With that in mind, we talked with a handful of local authors with works released last year about their latest accomplishments, and what’s up next for them.
Erin Dionne, Framingham (preteen novelist)
Notes from an Accidental Band Geek
A little bit about it: In Dionne’s third novel for the age group, teenager Elsie Wyatt, an orchestral musician, discovers that in order to qualify for the prestigious summer music camp she longs to attend, she must join her school’s marching band, known for its peculiar rituals, inscrutable traditions, and overall geeky reputation.
Local roots: ‘‘Two of my three books are set in the Boston area. This one takes place in a fictional [village] of Newton. My main character is trying out for a summer music program based on Tanglewood. And her father plays in the BSO.’’
Her day job: Assistant professor at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly
What led up to this book: ‘‘I participated in marching band in high school and at Boston College. Being part of a school marching band is a bizarre experience that a lot of people don’t know about. After my first two books sold, my former editor said she would love it if someone wrote a novel set amidst a school marching band. While this book includes a lot of the experiences I had as part of a band, including marching in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, which we did while I was at BC, it’s not a story about me. I played piccolo and flute; my main character plays brass. She’s standoffish and prickly and snobbish; I am not.’’
What she reads: ‘‘I’min the middle of a short story collection called ‘The Chronicles of Harris Burdick’ by Chris Van Allsburg. I just finished ‘The Night Circus’ by Erin Morgenstern.’’
What’s in store for 2012: Dionne’s first project is to deliver her second child, due this month. After that, she’ll be completing her next age-group novel, scheduled for publication in 2013.
Sara Hoagland Hunter, Weston (children’s author)
The Lighthouse Santa
