Lisa Yee shares all the secrets about being a super successful author:
It’s that easy!
Category: Humor
March Madness Gets Wicked
In case your other March Madness brackets are a little too good-natured, check out the Half-Price Books Tournament of Villains. Lots of great literary villains included!
My picks for finalists? Darth Vader and Voldemort. You can’t get much more evil than these guys! (That is, if you ignore the Star Wars prequels, which I do.)
(image: Mary GrandPré, via The Harry Potter Lexicon)
All the Squirrels in Brooklyn Look Like This
The squirrel all the adorably shy boy squirrels fall in love with:
(Image: Séamus Gallagher / & the song said let’s be happy)(via John Green)
Party Like It’s 1849
Love these literary birthday cards at The Wandering Reader:
Kind of wish I’d gotten this one my office for Charles Dickens’ birthday. (H/T Book Riot)
What Rhymes With Pluto Anyway?
From Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Twitter feed:
Well played, Tyson. And yet my heart still calls out for nine. Still, curious to see what the updated version of There’s No Place Like Space! is with eight.
Neither Unnatural Nor Disastrous Giveaway
The First Novels Club is giving away a copy of Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin. From the FNC review:
“My favorite, favorite part of FRESHMAN YEAR was Kelsey’s group of friends. First off, the ups and downs of their relationship far overshadowed any boy drama in the book (for this alone, I want to hug Meredith Zeitlin). They’re unique without being stereotypically quirky, and I loved the realistic, ever-changing dynamic of the girls as they grew up and apart and together again. Plus, how they argued and got mad at each other was hilariously spot-on with how girls fight in high school.”
Really like the sound of this. I think it’s easy to create one best friend for your main character, or perhaps a small group with very distinct personalities (the SATC effect), but real life friendships are way more fluid, especially at the beginning of high school.
Also, I dig contemporary YA with a sense of humor. Not everyone has to brood! Click through to enter the giveaway.
Ask Not What Your YA Novel Can Do For You
A hilarious video about how YA novels can inspire economic change.
Zombie love story? Been there, done that!
Okay everyone, let’s get writing novels about our cheerleaders with tails!
The Novel Title Mad Libs Game
Titles are hard. How are you supposed to sum up the emotional content of your work while still making sure it’s memorable and will catch a reader’s eye? Wouldn’t it be easier to turn some lead into gold while we’re at it?
Fortunately, NPR has provided us with a handy guide for how to name your first novel. Not really YA-specific, but here’s the closest match:
If Your First Novel Will Be A Withering Teenage Quasi-Memoir
How I Flunked [YOUR WORST ACADEMIC SUBJECT] But Passed [THE FIRST MUSICIAN YOU SAW IN CONCERT]
The memoir part doesn’t really work, but with this in mind, my first novel should be How I Flunked Chemistry But Passed The Four Tops and the Temptations.
I also like:
If Your First Novel Will Be A Harrowing Historical Account
The [A COLOR] [REPEAT THAT COLOR] [A FLOWER]s Of [A CITY IN EUROPE]
It’s that double color that makes it stick out, of course. Feel free to share your titles in the comments!
I Do Like Tote Bags
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! No matter how old you are or what your relationship status is, I think it’s a great holiday to spread love and eat tasty treats. In case you’re still looking for some valentines, check out the ones from NPR:
More through the link.
It’s Alive!
Over at A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy, Liz shares her reactions reading on Frankenstein. I just read this classic novel last November and shared a lot of Liz’s thoughts. (Just not as funny.) It’s a fascinating book, and a great example of Romantic literature, but totally hilarious in parts as well. (Victor, could you pass out once or twice and also never tell anyone anything helpful?)
Make sure to check out Liz’s post, even if you haven’t read the book before. One part I loved:
“The dissecting room and the slaughter-house furnished many of my materials.”
Ew, ew, ew. And also, at this point I’m going to assume that the unshared details include what Victor did so that his rooms (and himself) didn’t smell like rotten corpses. Otherwise, the neighbors hated him! And you thought the people next door smoking was bad!
Now I’m wondering what my neighbors are up to. Looking forward to seeing what else she has to say about Frankenstein!