Fun Friday

Have a great weekend! Let's hit the virtual beach!

Contemporary Books Just Make Me Happy

Tip of the Day: Check out how one book club held a "Fauxpresso Nite" when they read The Espressologist.

I'm pretty sure I've talked about my book club on here before. I love being in a book club because I end up reading a lot of books I normally wouldn't have picked up. Like Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Based on the name and cover it probably wouldn't have made me pick it up in a store but based on word of mouth from friends we read it and it was AWESOME. I since passed it onto others who have also loved it. It's a newly released movie too (please come to my town!!).

This month's book is The Bake Off:

Now, to be completely honest, I wasn't even sure of what the book was about or if it was any good but I heard it was a light fun contemporary read so I rsvp-ed for book club and bought the book right away. Just because of the genre. Last month's book club? Well, it was pick your own classic to read and talk about. So I picked one. I won't name names here but I got about 75 pages in and peeked ahead to see I had like another 400 to go and I was already bored out of my mind. I gave up and missed the book club. I felt kind of guilty like a bad kid who couldn't do their homework. But I can see why some kids today don't like reading if they're always having to read literary classics and not what they're interested in. If it's a light contemporary book, for me anyway, I look so forward to it and can't wait for my "me" time to get back to reading it.

This week I read a draft of Jennifer Jabaley's (she wrote Lipstick Apology and Crush Control) newest book and WOW, it was so amazing! I completely loved it and was up late each night devouring it.

Contemporary books make me happy-- what kind of books make you happy?

Kristina, Miss Author in Action

Let There Be Light! (or Trends, They Are A-Changin')

Tip of the Day: Have YOU read a novel in verse yet? Embrace the different!

Remember my post from two weeks ago about the lack of dark/paranormal/grittiness in my YA novel on sub and how that was making it a "hard sell" in today's market? And how some of my teen volunteers said they wanted more realistic books and a lighter variety?

Looks like they are no longer the only ones!

OK, so we aren't out of the dark YA cave yet, but I read two things this past week:

1) On a YA listserv, a YA author with about 10 novels published said that her publisher told her they couldn't pub her new paranormal romance manuscript because there is a glut in the market.

2) On Twitter (I think! Gah! I wish I'd saved the link!), a YA publishing pro said that B&N stated that they don't have room for any more paranormal romance on their shelves.

So maybe the trend is starting to rock the other way!

Again, don't get me wrong: I love the wide variety of novels available to kids and teens. And I appreciate that many of the paranormal/sci-fi/dystopian/fantasy authors of today had been trying for years to break into the biz back when chick lit and realistic dramas were the It Girls. Yay HARRY POTTER and Edward Cullen for them! But I'm just ready for a new balance, for it not to be a "hard sell" for a realistic tale.

Let's see what happens in the next few months.

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

Who knew garbage could be so nice!

Tip of the Day: several people have mentioned lately that eReaders are nice for when you don't want people to see you are reading the latest Danielle Steele novel. To which I say...if you can't be proud of what you are reading...then why read it at all? And for all those people that hate on the Danielle Steele lovers out there...shame on you.

At a family outing this evening our conversation drifted towards books. During the discussion my cousin's nine year old daughter used one of the more interesting phrases I've heard to describe how she feels about books..."ooh...books are a piece of stinky garbage."

My aunt, who's a former librarian, cringed a bit at the saying, as well as the rest of the book lovers in the room.

But you know what I can't blame her for speaking her mind and at one point I probably felt the same way about books. (Wait, I still think my own books are stinky garbage some days.)

All of us immediately starting saying that probably means you haven't found the right book then and tried to get her to figure out what she might like to try reading (Harry Potter and Twilight were both out--which is good since there's tons of other great non-fantasy books out there).

At one point, I disliked books as well. I always felt there was something wrong with me for not enjoying the books they make you read in middle school and high school. Had I known there were such fun books out there that were just light and funny, I probably wouldn't have gone through my Book Hate Phase.

After discovering all these wonderful books, I'm now a true Book Lover. One that is not afraid to admit that she enjoys reading chick lit books, and would never touch your literary book club selection with a ten foot pole (unless I was dared too...then I'd do anything).

And that's what makes books so much fun...there's something for everyone!

--Emily

Really, HOW Many Emails?

Tip of the Day: Turn off your e-reader when you put it down for a bit. I hate reading an exciting chapter and getting the Battery Low message.

I'm on vacation in North Carolina with my family. I always have great plans for writing on vacation. I spend hours downloading files to a stick drive. Then I get to the shore and I don't look at the computer for days.

OK, I've been here since Wednesday and it's Monday morning. Time to finally read my email, it should be quiet ... 256 messages!!! And suddenly I'm panicking. I have emails I need to respond to. I have a friend with good news in the writing world I want to congratulate. I have another friend looking for query help. I have people looking for freelance editing getting back to me, asking me what my rates are. I have library books to renew and bills to pay online. Is this what my life has become? Am I so attached to my online life that I can't take a few days off without falling hopelessly behind?

Meanwhile, my family is giving me dirty looks while I type this. They aren't attached to this online umbilical cord. Why am I typing instead of putting on my bathing suit? Don't I realize I'm on vacation?

I remember reading that when Thomas Edison died, someone in Congress proposed shutting off the electricity to New York City for one minute in memoriam. The proposal was refused; by the time Edison died, New York couldn't live without electricity for one minute. How close are we to the day when we can't live without the World Wide Web for a minute? Maybe we're already there.

How much time can you be away from the Internet without things falling apart?

-- Kate, Miss Perfecting the Pages

Fun Friday: Writing Prompts

Trying to think of something to write about? Check out this site for writing prompts. Hover over one of the numbers and they'll give you something to write about.

When Do You Get Ideas?

Tip of the Day: I'm steadily getting more addicted to twitter. Follow me! @TinaSpringer

I got a new idea for a YA book this week and I'm so excited! It's one of those ideas where I'm examining my schedule and trying to decide what I can shuffle around so that I can start right away on this. That's the only hard part with a new great idea, having to wait. It's like a kid waiting for Christmas. I want to write it NOW! But I need to finish a critique, and two revisions. And I should start a different book I said I would start too. But I'm just going to have to fit this in somewhere. At least until I have a synopsis and a couple of chapters so that I don't forget any of my idea.

I noticed something too this week about when I get book ideas. I almost always get them in the shower or in spin class. Why the heck is that? I'm not sure. Is it the only time my mind is calm and not filled with the high-pitched screaming of 4 kids? Could be. And then I always get the ideas when I'm not near anything to write with! Take this week. I'm on the bike during class, the room is dark and the disco ball lights are swirling, Lady Gaga is blaring, and the instructor is yelling out moves. And I'm trying to figure out how I can reach my iphone to compose a new message to myself with the idea in it and send without looking obnoxious. Fun!

When do you guys get ideas?

Kristina, Miss Author in Action