*with apologies to The Buggles
Tip of the Day: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Mini Pretzles are dangerously delish. (9 servings per bag? How about 4?)
As A2A readers undoubetly know, a few years ago book trailers for YA and MG novels started becoming more popular. Many discussion cropped up on if they were worth having.
Personally, I watch trailers that:
a. get a lot of buzz,
b. are by authors I know, or
c. are for books I'm planning on buying/reading anyway.
In other words, I have never been swayed to buy/read a novel because of the trailer even though I have been entertained by them.
One of the first trailers I remember thinking was cool was this one for Carrie Ryan's THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUi3Ap2ga1U
But because it has actors and spoken dialog, it feels more like a movie trailer than one for a novel.
A recent favorite is this amazing animated trailer for THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL by Soman Chainani:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqnU3ZqvL1k
It is also very cinematic, and way too expensive for a novice like me to ever do.
When I decided to self epub BLACKOUT, I didn't originally plan to produce a book trailer. But my husband was writing new tracks for his band Blue Falcon around the time I was formatting my novel and I thought it would be cool if he created original music for a trailer. Once he agreed, I was excited!
While I enjoy some of the cinematic book trailers out there, I wanted mine to be more in line with the experience of reading a book. I also knew I needed it to be about 45-60 seconds long. I watched Lisa Schroeder's trailer for THE DAY BEFORE for inspiration as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBnbubgIMJA
I love the filming that Lisa did for her trailer, but that is more work than I wanted to put into it so I went with the photo that was used for the cover as a backdrop for the whole thing. The rest was my husband using the limited options on iMovie.
But honestly the best part of having a book trailer? I can hock my wares by giving people an experience -- a free taste of music and atmosphere for BLACKOUT -- instead of just a link where they can buy my book. As someone who is not into self-promotion, it makes talking about my novel a lot easier.
I don't expect my trailer to be the one that transforms people like me into those who buy books based on them. But if the music and atmosphere at least entertains those who click on the YouTube link for 60 seconds, I've done my job.
What are your thoughts of book trailers as a viewer or as an author?
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Showing posts with label writing YA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing YA. Show all posts
Monday, August 12, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Time to BLACKOUT (or Release Day is Here!)
Tip of the Day: Verla Kay's Blue Board is so amazing that it is merging with the SCBWI message boards! Go Verla and BBers!
Four days early, my YA novel BLACKOUT is out in the world*!
For a reminder on why I decided to self e-pub BLACKOUT, here's my blog post from April.
Thanks to all the A2A Misses and critique partners past and present who helped bring this book to life!
If anyone has any questions on the e-pubbing process from a first timer, feel free to ask them here. And if they are beyond my ability to answer, I will forward them to the epub master, Megg. :)
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
*Except for through slooow iTunes and delayed Kobo.
Four days early, my YA novel BLACKOUT is out in the world*!
It is only $2.99 (what a deal!) through the following retailers:
Amazon
Amazon
Also, my super talented husband wrote original music and put together this awesome book trailer. I love it!
For a reminder on why I decided to self e-pub BLACKOUT, here's my blog post from April.
Thanks to all the A2A Misses and critique partners past and present who helped bring this book to life!
If anyone has any questions on the e-pubbing process from a first timer, feel free to ask them here. And if they are beyond my ability to answer, I will forward them to the epub master, Megg. :)
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
*Except for through slooow iTunes and delayed Kobo.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
A Decision Is Made (or Time To Publish)
Tip of the Day: Check out my husband's new music by his band Blue Falcon! I am biased but I highly recommend his tunes, particularly the humorous "Internet Celebrity."
So, I'm going to do it.
I'm going to self e-pub a YA novel.
Ahhhhh!
This is a huge step for me -- actually getting my work Out There for real readers to read -- but I'm excited! I've hired a cover artist, and just picturing my book with professional art and my name on it makes me very happy.
Why did I decide to go this route? For a few reasons:
1. Some of you may recall my post from last month where I listed all of my MG, YA, and NA works. I know some of these books need to remain in the trunk, but I also know that others are really good and I can't keep fiddling with them -- not when I have so many other ideas I want to write. In order for me to be able to move forward, I need to publish some of my "back list" and call them DONE. And if publishing companies aren't asking for them, it's up to me to pub them myself. So I will -- and I am!
1a. I have to add that I'm glad self epubbing was NOT a viable option when my first, second, oh heck first 7 manuscripts were completed because they were NOT ready for the world and I might've put books out that, well, sucked. But I'm so glad that it IS a solid option now.
2. I love writing YA, but the market is so tight that it feels extra hard to break in. Recently, I found myself shying away from new YA ideas because of this. While I've loved working on my MG novels instead, I didn't want to give up on my YAs -- and I have to say it has been so nice and freeing and fun to polish up my YA without worrying if it is "good enough" to sell to a publisher. Instead I know that I WILL get it out there for consumers to buy and read and enjoy or hate, but the power to publish is mine and the choice to read it will be in the buyers' hands.
3. I'm not getting any younger.
I am in no way giving up on traditional publishing; I'm actively working on getting my MG novel out to agents, and I have another MG waiting for revisions in the wings.
I'm also sure my passion for writing kidlit will only grow as I get my books out there for ebook readers.
Stay tuned for my first YA novel to be published in late summer...details will be coming!
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
So, I'm going to do it.
I'm going to self e-pub a YA novel.
Ahhhhh!
This is a huge step for me -- actually getting my work Out There for real readers to read -- but I'm excited! I've hired a cover artist, and just picturing my book with professional art and my name on it makes me very happy.
Why did I decide to go this route? For a few reasons:
1. Some of you may recall my post from last month where I listed all of my MG, YA, and NA works. I know some of these books need to remain in the trunk, but I also know that others are really good and I can't keep fiddling with them -- not when I have so many other ideas I want to write. In order for me to be able to move forward, I need to publish some of my "back list" and call them DONE. And if publishing companies aren't asking for them, it's up to me to pub them myself. So I will -- and I am!
1a. I have to add that I'm glad self epubbing was NOT a viable option when my first, second, oh heck first 7 manuscripts were completed because they were NOT ready for the world and I might've put books out that, well, sucked. But I'm so glad that it IS a solid option now.
2. I love writing YA, but the market is so tight that it feels extra hard to break in. Recently, I found myself shying away from new YA ideas because of this. While I've loved working on my MG novels instead, I didn't want to give up on my YAs -- and I have to say it has been so nice and freeing and fun to polish up my YA without worrying if it is "good enough" to sell to a publisher. Instead I know that I WILL get it out there for consumers to buy and read and enjoy or hate, but the power to publish is mine and the choice to read it will be in the buyers' hands.
3. I'm not getting any younger.
I am in no way giving up on traditional publishing; I'm actively working on getting my MG novel out to agents, and I have another MG waiting for revisions in the wings.
I'm also sure my passion for writing kidlit will only grow as I get my books out there for ebook readers.
Stay tuned for my first YA novel to be published in late summer...details will be coming!
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Friday, March 22, 2013
So Many Manuscripts, So Little Time (or Born of Frustration*)
*with apologies to James
Tip of the Day: Don't move to upstate New York if you are against the possibility of snow through the end of March...and into April.
All right, readers, it's INVENTORY TIME! Let's see what Deena has buried in her trunk of manuscripts!
1. character-driven YA that was the first novel I ever wrote, and has since been revised and rewritten about 5 times over 9 years. I love this book very much but think the fact that it is not plot-driven in today's market makes it a tougher sell. ***
2. character-driven YA, the second novel I wrote, that I still like the root of, but I know it would need lots of work to fix, and it would need a new ending since I now hate the "easy" way the "mystery" is solved. Will remain in the trunk for now.
3. fun, light, plot-driven MG with many characters that I think is cute, but needs to much rewriting now an will stay in the trunk.
4. YA that has good bones, but never quite came together the right way. Will remain trunked.
5. historical MG with twinges of magical realism. It got me my first agent, has been heavily revised twice, and I am now querying agents on it again. I love this book and really hope it finds a home! ***
6. contemporary MG that got me my second agent. At the time an element of it was not overdone, but since I wrote it a lot of books have come out with that type of family business. I also think it has one too many sub-plots going on. I still love the idea of it and the relationship between the two main characters, and may revise it at some time.
7. paranormal YA with a setting I love but characters that definitely need more development. I turned it into....
7a. a New Adult novella that I would love to develop into an e-serial series at some point. ***
8. contemporary YA with a great hook, but that got lots of rejections from editors who all wanted it to be something else than it was. I still love this book and have tweaked it and sent it out on my own to some new editors. ***
9. YA thriller with pseudo science fiction elements and dual pov. This is my first truly plot-driven novel, my first novel with more than one pov, and my first male narrator. I love it. I am revising it again next month (a few tweaks to the science and girl's chapters) to prep it for self e-pubbing this summer/fall. I also wrote... ***
9a. 50 pages of the sequel, which I can't wait to get back into. I plan to self e-pub that as well by the end of the year if all goes as planned. ***
10. I am about 7k words from the end of a fast draft of a new MG light mystery. What I thought would be a simple story has of course gotten headier than I expected, but I can't wait to have it finished, let it sit, and then return to it when the timing is right. ***
10a. I am also almost done with a New Adult realistic/contemp novella that I do want to finish. ***
*** means I want to actively work on these projects. As you can see by the number of *** on this page, I have so many ideas and not enough time to devote to them all! I also have two new YA ideas I am jonesing to write....realistic story of a small town based on an actual health case that came up in my area over a year ago, and a realistc story of a girl who has been brainwashed about a certain thing for her whole life, and finally learns to think for herself after being scarred.
I LOVE my day job as a YA Librarian, but there are definitely times where I wish I had even just one month to completely be a full-time writer.
Can someone just transport me to a Hawaiian beach for six months every year with my laptop so I can bang out some pages? 'Cause, ya know, I'm sure that's exactly what I would do once there.... :)
What's in your manuscript trunk that you are dying to get back to?
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Tip of the Day: Don't move to upstate New York if you are against the possibility of snow through the end of March...and into April.
All right, readers, it's INVENTORY TIME! Let's see what Deena has buried in her trunk of manuscripts!
1. character-driven YA that was the first novel I ever wrote, and has since been revised and rewritten about 5 times over 9 years. I love this book very much but think the fact that it is not plot-driven in today's market makes it a tougher sell. ***
2. character-driven YA, the second novel I wrote, that I still like the root of, but I know it would need lots of work to fix, and it would need a new ending since I now hate the "easy" way the "mystery" is solved. Will remain in the trunk for now.
3. fun, light, plot-driven MG with many characters that I think is cute, but needs to much rewriting now an will stay in the trunk.
4. YA that has good bones, but never quite came together the right way. Will remain trunked.
5. historical MG with twinges of magical realism. It got me my first agent, has been heavily revised twice, and I am now querying agents on it again. I love this book and really hope it finds a home! ***
6. contemporary MG that got me my second agent. At the time an element of it was not overdone, but since I wrote it a lot of books have come out with that type of family business. I also think it has one too many sub-plots going on. I still love the idea of it and the relationship between the two main characters, and may revise it at some time.
7. paranormal YA with a setting I love but characters that definitely need more development. I turned it into....
7a. a New Adult novella that I would love to develop into an e-serial series at some point. ***
8. contemporary YA with a great hook, but that got lots of rejections from editors who all wanted it to be something else than it was. I still love this book and have tweaked it and sent it out on my own to some new editors. ***
9. YA thriller with pseudo science fiction elements and dual pov. This is my first truly plot-driven novel, my first novel with more than one pov, and my first male narrator. I love it. I am revising it again next month (a few tweaks to the science and girl's chapters) to prep it for self e-pubbing this summer/fall. I also wrote... ***
9a. 50 pages of the sequel, which I can't wait to get back into. I plan to self e-pub that as well by the end of the year if all goes as planned. ***
10. I am about 7k words from the end of a fast draft of a new MG light mystery. What I thought would be a simple story has of course gotten headier than I expected, but I can't wait to have it finished, let it sit, and then return to it when the timing is right. ***
10a. I am also almost done with a New Adult realistic/contemp novella that I do want to finish. ***
*** means I want to actively work on these projects. As you can see by the number of *** on this page, I have so many ideas and not enough time to devote to them all! I also have two new YA ideas I am jonesing to write....realistic story of a small town based on an actual health case that came up in my area over a year ago, and a realistc story of a girl who has been brainwashed about a certain thing for her whole life, and finally learns to think for herself after being scarred.
I LOVE my day job as a YA Librarian, but there are definitely times where I wish I had even just one month to completely be a full-time writer.
Can someone just transport me to a Hawaiian beach for six months every year with my laptop so I can bang out some pages? 'Cause, ya know, I'm sure that's exactly what I would do once there.... :)
What's in your manuscript trunk that you are dying to get back to?
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Monday, February 25, 2013
What Is She Up To? (or Writing and Wondering)
Tip of the Day: My hubby is a writer too! Check out the two brand new tracks he's written, produced, and posted for his new band, Blue Falcon. They're FREE on this FaceBook page! Thanks in advance for checking it out. :)
So while my husband has been getting his music "out there," I have been...starting a new middle grade project.
"But, but, but, what about the nine other books you've already written, Deena?" you may be asking. "Shouldn't you be getting those 'out there'?"
Or maybe that's the voice of my conscience coming through like a ghostly voice on Zak Baggins' EVP recorder.
Either way, here is where I reply, "Yes. Yes I should. BUT I CAN'T FOCUS ON ONE PROJECT!"
My plan last fall was to get my YA speculative thriller polished so I could e-pub it this summer -- if nothing else happened with my other books. But when I dove into it at the end of January, I found myself stalling and working on it soooo slooowly.
Fear of epubbing it? Boredom with the story? Disinterest in writing the sequel?
I'm not sure.
Then I went to the NYC SCBWI National Conference (SO FABULOUS, and now I am in even more love with Mo Willems (he is basically elephant and piggy personified) and Julie Andrews (so lovely AND beautiful with her daughter!) than ever), and I got excited to query agents on my MG novel and of course I got an idea growing stronger in my head for ANOTHER MG instead of getting the YA ready.
So what have I been working on? The new MG. And it is so fun to write! Plus I have some agents reading my completed MG and I keep thinking, what if I sell that traditionally and I want a follow-up MG to sub?
Ah yes, here I am thinking ten steps ahead of where I might be one day...instead of just working on the one thing I can control: perfecting my YA speculative thriller and epubbing it.
That is the beauty of the self-epubbing world right now: writers CAN take control of their own publication, and in some ways have the same odds of reaching their target audience as midlist trad pubbed authors.
In retrospect, I'm glad self-epubbing wasn't as accepted when I started writing YA novels eight years ago because I may have made the mistake of pubbing my quite crappy early drafts and early novels, thinking they were actually really good. But now, after years of writing and revising and learning and reading, I KNOW my YA speculative thriller is good -- and the sequel will rock, too.
That said, my plan right now is to:
1. Fast-draft the MG throughout March
2. Fast-edit the YA throughout April and get it epubbed by September, when the novel takes place
HOLD ME TO IT, A2A READERS! HOLD ME TO IT! :)
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
(Won't this look hot on a t-shirt?)
So while my husband has been getting his music "out there," I have been...starting a new middle grade project.
"But, but, but, what about the nine other books you've already written, Deena?" you may be asking. "Shouldn't you be getting those 'out there'?"
Or maybe that's the voice of my conscience coming through like a ghostly voice on Zak Baggins' EVP recorder.
Either way, here is where I reply, "Yes. Yes I should. BUT I CAN'T FOCUS ON ONE PROJECT!"
My plan last fall was to get my YA speculative thriller polished so I could e-pub it this summer -- if nothing else happened with my other books. But when I dove into it at the end of January, I found myself stalling and working on it soooo slooowly.
Fear of epubbing it? Boredom with the story? Disinterest in writing the sequel?
I'm not sure.
Then I went to the NYC SCBWI National Conference (SO FABULOUS, and now I am in even more love with Mo Willems (he is basically elephant and piggy personified) and Julie Andrews (so lovely AND beautiful with her daughter!) than ever), and I got excited to query agents on my MG novel and of course I got an idea growing stronger in my head for ANOTHER MG instead of getting the YA ready.
So what have I been working on? The new MG. And it is so fun to write! Plus I have some agents reading my completed MG and I keep thinking, what if I sell that traditionally and I want a follow-up MG to sub?
Ah yes, here I am thinking ten steps ahead of where I might be one day...instead of just working on the one thing I can control: perfecting my YA speculative thriller and epubbing it.
That is the beauty of the self-epubbing world right now: writers CAN take control of their own publication, and in some ways have the same odds of reaching their target audience as midlist trad pubbed authors.
In retrospect, I'm glad self-epubbing wasn't as accepted when I started writing YA novels eight years ago because I may have made the mistake of pubbing my quite crappy early drafts and early novels, thinking they were actually really good. But now, after years of writing and revising and learning and reading, I KNOW my YA speculative thriller is good -- and the sequel will rock, too.
That said, my plan right now is to:
1. Fast-draft the MG throughout March
2. Fast-edit the YA throughout April and get it epubbed by September, when the novel takes place
HOLD ME TO IT, A2A READERS! HOLD ME TO IT! :)
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Adult Children (or I Don't Want to Grow Up, I'm a Year 2000 Kid*)
*with apologies to Toys 'R' Us
Tip of the Day: See author Erin Dionne's blog post about How "Homeland" and "The Walking Dead" have made me a better writer. Great points and things to think about when developing characters and plot elements! I'll be looking at LOST when I write my thriller sequel.
FaceBook, Twitter, texting, emails, blogs...with the turn of the century came the turn of communications to one even more heavily based on technology, where face-to-face dealings aren't required for the exchange ideas.
Techno world is also, apparently, the prime place for whining. Why? Because whiners have an entire audience "following" them, people who will "listen" to their grief, people who will "pay attention to them" even if in real life they would never announce the same things they do online or through electronic means.
And these people are adults.
How is this related to writing for kids and teens?
Well, in some ways it's not; I just wanted a public forum to whine (ha ha!) about the whiners who clearly just want attention.
In other ways, it totally is related to kidlit. Just pull up your FaceBook account, skim through your Friends' posts, and stop at the ones that sound passive-aggressive, whoa-is-me, or inappropriate for a public forum (such as posts made during work hours that make derogatory comments about said workplace). Then borrow those for future manuscripts about teens who use technology.
Or hell, just keep the characters who act that way as adults. Contemporary realistic YA fiction is coming back, right? Let's just keep it real.
Whine away!
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Tip of the Day: See author Erin Dionne's blog post about How "Homeland" and "The Walking Dead" have made me a better writer. Great points and things to think about when developing characters and plot elements! I'll be looking at LOST when I write my thriller sequel.
FaceBook, Twitter, texting, emails, blogs...with the turn of the century came the turn of communications to one even more heavily based on technology, where face-to-face dealings aren't required for the exchange ideas.
Techno world is also, apparently, the prime place for whining. Why? Because whiners have an entire audience "following" them, people who will "listen" to their grief, people who will "pay attention to them" even if in real life they would never announce the same things they do online or through electronic means.
And these people are adults.
How is this related to writing for kids and teens?
Well, in some ways it's not; I just wanted a public forum to whine (ha ha!) about the whiners who clearly just want attention.
In other ways, it totally is related to kidlit. Just pull up your FaceBook account, skim through your Friends' posts, and stop at the ones that sound passive-aggressive, whoa-is-me, or inappropriate for a public forum (such as posts made during work hours that make derogatory comments about said workplace). Then borrow those for future manuscripts about teens who use technology.
Or hell, just keep the characters who act that way as adults. Contemporary realistic YA fiction is coming back, right? Let's just keep it real.
Whine away!
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
When Disaster Strike! (or Weather Permitting)
Tip of the Day: Give me a shout in the comments if you will be at the YALSA Symposium with me in St. Louis this weekend!
With all of the talk about -- and destruction caused by -- Hurricane Sandy this week, I was thinking about disaster novels, realistic stories based on natural events.
Adding "bad weather" into your novel is a great way to create tension and a non-human foe. It also adds atmosphere and helps to place your story on the map.
If you've had enough of these horrors in real life, I understand. But if you want to read some kidlit with this setting, I recommend the following:
ASHFALL and ASHEN WINTER by Mike Mullin. When the supervalcano errupts, Alex must survive the fallout on his own. Totally gripping and it made me cold just reading about the ashy snow.
TRAPPED by Michael Northrop. During a snow storm, seven teens are stuck in their high school awaiting rescue while the temperature drops and the snow piles up. Creepy and disturbing and a little too close to home for those who live in lake affect snow zones.
HURRICANE by Terry Trueman. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch strikes Honduras and 13-year-old Jose must take care of his house when his father goes missing. This tragic and realistic story reads quickly and shows the vulnerability of island life.
THE WAITING SKY by Lara Zielin. Jane finally leaves her alcoholic mother back home -- but just for the summer because her mom needs her -- and joins her older brother and his team of tornado chasers through tornado alley. While the focus is on the characters rather than the weather, the tornado's power and unpredictability is well drawn.
What are your favorite weather/natural disaster novels?
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
With all of the talk about -- and destruction caused by -- Hurricane Sandy this week, I was thinking about disaster novels, realistic stories based on natural events.
Adding "bad weather" into your novel is a great way to create tension and a non-human foe. It also adds atmosphere and helps to place your story on the map.
If you've had enough of these horrors in real life, I understand. But if you want to read some kidlit with this setting, I recommend the following:
What are your favorite weather/natural disaster novels?
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Learning From Lost (or The Power of the Cliffhanger)
Tip of the Day: Sweet potatoes make delicious, healthy baked fries! Cut into strips, bake at 450 for 10 minutes; flip and cook for 10 minutes more. Dip in BBQ sauce. YUM!
Prior to August of this year, I had never seen an episode of the TV show LOST. I know, I know, I'm way behind the times. I'm caught up through season 2 now though so give me some credit. (But nobody tell me what happens!)
What I've noticed by watching these first 50 episodes is:
1. the cliffhanger episode endings leave me clamoring for more.
2. the better written episodes make those that are weaker stand out so I know which episodes I can skip over.
3. well-developed character motivations and backstories make me like those with whom I did not previously sympathize.
4. it is frustrating to the viewer when the characters don't ask the right questions for the sake of secret-keeping.
So when I read through my thriller again with a look towards epubbing it next year, I am going to make sure:
1. most of the chapter endings are on action-oriented or "big reveal" type cliffhangers.
2. every chapter is written to its fullest potential so they don't seem weak compared to those around them.
3. each character is intriguing and more and more likable -- even the "bad guys" -- as the story goes on and their motivations/backstories are revealed.
4. the characters are smart and don't hide information from the reader without reason.
Thank you, LOST, for making me think about story writing in a different way, and with a clear model that works.
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Prior to August of this year, I had never seen an episode of the TV show LOST. I know, I know, I'm way behind the times. I'm caught up through season 2 now though so give me some credit. (But nobody tell me what happens!)
What I've noticed by watching these first 50 episodes is:
1. the cliffhanger episode endings leave me clamoring for more.
2. the better written episodes make those that are weaker stand out so I know which episodes I can skip over.
3. well-developed character motivations and backstories make me like those with whom I did not previously sympathize.
4. it is frustrating to the viewer when the characters don't ask the right questions for the sake of secret-keeping.
So when I read through my thriller again with a look towards epubbing it next year, I am going to make sure:
1. most of the chapter endings are on action-oriented or "big reveal" type cliffhangers.
2. every chapter is written to its fullest potential so they don't seem weak compared to those around them.
3. each character is intriguing and more and more likable -- even the "bad guys" -- as the story goes on and their motivations/backstories are revealed.
4. the characters are smart and don't hide information from the reader without reason.
Thank you, LOST, for making me think about story writing in a different way, and with a clear model that works.
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Mildly Concussed (or A YA Novel Version of My Head Injury)
Tip of the Day: Megg's books are on sale for only .99 cents each!
The grass wasn't that long. Maybe only two or three inches. But it was the foot high weeds that got Mom yelling for the third time that morning, "Deena, will you please start on the lawn?"
I rolled out of bed where I'd comfortably been lounging under the ceiling fan while reading John Green's latest. "Fine," I called while throwing on socks and sneakers. The last time I'd mowed in my sandals and was stung on the toe by a bee. TJ, the college guy down the street, had caught me swearing and hopping around the yard while I clutched my foot like an idiot. I wasn't going to embarass myself like that again.
I grabbed the push-mower from the shed and headed for the front yard. It was sunny and hot, but not too hot. It was the perfect weather to have my friends over later tonight to play Kan Jam out back.
I pulled the power cord on the mower once. Twice. Third time was a charm. The mower roared to life and I plowed through the first strips of lawn with ease.
On my second pass toward the driveway, I caught sight of him. TJ. Shooting baskets in the hoop mounted over his garage. He was the guy who was two years older than me but hadn't acted like it until this past year when he basically stopped talking to me even in a neighborly way. But I couldn't stop looking at him or fantasizing that he'd come over and profess his love for me.
I shook my sweaty head at my ridiculous thoughts and turned the mower around. That was when things got messy. The trees that Dad continuously reminded the rest of the fam "provided much needed shade and oxygen" were hard to mow around with their long, knotty roots and low, thick branches. It took forever to run the square mower around the circular tree trunks without sending root chips into my eye or breaking Mom's expensive new mower. If I didn't do the job well enough, Mom wouldn't hesitate to send me back out to do it all again.
While I pulled the mower back and forth, TJ dribbled and shot his basketball. Then all at once two things happened: 1) TJ missed his shot and the basketball came bouncing down the street in my direction, and 2) I yanked the mower backwards and slammed the back of my head into a tree branch the size of a turkey leg. My vision went dark before speckling into focus again like a bad movie fade-in.
"Shit!" TJ and I yelled at the same time. Except as he came running for his ball, looking cool just the same, I was clutching the back of my head and hoping when I removed my hand there wouldn't be blood.
When TJ reached his ball just on the edge of my lawn, he stopped, said, "Hey," and dribbled back to his property.
There was no blood spouting from my head, but if there had been, it probably wouldn't have hurt as much as my pride.
I finished mowing the lawn with my head pounding, and after complaining about it for over an hour Mom called the doctor who informed her I was probably "mildly concussed," to keep an eye on me, and call back/come into the office if the headache didn't disipate in a week.
Some girls could've turned that story into something to flirt with, but for me, it was just more proof that I was incapable of simple tasks like mowing the lawn.
Perhaps I should switch to basketball.
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
The grass wasn't that long. Maybe only two or three inches. But it was the foot high weeds that got Mom yelling for the third time that morning, "Deena, will you please start on the lawn?"
I rolled out of bed where I'd comfortably been lounging under the ceiling fan while reading John Green's latest. "Fine," I called while throwing on socks and sneakers. The last time I'd mowed in my sandals and was stung on the toe by a bee. TJ, the college guy down the street, had caught me swearing and hopping around the yard while I clutched my foot like an idiot. I wasn't going to embarass myself like that again.
I grabbed the push-mower from the shed and headed for the front yard. It was sunny and hot, but not too hot. It was the perfect weather to have my friends over later tonight to play Kan Jam out back.
I pulled the power cord on the mower once. Twice. Third time was a charm. The mower roared to life and I plowed through the first strips of lawn with ease.
On my second pass toward the driveway, I caught sight of him. TJ. Shooting baskets in the hoop mounted over his garage. He was the guy who was two years older than me but hadn't acted like it until this past year when he basically stopped talking to me even in a neighborly way. But I couldn't stop looking at him or fantasizing that he'd come over and profess his love for me.
I shook my sweaty head at my ridiculous thoughts and turned the mower around. That was when things got messy. The trees that Dad continuously reminded the rest of the fam "provided much needed shade and oxygen" were hard to mow around with their long, knotty roots and low, thick branches. It took forever to run the square mower around the circular tree trunks without sending root chips into my eye or breaking Mom's expensive new mower. If I didn't do the job well enough, Mom wouldn't hesitate to send me back out to do it all again.
While I pulled the mower back and forth, TJ dribbled and shot his basketball. Then all at once two things happened: 1) TJ missed his shot and the basketball came bouncing down the street in my direction, and 2) I yanked the mower backwards and slammed the back of my head into a tree branch the size of a turkey leg. My vision went dark before speckling into focus again like a bad movie fade-in.
"Shit!" TJ and I yelled at the same time. Except as he came running for his ball, looking cool just the same, I was clutching the back of my head and hoping when I removed my hand there wouldn't be blood.
When TJ reached his ball just on the edge of my lawn, he stopped, said, "Hey," and dribbled back to his property.
There was no blood spouting from my head, but if there had been, it probably wouldn't have hurt as much as my pride.
I finished mowing the lawn with my head pounding, and after complaining about it for over an hour Mom called the doctor who informed her I was probably "mildly concussed," to keep an eye on me, and call back/come into the office if the headache didn't disipate in a week.
Some girls could've turned that story into something to flirt with, but for me, it was just more proof that I was incapable of simple tasks like mowing the lawn.
Perhaps I should switch to basketball.
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Summer in the Library (or YAY! My Shelves are Empty!)
Tip of the Day: Emily may have said yesterday that Wendy's summer beverages are delish, but for those lucky enough to live near a Wegmans, their organic lemonades are addicting!
I love summer time in the library! Let me count the ways:
1. Kids and teens are exciting about reading! Yes, we also bribe them with Summer Reading prizes and parties, but they love talking about the books they've read.
2. Teens are done with exams and have time to read so my YA shelves are nearly bare. YAY! I love it when stuff is checked out, especially my new book shelves! Not kidding. Probably 100 new books checked out. Sweet!
3. It is so busy that the time on the reference desk flies by.
4. It is air-conditioned.
5. I can sit outside in the shade during my lunch breaks and write without shivering.
6. Natural vitamin-D for better patron/staff moods.
What are you favorite things about summer at your local library?
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
I love summer time in the library! Let me count the ways:
1. Kids and teens are exciting about reading! Yes, we also bribe them with Summer Reading prizes and parties, but they love talking about the books they've read.
2. Teens are done with exams and have time to read so my YA shelves are nearly bare. YAY! I love it when stuff is checked out, especially my new book shelves! Not kidding. Probably 100 new books checked out. Sweet!
3. It is so busy that the time on the reference desk flies by.
4. It is air-conditioned.
5. I can sit outside in the shade during my lunch breaks and write without shivering.
6. Natural vitamin-D for better patron/staff moods.
What are you favorite things about summer at your local library?
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
What Happens in Vegas... (or Forget It; It All Ends Up on FaceBook)
Tip of the Day: Heading to Las Vegas? Stay south of The Strip at the M Resort for the best buffet, gorgeous rooms, amazing spa, and fabulous pool!
While in Vegas this past weekend, I spent some time analyzing the scenery for one of my WIPs that takes place there:
What color exactly are the mountains? (Brown, red, pink?)
What does dry desert air feel like? What do the neighborhoods look like away from The Strip?
What does the skyline look like from them?
What are the music venues/clubs like in the resorts/hotels?
What do the casinos sound like?
Vegas isn't so much a "character" in my WIP as it is a setting that I want to get right. With so many people who visit and vacation there, I feel it has to be "right" so the rest of the book that is of a speculative nature is easier to buy. Because if I can't get the feel of the desert sun accurate, who will believe in my pseudo science fiction? I usually write about places like my home in Rochester, NY, because I know it so well, so writing about another city is a stretch for me.
How do you select your novel settings?
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
While in Vegas this past weekend, I spent some time analyzing the scenery for one of my WIPs that takes place there:
What color exactly are the mountains? (Brown, red, pink?)
What does dry desert air feel like? What do the neighborhoods look like away from The Strip?
What does the skyline look like from them?
What are the music venues/clubs like in the resorts/hotels?
What do the casinos sound like?
Vegas isn't so much a "character" in my WIP as it is a setting that I want to get right. With so many people who visit and vacation there, I feel it has to be "right" so the rest of the book that is of a speculative nature is easier to buy. Because if I can't get the feel of the desert sun accurate, who will believe in my pseudo science fiction? I usually write about places like my home in Rochester, NY, because I know it so well, so writing about another city is a stretch for me.
How do you select your novel settings?
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Dystopian Fiction Overload? (or Reality Bites but That's What Life Is*)
*with apologies to Limp Bizkit
Tip of the Day: My library won the area's Library of the Year award! Click here for details! Thanks to everyone who nominated Brighton Memorial Library. You rock!
I just read a YA book where:
--the main character is under house arrest on and off over her life
--phone lines are government controlled, only available intermittently, and rarely available for international calls
--the internet is highly monitored and all modems must be registered with the government
--outsiders are often forbidden from entering the country, and citizens are often not allowed out
--those who sneak information about the country/government outside the borders and are caught are subjected to imprisonment, physical torture, and death
--those participating in peaceful protests against the government are subjected to imprisonment, physical torture, and death
--disease runs rampant
--citizens are poor and powerless to overcome their situations
--the government spends millions on its lavish capital while the citizens starve in the other cities
--elections are rigged
Is this the latest dystopian novel on the shelves at B&N?
Nope. It's not even fiction. It's the story of Burma in the 1980s-present as presented in CHAMPIONS OF FREEDOM: AUNG SAN SUU KYI by Sherry O'Keefe (Morgan Reynolds, 2012).
I read this book to review it for VOYA, knowing nothing about Suu Kyi or Burma when I picked it up. I reached the end where the author compared Suu Kyi's world to that of George Orwell's 1984, I thought, holy crap. This horrific reality IS real for so many people across the globe.
So the next time you want to write about a government-controlled world but you keep hearing that dystopian fiction is overdone (I'm definitely reaching "full" on my library shelves), pick a country where this issue is a reality. Write about the real world -- even if we wish it was not so. I would totally read and buy those books.
Will I write them? I was very inspired by Suu Kyi's story, but would need to do a ton more research about a country that I just touched upon. Perhaps some day. Until then, I want to read more. Get writing! :)
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Tip of the Day: My library won the area's Library of the Year award! Click here for details! Thanks to everyone who nominated Brighton Memorial Library. You rock!
I just read a YA book where:
--the main character is under house arrest on and off over her life
--phone lines are government controlled, only available intermittently, and rarely available for international calls
--the internet is highly monitored and all modems must be registered with the government
--outsiders are often forbidden from entering the country, and citizens are often not allowed out
--those who sneak information about the country/government outside the borders and are caught are subjected to imprisonment, physical torture, and death
--those participating in peaceful protests against the government are subjected to imprisonment, physical torture, and death
--disease runs rampant
--citizens are poor and powerless to overcome their situations
--the government spends millions on its lavish capital while the citizens starve in the other cities
--elections are rigged
Is this the latest dystopian novel on the shelves at B&N?
Nope. It's not even fiction. It's the story of Burma in the 1980s-present as presented in CHAMPIONS OF FREEDOM: AUNG SAN SUU KYI by Sherry O'Keefe (Morgan Reynolds, 2012).
I read this book to review it for VOYA, knowing nothing about Suu Kyi or Burma when I picked it up. I reached the end where the author compared Suu Kyi's world to that of George Orwell's 1984, I thought, holy crap. This horrific reality IS real for so many people across the globe.
So the next time you want to write about a government-controlled world but you keep hearing that dystopian fiction is overdone (I'm definitely reaching "full" on my library shelves), pick a country where this issue is a reality. Write about the real world -- even if we wish it was not so. I would totally read and buy those books.
Will I write them? I was very inspired by Suu Kyi's story, but would need to do a ton more research about a country that I just touched upon. Perhaps some day. Until then, I want to read more. Get writing! :)
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
SCBWI MD Conference Recap (or In the Merry Land of Maryland)
Tip of the Day: It's National Library Week! Tell your librarians how much you appreciate their services -- and their books!
On Saturday, March 31, I attended the SCBWI MD/DE/WV chapter’s spring conference: “Rx for Children’s Book Creators: Getting Your Stories Right.”
Why did I drive all the way to Maryland for a one-day regional conference, you may ask? Because I needed to visit my friend and her new baby, and I figured with the conference only an hour away from her, I'd squeeze it in and write off my trip! Another interesting tidbit: the first SCBWI conference I ever went to was in MD while visiting this same friend in 2006.
Anyhoo, the morning started with PB/MG author and writing coach Esther Hershenhorn and her talk, “Getting Your Stories Right.” She focused on how not only should writers and illustrators focus on the plotlines of their characters’ stories, but that they should also view their own creation journeys as plotlines. Kind of a cool concept, one I hadn't considered before.
After lunch, HarperCollins Associate Editor Sarah Dotts Barley discussed “Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.” I was familiar with a number of the “mistakes” she saw in her submissions, like “show don’t tell,” and a reminder to not include every stage direction that your character makes to get from point A to B. But for beginners it was a good talk, and she was a gracious and patient speaker with cool credits like the DEAR BULLY anthology who clearly knows her stuff.
Rachel Orr, agent at Prospect Agency, was the final solo presenter of the day with her talk, “Voices Carry: Discovering and Developing Your Own Personal Style.” And oh em gee, her discussion and examples were the most clear I have heard on the subject of the elusive "voice!" Go Rachel! She took portions of published picture books and novels, stripped them of their “voice,” and put both versions on a PowerPoint slide for comparison. Voila! A great presentation.
The final session, “Fairy Tales and Cautionary Tales,” consisted of a panel of eight of the region’s members who are agented or published. They talked about the mistakes they made along their journeys and what they would do differently now, how they got their first published gigs, and what their best advice was for writers and illustrators struggling to make it today. It was a frank, humorous, and realistic chat on the publishing industry that I really appreciated.
After decompressing my brain at my friend's house where I hung with her baby and we dyed Easter eggs, I drove home excited to dive into my MG revisions again with a focus on voice and the knowledge that I am a character in my own writing life who will one day achieve my greatest writing desires. Woo hoo!
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
On Saturday, March 31, I attended the SCBWI MD/DE/WV chapter’s spring conference: “Rx for Children’s Book Creators: Getting Your Stories Right.”
Why did I drive all the way to Maryland for a one-day regional conference, you may ask? Because I needed to visit my friend and her new baby, and I figured with the conference only an hour away from her, I'd squeeze it in and write off my trip! Another interesting tidbit: the first SCBWI conference I ever went to was in MD while visiting this same friend in 2006.
Anyhoo, the morning started with PB/MG author and writing coach Esther Hershenhorn and her talk, “Getting Your Stories Right.” She focused on how not only should writers and illustrators focus on the plotlines of their characters’ stories, but that they should also view their own creation journeys as plotlines. Kind of a cool concept, one I hadn't considered before.
After lunch, HarperCollins Associate Editor Sarah Dotts Barley discussed “Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.” I was familiar with a number of the “mistakes” she saw in her submissions, like “show don’t tell,” and a reminder to not include every stage direction that your character makes to get from point A to B. But for beginners it was a good talk, and she was a gracious and patient speaker with cool credits like the DEAR BULLY anthology who clearly knows her stuff.
Rachel Orr, agent at Prospect Agency, was the final solo presenter of the day with her talk, “Voices Carry: Discovering and Developing Your Own Personal Style.” And oh em gee, her discussion and examples were the most clear I have heard on the subject of the elusive "voice!" Go Rachel! She took portions of published picture books and novels, stripped them of their “voice,” and put both versions on a PowerPoint slide for comparison. Voila! A great presentation.
The final session, “Fairy Tales and Cautionary Tales,” consisted of a panel of eight of the region’s members who are agented or published. They talked about the mistakes they made along their journeys and what they would do differently now, how they got their first published gigs, and what their best advice was for writers and illustrators struggling to make it today. It was a frank, humorous, and realistic chat on the publishing industry that I really appreciated.
After decompressing my brain at my friend's house where I hung with her baby and we dyed Easter eggs, I drove home excited to dive into my MG revisions again with a focus on voice and the knowledge that I am a character in my own writing life who will one day achieve my greatest writing desires. Woo hoo!
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Sit-Com 101 (or Lessons Learned From TV)
Tip of the Day: Want some adult book recommendations? I've actually read some targeted to those over age 18! Try STATE OF WONDER by Ann Patchett, ROBOPOCALYPSE by Daniel H. Wilson, THE WILDER LIFE by Wendy McClure, and THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern. My reviews are here.
I don't like sit-coms anymore.
Don't get me wrong -- I'm not a television snob. I watch The Bachelor, reality talent shows, and the Food Network with the best of them. Basically shows that don't require me to pay much attention so that I can read/write/cook/internet while having the TV on in the background.
But I do have a small tolerance for bad acting, cheesy lines, and overdone dramatic plots, lots of which I find in sit-coms.
Back in the day I loved my Full House and Seinfeld despite the irritating laugh tracks. This past weekend, though, while staying with some friends, I watched a couple episodes of New Girl and was reminded why I don't miss them. I think a big part of that is because now I watch them like a writer.
Here's what was reinforced to me about writing fiction based on what I observed in the sit-com New Girl:
1. Show Don't Tell -- Yes, this goes back to the laugh track days. Don't TELL me that something's funny by throwing in fake audience laughter; SHOW me it is funny with quality writing/acting so that I laugh on my own.
2. Look Out for Cliches -- How many times have we seen the Thanksgiving episode where the fledging cook forgets to thaw out the turkey and then tries to quickly defrost it only hours before the big meal?
3. ALL CAPS and Constant! Exclamation! Points! Lose Their Potentcy -- Why do writers of sit-coms think that if they make their characters yell at each other, that the audience will laugh? Louder is not funnier.
I don't fault anyone who still can live in the blissful worlds of sit-coms and laugh. I wish I could just let myself overlook the parts that bother me as a writer. And not every part of every show is bad -- heck, I laughed out loud at the New Girl scenes involving the bell choir. But I wish more scenes were done that well.
Then again maybe I don't. I need to spend my time writing, not watching TV!
What shows do you like to watch, and what ones drive you crazy?
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
I don't like sit-coms anymore.
Don't get me wrong -- I'm not a television snob. I watch The Bachelor, reality talent shows, and the Food Network with the best of them. Basically shows that don't require me to pay much attention so that I can read/write/cook/internet while having the TV on in the background.
But I do have a small tolerance for bad acting, cheesy lines, and overdone dramatic plots, lots of which I find in sit-coms.
Back in the day I loved my Full House and Seinfeld despite the irritating laugh tracks. This past weekend, though, while staying with some friends, I watched a couple episodes of New Girl and was reminded why I don't miss them. I think a big part of that is because now I watch them like a writer.
Here's what was reinforced to me about writing fiction based on what I observed in the sit-com New Girl:
1. Show Don't Tell -- Yes, this goes back to the laugh track days. Don't TELL me that something's funny by throwing in fake audience laughter; SHOW me it is funny with quality writing/acting so that I laugh on my own.
2. Look Out for Cliches -- How many times have we seen the Thanksgiving episode where the fledging cook forgets to thaw out the turkey and then tries to quickly defrost it only hours before the big meal?
3. ALL CAPS and Constant! Exclamation! Points! Lose Their Potentcy -- Why do writers of sit-coms think that if they make their characters yell at each other, that the audience will laugh? Louder is not funnier.
I don't fault anyone who still can live in the blissful worlds of sit-coms and laugh. I wish I could just let myself overlook the parts that bother me as a writer. And not every part of every show is bad -- heck, I laughed out loud at the New Girl scenes involving the bell choir. But I wish more scenes were done that well.
Then again maybe I don't. I need to spend my time writing, not watching TV!
What shows do you like to watch, and what ones drive you crazy?
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
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
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
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Query Clinic Submission #3 (or Good Things Come in Threes!)
Tip of the Day, Librarian Edition: Please don't get mad at the library if every copy of their children's biographies on Harriet Tubman are checked out when you know 50 kids at the local elementary school all have to do the same assignment of reading a biography about Harriet Tubman.
Thank you so much Julie for sending in your query for a critique! I hope this feedback is helpful to you and to our readers. I know the past two weeks of query crits have been helpful to me!
Here is Julie's query:
Dear Agent Name,
Aillie has the spirit of a wolf, even if her failing heart is weakening her human body. It’s no wonder her presence causes a stir when her father decides to take her home to live with his wolf clan in Scotland. They don’t tolerate women, and certainly not human ones.
When she tries to find solace and solitude in the hills above MacTire Loch all she ends up finding is a cocky member of the neighboring clan. Colin is all alpha and the future laird. He’s also her father’s worst nightmare. Or so he thinks.
Aillie's true enemies won’t be found in the rivaling wolf clan though. The ones who’ll stop at nothing to see her dead are much closer to home. Aillie and Colin will have to put aside their clashing alpha personalities to fight against history, myths and bitter old wolves if she’ll have any chance at life.
THE VOICE is a 47,000 word Paranormal YA.
This is a simultaneous query submission. Thank you for considering my manuscript for further review.
Sincerely,
Julie [REDACTED]
My [contact] info here
What is great about this query:
1. I get a nice set of the setting. Scotland! Cool!
2. There are multiple conflicts -- Aillie's failing heart, the disrespect from her clan, the tension with the rival clan, the people/wolves/creatures Aillie must battle to survive -- which keeps the tension high and makes me think the novel itself keeps moving at a good pace.
3. The writing is really good! I like the voice and the way the paragraphs flow together with great transitions, so it makes me think the writing of the novel is high quality as well.
What I would suggest:
1. Combine the first two paragraphs into a shorter intro one (while keeping the great voice!), and then elaborate on what the "real" danger is that Aillie and Colin must band together to fight. While the first two paras are the emotional arc of the story, the latter para is the important external quest and that is important.
Tangental YA Librarian ramble :) -- There are a lot of paranormal YAs featuring wolves out there now (besides TWILIGHT (Meyer) and SHIVER (Stiefvater), there's recent releases like the DARK GUARDIAN series (Hawthorne), RAISED BY WOLVES series (Barnes), NIGHTSHADE series (Cremer), SISTERS RED (Pearce), 13 TO LIFE series (Delaney), CLAIRE DE LUNE series (Johnson), etc. ). It doesn't mean this book doesn't have merit or its own twist! Just that the query will have to hit on its unique points (like Scotland!) and showcase them in order to get an agent's/editor's/bookseller's/librarian's attention so they don't think it's something they already have enough of on their list. In other words, those who are querying wolf (of vampire/zombie/dystopian/faerie) books now have to work a little harder to get attention.
2. The title THE VOICE now makes me think of that TV show "The Voice;" might want to consider a more unique title/something with pow or a Scottish feel to drive home that this is a MUST READ book. :)
3. Before the sentence about this query being a multiple submission, add something personal about yourself, even if it's not a publishing credit: that you like baking/biking/painting/running/etc., to give yourself some personality.
Overall, I think this query is a great start! Any feedback from our readers?
Thanks again to everyone for making our query clinic week a success!
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Thank you so much Julie for sending in your query for a critique! I hope this feedback is helpful to you and to our readers. I know the past two weeks of query crits have been helpful to me!
Here is Julie's query:
Dear Agent Name,
Aillie has the spirit of a wolf, even if her failing heart is weakening her human body. It’s no wonder her presence causes a stir when her father decides to take her home to live with his wolf clan in Scotland. They don’t tolerate women, and certainly not human ones.
When she tries to find solace and solitude in the hills above MacTire Loch all she ends up finding is a cocky member of the neighboring clan. Colin is all alpha and the future laird. He’s also her father’s worst nightmare. Or so he thinks.
Aillie's true enemies won’t be found in the rivaling wolf clan though. The ones who’ll stop at nothing to see her dead are much closer to home. Aillie and Colin will have to put aside their clashing alpha personalities to fight against history, myths and bitter old wolves if she’ll have any chance at life.
THE VOICE is a 47,000 word Paranormal YA.
This is a simultaneous query submission. Thank you for considering my manuscript for further review.
Sincerely,
Julie [REDACTED]
My [contact] info here
What is great about this query:
1. I get a nice set of the setting. Scotland! Cool!
2. There are multiple conflicts -- Aillie's failing heart, the disrespect from her clan, the tension with the rival clan, the people/wolves/creatures Aillie must battle to survive -- which keeps the tension high and makes me think the novel itself keeps moving at a good pace.
3. The writing is really good! I like the voice and the way the paragraphs flow together with great transitions, so it makes me think the writing of the novel is high quality as well.
What I would suggest:
1. Combine the first two paragraphs into a shorter intro one (while keeping the great voice!), and then elaborate on what the "real" danger is that Aillie and Colin must band together to fight. While the first two paras are the emotional arc of the story, the latter para is the important external quest and that is important.
Tangental YA Librarian ramble :) -- There are a lot of paranormal YAs featuring wolves out there now (besides TWILIGHT (Meyer) and SHIVER (Stiefvater), there's recent releases like the DARK GUARDIAN series (Hawthorne), RAISED BY WOLVES series (Barnes), NIGHTSHADE series (Cremer), SISTERS RED (Pearce), 13 TO LIFE series (Delaney), CLAIRE DE LUNE series (Johnson), etc. ). It doesn't mean this book doesn't have merit or its own twist! Just that the query will have to hit on its unique points (like Scotland!) and showcase them in order to get an agent's/editor's/bookseller's/librarian's attention so they don't think it's something they already have enough of on their list. In other words, those who are querying wolf (of vampire/zombie/dystopian/faerie) books now have to work a little harder to get attention.
2. The title THE VOICE now makes me think of that TV show "The Voice;" might want to consider a more unique title/something with pow or a Scottish feel to drive home that this is a MUST READ book. :)
3. Before the sentence about this query being a multiple submission, add something personal about yourself, even if it's not a publishing credit: that you like baking/biking/painting/running/etc., to give yourself some personality.
Overall, I think this query is a great start! Any feedback from our readers?
Thanks again to everyone for making our query clinic week a success!
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Been There, Read That (or Tired and True Tropes)
Tip of the Day, Librarian Edition: February is Love Your Library Month! Ask your local librarians what you can do for them!
All of us writers trying to sell books know that it is a tough, competitive market for YA. What can we do to stand out in the slush piles? One idea I plan to implement is to work harder on coming up with unique angles to introduce characters and plot points. No more taking the easy, tried and true way!
Based on the over 100 YA novels I read in the past year, scenarios I will be avoiding are:
--a new boy at school who immediately connects with the MC and is a huge part of her destiny, paranormal or realistic. (New setting besides the school intro, please.)
--the MC starts at a new school and immediately connects with a guy there who is a huge part of her destiny, paranormal or realistc. (Twilight.)
--the MC has a dead brother/sister/boyfriend/girlfriend and connects with the deceased's living brother/sister/boyfriend/girlfriend in order to heal from the loss. (This has been done beautifully in the recent past, and I'm ready for another fresh way for the MC to heal.)
--strictly defined cliques, including the obviously popular/beautiful girls who are cruel to the MC. (If I never see this again, I will be all too grateful. Why can't the ugly girls be the cruel ones?)
In a first draft, these elements are fine. But as you revise, brainstorm new ways of showing the relationships between characters. Dig deeper. Writing is hard anyway, so work a little harder and make it all worth it.
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
All of us writers trying to sell books know that it is a tough, competitive market for YA. What can we do to stand out in the slush piles? One idea I plan to implement is to work harder on coming up with unique angles to introduce characters and plot points. No more taking the easy, tried and true way!
Based on the over 100 YA novels I read in the past year, scenarios I will be avoiding are:
--a new boy at school who immediately connects with the MC and is a huge part of her destiny, paranormal or realistic. (New setting besides the school intro, please.)
--the MC starts at a new school and immediately connects with a guy there who is a huge part of her destiny, paranormal or realistc. (Twilight.)
--the MC has a dead brother/sister/boyfriend/girlfriend and connects with the deceased's living brother/sister/boyfriend/girlfriend in order to heal from the loss. (This has been done beautifully in the recent past, and I'm ready for another fresh way for the MC to heal.)
--strictly defined cliques, including the obviously popular/beautiful girls who are cruel to the MC. (If I never see this again, I will be all too grateful. Why can't the ugly girls be the cruel ones?)
In a first draft, these elements are fine. But as you revise, brainstorm new ways of showing the relationships between characters. Dig deeper. Writing is hard anyway, so work a little harder and make it all worth it.
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Where Are Her Parents? (or Make Her Behave Creatively)
Tip of the Day: Check out kidlit author Kate Messner's blog for a photo recap of the amazing Children's Book Festival held this past Saturday in Rochester, NY!
I've been reading a lot of middle-grade novels lately, and something I've noticed that I've loved in them -- especially compared to recent YA novels -- is the Parent Involvement with the main characters.
For example, in THE AVIARY, even though Clara's father is missing, her mother notices when Clara sneaks around and she calls her out on it. The author could have easily let Clara get away with her secret curtain signal to her new friend, for example, and made Clara's mother be completely oblivious. But in reality most good parents, like Clara's mother, are *not* oblivious and I appreciate the way this was portrayed. It also ups the creativity that Clara -- and the author -- need to have in order for Clara to get what she wants.
In the middle-grade novel SPRINKLES AND SECRETS, Sophie lies to her best friend at one point, but her mom quickly finds out about the lie and confronts Sophie, telling her that she needs to correct her behavior. Again, life would've been a lot easier for Sophie if she was able to keep her secrets and lies to herself, but because her mom is an attentive parent, she corrects Sophie's behavior. Sophie is forced to deal with the truth and reality because it's the right thing to do, which adds more tension and conflict in the book.
Meanwhile, I'm 1/3 of the way through a YA novel that takes place in a boarding school. The MC's parents live a few hours away and when a serial killer leaves his victims in the vacinity of the boarding school, the MC's parents are casually mentioned as asking her to temporarily move back with them. The MC refuses and her parents apparently drop it, though they are said to call her frequently.
Now don't get me wrong; I am really enjoying this book. But it seems that the potential conflict that caring parents can add to a plot is abandoned. Overall I have seen this omitted more easily in YA novels; the parents just need to be removed from the MC's life/physical location so "things can happen." When the parents are cast as good parents, though, it is less believable and it lets the MC -- and author -- more easily find "solutions" to her problems that won't be checked by an adult. I find that this "absent parents" tactic only truly works in instances where the parents haven't been made out to be "good" parents to begin with.
I love how in MG novels, attentive parents can be good for the main characters' morals and family life, but bad for their ability to sneak around and behave "badly" or in a way that a good parent would not approve of. I love that parents are obstacles for kids in MG novels that they need to work on the up-and-up to get what they want.
What are your takes on parental involvement in YA and MG fiction?
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
I've been reading a lot of middle-grade novels lately, and something I've noticed that I've loved in them -- especially compared to recent YA novels -- is the Parent Involvement with the main characters.
For example, in THE AVIARY, even though Clara's father is missing, her mother notices when Clara sneaks around and she calls her out on it. The author could have easily let Clara get away with her secret curtain signal to her new friend, for example, and made Clara's mother be completely oblivious. But in reality most good parents, like Clara's mother, are *not* oblivious and I appreciate the way this was portrayed. It also ups the creativity that Clara -- and the author -- need to have in order for Clara to get what she wants.
In the middle-grade novel SPRINKLES AND SECRETS, Sophie lies to her best friend at one point, but her mom quickly finds out about the lie and confronts Sophie, telling her that she needs to correct her behavior. Again, life would've been a lot easier for Sophie if she was able to keep her secrets and lies to herself, but because her mom is an attentive parent, she corrects Sophie's behavior. Sophie is forced to deal with the truth and reality because it's the right thing to do, which adds more tension and conflict in the book.
Meanwhile, I'm 1/3 of the way through a YA novel that takes place in a boarding school. The MC's parents live a few hours away and when a serial killer leaves his victims in the vacinity of the boarding school, the MC's parents are casually mentioned as asking her to temporarily move back with them. The MC refuses and her parents apparently drop it, though they are said to call her frequently.
Now don't get me wrong; I am really enjoying this book. But it seems that the potential conflict that caring parents can add to a plot is abandoned. Overall I have seen this omitted more easily in YA novels; the parents just need to be removed from the MC's life/physical location so "things can happen." When the parents are cast as good parents, though, it is less believable and it lets the MC -- and author -- more easily find "solutions" to her problems that won't be checked by an adult. I find that this "absent parents" tactic only truly works in instances where the parents haven't been made out to be "good" parents to begin with.
I love how in MG novels, attentive parents can be good for the main characters' morals and family life, but bad for their ability to sneak around and behave "badly" or in a way that a good parent would not approve of. I love that parents are obstacles for kids in MG novels that they need to work on the up-and-up to get what they want.
What are your takes on parental involvement in YA and MG fiction?
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Writing Kissing Scenes
Tip of the Day: This season's Big Brother After Dark (the midnight to 2am live feed of Big Brother that shows on Showtime every night) is so not worth staying up to watch. BORING! The Big Brother season itself is pretty boring this year but the After Dark is really bad stuff.
Ah, kissing scenes. We all love to read them but writing them? Hmm, sometimes it's hard. After careful review of all my kissing scenes in my books, I've found I like to write about first kisses. I like all the tension and build up and the "Oh yes, it's finally here, we're going to have that long awaited first kiss!" kinda stuff.
But the heavy making out leading to other stuff kinda writing? Hmm, not sure I'm up for that. I think I'd be blushing the entire time I wrote which would really be noticeable at the Starbucks where I do my writing I'm sure. And maybe it's the Italian catholic in me but I'm know I'd hear my mother gasping in horror and then saying my full name in my head too.
How do you guys write your kissing scenes? Does your mother scold you in your head too? Do you think oh dear, Grandma and Auntie Edna are going to read this and there WILL be e-mails? Or are you the type that says forget them all, I'm going there!
Kristina, Miss See Me on the Shelves
Ah, kissing scenes. We all love to read them but writing them? Hmm, sometimes it's hard. After careful review of all my kissing scenes in my books, I've found I like to write about first kisses. I like all the tension and build up and the "Oh yes, it's finally here, we're going to have that long awaited first kiss!" kinda stuff.
But the heavy making out leading to other stuff kinda writing? Hmm, not sure I'm up for that. I think I'd be blushing the entire time I wrote which would really be noticeable at the Starbucks where I do my writing I'm sure. And maybe it's the Italian catholic in me but I'm know I'd hear my mother gasping in horror and then saying my full name in my head too.
How do you guys write your kissing scenes? Does your mother scold you in your head too? Do you think oh dear, Grandma and Auntie Edna are going to read this and there WILL be e-mails? Or are you the type that says forget them all, I'm going there!
Kristina, Miss See Me on the Shelves
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
I've Done This Before? (or Just Little Bits of History Repeating*)
*With apologies to Miss Shirley Bassey
Tip of the Day: The new season of Project Runway -- with 90-minute episodes! -- continues with episode #2 tomorrow night!
My revised MG novel was rejected recently, and while it is an even more fabulous novel than it was before I integrated the revision suggestions, and there are a few more editors with their hands on my hot little manuscript, I am writing the next book.
I LOVE the next book.
I can't wait to share the next book with my agent!
I don't think I'm going to finish my first draft by mid-August the way I hoped. I did write 7000 words two weekends ago. And the first 1/3 of the book is really polished (thanks to CP feedback).
But when I'm here on word 51,000 out of at LEAST 65,000 (60k was my original anticipated word count), I wonder how the heck I finished all those other novels.
I've done this...seven times before. Seven! Really? Man, I'm pretty dedicated to this writing thing, lol! And every...single...time when I reach this point of being so excited about the ms that I want to share it, yet feeling so bogged down by it and like it'll never be ready for outside eyes, I wonder how I did it the times before.
And if history repeats itself, I WILL finish this WIP and it will be fabulous. :) Even if I'm short of my date goal.
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
Tip of the Day: The new season of Project Runway -- with 90-minute episodes! -- continues with episode #2 tomorrow night!
My revised MG novel was rejected recently, and while it is an even more fabulous novel than it was before I integrated the revision suggestions, and there are a few more editors with their hands on my hot little manuscript, I am writing the next book.
I LOVE the next book.
I can't wait to share the next book with my agent!
I don't think I'm going to finish my first draft by mid-August the way I hoped. I did write 7000 words two weekends ago. And the first 1/3 of the book is really polished (thanks to CP feedback).
But when I'm here on word 51,000 out of at LEAST 65,000 (60k was my original anticipated word count), I wonder how the heck I finished all those other novels.
I've done this...seven times before. Seven! Really? Man, I'm pretty dedicated to this writing thing, lol! And every...single...time when I reach this point of being so excited about the ms that I want to share it, yet feeling so bogged down by it and like it'll never be ready for outside eyes, I wonder how I did it the times before.
And if history repeats itself, I WILL finish this WIP and it will be fabulous. :) Even if I'm short of my date goal.
Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
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