Have you had a MG or YA book debut in the last four years? Please help me out by filling out this short survey. Thanks in advance! Note: the survey is anonymous and the data will be used in a social media presentation. I will also publish an analysis on my site.
Debut Author Survey
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Bookanista Review: BREAKING BEAUTIFUL
Bookanista Review: BREAKING BEAUTIFUL
To be completely transparent, Jennifer is a fellow Class of 2k12 classmate. I purchased the book.
Here is the official blurb from Goodreads:
BREAKING BEAUTIFUL by Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.
When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.
****
Allie is devastated. Her boyfriend is dead, but she managed to make it out of the accident alive. Everyone thinks that she’s taking his death hard – but there’s more to the story here. Trip abused Allie, and she can’t remember the details around his death. And with the town mourning his death, Allie feels isolated. No one can understand what she’s going through because no one knew how he treated her.
As the novel unfolds, Allie’s memories begin to return. We get flashbacks that show how her relationship with Trip began and devolved. As she slowly opens herself up to an old friend – and potential new love – Allie slowly realizes that others did know what she went through. Countering this slow growth, the mystery of the novel – what really […]
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Wednesday Writer’s Vocabulary: BILDUNGSROMAN
Wednesday Writer’s Vocabulary: BILDUNGSROMAN
Bildungsroman is a very long, intimidating German word for a type of book that many of us know and love – the coming-of-age novel. M.G. Scholtz says the Bildungsroman, a novel genre made popular in the Victorian era, “tends to focus primarily on the change in the protagonist (from youth to maturity) who, by the end of the novel, has developed a distinct personality and has become sufficiently mature to cope with life” (qtd. in Noomé 127). Typically, the YA novel focuses on this same kind of growth. Frequently, the protagonist must overcome some type of obstacle in order to develop into adulthood or gain wisdom.
Bildungsroman has evolved into a generic term that has been applied to a range of works, and the definition of the genre has continued to evolve over time from its German roots to later English adoption and so on. In “The Bildungsroman Genre: Great Expectations, Aurora Leigh, and Waterland,” Susanne Hader outlines the most common characteristics of the English version:
- A Bildungsroman is, most generally, the story of a single individual’s growth and development within the context of a defined social order.
- To spur the hero or heroine on to their journey, some form of loss or discontent must jar them at an early stage away from the home or family setting.
- The process of maturity is long, arduous, and gradual, consisting of repeated clashes between the protagonist’s needs and desires and the views and judgments enforced by an unbending social order.
- Eventually, the spirit and values of the social order become manifest in the protagonist, who is […]
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Tuesday Writing Tips: THE HERO’S JOURNEY
Tuesday Writing Tips: THE HERO’S JOURNEY
Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) was a teacher, lecturer, author, editor, and translator. Why should you care? Because he was a very smart man who analyzed some of the greatest myths and narratives in literature from around the world, and he discovered some amazing commonalities. He used his learnings to outline the stages that a character must go through in order to be the hero of the story – hence, the Hero’s Journey. His work has had a huge impact on storytelling, from novels to movies. You don’t believe me? George Lucas used the Hero’s Journey to map out Star Wars. Christopher Vogler wrote about it and influenced several famous Disney movies like The Lion King. You can read more about the influence of his work here.
After studying myths from around the world, Campbell plotted out the similarities that appeared in the narratives of heroes. He calls out 17 distinct stages that a character goes through when they embark on an adventure to become a hero.
DEPARTURE
- The Call to Adventure – The hero is called to leave home in order to embark on an adventure.
- Refusal of the Call – The hero practices denial and turns his/her nose up at that call. Few people like change, after all.
- Supernatural Aid – A mentor or protector gives the hero the tools he/she will need for the quest (amulets, a wand, etc.).
- The Crossing of the First Threshold – The hero finally leaves his/her pad and heads off into the unknown.
- The Belly of the Whale – Uh oh. There’s no turning back once the hero crosses this line. And then he/she crosses it.
INITIATION:
- The Road of Trials – The hero is […]
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Marketing Monday: Getting Teens to Your YA Launch Party
Marketing Monday: Getting Teens to Your YA Launch Party
First off, I wanted to say thank you. The response to my new Marketing Mondays feature has been phenomenal. If you like what I’m doing, please be sure to like the post, share it, and comment below.
If you’re debuting a YA book and planning your launch party, you are probably making an invitation list of friends and family. Unless you are a buzzed about author, you can pretty much forget getting teens out to your party, right?
Not necessarily.
This suggestion takes a little bit of work, but it can pay off nicely. When I was planning the launch party for IF I LIE, I found myself with a lot of leftover invites because I went WAY overboard. And these were gorgeous invites that I designed and put together. I even used ribbon, people. So it broke my heart to see them go to waste. On a whim, I decided to do some outreach to my local libraries. I live in a big city, and San Francisco has numerous branches – several of them with thriving teen centers. Here’s what I did.
- Hit the web to gather the addresses of your local library or library branches, especially those with teen centers. This could also work for the library at your local high school(s). If possible, get the names of the youth librarians or a specific person who works with teens.
- Prepare a one-page press release that includes the information about your book launch, the party info, key review quotes (if you have them), and a short author bio.
- Write a cover letter to introduce yourself to the youth librarian, explaining what is in the packet. Be sure to ask […]
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Bookanista Review: BRUISED
Bookanista Review: BRUISED
Here is the official blurb from Goodreads:
BRUISED by Sarah Skilton When Imogen, a sixteen-year-old black belt in Tae Kwon Do, freezes during a holdup at a local diner, the gunman is shot and killed by the police, and she blames herself for his death. Before the shooting, she believed that her black belt made her stronger than everyone else — more responsible, more capable. But now her sense of self has been challenged and she must rebuild her life, a process that includes redefining her relationship with her family and navigating first love with the boy who was at the diner with her during the shootout. With action, romance, and a complex heroine, Bruised introduces a vibrant new voice to the young adult world — full of dark humor and hard truths.
****
Imogen can take care of herself. In fact, she’s almost arrogant about it. And why shouldn’t she be able to? She’s been studying Tae Kwon Do for years and has a black belt. Then the unthinkable happens. She’s at a restaurant when a shootout happens between the police and a suspect, and someone dies. Imogene is left wondering if she could have done more, and not knowing sends her spinning.
The illusion of control is a strong theme in the book. Imogen thinks she can control the things around her and that she knows what to expect of her life. The shootout destroys her world view, especially when she can’t remember everything that happened. Add to that her father’s illness (which she partially blames him for perceiving him as lacking control), and Imogen has a difficult time readjusting to a world where violence seems senseless. Her black […]
RT Convention Recap
I returned from the RT Booklovers Convention on Sunday, and I had a great time. My voice was a little thrashed from all of the talking and laughing I did, and I spent long hours catching up with other writers, many of whom I’d only met online. Here’s a little peek at what went down.
Wednesday
I roomed with Tamara Ireland Stone and Lenore Appelhans the first night. My roomies had driven from a signing in St. Louis and were crashed out when I arrived, but they only yelled a little when I woke them. Seriously, both of these ladies are awesome. After checking email, I ran down to the Kensington event, SPOOKY SOIREE: LOVING THE THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT. The room was separated into groups of 10-12 people, and authors were placed with each group. We were given a worksheet, chocolate for fuel, and tasked with coming up with our group’s idea of the perfect paranormal hero. I got to lead an imaginative group and loved who we came up with, including the very important detail that our hero have “nice teeth.” Sadly, we lost to another team when it came time for the judging, but I doubt any of us really minded when the judge was a former Mr. Romance. Lucky me, Kensington had made little signs for each of our books, and I happily stole this sign for PUSHED. LOVE.
After the event, I was off to my room to edit (yes, I had edits due while at RT) and order room service. Then it was an early night for me since I hadn’t slept a wink […]
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Tuesday Writing Tips: CHAPTER ARCS
Tuesday Writing Tips: CHAPTER ARCS
Writers frequently talk about the story arc. In fact, it’s one of the first things we learn about story structure. Every plot must contain:
- Exposition
- Inciting Incident/Conflict
- Rising Action
- Climax
- Falling Action
- Resolution
How many times have you seen a diagram that looks like this one?
These elements make up the backbone of any story. But did you know that a chapter also needs an arc? A chapter needs to move the story along toward your overall story goal, or your plot will stall. If you are sensing that nothing is happening in your chapter, or your beta readers tell you that the chapter is slow or lacking in conflict, a lack of a chapter arc may be your problem.
Think through the structure of your chapter. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Does my chapter have a conflict and an inciting incident?
- Is there a sense of rising action or increased tension?
- Does the end of one chapter draw me into the next?
I typically end my chapter on the inciting incident (ie. a cliff hanger), and pick up the next chapter with rising action. The idea is to get people to turn the page in order to read the next chapter. To that end, my chapter arcs look more like this:
Chapter A:
- Ends on Inciting Incident
Chapter B:
- Rising Action
- Climax
- Falling Action
- Resolution
- Inciting Incident
Nothing kills your pacing faster than a big block of exposition, so I sprinkle it throughout a chapter as needed. Let’s break this down using a chapter from a book a lot of us know and love.
From HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE by J.K. Rowling:
Chapter Three
In this chapter, the Dursleys have taken Harry to a remote island in order to […]
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Marketing Monday: TARNISH Launch Ideas
Marketing Monday: TARNISH Launch Ideas
TARNISH by Katherine Longshore will be released on June 18, 2013. It is the second book in the Royal Circle series, and this particular book focuses on the story of Anne Boleyn. DISCLAIMER: Katherine has agreed to be featured in today’s Marketing Monday, and she may or may not use any of the ideas below. Upon request, she provided a few key images, quotes, and themes from the book as thought starters.
Offer up ideas and suggestions that Katherine could use to help create buzz for TARNISH leading up to the book’s launch. See the description on Goodreads.
The best marketing ideas are tied closely to the audience and the product that you are trying to market, especially when it comes to a product launch. The marketing tactic should make you think of the product while appealing to the people you are trying to reach. This is the lens I use when developing a marketing plan for a book.
Swag
People like free things. That is a fact. Most authors will do bookmarks, at the very least. But some of us like to take our swag to the next level. I’ve seen bracelets, soap, nail polish, candy and more. The point of swag isn’t to give away free products, though. It is to get people to remember your book. The more the product can drive recall of your book, the better. With that in mind, I suggested that Katherine give away cloth for polishing silver jewelry, a nice tie-in with her title of TARNISH. It’s unique enough that people will want it, but useful enough that people […]
RT Convention Schedule
I can’t decide what I’m most excited about – meeting my favorite authors or meeting the readers. I’ve been looking forward to the RT Convention and I’m so thrilled it’s here. Please come find me. I’ll be giving away swag and signing copies of IF I LIE and TOUCHED at various events.
Wed, May 1 @ 3:45pm - 4:45pm
SPOOKY SOIREE: LOVING THE THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT
Join Kensington Publishing’s paranormal authors to hear about how extra-normal proclivities pump up the heat in paranormal romance, sneak peeks at their favorite supernatural scenes and win treats especially for freaky fans.
Host(s): Kensington Books
Panelist(s): Zoë Archer, Saranna DeWylde, Jennifer Estep, Alexandra Ivy, Corrine Jackson, Hannah Jayne, Kathy Love, Linda Mercury, Marina Myles, Sharon Page, Kate SeRine, Lori Sjoberg, Jillian Stone, Joan Swan
Location: Ballroom Level
Room: New York A
Thurs May 2 @ 12:20pm – 1:20pm
Kensington Social
Gilliam Room A on Lobby Level
Sat, May 4 @ 11 – 2 PM
YA Alley Signing
From 11:00 am-2:00 pm attendees will join us for the Giant Book Fair where you will meet more than 80 YA authors who will be autographing in YA Alley and whose books you can purchase. A special YA locator booklet will be given out so that you can find out exactly where your favorite author is seated.
Sat, May 4 @ 5 PM – 6 PM
TEEN DAY: AUTHOR SPEED-READING
A host of YA authors will read very short excerpts in these timed readings.
Panelist(s): Brodi Ashton, Jeanette Battista, Lauren Bjorkman, Rachel Caine, Anna Carey, Kimberly Derting, Jill Hathaway, Tara Hudson, Justina Ireland, Corrine Jackson, Kate Maddison, Richelle Mead, Lea Nolan, Eve Silver, Jeri Smith-Ready
Location: Mezzanine Level
Room: Chouteau A & B
[tagline_box title=”Sat, May 4 @ 6:15 – 8PM
TEEN DAY: TEEN DAY PARTY” description=”
You’re invited to […]
