January 2018
One to Watch:
Jeff Ward
One Warm Coat
Aims to Reach 1 Million in Need
Backstage with
NATHAN
LANE Dan Santat
Creates an Inspiring Postscript to a Beloved Nursery Rhyme
Katherine Paterson
Recounts a Little-Known Literacy Campaign
Behind the Mic:
Adam McArthur
Mustaches for Maddie:
An Inspiring Story of Courage and Compassion
Twice Upon a Time:
Giving Old Tales New Life
Richard Valicek
Invites Readers into a 23rd Century World of Fantasy Q&A with
Elly Mackay
ADVERTISE WITH US! MEET THE STAFF
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Editor-in-Chief
Cristy Bertini Cristy@StoryMonsters.com
WRITER
Melissa Fales
DESIGN
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Jeff Yesh
Science & Nature Editor Conrad J. Storad
COLUMNISTS
Nick Spake, Rita Campbell, Olivia Amiri, Julianne Black
KID CORRESPONDENTS
Farrah Lederman, Jennah Lederman, Leilah Lederman
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Debbie Greenberg
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Story Monsters Ink magazine and www.StoryMonsters.com are trademarks of Story Monsters, LLC. Copyright ©2018 Story Monsters Press, ISSN 2374-4413, ISBN: 9781338199932: All rights reserved. Contents may not be published in whole or in part without the express written consent of the bylined author and publisher. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual writers and are not necessarily those of Story Monsters Ink or its advertisers. Story Monsters Ink is published by Story Monsters Press Postal mail may be sent to Story Monsters Ink 4696 W. Tyson St., Chandler, AZ 85226 Phone: 480-940-8182
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Story Monsters Ink | January 2018 | StoryMonsters.com
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Honor Roll Gold Award Recipient, Mom’s Choice Awards. Named among the “great magazines for kids and teens” by School Library Journal. 2016 Irwin Award winner for “Best Publisher of a Literary Magazine” and “Best Editorial Director.”
January 2018
In this issue 04
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Backstage with Nathan Lane
One Warm Coat Aims to Reach 1 Million in Need
Mustaches for Maddie: An Inspiring Story of Courage and Compassion
08
32
Dan Santat Creates an Inspiring Postscript to a Beloved Nursery Rhyme
Twice Upon a Time: Giving Old Tales New Life
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34
Katherine Paterson Recounts a Little-Known Literacy Campaign
Richard Valicek Readers into a 23rd Century World of Fantasy
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24
58
One to Watch: Jeff Ward
Behind the Mic: Adam McArthur
Q&A with Elly Mackay
44 Winter Reading List 48 Monsters at the Movies 50 Liv on Life
52 Book Reviews 60 Kids Can Publish 62 Kids Corner
36 Conrad’s Classroom 38 How Does Your Garden Grow? 40 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards
Tell us what you think of this issue! Email your comments to cristy@storymonsters.com. StoryMonsters.com | January 2018 | Story Monsters Ink
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Feature Cover Story
Backstage with
Nathan Lane by Melissa Fales
Nathan Lane’s literary career has gone to the dogs. Actually,
just one dog: a mischievous French bulldog named Mabel who lives a life of leisure in the Hamptons. She is the star of Naughty Mabel and Naughty Mabel Sees it All, co-written by Lane and his husband, Devlin Elliott. “I love these books,” says Lane. “They’re charming and fun and cheeky and beautifully illustrated. There’s always something to keep the parents amused. Of course, they’ll also have to explain who Bette Davis was, but I think that’s something all children should learn early anyway.”
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Story Monsters Ink | January 2018 | StoryMonsters.com
Feature Cover Story
photo by Luke Fontana StoryMonsters.com | January 2018 | Story Monsters Ink
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Feature Cover Story
The books were inspired by the couple’s own dog, Mabel. “Devlin and I joke about our overprivileged dog, ‘Mabel of the Hamptons,’ all the time,” says Lane. “Sometimes we travel in black Town Cars and Mabel has become very accustomed to that mode of transportation. When I would take her out for a walk, very often she would see a black Town Car and every single time, she would start to drag me towards it, as if she were late for a movie premiere. I said to Devlin, ‘She’s so pampered, she thinks every black Town Car in the world is there for her.’ And he thought it was a good idea for a children’s book.” The pair decided to run with the concept and shopped the idea to publishers, eventually signing a two-book deal with Simon and Schuster. In Naughty Mabel, she crashes her parents’ fancy party. In Naughty Mabel Sees it All, she finds out that she needs glasses in order to see correctly. The message of both Naughty Mabel books is about family, togetherness, and unconditional love, even for fancy canines who misbehave. “I loved the first book and I’m equally proud of the second one,” says Lane. “The illustrations are amazing. Dan Krall is just so incredibly talented.” Working so closely together on a project can be stressful for couples. Lane says he and Elliott kept things light when it came to writing. “It was fun for
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Story Monsters Ink | January 2018 | StoryMonsters.com
us because we didn’t take it too seriously,” Lane says. “It’s a book about a glamorous little French bulldog. How serious can you be? He would sit down and write a draft and I would sit down and write a draft and then we’d share our versions and sort things out.” Lane says his biggest challenge in writing the story was his tendency to play to the adults who would be reading the book to children. “I really wanted to entertain the parents,” he says. “Devlin would have to remind me that I had to make some concession to the fact that children are going to be reading the book. He said we couldn’t keep making references to Martha Stewart.”
Feature Cover Story
There’s plenty of material in both Naughty Mabel books to keep children entertained. In particular, they will undoubtedly giggle when Mabel passes gas in a particularly voluminous way that sends the party guests in a mad dash for the door, gasping for air. “French bulldogs are infamous for their flatulence,” says Lane. “It’s part of the breed, along with snoring. To us it’s funny, so we put it in the book. We deal with it all the time.” Lane says the way Krall illustrated the noxious gas, depicting it as a green fog, was especially effective. “Of course, the kids love that,” Lane says. Lane says he’s enjoyed his foray into writing for children, but he’s eager to return to the stage. He’ll be appearing on Broadway in March, portraying the complex and controversial Roy Cohn in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Set in the 1980s during the height of the AIDS crisis, the play blends factual history and characters with other-worldly forces of ghosts and angels. Lane says he’s thrilled to be involved with the play, which is written in two parts: Millennium Approaches and Perestroika. “It’s one of the greatest plays of the 20th century,” says Lane. “It’s a masterpiece. That type of thing just doesn’t come along every day. When you get these opportunities, you leap at them.”
villain of the week,” he says. “I had a great time doing that. I’m a big fan of James Spader.” According to Lane, more and more film and television stars are venturing onto the stage. “Everyone winds up coming to the theater because the greatest writers in the world are in theater,” he says. “From William Shakespeare to Tennessee Williams to today, theater has the best writers and the most interesting roles.” Additionally, says Lane, theater tends to be more forgiving about the aging process. “Hollywood is much tougher on older actors,” he says. “In theater, there are tons of great parts, even as you get older. I’m asked to do roles in the theater that I wouldn’t get asked to do in a movie or on TV.” Lane simply thrives in the theater. “It’s where I feel the most at home,” he says. “It’s the most satisfying for me as an actor because there’s a live audience and because you’re in control. You tell the story from the beginning to the end. No one can yell, “Cut!” No one can edit you. To make it seem new and fresh and authentic over and over again, seven or eight times a week, is the most thrilling challenge as an actor.” Naughty Mabel and Naughty Mabel Sees it All are available on Amazon.
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Inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2008, the Tony, Obie, and Olivier Award-winning actor is right at home on the stage, most notably in The Producers, The Iceman Cometh, The Addams Family, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Guys and Dolls. Equally impressive is his list of film and TV roles, which has garnered him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and numerous awards. He has captured our hearts in over 35 films, including The Birdcage, The Producers, The Lion King, MouseHunt, and Stuart Little. He’s had recurring television roles, such as the flamboyant Pepper Saltzman on Modern Family and as prominent defense attorney F. Lee Bailey in the FX series American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson. Lane was also recently featured on the 100th episode of The Blacklist in a role written especially for him. “I’m the StoryMonsters.com | January 2018 | Story Monsters Ink
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