Interview Mondays- Dorothy Dreyer

Welcome to my second installment of Interview Mondays! Today I have the pleasure of sharing my interview with another fellow Month9Books author, Dorothy Dreyer. Dorothy’s debut novel, My Sister’s Reaper, will hit the shelves in May 2013.

 

Thank you for joining us today, Dorothy! Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m an American living in Germany, married to a wonderful German man for 18 years, and together we have a pre-teen son and a teenage daughter. I’m also an English teacher at a private multi-lingual nursery school.

Are you a lifelong writer, or did the passion for writing spring up more recently?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember—back before word processing programs even existed. I wrote stories and plays on paper. But I never set out to get published until after my kids were born. It was then I decided to achieve some of my life-long goals.

Congratulations on your publishing deal! Can you tell us about your debut urban fantasy novel, My Sister’s Reaper?

Sure! Here’s the pitch:

Sixteen-year-old Zadie’s first mistake was telling the boy she liked she could bring her dead sister back to life. Her second mistake was actually doing it.

When Zadie accidentally messes with the Reaper’s Rite that should have claimed her sister Mara, things go horribly wrong. Mara isn’t the same anymore—Zadie isn’t even sure she’s completely human. To top it off, a Reaper is determined to take Mara’s soul. Now Zadie must figure out how to defeat her sister’s Reaper or let Mara die … this time for good.

As a first time author, breaking in to the publishing world is tough work. Do you think living in Germany and selling to the U.S. market made it even harder? What unique challenges did/do you face living overseas?

It’s funny, I always felt like putting my German address at the end of a query letter would make agents and publishers skeptical. Even if agency websites stated they represented writers from all over the world, I wondered if they might tag it as a nuisance to take on yet another author living overseas. I can’t say for sure if that’s why I got rejected from some agents or not. I guess I really just had to rely on my writing being strong enough that the details didn’t matter.

What drew you to write for the young adult market?

When I was a teenager, my stories were always based on teenagers. As I got older I did write a few adult-world stories, but I wasn’t glued to them. My first real pull into the young adult literature world, although it’s technically a children’s book, was Harry Potter. I was inspired not only to write to a younger audience, but to bring magic into my stories.

I think readers are often confused by the wide variety of genres and sub-genres (heck, it even confuses some of us writers). What are some of the characteristics that define the urban fantasy novel?

Add me to the confused list, lol. There’s been a lot of debate about paranormal versus urban fantasy, and to tell you the truth, my book fits into both categories. Here’s what a group on Goodreads defines urban fantasy as:

“Urban fantasy is a subset of contemporary fantasy, consisting of magical novels and stories set in contemporary, real-world, urban settings–as opposed to ‘traditional’ fantasy set in wholly imaginary landscapes. The urban fantasy protagonist faces extraordinary circumstances as plots unfold in either open (where magic or paranormal events are commonly accepted to exist) or closed (where magical powers or creatures are concealed) worlds. A romantic subplot may or may not exist within the context of the story.”

My story has these elements, but could also be considered a paranormal fantasy, magical realism, paranormal romance, a thriller, or a horror novel. It’s got a little bit of everything, I guess.

How did you come to join the Month9Books family? Can you tell us a little about your submission process?

 

In January I entered the Pitch Slam contest on YALitChat. My pitch made the top ten, but I was not named one of the three winners. Not giving it another thought, I was surprised when I found an email in my inbox from Georgia McBride’s assistant asking to see the first chapter. It wasn’t long before I received another email asking to see the full. Then one morning a couple weeks later, as I was checking my email over breakfast, I got the offer for a two-book contract. I was completely blown away.

You have a sequel in the works. Any other irons in the fire, or are you focused on one project at a time?

At the moment I’m concentrating on edits for MY SISTER’S REAPER as well as fleshing out what I have of the sequel. There are a couple stories kicking around in my head that I hope I’ll have time to write soon, as well as a couple of my shelved stories I’d love to rework, but too many at once would probably send me over the edge.

Tell us a bit about your writing process. Are you an outliner, or do you just sit down and write? Do you do any needed research as you go, or get it all done at the start?

I’m a plotter, for sure. I’m a big fan of the storyboard process, laying out scene by scene to get an overview of how my story should go. Of course, when I’m writing, my pantser evil twin tends to pop in and throw the story a curve, but usually it’s a good curve. As for research, I do some before I start my stories, just so I have a general idea of what I’m dealing with, but I do research as I go along too.

What are some of the benefits of publishing through an indie press like Month9Books?

 

I think small presses are more open and willing to take chances on new authors. They’re probably also more willing to ignore the trends. One thing that made me nervous whenever I queried was the buzz on the web that paranormal was a dying genre. That the big six weren’t going to even consider them anymore. I don’t know if that’s entirely true or not, but I think indie presses look past what’s hot or not and just focus on publishing great stories.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

 

Read, read, read! It’s vital. And there are so many good books out there, how could one possibly pass that up? But also, never give up. If you have a dream, and you’re determined make it come true, you cannot stop pursuing it. Make it happen!

 

Thanks again for joining us, Dorothy!

Thanks for having me, Michelle! And I wish everyone luck on their publishing journeys!

You can find Dorothy on the web:

Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorDorothyDreyer

Dorothy on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5815423.Dorothy_Dreyer

My Sister’s Reaper on Goodreads (cover reveal coming this winter): http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13597733-my-sister-s-reaper

Dorothy’s blog, We Do Write: http://we-do-write.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DorothyDreyer

I Go All Advicey

 

I still feel so new at this being an author thing. I know I’ve been writing for quite some time, have labored over my novel, have worked hard to learn the craft, and have managed to land myself a two-book publishing deal for my debut young adult novel, but I still feel a bit like an imposter. That’s why I’ve hesitated to offer any sort of writing advice, because who am I to tell people…well, anything?

 

But there is one thing I know plenty about, and today I’ve decided to boot myself off the cliff, Thelma and Louise style, as I lay some advice on you.

 

Distraction and procrastination are, of course, two of the greatest enemies of creativity. The reality of the technological age is our medium (writing) coexists on a machine rife with distraction (hello, interwebs). As authors, there is now an expectation that we create and maintain a web presence, and when we are already predisposed to distra—ooh! Shiny!

 

Sorry, what was I saying?

 

Right. Distractions and procrastination feed off one another, playing into our natural tendencies to doubt our abilities. We’re a neurotic bunch (see agent Rachelle Gardener’s spot-on description:http://www.rachellegardner.com/2012/05/bad-habits-of-authors/ ), easily falling prey to self-doubt, which only fuels the procrastination monster. And the aforementioned web presence we must develop can lead to further procrastiona—excuse me for a sec. I need to go check Facebook. Oh, and somebody mentioned me on Twitter. Plus, I haven’t checked my Klout score in like three days. How many hits have I had on my blog today?

 

Sorry.

 

The distraction monster may still get the best of me at times, but I have one such monster I’ve recently figured out how to defeat. The research monster.

 

Research is an important part of storytelling, and no place for shortcuts. If you are not accurate in the realistic/verifiable details in your world-building, you lose the trust of your reader and cast doubt over the entire world you’ve painstakingly created. As a reader, I hate to find glaring errors in the logic or details of a story. To me, it shows the author didn’t care enough to do the extra work, and when you don’t do your research, it shows. Publishing is a competitive world, so why give your potential audience a reason to put your book down and grab something else on the shelf (virtual or brick and mortar). There are, literally, millions of choices.

 

It’s a delicate balance, the writing game. Most writers have day jobs (or happen to be stay at home parents, like yours truly), families, social lives, and this passion for writing that we cram in wherever and whenever we can. When you throw the necessary research into the mix, it makes the task of getting the words out of your head and onto the paper seem daunting.

 

And we’re perfectionists. We want the words we put to page to be perfect, living in a constant state of disappointment (and occasional elation, when we hit the sweet spot and manage to impress ourselves with our storytelling). This constant struggle for perfection feeds the monster, and she’s always hungry.

 

Research can derail writing momentum, so what do you do? Because if you’re anything like me, you can’t just give yourself permission to skip over the research bit and ride the writing momentum. But if you let the momentum slip away, you face the very real danger of getting stuck in research mode. Forever.

 

It becomes the perfect excuse to unchain the distraction monster. Well, I need to interview a physics professor about this next chapter, so I guess I’ll stop writing for the day—oh, look! A new cute baby video!

 

It really is as simple (and as hard) as just giving yourself permission to not have every detail just so in your first draft.

 

Crazy, I know, but it works.

 

For example, in my current WIP, I have the following sentence written:

 

Blah, blah, blah, medical stuff and lingo and so on. Interview a medical professional so you don’t sound like Dr. Drake Ramore.

I stared at the page for a moment, horrified, and then, guess what? I got a lot done. It was empowering to realize that first drafts are just that. Imperfect. Sometimes terrible. First drafts are not finished products, and if you allow yourself to get stymied by research at that stage, you will never get to a final draft.

 

Allow yourself to write it wrong. Just get the sentiment on paper. Keep going. The details of what a patient would see upon awaking in an intensive care unit just don’t matter in your first draft. It’s okay to get it wrong, so long as you make sure, later on, to get it right.

 

So stop what you’re doing—right now—and insert some senseless drivel into your WIP. And get on with the writing! I promise, your manuscript will survive.*

 

 

 

*But save a backup file, just to be sure. And if something horrible happens, it’s TOTALLY not my fault.

Interview Mondays!

I have had the recent great fortune to sign a two-book publishing deal with Georgia McBride’s new imprint, Month9Books, and today I’m rolling out the very first installment of my weekly series, in which I will be interviewing my fabulous fellow Month9 authors. Let me brush off the cobwebs and spiff up the place a bit so we can all give a warm welcome to my first victim—erm, guest—Lisa M. Basso!

From Goodreads.com:

Lisa M. Basso was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She is a lover of books, video games, animals, and baking (not baking with animals though). As a child she would crawl into worlds of her own creation and get lost for hours. Her love for YA fiction started with a simple school reading assignment: S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. When not reading or writing she can usually be found at home with The Best Boyfriend that Ever Lived ™ and her two darling (and sometimes evil) cats, Kitties A and B.

A compelling and spirited debut from Lisa M. Basso in which sixteen-year-old Rayna Evans has spent the last three years locked away in a mental institution for seeing angels. Intent on remaining free, she ignores signs that she may be slipping into the world she has tried so hard to climb out of. But when her hallucinations begin showing up at school, can Rayna keep her job, her sanity and keep students from dying at the hand of angels she can’t admit to seeing?

Psychiatry, fantasy and real life come together in A Shimmer of Angels, as a young girl struggles with identity, secrets and confronting her greatest fears. A Shimmer of Angels is a wonderful read for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, or perhaps has felt like giving up entirely. It touches on themes of suicide, ostracism and emotional pain. The author, personally exposed to suicide through the death of her beloved brother, will donate a percentage of sales of this novel to a local suicide prevention and outreach program in San Francisco, California.

A Shimmer of Angels is slated for release on November 12, 2012.

Thank you for joining us, today, Lisa! How long have you been writing?

I’ve written on an off for most of my life, but decided I wanted to become a writer almost five years ago. And I never looked back.

Tell us a little about your book, A Shimmer of Angels.

A SHIMMER OF ANGELS is about a sixteen-year-old girl, Rayna, who was sent to a mental health facility for seeing angels. After three years of in-and-out treatment, she is released. She believes her angel sightings are in remission, until she starts to slip, seeing things that can’t possibly be real. I don’t want to give too much away, so that’ll have to be the teaser.

How does your writing process work? Do you outline, take notes, or just sit down and write?

For every book I write, the process is different. Sometimes I outline then write, sometimes I write then outline. Most of the time I begin with an idea. I start by making as many notes as I can. From there I decided whether if this is what I really want to write, is the idea substantial enough to encompass an entire book or is this more short story material? Once I’ve decided this is it, I ask myself if I want to outline or just write. If I outline, will it be super detailed or just the main plot points and character arcs? If I write, how far will I get before I realize I need to know the ending? I try to outline, but a lot of times the characters take over and things change. That’s one of my favorite parts about writing, realizing the ten pages you just wrote were nothing like the outline, but they work better!

What was your inspiration for A Shimmer of Angels? How did the idea come to you?

I started with the idea of angels (obviously, right?). I knew it would be YA. It had to be YA. The book had to have wings in it. The more I thought about it, the idea of colors came to me. Not just wings, white wings and black wings. Which led me to good versus evil. Sort of. I let it simmer and the idea continued to grow. I didn’t want just good and evil, I wanted gray. So I wrote in a lot of gray areas, morally and mentally, infusing a lot of “in between” with the characters and the plot.

How did you come to Month9Books? Tell us a little about the process of scoring your publishing deal.

I submitted to YALitChat’s Submission Mailbox. Not much later Month9Books requested a partial, the first 25 pages. A few days later, they asked to see the full. About two weeks after that, I had an offer for a three book deal in my inbox!

What made you choose to write young adult novels? Or did YA choose you?

The  first two books I wrote were straight up adult urban fantasy. After completing both books, I started reading more YA. A lot more. After I’d      absorbed somewhere between twenty and thirty, the idea just came to me. YA. You need to be writing this amazing genre. My first idea, a teeny tiny plot thread for A SHIMMER OF ANGELS. The rest is history.

One of the great things about Month9 is the input we authors get to have. Can you tell us about the cover design process?

The cover process was surprising. The original cover was very similar to the final product. We went through a few rounds, tweaking minor things until we were all happy. I love that Month9Books gave me the opportunity to voice my opinions. They may have regretted it in the beginning, though. After the first cover option, I sent off a long email, super detailed explaining what I liked and what I hoped we could work on. And instantly regretted it. I mean, what had I done? They couldn’t really want my feedback, they probably just wanted me to approve or deny it. I freaked, until I got a reply. Not only did they take my feedback seriously, but they thanked me for my candor. This was when I knew there was something very different about what Month9Books is doing. When the final product arrived, I felt like I had a little something to do with it, rather than just having it handed to me.

It must have been exciting to see your finished cover for the first time. What was that like?

 The finished cover blew me away. I stopped, stared, then stared some more. It’s colorful, shimmery (teehee), and so different from anything else out there. I still stare at it (when I have the time).

Try not to stare. I dare you.

What is next for you? Can you tell us about any upcoming projects?

Books two and three of the A SHIMMER OF ANGELS trilogy are slated for release in November of 2013 and 2014.

What has been the most surprising thing about becoming a (soon to be) published author? Is the reality different from your expectations?

After having this dream for many, many years, I knew it would take time and a lot of hard work. The really surprising part about this whole journey so far is the timing. I’ve heard that publishing moves at a snail’s pace. I signed with Month9Books in February and my book is releasing less than a year later.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Read as much as you can and write even more. Work hard, don’t give up, and dream big.

 

You can find Lisa online: goodreads.com/LisaMBasso

twitter: @LisaMBasso

Lisa-Basso.blogspot.com

And be sure to mark your calendars for November!

You can check out our fabulous publisher, here: month9books.com and on twitter: @Month9Books.

An Open Letter to Bill Donohue

Yesterday, the Catholic League tweeted the following:

Today, in defense of adoptive families everywhere, I sent the following letter to the Catholic League’s President, Bill Donohue:

Dear Dr. Donahue,

I will admit, upon viewing yesterday’s ill-conceived tweet by the Catholic League, I felt a rising anger and disbelief that such ugliness would be so publicly displayed. As both an adoptive mother and an advocate for equality, I take such attacks very personally, and it was, no doubt, an attack upon us all. Married, single, gay, straight, you disparaged each of us.

Rather than the “normal” nine months, my husband and I waited a long, painful, heart-wrenching seven years to meet our beautiful, sweet son. Does this somehow disqualify us as parents, or, on some scale unknown to me make us lesser parents? Is there a blood-link bonus not granted to those of us brought together by adoption? My son grew in my heart rather than beneath it—did that leave me in some way less qualified to love, nurture, raise, or protect him? Will my son live his life wishing for a life he never had, a biological link we do not share?

Perhaps the Pharaoh’s daughter should have simply left Moses in the bulrushes? Or maybe you feel Mary and Joseph were insufficient for the task handed to them by God himself.

And while we’re on the subject, I’d love you to explain an anti-abortion and anti-adoption stance, as I am completely baffled. A child needs love and security, whether from a mom and a dad, two dads, two moms, a single parent, or grandparents. Love and stability are not the exclusive domain of a husband and wife. To think otherwise is not only archaic fact-denying, but pure foolishness and bigotry.

These angry thoughts occupied my mind for much of the afternoon, until a sudden and blissful feeling of serenity washed over me, replacing my anger with sympathy. It was when I realized that an organization so blinded by vitriolic dogma, so wrapped in anger and disdain, is missing out on something beautiful. For you will never know the overwhelming joy of reaching out and grasping that which has been beyond your reach. Without this struggle, and simply having a child “of your own,” you will never comprehend the desperate longing to be a parent; your arms stretched out, your lungs burning from the effort of chasing that dream, until that magical day when finally you cradle a beautiful child in your arms, your heart swelling with pride and a love like no other as the family you were meant to have is realized. You cannot appreciate great fortune unless you’ve first suffered misfortune.

Yes, I feel sorry for you. You tilt at windmills, choosing to spend your time attacking the transgressions of silly and forgettable movies that, most likely, no one will watch, as though a girl in a bikini is somehow a bigger threat or insult to your faith than its hierarchy’s systematic, organized cover up of decades of the most hideous child abuse by your .02%.

You attack us all for a thoughtless comment of one. One wouldn’t think a man such as you would need a reminder on scripture, but it would seem a lesson is in order.

 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. –Psalms 68: 5-6

 I hope you can find the humanity, charity, and spirit of Christian faith which seems so sorely lacking in your actions and words.

Sincerely,

Michelle E. Reed

I will update if I receive a response.

Getting A Little Obsessed

It’s funny, the thoughts that occupy the minds of preschoolers. I can’t speak for all of them (I only have the one, after all), but my son goes through obsessive phases. They can last days or weeks, becoming his primary interest.

Right now he has two:

Elvis:

and

 

the Tooth Fairy:

An odd, yet awesome combination, no?

Whenever we’re in the car, Elvis is his first—and only—choice. He runs around the house singing The King’s greatest hits. He grabs his Phineas and Ferb guitar and rocks out. He’s working on his “Thankyuuuuu, thankyuuuverymuch,” and I find myself asking if he’s busy TCB (he always is).

With Elvis, it’s pure fandom. The Tooth Fairy, on the other hand, is something else entirely. He saw a children’s show a few weeks which dealt with Ms. Fairy and her role in the lives of children. As the excited cartoon child placed their tooth under their pillow and fell into a peaceful slumber, things went south. Seeing the arrival of Ms. Fairy, kiddo clamped his hand to his mouth and screamed “WHY WOULD SHE STEAL MY TEETH???”

Oh, boy.

I explained that she does not steal teeth. It is merely a business transaction. In exchange for your tooth, she gives you cold hard cash. Capitalism!

He remains unconvinced. And to be fair, having some strange magical woman float into your room while you’re sleeping and make off with your teeth is a bit…weird.

He now keeps in his room a letter he had me write. I was merely the secretary, taking dictation as he issued his Tooth Fairy Directive, which follows:

I can’t wait to see what obsession he comes up with next.

Big News!

It is every aspiring writer’s dream to have this great news, and I am thrilled to announce I have accepted a two-book publishing deal with Georgia McBride’s fabulous new imprint, Month 9 Books!

My young adult novel, Atman Station (working title) is slated to hit the shelves in December 2013.

I’m still in a bit of shock over the whole thing. It’s a strange feeling when you’ve been working at something for so long, and then all of a sudden it happens. I am one of the lucky few, I know, and I am immensely grateful for this opportunity.

I’m trying to find the right words to explain what this means to me, and being completely unable to do so is an odd feeling. As a writer it’s my job to express feelings and emotions in written form (duh), yet I find myself at a loss, even after a week. It is my hope that once the shock wears off, I’ll be better equipped to convey in a coherent way what this all means to me.

I’ll know it’s time when I finally get rid of this look I’ve been wearing this past week:

Reinterpreting The Saga

When not busy dismembering his Lego Minifigures (which can be seen here), my kiddo loves reenacting scenes from Star Wars.

 

 

Everyone remembers the gripping confrontation between Darth Vader and C-3PO, as Yoda tried in vain to bring an end to the conflict…

 

 

…and the edge-of-your-seat, pusle-pounding duel between Yoda and the battle axe wielding cheerleader…

 

 

…all leading to the action-packed melee in the exciting conclusion.

 

 

Take a bow, everyone!

Ride Like the Wind

My son turned four last month, and he has recently fallen in love with the idea of getting a “big boy” bike. In other words, step aside tricycle! Spring is coming, and that trike is so last season.

We took him to the store a few days ago (evil big box retailer once again. We are weak. Weak, I tell you!), and let him try out a few, to see what size would be the best fit. Unless you have kids, you probably don’t realize that little kid bikes come in several sizes. We were quick to learn he’s in the 16” frame market. And they had Spider Man! Cue happy kid (and happier Dad!).

As we were busy corralling him so he wouldn’t take off down the aisles on “HIS” new bike—explaining he’d have to wait to see if maybe the Easter Bunny would bring him one is a whole ‘nother story—I took note of how blissfully stable the training wheel setup was. And I got jealous of the safe, fun way in which he’ll get to learn to ride.

A little.

When I was a kid, learning to ride a bike, even with training wheels, was a bit…terrifying.

Why is that, you may ask? Oh, you silly youngsters.

Not to age myself, but I have no choice if I’m going to explain this properly. You see, when I learned to ride a bike in the magical year of 1979 (I was in kindergarten. Yeah, I’m old. Get over it.), training wheels weren’t the lovely, stable, smooth, run flat on the ground support enjoyed by kids today (and kids since sometime in the early 80s, I believe).

No, our training wheels rode a couple of inches off the ground. The idea was you’d learn balance, but the wheels would catch you so you wouldn’t actually fall. This resulted in an odd combination of elation and terror. A feeling of panic grabbing your heart as you tilted first to the left and then to the right, your heart racing as the training wheels caught you at the last possible second before certain death. Panic and blind fear. That’s the way to learn, man!

“I’m doing it! I’m riding a bike!”

“AAAHHH! I’m gonna die!”

“Yes! The wheels caught me! I’m INVINCIBLE!”

This range of emotions would span a period of mere seconds, repeated on a continuous loop until you a) learned to ride a bike b) said “Screw this! I’m going inside to watch The Love Boat!” or c) gave up and rode a Big Wheel for another year.

And we didn’t have helmets.

But we did get to ride bikes with banana seats. And there is something to be said for accomplishment gained through terror. It’s more meaningful to overcome than to never have really faced adversity. We conquered our fears. Not to say it won’t be a little scary once the training wheels come off, but to have no fear of falling before they do? I think you miss out on something.

And did I mention we got banana seats? Suck on that, new millennium!

Sometimes My Kid Can be a Little Creepy

Is dismembering Lego characters normal four-year-old behavior? Because, to be honest, it’s freaking me out. A little.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a bit weird to find dismantled Star Wars figure displays scattered throughout the house, no?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps we should be glad he has no access to carbonite. Notice how Darth Vader is exempt from such treatment?

 

Nature vs. Nurture

Photo courtesy of Volume One http://volumeone.org/

As an adoptive parent, I often ponder the role my husband and I play in who our son is as a person. How much is genetic? How much is our influence—the environment we’ve created? These are certainly not new ideas. The nature-nurture debate has raged for centuries, and I have no delusions about bringing anything new to the discussion, but it is a topic brought to the forefront of my mind a few nights ago while attending a concert.

We’re big fans of the Celtic band Gaelic Storm (check them out! http://www.gaelicstorm.com/), and see them whenever we can. This past summer, we took our son to his first show, and he was hooked. This week took him to show number two. We were front row, center, which gave kiddo the chance to really ham it up, which he did with great gusto. He spent the evening dancing right up by the stage, and by the end of the night, was completely wiped out. It was well past bedtime, and as they were playing their final song of the set, he finally sat down with me. My husband and I were sure he would fall asleep. Snuggled up to me, his sleepy voice asked, “Mommy, can we go home now?”

I told him they would play one more song, the encore, and then it would be all done and we could go home. He was agreeable to staying until the end.

After raucous applause, the band came back for their encore, and played “What’s the Rumpus?” Hearing the familiar song begin, a reenergized kiddo jumped up and started to dance again, joining the rest of the crowd which was on its feet. As the song went on, he began to run out of steam, so I picked him up so we could finish out the night dancing together.

Patrick Murphy, singer, musician, and all around cool guy, came to the front of the stage and motioned to me. He looked down at kiddo and held his hands out. With only a slight feeling of trepidation, I handed him over and watched as our little man was lifted on stage. I looked at my husband, knowing we shared the same thought. This would either be a smashing success, or a colossal failure. Our kid is not shy, but he was tired. And when he’s tired, watch out.

Fortunately, he was thrilled. He was handed a mallet, and given free rein to bash away at a cymbal. He embraced the task with great gusto, and the crowd went wild, cheering with each crash, egging him on. He looked from band member to band member, as if suspecting it was all too good to be true, but they smiled and encouraged him, seeming to enjoy the moment every bit as much as he.

After this went on for a bit, I went to the steps of the stage, figuring he would see me and come running.

Not even close.

I found myself onstage, standing next to a gleeful child still bashing away at that magical cymbal. When I finally got him off stage, he asked, “Can I have the violin next?”

After the show, he hammed it up some more with the band, and Pat expressed his admiration, telling us on the occasions when they do take a kid on stage, they usually stand there, frozen.

Not our kid. He was fearless and grabbed the moment with both hands, which got me thinking. I was the same way when I was a kid: a bold people person who would have done the exact same thing, begging the question: where does he get it? Is it our influence over him, teaching him never to be afraid of being himself? Do his observations of our interactions with the world shape the outgoing personality he’s developed? Or is it just who he is? Is it in his DNA?

We may never know, but it sure is fun to think about.