

Fellow Class of 2k8 author Marissa Doyle, whose Bewitching Season combines historical fiction, romance, and magic and is just a total delight

Contemporary author Judith Jaeger, whose The Secret Thief was a favorite of my monthly book group

YA/middle-grade author Michelle D. Kwasney, whose books Itch and Baby Blue follow two girls through difficult situations

YA/middle-grade author D. Dina Friedman, whose book Escaping into the Night explores a facet of World War II history that was previously unknown to me, and whose book Playing Dad's Song shows how a boy copes with his father's death.

Great company, indeed! If you haven't read their books, I recommend them!

I also met with my first young readers, sitting down with a Mother-Son reading group in Longmeadow, MA, and with Blueberry Hill School (Longmeadow, MA) fifth-grade teacher Beth Boffoli and her colleagues and students for my first-ever school presentation. It was amazing and gratifying to talk to so many readers and find out what they thought of the story. These kids had great insights and terrific questions! I think the best part, though, was opening the card they had all signed and reading that my book rocks! Is that cool or what?

Online action was pretty steady, too, with interviews or guest blogs nearly every week. You can find them archived at the websites listed below:

1 Jun 2008: Online interview with author Susan VanHecke (author of the forthcoming books Flak Jacket Rock (HarperCollins, 2009) and An Apple Pie For Dinner (Cavendish, 2009))
http://www.authorlink.com/articles/item/603
Authorlink.com

20 May 2008: Online interview
http://laurabowers.livejournal.com/120257.html#cutid1
Shop Talk with Laura Bowers

3 May 2008: Online interview
http://trainspottingreads.blogspot.com/2008/05/10-questions-with-mp-barker.html
Trainspotting Reads Teen Book Reviews

25 Apr 2008: Online interview
http://jessicaburkhart.blogspot.com/2008/04/author-visit-mp-barker-giveaway.html
Author Jessica Burkhart's Blog

23 Apr 2008: Guest blog on writing and horses
http://thepageflipper.blogspot.com/2008/04/thanks-chelsea-for-giving-me-chance-to.html The Page Flipper

22 Apr 2008: Guest blog on indentured servitude in the 19th century
http://nineteenteen.blogspot.com/2008/04/guest-blogger-mp-barker-on-rules.html
Nineteenteens

18 Apr 2008: Online interview
http://nineteenteen.blogspot.com/2008/04/welcome-mp-barker.html
Nineteenteens

14-19 Apr 2008: Virtual book launch party for A Difficult Boy at the Class of 2k8 web site
http://classof2k8.blogspot.com/2008/04/put-your-hands-together-for-mp-barker.html
Day One: About the Book

http://classof2k8.blogspot.com/2008/04/day-2-our-very-own-mp-barker.html
Day Two: About Writing

http://classof2k8.blogspot.com/2008/04/mp-barker-archivist-and-historian.html
Day Three: Character Portraits

http://classof2k8.blogspot.com/2008/04/mp-barker-and-great-agent-quest.html
Day Four: The Face that Got Me My Agent

http://classof2k8.blogspot.com/2008/04/our-last-day-with-mp-barker.html
Day Five: Adventures in Living History at Old Sturbridge Village

14 Apr 2008: Guest blog on cutting a manuscript from 700 pages to 300
http://darcypattison.com/authors/m-p-barker-class-of-2k8/
Darcy Pattison's Revision Notes

During the last week of May, I also was featured as "Rising Star" on the Red Room (http://www.redroom.com/), which is a writers' social networking site. Now I have no idea how big a deal that is, but it sure felt really cool to see my picture on the home page right under Maya Angelou or Salman Rushdie or Barack Obama, or whoever the author du jour was!

Reviews and news articles

There aren't too many authors who get their own billboard for their first book! Of course, it helps to have a husband with some pull (or at least one who knows where the letters are stored). Check out this article from the Springfield Republican about the lovely thing my husband did for me:
http://blog.masslive.com/criesandwhispers/2008/05/heather_a_rodenatalie_coleben.html
Isn't that romantic? (What's even more romantic is he took all the unused letters home so nobody can change the sign without asking him!)

A Difficult Boy also got a nice write-up from Pat Cahill in the Springfield Republican:
http://tinyurl.com/6cgs8u
and in the Elms College Alumni News:
http://www.elms.edu/news/ (you'll have to search the news for "Barker" to find the article).

A Difficult Boy was featured by Kirkus Reviews in their First Fiction Special Issue, which had this to say about the book:
"What was the life of an indentured servant but that of a slave? M.P. Barker brings it ringingly, cringingly to life...A Difficult Boy hinges on the efforts of two boys—one social, one circumstantially remote, soon to be friends—to escape their brutalized existence... Then there is Ivy, a horse that bonds the boys
and provides their ticket out."
--Kirkus Reviews, First Fiction Special Issue (15 Apr 2008, p. 17)

Other press reviews:

"The beautifully written book, set in 1839, is loaded with rich detail, both historical and sensorial..."
--Susan VanHecke, Authorlink.com (June 2008)

"...Barker's young adult novel is one of the best historical fiction works I've read in a long time, emotionally authentic, full of period detail, and beautifully written."
--Author and reviewer Susan VanHecke's blog, "Adventures in Authorhood"

"Barker’s gift for historical detail illuminates this absorbing first novel, accurately portraying the pleasures and the harsh realities of 19th-century Massachusetts farm life. From describing exactly how to milk a treacherous cow to the precise way a servant ties and knots her shawl over a dress that is 'the color of an overdone Indian pudding,' the author adds authenticity to her well-constructed story...Readers will like this book for its attention to heady issues like early prejudice against the Irish (Daniel is Irish) and the treatment of indentured servants as young as themselves, and for its satisfying and hopeful conclusion."
--Publisher's Weekly (28 Apr 2008)

"How Ethan and Daniel bolster each other and escape Mr. Lyman's tyranny makes for a memorable tale of friendship and a fascinating glimpse into mid-19th-century Massachusetts. Like L. M. Elliott's Give Me Liberty (HarperCollins, 2006), this is an eye-opening look at indentured servitude in American history."
--Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA, School Library Journal (1 May 2008)

Reviews from teen readers:
"Most of all this book is about friendship and the importance of friendship. It is just a beautiful story set to a beautiful background...Daniel and Ethan's relationship grows and evolves as the story goes on.
"My favorite aspect of the book is how real it feels. The racism Daniel gets. The hardships Ethan goes through. Their friendship even all feels very real..........and that's why I love this book. I read it within 24 hours and I couldn't put it down. At about Chapter 6 you will be hooked! I recommend this for all historical readers as well as those looking for a wonderful story about friendship."
--Trainspotting Reads Teen Book Reviews

New books you might want to watch out for:
I've been woefully behind on my Class of 2k8 reading! I have my classmates' April and May releases sitting there in my to-be-read pile just shouting "Read us! Read us!"

Here's what I have to look forward to:

Zu Vincent – The Lucky Place (Front Street Press) - a girl's devotion to her new step-dad has heartbreaking results

Debbie Read Fischer – Braless in Wonderland (Dutton) (don't you just LOVE that title?)- a funny peek at the modeling world from behind the camera

Sarah Prineas – The Magic Thief (HarperCollins) - a boy picks a wizard's pocket, becomes his apprentice, and has adventures involving magic, evil devices, dragons, biscuits and bacon, and crossing a (mostly) frozen river on a night of stars as bright as daggers

Jennifer Bradbury – Shift (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum) - Best friends go on a cross-country bike trip, but only one returns.

Regina Scott – La Petite Four (Penguin Razorbill) - Lady Emily Southwell and her three dearest friends plan to take London by storm until they run afoul of a dashing young lord who may have more up his sleeve than a nicely muscled arm.

Teri Brown – Read My Lips (Simon Pulse) - Serena is a deaf skater chick who uses her amazing lip-reading ability to infiltrate the popular crowd, take down a secret sorority and tame the school rebel.

In the meantime, I recently finished Michelle D. Kwasney's beautifully written Itch about a young girl who's uprooted by her grandfather's death and who finds out that her perfect new friend may be hiding some dark secrets. Michelle is an artist as well as an author, and it shows in the way she captures place and setting, and especially in the way she describes the play of light and shadow. A lovely book, whether you're a young reader or an adult.

I've been enjoying Suzanne Strempek Shea's Sundays in America, about her spiritual quest through 50 different churches to discover the different facets of Christianity in America, and perhaps to find the one that speaks best to her soul. It's a journey I've sometimes thought about making. Like Suzanne, I was raised Catholic (and being about the same age, I can definitely relate to many of her growing-up-Catholic experiences!), but have been curious about all those other brands of Christianity out there, so it's a delight to follow her travels and share her insights. What's even more exciting is that Suzanne will be a guest of my monthly book group this June, so we'll be able to get the inside scoop on the book. She's visited us before and is a total delight! If you ever have a chance to hear her speak, go!

I'm also looking forward to dipping into books by writers with whom I'll be sharing a discussion panel on June 14 in Lexington. Leslie Wheeler, author of Mystery at Plimoth Plantation and Mystery at Gettysburg, specializes in mysteries that take place at historic sites. I wonder if she has a Mystery at Old Sturbridge Village up her sleeve? YA/middle-grade author Mitali Perkins, whom I met at an SCBWI conference in April, is a wiz at online promotion and the author of the First Daughter series of books, about what happens to a girl when her dad's elected president--sounds pretty timely! Poet Teresa Cader has published two collections--The Paper Wasp and Guests--that I'd like to sample as well. A lot of reading to do in a short time--I'd better get to it!

Comments, Questions, Complaints?
As a newly published writer, I'm still learning how to reach my readers better. So I'd love your help! If you have any suggestions about topics you'd like me to discuss in this newsletter and on my website or ways they could be improved, feel free to spill 'em! I'm all ears (or in this case, I guess, all eyes?).

Thanks for your support! I hope you enjoy the book!