This issue tells you about Indie Author Day and my AI panel, updates on my work in progress, and Part 1 of a two-part interview with school librarian Amanda Prosin. 

Congratulations to the winners of the Amiga Goodreads giveaway. Please be sure to leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon. Your feedback greatly helps.

If you haven't gotten your copy of Amiga, you can find it wherever books are sold. Learn more about this novel on my Amiga page.

The first draft is telling yourself the story. The second draft is making the story complete.

My challenge in the second draft of Escape from Arzack's Castle is to make sure Julie and her four coworkers all of have a distinctive personality, voice, set of goals, and character arc as they go through a dangerous recreation of a classic video game. In the scene pictured above, Julie leads the team to defeat a group of monsters. But she finds victory causes another set of problems.

In those battles with monsters and other dangers, I look for ways to make the situation more dire for my heroes. In a scene where they must go down what is an endless shortcut, I added crash outs and arguments among the characters while their torches are running out of fuel.  

Another part of writing this story is connecting once again with my favorite all-time computer, the Commodore Amiga. I used emulation software when I wrote my novel Amiga. Coming soon, there will be a new way to enjoy this innovative machine. Retro Games, makers of modern versions of a number of classic computers, just announced TheA1200. This machine is based on the Amiga 1200 that came out in 1992.

TheA1200 features a full-size keyboard, 25 classic games, Workbench (the Amiga operating system), and the ability to add other programs from a USB drive. It comes with a classic Amiga tank mouse and a game pad. The price is great too. The complete system sells for $189.99 in the US.

TheA1200 ships in June with pre-orders starting November 10.  

I can't wait to show you the role the Amiga plays in Escape from Arzack's Castle. Follow my newsletter for the latest updates.

At Indie Author Day, I will moderate a panel discussion, "AI—Does It Have a Place in the Writers' World?" I will be joined by authors and experts in the field to talk about generative AI and how it affects authors, publishers, and readers.

Indie Author Day will be at the Anaheim Central Library on Saturday, November 15 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Join us for a full day of discussions and readings, and meet me and other local authors. Visit the City of Anaheim website for updates.

Libraries are where children can develop a love of reading. That's why school libraries are a vital resource, especially for students who don't have easy access to books. School libraries also provide important services like tutoring, study rooms, and just a quiet place to relax.

As part of its major renovation, Reseda Charter High School (RCHS) in Reseda, California moved and expanded its library. I spoke with the school's librarian, Amanda Prosin, about the challenges of opening a new school library, the process of maintaining and expanding a book collection, and the services a library provides. In Part 2, which I'll publish in next month's newsletter, we'll discuss her efforts to teach students about media literacy and battling disinformation.

When I went to Reseda, the library was at the front of the school, near the Administration building. In the remodel, it was moved to the center of the school, next to the cafeteria. Why was the library moved? How will this change how the library is used?

I do not have any actual insight into the decision why the library was moved. However, when I started at Reseda, the library was in the original location. I think this [new] location is much better because the library should be the heart of the school and this location is in the middle of everything. The old location was on the edge of campus. Nothing except the administration building was near the library. Now, it is across from the cafeteria, attached to the student store, and near the auditorium and both gyms. Plus, the college office is inside the library. Therefore, more students walk through the library and near the library.

When the library was moved, were you able to keep all the books from the old library? How do you decide which books to keep and which to donate or discard?

Before the library books were boxed up, I went through and weeded the library books. We had about 20,000 books in the old library, many of which were outdated, old, unused, and ugly.

I knew that the library was going to be moved to a small, temporary building during construction, so any books I kept and could not fit in there would be in storage and unused for the duration of construction. At the time, the previous principal told me that we did not have storage space. A school library is not an archive. That means that we do not want to keep everything just because. We want the books to be used.

This means that part of my job is to remove books that are no longer circulating, have out-of-date information, are ugly, and irrelevant. In February 2020, the average age of the collection was 1993. Now it’s smaller, but the average age of the library collection is 2013. This is still over 10 years old, but keep in mind that it includes classics we have had for many years, bringing the age down. Plus, we no longer have a reference section. But we have more up-to date information because all students have access to the Los Angeles Public Library Research Databases. Thus, our library books do not need to focus as much on that type of information and can focus on high interest fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, and manga.

How do you decide which books to add to a school library?

Luckily, in 2023, all of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) received money to refresh and update our libraries. Because I was still in the temporary library space, I am still working on unboxing and processing those new books.

As a teacher-librarian, I choose books carefully. It is not just about what is popular or new. I do want those books, but I also want books that will support our curriculum and programs at our school. For example, because we have a game design pathway in the science magnet, I try to find books that will support those learners–books on coding, game design, video game development and maps, creating stories, game design careers.

I also want to find books that are inclusive and have diverse viewpoints. I want our students to be able to see themselves in books (mirrors) and see others’ lives and experiences in books (windows).

In addition, RCHS is now 6th through 12th grade. We have Newcomer English learners, Special Education students, bilingual students, and gifted students, so we need books to meet all of these needs. Therefore, the library has picture books, bilingual books, high interest books at lower reading levels, classics, some adult books, books in Spanish, Russian, and Arabic among other books.

LAUSD has a collection development policy and as a teacher-librarian, I also look at professional reviews.

If an indie author has a book they want to see in a school library, what is the best way for them to go about having it included?

Does this mean self-published books without ISBNs? I am not sure how to include those in the library, but if a book has an ISBN, there is a way to add it to the catalog.

Oftentimes, they send them to school libraries. If the librarian wants to include that book in the library, they need to complete a form explaining that the book meets the LAUSD criteria and maybe include the special reason why the teacher librarian wants it included in the catalog. Then, it will get added downtown and the teacher librarian can barcode it.

For example, if I need to fill out the form for the book you wrote, I can show how it will add to our school community because it is published by an alumnus of our school and geared toward students.

Public libraries have become much more than a place to check out books. They’ve become places for study, community, and even a quiet place to relax. How does the redesign of the RCHS library fit how libraries are used today?

Our library is much more than a place to check out books as well. We have games and puzzles available. We have comfortable seating, rounded couches and movable tables a whiteboard available for students to use. There is a computer area and printing. We also have a book club. The college office is here as well.

Libraries are also a place for preserving and sharing a community’s history. How does the RCHS library preserve the school’s history, especially with the school’s 70th anniversary? I remember that the old library had copies of all the Talisman yearbooks.

We still have an archive of Reseda yearbooks. While things are changing at Reseda, and we have a mix of old and new buildings, Reseda is still a place where the students, teachers, and other stakeholders have a sense of pride and belonging. I hope that the new library becomes a focal point for this and a place of empowerment for our students.

School libraries face several challenges across the country, including book bans, parent challenges, and budget cuts. How do you deal with these challenges?

I luckily have not had to deal with a book challenge since starting in this role in 2020. However, LAUSD does have a policy for dealing with book challenges.

To be continued next month.

I've interviewed a number of authors including N.J. Mastro, Nicole Zelniker, Jann Alexander, Karen E. Osborne, Joseph Lewis, and Lucy McLaren. Recently, I interviewed bookstore owner Lonnie Owens.

If you are an author or someone associated with the book community who wants to be interviewed, send me an email to admin@matthewarnoldstern.com with the following information:

• Your name.
• A brief bio (100 words or less).
• Your books.
• What you would like to talk about in your interview.

By supporting each other, we can all grow!

I hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. If you have any comments and suggestions, feel free to email me at admin@matthewarnoldstern.com. 

If there is someone who you think would enjoy this newsletter, pass it along and encourage them to subscribe. A simple subscription form is on my website.

I'll be in touch again next month with more news and content.