Links Galore

July 27, 2015Leave a comment

Start the week with some good link-age:

The delightful Amber Lough on The Blind Wish and writing even when “all I want to do is curl up on the floor of my office.”
In case you’re looking for a fantasy series to dive into.
I’m a big Lumberjanes fan.
And speaking of summer camp books.
Or maybe you’re more into the idea of a summer road trip.
You could also map out your own trip to see American literary landmarks.
Dr. Seuss could have hung out with Don Draper.
I love the idea of expanding a known universe (in this case, Twilight) with mini-movies.
This fairy tale illustration exhibit sounds awesome.
David Bowie is the coolest.
Dropping out of art school.
“If you liked something, there was this real sense of solitude with your interest. It was so rare to find someone who shared your interest, and when you did find someone, you clung to that person, even if you weren’t the best match, because it was so rare to find someone.” Rainbow Rowell on how great the internet is for fans of all kinds.
And John Green on how great the internet is for learning communities.
Some fantastic feminist YA reads.
Welcome to Hufflepuff, Newt Scamander.
The Librarian of Congress position is about to be open.

My Entirely Non-Scientific Breakdown of What Defines YA

July 22, 20153 Comments

I read a lot of YA. Mostly YA. I write YA, so it’s important for me to keep up with what’s going on in the field, and I like reading my fellow author’s work. It’s also a category I enjoy in general–I read a lot of YA when I was a teen, and haven’t abandoned that side of the bookstore yet.

So I definitely agree that twenty-somethings can get a lot out of YA. They’re coming of age stories, and when you’re in your 20s, being able to reflect on your own teen years while also still feeling so close to that instability and possibility makes for a great reading experience.

However, one part of the post stood out to me: “As far as I can tell, apart from the unwritten no-graphic-intimacy rule, the only true requirement for a book to be considered YA is that the protagonist(s) must be somewhere between the ages of 13 – 19.” Sharma is making a point about how YA can consist of all kinds of genres and plots and emotions, which is true and awesome.

But this got me thinking about what actually defined YA. If the requirement is just that it’s about a teen protagonist, what about books like The Age of Miracles or Tell the Wolves I’m Home. Although those books have a lot of crossover appeal, I’d put them in the general adult fiction section of the bookstore, not with the YA novels. And I’d definitely classify The Book Thief as a YA novel, but its narrator is Death–not exactly your typical teenager.

So here’s my totally non-scientific breakdown of what makes a YA novel:

The main character is a teenager

Again, this can vary a little, but for the most part the protagonist is a teenager. This is about the teen experience, not about the kid or adult experience.

The POV is immediate

This is what makes the big difference for me. Whereas books like The Age of Miracles or even To Kill a Mockingbird are about young characters, and potentially read by teen readers, what makes YA particular is that it’s about that moment of the teen experience. It’s not set many years later, from an adult perspective looking back on this experience. It’s set right then, when the emotions are high and the future isn’t always clear.

The POV is close

Even when a book is written in third person POV, I find that YA novels are written much closer to their main characters’ perspectives. Adult novels tend to keep their characters at more of a distance. One thing I like about YA is that the narration isn’t afraid to get into the emotional messiness.

And maybe most importantly…

Teens are the intended audience

There have been a lot of articles in the past five years about adults reading YA and if that’s okay (of course it is), but they’re not the people for whom the books are written. These books are written with teens and their particular experiences and pressures and dreams and realities in mind. When I write YA, I want to connect with teens who are experiencing a lot of things for the first time and forming their identities and figuring out who they want to be and where they want to go. If these stories also connect with adult readers, that’s fantastic. But it’s secondary. Teen readers, YA is yours, first and foremost.

No matter what makes YA, it’s exactly where I want to be as a writer.

Are there any other features that you think define YA literature? Share them in the comments!

Madcap Writing Retreats: Retreat to Advance – Guest Post by the Amazing Natalie Parker

June 3, 20153 Comments

If you ask me about writing retreats, one name comes to mind: Natalie Parker. I’ve been to two Natalie–organized retreats so far, and absolutely loved both of them. They’re the perfect way to seriously write in a beautiful setting, bond with amazing fellow writers, and get inspired about your craft.

And now Natalie is taking her retreat organization skills to the world at large! Check out the post below from Natalie for more on her new program, Madcap Retreats, and find out how to get the Natalie retreat experience:

Madcap Writing Retreats: Retreat to Advance by Natalie C. Parker

Nothing has changed my career so much as writing retreats.

In the winter of 2011, I was invited to attend a large retreat in Branson, MO at which there would be 25 established YA authors. I was unagented at the time and though I found the idea of joining such a gathering an intimidating one, I also found it was impossible to pass up.

The experience was a game-changer. Not only did I meet a group of authors who were as encouraging as they were successful, but I sat in a room in which those same authors opened laptops and worked quietly together. There were headphones and tea and snack breaks and chat breaks and there were word documents that looked much like my own, growing one word at a time.

I left the Branson Retreat with a new network of contacts who would guide my career in different ways, determined to repeat the experience as quickly as possible. Only this time I wanted to be the one issuing invites. One year later, that’s exactly what I did: I made my first retreat of 11 authors on the side of a mountain, in a house that also had a turret.

Since that time, I’ve hosted 1 or 2 retreats every year, always with the goal of bringing authors together to create the kind of community we just can’t get in 140 character bites. I’ve hosted authors in turreted mansions in the Blue Ridge Mountains, in French Quarter apartments, in the Texas Hill Country, in historic Savannah townhomes, and in the sleepy Smoky Mountains. And here are the top three lessons I’ve learned from organizing retreats for writers:

There must be Internet. It does not matter if you write to your group ahead of time and say the words “there is no Internet in this mountain chateau IS THAT OKAY?” It does not matter if they uniform answer is, “Yes, Natalie, we are not so addicted to the Modern Age that going without Wi-Fi for 3 days will kill us.” I promise you, none of that matters because when you get to the house someone will build an antenna out of aluminum foil and desperate tears and stand on the roof searching for a signal.
Never underestimate the importance of every bedroom having its own bathroom. End of explanation.
You may begin the adventure with plans of leaving the house, but trust me, this will not happen. To appease any group of authors, I advise picture windows and something that suggests power and mystery. Mountains are an obvious choice, but lakes work very well as do abandoned sugar plantations, rolling hills, and oceans. This way, even if you get snowed in after throwing out all the perishable food so that all that remains are Oreos and a handle of gin, no one will every complain about the view!

I love retreats. They’re fun and exciting and sometimes lead to creating things like Sh*t Writers Say. But I started this by saying that retreats have altered the course of my career in significant ways and that is absolutely true.

After Branson in 2011, I had half a dozen authors willing to weigh in on my query and help me cull my agent list.

After the Wi-Fi-less chateau in 2012, there were authors ready to blurb my first book.

After the Hill Country in 2013, I received crucial advice on how to develop a retreat business.

But more than that, I’ve seen anthologies born over the course of a retreat, I’ve seen mentor and critique relationships gain footing, and I’ve seen the direction of manuscripts shift dramatically and to great effect. And I know there’s even more I haven’t seen.

Like so many writers, my writing time is bound and hedged in on all sides. My writing time is also my “down” time, my “free” time, my “in between this and that” time.” It’s a challenge to find hours that flow from one into another with nothing binding them except the promise of words. Madcap is one way I can offer time and opportunity to myself and to others, and I’m truly excited to be able to do that.

Madcap is for writers at any stage in their career – aspiring, agented, and published. My goal is to continue what was done for me at that first Branson retreat and create the kinds of opportunities it’s nearly impossible to create for yourself. Welcome to Madcap Retreats, join us for an adventure.

MADCAP RETREATS: Web | Twitter | Tumblr

And now we come to the giveaway portion of this post!

I’ve asked a few amazing bloggers to help me spread the word of Madcap far and wide via a Blog Hop. Each participating blog will be giving away 2 e-copies of my debut novel Beware the Wild. And each of those winners will be entered to win one of two grand prizes! They are:

A $300 discount on the upcoming workshop – The Anatomy of Publishing: Story & Marketing, August 27 – 30. The workshop will be lead by Courtney C. Stevens and will feature a few fancy guest authors who will workshop pages and queries one-on-one! (More info can be found here).
A short stack of ARCs including: JUBILEE MANOR by Bethany Hagen, DUMPLIN’ by Julie Murphy, and THE ANATOMY OF CURIOSITY by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, & Brenna Yovanoff.

The contest is open to US/Canada ONLY. You may enter via each blogger if that pleases you. Contest closes at midnight on Sunday, June 7^th. Winners will be announced by noon on Monday, June 8^th.

Additionally! If you’d like to stay up to date on all retreat and workshop offerings by Madcap, you can subscribe to the mailing list by visiting this page. The first 50 subscribers will be offered a free download of either:

“Lady Berserk: A Novella of Dragons, Trickster Gods, and Reality TV,” by Tessa Gratton; or
“From Words to Brain: A Guided Tour Through the Neuroscience of Reading,” by Livia Blackburne

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below about what your dream retreat experience.

Full list of participating blogs:

YA Highway, http://www.yahighway.com/
The Daily Dahlia, https://dailydahlia.wordpress.com/
Krista Van Dolzer, http://www.kristavandolzer.com/
Fiction University, http://blog.janicehardy.com/
YA Bibliophile, http://yabibliophile.com/
The Pub Hub, http://www.publishing-hub.com/
Annie Cardi, http://anniecardi.com/blog/
Dallas Fort Worth Writers Workshop, https://dfwwritersworkshop.wordpress.com/
The League of Extraordinary Writers, http://leaguewriters.blogspot.com/

Actual view from the TN retreat.

Thanks to Natalie for sharing her retreat skills with the world! Make sure to check out Madcap Retreats and comment below to win in the Madcap giveaway.

In the meantime, I’ll be daydreaming about my next retreat with Natalie and Madcap.

Links Galore

May 12, 20152 Comments

All the links I’ve been hoarding:

Cross-casting the Avengers with Jane Austen characters–be still my heart!
“Be nice to people” and other writer etiquette tips.
Cool article on the business and art of writing and publishing for children.
Word count in hip hop.
I am so team semicolon.
Great interview with Sarah Dessen about writing books that ultimately don’t work, feminism, and going through a hard time in high school.
The study of fanfiction.
Yes, boys and girls can be just friends.
Reading for school vs. reading for fun.
Famous children’s book authors recommend their favorite picture books.
The delightful YARN editors on YA trends, the pain of rejections (on both sides), and juggling the editing/writing time.
First Book is helping get diverse books in the hands of young readers.
Shakespeare knew how to put a good quote together, guys.
And speaking of quotes, a few from Jewish American writers for Jewish American heritage month.
John Green on how books connect with their movie adaptations.
Nova Renn on filling the well.
“So whenever all that other crazy stuff is kind of driving me crazy, I try and kind of bring it back to the one thing I can control – and that is the work. And that’s the thing that brings me so much satisfaction.” Wise words from Gayle Forman.
Rock stars are readers, too.

Links Galore

April 27, 2015Leave a comment

Lots of good links to start your week:

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Tumblr is awesome for writers.
I’m all for ‘they’ as a singular pronoun.
Survey says authors like their publishers, wish they got more marketing.
So you want to be a writer...
As if I didn’t already love London.
Security, fear, and a passage cut from A Wrinkle in Time.
These bookmarks are way cuter than the library receipts I usually end up using.
This year’s 2015 Teens’ Top Ten Nominees from ALA include ’14 debut author favorites Lies We Tell Ourselves and Midnight Thief.
Looking back on the illustrations of Margaret Bloy Graham.
A call for diverse children’s books on the international scale.
YA characters who love poetry.
“Libraries are the public institutions that exist to nurture cultural literacy, lifelong learning, and bringing its community together.” The Ferguson Library Director on the necessity of libraries in their communities.
Allusions to Milton and other ways to win a Pulitzer.
The Queer Young Adult Literature Conference sounds awesome.
And some under-the-radar LGBTQ YA reads.
Yes, adults can enjoy YA novels.
A conversation about writing and motherhood.
The Library of Congress is sharing a giant poetry reading archive.
Bringing books to incarcerated mothers and their babies.
I’m subscribing to all of these bookish podcasts.

Links Galore

March 26, 2015Leave a comment

A few cool links for your Thursday:

The delightful Camille DeAngelis shares her recommendations for coming of age books you probably haven’t read.
Working with the barcode.
A reading list for women’s history month.
And an even more extensive list of favorite fictional women.
Fairy tale expert Maria Tatar on Schönwerth’s stories and why fairy tales are so lasting.
Taking down a six-word literary urban legend.
Dead girl books and seeing women as disposable parts of the plot.
I’d love to see more books about friendships.
That said, insta-love and romance shouldn’t get such a bad wrap.
“There’s a danger when you don’t see yourself represented in your culture’s art; there’s an even greater danger when your only representation is fraught with negative messaging and teaches you that you do not belong in this world. You’re a thing of the past, a ghost, a myth.”
When ‘kindness’ doesn’t address a problem.
I was all set to be smug, but I actually didn’t know most of these things about the Harry Potter series.

Links Galore

February 9, 2015Leave a comment

Lots of good links to start the week:

So excited to see The Chance You Won’t Return on this list of excellent contemporary YAs from small/independent publishers! Love the work smaller pubs are putting out.
And thanks to Jill for including The Chance You Won’t Return in her list of favorite reads from 2014!
Mackenzi Lee on recognizing when your problems are ‘champagne problems.’
Love this interview with Jason Reynolds, in which he talks about Walter Dean Myers, grief, and writing books about teens.
JK Rowling answers a few Harry Potter questions on Twitter, shares her favorite tea brand.
Corinne Duyvis on why we shouldn’t focus so much on ‘strong’ characters.
On awards, diversity, and how dedicated people can make a difference.
Emma Watson and Belle love reading.
Shakespeare’s got rhythm.
The stress of combining bookshelves with your partner.
Library patrons share what books made them readers.
Sometimes Hollywood recognizes that novelists know how to tell stories.
Can relate to pretty much all of these.
Man leaves secret millions to his local library and my heart swells.
Reading pet peeves from real teens.
Gertrude Stein gets an iPhone.
Making money by selling poems; like a lemonade stand, but way cooler.

Links Galore

January 21, 2015Leave a comment

Lots of cool links for today:

I got to see my friend Jill talk about how fashion touches our lives and how she was part of a really cool anthology.
The history of organizing books at the Harvard libraries.
Another reason to buy chocolate frogs.
You’re never too old or too young to publish a great book.
Tuck Everlasting at forty continues to touch generations of young readers.
That library smell is definitely awesome.
” If you tell readers a book is autobiographical, they will try to find ways it isn’t. If you tell them it’s not autobiographical, they will try to find ways it is,” and other things no one tells you about publishing.
Hilarious effects of rereading picture books.
Children’s and YA novels continue to dominate book sales.
Loved seeing what sparked some great novels.
Coffee and libraries–the perfect combination.
YA authors on their favorite books for adults.

A Primer for a YA Author in Her Debut Year

December 30, 20143 Comments

This time last year, I was gearing up for my year as a debut author. The Chance You Won’t Return came out in April, and 2014 has been the most amazing, scary, exciting, stressful, awesome year ever. For all the debut authors gearing up for their debut years in 2015 and beyond, I’ve put together a list of things that will probably happen around their book launch:

You will hold your ARC for the first time and realize that your book is actually going to be out in the world.

You will think, “This book is so great. Surely it will win all the awards.”

You will think, “This is the worst book ever and no one should ever see it.”

You will make bookmarks/postcards/bracelets/magnets/buttons and wonder if you really need bookmarks/postcards/bracelets/magnets/buttons.

You will connect with other debut authors and bond over the stress and awesomeness of writing and marketing and life.

You will sign up for Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Youtube, etc. You will maybe only use one or two of those platforms regularly.

You will get a great review that shows your book really connected with a reader.

You will get an awful review by someone who didn’t get the book at all.

You will get an awful review that makes thoughtful criticisms. You’ll think, “Yeah, that’s fair.”

You will look at your Goodreads/Amazon/etc. reviews way more often than you tell people you do.

You will go into a bookstore and see your book on the shelves with all of your friends’ books. You will not believe your book is actually on a shelf for readers you don’t even know to find.

You will go into a bookstore and your book and your friends’ books will not be there.

You will do readings and panels and lots of people will come to see you.

You will do readings and panels and only one or two people will come to see you, and those one or two people will be people you already know.

You will read your fellow debut authors’ books and think “Oh my gosh, maybe someone I know is going to win the Printz/Morris/Newbery/etc.” You will be so proud of your friends for their talent and hard work.

You will read bad reviews for your fellow debut authors’ books and think “Are you kidding me, that was the best book ever!” and get even more incensed than when you read bad reviews for your own book.

You will sign your book for the first time.

Your friends will share pictures of your book at bookstores, in libraries, on their bookshelves.

People will ask, “When are you going on your book tour?”

People will ask, “So, how’s the book selling?” You will resist the urge to ask about their salary.

You will worry about how your book is selling.

You will worry about being on lists or being named for awards or getting starred reviews. You will see friends get named to lists or awards or starred reviews and wonder if there’s something you’re doing wrong. (There’s not.)

You will Google yourself. A lot.

You will see that people you’ve never met before are reading your book.

You will introduce yourself as a writer, and when people ask what you’ve written, you can finally tell them the title and say it’s now available at their favorite bookseller’s.

You will stress out about your follow-up book and wonder if you should give up writing for something less stressful, like juggling flaming swords.

You will write your follow-up book (and the one after that and the one after that) because no matter what happens, this is way better than any other job.

You will meet some of the greatest people in the world and wonder how you ever lived without them.

Sometimes you will have to remind yourself that, no matter what, you have a book in the world. You made it. And no matter how the rest of your career goes, no one can ever take that away from you.

But really, you will know that this is only the beginning.

Happy 2015 and beyond, writers!

The Season of Giving

December 24, 20141 Comment

The other day I was talking to my mom about the YA/children’s book community, and I mentioned how pretty much everyone I’ve met–from fellow writers to librarians to editors to readers–is awesome. People don’t tend to be snobby or petty or dismissive. Instead, the large majority of people I’ve met are warm and friendly and inclusive and generous. Maybe that’s because we’re writing for an audience that’s often not taken seriously and our work requires a little more sensitivity. Maybe that’s because other people in the literary world are easy to dismiss our work so we have to band together even more. Maybe that’s because we’ve found that it’s better to be supportive of each other than to knock each other down.

It’s especially evident online, where people will retweet friends’ exciting news or take a picture of a friend’s book in a bookstore. We read each other’s work and recommend it to our reading community. We share ideas for marketing, let each other vent, and remind each other that we’re not alone on this wild writing journey. It’s overall a very giving community, and one I’m so glad to be a part of.

I love cheering for my fellow writers. From best-selling authors to debut writers to writers who are still drafting their first novel, I love sharing my enthusiasm for their work and encouraging them and sharing writerly experiences with them.

I am, however, way less giving toward myself. If a writer friend is going through a hard time, I’d be quick to tell them, “It’s okay, take care of yourself, you don’t have to do all the work right now, the story will wait for you.” When it comes to myself, I’m way more likely to say “Dude, why can’t you get it together and finish the damn draft already? And why isn’t it perfect, it has to be perfect!” If a friend has exciting news to share, I will tweet and blog and Facebook all about it. Sharing my own exciting news feels weird and awkward and conceited. I think my friends are so smart and talented, but if someone asks me about writing, I say “Oh, well, this is just what works for me, what do I know?”

Sometimes it’s easier to be generous for others than it is to be generous for yourself. This quote by Marcia Hutchinson is about body image, but I think it totally applies to how we treat ourselves in general:

“If you talked to your friends the way you talk to your body, you’d have no friends left at all.”

Writing and publishing are hard and stressful and it’s easy to put pressure on yourself, especially about things you can’t control. But at the end of the day, you can’t write your best book if you’re not taking care of yourself. You’re a priority, too.

In this season of giving, let’s commit to talking to ourselves more like we talk to our friends. To supporting ourselves and taking care of ourselves and reminding ourselves that challenges are a part of life. To being enthusiastic for ourselves and our work. To being just as giving and kind and generous to yourself as you are to those around you.