The book and author spotlighted in this Ink Splat is Out of Left Field by Liza Ketchum. We even have an author interview! Submit a response to the challenge and you may have a chance to be published online! What are you waiting for?
The Challenge: Making Memories
Take a few minutes to describe a place you know well. Maybe it’s the closet in your bedroom, or the den at your grandmother’s house…or a fort you built in a vacant lot or back yard…or your basement where you tinker with a chemistry set…or the stairwell in your apartment building where you sit and talk with your friends…or the corner grocery where the Korean owner slips you a piece of candy when you do errands…or your top bunk at summer camp…or your kitchen table, where you do homework while your dad cooks dinner and music is playing…or the grassy bank near the train tracks…or the school gym where you saw someone being bullied…or the beach where a storm has churned up big waves as you’re about to try surfing for the first time…
This should be a place that brings up strong emotions: joy, excitement, sorrow, fear, comfort, loneliness, laughter, safety, feelings of being trapped—etc. Use all FIVE senses, including taste and texture. And BE SPECIFIC. Don’t say it’s a “tree,” but a ponderosa pine. Not just a “bird,” but a red tail hawk. Not “bedding,” but an antique wedding quilt. And don’t forget colors. If there are people or animals in this place, describe them, too.
Then—try changing this place in one way, so the atmosphere shifts. Does a sudden wind come up, whipping the curtains at your grandmother’s house? Do you hear a noise you’ve never heard in that spot? Does a stranger who scares you—or dares you to do something bold—suddenly appear? Do you come home to find that someone has painted your favorite place a strange color without your permission? When you hurry down the stairs in your apartment building, do you find a wild animal trapped there?
See what story might emerge from this exercise. And have fun!.
Submit your response HERE!
Out of Left Field by, Liza Ketchum
The summer of 2004 is full of promise for Brandon McGinnis. He has a job, a spot on the varsity swim team, loving parents, and loyal friends. Brandon and his dad, ardent Red Sox fans, wonder: could this be the year the Sox finally win the World Series? Then Brandon’s father dies suddenly. His will, signed just before his death, reveals a secret kept for thirty years. As shadows of the Vietnam War bleed into the escalating War in Iraq, Brandon sets out to solve the mystery his father left behind. His journey takes him to Canada’s Cape Breton Island, where he uncovers bittersweet truths about the past, and a family facing their own hidden demons. Brandon’s courageous search throws him into life’s game with its devastating losses, unexpected curve balls, and thrills as wondrous as a home run on an autumn night.
An Interview with author Liza Ketchum:
1.What inspired you to write Out of Left Field, and how did baseball play a part in that?
Out of Left Field had its beginnings in a short story, Sable Mouvants, which I wrote long ago for an anthology called On the Edge: Stories at the Brink. (Simon and Schuster, 2000, Lois Duncan, Editor.) Settings often inspire my stories, and Sable Mouvants (which means quicksand, in French) was no exception. My husband and I had visited the D-Day cemeteries in Normandy, France, where thousands of young soldiers had died. We also went out to Mount St. Michel, where strong tides create deadly quicksand. In the short story, my character, Brandon, finds out that his father—who has just died—may have had a son in Canada, where he lived during the Vietnam War. After the story was published, the situation gnawed at me. Was it true that Brandon had a brother in Canada? Why did his father keep that a secret? Would Brandon want to find this lost sibling?
The Vietnam War was also an inspiration for this novel. For years, I’d been haunted by events that took place during the Vietnam War, when my cousin and a close friend both died. I’d tried to write about the war many times, but hadn’t found the right path into the story. Then, in 2004, our country was embroiled in two wars far from home (Iraq and Afghanistan.) At the same time, my beloved Red Sox suddenly looked as if they could win a World Series for the first time in 86 years. I started asking myself the “What If” questions that are so important in fiction: What If Brandon and his father were Red Sox fans? What If his dad’s will exposed a family secret? What would Brandon do? I wrote the novel to answer those questions.
2. Your writing really captures each character’s voice. What advice do you have for young authors who are writing from the perspective of a character that they may or may not have a lot in common with?
Thank you. This is an important question. As a writer, you need to live inside your character’s skin, as if you were playing him or her in a play. In fact, one of the best ways to understand characters is to be involved in theatre productions. I went to theatre school for a summer after high school, and I learned a lot about character development from that experience.
It also helps to jot down a complete inventory of your character. You need to know everything about him or her: their appearance; what they wear; their families, pets and friend; their hopes and dreams; their strengths and weaknesses. (Look for some good prompts on creating characters on other Inkling posts. Also: check out Marion Dane Bauer’s excellent book for young writers called “What’s Your Story?”)
Some questions you can ask yourself: Does your character have a secret? What does he or she carry in her pockets? Purse? Backpack? But voice is the key element for me. I can’t write from a character’s point of view until I hear his or her voice in my head.
Brandon’s voice came to me right away. I listened for it and I knew, from the beginning, that the novel would be in first person, even though I’m female and no longer a teen! I could also hear Cat’s voice easily. She reminds me of a few feisty young girls I’ve met over the years. But Quinn’s voice was the toughest to capture. I had to imagine what it might be like to find out, when you’re an adult, that your family has been keeping dark secrets about your past. I finally remembered a conversation I had years ago, with a woman who discovered, when she was an adult, that one of her parents was not her biological parent. It turned her world upside down. That helped me to understand Quinn’s anger and confusion.
3. How did the multiple settings affect the story when you were writing Out of Left Field?
My husband and I have visited Nova Scotia many times. We went on a whale watch from Freetown on Digby neck, and saw a right whale breech near the boat. We spent time in Baddeck, on Cape Breton Island, and explored the province. Settings are like characters, in my stories. I try to capture the sensory experience of a place: its sights, smells, sounds, and atmosphere. I pay attention to wildlife and the natural world. I keep journals when I travel, where I jot down the names of plants, trees, birds and other animals we see. I also take pictures and keep notes on interesting people, their jobs, the food they eat, their clothing—anything that might help to add significant details to the story. As I wrote Out of Left Field, I read over my Nova Scotia journals and pinned up photos of the area.
If it’s possible, I prefer to write about a place I know. That’s true of Fenway Park in Boston, where the Red Sox play. My husband and I are big baseball fans, and we’ve been to the ballpark in all kinds of weather, for big wins and sad losses. I love the electricity of the park, the enthusiasm of the fans, the smell of hot dogs, popcorn, and cotton candy, the beauty of the emerald grass in late afternoon, and the way the ballpark rocks when we sing “Sweet Caroline” in the 8th inning.
4.How did you so seamlessly weave such big themes such as the impact of war and dealing with grief into the story?
That’s a lovely compliment. Thank you. From the moment I started this novel, I knew that I needed to balance Brandon’s grief and confusion over his father’s secret, with something that would give him pleasure. Baseball was something he shared with his father and a game he loved himself. Emotional depth is very important to me in my stories and I drew on my own experiences for this novel. When my good friend and my cousin were killed in Vietnam, I was lucky that my grandmother, some older friends of my parents, and some friends I’d grown up with, helped me to deal with my sorrow. I decided that Brandon needed an adult who would understand and help him, which is why I created Tony, the guy in the ticket booth at the ballpark. Marty and Brandon’s aunt and cousin were also important supports to Brandon during this hard time.
I also remember the different ways that families responded to the Vietnam War. When my friend Mike died, his family marched and protested the war; my family did, too. But my cousin’s parents believed the war was a good thing, which caused a lot of tension in my family. I also remembered that we didn’t treat our veterans very well during that time, which is why Brandon meets a troubled veteran in a later chapter. Most of all, I have joyous memories of that fabulous Red Sox season, when our team nearly lost the playoffs but came back to win the whole thing. The Boston area was delirious with happiness.
5. Is there anything else you would like us to know about Out of Left Field?
Although I wrote this novel for young adults, I have been delighted to hear from a number of adult readers who have written to me about the book. Many also experienced the Vietnam War and have strong memories of that period. One thing for young readers to know: I first had the idea for Brandon’s story in the late ‘90s. The novel was finally published in 2014. Sometimes it takes many years for a story to emerge. Don’t give up on your writing, even if it takes a long time to find an audience. I believe that everyone has important stories to share. If you have other questions, feel free to visit my website where you can send me a message.
Thank you Liza Ketchum!
Out of Left Field is available on Amazon!
Look for more information about Liza Ketchum and her books here!
