Brave New Words

Luuurve Post: The Breaking Dawn Movie & Me

2012-02-13T02:39:00.000-08:00

So I was one of those girls who fell fast and hard for Twilight when it first came out, avidly read (and re-read) the series, and was waiting at midnight for the release of the Breaking Dawn book when it came out. I went to an all night IHOP, got about 100 pages in and was like: oh no. Pregnant Bella? No, no, no, no, please don't be going there! I loved this series because it was all wish-fullfillment teenage romance before the complications of marriage and kids! And she's too young!!! Please, NO TEENAGERS HAVING BABIES!!!!!

But as we all know now, it went there:

Then when the movie came out last Fall, I was in a rough place personally, so while there some moments that were really gorgeous and awesome, I couldn't love it. I myself got engaged at 18 and married at 19. And there were some really hard times. All I could see when I first watched the movie were the potential hard times ahead that were maybe glossed over by this perfect wedding and happy ending feeling. I thought: they're too young to be pledging forever!

But I bought it today and watched it again with my husband (married ten years now, huzzah!), and with my personal stuff all sorted through, and expectation of Baby Plot from the beginning, I really enjoyed it. And from the box office numbers, it looks like a lot of other people did too.

I mean, it's got that slow, luscious wedding scene. Let's face it, we are wedding crazy in this country, and we got this fairy-tale wedding, completely tucked away in the forest with dripping flowers and a to-die-for dress. There were no bridezilla's, there were a few requisite funny/awkward family and friends moments, but it was pretty much perfect.

And then we got to go on the honeymoon and there was so much screen time devoted to the naked/semi-naked newlyweds getting it on or wanting badly to get it on! So much naked kissing! Where other movies would do one maybe quick sex scene, this movie draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaws iiiiiiiiiit ooooooooooooooout. I don't even know what to say about all that skin shown except: well, at least the actors are of age now!

And then there was Baby Plot, which I guess you can consider a metaphor for real life Hard Times as a Newlywed. Bella looks perfectly creepy as she gets more and more skeletal. I loved the gore of the birth scene too, but there was one moment in particular that really caught me and made me tear up. It's right after Edward hears the baby's thoughts (which should not be that coherent at this point, but I digress), and anyway, we finally get to see the tender bonding moment of them being a family together.

I couldn't find the exact still I was thinking of, but the scene starts here:

And then eventually they are snuggling on the couch together and finally laughing again for the first time since their honeymoon and I thought: ahhhhh, finally they get to enjoy each other.

So as I mentioned earlier, I've been married ten years. And there have been some ups and wicked downs, but in the end, having a partner in life and being able to laugh together with a person who knows you pretty completely is downright magical. It doesn't matter when you meet, what matters is the long haul together. So today I'm raising my glass to toast LOVE---something you don't just get to grasp hold of one day when you're wearing a pretty white dress, but the everyday magic of having someone to hold, for long as you both shall live.

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Heather Anastasiu is the author of GLITCH (St. Martin's Press/Summer 2012) Glitch in three words: Dystopia, Superpowers, & Love :) Check out my website for more news and updates.

All About Romance

2012-02-12T09:30:00.000-08:00

I'm a romantic at heart, which means I love any excuse to celebrate romance and watch romantic movies. Valentine's Day, and the whole month of February really, is a perfect excuse.

So in honor of Valentine's Day and because each of these scenes inspired me when I was writing Unraveling, here are my top five best romantic scenes.

5. The Stadium Serenade in 10 Things I Hate About You

Adapted from Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" this teen movie came out when I was in high school and was one of my absolute favorites.

Heath Ledger's character, Patrick Verona, serenades Kat Stratford (Julie Stiles), singing "I Love You Baby" on the steps of their high school's stadium while she and the girls' soccer team are on the field.

He risks getting in trouble and he embarrasses himself, which make this romantic gestures all that more swoonworthy.

4. On the prow of the Titanic

I can't lie. I was one of those people that saw this movie more than once in theaters. I actually saw it 6 times and then I bought the DVD when it came out. (I also owned the soundtrack and listened to it constantly).

And my favorite scene is when ~~Leo and Kate~~, I mean Jack and Rose share their passionate kiss on the prow of the ship with the world flowing by under their feet.

It's of course, even more romantic, because as an audience we know their romance is doomed because the boat is going to sink, but for that moment, it's like they're the only two people in the world and nothing else matters. And I can't help swoon at that.

3. That Scene in the Library in Atonement

I'll watch just about anything with James McAvoy in it, but when his character, Robbie Turner kisses Cecila Tallis (Keira Knightley) in the library after a lot of angst over the letter he sent to her by accident, it's amazing.

(He meant to write something sweet and he did, but in his frustration when trying to think of the right words, he also wrote something pretty crass and of course that's the one that made it into her hands. It's also that letter that got him in a lot of trouble.)

2. Starcrossed Lovers Reunite in Casablanca

This is, in my opinion, one of the most romantic and heartbreaking scenes ever captured on film.

Set during World War II, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman play star crossed lovers who reunite, only she's married! And they still can't be together.

This is one of those movies that is so perfect in black and white, and the ending makes me cry every time.

Anyone who hasn't seen this one, should.

1. Love at First Sight in Romeo + Juliet

This was another one of my favorite movies from when I was younger. When I was in the theater and Leo first came on screen as the tortured and love sick Romeo, the audience let out a collective sigh.

Romeo first spies Juliet (Claire Danes) at the party her parents are throwing, which of course Romeo and his friends are crashing. They see each other through the tropical fish tank and fall madly in love.

One of the best things about this scene is that there are no words, just Romeo, Juliet, the fish, and Des'ree singing "I'm Kissing You."

I don't love the whole movie. Some of the Shakespearean dialogue mixed with the modern day time period doesn't totally work for me now. But this scene is amazing.

Those are my top five. Which good ones did I miss? What are some of yours?

***

Liz Norris briefly taught high school English and history before trading the southern California beaches and sunshine for Manhattan's recent snowpocalyptic winter. She harbors dangerous addictions to guacamole, red velvet cupcakes, sushi, and Argo Tea, fortunately not all together. Her first novel, UNRAVELING (Balzer+Bray April 2012), is the story of one girl’s fight to save her family, her world, and the one boy she never saw coming.

twitter * website/blog * tumblr

Cover Reveal, Video Marketing & Catching Up!

2012-02-10T05:09:00.000-08:00

OK lots of catching up to do, peeps. January was hectic. I received my cover… big drum roll. Dadaaah.

And Faber (my publisher) launched a competition to find a teenage British actress to play one of the characters from my book in a set of online video diaries. Totally exciting! The video diaries will be a prequel to my book, The Glimpse, and focus on Tamsin Strike, my main character’s missing BF. In a series of 25 bite-sized episodes, the videos reveal the weeks leading up to Tamsin’s disappearance and will be laced with clues about what really happened. (But you won’t ever really know until you read the book!) Teenage girls from all over the UK are currently uploading their auditions to The Glimpse facebook page. Another great distraction for me. So much talent! I love watching those auditions.

You can see the auditions and find out what's happening with the video diaries here

Other news: I went through crisis mode on book 2 of The Glimpse Duet a few weeks ago, totally pulled apart my first draft and restructured. With only a couple of months until I have to hand it in, needless to say I was freaking out. That’s what comes from a planner thinking maybe she was a panster. Back on track though and all is going well again.

What about you? What was your January like?

Claire Merle, YA author.

Go to The Glimpse facebook page

Add the Glimpse to goodreads

How To Trick Yourself Into Writing, Even When You Don't Feel Like It

2012-02-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

So lots of writers will tell you the hardest part of being a writer, in spite of all the craziness of marketing and self-promoting and all that, is actually writing. Sitting down with the blank page and the little cursor on your Word document winking like it's mocking you.

This weekend I hit a giant wall of resistance. I had to drag out every trick in the book this weekend and then invent a few new ones to get myself writing again. So here, for your viewing pleasure, are a few Magical Tips Against Resistance.

1. I'll start off with the oldie but the goodie. It's the one that I continue to find extremely helpful: Butt In Chair. Just start typing, no matter how you feel, no matter if you feel like the most uninspired piece of crap that ever tried to write a novel. Just. Do. It.

2. Make up a treat for yourself to use as a reward for hitting your word count. This is really the trick I probably use the most. Natalie Goldberg suggests chocolate, but I wasn't in a chocolate mood this weekend, so I promised myself a new haircut. I hit word-count, and got to chop off some hair that had begun to look alarmingly like a mullet. Hitting word count + no more mullet = double win.

3. Get out of the house. Go write at a coffeeshop or cafe. There's nothing like making an Event of writing time to encourage you to actually do it and not just eat the day away by staring at Twitter or Facebook.

4. Write at unusual times. Or, in my case this weekend, drink wine, try to go to sleep, and when you can't, get up at 3am and write 800 words. There's no stress because it's the middle of the night and you don't really expect to write so there's no pressure to actually produce, and then anything you DO manage to produce is just extras, gravy on top. Which frees you to actually write! Changing it up can throw off those patterns of stress we create for ourselves. Sometimes going against routine is the best way to get the juices flowing.

5. And now to completely counteract the previous statement because everyone loves a good contradiction, routine can be a good thing! If you have a routine where you get up, drink your cup of coffee, and start writing, the actual writing sometimes comes more easily. It's not like a giant tug of war of will-I-or-won't-I-write-today. When it becomes something you just do, it can be easier to produce steady word count.

6. Do not let yourself get on the internet until you have met word count goals. Okay, I cheat on this one, but I've heard it works well for people. I tend to write three or four paragraphs, check Twitter, go back and write a few more, Twitter again, and usually somewhere in there I get usually caught up enough in the writing that I finish a scene. And then I check Twitter ;)

7. Write first thing in the morning. I haven't tried this one lately, but I've been thinking about giving it a go again, because it's true: if you get your word count out first thing, then you don't spend all day worrying about if you'll get it done or not!

8. Arrange to get together with another writing friend, not to talk, but to WRITE! I can't always get out of my house, but I've found the internet equivalent of this sometimes with #wordwars on Twitter. They've been wicked helpful on getting out word count on days when I'm not feeling it.

9. When you DO manage to hit your word count, try writing another hundred words or two before you stop. You're already in the groove, it's easier to keep going than stop and gear up again the next day. This little trick has really added up for me in the past. There's less stress for me once I've already hit word count knowing I can stop any time, it helps on other days when I can't quite make it, and it makes my novel overall come out a little bit faster.

That's all I've got for now. What are some of the tricks you use when you hit resistance?

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Heather Anastasiu is the author of GLITCH (St. Martin's Press/Summer 2012) Glitch in three words: Dystopia, Superpowers, & Love :) Check out my website for more news and updates.

New Year's Resolutions: The Power of Positive thinking.

2012-01-25T09:53:00.000-08:00

It’s the new year and so a lot of people are thinking aboutthose resolutions. But I don’t. Ihaven’t made a resolution in several years actually. Now that’s not to say Idon’t have goals for the upcomingyear. I do. But I’ve always feltthat resolutions are too easily tossed aside, but goals aren’t so easilyforgotten. At least to me.

For the past couple of years, my goals were publishingrelated. Write 2 novels. Get anagent. Get a publishing contract, etc. But this year on top of writing goals, I have another one that’sprobably more important than any of those other ones. It’s to be more positive.

I’ve always been a person who ended up seeing that glass ashalf-full, which does have somebenefits. Such as almost neverbeing disappointed. If you always expect the worse, than when good thingshappen, it’s a surprise. But it’snot where I want to be anymore. It’s entirely too stressful. Plus it makes my DH angry when I’malways pessimistic. LOL.

So my goal is to try to remain positive. No matterwhat. If something bad happens, Itry to look at the plus side. There’s generally at least one!

But it hasn’t been easy. It’s like fate knows my goal and is throwing everything shecan at me to see if I can do it. But one of my favorite qualities about myself is my stubbornness (althoughI doubt my DH would agree it’s a quality. LOL.) and I’m not going to give up on myself until it’s no longera struggle to be a more positive person and to see the rainbow through therain.

So, QFU, what’s one of your goals/resolutions for the year?

J.A. Souders is the author of RENEGADE a YA dystopian that takes place in an underwater utopian society, coming Fall 2012 from Tor Teen. For more information visit her blog or website.

My New Year Resolution; or, Adventures in Mindfulness

2012-01-23T22:06:00.000-08:00

Like most everyone else, I spent a bit of time at the beginning of the year writing resolutions, and this year, one of them was/is to be more mindful of my writing work, and that includes noticing how I feel when I write. Maybe that sounds a bit strange, but...I get stuck. A lot. Painfully stuck, and once stuck, it’s really hard for me to get unstuck, because sometimes I don’t even know I’m stuck. I just keep trying to do what I’m doing, and as a result, get nowhere fast.

So: goal one: admit the stucked-ness.

Because what I do know is that when I get writing-stuck, there’s a reason for it, and that leaves me with a couple of choices. I can doggedly continue what I’m doing, or I can take a step back, suss out the situation, and then decide whether to forge ahead or change course.

That sounded easy enough when it was an intellectual exercise, but last night, I had to put it into play. I’ve been working on a story that’s very dear to my heart. I wrote the first draft of it about a year ago and then let it sit for a while, because that’s what I do, and recently decided it was time to get it into submission-shape. Thus beg

an paring and peeling away all the dirty bits as I tried to turn it into something shiny and beautiful.

It’s been hard going. Really, really hard going, and last night, I realized I was stuck. I didn’t know how to go forward, and the essence of the story, what made it what it was, was getting lost as I tried to shoehorn it into something it wasn’t.

And so, there I was: stuck in stucked-ness and faced with a choice. I could keep on doing what I was doing. Or, I could change directions. I decided to feel each option out, and, low and behold, one of them felt right: change direction. I can always come back to the place where I got stuck if I need to (what did we do in the days before we could save multiple drafts of our work?), but, staying stuck doesn’t get me anywhere except more stuck, and that’s not any fun at all.

So, off I go in a different direction, one that feels truer to the story already. Who knows where it will go from here, but so far, this mindful thing is paying off!

Catherine Knutsson is the author of SHADOWS CAST BY STARS, to be published June 2012 by Atheneum/Simon & Schuster. She lives on Vancouver Island and divides her time between writing, riding horses, and wandering the wilds. To learn more, visit her at www.catherineknutsson.com

Heather's Simple New Year's Resolution

2012-01-22T23:00:00.000-08:00

I’m a little late chiming in on my resolutions this year, but I still have felt like this January was a new beginning for me in a lot of ways. Stuff was intense last year, and the New Year seemed to me a sign of hope and good things.

My life is very quiet and small right now, like a winter day. Some of the slowness is being physically enforced since my chronic illness has relapsed and I spend most of my day in bed. But, like Natalie Goldberg’s teacher once told her: “if you go deep enough in writing, it will take you everyplace.”

I recently read an article where NYT bestselling author Laura Hillenbrand said something similar. She has the same condition as I do, and in the interview she talked about how writing was a way to escape the stillness and confines of her body, to vicariously experience life and freedom through the subjects she writes about.

So my resolution is simple this year: enjoy writing as a gift, and find out what new places it can take me.

Link to the interview with Laura Hillenbrand, if you’re interested: here.

Brand Spanking New

2012-01-22T07:16:00.000-08:00

Last night I started my new book. After working on the same two novels for the last few years I have been looking forward to working on something new. But with that feeling of excitement comes a whole lot of fear. I don't actually remember what it feels like to start at the beginning. I've been revising and copy editing for so long that the idea of starting from nothing kind of freaked me out.
There is nothing more terrifying than a blank document.
I wondered if I would actually be able to do it. Could I manage to put words down on the paper that would make sense? Would those words eventually become a story? And with those words would I make a connection?
But today I'm happy to report that I made it to chapter two. Two thousand words and ten pages later and the story is all around me. My head is overwhelmed with ideas. Just like that, I'm back to writing. Now I'm not a planner. I rarely know what's going to happen before I get there. And I love that. I love the surprises that pop up, the characters who continuously catch me off guard. And last night while I was writing, this new world took shape and began to spin around me faster than I could get it down.
But I have to say, if not for music, I would still be staring at that blank document.

I hope you enjoy.

Shari Arnold is the author of MYSTIQUE coming Fall 2012 from Chronicle Books. Check out her blog or follow her on Twitter.

Resolutions --- The Boring Health Ones

2012-01-12T04:45:00.001-08:00

It’s that time of year again when I start reflecting on allthe things I didn’t accomplish the year before, and for me, it usually hassomething to do with my health.

I’ve never been a health nut. I wish I was, but I was raisedin a house where there was always junk food and pop (or soda, for other partsof the country) around. I got hooked on pop at a young age. I think I try toquit drinking it at least twice a year. Inevitably I go back and it seemsharder now that I’m constantly under deadline. It never seems like the righttime to quit!

But that’s a lame excuse, isn’t it? J

I’ve heard over and over again that a writer needs to takecare of themselves for their writing’s sake. And you know, I’m starting tobelieve that.

How can our brains function properly---churning outbeautiful prose, relatable characters---when our bodies are running onCheez-its and a three-day marathon of chair sitting?

So my New Year’s resolution is, YES, predictably, boringly,health-related.

But I think my writing (and in the long run, my readers)will benefit from it. So here, in bold type, for all the world to see, are myresolutions (I can’t believe I’m posting these here, which means I will reallyreally really have to do them unless I want to be a liar and a failure):

1. Quit drinking so much crap (to clarify, I mean my crack,AKA Mountain Dew)

2. Run a 5K (OMGGGG this one is scary, as I’ve never been arunner, but I want to be)

That’s it. Those are the biggest, but the basic-est. Kindacut and dry. I will have to report in 2013 (provided that whole Mayan thing isa hoax) as to whether or not a) I stuck with my resolutions and b) they helpedmy writing.

Happy New Year, ya’ll.

Jennifer Rush is the author of ALTERED coming Fall 2012 from Little, Brown. Check out her blog for news and updates.

Heather Anastasiu's GLITCH Cover Reveal and Trailer!

2012-01-08T23:42:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to be able to officially reveal Glitch's cover and trailer!

And the trailer! Click on the YouTube version on the

bottom right of the screen if you want to see it larger!

Want to know more?

Add Glitch on Goodreads

Glitch on Amazon.com

Facebook page for news and updates

Heather's website

Heather on Twitter

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Heather Anastasiu is the author of GLITCH (St. Martin's Press/Summer 2012) Glitch in three words: Dystopia, Superpowers, & Love :) Check out my website for more news and updates.

Writing Through Writer's Block

2012-01-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

We all have those days when the right words don’t seem to want to come.

During the Teen Author Carnival in NYC in May 2011, I moderated the debut author panel. I asked the panel for their strategies to combat writer’s block, and this post would no doubt be better if I recalled their answers.

What I do remember is sharing a story about how I got through my own bout of writer’s block while writing LEVEL 2.

I had been writing for 12 hours a day for weeks, trying to finish my first draft by deadline and I was mentally exhausted. I was working on a scene towards the end of the book where the main character (Felicia) is having an argument with another major character (Julian). But everything I tried to write just seemed wrong. I was stuck.

I share an office with my husband who works as a freelance illustrator, and he was working on some project. He swore. I asked him what was wrong. He told me he was stuck too, and then I made a brilliant suggestion: I would draw something for him and he would write the next paragraph of my manuscript.

So we traded places. I did an amazingly crappy line drawing, and Daniel dutifully typed up a paragraph.

His paragraph was … interesting. It was out of character, written in the wrong tense and POV, and didn’t make sense in the context of the characters’ relationship or the scene.

Somehow, reading his oh so wrong paragraph made me see all the things I was doing well in my manuscript and gave me the energy and inspiration to push through and find the right words.

Lenore Appelhans is the author of LEVEL TWO (Simon & Schuster BFYR/Fall 2012), a dystopian afterlife thriller. Visit her blog and/or follow her on twitter.

Resolutions and Expectations

2012-01-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

It's 2012! Finally! I know at least 150 or so people who are completely ecstatic about that. ;)

I've never been big into making New Year's resolutions...maybe because I don't think it requires a whole fresh new year to make changes in your life/meet your goals, etc. Any day of the year will do. Set a goal, and don't make compromises with yourself. Don't wait for January 1st to get started.

Certain goals are harder to set than others--especially in publishing. For example, I don't recommend deciding that you will get an agent by X date. Don't tell yourself that your book will be on store shelves and snatched up by thousands of fans by a certain year.

What you DO have control over is when you can reasonably finish a first draft. How long it will take you to get feedback and revise. When you will be able to submit your work to agents...because after the manuscript leaves your hands, the timing of events is out of your control. No amount of resolving or determination is going to get you a book deal, let alone a certain release date, after that. It's up to the quality of your work and the tastes of agents and editors.

If you can't tell, I speak from experience in this post. In 2006, when I first became serious about my writing, I had all kinds of lofty ideas about how things would work. I would finish my first draft and submit it to agents, then I would immediately land a book deal, the novel would come out within the following year, and I'd be a millionaire or something as soon as it hit the shelves.

*pause for laughs*

Six years later, I'm thrilled my book IS coming out this year--an entirely different book than the one I was writing in 2006--one that was critiqued to death by my CPs before an agent ever saw it. And when release day finally comes (November 20th!), it will have been almost two years since it sold.

Do I have expectations/resolutions for how it will sell? Let's just say I have cautious hopes and dreams...but zero expectations. My goals/passion have taken me this far. Once it is printed and in the hands of readers, the fate of the book is even MORE out of my hands. I hope people like it! But only time will tell, so in the meantime...I have some goals I can meet for my second book. :)

__

Emily Hainsworth is the author of THROUGH TO YOU, (Fall 2012 Balzer+Bray / HarperCollins), a sci-fi novel about a seventeen-year-old boy grieving for his dead girlfriend until he discovers she's still alive in a parallel reality--one where many things are different from the way they are back home. For more information, visit her website.

2012 Resolutions

2012-01-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

1. Write More

And by more, I mean more consistently. I always do my best writing when I'm on some kind of streak--when I've been writing ever day for a week straight. When I take days off because of TV, life, or whatever else comes up, it's harder for me to get back into it. If I can make time every day, even if it's just for an hour, a half hour, or even 15 minutes, I'll feel better.

2. Drink More Tea and Less Coffee

I've been a little heavy on the caffeine this year, and I know I won't be able to cut it out completely--I'm just not that strong, but I'm thinking that if I cut it down a little, maybe a passion tea instead of a mocha latte, I'm be a little less wired.

3. Get Eight Hours of Sleep

I'm not going to make the resolution that says to "go to bed early" because I know that will never last. I am going to admit to myself that I need a solid eight hours of sleep to avoid getting sick or sitting at my desk and fighting to stay awake in the middle of the day.

I'm also determined to stress less. I'm not going to say I won't stress at all (that would be a total lie), and I'm not even going to say that I won't stress about things not in my control (also a total lie), but every time I'm feeling tense, I'm going to try to take deep breaths and remember this too shall pass.

***

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Veronica Rossi's UNDER THE NEVER SKY

2011-12-30T15:59:00.000-08:00

Tee hee! Look what I found early on bookshelves today, our own Veronica Rossi's Under The Never Sky, out in the wilds of a Minneapolis B&N, a few days before it's official release next week!

Friday Reads!

2011-12-23T04:17:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Norris:

I'm just started reading CITY OF FALLEN ANGELS byCassandra Clare.

Susanne Winnacker

I started ABOVE by fellow 2012 debut authorLeah Bobet yesterday and I’m really enjoying it so far. A magical read!

Kristen Simmons

I just started Name of the Stars by MaureenJohnson. Only a chapter in, but so far seems verrrrrry intriguing!

Merry Christmas!

The Top Five Best Freaking Books of 2011!

2011-12-18T06:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I spent the day strolling about NYC doing the holiday thing with my family. And when I say "strolling" I mean pushing my way through the crowds. One giant tree in Rockefeller Center sure does get a whole lot of attention!

So now that 2011 is almost over and 2012 is JUST A FEW WEEKS AWAY!!! I thought I'd put together my list of THE TOP FIVE BEST FREAKING BOOKS I READ THIS YEAR!

Some of these books may have come out in 2010 but I read them this year so... ahem, here we go:

1. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Best book EVER! Seriously. So romantic and so beautifully written. I LOVED this book. I can't wait for the next one.

2. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

I wish I wrote this book. It's the kind of book I have to read over and over again. I LOVED IT! The writing is awesome, the chemistry between Noah and Mara is electric and the book kept me guessing until, well, I'm still not sure what is going on...
But I will be the first in line when book two comes out. I'm such a fan.

3. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Wow. This book. I don't actually know what to say about this one. It made me cry, it stayed with me long after I'd finished it and many many times while reading it, I had to put it down just to take a moment to appreciate the writing or emotion Jennifer Donnelly was able to capture through her words.

4. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
5. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

These books make me happy. The characters are so real I miss them once I'm done reading the book. I could read these two over and over again. That is, I already have.

Friday Reads!

2011-12-16T03:43:00.000-08:00

HeatherAnastasiu
I'm reading Lauren Kate's Passion. Ienjoyed the previous two books in this series and I'm excited about the premiseof this one--getting to see first hand how Luce and Daniel fell in love in theirpast lives.

Elizabeth Norris
I'm continuing my Cassandra Clare kick andreading CLOCKWORK ANGEL this week. I love the steampunk elements and all of thelittle hints of what's to come in this world. I'm so addicted to the book!

Jay Kristoff
Just started Scott Westerfeld's BEHEMOTH. Iloved LEVIATHAN, so really looking forward to getting into the secondinstallment.

Emily Hainsworth

I finally picked up THE FUTURE OF US by JayAsher and Carolyn Mackler. Having been an AOL-using teenager in the 90s*cough*, the premise really intrigues me. Can't wait to experience the online mashup!

Lenore Appelhans

I just finished Megan Miranda's FRACTURE.Don't go into this expecting an epic paranormal tale - it's not. Instead, it'sa deeply touching look at relationships and what's important in life. Delaneyand Decker have been friends & neighbors forever, and they've been skatingaround their romantic feelings for each other. Then, Delaney falls into an icylake and it takes Decker 11 minutes to pull her out. That she survives is a miracle- but will she survive long enough to get her priorities in order? What wouldany of us do if we had only one day to live? Why aren't we doing it?

What are you reading this week?

A Year in Books - 2011

2011-12-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

I had to give this some thought and go through my Audible.com and Goodreads accounts, but I finally compiled a list of books I read in 2011. I think it's safe to say I loved/enjoyed most of them, and when it came time to try to pick favorites...I didn't think it was fair. So, in no particular order, here are the books I read in 2011, with links to their descriptions. I'd love to hear which of these YOU'VE read and enjoyed!

BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray
A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL by Suzanne Young
BRUISER by Neal Shusterman
IMAGINARY GIRLS by Nova Ren Suma
THIS IS NOT A TEST by Courtney Summers*
WILDEFIRE by Karsten Knight
TIME BETWEEN US by Tamara Ireland Stone*
TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler
THE REPLACEMENT by Brenna Yovanoff
BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley
ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card
FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK by Melina Marchetta
ACCOMPLICE by Eireann Corrigan
I AM NUMBER FOUR by Pittacus Lore
THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin
THE BODY FINDER by Kimberly Derting
THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson
DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver
WAIT TILL HELEN COMES by Mary Downing Hahn
NUMBERS by Rachel Ward
THE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO LIVING by Lia Hills
RAMPANT by Diana Peterfreund
WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman
THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON by Stephen King
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis
THE MERMAID'S MIRROR by L.K. Madigan
BLEEDING VIOLET by Dia Reeves
SHIP BREAKER by Paolo Bacigalupi
DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GREY by Oscar Wilde
EVERLOST by Neal Shusterman
PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White
PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ by A.S. King
CRANK by Ellen Hopkins
THE UNIDENTIFIED by Rae Mariz

* = titles to be released in 2012

A Little Romanian Saying

2011-12-12T00:58:00.000-08:00

There is a saying in Romanian which goes: incetu cu incetu, invitsum alfabetul. Translation: little by little, we learn the alphabet. It’s a little of the same idea as, ‘one day at a time,’ or, ‘one foot in front of the other.’

It’s a saying that’s meant a lot to me over the years, and this week again runs through my head whenever I get scared by deadlines, or mistakes I’ve made, or dealing with hard things. Incetul cu incetul, I whisper in my head.

In writing and in life, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the big picture. There can be so many things to worry about! Will I finish this last round of edits, is my book turning out right, oh god oh god, this is my last chance to change something on it, I hope I don’t crap it up! Oh no, I've spent too much time editing this page, and there are three hundred and eleven to go. What if people don’t like my book and I never sell another? How do I deal with fallout from other Life Stuff I’ve messed up?

Worries, shockingly, tend to focus on the negative. It’s never wondering about roses and buttercups that keep me up at night. It’s the fears that start cinching in around my chest.

So I whisper: incetu cu incetu. I breathe in and out. I count my breaths as a way to distance myself from all my worries and gain some control. The worries rise up and I say to them: incetu cu incetu. Focus on what you can do right now in the present, trust that things will be okay, and let go of the rest. When times are tough, sometimes it’s the only way to stay sane :)

----

Heather Anastasiu is the author of GLITCH (St. Martin's Press/Summer 2012) Glitch in three words: Dystopia, Superpowers, & Love :) Check out my website for more news and updates.

Beauty and the Beast

2011-12-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

Maybe Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale because it's about seeing deeper than the surface of someone. Or maybe because the story is so rich with symbolism. Or maybe because I just love romances that start off as friendships and grow deeper.

Like lots of little girls, I loved Disney's Beauty and the Beast. I watched the heck out of it. Later, I had a brief fascination with Phantom of the Opera. (Okay, still do, if we're being honest, even though it's quite different from the fairy tale.) And then I (finally) discovered BEAUTY and ROSE DAUGHTER by Robin McKinley, which are both retellings of Beauty and the Beast -- and they're very different from each other! It wasn't long before I discovered East of the Sun, West of the Moon and how similar it is to Beauty and the Beast. So I ended up with books like SUN AND MOON, ICE AND SNOW by Jessica Day George, and EAST by Edith Pattou, and I've got ICE by Sarah Beth Durst on my shelf waiting for its turn.

I haven't read all the Beauty and the Beast retellings out there (and likely haven't heard of even most of them); I try to space them out for when I need a fix of a new one. I'm very glad it's such a popular story, though, because the moment when Beauty (or whatever she happens to be going by in that incarnation of the story) realizes that Beast (or whatever he happens to be going by in that incarnation of the story) is not just a beast, but a person who she's grown to love -- oh yes. I love that part so much. I could (and do) read it again and again.

*swoony sigh*

Jodi Meadows is the author of INCARNATE. (January 31, 2012 - HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books.)

She lives and writes in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, with her husband, a Kippy*, and an alarming number of ferrets. She is a confessed book addict, and has wanted to be a writer ever since she decided against becoming an astronaut. You can find her on her website and blog.

*A Kippy is a cat.

Sleeping Beauty and it's many incarnations

2011-12-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

My absolute favorite fairytale character is SleepingBeauty. My favorite movie for thelongest was the Disney version. When I was a child I’d watch that and Beautyand the Beast over and over again until the tape wore out.

I knew the lines by heart. The songs AND the actual dialogue. When I was cleaning or playing by myself, I would dancearound like Aurora does in the beginning where the owl is pretending to be herPrince and I’d just pretend I was her. I adored her.

When my friends (both boys and girls) were over, I’d makethem play Sleeping Beauty with me and truth be told, that’s PROBABLY how I gotmy first kiss, but since I was like 6, I’m not sure it counts. LOL.

Of course, I grew up and stopped watching and pretended Ihad no clue what people were talking about when they would talk about myobsession.

But still whenmy daughter was born, I don’t think anyone was all that surprised when I namedher Aurora. (But honestly, it was because of the Northern lights—Aurora Borealis—not the princess, because I never even really knew her name wasAurora. Until then I thought her name was Briar Rose, and I hadn’t watched itsince I was just a little girl, but now she’ll always be my little SleepingBeauty—even though she doesn’t really ever sleep. )

But now she’s intoit like I was. Probably more so because it’s her name and she LOVES hername. It’s really sweet when shesees something with Princess Aurora on it and she points to herself and goes,“That’s me. I’m Princess Aurora!”

But anyway, I’m not as in love with the Disney version as Iwas when I was little. I’ve grown up and I really don’t like how they portrayedher. My absolute favorite is amore recent re-telling and that’s Alex Flinn’s A KISS IN TIME.

It’s perfect for the romantic in us, but also doesn’tportray Aurora (Talia) as this weak female who needs rescuing from herprince. It was the perfect mix forme.

I also really enjoyed A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan. It's the best of both worlds. My favorite genre (science fiction) and my favorite fairy tale.

And then, another of my favorite authors, Kendare Blake,wrote a short story revolving around the fairy tale and I love it!

ETA: check out Jay's post from yesterday to see what the ORIGINAL story behind Sleeping Beauty was. I think I may have to change what my favorite fairy tale is now. :P

It’s amazing how many different wayssomething can be seen.

J.A. Souders is the author of RENEGADE a YA dystopian that takes place in an underwater utopian society, coming Fall 2012 from Tor Teen. For more information visit her blog or website.

Fairy Tales

2011-12-06T15:27:00.001-08:00

So we're talking about fairy tales this week. Back in the day, before the interwebs or television or evenprinted reading matter, people still told stories for entertainment. But thetales told to children were also meant to impart the rules of civilized society.Parents essentially created ‘fairy stories’ to teach their kids that most golden of golden rules – Don’t Be A D*ck.

Modern versions of these fairy tales havebeen sanitized in the hope of ‘sparing children’ the morbid nature of theoriginals. But the truth is, in their attempts to make these stories ‘acceptable’ forchildren, a lot of the time, folks have actually made them far more screwed up than the originals.

So, here’s my Top 5 Fairy Tales with their original endings,the lessons they were originally trying to impart, and the newly ‘sanitized’moral.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears – Goldilocks finds a house inthe woods. She breaks in, ruins the furniture, eats the food and then, being aparticularly resourceful burglar, decides to have a quick nap. The housebelongs to three bears, who come home, discover thethief and get understandably upset. In the modern version, Goldilocks wakes upand flees out the window. In the original? She gets nom-nom’ed by the bears.

New moral: Breaking and entering is totes cool;just make sure you have a decent escape route planned if the owners come homeearly.

Original moral: Don’t break into people’s houses or you’llbe eaten by frackin’ bears.

The Pied Piper – The town of Hamlin is plagued by rats. Aminstrel with mad skillz rolls up to the mayor and says “I can deal with your ratproblem in exchange for hard currency, chief.” Mayor says “I am totally downwith that.” The piper busts out the pipes, and leads the rat horde to a nearby river where they all drown. The piper rolls back to the mayorand says “Pay up, big man.” Mayor says “Lol n00b, you already killed all therats, we don’t need to pay you jack.” Piper says “Aight, if that’s the game youwanna play, playa.” The Piper busts out the pipes again, but entrances thevillage children instead. In the modern version, he seals them inside a caveuntil the mayor agrees to pony up the agreed sum. The piper then returns thekids. In the original? The piper leads the kids to the river, just like he didwith the rats, and lets them all drown. BAM. (except for one little boy, whowas lame and couldn’t keep up)

New moral: Don’t pay your contractors until they’veconducted punitive action.

Original moral: Pay what you owe or the kids get it (andsometimes, being physically challenged ain’t so bad)

Little Red Riding Hood – A girl is on her way to herGranny’s. She stops to ask directions from a wolf. Like you do. In the originalversion, the wolf sends her on a roundabout journey, runs to Granny’s house,eats Granny, dresses in her nighty, then eats Red when she arrives. BUT!!! Akindly woodsman happens along, chops the beastie open with his trusty axe andpulls out Granny and Red whole and hale from his belly. In the originalversion? Red stops to asks the wolf directions and the wolf straight up eatsher. No Granny. No woodsman. Just one fat happy carnivore and a very deadlittle girl.

New moral: Be as stupid as you like – there will always be aman with an axe around to save you. Oh, and also, being devoured by wolves istotally non-fatal.

Original moral: Don’t talk to strangers.

The Little Mermaid – A mermaid falls in love with a handsomePrince. In the Disney version, Arial goes through many trials and tentacledtribulations, finally becoming human and marrying the man of her dreams (whoshe doesn’t even know). In the original? She falls hopelessly in love, watchesthe Prince marry a human Princess and, offered the choice between murdering thePrince or suicide, she ends herself in despair.

New moral: Changing everything you are and giving upeveryone you know to attain the affections of a dude you don’t even know is perfectly okay, especially if he’s rich.

Original moral: Wishing too hard for something you can neverhave will destroy you.

Sleeping Beauty – A beautiful princess is cursed to sleepforever by an evil witch. In the original, a handsome prince happens along andspies the beautiful girl fast asleep, kisses her lips and wakes her up. Theylive happily ever after, and it never occurs to Sleeping Beauty to front herman about his habit of molesting sleeping women he finds while out on hisSunday rides. In the original? The handsome prince, not being content withsimple smooches, stone cold rapes her. Nine months later, she gives birth(still asleep) and one her babies suckling on her finger breaks the curse. Shewakes up to find herself the violated mum of two kids. Presumably a big ‘WTF’moment in her life.

New moral: Just lie back and snooze, my dear. The Princewill be along to violate/rescue you momentarily.

Original moral: I have NO IDEA what this one was trying tosay. Don’t fall asleep around royalty?

So which versions teach better lessons? The original dark adepressing ones? Or the newly sanitized ones?

Jay Kristoff is the author of STORMDANCER, a dystopian fantasy set in steampunk feudal Japan, out in Spring 2012 through St Martin's Press & Tor UK.

Bloggery and Tweeting here and here.

Music

2011-12-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

Before I have a title or an ending or even a name for my main character I begin with the mood. It kinda hits me out of nowhere, almost like I'm right there in the scene. I live with this feeling for a period of time, listening to music and brainstorming the story, until it all comes together.

For Mystique I needed something dark. I wanted the music to evoke a feeling of winter and dead trees and loneliness but there also had to be a touch of hope thrown in.

So. Here's what I found:

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Jónsi - Go
Radiohead - The King Of Limbs
Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
Cloud Cult - Light Chasers

Go check them out.

Shari Arnold is the author of MYSTIQUE coming Fall 2012 from Chronicle Books. Check out her blog or follow her on Twitter.

Friday Reads!

2011-12-02T02:17:00.001-08:00

Susanne Winnacker

I’m reading BORN WICKED by Jessica Spotswood and loving it. Beautiful prose + a strong heroine + alternate history = win!

Claire Vinson Merle

My friday read is 'Grass for his Pillow' by Lian Hearn -- 2nd book in the Tales of the Otori trilogy.
I'm loving it as much as 'Across the Nightingale Floor' and especially enjoying the chapters from Kaede's pov. An interesting and unusual mix of first person and third person.

Emily Hainsworth

I'm reading TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler. It's a beautifully written, tragic story of first love, first kisses, and the healing process after someone dies unexpectedly. I'm only about halfway through but I'm savoring every word.

Jodi Meadows

I'm reading HEREAFTER by Tera Hudson. I love the concept of a ghost story romance told from the ghost's POV, and there are some really nice moments in there.

Lenore Appelhans

Just finished HERE LIES BRIDGET. It reminded me of A Christmas Carol in that a hugely unlikeable character gets to see how she affects others and may have a chance to change for the better. Was expecting more of an afterlife book, but did enjoy what I got instead.

Elizabeth Norris

I've been flying through Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series. Right now I just finished reading CITY OF ASHES, which is amazing. I love how amazing the plot and the world are.

Susanne Winnacker is the author of THE OTHER LIFE in which the seeds of first love are sown amongst the death and destruction of a nightmare future. You can find her on her blog

ALTERED Playlist

2011-12-01T02:10:00.001-08:00

I love listening to music while I write, especially when it’sa first draft. And while I listened to a variety---lots of differentplaylists on Spotify, or Pandora if I wanted something random---there were afew tracks that I listened to repeatedly. I can’t NOT think about ALTERED whenI hear these songs:

1. The Outsider A Perfect Circle

2. The Humbling River Puscifer

3. Running Up That Hill Placebo

4. Drumming Song Florence+ the Machine

5. Painted on my Heart TheCult

6. Black Dog KelliSchaefer

7. The Change Evanescence

8. Rapture Hurt

9. Slow Life GrizzlyBear

10. Danse Russe Hurt

And for those of you on Spotify, here's the full ALTERED playlist. (And if you're not on Spotify, you should be!)

Jennifer Rush is the author of ALTERED coming Fall 2012 from Little, Brown. Check out her blog for news and updates.

ARTICLE 5 Playlist

2011-11-30T08:21:00.001-08:00

Happy Music Week!

I’mone of those people who can’t actually listen while I write for fear that myhead will explode from overstimulation, but while brainstorming (and if you’rea writer you know that every second not actively typing is consumed byobsessing about the book), I listened a lot. Here are some of the songs thatinspired ARTICLE 5, and make me think of Chase and Ember.

Track	Artist
1. Grounds for Divorce	Elbow
2. Kingdom of Rust	Doves
3. Magick	Ryan Adams & the Cardinals
4. Call Me When You’re Sober	Evanescence
5. Decode	Paramore
6. Imaginary	Evanescence
7. Runnin’ Wild	Airbourne
8. Permanent	David Cook
9. For Reasons Unknown	The Killers
10. My Immortal	Evanescence
11. I Don’t Believe You	Pink
12. Hurt	Christina Aguilera

Ifyou want to listen, click here!

Kristen Simmons is the author of ARTICLE 5, the firstinstallment of a dystopian trilogy, which will be published by Tor Teen inFebruary 2012. Learn more about her at her here, at goodreads, or on facebook.

Music and Me

2011-11-27T22:53:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I’m new around these parts, so ‘cuse me if I seem a bit nervous, because, well, I am. But, fortunately, this week’s blog theme is about music and writing, and while I can’t blog about playlists because I cannot, for the life of me, write and listen to music at the same time, I can write about how music taught me to be a writer.

You see, I didn’t start out life as a writer. Writing was never part of “the plan”. The plan was to be a classical musician, and while I did the time and got the pieces of paper and actually worked as a singer and a singing teacher for a while (a good long while in the case of teaching singing), it wasn’t meant to be. So then, I had to find something I could do, and since the only other piece of paper I had said “Bachelor of Art in Art History”, well, it was write, or Starbucks. So, write it was.

The thing I didn’t realize was that I actually had been writing for a while. I just didn’t know it. Almost everything I’ve ever written has music in it. SHADOWS CAST BY STARS, for example, has French-Canadian folksongs in it, and they were playing through my mind while I was writing (that is once of the reasons I can’t write to music, because I’ve almost always got my own built-in soundtrack playing). I’ve got a middle grade novel that was inspired by a Ralph Vaughn Williams song, and a YA fantasy novel that is about the spiritual side of music.

Music is something that is so much a part of me that it is everywhere. My writing is directly influenced by my favorite composers and musical artists (‘cuz classical isn’t all I listen to), and that I can attribute, with great gratitude, to my teachers, who always delighted in how the great song composers used music to illuminate text. Text existed first, my teachers always said, and therefore, song serves text, not the other way around. My teachers made me translate every single song I learned, not only from the language the text was written in to English (which, I think, is a really valuable task for writers because it immerses you inside a language, and you really get to see how words function, and then, the possibilities! Even just writing this gets me really fired up! Language is so DELICIOUS!), but into IPA (international phonetic alphabet), so I could see how words were built. That, I think, has really filtered into my writing, because I tend to blur the lines between prose and poetry, and I can be rather, um, particular (or obsessive, if you prefer) about the words I choose and how they function. Music taught me that. Music taught me a single word can ignite passion, make a person swoon, move an audience to tears, or even cause a riot!

And it taught me other things too, like how to rely on your technical foundation when things aren’t going according to plan. Or, how to gleam lessons from other art disciplines. And, to always be on the lookout for inspiration--inspiration, such an important word for artists! We breathe in, and are inspired! See? Words are magic! Music is magic too--little lines and dots on a page that form a language that can only be sung, or played, once--each time is unique, and then, it’s gone (which is why live music is so much more magical than recorded music, I think). And that’s why it’s so exciting to know someone’s going to read my work one day, because then it becomes like music--someone will read it with his or her eyes, in his or her own way, with his or her own experience, and then what were once only my words become something else, something more...something unique. Like music. Like magic!

Anyhow, thanks to this post, I’ve spent a fair amount of time revisiting some of my favorite works of music tonight. I wanted to choose something to post here, something that maybe people aren’t familiar with, but it’s so tough, especially since not everyone is a fan of classical music and rightly so - some of it is pretty stodgy!

So, in the end, I choose something that was on mind when I was writing earlier today. I hope you enjoy it.

Catherine Knutsson lives on Vancouver Island and divides her time between writing, riding horses, and singing. Her debut novel, THE SHADOWS CAST BY STARS, will be published by Atheneum (Simon & Schuster) in June 2012. To learn more about Catherine and her writing, please visit her website!

Thanks!

2011-11-27T06:19:00.000-08:00

This year, I sat around a Thanksgiving table and couldn't help but think about what a strange and rollercoaster of a year this has been.

A year ago, I worked days as an administrative assistant, and wrote nights and weekends. I barely made ends meet, I didn't have health insurance, I was falling in love with someone who lived over half the country away from me, and I thought I had given up the idea of ever being published.

This year I got an agent, was diagnosed with cancer, sold UNRAVELING, had surgery, quit my job, helped my amazing roommate move back to California, went into remission, and spent Thanksgiving with with my boyfriend and his family. There's been more--but those are the highlights.

When I first read I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings back in tenth grade, I was struck by a line at the end of chapter 28, after Maya is thinking about a teacher who made a huge impact on her. And I've never forgotten it. She says,

The allegiances I owed at this time in my life would have made very strange bedfellows: Momma with her solemn determination, Mrs. Flowers and her books, Bailey with his love, my mother and her gaiety, Miss Kirwin and her information, my evening classes of drama and dance.

This year, I owe my allegiance to a number of amazing and wonderful people. People who made me strong enough to get through some of the tough times, people who recognized things in me I didn't see myself, people who were there every step of the way no matter what time it was and no matter what they were doing themselves.

My wonderful friends, my amazing boyfriend, my patient loving mother, my brilliant sister, my fierce and sharkly agent--UNRAVELING owes them its allegiance. It wouldn't be a book without them. But I owe them my allegiance as well. It could have been a very different year without them in my life.

***

twitter * website/blog * tumblr

Giving Thanks

2011-11-22T07:11:00.000-08:00

I've been spending a lot of time reflecting lately on how my life has changed in 2011. Maybe that's what we all do when the holiday season rolls around. But this has been a big year for me and I'm thankful for every moment.

Barring the Apocalypse, by this time in 2012, THROUGH TO YOU will have been on bookstore shelves for two days. It will have been read and reviewed by a number of early readers, but I honestly just can't wait until it's *out there* for anyone who feels like picking it up. Reviews are cool, but I wrote this book for young adults and I'll feel best when it's finally theirs, no longer just for me.

The number of people I'm thankful to for making this happen is long, and I'm not going to list them all here for fear of spoiling my Acknowledgments page for you. ;) But I think, like all writers, published or un-published, I'm most thankful for those closest to me: My husband, parents, and best friends, who have stood by and watched me pursue this dream, and never tried to discourage me.

My life has changed in ways I couldn't have imagined a year ago, but none of that would have been possible without an amazing network of people. This Thanksgiving week, I'm thankful for each and every person who has helped me on this journey. And in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd like to share the one writer's resource that probably helped me the most: Verla Kay's Blueboard (http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php), a community of children's writers come together for the sole purpose of educating, informing, and supporting other writers. I knew little about the world of YA before I found the Blueboard, and so I'm passing it on now, in thanks, and hope that another person will find reason to thank them again soon.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

__

Emily Hainsworth is the author of THROUGH TO YOU, (Fall 2012 Balzer+Bray / HarperCollins), a sci-fi novel about a seventeen-year-old boy grieving for his dead girlfriend until he discovers she's still alive in a parallel reality--one where he's the one who died. For more information, visit her website.

Getting a Book Deal

2011-11-20T23:54:00.000-08:00

2011 has been a super bizarro year for me, for a lot of reasons that I won't go into here. Truth be told, it's been a pretty dang rough year. But the best of the bizarre reasons is at the top of my To Be Thankful For list: getting a book deal.

I know, I know, I should say all the altruistic answers first, that I'm thankful for my family and friends. And I am thankful for those things, but let's see, is there a way I can say this without seeming too dramatic? The book deal literally changed my life. Or at least my path for the next three years, which is as far as I can handle thinking ahead anyway ;)

Getting a book deal (after a LOT of failure and rejection, writing-wise over the past few years) was unexpected--like actually catching the carrot you thought you'd spend your life chasing. It was a validation of this quiet side passion I'd been steadily fighting for. Now that passion gets to take a central place in my life: I get to spend my days writing. As a job. This is quite insane and surreal.

And I guess, more than the book deal itself that I'm thankful for, is the journey it's propelled me on. The experiences I've gotten to have, like talking to my editor for the first time, getting an Edit Letter, working on one book until it was kick-butt instead of stopping and moving on to another project when it got hard. And then writing book 2, which was just plain hard (because here's the thing most new author's don't expect you first finally catch that shining carrot--there will be new carrots, more books to write, and these under contract, under deadlines). Not that I'm complaining! I know what a blessing, what a lucky thing it is that I was able to get an agent, and then an editor! I'm quite aware that there are so many good books out there overlooked for one reason or other: lists too full, too like something else they're represented, too niche, voice didn't catch. I got lucky to break into the publishing gig, and now I'm as determined as hell to make my book shine and be brilliant.

At the end of the day, that's what this journey is about, both within my books and outside, in my real life: touching the magic of feeling deeply moved. That mystical thing about a good book that moves you emotionally, all the way down to the center of your sternum. To feel passion. At the root, that's what I'm thankful for--the ability to participate in magic.
-----

Heather Anastasiu is the author of GLITCH (St. Martin's Press/Summer 2012) Glitch in three words: Dystopia, Superpowers, & Love :) Check out my website for more news and updates.

Points of View

2011-11-16T16:05:00.001-08:00

My article is late this week. I have failed you all. So Iwrote an excessively long one to atone. Which in itself might be another kind of failure :P

One of the first choices you’ll have to make when writingyour opus is the PoV you’re going to tell the story in. There are three basicchoices:

1^st Person –The author writes as if they WERE thecharacter.

“I stared at the <insert sexy feature of The Boy here>and tried to ignore the butterflies in my stomach”

and

“I successfully ignored the butterflies, drew my laserpistol and proceeded to melt his <insert melting sexy here>”.

Pros

Simple to establish ‘voice’ of the MC (since, you know,you’re writing in it).
Exposition is easier (not easy though - important distinction), as you’re talking directly to yourreader, so dropping into internal dialogue or explaining Why Everyone IsWalking Around With A Bucket On Their Head comes off as more natural and youwon’t lose flow.
The narrator can lie, or his/her perspective can becompromised which can make the story far more interesting (good example of thisis Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, where the narrator doesn’t realize he’s nuttyas squirrel poo)
The flow of the story can be more visceral, since we’re inthe head of the person experiencing these events.

Cons

You will use the word ‘I’ a lot. Like, a LOT. There’s no wayto avoid it, and it gets repetitive after the first 2,000 or so.
Perspective is limited. This leads to a couple of problems,the biggest of which is that everything the MC doesn’t know will either need tobe discovered, or worse, explained to her/him. This often leads to implausible scenarios,where, in reality, the villain would just snatch up a pistol and paint the wallswith the MC’s head, but instead spends five minutes explaining The Plan, andhow to stop it, because ‘I suppose it makes no difference now that you are inmy clutches, mwahahaha.’ Even if the villain doesn’t fall into this expo-routine, atthe very least, the MC will have to explain the twist to you, the reader. Thisis very difficult to do well.
Your whole book hangs on one character – the MC. If people don’tlike your MC, they won’t like your book. This means you need to build alikeable MC. ‘Likeable’ can slip very easily into ‘boring goody-two-shoes’.
Since the author is writing as ‘I’, Mary/Gary-Sue comparisonsare unavoidable.
Lots of people are doing it. Particularly in YA. Seriously.Pick up a YA novel off the shelf. Chances are good it’s written in 1^st.

2^nd Person – ‘You’ are the character in thenarrative.

‘You sit on the bed and try to wrap your head around this weird-assbook in which you are a seventeen year old nuclear physicist who's a supermodel in her spare time.’

and

‘You walk to the bookshelf and pick something else to readinstead.’

Pros

Good for RPG books. You know, those Choose Your OwnAdventure style things, where ‘If you snatch up the pistol and melt the villain’sface, turn to page 321. If you’d rather cuddle the puppies, turn to 123.”
I can’t think of any other pro’s... It’s different, I guess?Different is good, right?

Cons

You might have crafted an awesome alter-ego for me in thisnarrative, but you need to be a pretty masterful writer to convince me that I’ma 17 year old supermodel with a degree in astrophysics and a black belt in kungfu. Especially since I’m probably reading this thing on the couch while my doggnaws my ugg boots.
Multiple PoVs are virtually impossible, so essentially youhave all the cons of 1^st, with none of the visceral connect, sinceyou’re reader is probably sitting there thinking “Wait, I’m a what now?”
If someone can point me to an awesome 2^nd personPoV book that isn’t an RPG, I will pay you handsomely.

3^rd Person – the God’s eye view.

“The Girl snatched up the laser pistol and melted the Boy’ssexy.”

and

“The Boy understandably felt quite upset at this turn ofevents.”

Pros

It's easier (again, not easy) to tell tales on a broad-scope in 3^rd. You can be anywhere, and inside anyone. This allows you forfar more complex plot arrangements, and you can avoid the set-piece expositionscene flaw of 1^st. The villain doesn't need to explain to the MC he’srigged the puppies to explode - we saw him do it in the previous scene. Imaginetrying to tell a story like A Song of Ice and Fire in 1^st person. We’llwait here while you put your brain back together.
The narrative can be more objective, less personal. If Iwere to tell you the story of my life, I would probably exaggerate the bitswhere I skydived naked from aeroplanes surrounded by Victoria Secrets models,and downplay the time I spent on the couch getting my ugg boots gnawed by mydog. Jus’ sayin’.
Your whole book doesn’t hang on one character. You can makeyour MC a bit of a douche, or a bit of a dunce, because she/he has othercharacters to bounce off and revulsion to her/his douchebaggery won’t be asimmediate and instinctive as in a 1^st person PoV.

Cons

3^rd is less intimate than 1^st. It’sharder and takes longer to establish voice when dealing with multiplecharacters. The disconnect between your reader and your MC is more pronounced.
If the plot is complex, your readers might not even know whothe MC is at first.
Dropping into internal thought processes and internaldialogue can be very jarring, and easily break the flow of your narrative.

STORMDANCER is a third person PoV narrative, meaning we swaparound inside the heads and perspectives of various characters over the courseof the novel. I chose 3^rd because I had a (vague) idea of where the storywould head, and knew it would eventually get too big to be confined to oneperspective. But that's just me and my story.

In the end, do what’s write for your story. Understand the pros and cons, and choose wisely - the decision will shape your book on the most fundamental level possible. But as always, the most importantthing to remember is to write your ass off.

Jay Kristoff is the author of STORMDANCER, a dystopian fantasy set in steampunk feudal Japan, out in Spring 2012 through St Martin's Press & Tor UK.

He writes in 1st person PoV here and here.

November Giveaway: 1st Chapter and/or Query Letter Critique

2011-11-16T00:27:00.000-08:00

It's that time again: monthly giveaway of a first chapter critiques (up to 25 pages) and a query letter critique, by one of our fabulous debut authors here at Brave New Words.
Enter below!

To enter, please COMMENT with your name, email address, and add up your points:

First state if you are entering the First Chapter Critique, the Query Letter Critique, or both :)
+1 for New Followers
+2 for Old Followers
+1 for Tweeting about the Giveaway

+1 for Blogging about the Giveaway

OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!! Contest ends November 25th

Friday Reads!

2011-11-11T05:23:00.001-08:00

Lenore Appelhans

I just read CRACKED by KM Walton. I cannot rave enough about this novel. I was so completely emotionally invested in these characters that I cried at least four times - and I hardly ever am moved to tears by books (maybe only around 10 in the whole history of my reading life post childhood). Seriously amazing.

Elizabeth Norris

I just finished reading VARIANT by Robison Wells, and I read the whole book in two days. It was incredibly page turning. I'm dying for someone else to read it so that I can discuss the ending!

Emily Hainsworth

I am reading BEFORE I DIE by Jenny Downham. I've heard so many good things about this book, and they're all true. The writing is beautiful, the POV is almost too close, being told by a teen girl trying to LIVE as much as possible while dying from leukemia. Truly an emotional, well-written book.

Susanne Winnacker

I’m reading FOOL MOON by Jim Butcher. It’s the second book of “The Dresden Files” and I really enjoy it so far. Harry Dresden is such an anti-hero that I just can’t help liking him!

Don't ask me to talk about Fringe. I might not stop.

2011-11-10T06:01:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite TV shows is the one I'm catching up on right now: FRINGE. I love this show with hearts and flowers and lots of nerdy glee. There are two shows I do NOT want spoilers for, and FRINGE is one of them. (The other is SUPERNATURAL.)

Every now and then, when I can shake myself out of the sheer joy of this show existing, I try to analyze what, exactly, is working so well for me. On my personal blog, I've written a couple posts about TV shows before -- Six Things Stargate: SG1 Taught Me About Writing and Six Things Supernatural Taught Me About Writing -- but FRINGE is one I haven't gotten to yet. I'm definitely going to try some time.

Anyway. FRINGE?

I love the mystery of not knowing what's going to happen, because they've shown the viewer that anything can happen. One of the characters constantly reminds the others (and therefore the viewers) that the only limit to science (and the show) is imagination. Rules can be broken. Mysteries can lead to deeper mysteries. Everything can turn upside down in minutes.

The plot is complex, and again, anything can happen, but whatever happens always feels right. The writers clearly have a plan, and they're choosing the best ways to reveal information to the viewer. They do a great job of anticipating viewer assumptions, explaining things most people probably don't know, and being convincing even when the show is based on "fringe science." "Pseudo-science," they call it in the show.

I love the mix of serious and humor. Bad things happen, and things get worse, but someone is always there to make an inappropriate comment when the viewer really needs the tension to ease a little.

And oh, the characters. I love how Peter and Olivia both have tough outsides, and they're both so darn competent -- but the viewer gets to see those moments of vulnerability and insecurity. The viewer gets to see where they are human. And Walter! Hilarious, kind of scary, but extremely sympathetic because he knows that he's lost so much of his mind. And Astrid! She doesn't make it onto the covers of the DVDs, but dang, there's nothing that girl can't do. Plus she's kind and gentle, and often plays the role of the group's conscience.

I love how you can see how all the characters interact differently with one another. I love how their relationships evolve, how close they become, how much it hurts you when they hurt. . . .

Apparently I really can go on and on about FRINGE. There's nothing I don't like about this show. (Even if I do sometimes have to look away from gross things. And even if Walter is trying to ruin every yummy food there is by comparing it to disgusting things.) I'm pretty sure the writers begin their meetings with, "So, what can we do this week to make Jodi happy?"

--

Jodi Meadows is the author of INCARNATE. (January 31, 2012 - HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books.)

*A Kippy is a cat.

Cue the intense opening music...

2011-11-08T06:18:00.000-08:00

This week's theme on Brave New Words is Favorite TV Shows! Which is completely awesome, even though I actually no longer have a television subscription (thank you, internet). So I tried to narrow down some of the great shows that have had a profound impact on me personally, and as a writer:

UNSOLVED MYSTERIES

This creepy, freaky show first aired in 1987 and is still on the air to this day! I haven't watched it since at least the late 90s, but part of that is because I used to get so freaked out by it, I would have nightmares from watching. The show covers everything from UFO sightings/abductions to unsolved murders, ghost stories, miracles, psychic experiences/ESP, strange legends, and just about anything else weird and unexplained you can think of. The show was originally hosted by Robert Stack, who I thought was William Shatner for the longest time (sorry, Shat), and it was set up a little like America's Most Wanted where you could call in if you had any information about the unsolved experience featured that night. There were often dramatic reenactments of the strange occurrences, but I think the alien encounter episodes were the scariest of all. Just hearing the original intro music still gives me chills!

THE X-FILES

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE. Everyone, start whistling! Okay, you're noticing a theme here, right? Emily likes the strange phenomena shows. But that's also why we're all here on this blog, right? Go science fiction! All right so, I think The X-Files might be the one show that left the most lasting impression on me. I started watching it as a teenager and recently re-watched the entire series episode-by-episode up until David Duchovny left the show because...sigh. Every show has to jump the shark eventually. But for at least 5 to 7 seasons, The X-Files had everything. A kick-ass duo of FBI agents investigating strange paranormal events all over the country. Freaky monsters just about every week. Consistent and compelling (though sometimes slightly beaten to death *cough*Samantha*cough*) subplots. And did I mention the crazy-ass stories that often involved teenagers doing bizarre things? How much cooler can you get?

TWIN PEAKS

Who killed Laura Palmer? It's the question that plagued America for two years in the early 1990s. The theme song from this show still makes me reach for tissues. Except if you've watched (and own) the entire series, as I have, you kind of find yourself wondering why you're getting all sniffly...because this show was screwed UP! But this is David Lynch, people. Season 1 was relatively tame. Prom Queen Laura Palmer's body is found wrapped in plastic, floating in a river. It's a terrible, haunting tragedy. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (played by a swoony young Kyle MacLachlan) comes to town to investigate Laura's murder...but you quickly find out EVERYONE in Twin Peaks (including Laura) are not what they seem. Things go from strange, to bizarre, to twisted, to just...WTF by the end of Season 2. The characters in the show, however, are so three-dimensional and unforgettable they start to feel like people you actually know. People you're kind of glad aren't really real. You do eventually find out who Laura's killer was, but the discovery is so completely wrong and bizarre, I kind of wanted to forget it afterward. Twin Peaks is a twisted, insane show with a compelling mystery...wrapped in good old home-town packaging.

DOCTOR WHO

The music for Doctor Who makes my blood PUMP. If you hear it, you know you're about to be taken on an unforgettable adventure. The British television program is the longest running science fiction show in the world. It began in 1963 and has had a major makeover/surge in popularity in the last six years. The Doctor himself has been played by various actors over the years (pictured is David Tennant with Billie Piper as Rose), since The Doctor must periodically "regenerate" if he is seriously wounded. Along with rotating Doctors are a changing cast of "companions" who join him on his journeys through time and space. The writing for this show is especially complex and layered. Each season has a theme (or several themes) that all tie together at the end, though it's almost impossible to figure it out until the end. The stakes are high in almost every episode--life and limb are almost always at risk. The show also manages to send compelling messages about what is is to be human and the value of human (or non-human) life. The Doctor almost always promises adventure, a little history, a little speculative fiction, and a lot of emotional investment. In my highly-biased opinion, it might be one of the most perfect series ever written. :)

Emily Hainsworth is the author of THROUGH TO YOU, (Fall 2012 Balzer+Bray / HarperCollins), a sci-fi novel about a seventeen-year-old boy grieving for his dead girlfriend until he discovers she's still alive in a parallel reality--one where he's the one who died. For more information, visit her website.

TV Shows That Hook and Don't Let Go

2011-11-06T22:57:00.000-08:00

So, something weird about me? I like TV shows better than movies. I cannot seem to sit through a movie lately AT ALL, but I can totes have a giant 5-episode marathon of my favorite tv show. In fact, I save episodes up for this very purpose (it's so annoying, after all, to have to agonize waiting each week to find out what happens next! I want to know right away!).

You see, I think TV shows have more to teach a writer, at least about perfecting longer story-arcs, that movies can't. Movies can teach a writer how to keep things fast paced, to think in terms of scenes, and to focus only on the things that move a story forward without meandering. But it's TV shows where you really get some deep characterization, the kind where a character burrows into your head so that you can't stop thinking about them. And because there are hopefully at least a few seasons of a show, you get to inhabit the life of the character for longer, and more intimately than movies. It's what I love best about storytelling of any kind--stories that move me.

So, without further ado, my top five favorite shows.

1. Doctor Who. I was only introduced to the fabulous Doctor about a year ago, when I started watching Season 5 with the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, and fell head over heels with the show. I promptly went back and watched all the previous seasons. But unlike many, for whom David Tennant will be their favorite Doctor-par-excellence, I really like Matt Smith. And again, I've heard all over the internet that people were bummed about this past season, but I LOVED IT! I like Amelia Pond. I love Rory (well, everyone loves Rory), and I am a huge fan of the River Song story line and seeing how that all played out this year. If you have no idea what I'm talking about: stop what you are doing this instant and go watch this show!!!!

2. Fringe. I only sorta liked this show the first couple seasons, it wasn't until last season when it was less episodic and they went full throttle with the mythology of the two parallel universes that I fell hard for this show. The ideas and epic world-bending-and-potentially-ending scope combined with the interpersonal relationships make this show a Must Watch.

3. Once Upon A Time. Okay, so there's only been three episodes of this show so far, but it's my favorite debut this fall. I can talk a good post-modern game sometimes, but really I'm a giant sap at heart. I always loved fairy-tale retellings where there's a happily ever after. I think this show is smart in playing with the tropes and familiar story-lines, I love that portions of the show are set in the fairy-tale realm where it's knights and thieves and royalty, and I really like seeing the familiar characters turned on their head in the cursed realm of our world--the place 'where there are no happy endings.' The pilot wasn't as stunning as I'd hoped, but last week's episode and the one tonight completely wrapped me up.

4. Revenge. This is my other favorite new start-up show this year. The premise of a girl slowly destroying the group of people who destroyed her father, so perfectly summed up in this tag-line: "This is not a story about forgiveness." The first episode literally gave me goosebumps. It's wandered a little since, but it's still the show I always watch first on my dvr each week. This show is all about character--viewers are given intimate looks at Emily's thought processes, what drove her here, how the revenge consumes her so completely. But the wrenching part of this show is you want to just be like: no, stop Emily! You could just stop now and find a way to be happy if you'd just let all this go! But like the tag-line says: it's not a story about forgiveness. And I can't wait to see how deep and dark this all goes, and if Emily can still manage to find a modicum of her own happiness.

5. The Vampire Diaries. When I first started watching this show, I thought: hmm, it's good, but I wonder if it can stay interesting past the first season? Yeah, it's on it's third season, and it has amped up with every episode. The thing that hooks me with this show (and a lot of people, I think) is the two Salvatore brothers--one dark, one light, always in love with the same girl and locked into this pattern of eternal competition, but also, this bond between one another. So it's got that nice Cain and Abel thing going, but the show never lets it be simple. The two brothers, especially this season, morph in and out of roles of clear-cut 'good' and 'bad', and who are we kidding, we all probably love them best when they're being bad boys, right on the verge of being good. The show makes all of the characters and relationships so perfectly tangled, you're not sure what to hope for to happen next. But no matter what, you can't stop watching.

If I Could Be A Character In A TV Show It Would Be...?

2011-11-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Seriously? Just one?

Okay. Let's start at the beginning when TV became more than just colorful, animated characters proving that ghosts are always criminals impersonating ghosts. Don't get me wrong. I LOVED Scooby-Doo, but once I entered middle school I needed something a bit more mature.

Enter My So Called Life.
Oh, Angela. You made me want red, one length hair that I could hide behind while daydreaming about Jordan Catalano. Sigh. Jordan. Why were you such a jerk?

Then, once they canceled that show and RUINED MY ENTIRE WORLD I moved on to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

And it was so fun. I still wish I could be Buffy. I mean, who doesn't? The last few Halloweens I've had to choose between dressing up as Buffy or Katniss Everdeen. This year I was on deadline so I wore kitty ears and a tail. Word to the wise... if you're going to dress up like a cat remember you're still wearing a tail before you go grocery shopping. Without the ears you're just a grown woman with a tail.

Anywho.

Once Buffy ended I moved on to VERONICA MARS!!! THE best TV show EVER!!! Seriously. Why was this show canceled after THREE SEASONS? THREE SEASONS PEOPLE!! Veronica is such a strong character and her relationship with her father is awesome.
Life is so unfair.

But now I've moved on from high school shows. Yeah. Right.

I'm a tad bit obsessed with The Vampire Diaries.
I love it. And it's not because of those two bloodsucking brothers. Nope. It's sooo not. It's because the writers are awesome! And very very clever. Each character is layered and intriguing. I thought I would hate Caroline in the beginning and now she's one of my favorite characters. And Stefan. He was so boring in the beginning and now he's... not.

For all of you out there who need a little more boy in your show... I do have to give a special shout-out to Friday Night Lights. Even if you hate football (which I do) you will love this show. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll find yourself watching football and actually caring who wins. It takes some serious writing chops to do that folks.

Shari Arnold is the author of MYSTIQUE coming Fall 2012 from Chronicle Books. Check out her blog or follow her on Twitter.

Friday Reads!

2011-11-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

Kristen Simmons

I recently had the opportunity to meet award-winning author Greg Neri, and am reading his middle-grade novel GHETTO COWBOY, a story about a boy who is sent to live with his father on an intercity horse ranch in Philadelphia. It's incredibly interesting and engaging; the language and setting pulled me in immediately. I'm so intrigued to see how it ends!

Jodi Meadows

I'm reading THE NAME OF THE STAR by Maureen Johnson and I'm loving it! The murders, the humor, the spookiness! Yes!

Elizabeth Norris

I read THE SHADOW READER by Sandy Williams this week. I read it
overnight! It's an amazing debut urban fantasy novel about MacKenzie
Lewis, a Houston college student who has the ability to see the fae
and read the shadows they leave behind (like a map) when they portal
in and out of certain places. She works mostly for the king of the fae
and is in love with his swordsmaster, but she finds herself caught up
in the rebellion when she's kidnapped by a rebel leader. My favorite
thing about this book is that for the the most part, I never knew who
was a good guy, who was bad, and who was lying! Such a great book. One
of my favorites this year.

Susanne Winnacker

I started SPELLS by Aprilynne Pike today. I really liked WINGS, so I can’t wait to find out what happens to Laurel, Tamani and David in this book.

ALTERED Character Interview

2011-11-03T02:07:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite writing exercises is the character interview. So when I read this week's topic, I was insanely excited. And since I couldn't pick just one character from ALTERED to interview, I decided to pick two and have one interview the other.

Nick & Cas are two of the four boys from ALTERED. They're very much a family, albeit a dysfunctional one.

Nick: (peruses list of questions, eyes moderator)This seems like a massive waste of time.

Cas: (smirks, turns to moderator) He has troublereading. Just give him a minute.

Nick: (scowls at Cas, clears throat)What do you like to do with your time? Besides annoy the hell out of me.

Moderator: Please stick towhat’s written on the paper, Nicholas.

Cas: (laughs) Like any growing boy, I like toeat. Chocolate. Cookies. Marshmallows. Doritos. I like to BBQ. Anything is betterBBQ’d. You know what I mean?

Nick: Who is most importantin your life? (snorts)

Cas: Hmm. Let me see. I would have to say SweetBaby Jesus. And his dad, for giving me these guns. (flexes biceps)

Nick: That's your answer?Jesus?

Cas: (spreads out arms) Who else am I going tosay? You?

Nick: Sam? Anna?

Cas: Well, duh. Anna, yeah. She makes mecookies. And Sam was the obvious answer. I don’t want to disappoint the readerswith the obvious answer.

Nick: That’s assuminganyone even reads this shit.

Cas: Next question, babe. (snaps fingers)

Nick: (grumbles) Boxers or briefs?

Cas: Commando.

Nick: Dog or cat?

Cas: Cat. I like kitties. I’d name mine Mr.Fluffy Snuggles. If I had one.

Nick: Jacob or Edward?

Cas: Pfffttt. Emmett. Dude’s got a badass Jeep.

Nick: Pancakes or Frenchtoast?

Cas: Can’t pick between the two. Next.

Nick: Where do you seeyourself in five years?

Cas: On a white sandy beach. Hopefully annoyingthe hell out of you.

Nick: You’re such a fuc—

Moderator: Nicholas, if you could please refrain---

Nick: (throws list of questions) I’mnot doing this.

Cas: (watches Nick leave room) Come on! We wereon a roll!

Jennifer Rush is the author of ALTERED coming Fall 2012 from Little, Brown. Check out her blog for news and updates.

Character Interview with Evelyn Winters from RENEGADE

2011-11-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hi y’all! I’m super excited to do today’spost. I have managed to snag arecording from an interview an unnamed reporter (the poor dear) did with mycharacter Evelyn Winters. I have transcribed them below. While I’m not positiveof the exact date, from certain things Evelyn says, I do believe this interviewtakes place just before the events of RENEGADE.

In fact, I’mfairly certain this interview takes place the day before RENEGADE starts.

Happy reading!

REPORTER: Thank you so much, Ms. Winters,for agreeing to do this interview with me and, of course, to Mother forallowing it. We all know thiswouldn’t be happening with out Mother’s…er…graciousness. How are you today?

EVELYN: My life is just aboutperfect.

Reporter: Um…okay, then. I’ll just be asking some basic questionsabout you and your life here. Is that all right?

EVELYN: Of course. I amhere to serve. *smiles, smoothes skirt over knees*

REPORTER: Evelyn--do you prefer Evelyn?--tell me a littleabout yourself.

EVELYN: It isa pleasure to meet you. Actually, most Citizens refer to me as Miss Evelyn,which is as Mother likes it. However, I much prefer Evie for some reason.Even though I don't ever recall anybody actually ever calling me by that name

...hmm...how very odd.

I don't suppose it matters.

Anyway, I am the Daughter of the Peoplein our wonderful city of Elysium. Mother hand chose me to be the heir to her position as Governess. It is both a privilege and an honor to serve our city so completely.

REPORTER: Elysium? Where is that, Greece?

EVELYN: Greece? That was a Surface city.Before The War, right?...Are you a Surface Dweller? *looks around for Mother*How did you get down here? How did you get passed the turrets?! SDs arestrictly forbidden. You had better leave before Mother finds out what youare and sends an Enforcer.

REPORTER: Umm...no. No, everything's fine. No needfor...Enforcers, did you

say? Never mind all that. Why don't we talk a little moreabout you?

What are you into?

EVELYN: Into? *frowns, looks down* It's just adress. The same as all female Citizens. You don't wear dresses? That’sagainst the dress code. Are yousure that you aren't a Surface Dweller?

Well, I suppose it IS a pretty dress.Mother had the dressmaker sew it just for me. Do you like it?

REPORTER: Your dress? Oh yes, it's nice. But Iwas wondering about your interests. What do you like to do? Youknow, what kind of music do you like? What's your favorite movie? That sort of thing.

EVELYN: Oh, I apologize for misunderstanding. Ihad never heard of that word “into” used like that before.

I like the music that plays in mygardens. Father had them built for me, you know. It relaxes the mind and spirit and, of course, I enjoy theclassics. Mozart. Beethoven. It is very rewarding to play them onmy violin. I do not get to the Cineplex very often, so I do not have afavorite movie, I’m afraid. I am much too busy with my duties andlearning how to rule this city.

REPORTER: Ohhhh-kaaaay. So, you're like, the princess, huh? What do you have to do?

EVELYN: Oh...um...well, I...I am in charge ofrequest day! It is a VERY important task to make sure the Citizens haveeverything they require to lead full and productive lives, so they may serveour city completely.

REPORTER: Okay, maybe we should move on. Tell me about Elysium. Where is it?

EVELYN: Youare very strange. Are you SURE you're not a Surface Dweller? Whyare you so concerned with where we live? *sigh* Well, I don't suppose itwould hurt to tell you.

Elysium is a fully self-sustainedcity located on the ocean floor and nestled cozily in a volcanic trench to bestuse the natural resources provided to us by the geothermal energy of thevolcanic tubes.

*Smiles* Since I know what your next question will be, let me justcontinue.

The city is spilt into severalSectors that are separate, but connected to each other through various glasstube walkways. This is in case of a leak. Each Sector can be separated from therest of the city until Maintenance personnel can locate and repair theproblem. Each Sector designates a different function needed by the city. Medical, engineering, science, etc.

In turn, they are all filled withCitizens who've been Sorted into their Designations by their genetics to ensureonly the very best are servicing our city in the most suitable way possible.

REPORTER: *blinks* Oh. Right. Bottom of the ocean. I...forgot. So,um, let's get back to you. Do you have a boyfriend?

EVELYN: *blushes* yes I suppose that is thecommon term. As Daughter of the People, and a designated Breeder, my MOSTimportant duty, now that I'm 16, is to provide Mother with another heir afterme.

Only the most suitable young men havebeen chosen to be my suitors and I have narrowed the list to one young man inparticular.

*smiles* His name is Timothy and he'sa metal worker from Sector Three. His genetics are a perfect match forme.

*leans forward and whispers* Betweenyou and me, we're supposed to be meeting each other later. I have afeeling he's going to ask me to Couple with him. Isn’t that fantastic?*big sappy smile*

REPORTER: *mutters* Yeah,that's not creepy. *clears throat* So, uh...tell me more about these...what doyou call them? Surface Dwellers? You don't seem to like them much.

EVELYN:According to Mother, Surface Dwellers are beasts who live on The Surface. Surface Dwellers are forbidden. TheWar has corrupted and turned them into savages. Surface Dwellers arecontemptible. Nothing more than heathens who'd just as soon kill you aslook at you. They will taint our city with their hate and violent ways andshould be shot on sight. *frowns* Are you sure you're not one?

*door slams open* *soundof multiple feet rushing into the room*

REPORTER: Hey! What areyou doing? That’s my equipment. Who are you people?

*sound of a gunshot, then a body hitting the floor*

Another woman’s voice, presumablyMother: Come along, Evelyn. Let the Enforcers clean up. Dr. Friar says you missed yourappointment again. You know howmuch I detest when you don’t keep appointments.

J.A. Souders is the author of RENEGADE a YA dystopian that takes place in an underwater utopian society, coming Fall 2012 from Tor Teen. For more information visit her blog or website.

Photo Credit: Jessica Grimm Photography

I Lived with a Ghost

2011-10-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

Then there was the time I lived in a haunted house . . . for reals. And I have to say, it wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Actually, it was quite unsettling.

This was back when my husband and I lived in Salt Lake City, Utah. We moved into this big old house (practically a mansion for my twenty-one year old self) in the foothills. My sisters-in-law were housesitting the place for a friend, so we didn’t even have to pay rent. And the house even had a pool! Score for us. But, like all haunted house stories, they start out with a “too good to be true” scenario.

It began right away, the “bad” feeling. The “someone is standing behind you” sense that makes you whirl around only to find . . . nothing. There were the doors that would slam for no reason and the objects that would mysteriously disappear, only to be found in some random spot. One of my favorite necklaces went missing, and I searched everywhere for it before finally giving up. A few days later, I found it shoved behind a bookshelf, completely rusted like it had been soaked in water.

Only after living in this house for months did we find out about out about the tragic event that had happened there decades earlier.

Remember that pool I mentioned? Well, we never went in it. No matter what we did, we couldn’t get the filter to work, so the pool remained a disgusting, sludgy cesspool in the backyard. But when we found out what had happened in that pool, we were quite happy never to have gone in it.

You can probably guess where I’m going with this. Yeah, a little girl drowned in the pool. Her parents found her floating facedown in the water. It doesn’t get much more horrible than that.

After we learned about the drowned girl, everything made sense. The presence we felt. The way we’d get nervous if we were alone in a room, because we never quite felt alone. The missing necklace that turned up rusted.

So there you have it. My haunted house story, and the reason I’m now suspicious of anything that’s too good to be true.

Happy Halloween!

Jennifer Bosworth is the author of STRUCK (FSG/Macmillan, May 8, 2012) a novel about what happens when a teenage lightning addict meets an apocalypse. Jennifer no longer lives in a haunted house, but she is still obsessed with all things scary, and watches a horror movie every day in October.

http://www.jenniferbosworth.com

@jennbosworth

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10647702-struck

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Bosworth/198817690150452

Friday Reads!

2011-10-28T04:36:00.000-07:00

Heather Anastasiu

I'm reading A CLASH OF KINGS by George R.R. Martin, the 2nd in the Game of Thrones series. My secret love = super epic high fantasy series. This one reminds me of LOTR--it's long, is sometimes a slow read, and very different from the YA I read the rest of the time, but it has this slow-building-yet-satisfying storytelling quality that I find continually compelling.

Jay Kristoff

I'm alllllmost finished Article 5 by our very own Kristen Simmons. A5 has kept me guessing the ENTIRE trip and has taken some totally unexpected turns - even two chapters from the finale, I have NO IDEA how it's going to end. It's beautifully written, wonderfully paced and extraordinarily intimate - I feel like I'm literally inside the MC's head. Love love love love love.

Kristen Simmons

I just finished Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. It was great - quirky and passionate and fun. I loved Anna and the French Kiss, and was so excited to see Anna and St. Claire pop up throughout the sequel!

Susanne Winnacker

I finished UNEARTHLY by Cynthia Hand this week and loved it, especially Tucker! I need to read the sequel asap!

What are you reading this week?

And the winner is...

2011-10-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Eddie Louise who won our first critique giveaway! Check back next month for another chance. Also, next month we'll be giving away a query letter critique as well :) Thanks to all who entered!
*Results generated using www.random.org

Masks

2011-10-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

Oh Halloween. The time of masks.

You may have noticed I rather like masks.

Masks can be beautiful and terrifying. They can be eerily serene or make bold statements. A good mask will haunt and intrigue you. It may delight you or reveal something about the wearer you hadn't noticed before.

You can make them with bright colors or muted colors. Beads, feathers, flowers, gemstones. Plastic, wood, ceramic, paper, paint, glitter glue. Masks can be made of so many wonderful things.

And they can be invisible.

People--including characters--wear masks all the time. There's the face we show others, and the parts we keep hidden. Masks are armor. Some are bigger, fuller, more opaque; some are translucent wisps of fog. But everyone has a mask or ten that slip in and out of place with every interaction.

What are your characters' masks? What does each mask say about your character? What happens when the masks come off?

--

Jodi Meadows is the author of INCARNATE. (January 31, 2012 - HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books.)

*A Kippy is a cat.

A Moment with Scorn

2011-10-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hi L...I mean, Scorn (awesome codename btw). Thanks for stopping by to visit with us today! Now, as you know, we at Brave New Words LOVE to write stories for young adults, and since it's Halloween and all, I thought maybe you could help me out with some teenage spookiness. What do you say?

I’ll try my best.
First, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Well, I’m a 15 year old, a sophomore, and a guy. I don’t play many sports, not on organized teams anyway, but I am in a band. It’s the school band, but it sounds cooler when I just say a band.
So tell me, Scorn. What are a few things from your perspective that teenagers are afraid of? (Not you, of course. Obviously Scorn fears NOTHING.)

Well obviously I’m not afraid of much, and I don’t know if I can speak for all teenagers but from my experiences I’d say that this about sums it up…

1. Spiders. It’s nothing original, but isn’t everyone afraid of spiders? Some guys might step on a spider like it’s no big deal, but it isn’t, and if that same “tough” guy woke up with that spider crawling across his face he’d scream like a little kid.

2. Little kids. For most teenagers the presence of little kids is a sign of trouble. When little kids are near it usually means that you will have to babysit, entertain, or just have to put up with the shenanigans that you, hopefully, left behind years ago. Don’t get me wrong, I love my little siblings, but whenever I’m within a ten foot radius of them I get a headache and have to make some effort to divert their attention someplace else.

3. Effort. Although teenagers get a bad reputation, we are actually a pretty hard working group of people, it just depends on the work. For teenagers, and many others, the effort put forth depends on the time allowed, and we don’t have much extra time. This makes for an interesting dilemma, should I take a nap before football practice or study for my math test. If you choose nap and get a C on the test then your parents and teacher are going to think you’re slacking, but if you study for the math test and come to football practice half-awake your coach will lecture you and your teammates will look down on you. It’s frightening to think that no matter what choice you make there’s very likely going to be some sort of negative outcome. I suppose that might be the reason why a small minority of teenagers chooses to do nothing at all.

4. Other teenagers. I always have qualms when I’m invited to an event with my peers. For girls this seems to be because they don’t know what they should wear or if “he’s” gonna be there, but for me it’s because I never know what kind of odd stuff we might get into. I went to a bonfire last weekend during which one of my friends played yakety-sax on the banjo while another friend ran a lap around the yard with… minimal clothing. It was amusing, but I was content with pants and some s’mores.

5. I don’t know how typical it is, but I would say that public restrooms are probably scarier for guys than girls. I say this because in my experience it seems that guys attempt to get in and out as quick as possible and if you’ve ever been in a men’s restroom then you are aware that this is with good reason.

6. In elementary school there was a girl in my class named Carly who tried as hard as she could to inflict pain on me. I was definitely a little scared of her. At the play ground she would kick me and my friends in the shins, but she never got in trouble because all of the teachers said that she did it because she had a “crush” on us. All of us? Doesn’t seem likely. These days the only girls that really scare me are the legitimately scary ones, but I’m sure that if I don’t aggravate them they won’t take me down.

Interesting…so Scorn is both fearsome and insightful. A deadly combination to say the least.

I’ve only killed 5 or 6 people so it’s obviously not deadly enough.

Ok, moving on.

What's your creepiest Halloween memory?

Probably the time that I went over to my friend’s house that he’d just moved into. When we started our journey for candy the sun was out and houses were easily recognizable. When the sun went down it was a different story. We wandered around his neighborhood for about three hours and when we got back to the house we played it off to his mom as if we were just out having a good time. Neither of us ever admitted that we were lost until after the experience was over.
Scariest food you've ever eaten?

This would undoubtedly be a scorpion. When I was 8 or so, me and my dad spent a night at the science
center. The main event was a cooking course about how to prepare bugs. I got to cook ants, maggots, and scorpions and then was somehow convinced to eat them. I hope they were free range scorpions.

In keeping with the scarefest, what’s the scariest book you’ve ever read?

PREY, without a doubt. It’s by Michael Crichton and it’s about nano-bots gone wrong. The main characters are
practically hunted and eaten by their own creation which had evolved rapidly from harmless little simply programmed nan-robots into a swarm of tiny blood-thirsty robots which are capable of sustaining themselves and reproducing without the help of humans.

Let's just say you're about to be attacked by a gang of zombie ninjas, what do you do Scorn?

Domesticate them. Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a “gang” of agile zombies doing your bidding, like cleaning
your room or taking care of your phone bill by ravaging the phone company. Obviously zombies aren’t smart which means that their ONLY downfall is their speed, but ninja zombies would retain those ninja reflexes while being as gullible as your everyday zombie.

Scorn, I’m pretty sure you’re brilliant.

I completely agree, just don’t tell anybody or they might expect more out of me. We all know that I’m scared of effort.Ok, pop quiz, hot shot: world ends tomorrow. Cannibals and rabid werewolves are combing the streets. What skills do you have to survive Post-Apocalypsia?

The skill of reason. You might say that this won’t be effective when dealing with cannibals and werewolves,
but when you can also speak their language, which I can, reason actually becomes quite useful. And if reason doesn’t work then I’ll just nuke them. Assuming that we’re still in America I’m sure that there will be plenty of nukes laying around and in a post-apocalyptic situation I doubt anyone will even notice a little bit of extra radiation.

Outstanding, Scorn. 10 points to you.

Maybe I can use this interview to get extra credit in English, that’d be nice.

Finally, how'd you earn that nickname, Scorn? I did some asking around about it, and everyone seemed prettttty reluctant to say anything. I think you've got them worried...

Well,as far as official nickname regulations go I haven’t really earned it yet. I guess that I might have to steal some food or kill a couple drifters but I’m hoping to secure the name by 2013. If you want I can find you a cool post-apocalypse name as well. I’m thinking that Animus would be a good fit.

Fair enough. Happy Halloween everyone. Scorn and Animus, signing off.

Kristen Simmons is the author of ARTICLE 5, the first installment of a dystopian trilogy, which will be published by Tor Teen in February 2012. Learn more about her at her here, at goodreads, or on facebook.

The Power of the Red Pen

2011-10-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

I'm going to do a throw-back here topic wise and talk about being edited. Because it's kind of the coolest thing about being a to-be-published writer. Suddenly it's not just you pounding away at the keys in the shadows anymore and hoping what you're writing is working. Now there is a whole TEAM to make sure your story doesn't suck!!

My novel GLITCH is in it's last editing rounds now, but it's been through the editing ringer many a time. First, my agent wanted me to do some heavy revisions before he took me on as a client. Then we did at least two more rounds before submitting to publishing houses last January.

Then we sold to SMP and I got my awesome sparkly Can't Believe How Awesome She Is editor, Terra Layton. We talked on the phone after the deal, and she was gushing about how she loved my book and what she thought we could do to make it better. But from the beginning, she was always: it's your name going on the cover, it's your book. So, um, yeah. How lucky did I get!!

My first round of edits involved a fourteen page edit letter and was probably the biggest revisions I'd done since I'd done for my agent in the beginning. She asked a lot of questions in the letter and pointed out problems, but while she made suggestions, she let me figure out how to fix them. Plot points from the end got moved to the middle, some of the Big Reveals were switched around, action was added and finally, the second half stopped sucking ;)

There have been two more rounds since then, last one was Line Edits, which are the coolest thing ever. Line edits are where your magic editor actually goes in at a close line level and makes suggestions and changes. I was so grateful for these--she was able to help me smooth out transitions, make clearer my character's motivations, and make the thing more of a cohesive whole.

Meanwhile, I've been working on getting a solid draft of Book 2 done, and I look at it and think EEEK! Then I remember, I have the whole team now, we'll make sure it, too, doesn't suck in the end ;)
-----
Heather Anastasiu is the author of GLITCH (St. Martin's Press/Summer 2012) Glitch in three words: Dystopia, Superpowers, & Love :) Check out my website for more news and updates.

Friday Reads

2011-10-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

Heather Anastasiu

I just finished Myra McEntire's HOURGLASS. I loved the intelligent concepts the book was built around, the unique characters, and the wicked suprises throughout.

Lenore Appelhans

I just finished WHEREVER YOU GO by Heather Davis. She's a master of the quiet scene - they sneak up on you with their depth of feeling and leave you spinning. This one features a intriguing premise: Rob is a ghost that wants to try to speak to his girlfriend through the grandfather with Alzheimers that she cares for. Not as romantic as her last one, THE CLEARING, but has a lot to say about the realities of life and love.

Susanne Winnacker

I just finished DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE. And wow this book is stunning. The end left me breathless. Laini Taylor created a rich and believable world. So believable that I wish I was in Prague to search for the places she described in the book. Poison Kitchen and the door to Brimstone's shop. They have to be somewhere because they are just too vivid in my mind to be figments of someone's imagination.

Jennifer Rush

I'm also reading DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE. At the halfway point, I'm blown away at how rich Laini's writing is. I don't think she's described a look between characters the same way twice. Major feat, as any writer knows! Can't wait to see how it ends.

Emily Hainsworth

I'm reading ACCOMPLICE by Eireann Corrigan. This is a strictly contemp book, but it's so high concept and intriguing, I couldn't resist. A couple of teen girls plan for one of them to go missing in order to stand out better on their college applications (I know, right?), but things don't go exactly according to their plan. I'm about 1/4 into it and already the stakes are so high and the voice is so intense, I'm totally hooked.

Kristen Simmons

I just finished STORMDANCER by (drum roll please...) our very own Jay Kristoff and it was INCREDIBLE. I was blown away by the writing, the characters, the world. Nothing about this book is superficial - every layer is well thought out and perfectly woven. It had everything I wanted - action, romance, snarky humor, things blowing up, samurais, a world caving in on itself, a kick ass heroine. And yes, a griffin. I loved it. Cannot wait to see what happens in book 2.

Susanne Winnacker is the author of THE OTHER LIFE in which the seeds of first love are sown amongst the death and destruction of a nightmare future. You can find her on her blog (where she's currently giving away an ARC of her book).

What are you reading this week?

COVER LOVE - US versus UK, what's the difference?

2011-10-20T22:08:00.000-07:00

I have always assumed 'a great cover is a great cover' wherever you're from. Like a work of art. So when my editor made a recent comment about US versus UK cover art and its appeal to their respective markets, my curiosity was roused, my ignorance on the subject totally exposed. Thus began a week with one wonderful addition to the "things I do on my computer that suck up my time", (recently featuring my obsession with stuff about building your author platform, tips for harnessing the power of facebook, and making book trailers on imovie.) This week, I've been checking out the differences between UK and US cover art and here are a few of the things I stumbled across along the way:

In 2009, 52 % of books sold in the UK YA market were by Stephenie Meyer. But Twilight only began to see big sales in the UK after they replaced the UK cover with the US cover. (Yes, that is the original cover for Twilight when it first came out in the UK!)

YA cover art in the UK is reportedly more orientated towards a younger teen audience and more likely to use illustration as opposed to photographic imagery. (Hunger Games: US cover left, UK cover right. Declaration: US cover right, UK cover below left.)

A surprising number of recent books by American YA authors are being released with the same cover when they come out in the UK. (Note: I've mainly been looking at my own genre -- YA dystopian. No idea if this also applies to Fantasy, Paranormal Romance and Contemporary YA fiction. The cover for Across the Universe in the UK is an earlier variation apparently, without the pink/ purple space & stars behind the two silhouettes.)

So what have I learnt from all this? No idea. Unarguably, there are cultural differences between us Brits and you Americans. But with all the social media platforms, the predominance of Hollywood films and the US culture impacting across the world, do our teenagers really still stand oceans apart? Is a good cover a good cover wherever you're from, or are the subtleties of our cultures still enough to distinguish different preferences? What do you think?

(If you've written or read an article you'd like to share on this, please leave your link in the comments!)

Claire Merle is the author of THE GLIMPSE, (June 2012 Faber & Faber), a dystopian thriller set in London not many years from now, where mental illness has skyrocketed out of control and society is divided by genetic testing into those who'll become sick - the Crazies - and those who won't - the Pures.

For news and updates about THE GLIMPSE come and join me on my facebook page. For everything else, let's talk on twitter - clairemerle

THE GLIMSPE can now be added to your goodreads wish list.
website ~ goodreads ~ facebook

What Distracts Me

2011-10-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

This week we're supposed to talk about writing distractions. I think it would have been easier for me to write about what doesn't distract me. Actually, this post probably would have been empty. Because I can find something interesting in a paperclip if I'm supposed to be writing.

Take this post for instance. I could have simply written a paragraph or two about Twitter and TV, but instead Photoshop distracted me with all the pretty fonts! and pictures! and now this post comes to you with visual aids.

Let's start with the biggest distraction, shall we?

Nothing makes me happier than Twitter. Writing at the same desk everyday in the same house surrounded by the same people can be depressing. Twitter makes me feel less alone.

Plus, it's nice knowing you're not the only crazy writer person out there.

If you know me, you know I am boy crazy. I like my Gosling. My Worthington. My Pitt (it's Michael these days). So this one will certainly not shock you.

I don't have to explain this one.

Or this one.

I call it imagery research. My husband calls it staring off into space. What does he know?

I really have no excuse for this one. Except that I'm a girl.

Jennifer Rush is the author of ALTERED coming Fall 2012 from Little, Brown. Check out her blog for news and updates.

My Writing Distraction: Checklists

2011-10-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it seems like I can only write if I get everything else done first.

Emails
Phone Calls
Twitter/Facebook (I'm an author now, this is "professional" social networking)
Laundry
Paying Bills
Washing Dishes
More Emails
Reading Books (for "research")
Exercise

I wouldn't say I have one particular vice I go to in order to avoid writing. I'm usually so busy with all these other things, I feel too guilty to spend precious time on Angry Birds. I guess I need to feel I've wasted my time productively. When my husband gets home at the end of the day, I can list off a whole bunch of things I accomplished! That always feels good until he asks if I got any writing done. :\

The best piece of advice I've received on this so far has been: Make sure you put your writing first. This induces a struggle because...if the writing doesn't get done, nothing else will get done! And if nothing else gets done, my life will grind to a halt! And if my life grinds to a halt, how will I ever write my next book? Etc, etc...

But you know what? All The Things will still be there after I've reached my word count. And as easy as chores and checking off to-do lists may be COMPARED to writing? They're not anywhere near as satisfying to gaze at when they're complete.

What is scary? Lessons learned during 31 days of horror!

2011-10-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

Well, it’s Day 17 of my 31 days of horror marathon (aka, BoHoMoMo, Bosworth Horror Movie Month) during which I watch at least one horror movie every day. Now, I don’t do this simply because I love horror movies. I do it to learn, and the best way to learn how to tell a certain kind of story is to pin your eyelids back and expose yourself to as much of it as possible.

What I want to learn from my month of horror movies is simply this: What scares people?

Yes, I know it’s sick, but that’s what I want out of life. I want to scare you. And maybe you want to scare me right back.

Let’s examine a few of the most important revelations/reminders I’ve had this month about what is scary:

1. Seeing things that aren’t there . . . or are they? You’re alone in an empty house, and out of the corner of your eye you catch a flash of movement. You’re sitting on the train, and you glance up to see that the man seated across from you is a rotting corpse. You blink, and nope, he’s just some homeless dude. You’re at a funeral, standing over the coffin, and you see the dead person’s lips part slightly, like he/she wants to tell you something. You look again, and no. Just your imagination. But it seemed so real . . .

The reason the whole “now you see me, now you don’t” trick works so well for me is because, truly, one of the scariest things I can think of is losing my own mind. And this horror movie trope, though used frequently, still gets me where I live. In my head, where I (and everyone else, I assume) want to believe I’m safe and sane.

2. Bad things happen to good people. Sadly, the horror genre has come to be defined by hot sluts and cocky jocks getting stabbed and dismembered in increasingly creative ways. And many of us derive a certain amount of pleasure from watching these cardboard caricatures get what’s coming to them. But what’s truly scary is coming to know and like a three-dimensional character (ex. Naomi Watts in “The Ring,” the exorcist in “The Last Exorcism”) who you know is going to have something terrible happen to them in the end. Which brings me to . . .

3. The tragic end. Horror is tragedy. Horror cannot have a happy ending. Even if your hero survives, she will never recover from what’s happened. She will be haunted for life. The scars she bears will never fade. And that’s what’s truly horrific about horror . . . the nightmare never truly ends.

Jennifer Bosworth is the author of STRUCK (FSG/Macmillan, May 8 2012), the story of a girl struck by lightning hundreds of times, who holds the fate of the world in unpredictable and dangerous hands. If you're looking for horror movie recommendations for the Halloween season, contact Jennifer on Facebook or Twitter. @jennbosworth

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=521103525

http://www.jenniferbosworth.com

Driven to Distraction!

2011-10-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think half of what get discussed among writers is how hard it is to write!!! Resistance to the blank page, to the blinking cursor. We've talked here on the blog about how we face that resistance, but this week is to celebrate distraction!

My favorite distractions tend to come from here, and here, and here:

Now, these first two are the ones I use WHILE writing. I write a scene, then I check out the conversations bouncing around Twitter, I follow interesting links to blogs or articles for awhile, then I gear up to write the next scene. Facebook gets a quick glance. It's only when I land on the last one that I get into trouble, so I try to keep my hulu-watching in the same category as my wine-drinking, that is, firmly after 7pm ;)
-----
Heather Anastasiu is the author of GLITCH (St. Martin's Press/Summer 2012) Glitch in three words: Dystopia, Superpowers, & Love :) Check out my website for more news and updates.

My Love Hate Relationship with Edits

2011-10-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

I'm a perfectionist. I can't open a document on my laptop and do a read through without making some kind of revision. Every time I read something, I want to tinker with the words or the sentence structure, or I think of something else that should be happening in the scene.

And it's not just with things I've written myself. I'm that person that is always making edits to other people's writing too. At one point, I was a teacher, and I always turned back papers covered in green ink (green, because red ink apparently can hurt people's self esteem according to our principal).

I was sure that when the time came, I would rock at edits.

This is embarrassing but true: I didn't. Like at all.

My first reaction whenever I read anyone's revisions notes was that I couldn't possibly do what they were asking. Whether it was because "it would change the entire dynamic of the book!" or just because I had no idea how to implement them, my knee jerk reaction was that I couldn't do it.

Which was weird, because I've never been an "I can't" person.

So I did a couple weird things to get through edits.

1. I waited at least two full days after reading the edit letter before opening the manuscript on my computer. I wanted to really let those edit notes sink in and be committed to them before working on it.

2. I talked (and maybe whined a little) about them a lot. Writer friends and publishing industry friends had to hear me discuss edits and why I didn't think they'd work--or maybe they would--many times. Thankfully I had a good support system of people who knew when to tell me to shut up and just get it done.

3. I made a playlist of music which I blasted during revisions--the kind of music that just isn't about to let a person fail. Like this.

4. I took things one step at a time--and I rewarded myself with every step that I accomplished. And I reminded myself when I got frustrated that writing a book is never really a one person job.

And

5. I realized the trick for me was to print the manuscript out and edit on paper. It was a lot of work, a lot of writing in long hand (in green ink), and then a lot of typing everything back into the document. But it allowed me to distance myself from my own words, to view them more objectively, and it guaranteed that I going over everything at least twice (once on paper and once when I typed it in), which (hopefully) meant I wasn't going to miss things.

But of course the best thing about edits, is when they're done, and you can read the first pass pages and see the words laid out like a real book.

twitter * tumblr

Being edited makes me happy

2011-10-13T04:35:00.000-07:00

This is not going to come as a surprise, but I love being edited.

I wasn't sure quite what to expect when I got my first edit letter. Something awful? Something soul-rending? I've heard enough writers wail about their edit letter and the impossibleness of it that I knew enough to be nervous. But I also hoped it would be like the most amazing critique from a smart writing friend I'd ever gotten -- only BETTER.

Basically, it was. I mean, yes, there were some difficult parts. You want me to do WHAT? But the first time I read the letter, I felt this huge sense of relief. It wasn't scary. I could see where my editor really cared about the story, and all the important things she spotted and wanted me to draw out. I could see where she was trying to make me a better writer.

In fact, once I was finished with editing INCARNATE, I moved on to use the same letter for book 2. Just judging by what she'd pointed out in the first, I could tell what she'd ask for in the second. I revised book 2 according to the first letter so she wouldn't have to ask for the same changes twice. Because how boring is that? This way, we could move on to new things. Better things. More advanced things. This way, book 2 will be even better than book 1. And if the pattern holds, book 3 will be best of all.

I learned that this shouldn't be a scary process. It can be intimidating, sure! But the right editor will inspire and help draw out the most important parts of the book. She will help make a good book great, and encourage the writer to try new things, to stretch herself. The right editor will make a story shine without ever showing that she was there.

So yeah, I love being edited. I love learning from someone as brilliant and inspiring as my editor.

Jodi Meadows is the author of INCARNATE. (January 31, 2012 - HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books.)

*A Kippy is a cat.

Giveaway of a First Chapter Critique!

2011-10-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

Calling all writers! Have you written or started a book? Want some feedback from a professional? We are going to begin monthly giveaways of first chapter critiques (up to 25 pages), by one of our fabulous debut authors here at Brave New Words. Enter below!

To enter, please COMMENT with your name, email address, and add up your points:
+1 for New Followers
+2 for Old Followers
+1 for Tweeting about the Giveaway

+1 for Blogging about the Giveaway

OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!! Contest ends October 25th

On Being Edited

2011-10-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

In the throes of revision...

Did Your Editor Make You Change Stuff?

That has to be one of top questions I hear from people when they learn I'm a writer. I wonder if they imagine someone in a New York office with books piled everywhere, slashing away at manuscript pages with a red felt tip pen. I think it's what I pictured once.

I have gone through revisions with one book now, and yes, I was asked to change stuff. The process was very smooth. My manuscript didn't need any substantial changes, so that took some pressure off. And when my editor pointed out a problem or weakness, she urged me to follow my own instincts in deciding how to handle them. I was actually surprised by the amount freedom I was given. I took that freedom, trusting that I'd be told if I'd succeeded or if I needed to keep at it.

I'm just embarking on the editorial voyage with my second manuscript. I already know the road will be very different. This manuscript is far rougher, and more complex. My editor just might bust out the big red pen. She might give me prescriptive comments--cut, add, back to square one. Whatever it is, I will be very inclined to accept it. After a year of working together, I have firm trust in her. And I'm not afraid of a little revision work. To me, that's the fun.

I've heard that writers either love the first draft or they love revisions. I am 100% in the second camp. I'll take revision notes--even if they've met the red felt tip pen--over a blank page any day.

Strrrrange

2011-10-11T15:36:00.000-07:00

So, I’m kind of a strange one.

Because I’ve never done this Being Published thing before, Isimply assume the way things have gone for me are the way things have gone foreveryone. But, talking to my fellow Apocalypsies around our campfires at night,all cleaning the zombie juice off our shotguns and whatnot, I’ve discovered alot of my experiences have been a little strange. Editing is no exception.

My book deal was strange, in that my trilogy was bought by SMP“in association with” Tor UK. This meant I essentially had two editors, one USbased, one UK based. My US editor is a terrible nerd who plays video games (just like me). MyUK editor is this lovely, exceedingly polite British woman with the voice of aphone sex operator. And they both had editorial input on my book. Which is… strange.

A lot of people ask if this was difficult, but it wasactually brilliant. Different editors focus on different aspects – characters,visuals, internal thought processes, setting. I got two heads for the price ofone, each highlighting what was important to them (male and female perspective really helped). Their notes were presented in oneeditorial letter which was, again, strange.

Pretty much every writer I know was asked to CUT from theirmanuscript during editorial rounds. Some folks I know got asked to cut 50,000words (0.o). I got asked to ADD words. To flesh out the setting with all thelittle details I’d initially written and then cut for fear of boring people.The cool little scenes which served only to establish character personality or relationshipswith no ‘splosions in the background (I’m always afraid if there are no ‘splosions).I got to put all that back in, and more besides. Which was awesome. But,talking to the Apocaladies, it’s really strange.

Then, I started copy edits. The US and UK operate ondifferent publication timelines (UK works further in advance, it seems). So mycopy edits were done with the UK first (putting all the ‘U’s’ in ‘colour’ and ‘neighbour’,and changing ‘ass’ to ‘arse’, etc). And now I’m awaiting US copy edits, where I’llhave to change all that stuff back. Talking to everyone else, this is kinda strangetoo.

So, lesson for the day – don’t listen to anything I tell youabout the editing process.

NOTHING AT ALL.

Jay Kristoff is the author of STORMDANCER, a dystopian fantasy set in steampunk feudal Japan, out in Spring 2012 through St Martin's Press & Tor UK.

He's even stranger here and here.

A Thousand Words

2011-10-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

I don't think I can remember a time when I didn't want to be a writer. I started with poetry. I think one of my first poems was called Willy the Worm. And of course it rhymed. They always rhymed. The day I discovered alliteration I wrote a short story about a girl named Wendy who woke up early wondering why...
I never finished it.
If you asked me when I was younger what I wanted to be when I grew up it was either an actress or a writer. "More than likely a writer," I would say. At the time I was living in California where everyone wanted to be an actress. It was in the water.

But the day I realized I wanted to tell stories was the day I saw Steve McCurry's The Young Afghan Girl on the cover of a National Geographic photo book. I remember I was walking through the bookstore, waiting for my mom to finish browsing, and there it was just staring at me. Her eyes told a thousand stories and I wanted to hear them.

People have always fascinated me. I'm the one who will pretend not to be watching you if you catch me staring in the airport. I know it sounds creepy. But it's true. I'm a curious person. So it made perfect sense for me to drop out of college and head off to photography school to become a photojournalist.
I'd made a decision. I wanted to be Steve McCurry. It took meeting Steve McCurry himself to make me realize that 1. there already is one and 2. his job is entirely too scary.
Photography school made sense but taking my camera off to war-ridden countries and impoverished nations didn't. I'm not that brave.

So instead I settled on wedding photography. It was a good trade off. I was still able to tell stories, but without the violence. Well, sometimes. Y'all have seen Bridezillas, right?

Anyway.

It wasn't until my father passed away that I realized I needed to get back to writing.

And I love it.

Even after three weeks of tackling the most intense edits I've ever experienced where I didn't leave my house and I barely ate and spent entirely too much time in my pajamas because I HAD TO MEET MY DEADLINE, I still love it.

Shari Arnold is the author of MYSTIQUE coming Fall 2012 from Chronicle Books. Check out her blog or follow her on Twitter.

2011-10-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

When I was in junior high, I devoured Christopher Pike’s TheLast Vampire series. I can’t quite remember what YA was like back then, but Ido remember thinking there weren’t enough books with kickass female characterslike Sita or Alisa. I started working on my first novel—told from the POV of avampire, naturally—not long after finishing the series.

I don’t even remember what that first book was about, but itwas handwritten and kept inside a miniature 3-ring binder and I thought it wasamazing. I bought my first publishing reference book around that same time. Butthen I read the terrible, dream-crushing news that it generally takes peopleyears YEARS to get published and that they don’t make much money doing it. Iwas a money hungry kid, growing up in a lower income family. I wanted to berich.

Then I became a teen mom. And I spent a lot of time at homewith a baby. Somedays I needed an escape, so I started writing again andnever stopped.

Writing for me is still about the fantasy. It’s like livingin a virtual reality game. On the outside, it looks like we’re just sittingthere typing away, but on the inside, we’re fighting pirates, slaying vampires,kissing hot boys! There is power in the written word, and even more power inhaving written it.

So that’s why I write now. The boring story is, I startedbecause of a vampire. :D

Jennifer Rush is the author of ALTERED coming Fall 2012 from Little, Brown. Check out her blog for news and updates.

Writing: Real job or Imaginary?

2011-10-05T05:46:00.000-07:00

Saying you always wanted to be a writer seems like it’ssynonomous with actually being awriter. I can probably count onone hand how many people I know who are writers who kinda fell into it, insteadof it being a passion from an early age.

For me, I honestly don’t know when I had that magicalthat’s-what-I want-to-be-when-I grow-up moment, but it was pretty young. I always enjoyed the times in schoolwhere we were allowed to make up stories and write them down. I even think my parents still have thebooks, plays, and poems. But it wasn’t until sixth grade, when my teacher loveda story I’d written for an assignment so much that she entered it into acontest and it won that I even thought about it being a profession.

I’ll always remember this teacher, unfortunately I can’tremember her name, because not onlydid she take the time to send that short story off to that contest, but thenshe took time after school to help me write better. She encouraged me in a way no teacher—or person--had beforeor since.

She even helped me write a letter to Jonathan Brandis askingif he’d let me do an autogiography on him! Of course, I never got a reply back, but the fact that assilly as that was, she didn’t laugh and researched on her own time, what towrite and who to contact to see if some silly little starry eyed redheaded 6^thgrader could become his biographer is something I’ll never forget and I’llalways be grateful for.

But my parents were insistent that I focused on getting a“real” job. That is was okay to write as a hobby, but being a writer wasn’tsomething you did for a job. And so, that’s what I did. I changed my choice of “real” jobs severalhundred times (I wanted to be a teacher, a doctor, a marine biologist,etc. I think I even wantedto be a cowboy astronaut ballerina at some point in there. LOL. Sadly there is no call for cowboy astronaut ballerinas.), butwhile I secretly dreamed of being a writer, I was a good girl and focused mystudies on becoming a marine biologist.

I never did become a marine biologist and ended u doing ahandful of different jobs, but I never felt like it was the “right one.” It wasn’t until a little over two yearsago—when I was worried to death over my youngest’s illness--that I realizedlife was too short for could’ve, should’ve would’ves and regrets. So, I spent every free minute writing(which wasn’t much considering I have a special needs kid—she has SystemicJRA) and I found what had beenmissing. Writing felt right, likeno other “real job” had.

And I’ve decided that if it isn’t a “real job” than I don’t want a realone. Imaginary works just fine forme, especially since I write fiction. :P

J.A. Souders is the author of RENEGADE a YA dystopian that takes place in an underwater utopian society, coming Fall 2012 from Tor Teen. For more information visit her blog or website.

She also secretly regrets never pursuing a degree in cowboy astronaut ballerina-ing.

Brave New Words

Luuurve Post: The Breaking Dawn Movie & Me

All About Romance

Cover Reveal, Video Marketing & Catching Up!

How To Trick Yourself Into Writing, Even When You Don't Feel Like It

New Year's Resolutions: The Power of Positive thinking.

My New Year Resolution; or, Adventures in Mindfulness

Heather's Simple New Year's Resolution

Brand Spanking New

Resolutions --- The Boring Health Ones

Heather Anastasiu's GLITCH Cover Reveal and Trailer!

Writing Through Writer's Block

Resolutions and Expectations

2012 Resolutions

Veronica Rossi's UNDER THE NEVER SKY

Friday Reads!

The Top Five Best Freaking Books of 2011!

Friday Reads!

Top 3 Reads of 2011

A Year in Books - 2011

A Little Romanian Saying

Beauty and the Beast

Sleeping Beauty and it's many incarnations

Fairy Tales

Music

Friday Reads!

ALTERED Playlist

ARTICLE 5 Playlist

Music and Me

Thanks!

Giving Thanks

Getting a Book Deal

Points of View

November Giveaway: 1st Chapter and/or Query Letter Critique

Friday Reads!

Don't ask me to talk about Fringe. I might not stop.

Cue the intense opening music...

TV Shows That Hook and Don't Let Go

If I Could Be A Character In A TV Show It Would Be...?

Friday Reads!

ALTERED Character Interview

Character Interview with Evelyn Winters from RENEGADE

I Lived with a Ghost

Friday Reads!

And the winner is...

Masks

A Moment with Scorn

The Power of the Red Pen

Friday Reads

COVER LOVE - US versus UK, what's the difference?

What Distracts Me

My Writing Distraction: Checklists

What is scary? Lessons learned during 31 days of horror!

Driven to Distraction!

My Love Hate Relationship with Edits

Being edited makes me happy

Giveaway of a First Chapter Critique!

On Being Edited

Strrrrange

A Thousand Words

Writing: Real job or Imaginary?