Teen Me v. Adult Me (or Am I Becoming My Mother?)

Tip of the Day: Get all the stories of your parents' teen years while they are still around to tell you -- and still remember. There are some gems in there!

When I was a teen, I remember seeing my mom do certain things, or being with her during certain events, thinking, "WHY is she doing that?"

Wait, strike that. What I was thinking was, "Oh my god, she's SO EMBARASSING!"

And now? Even without having kids of my own to embarass, I find myself doing the following -- and I completely blame my mother. :)

1. Carrying one, if not two, big bags around with me to work, the gym, a 30-minute car trip instead of just a small purse.... Because what if I need a snack? Water? Adil? Toothbrush? Sweater? Book?

2. Carrying a travel mug of hot tea around with me.... Because what if I need caffeine? Something hot? Something soothing?

3. Not being able to sit down and just do one thing.... Because if I'm not writing AND/OR watching TV AND/OR reading AND/OR working out AND/OR cleaning AND/OR eating -- I might not have time to get everything done during the day and doing just ONE of those things is way too little taxation on my brain!

4. Being "allergic" to certain foods.... Because apparently as a kid I could eat McDonald's and candy and fried foods with no problems, but as an adult I have inherited my mother's inability to eat certain things without feeling ill.

What traits did you swear you would NEVER HAVE that your mother/father did...that now you proudly embrace?

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

Who Loves You (or And Who Do You Love?*)

*with apologies to Messiah

Tip of the Day: I still want to answer the question about what YA genres are going out most in my library, but I want do do some more research on it first. Stay turned for next week's post with answers!

Now that I have attended seven Rochester Teen Book Festivals, I have seen a few patterns in the types of teen fans who come to swoon over their favorite authors. Keep in mind that it doesn't mean that fans of different authors/types of books do not exist; just that fans of certain types of books seem to inherantly be more "fangirl/fanboy crazy" than those of others.

So here are the authors/types of books that have long lines at the autographing sessions:

1. Manga writers/artists. These fans often dress up like the characters. The teens like to draw and identify with the artists.

2. Heather Brewer and her vampire series. These fans wore the iconic vampire smiley on their clothes and loved having a symbol of their fandom.

3. Edgy contemporary. Ellen Hopkins and Laurie Halse Anderson are ever popular because of their brutal honesty that teens can relate to.

4. Paranormal/Magic bestselling series romance authors. Alyson Noel and Libba Bray, for example, are well known names with series that teens can geek on more and more with each book's release.

This list is not exhaustive, but just an illustration of the types of teens who often come to these fests. There may be 100 more who love YA lit and the attending authors, but who just don't have that same fandom passion as those of certain genres/authors.

So authors, take heart! If your line is not long during the autographing sessions at book festivals, it may just mean your fans at in their bedrooms reading your books instead of joining a crowd where they are no comfortable.

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

What I'm Looking For (or Show Me the Funny!*)

*with apologies to Jerry Maguire

Tip of the Day, Librarian Edition: The public library is not a social services office, but remember that sometimes it feels that way.

I'm not an agent or editor, but as a YA Librarian, I have a "wish list" of books I'd like to see on my shelves, too. While I can't sell or produce these types of books, I can buy them, talk about them to my colleagues, put them on library book lists for patrons, put them face-out on displays, and directly set them into the hands of readers. Here's my current YA wish list:



1. Realistic, contemporary books with boy main characters that are funny but grounded. (Examples: SETH BAUMGARTNER'S LOVE MANIFESTO by Eric Luper; FOOD, GIRLS, & OTHER THINGS I CAN'T HAVE by Allen Zadoff; NOTES FROM THE MIDNIGHT DRIVER by Jordan Sonnenblick) Girls will read these books, AND I can give them to boys who are looking for something humorous.



2. Teen books with tween appeal. (Exampls: THE GALLAGHER GIRLS SERIES by Ally Carter; JUST ONE WISH by Janette Rallison; THE ESPRESSOLOGIST by our Kristina Springer) Fourth, fifth, and sixth grade girls particularly will come to me while I'm working reference in the children's room and ask for some "more good books from the teen area." *PLEASE NOTE: This is very different than the PARENTS who come to me in this scenario and say that their kids are "very advanced readers" who need teen books since they've outgrown the middle grade novels -- but the books can't involve romantic relationships or kissing or or or....* These girls just want to expand their library and book horizons with more "innocent" titles that feature slightly older scenarios and characters.

3. Contemporary fiction with non-white characters on the cover -- that aren't stories about the hood/drugs/race "issues". I want Sarah Dessen with an Indian girl on the cover. I want Jordan Sonnenblick with a Chinese boy on the cover. (*Edited to add: YES! A Jordan Sonnenblick novel DOES already exist with a Chinese boy on the cover and the story is funny and the cover is great -- ZEN AND THE ART OF FAKING IT -- and I'd love more like this to put face-out on my shelves.) This wish is more to the publishers than the authors, although count me amongst readers who want to see characters from all over the globe in my books so if you can write them, bring it on! I have so many non-white teens in my town who don't see themselves on the covers of YA books -- but they read a ton, and when I give them a book that features a teen who is Fill-in-the-Blank-American like they are, they are so happy.

I have to throw some middle-grade wish list titles too:



1. True science fiction with boy and girl characters. (Examples: a "younger" ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card; CHRONAL ENGINE by Greg Leitich Smith) I get this question from a lot of student teachers, and it's a good extension for all the kids who ask for Star Wars books all the time and are looking to expand their base.

2. Ditto (3) above in the YA section, but for middle grade fiction (non-white kids on the covers of just good contemporary fiction).

All right, who's gonna write them? :)

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

Do Teens Read eBooks?

Tip of the Day:  Did you hear J.K. Rowling's big news?

Question: What's keeping teens from reading ebooks?

Short answer: Nothing.

There was this really interesting article from Publisher's Weekly about teens and ebooks earlier this week. Read it here.

Based on a survey, teens are "reluctant" to embrace ebooks. Then the articles goes to talk about how agents, editors, and writers disagree. I think that's fantastic! In whole, it's a really exciting article about the future of ebooks for teens. There are some pretty cool apps that can be piggybacked on ebooks and it seems publishers are jumping on that. Luuuuv that idea - planning to do that myself in the future.

Unfortunately, I think there were a couple of odd assumptions made in the article.

Kids can read e-books on laptops or phones, but the e-reader makes it easier. “There still has to be an investment in the actual device before you start buying e-books,” says agent Ginger Clark. Still, with a basic Kindle now selling for just $79 (and machines inevitably getting less expensive) and a growing number of kids getting their parents’ hand-me-downs, more teens are becoming e-reader owners. (Ypulse’s Shreffler predicts a cell-phone–like “two-year window” for the devices.)

100% true. Teens do need a device of some sort to read an ebook. However, I seriously need to argue the idea that $79 for an introductory Kindle is too much. Many teens own a Nintendo DS (over $200, plus games which run anywhere from $9.99 to $59.99) or iPod Touch (again, hundreds of dollars - and they can read ebooks on it!). They have game systems like Wii or XBox or Playstation - all costing hundreds of dollars with equally expensive games.

If parents are willing to shell out cash for those electronics, what makes it seem like a basic Kindle at $79 is too expensive? I'm confused...

  “Teens still find passing a copy back and forth is the easiest way to share,” says Clark at Curtis Brown. With e-books, passing along to others isn’t allowed. 

I suppose that's true ... for ebooks with DRM - digital rights management. Traditional publishers put this limitation on their books so people can't share. That's too bad. Most indies, like me, don't utilize DRM so teens can share as many ebooks as they want. Please, pass my books on, I don't care. I'd love to see traditional pubs strip DRM from their ebooks too. After all, you can't force someone to not share a paperback. Why not let them share an ebook?

 Many teens are slowly realizing they can check out e-books from the public library.

What breaks my heart about this statement, and they go into it a bit in the article, is that libraries are going to be shut out of ebooks from four of the Big Six publishers. I'm a HUGE proponent of libraries. My mom is a library aide. I've worked in libraries. My books circulate in libraries. I think people should have access to ebooks in libraries and I hope they work it out soon. Every librarian I know wants ebooks in circulation. Read more about this travesty here.

I think teens are poised to blow up the ebook market. They want content when they want it. I actually prefer ebooks now to paper, having read on my iPhone, Nook, and computer for a few months. It has to be something pretty special for me to shell out for a hardcover now.

Most of this Publisher's Weekly article is fantastic, just a couple things are wonky (to me), and I really do feel bad that traditionally published authors get such a low royalty rate on their ebooks. As a self-published author, I get a 70% royalty on my Kindle books priced above $2.99. I'm making a pretty good living, even with expenses like covers, swag, formatting, etc, etc, etc.

So, YAY to teens falling for ebooks! It's awesome. YAY to traditional publishing for investing in ebooks. YAY to trad pub for following indie writers' strategies of setting the first book free (my first novel, Anathema, is FREE on Smashwords & the iBookstore and Wattpad) and pricing as low as $2.99. But BOO to trad pub for not giving its talent higher ebook royalties. And BOO to trad pub for denying libraries access to some of their books.

Note: Oh, and it may look like I'm jabbing at Ginger Clark. I'm not. It just happened to be the parts she commented on in the article. I simply have a different viewpoint and opinion. I hear she's a pretty cool chick & a great agent.

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber

 

My Job is Awarding (or The Printz is Coming!)

Tip of the Day: I just finished watching all of Martha Alderson's Plot Whisperer Tips on YouTube while taking notes. Wow. I know this will help me as I go through my ms one last time in November. Have you watched all 27 parts yet?

Some awesome teens at my local high school are doing a Mock Printz Club and invited me to sit in. I love hearing their thoughts on different titles! Here's their short list. I agree with many of them and have read 8 out of 11. Three of these are my faves of the year (along with RIVAL by Sara Bennett Wealer), and one was a fave of last year (I read the ARC) so I was thrilled to see them on the high schoolers' list!

The teens vote on their faves in January. Which have you read and loved?























Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

Teen Read Week (or It's October 20th Already???)

Tip of the Day: See if your local library is doing anything special this week for Teen Read Week!

Last spring, the awesome YA librarian who founded the Rochester Teen Book Fest (omg we have Elizabeth Scott! Heather Brewer! Ally Carter! Melissa de la Cruz! Eric Luper! So many more coming in May!) had the brilliant brainstorm for the Monroe County YA Librarians to do something for Teen Read Week, like one of the "if everyone in [this area] read the same book" thingies except with a teen book. And author Terry Trueman volunteered to be our first guinea pig for the event, saying he'd come back to Rochester for the week to do library events. How freakin cool is that? (It's very cool and even more so when you've seen TT speak.)

So, in the midst of library summer reading craziness, we plotted and planned, scored a grant, and are hosting TT in a series of TRW events.

Now the tough thing about TRW is that it is in October when there are no school breaks, no holidays, nothing to alleviate the school/sports/etc. demands on teens. But does that stop the TRW and TT fever? Not for us librarians!

Despite the mediocre turnouts for the public library visits, in two days TT visited a bunch of schools, a detention center, a college, and has more coming this week. Phew! And really, a ton of people read STUCK IN NEUTRAL and CRUISE CONTROL for the events, which is what we were aiming for.

Overall, a total success. Thank you Terry and Stephanie and everyone who helped make this a great first annual Greater Rochester Teen Read for Teen Read Week!

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

Yearbooks: Oh the Horror (or Memories for a Lifetime?)

Tip of the Day: Check out this new website that Lisa belongs to -- Contemps!

On Sunday night I was working on my wip when I hit a brain dead zone. My eyes wandered the Writer Room and hit upon my high school yearbooks, books that had been buried under my bed until I moved this past May. I thought maybe if I jumped into some Deena-As-Teen moments from the past, I'd be reinvigorated for my writing.

I randomly pulled out my junior yearbook and flipped it open to the inside cover. Various patterns of handwriting covered the page, some entries signed with just a first name from a person who I can't recall. Other entries were from girls I still am friends with now, but whose promises of "I will never forget XXXX!" made me wonder, what the heck was XXXX?

In high school, everything that happens is so important. All moments are things to be remembered, cherished, and laughed about years later. We are so sure we will "never forget."

But then we do.

When writing teen fiction, that's something for me to recall. That the little things are important. That the "me" time, the small quiet moments between friends, mean everything. That a tiny wrong can lead to a big hurt. That perspectives are smaller due to the restriction of age.

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

MG vs. YA

Tip of the Day: try to enjoy the nice weather, while it lasts!

Most of us at A2A have dabbled in writing both Middle Grade fiction and Young Adult. They seem so similar, but yet so far apart. The reading level for an average 9-year old versus a 13-year old is vastly different, and at the same time much of their interests differ as well.

Trying to write my first MG novel, I've found I'm enjoying discovering the differences between the two writing styles and getting into the head of a younger character.

So far, here's where I've found these two writing styles differ (at least in my own writing):

• MG has to be a bit speedier. With shorter chapters and a quicker plot. Most 9-year olds get distracted very easily and if you don't keep them constantly entertained they might put the book down. At the same time, 9-year olds tend to have slightly more energy and your characters need to reflect that as well.
• You can have more fun with strange characters. I think younger readers are more forgiving of the unusual and quirky characters and tend to enjoy them.
• You're plots can be even more far-fetched. This is the case with YA too (as are all these bullet points), but I think you can go even further and push the limits with MG fiction. The crazier the plot, the more enjoyable and fun the book could be.
• Friendship is really important at this age.
• Parents play a bigger role in MG fiction than YA fiction.
• The romance definitely has to be light if there is one.
  

These are ever changing points and things I'm picking up, but what do you all notice in the differences in MG and YA? With so many cross-over genre books for these age-ranges, there's so many different types of books out there. There's definitely something for everyone to read and write.

--Emily, Miss Querylicious

Teen Takes on Twilight (or The Velocity of Vampires)

Tip of the Day: Pop some echinacea if you feel a cold coming on. It might be a placebo, but who cares as long as it works!

I've had the pleasure of working with some teen volunteers lately, ages 13-15, and a great book conversation starter is always, "So did you read TWLIGHT?"

Some responses (all from girls -- and they are smart!):

--The first book in the series is the best. It showed the most of Bella and Edward as individuals. It had the most/best plot.
--I read the series many times. I read TWILIGHT 7 times. I bought all 4 books. I was sad when I finished the series. I stopped reading book #4 halfway through bc I didn't want it to be over.
--TWLIGHT was about what it is to be human and what Bella would have to give up
--THE HOST was about our souls and how they are a powerful connection between ppl
--THE HOST was better than the TWLIGHT series. I can't wait to see who plays Wanda in the movie version
--BREAKING DAWN spent too much time on Bella's gross pregnancy. I felt sorry for Victoria. The ending was sad. The ending was perfect.

Number of copies of TWLIGHT currently on my YA shelf at the library: 1 out of 10 available. Yep, Ms. Meyer is still going strong! Go YA lit!

Other vampire books are also popular, but I have copies of VAMPIRE ACADMEY on my shelves and only own two copies of each of those books. Overall, it seems no matter how hot vamp books are, TWILIGHT is still tops on teens' lists -- and adults, too, in the TBR piles!

Me, I liked Amanda Marrone's UNINVITED for a YA vamp book.

Just some observations from the crowd for which I write -- and love to work with!

Any other vamp books that are different and worth checking out, preferably YA?

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

Is This Makeover Good or Bad?

Tip of the Day: I hope you all had a great Mother's Day! You know what Moms like for gifts? Books of course!

Today I have some big news on the teen girl front. I may be a little late to put all the pieces together for my report, but it's probably still news to those of you so busy with your own writing that you haven't had time to keep up with celebrity makeovers. This well-known teen girl has had a radical makeover: nose job, major orthodontia, the whole works. Take a look:

Here's the original Big Ethel from Archie Comics. I'm guessing this cover is from the early or mid-1960s.

And here's this month's cover of Jughead (still selling tons of copies a month decades later, talk about a backlist):

In fact, she's not even Big Ethel anymore. Now she's just Ethel.

I can kind of see the point. The jokes where the mere fact that Big Ethel is ugly was the punchline don't hold up over time. And now that a girl doesn't need a man right out of high school to provide her with financial security, Ethel's grasping desperation comes off as flat out weird. So why didn't they just gently retire the character? Why the makeover?

A big Archie digest recycles a lot of old comics. No fear that today's girls won't receive the full historical impact of 40s, 50s, and 60s era Betty, Veronica, and Ethel's lack of goals other than boy chasing. New Ethel is right next to Big Ethel in the digests, so that may be some of the reason for the makeover.

Personally, I'm in favor. The "she's ugly" jokes were tiresome ... yet I'm strangely happy that Archie comics is leaving Ethel's official height at 5'10". I'd be even happier if they'd stop making her Jughead's doormat! But it looks like her main storyline is still the same, so apparently all that dental work didn't change Ethel on the inside.

Actually, some earlier makeovers made Ethel much prettier than this month's cover, but the artists seem to have scaled back the glamour. Reader input, I wonder? (You can see the wide variety of new Ethel looks at http://learning2share.blogspot.com/2008/07/riverdale-make-over-changing-face-of.html.)

What do you think of the makeover?



-- Kate, Miss Perfecting the Pages

A2A Teen Years: I'm Dreaming of a Fishy Christmas

Tip of the Day: Since Christmas is next week and we’re guessing most people are busy with all kinds of wonderful things, the old author2author blog will be a bit quiet. But we’ll return the following week to reveal our new names and talk about our goals for 2009!

Oh geez. These A2A teen year posts are hard for me. Don’t get me wrong, I loved being a teen. And I don’t mind telling you about my wonderful teen years. But the older I get, the more trouble I have remembering anything ABOUT those wonderful teen years. In case you don’t know, it sucks getting old! Wait, now you think I’m really old. And I’m not. I just have an old memory card in my brain. Or something.

Anyway, even though I wasn't quite a teenager anymore, I’m going to tell you about the first Christmas I celebrated with a boyfriend in college, the guy who eventually became my husband.

We had been dating about four months when our first Christmas rolled around. It was a big deal. I bought him all kinds of wonderful things, including a new comforter for his bed, a beautiful sweater that I thought would look really great on him, and some other cool things.

He handed me my first gift to open, and I have to say, it was rather odd-looking. Long and skinny. I had absolutely no idea as to what it might be. I opened it up and what a surprise - he’d bought me a new fishing pole! At some point, we must have talked about how I fished a lot with my dad and my grandparents when I was growing up. I seem to recall him asking, “So you like to fish?” And I probably shrugged my shoulders and said, “Sure.” And now I had my very own pole to go fishing any time I wanted!

The next gift I opened was small. This one, I thought to myself, must be something nice. A diamond necklace, perhaps, or a bracelet. But it was another surprise! This time, my very own pocket knife! I was so lucky!! He showed me how it had scissors and a cork screw and just about any gadget a girl could possibly need, all in one handy little place.

There were a couple of other little things I don’t remember, but that was definitely a Christmas I’ll never forget.

Since that Christmas, I’ve learned his family is very much a list-making family. When it’s Christmas, you make a list, and that is how gifts are chosen. So every year since that first Christmas, I make a list and share it with him and his mom. And what do you know, there hasn’t been a single fishing pole since. I mean, you know, since I already have one and all, I really don't need TWO, do I?

I want to thank Kate, Emily, Deena and Tina for suggesting reasons to buy my book, FAR FROM YOU, for yourself or a teen you know as a Christmas gift. That was very sweet of them. I hope everyone buys at least one book for a Christmas gift this year. Doesn't have to be my book. Just buy a book. Or two. Or twenty. After all, no fishing line required!

~Lisa, Miss Pinch Me I'm Pubbed

A2A Teen Years: It was Beary, Beary Bad

Tip of the Day: Don't spend an hour straightening your hair and then go out in a snow storm.

It was my first Christmas with my first REAL boyfriend. We had been together most of the year and were quite in the giggly, touchy feely, calling each other nauseating pet names stage of the relationship. I had big expectations for this first perfect Christmas and the perfect Christmas gift that was sure to come from he, my Prince Charming. I imagined all kinds of things-- would it be a book of love poems that he inscribed with some amazing note that I would look at every Christmas for the rest of my life?


Would it be some amazing piece of jewelry, like a necklace with our birthstones or a locket with our pictures side-by-side?

Whatever it was, I knew it would be momentous and it would be something I'd take out to show my own kids and grandkids someday.

Or not.

Though I still remember it like it was yesterday. We were sitting on our knees, facing each other, in front of the lit Christmas tree in my livingroom. I had just given him an AMAZING gift (no, I don't remember what it was, but certainly it was AMAZING). And he had just handed me mine. It was in what looked like a clothes box, but I knew it wouldn't be clothes. Not on our perfect first Christmas. Clothes is an old person's Christmas gift. Maybe it was a stunning photo collage of our relationship? I nervoulsy lifted the flaps of wrapping paper, stealing glances at him. He was very excited and proud of whatever lay in the box. Finally it was open. I parted the layers of white tissue paper and froze. Him, giant smile, so pleased with himself. Me, afraid to lift the item out of the box and a hundred thoughts flying through my head of how I was going to make this ok and what I would tell people when they were sure to ask about my first glorious Christmas gift from my boyfriend.

Want to know what it was?

It was a navy blue sweatshirt with a white turtleneck sewn into the collar. And on the front of the sweatshirt were two big embroidered teddy bears hugging.

I didn't know what to do. I was a teenager, afterall, not eighty and in a nursing home. I couldn't figure out why he thought I'd wear a turtleneck sweatshirt with teddy bears. "Did you read it?" he asked. Oh god, there's more? I thought. I looked at the shirt and sure enough, over the teddy bears it said "I love you BEARY much." Of course it said that. It couldn't just stop at the teddy bears right? I let out some weird kinda giggle and tried to hide my dissapointment. "I, oh, uh, love it" I said. I never was an actress. "I knew you would," he said. "Wear it to my New Year's Eve party ok?" I almost fell backward. What's this? Some kind of joke? He actually wants me to wear this? In public? I tried to make like I had another outfit already but he was so darn proud of his bears in love shirt and insisted that I wear it.

I did wear it. But only that one time. I remember slipping it over my head and feeling like the turtleneck was choking me. I remember walking down the long hallway from my bedroom to the front door of my house, past my three brothers who were all rolling around on the floor laughing and pointing at me and my sweatshirt. And I remember my boyfriend's big smile and him telling me how good I looked when I walked into his house that night.

That, of course, was the last of the sweatshirt. I got rid of it soon after. It never did become that item I'd show my kids and grandkids. And I never told anyone else this story. Until now.

Kristina, Miss Soon-to-Pub


BONUS TIP: Buy Lisa's new book, FAR FROM YOU on 12/23. And then when your relatives are driving you nuts on Christmas day you can sneak off and read it.

A2A Teen Years: Nutty Christmases

Tip of the Day: Don't underestimate the power of duck boots in Western NY.

At a young age, my parents were very good about some things. One of them was buying us kids very on-target Xmas presents. Yes, with three kids and one working parent, there would be no extraneous spending on gifts which could very well be either a) broken in five minutes, b) fought over in 10 minutes, or c) cast aside til the next garage sale.

So it is actually quite surprising that from childhood to teenhood, my parents consistantly filled my stocking with one gift that I never, ever used.

Nuts.

I still don't even know what those dark brown ones shaped like orange wedges are.

After years and years and years of me not eating the nuts, my parents continued to fill my stocking with them.* I assume it was more of an Xmas tradition than a true desire to provide me with someting exciting -- the grocery stores sold them in bulk for the holidays -- but for me it was always a disappointment to see that bulging stocking on the fireplace only to find that beneath the candy canes, oranges, and new crayons were piles of mixed nuts.

If I could blame it on the fact that they ate the nuts themselves, then it wouldn't be such a question of why they appeared in my stocking, but Dad can't eat nuts, and I never saw Mom snacking on piles of them herself.

So there you have it. Mixed nuts in the shell. The worst present I got as a teen...over and over and over again.

Know what you SHOULD buy? Lisa's newest YA, FAR FROM YOU! A reason to buy it on December 23rd is because you'll have time off from work, and what better way to spend your down time than in front of the fireplace with a versed tale of the cold outside?

Deena, Miss Recently Repped

*Mom and Dad, if you are reading this, no hard feelings, right? :)

A2A Teen Years: Why Great-aunt Martha Rocks

Tip of the Day: our very own Lisa Schroeder is giving away tons of awesome prizes (including a signed copy of her new book Far From You) on her blog.

After careful consideration I’ve decided there are two sides of the fence a person could belong on in regards to Holiday Gifts.

Fence Side 1: Those who think bad gifts exist

Fence Side 2: Those who think there’s no such thing as bad gifts

Maybe you think your Great-aunt Martha should belong on Fence Side 2, especially after the reindeer antler ear muffs she got you last year.

Dear Great-aunt Martha wouldn’t know a bad gift if it hit her over the head and lucky for you she has you on her gift buying list.

But if Great-aunt Martha doesn’t KNOW her gifts are bad, does it still make her gifts bad?

(Okay, that question is totally confusing, but think of it in the vein of “If a tree falls down in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”)

The answer to that question could also probably have people on opposite sides of the fence. But my answer would be: NO. For two reasons:

Reason 1 Great-aunt Martha Rocks: because she was thoughtful enough to buy you a present she thought you would like. And that rocks.

Reason 2 Great-aunt Martha Rocks: because even if you will NEVER be caught dead wearing reindeer antler ear muffs, I bet you will never forget the gift. And if you remember the gift ten years later and have a story to tell about it, then surely it was a memorable gift. Which of course means Great-aunt Martha rocks!

Now, personally, I don’t have a Great-aunt Martha and I’ve never received reindeer antler ear muffs (though, when I was younger I did have a pair of bear ones that I received as a holiday gift from my grandmother, which I loved to wear. But had I been a teen, I probably would have been mortified).

But I still think that there’s no such thing as a bad gift. Only ones that make you laugh more than others. Which is why I personally love the idea of White Elephant Gift parties. Where people raid Goodwill stores, garage sales, or their home for hideous items, and then wrap them up and give them away, or have a fun game to gift them.

And without cheesy, bad gifts you would never find such gems of presents as these that make you laugh:

If you look closely, you will find everything from a Polka vinyl record, another vinyl record that I am holding which had raccoons and bears on it (I really wish you could make it out in this picture---but trust me it was hideous), 80’s shirt clips, the ugliest barrettes ever made, and homemade snowman sweatshirts!!

Bonus Tip: Lisa’s book Far From You would make an excellent gift. White elephant or not. To switch it to a White Elephant gift you could design or buy a cheesy image book cover like these. That way not only would the person get a laugh opening it, but then they could take the cover off, see the awesome cover on the actual book and get a good book to read. In the words of my teen pal Miley Cyrus: It’s the Best of Both Worlds.

Happy Holidays!!!

--Emily, Miss Awaiting an Agent

A2A Teen Years: Ghost of Christmas Past

Tip of the Day: Looking for gift suggestions? Visit http://dadtalk.typepad.com/cybils/2008/12/have-a-happy-cybilsthemed-holiday.html for links to lists of book recommendations, and check out the rest of my post for my recommendation.

Welcome to A2A: The Teen Years, where we explore our inner teen and dredge up those memories that work their way into stories. This week, we'll be blogging about our best and/or worst holiday gifts as teens, so feel free to join the party and share your own gift triumph or disaster in the comments.

What was my worst Christmas gift ever? Something homemade from a well-meaning aunt or age-inappropriate from Grandpa? Oh, no, mine was way worse. I qualify for that teen angst memory "boyfriend you're about to break up with buys you expensive jewelry."

The fact that I was seeing this guy in December wasn't entirely coincidence. He was a football player, and in my high school, wearing a guy's football jacket was the height of cool. I was slightly bothered by the chauvinistic ownership message implied by the whole football jacket thing, but you know, it was football season and those blue and gold jackets were really nice looking. Plus most of my friends were on the bandwagon and I was on the rebound from another breakup with my "on-again, off-again for four long years" high school boyfriend. But by Christmas, I'd realized that the jacket was cooler than the offensive lineman who'd asked me out. He'd seemed like a nice guy at first but time was revealing him to be jealous and possessive, the kind of guy who wanted to know where I went with my girlfriends (so he could show up unexpectedly) and why I didn't call him if I was going to be five minutes late getting home.

So I had major misgivings at Christmas, but how do you break up with someone on Christmas? I was learning that he had a bad temper too. I had to plot my escape carefully if I wanted to avoid a high school scandal. I'd play it cool at Christmas and break up with him before the New Years parties. And then he presented me with the most gaudy piece of jewelry I've ever seen. Seriously. It was an elaborate ankle bracelet that was meant to be worn as a necklace with hearts and freshwater pearls and our names engraved and every Long Island bell and whistle you can imagine. And here's the quiz: what was the worst aspect of this present?

a. He was so interested in draping me with another object with his name on it that he never noticed that I didn't wear jewelry.
b. It cost a chunk of money, and he didn't work because of football practice, so where did the money come from?
c. Engraved means non-returnable, right?
d. Now he was going to be twice as pissed when I broke up with him, and now I obviously needed to do that right away.

So I broke up with him, and on our first day back to school from the holiday break, he got suspended for ambushing my ex-boyfriend. Then he started driving by my house real slow at night, around the block, over and over. Then I was really scared because I'd have to get my parents involved, and my father was likely to go out there swinging a bat Sopranos-style. My father always got me the best Christmas presents but they'd usually fallen off a truck in Manhattan somewhere if you know what I mean. Oh, he wasn't mob connected, but he'd lived and worked in the city all his life and he'd picked up what he'd had to pick up. My suburban linebacker didn't stand a chance, but there was no way I wanted my father in trouble for my stupidity.

Well, in real life, it all worked out. My ex-boyfriend's friends convinced him he was being stupid and he got over his temper tantrum. It wasn't like we'd been together for more than a few weeks, so it blew over quickly. But in the fictional universe, if I ever finish the story I started about it, it will escalate, of course. Because such a traumatic (and ugly, did I mention ugly?) gift should at least be fodder for a story.

Do you want to avoid bad-gift trauma? Books are the perfect gift (you probably knew that!), and I'm psyched to remind you that A2A's Lisa Schroeder's novel Far From You goes on sale December 23, in time for your holiday shopping! My top reason to buy Far From You for the holidays: you can have it shipped from Amazon right now instead of waiting until December 23. Check it out at http://www.amazon.com/Far-You-Lisa-Schroeder/dp/1416975063/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229349983&sr=8-1. I'm hoping my husband ordered my copy. I wonder if I should search the house for it?

-- Kate, Miss Apprentice Writer

High School—10 years later

Tip of the Day: If you need high school character ideas, pick up your yearbook and flip through the pages.

This weekend I traveled south to attend my 10-year High School reunion, and from what I observed, not much about High School changes in 10 years:

• Walking into the reunion room is just as scary as the first day of school. And just like the first day, you quickly learn it isn’t as bad as you anticipated.
• Everyone ate at the similar table—with their same friends—as they did in the lunchroom in high school, except now the food was slightly nicer.
• Cliques still exist. Despite the fact you really, really want to know what everyone’s been up to over the past 10-years, a part of you is too chicken to ask or mingle.
• Everyone looks pretty much the same, except with newer hairstyles and clothes.
• We still care about our appearance too much. Wondering if we look fatter in this outfit or that one, and in case of the pregnant woman in the room: “I hope this outfit makes me look pregnant and not just fat.”
• The most popular question is “what do you do” or “do you have kids,” instead of “what do you want to be when you grow up” or “are you dating anyone”

Despite the fact so much changes when we are adults, much remains the same.

I think this is why so many of us write for high school. Instead of firsts, you have tons of seconds and thirds. But it’s easy to slip back into the memories of one of the most awkward, fun, and interesting times of our lives. And you never loose many of the thoughts and feelings you experienced when you were a teen.

--Emily, Miss Awaiting an Agent

A2A: The Teen Years (or A Page About A Page)

Tip of the Day: Be extra nice to working teens. Remember when that was you serving up coffees and checking out groceries to grouchy grown-ups.

Part of me wishes I had some wacky job in high school, like my girlfriends who bussed tables at the Old Country Buffet and had to dress up like the Buffet Bee and wave to kids. Sure, it incited some screams, but now I would cherish those memories (right Nicki and Manina? Are you cherishing?)

But no, I was a Library Page. Makes me sound like I lived in a book. Maybe I pretty much did! I shelved books here:


There were pluses and minuses to working at the Parma Public Library in high school.

Pros:
1) Close to home and the high school
2) Could wear jeans
3) No uniform
4) No smell of grease
5) Got to help with children's summer programs and story hours
6) Erased all my late fines
7) Worked with my mom

Cons:
1) Crappy pay
2) Could get boring
3) The library was a good, innocent place for stalkers to hang out
4) The library attracted every burnout in town
5) No other teens worked with me
6) Finding food, chewed gum, used kleenex, and unwrapped condoms in the shelves
7) Worked with my mom

My novel #4 (currently shelved) had an MC who was a Page in a law library. While I liked that book and the MC's job, it wasn't as good as it could've been if she worked at a public library. There's so much great fodder! Creepy old men asking where the books on changing bodies are located, the Churchy People challenging the library's collection of "racy" (aka PG-13) movies and mentioning it in their Sunday sermons, impossible reference questions relating to the makeup of Jesus's DNA.... I mean, those could each be a novel in themselves!

I think I might try to use my high school occupation again in a book, and now I'll base in on my experiences AND what I witness happening with the teens I now supervise in my library. (Though in all honesty, the patrons require more supervision than the teen workers.)

Any other library Pages out there?

Deena, Miss Recently Repped

Fave Teen Jobs at A2A

Tip of the Day: Swirling soft ice cream is really difficult. I was fired from Carvel for not being able to do it. Since then, I've made friends with 2 other people after finding out they share my disability. There's a whole subset of the community out there fired from Carvel for swirling impairment.

Welcome to A2A: The Teen Years! This week, the five of us are discussing our favorite teen jobs. Do you fondly remember those years of minimum wage slavitude? I have sort of fond memories. The pay sucked but I didn't have much responsibility, other than the responsibility to flirt with male customers and co-workers, which I took very seriously, let me tell you.

Teen jobs are great hooks for books, so let's go beyond fast food and talk about the interesting jobs. (Although for a while, being diva of the Burger King drive-thru was interesting.) My favorite job as a teen had to be *drumroll*:

Roadside flower stand girl!

This was a great job. The stand was on the highway, and it was enclosed, although it didn't contain much more than a walk-in fridge, a counter with rolls of bouquet wrap, and supplies. I started my shift loading up the fridge with the loose flower deliveries, and spent the rest of the shift making them into bouquets and selling them for $5 a pop. And talking on the phone to my friends and making up stories about the customers.

Unfortunately, this wasn't a good flirting job, because most of the customers were men looking for a way to impress another woman. Sometimes I'd get the odd customer who'd hit on me while in the middle of buying flowers for his girlfriend, but ick. It was still a great job because I was always there by myself. There wasn't room for two people to work in the tiny stand, so I was completely unsupervised. Not that any hijinks went on; I was a very responsible bouquet girl. My boss came by at the beginning of my shift to drop off the flowers and at the end of my shift to pick up the money. The only other person who worked there was my best friend Meredith. We alternated shifts. Also, it was within easy walking distance of my house so I never had to worry about transportation. And, of course, the place smelled great. It was a pretty awesome setup, but eventually I started college and had to move on to other, lousier jobs.

Now I'm not sure I could come up with a good story about a character working as a roadside bouquet girl. It seems ripe with possibility, though, so maybe someday it will find its way into a story. Now it's time to share your favorite teen jobs in the comments and inspire us! Yay character building!

-- Kate, Miss Apprentice Writer

How Much Book Could A Book Talk Talk (or Let's Give Them Something to Talk About)

Tip of the Day: Carry an umbrella. One that won't flip inside out with a sudden gust of wind. (It's just embarassing.)

I decided to do a Book Talk for the teens at my library. I read tons of books, so it should easy to pick a novel to discuss, right?

Um, no.

I realized that in order to appeal to the largest number of teens, I had to really think about what book to pick. I needed a novel that:

1) Appeals to boys and girls (so probably a boy MC)
2) Isn't too depressing
3) Is out in paperback (so I could afford to buy a copy for 15 teens)
4) Isn't too old/dated (so not too many teens read it already or think it's "old fashioned")
5) Appeals to readers 12-18 (though most of my participants will probably be 12-14)
6) Isn't about too controversial a topic (so parents won't yell at me)
7) Has an author who is contactable online (so I could ask for autographed bookplates for the books)

I posted my question and my list of requirements to the YA Librarian Listserv for my county, and got lots of helpful replies (thanks, all!), and some suggestions of what books worked for them (though many successful novels were definitely "girl books"). Some of the suggestions were for books I'd read and liked, but wasn't passionate about. Others were for books I hadn't read yet and now will read. But time was ticking for me to decide what book to talk!

With all the advice, I thought and branched out on my own. I chose NOTES FROM THE MIDNIGHT DRIVER by Jordan Sonnenblick.
It fit all the requirements and is funny, too! The author has also agreed to send me bookplates! An extra plus is that JS's first novel, DRUMS, GIRLS, AND DANGEROUS PIE is on the local required summer reading list. Hopefully teens will love that book as much as I did, and jump at the chance to read his next.

Of course, all of this made me think about if any of my books fit my own list of Book Talk requirements.

Oh no! They do not! I have all girl MCs! Crap.

What about you? Do you wonder if your book will be talked? Or chosen as a summer reading requirement for a school?

Deena, Miss Recently Repped

A novel-in-verse is still, you know, a NOVEL

Tip of the Day: Keep a little notebook in your purse (you males reading this DO carry a purse, don't you?), and any time you hear a funny piece of conversation, at the coffee shop or wherever, write it down. You never know when it might come in handy in a book.

So, Deena (Miss Recently Repped) and I were talking about novels-in-verse and how they can be good for reluctant readers, but sometimes there is a problem with getting them to read them in the first place.

As a librarian, Deena gets moms who come in, asking her to help select books for the teen girl who doesn’t like to read much, and as soon as Deena says the word “verse,” she’s often told , “Oh no, she wouldn’t like that.” They don’t get the fact that it’s not merely a book of poems, it’s a story with a beginning, middle and end, with a plot and characters - you know - a NOVEL.

I think Ellen Hopkins and Sonya Sones have helped to open up the genre so more kids understand what a novel-in-verse is, and that it’s not just a book of unrelated poems. But there are still people out there who think – yuck! I have read some reviews on I HEART YOU that say something like, “I bought this book, and when I saw it was written in poems, I was really worried, but I ended up loving it.”

So how can we describe a novel-in-verse so people don’t close their ears as soon as the word "verse" comes out of our mouth?

Here are my ideas, but I’d love to hear yours:

1) Don’t even say it’s a novel-in-verse. Just say it’s a fast-moving story with really short chapters and relatable characters that will keep them turning the pages.

2) You could say, “This is a verse novel, but don’t let the verse part scare you. Every poem is very accessible and easy to understand, and kids who don't like to read usually like all of the white space on the pages. It doesn't overwhelm them as much as a regular book."

3) Or how about, "This is a great book that other kids LOVE. It's different. I think that's why they love it."

What do you think?

~Lisa, Miss Pinch Me I'm Pubbed