tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1264923765132809502024-02-19T04:59:26.199-05:00Kimberly Newton Fusco JournalA WRITER'S DAYKimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-28527533899034127582019-04-17T18:44:00.000-04:002019-04-18T16:33:50.138-04:00Why I write for young people When I was an education writer for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette in Massachusetts, I often wrote about young people who needed a teacher or mentor to step forward and offer a helping hand - just as I needed at that age.
And I'm still writing about kids like that.
I'm grateful to the Boston Authors Club for interviewing me this month about why I Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-7751257084348332372018-08-29T11:07:00.000-04:002018-08-29T11:11:04.822-04:00Finalist!
CHASING AUGUSTUS is a finalist for the Julia Ward Howe Award from the Boston Authors Club. I'm thrilled and honored to bring Rosie and Augustus to the Boston Public Library, Copley Square, for the celebration on September 26.
Hope to see you there!
http://bostonauthorsclub.org
. Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-80455803270964831552018-06-03T08:30:00.000-04:002018-06-04T10:24:09.162-04:00Pure Magic
Scholastic Book Fairs sent me on a whirlwind speaking tour this spring to introduce CHASING AUGUSTUS and BEHOLDING BEE to nearly 3,500 young readers in Lexington, KY, Chattanooga, TN, and northern Georgia public and private schools. I spoke in huge gymnasiums with 450-plus students and also in small libraries where all the children sat on the floor and shared from their heart. It seems Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-9221190046477090242018-01-15T15:15:00.000-05:002018-07-12T08:39:54.973-04:00A YEAR OF FAVORITE READS
When I visit schools I am almost always asked to list my favorite books, so I've been keeping a list for more than a decade. Here are my top books of 2017! (I already have many for 2018, but I'll have to wait to add them to my list...)
Orphan Island by Laurel&Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-65233526040242016652017-11-27T11:18:00.000-05:002018-01-15T14:59:29.297-05:00What a year!
Thank you to all the reviewers and booksellers and teachers and librarians and parents who are helping children find their way to Chasing Augustus. It's been a wonderful year, and I am very grateful.
"Gripping, animated narrative...God's bones! Magnificent." - Kirkus Starred Review.
A Junior Library Guild Selection.
"Excellent" - The Providence Journal.
Random House Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-61863768064031165632017-11-05T16:32:00.001-05:002017-11-05T16:32:29.247-05:00My story
I didn’t talk much when I
was a child.
I stuttered and because of that I was incredibly shy, and this made speaking very difficult for me.
What does it mean to be a
child who stutters?
For me, it meant that when it was time for our daily read-aloud sessions in school, I panicked as I waited for my turn - and for my world to explode.
I would never raise my hand in class,Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-22267435787026607632017-10-11T10:53:00.003-04:002017-10-29T14:16:36.924-04:00Our dear Sally
This is our dear Sally, the dog that inspired CHASING AUGUSTUS.
A terrible very bad dog!
In 2012, when I finished the final draft of BEHOLDING BEE and began thinking about another book, our dog Sally was getting very old.
She was the dog of our dreams.
The kind of dog that became the best friend for our four children, and she followed them
everywhere they'd let her go: Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-9910801533001560622017-09-19T13:34:00.000-04:002017-10-02T13:58:45.995-04:00Sit. Stay. Read!
Launch Day is here!
I am so excited to send Rosalita Gillespie and her dog, Augustus, into the world today.
The novel is the story of a girl who will never give up on her dog, not ever. It's a story of resilience and discovering who you are and where you belong, and finding help in unlikely places.
Here's what the reviewers are saying!
"God's bones! Magnificent." Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-64802426082450142172017-05-15T10:43:00.001-04:002017-05-15T10:58:03.671-04:00"GOD'S BONES! MAGNIFICENT"
The first review is in and it's a KIRKUS star!
CHASING AUGUSTUS
by Kimberly Newton Fusco
KIRKUS REVIEW
Could Rosie’s life be much worse?
While still a baby, she was abandoned by her emotionally distant mother to the care of Rosie’s father, so she could “make something of herself.” He and her “big lug” of a dog, Augustus, were all a girl Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-64923205817008584632017-03-03T09:38:00.000-05:002017-03-03T17:52:53.447-05:00A new draft begins
With CHASING AUGUSTUS set for publication in September, I have begun writing the first draft of a new novel. Each time I begin again I have to remind myself how difficult it is to create something out of nothing.
I love these wise words by the novelist Octavia Butler:
"First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whetherKimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-75856477769567338512017-02-16T16:47:00.001-05:002017-02-17T16:10:55.556-05:00This dog!
Reason #157 Why An Author Should Love a Dog:
Because when the words aren't working and the sentences aren't flowing, and you wonder why you ever wanted to be a writer in the first place, your dog gently wags her tail and looks at you with those soft doe eyes and tells you:
Oh, Kim, this is so hard, BUT YOU CAN DO IT!
And then you begin again.
Because you love a dog.
Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-13055762166860135782017-01-21T16:10:00.000-05:002017-02-05T20:41:08.866-05:00My Favorite Room
This is the spot in my home where I love to read. I usually read several books at once, and our family room, with comfy couches, a crackling woodstove, and blankets woven from our sheep wool, is the perfect reading spot.
When I visit schools I am almost always asked to list my favorite books, so I've been keeping a list for more than a Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-45056740369426742082017-01-02T16:33:00.000-05:002017-01-02T16:33:38.459-05:00A Year of Gratitude
When you are writing a novel about a girl and her dog, you need to do a lot of research! Happy New Year everyone. Let's make it a year of love and peace and kindness.Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-25453637174507845482016-12-12T15:34:00.000-05:002016-12-12T15:34:01.646-05:00Where's Bee?
So fun to find my books on the shelves of the Chicago Public Library! These were discovered by my uncle and aunt during their road trip across the country.Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-13511064627572379112016-12-05T15:13:00.001-05:002016-12-07T10:33:50.953-05:00New author photo!
My editor at Knopf/Penguin Random House just asked for a new author photo of me and my dog, Harper. I wonder why?
Good news on the way!Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-77195113097535758532016-04-04T07:39:00.001-04:002016-04-04T14:02:02.485-04:00How to Encourage Empathy
Thank you to Imagination Soup for including BEHOLDING BEE in your list of books that teach empathy!
"We MUST read stories that
help us become empathetic to what it’s like to have a physical disability;
stories that show not just our differences but more importantly, our
similarities.
We MUST talk about physical
disabilities (differences) with children. If Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-76587952379851337822015-10-20T16:30:00.004-04:002015-10-21T11:48:29.180-04:00Where I Write
Thank you to the talented Andrea Skyberg for this interview on Tuesday Tours!
Kimberly Newton Fusco’s Studio Tour
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Today on Tuesday Tours I’m very excited to welcome Kimberly Newton Fusco, the author of three of my favorite books. My daughter and I’ve read The Wonder of Charlie Anne more than once, Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-3502177473818150002015-07-27T14:31:00.001-04:002015-08-13T13:52:48.328-04:00
THE PROUST-ESQUE QUESTIONNAIRE: KIMBERLY NEWTON FUSCO
Our guest: Kimberly Newton Fusco is an award-winning Rhode Island-based author of young adult fiction, including 2013’s Beholding Bee (Knopf), which is being released in paperback July 28, 2015.
The Proust-Esque Questionnaire is based on a set of 36 standardized questions designed by Marcel Proust in the 1890’s to give an Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-88535795163739453912015-07-09T09:27:00.001-04:002015-07-09T09:27:26.391-04:00
Sometimes, to write a better sentence, you just need a little time to daydream, a little time to do nothing ... My favorite place to do this is in the field where our sheep graze ....
The Summer Day
Mary Oliver
Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-19660248767564868322015-01-20T19:58:00.000-05:002015-07-10T07:44:47.066-04:00The paperback is coming!
The paperback edition of BEHOLDING BEE is being released on July 28. I am thrilled!
This is what the back cover will say:
“Fans of Kate DiCamillo, Jennifer Holm, and Polly Horvath will find this an enjoyable and engrossing read.” —School Library Journal
Bee is an orphan who lives with a carnival and sleeps in the back of a truck. Every day she endures taunts for the birthmark on Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-18383204632556831342015-01-03T15:06:00.001-05:002015-01-04T11:59:41.766-05:00What's that light?
I believe a writer needs a questioning mind, determination, a lot of faith, and a hopeful heart.
And, by the way, my camera's flash reflects off the window of the 100-year-old outhouse that sits in our yard. This (unused for decades!) two-seater inspired a chapter in my first novel, TENDING TO GRACE, which received the American Library Association's Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-47546662447310118552014-12-11T11:51:00.000-05:002014-12-11T11:51:09.778-05:00Thoughts on the The Writing Life
"I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I look at it, until it begins to shine.'' -- Emily Dickinson
Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-8812586136353806132014-09-09T07:59:00.000-04:002014-09-09T15:38:00.060-04:00The Writing Life
As I write each day, I try and remember these wise words from the poet, Jane Kenyon:
"Be a good steward of your gifts. Protect
your time. Feed your inner life. Avoid too much noise. Read
good books, have good sentences in your ears. Be by yourself as often as
you can. Walk. Take the phone off the hook. Work regular
hours.”
Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-37070345853085380822014-08-26T19:02:00.002-04:002014-08-26T19:11:25.388-04:00Postcards from Rhode Island
Summer is my time to slow down, breathe, and spend lots of wonderful time with my family. Here we are in Newport, RI, to celebrate our anniversary in the Navy chapel where we were married.
Watching the sun rise on Narragansett Beach in RI for Laura's birthday.
Our son, Matthew, and daughters, Kate and Laura.
Our son, Daniel, and daughter, Kate.
Watching theKimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126492376513280950.post-16638786603723130722014-07-22T15:19:00.001-04:002014-08-23T06:50:59.173-04:00Writing Retreats
The spiritual writer Paula D'Arcy (Gift of the Red Bird) continues to use TENDING TO GRACE as a prerequisite for her writing retreats, held throughout the US. Today is the final day of a five-day retreat at the Quellen Spiritual Center in NJ.
Past retreats have been held in Alaska, Pennsylvania and Calgary, Canada -- and beyond!
Here's what Paula says about TENDING TO GRACE: "It is&Kimberly Newton Fuscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04462660799334417729noreply@blogger.com