Who Is That Masked Man? (or What Movies Do for Book Characters)

Tip of the Day: The Greater Rochester Teen Read during Teen Read Week with A. S. King was amazing! Thanks to all the teachers, librarians, teens, and Amy(!) for making it a success! You can also check out a new interview with me in the YALSA blog for winning the YALSA/Dollar General TRW grant.

Some might say that movies/TV shows based on books are not as good as the written versions. In many cases I agree with that.

However, as Halloween approaches and costumed enthusiasts make their party appearances, it is clear that without Hollywood making our book characters visually concrete in our heads, many a costume would go unrecognized -- or unimagined.

Can you tell who this character is?

 

How many people dressed as Katniss before THE HUNGER GAMES became a movie? How about Legalos? Or Deanerys Targaryen? :)

 

How often do you think a movie that flops hurts the book it was based on? If potential readers see the movie first and then don't even try the book?

 

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing



Boy Swap Release Day!

Yay! Boy Swap is out in the world today! Get yourself a copy on Amazon, B&N, and soon itunes and Kobo!

Fourth Annual Greater Rochester Teen Read! (or GRTR during TRW with ASK!)

Tip of the Day: Need to buy some books this week? Wait til Saturday and order through Barnes & Noble book fairs to benefit the 9th Annual Rochester Teen Book Festival!

Guess what time of year it ALMOST is?

Teen Read Week!

And what does that mean?

It is also almost time for the Fourth Annual Greater Rochester Teen Read! This year our feature author is A. S. King (Amy) and her novel Everybody Sees the Ants!

I am particularly excited about GRTR this year because not only did we book Amy for three Monroe County Library System visits, one Monroe County Children's Detention Center visit, three school visits, AND as a special guest for the Read-A-Thon at B&N, but I ALSO got the YALSA/Dollar General TRW Grant! That means three more MCLS libraries can be a part of TRW activities by showing the documentary Bully, do giveaways of EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS and the essay book DEAR BULLY edited by Carrie Jones and Megan Kelley Hall, and pay for Amy's flight. Phew! 

If you will be in the Rochester, NY area from Oct. 12-17, please check out this website to find out where you can meet Amy and hear her talk about why bullying sucks and how things will get better!

Have I mentioned lately that I love my job?

I love my job!

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

Espressologist Trailer

I've been quiet on the blog lately too (which means I'm busy writing, right? :-) ) but I wanted to quickly share this awesome trailer Alloy Digital put together for The Espressologist web series. I LOVE it!


Espressologist Trailer from Alloy Digital on Vimeo.

Naming a Character...Roller Derby style

Tip of the Day: the library person in me can't help but mention it's Banned Books Week, so support your right to read by checking out a commonly banned or challenged book from your local library this week!

I've been extremely quiet on the blog lately, merely because there hasn't been much going on or things to discuss. But I'm coming out of hiding because I have a favor to ask.

I know...I know...selfish of me.

But...our blog readers are some of the most creative people I know and always have wonderful suggestions, so I thought you'd be the perfect group to poll.

Recently, I got up enough guts to try out for something I've been wanting to do for a very long time...Roller Derby. I used to watch the old banked track matches on the TV with interested and then got really interested in the sport as an adult after watching the "Rollergirls" reality show about the Lonestar Rollergirls league in Austin, Texas. As I got older I really wanted to try it, but never lived near enough to a place with a team, until now.

I have a new appreciation for the sport and it's athletes, since it's one of the hardest things I've done. My currently two very injured knees are proof. But it's a great workout and I've loved meeting all my new teammates. I'm slowly, very slowly, improving and I've found muscles that I never knew existed!

Learning a completely new sport as an adult is fun and a bit crazy. In fact it reminds me a lot of when I started writing fiction. It's lots of fun, but tons of work and at times I frequently find myself asking the question: "What on earth did I get myself into?"

So here comes the favor part...

Most of you know that Roller Derby members have a fun "derby" name and I'd really love to play off of a literary name. However, most of the names I've come up with are taken by other skaters and you can't really pick a name that anyone else has ever registered.

So names like:

* Pain Eyre
* Katniss EverMean
* Lady Gwen A Fear

While they are fun and ones I'd love to use, I can't. So, I'd love name suggestions in the comments section. If I end up picking yours I'll even send you a $10 Amazon giftcard, so you get something in return, besides my gratification. If you want other ideas, there's a whole list of names here. Just remember it can't be too similar to any of the names on the list.

It can be a spin on an author, character, or book related. It can even be library related. I really don't care. My only qualifications are that I like it, the name fits me, and that it's not taken.

So...got any suggestions?


Photo from: http://battlefieldrollerderby.org/

Super Easy Weekend Giveaway! (or Enter Here for a Chance to BLACKOUT!)

Tip of the Day: Will you be in the Rochester, NY area on Friday, October 4? If so, make sure to check out Blue Falcon's EP CD Release Party! (Yes, they are one of Leo's favorite bands in BLACKOUT.) If you don't live in the area, just go to the link and check out their music. Their rock groove with witty lyrics promises to entertain.

Curious about BLACKOUT but don't have the extra cash, or B&N or Amazon or iTunes account?

Well now is your chance to enter to win a free copy in the format of your choice! (Even PDF if you want to read it on your computer.)

Just comment on this post between NOW AND MONDAY, SEPT. 16 AT 9PM EST saying you would like to enter to win (leave an email address or link of how to contact you). With the power of the Random Number Generator, I'll select a winner who can let me know which file type they would like to read.

That's it! Super easy, super quick.

Feel free to spread the word to anyone else you think may be interested.

And if you need a reminder as to what BLACKOUT is about:

When 17-year-old musician Leo and his 15-year-old scientist sister Jenny wake up in a ditch with pains in their hands, they wonder what happened on their drive home from their father’s house in rural Pennsylvania. Their only memory of the past twelve hours is of bright lights flashing through their windshield. Then the blackout.

Leo is content to chalk up the missing memories and throbbing hands to a concussion and nerve damage, but Jenny won’t let it go. Soon the siblings uncover clues that they stumbled upon a dangerous and illegal alternative energy project in the Appalachians – and that their father is involved. If they don’t discover the truth, Leo’s burning hands will destroy his music career before it begins, and Jenny will never know if her father is the mentor she's always trusted or a mad scientist who will stop at nothing for the success of his work. Not even if it means sacrificing his own children.

Available for $2.99 wherever ebooks are sold.



Thanks again for everyone's support!

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

E-Pub Excellence (or Electric Feels*)

*with apologies to MGMT

Tip of the Day: Time Warner is now carrying Showtime again -- get ready for Homeland Season 3 on Sun, Sept. 29 @ 9PM! It is a great lesson in character development, plot twists, and cliffhangers.

When I bought my Nook in December 2011, part of my excitement was that I could easily purchase and read self-e-pubbed books. And since then I've read some really great ones -- including those by my critique partners (Theft of the Star Tracker by Lisa Tiffin) and my A2A Misses (Paparazzi Project by Kristina Springer and Sleepers by Megg Jensen). Today I'd like to mention some and here they are, in no particular order:


I read Shana's first traditionally pubbed book, SOMETHING TO BLOG ABOUT, when it came out in 2008 and found it hilarious. Earlier this year I read The Rules of You and Me and wow, Shana has grown as a writer with this beautiful realistic tale that fans of Sarah Dessen will enjoy.





I've read traditionally pubbed books by both Cyn and Mandy, so when I saw this book written by both of them for only 99 cents, I couldn't pass it up and I'm glad I didn't. Getting Caught is a clever school story of girls who have been best and worst friends.










I won a copy of Dolphin Girl from the author and put off reading it for a bit because I thought it was a paranormal romance. Not so! It is another lovely contemporary YA school story with a great setting and well developed main character.







I'd heard Megg mention Wool numerous times on Facebook and I finally purchased the first installment -- and flew through it. I immediately bought the whole omnibus. While it has been bought by a trad publisher for its print book form, Hugh's work was originally an amazing self-e-pubbed adult novel with an intriguing sci-fi setting and captivating chapter endings.




I know there will be many more great self-e-pubbed works in my future! Which ones have you read and loved lately?

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing
www.deenalipomi.com