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Teen Read Week: Guest Post by David Simms– “Teens with Disabilities and the Power of Music”

 


David Simms is the author of Dark Muse, a dark fantasy for young adults released earlier this year. Dark Muse focuses on the journeys of four friends with a variety of disabilities, brought together by their love of music, as they search for the protagonist’s older brother in a fantastic realm where music is alive.

He’s also a special education teacher, a musician who belongs to the Killer Thriller Band, and a reviewer for MonsterLibrarian.  For Teen Read Week, I asked David if he would share his thoughts on writing about disability in YA fiction and the power of music to change teens’ lives.

For more on representations of disability in YA fiction, check out the blog Disability in KidLit (link).

 

Teens with Disabilities and the Power of Music 

By David Simms

My first novel, Dark Muse, was released a few months ago, realizing a lifelong dream. It’s exciting that a publisher enjoyed it enough to sign me, and receiving high praise from both colleagues I respect, and, most importantly, from my readers, is enough to keep me smiling for years. I see that smile reflected in the eyes of students I work with every day, who remind me why I wrote the tale in the first place.

 

If someone had told me a decade ago that my first novel would be young adult, I would’ve laughed. However, marrying music and kids with disabilities seemed to happen by itself. Writing from the misfit’s point of view wasn’t exactly rocket science for me. I was a small kid until almost 17 and only felt at home when playing music with my friends, much like Muddy, Poe, Corey, and Otis, the teens who form the Accidentals. The Accidentals bond together and find resiliency, as they often push each other to bring out the best they have, and many times, that strength displays itself in music.

 

Dark Muse centers around the mythology of “the crossroads”, an old blues legend that a musician playing at the crossroads of Memphis would summon the devil and could make a deal for fame and fortune, but I wanted to change it up a bit. What if by playing your heart out there, you’d be transported to a world where music came alive, where the inspiration for many classic rock songs still lived? Creatures threaten the band of four in a gauntlet which includes a “stairway” to somewhere, “smoke” on the water, and an “iron man.”

 

I noticed that I’d never heard of a novel with teens with disabilities as protagonists before, at least none without using it as a novelty device. I wanted to celebrate my students (many of whom now make more money than me)! After teaching for special education for several years, I had volumes of experience to draw from, and hundreds of great kids from which to draw characters. All of the teens in Dark Muse stem from past students, of all backgrounds and musical persuasions. Muddy, Poe, Corey, and Otis fight through their demons, which include disabilities or their place in life. For example, Poe is nearly blind and Otis, the drummer extraordinaire, couldn’t be more fragile with brittle bone syndrome. Yet when they’re in the land of the crossroads, their disabilities fade. Instead of using it as an easy fix, though, each learns how to tap into inner strength to rise above adversity in our world. Muddy, the protagonist, has a father and brother who are technically more talented than him, yet his drive and purpose propel him much further than both. Dark Muse is just as much about the teens fighting daily just to survive in a school setting as it is a dark, mythological adventure.
Unfortunately, many public schools still have not picked up on the fact that not everyone learns–and tests—in the same way. “Respect differences and tolerate all – except when it comes to test scores” seems to be the mantra of many in government. Thankfully, many teachers and some administrators, like mine, understand the difference. I think that more teens, those with disabilities and those without, would flock to books more often if they could relate to characters similar to them. Just look at Harry Potter. It isn’t the magic or creatures that resonate with the millions—many books for kids have similar plots and setups. It is the characters. Harry, Ron, and Hermione weren’t the cool kids–not at first, anyway. Readers got to grow up with them, flaws and all. Dark Muse is no Potter, but I hope to reach kids who battle daily with problems of all kinds, whether they’re disabled or just having trouble fitting into that odd-shaped contraption that is our society.

 

My students are proof that success for all is possible if the dream is strong enough, and music (and other arts) give teens the opportunity to discover that they have amazing, magical powers. In fact, my favorite song, Triumph’s “Magic Power” is all about the power of music in young people’s lives. It’s a great song because it’s all about how music can cut through everything that’s going on.

 

I hope that in my future efforts I can continue to create characters based on those I’ve had the pleasure of working with, and develop unique ones that make readers feel they’re not alone in the halls and lunchrooms, at dances and sports, or in the dating scene. Of course, my characters just might have to survive in an even more twisted setting. I’m looking forward to revisiting the band many more times if readers enjoy them!

 

Posted on October 16, 2013 by , Reply

David B. Silva– In Memoriam

 

Three widely respected men who were writers of horror fiction died in March: David B.  Silva, Rick Hautala, and James Herbert. All three of these writers made a considerable impact on the horror genre, and on many of the individuals who counted them as mentors and friends.

One of  these was Dave Simms, a reviewer for MonsterLibrarian, who can trace the beginnings of his path as a reviewer and writer back to early (and consistent) encouragement from David Silva. Dave generously offered to share his thoughts and feelings about the impact of David’s life, and death, on his own life, and I hope you’ll read his heartfelt tribute.

 

David B. Silva–In Memoriam

by David Simms

 

Clichés are clichés for a reason. There’s usually some degree of truth and accuracy to them. The one which states that sometimes people come into another’s life for a reason is one that I’ve wrestled with for years. It can be an easy excuse for the departure of someone who meant something important – or it can be spot on in describing someone like David B. Silva.

There are people who aid others in their journeys, those who forge his or her own paths, and those who serve as a catalyst for greater things than themselves.  David’s role in life encompassed all three.  March saw not only his passing, but those of James Herbert and Rick Hautala, all of whom I knew to varying degrees. Each had an impact on my writing, and impressed on me a memory or two which will stick in my soul forever.

The full impact of their departures did not hit me until last week when a close friend, my college roommate, nearly died of a freak occurrence. As I prayed for his recovery, the words I had been searching for in writing of David finally came to me.  Thankfully, my friend pulled through, and left me with an even greater appreciation of the little things in life.

Many in the horror genre will remember David for his creation of The Horror Show, a magazine which followed OMNI and The Twilight Zone, and which influenced Cemetery Dance and many others.  Many have credited him with getting their feet in the door. While it showcased all the big names, The Horror Show also introduced the world to many newcomers who eventually carved their name in history, many in Stoker statues.

Too few know him as an author. Novels such as All The Lonely People and Come Thirteen showed his lyrical, understated style but it was his Stoker-winning short story, “The Calling” which resonated with me the longest. That story, written in response to his own mother’s death, emerged in the first Borderlands anthology, epitomized his haunting voice with a tale about an all too real evil. He followed this with Hellnotes, a weekly online newsletter about the genre, complete with interviews, trivia contests, and book reviews.

This is where he and I first connected.  As a Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit geek, I jumped every week at the contest. I believed I annoyed the heck out of David by winning several times and waiting for the mail to see how cool the prize was that he sent, usually a rare mag or novel by someone I hadn’t heard of, but should have.

A few years later, he posted a note that he was looking for a reviewer or two.  Again, I jumped. Instead of shooting down the nobody I was (and still kinda am!), he asked for a sample and quickly mailed me a book to try. Within a week, he had the review in his inbox and posted it immediately. I wrote to him and asked if it was okay. Within minutes, he answered, stating it was what he was hoping for and asked what else I would like to read and review. This relationship lasted until he took a break from Hellnotes, and it gave me the opportunity to fall into reviewing for Horror World, Cemetery Dance, Monster Librarian, and FearNet.

At the same time, my stories had begun to pop up in a few anthologies, and David read a couple. Waiting on his critique often was stressful, as I knew he had worked with several icons of the business. Yet he took the anxiety out of the equation, offering his praise and comments. Even his criticism sounded positive to my ears.

As the release of my first novel grows near and I turn in the second, beginning work on the third, I think of Dave Silva.  I wish I could send him samples to hear what he thinks.  I wish I could email him about trying new techniques. I wish for several things but am left only reality.  Maybe if I put my ear to the wind, I’ll hear “the calling” once more.

 

David Simms’ first novel, Dark Muse, will be released  in June.

 

Posted on April 17, 2013 by , Reply
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