My blog is http://colleennelson.blogspot.com
The Fall
Before Luke came into his life, all Ben cared about was skateboarding, and whether his father would ever remember that he was alive. Then there was Luke, and it felt like he was being carried along on some sort of wave. But then Luke died, and everyone at school thinks it’s his fault. Maybe it is.
The Fall charts the lives of three boys as they deal with the death of their friend and brother. One turns to alcohol to escape his guilt. Another looks to a gang to replace what he’s lost. Ben needs to find a way to reconcile his role in Luke’s death and prove that he was not to blame. He must also learn that the man he will become is his to define.
Shortlist Selection for the Ontario Library Association's 2014 White Pine Award
Winner of 2014 McNally Robinson Book of the Year for Young People
Selected as a Canadian Children's Book Centre '2013 Best Books for Teens'
Available from Great Plains Books
Praise for 'The Fall' from Canadian Children's Book News, Autumn 2013
"In her second novel for young adults, Nelson masterfully explores
the ways in which boys cope with tragedy and grief...
The novel is perfectly paced, and the seriousness of the issues
such as abuse, bullying and alcoholism are offset by lighter action
scenes describing Ben’s skateboarding tricks. Covering ground
seldom seen in YA literature, this novel is one that will generate
discussion and is a necessary addition to any high school
classroom shelf."
The Fall charts the lives of three boys as they deal with the death of their friend and brother. One turns to alcohol to escape his guilt. Another looks to a gang to replace what he’s lost. Ben needs to find a way to reconcile his role in Luke’s death and prove that he was not to blame. He must also learn that the man he will become is his to define.
Shortlist Selection for the Ontario Library Association's 2014 White Pine Award
Winner of 2014 McNally Robinson Book of the Year for Young People
Selected as a Canadian Children's Book Centre '2013 Best Books for Teens'
Available from Great Plains Books
Praise for 'The Fall' from Canadian Children's Book News, Autumn 2013
"In her second novel for young adults, Nelson masterfully explores
the ways in which boys cope with tragedy and grief...
The novel is perfectly paced, and the seriousness of the issues
such as abuse, bullying and alcoholism are offset by lighter action
scenes describing Ben’s skateboarding tricks. Covering ground
seldom seen in YA literature, this novel is one that will generate
discussion and is a necessary addition to any high school
classroom shelf."
Tori by Design
Tori Edwards jumps at the chance to move from Winnipeg, MB to New York City with her family. After all, NYC is the place to be for an aspiring fashion designer, and her new high school offers a Fashion Institute of Technology internship to the most promising candidate. Life is fuller and more chaotic than imagined, but she hangs on between boy-troubles, portfolio-building, and struggling to find perfect accessories. Then, just as it looks like Tori might achieve all she has dreamed, shocking news from her parents unravel her carefully designed plans and she is forced to look beyond the pages of a fashion magazine for answers.
Nominated for the 2012 Saskatchewan Young Readers Choice Award
Winner of the 2012 McNally Robinson Book of the Year for Young People Award.
Available from Great Plains Books.
Nominated for the 2012 Saskatchewan Young Readers Choice Award
Winner of the 2012 McNally Robinson Book of the Year for Young People Award.
Available from Great Plains Books.
About the Books
I grew up loving books. It wasn't until I was on a maternity leave from teaching that I thought about writing. Taking a course on Writing for Children through the Manitoba Writers Guild opened my eyes to the genre of Young Adult fiction. After teaching grade 8 for ten years and living with my three teen-age step-children, I felt comfortable writing for this age group. Tori by Design started as a homework assignment for the writing class. Tori by Design was inspired by my years spent in New York. My husband works in NYC and I've spent time on and off visiting and living there. I thought the idea of a girl from Winnipeg finding her way in a city like New York would make a compelling story. After five years, countless re-writes, and one great editor (Anita Daher), I was able to hold a published book in my hands!
I started writing my second book, The Fall, because I wanted to write a book that my sons (I had a second child while writing Tori) would read when they got older. This book deals with the lives of four teen-age boys after a tragic accident. Grieving is difficult at any age, but being a teenager complicates the situation. As a junior high teacher, I watched first-hand as the students at my school dealt with the death of a classmate. It was from this experience that the idea for The Fall originated.
I watched my students experience a life-changing event in different ways. Some of the boys seemed to bottle up their emotions, putting a stopper on expressing their grief. While the girls at my school wept openly and spent lunch hours gathered together in the cafeteria talking about their feelings. Other groups of boys acted nonchalant about their pain, some even reveling in the newfound attention they received since they'd witnessed their friend's death.
Each of the character's in the book deals with grief in their own way. One finds solace in a gang, looking to lose himself in another kind of hurt, to punish himself for witnessing not just his friend's death, but another tragic event a few years before. Another, the brother of the victim, turns inward, shutting out his family, even though they are the only ones who can save him as he deals with the guilt of being unable to save his brother. The third character, younger than the others, tries to process what he has witnessed and what it means going forward for him. Unable to ask for help, he turns to his passion: skateboarding, ignoring the swirling blame that surrounds him as he is targeted by classmates for his part in his friend's death.
While the events I experienced were real and tragic, no part of this book is meant to reflect the students at my school, or their families. It is a work of fiction and should be read as such. I have, however, tried to write as accurately as possible the way young people handle traumatic events.
I started writing my second book, The Fall, because I wanted to write a book that my sons (I had a second child while writing Tori) would read when they got older. This book deals with the lives of four teen-age boys after a tragic accident. Grieving is difficult at any age, but being a teenager complicates the situation. As a junior high teacher, I watched first-hand as the students at my school dealt with the death of a classmate. It was from this experience that the idea for The Fall originated.
I watched my students experience a life-changing event in different ways. Some of the boys seemed to bottle up their emotions, putting a stopper on expressing their grief. While the girls at my school wept openly and spent lunch hours gathered together in the cafeteria talking about their feelings. Other groups of boys acted nonchalant about their pain, some even reveling in the newfound attention they received since they'd witnessed their friend's death.
Each of the character's in the book deals with grief in their own way. One finds solace in a gang, looking to lose himself in another kind of hurt, to punish himself for witnessing not just his friend's death, but another tragic event a few years before. Another, the brother of the victim, turns inward, shutting out his family, even though they are the only ones who can save him as he deals with the guilt of being unable to save his brother. The third character, younger than the others, tries to process what he has witnessed and what it means going forward for him. Unable to ask for help, he turns to his passion: skateboarding, ignoring the swirling blame that surrounds him as he is targeted by classmates for his part in his friend's death.
While the events I experienced were real and tragic, no part of this book is meant to reflect the students at my school, or their families. It is a work of fiction and should be read as such. I have, however, tried to write as accurately as possible the way young people handle traumatic events.
About Colleen
Most mornings, I wake up early, make a strong coffee and write for an hour or two before my kids wake up. And then, it's time for a run, when the morning air is crisp and the streets are quiet. Running helps me work through problems with the plot in a book, or develop a character. I have lots of other things on the go: teaching preschool, volunteering and looking after my family, but I try to carve out time to write every day.
This photo is from the Manitoba Book Awards when Tori by Design won The McNally Robinson Book of the Year for Young People Award. It was an exciting night!
This photo is from the Manitoba Book Awards when Tori by Design won The McNally Robinson Book of the Year for Young People Award. It was an exciting night!
School Visits
One of my favourite things about being an author is visiting schools to talk about writing. I've been able to share some special moments with students who normally aren't inclined to enjoy writing as they discover self-expression through paper and pen. I'd love to come to your school for a lunch- time book club, class presentation, teacher professional development or creative writing workshop. I can be contacted at cnelson10@shaw.ca to discuss what type of visit works for your class.
Here I am at a book signing at McNally Robinson in Winnipeg with local authors Kevin Marc Fournier, Duncan Thorton and Brenda Hasiuk.
Here I am at a book signing at McNally Robinson in Winnipeg with local authors Kevin Marc Fournier, Duncan Thorton and Brenda Hasiuk.
