Setting Isn't Just Adjectives (Plus a Cover Reveal!) with Celesta Rimington
And a bucket list author event crossed off!
From the Writing Desk:
Hello from the land of the sky-gators.
Things have definitely warmed up quite a bit here in the sunshine state. We’re back to step-outside-and-immediately-need-a-shower weather.
And inside, at the air-conditioned writing desk, things are plugging along.
The adult novel continues to be slow but sure. I’ve been watching some Golden Girls for inspiration, and I really hope one of these years this book will be A Thing that I can share with y’all For Real.
On the kid lit front, I’ve been trying to be thoughtful and deliberate about narrowing in on next projects. And I think we’re getting close. Very close. More soon.
And there’s been some really fun stuff this last month:
Monster Tree was selected for the 2025 Kansas NEA Reading Circle List which is a really tremendous honor. And it’s also finalist for the Association of Mormon Letters award and a Whitney Award in the middle grade categories, along with the likes of Josh Allen (no relation, sadly) and Jennifer Nielsen. These particular awards are something really special to me, and it means a lot. Sometimes its hard to tell what the response is to a book, so things like this really, really do make all the difference for us kid lit writers.
I also got to go to one of the coolest school events ever. And I mean cool. A local elementary school honors students who read all 15 books on the SSYRA list with author visits and a limo ride to a pizza place. I truly just lucked out that I’m nearby and they asked me to join, along with incredible authors like James Ponti, Peter Raymundo, Taryn Souders, and Christina Farley. It was such an amazing day, riding in a limo with a bunch of fifth graders. There were lots of signs that the kids are all right, but especially when they asked for Michael Jackson music. Mad, mad props to teachers, media specialists, and school admins who are doing the most important work. These kiddos will have this seed of reading joy forever.
These kinds of way cool state list, awards noms, and school event things don’t happen every day, or every month, so I’m super, super grateful.
And now I’m going to go keep listening to
’s Spotify playlist of good songs for kids.What are you working on this month?
Onward!
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Setting Isn't Just Adjectives (Plus a Cover Reveal!) with Celesta Rimington
I’ll be honest…setting isn’t something I spend a ton of time thinking about. When it comes to craft, I spend more of my time being excited about characters or angsting about plot. (Grrr plot). So when I have writing friends who’s ideas often start with setting, I’m automatically curious.
Enter Celesta Rimington! Not only does she have fantastic settings in her books that are integral to the story, she has a new book coming out that is also about a sentient, kind of terrifying tree. So yep, we HAD to have Celesta on this month.
Celesta Rimington is the award-winning author of magical middle grade books. Her debut novel The Elephant’s Girl won the 2020 Reading the West Book Award and has been recommended on multiple state library association lists and readers’ choice lists. She was also one of my co-writers on our book, Tools Not Rules: A Writing Guide for Young Creatives. Celesta is one of the best school presenters I know, so teachers and media specalists, you really want to get her in your classroom.
And keep reading for the gorgeous, incredible cover of her new novel, REACH!
Welcome, Celesta!
1. Often your ideas start with setting. How does that work? How do you go from setting inspiration to a story idea?
I do often get inspired by setting first! I think this happens because I connect sensory details to memories and emotions, and then those seem to fill and inhabit a space, providing mood and atmosphere for a story. I may start to think of the setting as a character, and this leads me to imagine the setting's backstory and the possibility for personality and motivations. Perhaps the setting has old wounds or holds a grudge. Maybe it has a sense of humor. Then, I'll let my mind wander to characters whose own backstories, personalities, and motivations could be either inspired by or heavily challenged by that setting. And that's often when the plot and themes show up for me.
2. Is this similar to the way you got the idea for Reach? How did that idea start?
This is very much how the idea for Reach began! I was hiking with my family in the mountains near my home, and as we moved through a dense section of evergreen trees, a strong pine fragrance plumped in the air around me. All the sensory details of that moment made me feel as though the trees were speaking to us with that burst of aroma. I noticed the emotions and memories connected to that experience and to other times I'd been in a forest of trees. I began building a backstory for the forest, for the single tree that may have been responsible for the fragrance, and for characters who might be at odds in such a forest.
3. Some writers might view setting as simply lots of adjectives or lush descriptions. Is setting more than that, and how can we make it more in our own writing?
I like to focus at least one full revision with an eye on how the setting serves the overall story. I make sure that setting details are there for an important reason other than just to be lovely (although we writers do adore lovely writing!) It helps to remember that setting details can forward the plot by showing the passage of time and by adding to conflict and character growth. Setting can support the theme, give tone and mood, and force change. It can be so much more than the backdrop. It can have a personality. Setting can be the platform that holds the entire story.
4. Do you have a line or paragraph of setting from Reach that you're particularly proud of that you'd be willing to share with us?
Aw, that is a fun question! Many of the setting-rich passages in Reach will give away important surprises, so I'll share a brief one. At this moment, the main character Denver is worried about his magically transformed younger brother but also at a loss for how to solve the personal problems he faces. This setting glimpse reveals something that affects the plot, contributes to conflict, and reflects Denver's conflicting emotions.
"The early-evening summer sun washed the clearing and Spiro’s branches in gold. . . I pushed away from the stump. I’d only noticed the dead wood and the blackened parts before. Now something else caught my attention—a tiny hole in the center of the stump, where the dead wood had cracked and split. I glimpsed a hint of green, so I leaned closer. Somehow, a small part inside the stump was green with life." --REACH, by Celesta Rimington
Thank you so, so much Celesta! Make sure you check out Celesta’s website and preorder REACH!
What I’m Reading:
I love when I find a writer whose voice is so delightful that I automatically want to read all of their work. That happened this month with Rob Harrell’s illustrated middle grade novel, The Life of Zarf. It’s pitched as Shrek meets Dork Diaries, which is absolutely perfect. I loved every bit of it.
What I’m Watching: Am I over my awkward/gruff British detective phase? No, nor shall I ever be. And Endeavor is interesting, because it’s actually the ensemble around the main, awkward British detective that’s the real draw. I’m basically in love with every single person Morse works with in this show. In fact, am I naming my newest middle grade character after one of them? Well…
If Lin-Manuel Mirando Wrote Defying Gravity: I hate this and I love this so much.
What I’m Drawing: Also maybe there could be a Best Seller List Elf and a Pajama Gnome?
Also check out the bookish swag I’ve got up for sale in my new little swag shop!
"Let's have no fighting, please. This is, after all, a council of war."
-Jingo by Terry Pratchett
Writing Opportunity: “We're asking for your tales again, this time not for Graveside Press, but for GRADEside Stories! Gradeside is your haunted carnival for the tales geared toward younger readers—still spooky, but with a little restraint.”
Unknown deadline, so get it in soon!
Teacher’s Table
Some goodies especially for the teachers:
Very interesting article about tech in the classroom, via
: Luddite Pedagogy: It’s OK to Ignore AI in Your TeachingEverything needed to get your young writers started is here in Tools Not Rules: A Writing Guide for Young Creatives.
Free activity sheets for teachers and librarians to keep at your desk or use in or between lessons! More added all the time, so check back regularly.
I would love to do an author visit with your class! Reach out to me via my website and let’s schedule something.
You guys are rock stars!
Thanks for coming along everyone! The best way to support is to 1) subscribe, 2) get a copy of the book bebes, and 3) keep glowing, you shining star you.
-Sarah
Wonderful stuff here! Congrats on the limo ride and honors...so fun! Celesta's book sounds great - we met in Georgia last March and it's fun to see the two of you here together!
Good writing, I like it. You have written a writing that opens the mindset of writers to be more passionate in creating.