Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Another Miserable Love Song
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.brookecarter.com/
CITY:
STATE: BC
COUNTRY: Canada
NATIONALITY: Canadian
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in British Columbia, Canada.
EDUCATION:University of British Columbia, M.F.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
WRITINGS
Also, author of the poetry chapbook, Poco Loco (Anstruther Press). Contributor of articles, poems, and stories to magazines and literary journals.
SIDELIGHTS
Brooke Carter is a Canadian writer of young adult novels, poetry, and short stories. Her work has appeared in magazines and literary journals. She has also released a poetry chapbook called Poco Loco. Carter holds a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from the University of British Columbia.
In 2016, Carter released her first young adult novel, Another Miserable Love Song. In this volume, protagonist Kallie Echo, known as Misery Girl, is turning eighteen. On her previous birthdays, she has watched The Outsiders with her father. However, she will have to watch the movie alone this year because her dad has recently died after a long fight against cancer. Kallie’s mother is not in her life, and now that her dad is gone, Kallie worries that she may become homeless. Her life changes when her friend, Jamie, asks her to join her punk band. The band changes its name to Misery Girl and begins writing hit songs. Kallie is the lead singer, and she loves being a member of the group. Jamie reveals that she is going to transition to become male and that she has always been in love with Kallie. Kallie realizes that she has feelings for Jamie, as well, and they become a couple. Meanwhile, Misery Girl is garnering more and more new fans. A management team asks the band to record a studio album. The members of Misery Girl are thrilled to have the opportunity to record together. However, Kallie hears a private conversation between Mike, one of the managers, and another person that disturbs her. Mike wants to find a different backing band for Kallie because he worries about customers’ responses to Jamie’s transgender status. Kallie is upset by Mike’s suggestions regarding Jamie and confronts him about it. The confrontation becomes violent when Kallie hits Mike in the head with a flask. Kallie tells her bandmates about her conflict with Mike. Soon, another member of their management team, Johnny, contacts the band members to tell them that Mike’s thoughts are not those of the rest of the management team. Johnny reveals that he fired Mike and that he wants to record their album with the current members of the band. While Misery Girl is gearing up to play a string of gigs, they begin receiving death threats. Johnny reassures the girls that security will protect them. However, Mike appears at the venue, attempting to attack Kallie. When Jamie steps in to protect her, he (Jamie) is mortally wounded.
Another Miserable Love Song received mixed reviews. A contributor to the Online version of Publishers Weekly criticized “the melodramatic and violent ending.” “Carter’s novel … packs a lot of action into its 127 pages,” asserted Penta Ledger on the CM Web site. Ledger concluded: “The ending of this novel is frustrating. After all that Kallie and Jamie go through to build their relationship, the too quick and final ending does not provide the catharsis needed to balance out the story’s trauma. A teenage reader may not appreciate having invested the time reading the novel, only to have so many unanswered questions at the end. The unexpected ending feels contrived but does force the reader to connect emotionally with Kallie and the many situations that a person can face. A rewritten ending and a sequel to this novel would be welcomed.” However, Resource Links writer Lesley Little noted that the book “holds the reader’s interest.” Little added: “There is depth to this truncated story and the author’s edgy delivery saves it from shallow breathiness.” Deanne Boyer, critic in Voice of Youth Advocates, remarked: “The writing is easy to understand with simple vocabulary, but loses nothing in complexity of plot and development of characters.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Resource Links, October, 2016, Lesley Little, review of Another Miserable Love Song, p. 28.
Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 2016, Deanne Boyer, review of Another Miserable Love Song, p. 66.
ONLINE
Brooke Carter Home Page, http://www.brookecarter.com/ (March 14, 2017).
CM, https://www.umanitoba.ca/ (June 10, 2016), Penta Ledger, review of Another Miserable Love Song.
Publishers Weekly Online, http://www.publishersweekly.com/ (June 27, 2016), review of Another Miserable Love Song.*
LC control no.: nb2015006421
Descriptive conventions:
rda
Personal name heading:
Carter, Brooke
Beginning date: 20
Associated country:
England
Located: Arnold (Nottinghamshire, England)
Field of activity: Illustration of books
Profession or occupation:
Illustrators
Found in: Colours and shapes, 2014: preliminaries (illustrator -
Brooke Carter)
Nottingham Post web site, viewed 27 March 2015 (Marie
Carter of Arnold submitted her final draft of
Shape-a-Mates colours and shapes on her 40th birthday
and appointed her daughter, Brooke Carter, to illustrate
the book)
================================================================================
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AUTHORITIES
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20540
Questions? Contact: ils@loc.gov
Brooke Carter is a Canadian author and poet. Visit her Goodreads or Amazon author pages for more information or connect with her on Twitter or Facebook.
Brooke Carter Author photo
Photo by Laura Housden
Brooke Carter was born and raised in beautiful British Columbia where she currently makes her home with her family. Writing and publishing novels for teens is her dream job, and she is especially proud of publishing stories that feature diverse characters.
She is a graduate of the UBC MFA Creative Writing program, and her stories, poems, and articles have appeared in literary journals and national magazines.
Brooke Carter is a Canadian author and poet. Her books include POCO LOCO (Anstruther Press), the YA novel ANOTHER MISERABLE LOVE SONG (Orca Book Publishers), and the forthcoming YA novels LEARNING SEVENTEEN and LUCKY BREAK (Orca Book Publishers).
For more information visit www.brookecarter.com or follow her on twitter @thebrookecarter
QUOTED: "holds the reader's interest."
"There is depth to this truncated story and the author's edgy delivery saves it from shallow breathiness."
Carter, Brooke: Another Miserable Love Song (Orca Soundings Series)
Lesley Little
22.1 (Oct. 2016): p28.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Resource Links
http://www.atcl.ca
[G/E]
CARTER, Brooke
Another Miserable Love Song (Orca Soundings Series)
Orca Book Publishers, 2016. 144p. Gr. 7-12. 978-1-459813120. Pbk. $9.95
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
This is Brooke Carter's first novel, and it is particularly suited to the Orca Soundings Series. It is contemporary and holds the reader's interest.
Kallie Echo's father has just died and her mother is not in the picture. Kallie faces life on the street until her friend Jamie, a drummer in an all-girl band, convinces her to join them. Misery Girl, Kallie's nickname, is now the band's new name and she is the new lead singer. What transpires is a thoroughly modern and realistic love story unencumbered by moralizing or politics. One could say the story's basic premise is that loss is evidence that at least there is something in your life to lose.
There is depth to this truncated story and the author's edgy delivery saves it from shallow breathiness. The title is a characteristic touch of the book's unadorned view of life balanced by a faith in abiding goodness, regardless of context. The story of the transitioning Jamie and her-then-his involvement with Kallie has a ring of genuine truth about it, although 1 did find his sudden death a disappointment. It would have been interesting to see how the pair fared musically and personally.
The author's knowledge of the contemporary music scene in Vancouver is exemplary and I won't even begin to presume to describe it.
Thematic Links: Music; Punk Rock; Grief; Love; Friendship; Relationships
[Good, even great in times, generally useful!
[A] Average, all right, has its applications
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Little, Lesley. "Carter, Brooke: Another Miserable Love Song (Orca Soundings Series)." Resource Links, Oct. 2016, p. 28. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA469756145&it=r&asid=65b1a913d322cb485f7ba40da604ba1d. Accessed 23 Feb. 2017.
QUOTED: "The writing is easy to understand with simple vocabulary, but loses nothing in complexity of plot and development of characters."
Gale Document Number: GALE|A469756145
Orca Soundings
Deanne Boyer
39.4 (Oct. 2016): p66.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
4Q * 3P * J * S * R
Orca Soundings. Orca, 2016, $9.95 Trade pb.
Carter, Brooke. Another Miserable Love Song. 144p. 978-1-4598-1312-0.
Payne, Mary Jennifer. Enough. 176p. 978-14598-1330-4.
In Another Miserable Love Song, Kallie Echo does not have a lot going for her in life. After her fathers death several months ago, Kallie is running a losing race against homelessness. When her friend Jamie convinces her to sing for her band, Kallie becomes the new darling of the local music scene. As Kallie begins to steal the show as "Misery Girl," she discovers how her pain dissipates through expressing it in music. In Enough, Lizzie runs away from home after her mother's boyfriend sexually harasses and rapes her. Lizzie finds a safe haven at her grandmother's house, but struggles with fear for her brother and dog's safety. As things get more violent and unstable at home, Lizzie secrets away her dog, but can only watch from the sidelines when her brother takes his safety into his own hands.
Both of these books are made up of short chapters, rapid plot development, and high-interest story lines. The writing is easy to understand with simple vocabulary, but loses nothing in complexity of plot and development of characters. These books deal with hard-hitting issues, such as handling abuse and grief, in a way that is realistic and relatable. Carter and Payne have written well-crafted engaging books that are also great choices for reluctant readers. These titles would be good choices for a middle-school or high-school library, as well as a public library setting.--Deanne Boyer.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Boyer, Deanne. "Orca Soundings." Voice of Youth Advocates, Oct. 2016, p. 66. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA467831113&it=r&asid=79501b4eb2124d501023dfa63238c00f. Accessed 23 Feb. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A467831113
QUOTED: "the melodramatic and violent ending."
Another Miserable Love Song
Brooke Carter. Orca, $9.95 trade paper (144p) ISBN 978-1-4598-1312-0
Kallie Echo, 18, still reeling from the recent death of her father, now has to figure out how to keep her Vancouver home in Carter’s debut novel, part of the Orca Soundings series, written at a fourth-grade reading level. Then Kallie is asked to join her friend Jamie’s all-girl punk band; before long, she is romantically entangled with Jamie, who is transitioning to life as a man. Despite some hiccups, the band starts to take off, but while readers will be drawn in by Carter’s electric descriptions of performing (“I opened my mouth... and pressed my lips to the mic, kissing the crosshatched metal.... A surge of power rose in my gut”), those excited by the tender trans love story that develops will likely be disappointed by the melodramatic and violent ending. Ages 12–up. (Aug.)
QUOTED: "Carter’s novel ... packs a lot of action into its 127 pages."
"The ending of this novel is frustrating. After all that Kallie and Jamie go through to build their relationship, the too quick and final ending does not provide the catharsis needed to balance out the story’s trauma. A teenage reader may not appreciate having invested the time reading the novel, only to have so many unanswered questions at the end. The unexpected ending feels contrived but does force the reader to connect emotionally with Kallie and the many situations that a person can face. A rewritten ending and a sequel to this novel would be welcomed."
CM . . . . Volume XXII Number 39. . . .June 10, 2016
cover
Another Miserable Love Song. (Orca Soundings).
Brooke Carter.
Victoria, BC: Orca, 2016.
127 pp., pbk., pdf & epub, $9.95 (pbk.).
ISBN 978-1-4598-1312-0 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-4598-1313-7 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4598-1314-4 (epub).
Grades 10-12 / Ages 15-17.
Review by Penta Ledger.
*** /4
Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy.
excerpt:
One morning I could barely stand the smell of all of the clothes I picked up, so I raided my dad’s closet. He had a faded purple Hendrix shirt that I loved. As I reached for it, a note fluttered down from the top shelf like a yellow, stiff-winged butterfly. As always, when I found echoes from my dad, my heart leaped with excitement. On the paper was a drawing of a star….
Just then I heard Jamie pull up outside and lay on the horn. I ignored her. My fingers trembled around the rim of the tin. I almost didn't dare open it, but I had to. Carefully I flipped up the lid. Inside were a lot of yellowed envelopes and slips of paper. I took the first one off the top. It was a piece of cereal box, and it had three words written on it in shaky script: I LOVE YOU
That’s all it said. I knew it was from my dad to me and that he must have written it during his final days at home I felt tears starting and hastily brushed them away when I hear Jamie come up to the door.
“Hey, Kallie,” she called. “You better not be asleep.” She opened the door into the little room and saw me sitting there crying, with the tin in my lap.
“Echoes?” she asked.
I nodded and sniffled a reply. “Mmm-hmm.”
…
Over breakfast Jamie was unusually quiet. There was something odd about her demeanor, and I couldn’t figure out what it was. I thought maybe she was nervous about the tour. We had all been working so hard, and she’d been planning the logistics with military precision. I had been worried she was getting obsessed.
“Kallie,” she said after a while. “I have something to tell you.”
The way she spoke sent chills up my spine….
“What is it, Jamie” I asked.
“I’m … I’m transitioning,” she said and looked down at her hands.
At first I didn’t know what to say, like my brain didn’t compute, and then I understood. Jamie, my Jamie, was going to be male. And when I understood that, it seemed like the most natural thing in the entire world.
It’s Kallie (Kalliope) Echo’s eighteenth birthday, and she should be watching The Outsiders with her dad, just like she has every other birthday – but now she has to watch it alone. After her dad’s long battle with cancer, Kallie is only left with secretly placed notes that they shared and called ‘echoes’. With her dad gone, her ‘deadbeat’ mother not on the scene, and facing homelessness, Kallie is inspired by her father’s dream of becoming a rock star and accepts a position as the lead singer in her friend, Jamie’s, punk rock band.
Kallie is a big hit as the singer for “Misery Girl” and is happy to be working with her best friends. In a late night conversation with Jamie, Kallie is surprised to learn that Jamie is transgender and is undergoing therapy to become male. Of course, Kallie is supportive and wants her friend to be happy, but what she doesn’t know is that Jamie is in love with her and always has been. When Kallie finds this out, she realizes the feelings are mutual and their relationship flourishes.
The band is becoming more popular, and they are approached by a manager and his partner who want to record them in studio. This is the break “Misery Girl” needs, and everyone is excited to record their first tracks. It doesn’t take long, however, for things to go wrong as Kallie overhears one of the managers, Mike, talking about finding new musicians to accompany Kallie since the world might not be ready for “someone like Jamie.” Furious, Kallie throws a flask at Mike, hits him in the head and runs outside to share what she heard with her band mates. Later, the main manager, Johnny, calls and assures the band that Mike has been fired and that he still wants to record with them.
With the new recordings, “Misery Girl” is booked to play three gigs at a nearby venue. Everyone is excited until they hear about death threats being posted on their social media sites. Johnny convinces them to do the show and brings in additional security just in case. The show is a success, and, as things are winding down, Kallie’s bodyguard steps out just long enough for Kallie to hear a knock at the door – Mike! With a knife in his hand, Mike threatens Kallie and is about to hurt her but is surprised by Jamie. In his frenzy, Mike wields around and stabs Jamie but is then restrained by the returning bodyguard. They call 9-1-1, but it will be too late for Jamie as he takes his last breath in Kallie’s arms.
Carter’s novel is a quick paced read that packs a lot of action into its 127-pages. Though some of the plot line seems forced, the novel is able to knit together weighty themes including transgender issues, dealing with death, finding love and substance abuse. Specifically, Carter’s presentation of transgender issues and how someone might experience them in real life are believable and may help readers understand these realities more deeply. Further, the novel provides an interesting glimpse into the music production industry that could be of interest to teenage readers who are interested in being in a band.
The several references to The Outsiders provides a framework for this novel. The deep themes of The Outsiders, including friendship and coming-of-age, are transferred to Carter’s novel successfully and enhance the overall meaning of the story.
The ending of this novel is frustrating. After all that Kallie and Jamie go through to build their relationship, the too quick and final ending does not provide the catharsis needed to balance out the story’s trauma. A teenage reader may not appreciate having invested the time reading the novel, only to have so many unanswered questions at the end. The unexpected ending feels contrived but does force the reader to connect emotionally with Kallie and the many situations that a person can face. A rewritten ending and a sequel to this novel would be welcomed.
Recommended.
Penta Ledger is a teacher-librarian at Gravenhurst High School in Gravenhurst, ON.