Two (or three or one) Faces of Scholastic, Inc.

In Spring 2012, my YA author stalker buddy and I went to our favorite local bookstore, Book People, in Austin, Texas, to see three YA authors and their editor, and, of course, we wound up with a lot of lovely, signed books. Now, I think they were using the big names, Maggie Stiefvater (author), who didn't have a new book at that time, and David Levithan (the editor), to promote two lesser-known YA authors, Elizabeth Eulberg and Siobhan Vivian. But I'm okay with that. I got David and Maggie to sign stuff, just as Elizabeth and Siobhan did, and, between us, Stalker Buddy and I went home with five or six new books.

What made me cranky was that, once I was home and reading, I encountered interesting stories with interesting characters, but sloppy writing and poor editing. And I LOVE David and don't want to dis him advertently or otherwise, but really, especially in literature for younger readers, we should adhere to a high standard of both writing and editing. Use the language well and effectively as well colloquially, and readers see how it's done!

Beyond that crankiness, though . . .

Elizabeth Eulberg's Prom and Prejudice (2011) is, of course, a cute and sweet modern retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, that, nonetheless, falls a little flat. I would say more about that, but Stalker Buddy has that one currently. I just remember finding it deeply predictable, but with somewhat progressive ideologies about gender and class, so that I liked. Eulberg's Take a Bow (2012), on the other hand, offers readers more narrative complexity, as it's narrated through four first-person points of view, and takes the characters through their senior year at the New York City High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CPA). The novel balances arts with personalities with relationships with self-realization, and allows readers to focalize through characters they'll like, characters they may not understand, and characters they will come to dislike.

Siobhan Vivian's Not That Kind of a Girl (2010) plays with the titular moralistic truism: Natalie is focused, feminist, college-bound, not boy-crazy, not putting up with immature high-school crap. She is also not interested in boys, sex, love, or relationships. Except. Except when she finds herself attracted to someone she thinks she "ought" not be interested in, someone whom she likes and is attracted to, someone she hides from her friends. Before Natalie can come to terms with Connor, however, she has to come to terms with herself, to give herself permission to be a teenager. Her journey, with her friends, her boy, and mostly with herself, is occasionally maddening ("Oh, Natalie, just get OVER yourself!") but ultimately rewarding.

Vivian's 2012 offering, The List, however, offers a different sort of high school story. Narrated in third-person present tense through eight different points of view, The List recounts one day in the life of eight high school girls, two from each class, each of whom has been named prettiest or ugliest in her grade. The personal, emotional, and social repercussions of appearing on The List are central to the novel's development, but so are the questions behind The List itself: who makes it? Why? What are the criteria? Where did it come from? It is complex and challenging, offers no easy answers, and leaves readers wondering - "what if . . .?"

Shadows, by Robin McKinley

This is the book that distracted McKinley from her Pegasus series. I've been hearing/reading about it on McKinley's blog for several years now, and am VERY excited that it's on the way. September 26, y'all!  Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Robin-McKinley/dp/0399165797/
Or look for it at your favorite local bookseller.

For Writers of Fantasy

I’m contacting you regard our new literary magazine entitled The Dragon & The Wolf.  We are currently seeking submissions for our premier issue and expect there may be a number of students in your program who are pursuing a MFA in Creative Writing and may want to submit.   I would greatly appreciate it if you would pass our information along to those students who might be interested.

Our website is www.thedragonandthewolf.com

Additionally, we are listed on Duotrope.  https://duotrope.com/market_10654.aspx

Sincerely,
David Francis
Editor and Chief, The Dragon & The Wolf

Publishing opportunity

From Meredith Rich at Bloomsbury USA:

Here at Bloomsbury we are launching a new digital fiction imprint called Bloomsbury Spark that will be targeted to teens and crossover adult readers. The imprint is due to launch later this year, and we are holding an open call for submissions. I was hoping you would be willing to spread the word to your MA and MFA students and others that might be interested.

The criteria for manuscript consideration is:

·         25,000-60,000 words (English language only)
·         Word document or pdf format only
·         Target age: 14+
·         Genres: All FICTION categories including but not limited to romance, mystery, thriller, paranormal, dystopian, historical, contemporary, fantasy

Submissions can be emailed to: bloomsburysparkus@bloomsbury.com
More information can be found: www.bloomsbury.com/spark

If we are interested in acquiring a manuscript, we will be in touch with the author. All Bloomsbury Spark books would be contracted for digital rights, with a first option for print editions.

I’d be happy to walk you through more specifics of the imprint if you’re interested. Many thanks!

Best wishes,
                                  
Meredith Rich

Meredith Rich
Digital Editor
Bloomsbury Spark
175 Fifth Ave, NY, NY  10010
646-438-6052
Meredith.Rich@bloomsburyusa.com

Please note: Bloomsbury Publishing Inc. is moving as of April 29:
1385 Broadway, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10018

Visit us on Facebook!
www.facebook.com/BloomsburyKids
www.facebook.com/BloomsburyTeens

Writing Prize Opportunity

From Sarah Davies at the Greenhouse Literary Agency--part of the prize is an offer of representation by the agency, so GO FOR IT!!
Here's the information:

This year we are opening our GHL Funny Prize to North Americans too! So exciting.

http://www.greenhouseliterary.com/index.php/site/funny_prize


Sarah Davies
The Greenhouse Literary Agency
www.greenhouseliterary.com
Sarah's blog: http://www.greenhouseliterary.com/index.php/site/sarahs_blog
Facebook: follow all our news at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Greenhouse-Literary-Agency/359292813053
Twitter:  @SarahGreenhouse - and follow our writing tips at #GHLtips

Library school scholarship AND opportunity for writing

Below is a link to a scholarship for library school, for any of you in school or considering it.

 http://www.ala.org/alsc/edcareeers/alscschol/scholarship_specifications

 following request comes from a graduate of the Hollins University MA in Children's Lit program (they also have a certificate in children's book illustration--here are links: http://www.hollins.edu/grad/childlit/childlit.htm and http://www.hollins.edu/grad/cbi/courses.htm )

Anyhow, if you are interested in a writing project, see the request below:

A few weeks ago, Amanda put out a call for interested volunteers to help with a Peace Corps volunteer project in Ethiopia. I'm happy to say that project is underway. We have more than twenty Hollins volunteer writers who will each be writing an approximately 500-word creative story to be illustrated by Ethiopian artists and published in various regions of Ethiopia to help supplement the English language instruction of children in grades four through eight.

The coordinator in Ethiopia, Amanda Sutker, has asked for Peace Corps volunteers there to help us write these stories by supplying us with knowledge of the regions and the people they've encountered. Thirty people (and an occasional married couple) have expressed an interest in working with us on these stories.

We have enough writers, including several who've volunteered to write two stories, to cover almost all of the Peace Corps volunteers Amanda recruited. But we still need three more writers to make a perfect match between numbers of Hollins volunteers and Peace Corps volunteers.

Would any of you be interested in taking on this project? You'd be shooting for a draft by the end of March and a final story by the end of April. You would keep all rights to your own story, but with the stipulation that you'd allow it to be illustrated and published in Ethiopia for the express purpose of helping students there with learning English. The idea is to get good, creative short stories into the hands of students who have very little exposure to English literature to help them learn the language. Their current materials are very "textbook" in nature - not the ideal way to learn any language.

I'll be happy to match the first three people to respond with the eagerly awaiting Peace Corps volunteers in Africa. From everything I've seen so far, this should be a fulfilling, worthwhile project, and a chance for you to explore some writing outside of what might be your normal range. You'll have the help you need to write a good story that meets the needs of these children.

Thanks for considering it. You can contact me directly with questions or to sign on.

Adeana Lopez
adeana.s.lopez@comcast.net

YALSA and Ally Condie's Reached

Hi everyone!

 It has been forever since I have posted. Lame I know. Grad school is keeping me very busy, and this semester I have been learning about collection development. While doing some research I came across a couple of cool things from ALA's (American Library Association) YALSA (young adult library services association). I just downloaded the FREE app titled "YALSA's Teen Book Finder". Search for it in the app store if you use an apple product. It is awesome and so easy to use. Also, for free from YALSA's website, I downloaded their awesome "Ultimate YA Bookshelf List". You can access it here:
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/professionaltools/yabookshelf.

I don't know about ya'll but I am anxiously awaiting the release of Ally Condie's Reached next week (on the 13th!!). I am hoping my brother will be able to get the book signed for me at Ally's stop in the Chicago area (where he lives).  If you haven't heard of her, please check out her website here:

http://allycondie.com/books#reached_book

I highly recommend her books. I love anything set in a dystopian world, and I am excited to see how she ends the series. She uses poetry from our time in her novels, and I think that is pretty awesome.
Happy book hunting and reading. :)

Patrina

Writing Contest and (Non) Retreat

Harper/Teen is offering a contest for new authors--winners will appear in their "Defy the Dark" anthology. Here's a link: http://dailyfig.figment.com/2012/08/01/defy-the-dark-contest/ <http://www.facebook.com/l/GAQHg1TzL/dailyfig.figment.com/2012/08/01/defy-the-dark-contest/


Also, here's some information about the Writer's (Un)workshop

By November, you will suddenly realize summer has gone and that fall is in full swing and about to lead into winter. So if you are like me, you will start thinking about New Year's resolution.

Maybe you neglected your writing lately. You'll think, "But life got in the way." Ever so many responsibilities crop up and put us behind in doing what we really want to do.

So I got this idea, which we have kicked around for a long time: Let's have people come and just write.

Well, to be honest, it's not my idea at all—a number of writers and illustrators who have come here for workshops have suggested it. I don't know if it's because cell phones don't ring all the time here (mostly it's pretty hard to get a signal, but we are working on that). Or, if it's because the food is spectacular, and our chef, Marcia Dunsmore, can meet every special diet need (well, except Kosher. She tried that once and it was just too hard). I could fill up this page with food reviews of our workshop programs, but you can take that for granted instead.

We have comfortable cabins. Nice walking and jogging trails. We even have started yoga down in our other barn—the horse barn—each morning. But it's a little early for some folks.

Here's some details. What we will do:

·         Give you a comfortable place to stay, with a writing table and other amenities (refrigerator, coffeepot, tea bags).

·         Offer three squares a day, where you can eat with like-minded people (or take the food back to your room on a tray if you are in the middle of a landslide of writing inspiration).

·         Ignore you when you are in your cabin (unless you need something).

·         Provide a place for group meals and chats and socialization all you want. Around the clock. With beverages, snacks, and at least five flavors of ice cream. You can hold critiques with other writers. YOU set the program.

·         Have printers and a couple extra computers on hand for your use.

·         Perhaps we will have an editor or so happening by for dinner most nights. And likely you will bond with some like-minded creative folks. But the focus is on your creating.

Would have been simpler to say we will pamper you while respecting the sanctity of your writing space.

Here is are the showing dates available. Arrive anytime after lunch, and leave before dinner on day of departure. Pick any set of days. I originally decided we would try one week, but then I decided to try the open days we have left this year. See what works for you.


And here's a mathematical challenge for you. The first-day rate for this Unworkshop, Unguided, Nonevent is $129 per day. Each day is 10% cheaper than the day before it. I won't give you any examples, but a good algebra problem would be this: If they had longer time periods, how long would I need to say till it became completely free? You must be present to get the deal. And you need to stay on contiguous days. If you leave and come back, you start over again.

Whew! Jo Lloyd will kill me. Or at least think I've lost my mind.

Let me know what you think. My e-mail address is below, or you can reach Jo at jalloyd@highlightsfoundation.org or call, toll-free, 1-877-512-8365.

Kent

Kent L. Brown Jr.
Executive Director
Highlights Foundation, Inc.
814 Court Street
Honesdale PA 18431
570-251-4500
KentLBrown@aol.com
www.highlightsfoundation.org

Highlights Foundation, Inc.
814 Court Street
Honesdale, PA 18431
Phone: (570) 251-4500
E-mail: contact@highlightsfoundation.org
www.highlightsfoundation.org

A few opportunities

I periodically receive emails about fiction contests, publishers wanting submissions, book lists, and the like. Here are a few:

The Tuscany Prize for Catholic Fiction: http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=d6d61078b9844af039931a32e&id=9ddb9ddf65&e=8ef059e222

If you liked the Hunger Games: http://www.lawrence.lib.ks.us/2012/07/if-you-liked-the-hunger-games-3/

Tu Books New Visions Award:  http://www.leeandlow.com/p/new_visions_award.mhtml 

Thanks to Abbey for her recent post--if any of you would like to post and aren't set up to do that, let me know in a comment to this post and I will get you set up to do that. 

More later on what I've been reading!

The Lorien Legacies and Frankenstein

Hello all! I hope you're having a wonderful (and book filled) summer.

So far my readings this summer have included I am Number Four, The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore, and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

I was greatly impressed with the Lorien Legacies books and they were very different from what I thought they were going to be. I am eagerly looking forward to the release of the third book. The world the author created has been a lot of fun to read about and I hope that you consider looking into them.

However, I wish to comment a bit more on Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Most people know some form of Frankenstein and Frankenstein's monster, either from movies or old school pop culture references, but I have found in my reading (I am not quite finished, but that is irrelevant) that Shelley's monster is far more terrifying to me than any depictions I have seen elsewhere.

Frankenstein's monster is often depicted as the brute man who moans and walks with straight legs, arms outstretched. He often has two metal knobs on either side of his face that are usually the reason for his existence. I am sure you all have the right picture in your mind.

Shelley's Frankenstein's monster is so much more terrifying than that. He is educated. He walks normally. He can speak. He knows exactly what he's doing when he threatens Frankenstein, and he reveals a desire to be a good monster. Granted, he is still abhorrently ugly and does not fit in to human society, but that isn't as terrifying as the idea that he has higher level thinking skills and can talk, plan, and plot.

As a writer, I have often created characters that I would never want to meet in real life. I am continuously reassured by the knowledge that even though I created this character, it is only in my mind and does not exist outside of it. Frankenstein took a creation and an idea in his mind and made it real, and has had to watch his creation turn on him in the most grotesque way.

In essence, Frankenstein played God. He created a being and then sent it out into the world. The parallels drawn between Frankenstein and God and Frankenstein and a parent are very interesting and I think the concerns and ideas expressed ring true for many parents and many creators. Whether it's a writing or a child, we (the creators/parents) worry about how it will turn out, and what kind of impact it will have on the world. And we desire for our work or our child to do well in the world. And we fear that it/he/she won't do well.

And that notion that Shelley addresses is what makes her Frankenstein's Monster more terrifying than the standard moaning and weird-walking monsters propagated in pop-culture and various spin-offs of the tale.

So if you've never read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, I recommend it. The prose is a little difficult to get into at first, but it does have a regular flow that you can pick up on after the first chapter or so.

What has everyone else been reading this summer?

ALA's list of the most challenged books of 2011

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/51423-ttyl-series-tops-list-of-most-challenged-titles.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly%27s+Children%27s+Bookshelf&utm_campaign=1017631855-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email

Lots of favorites, old and new . . . What I want to know is when we won't need lists like this anymore. What will it take?

The Fault in Our Stars

John Green's latest book has screenwriters. (Truly, the novel is probably going to win the Printz for 2012.) I would be more excited about this, but a) to the best of my knowledge Looking for Alaska is still languishing out there and b) the production team is the same one that did (wait for it) the Twilight Saga!!! But the writers themselves seem to have a better track record--they've done, among other things, 500 Days of Summer, which I actually liked. So we'll see.

I finished the book last night and woke up with swollen eyes this morning.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/03/fox-2000-sets-neustadter-weber-to-adapt-the-fault-in-our-stars/

An announcement

Since one of my degrees is from Hollins, a creative writing mecca with several degrees in writing for children, I have access to some interesting resources on publishing for kids and young adults.

Here's one for a literary magazine soliciting contributions:

My name is Hannah Goodman, and I am the editor/founder of a new literary magazine that features edgy YA fiction.
I've attached a press release about our magazine. Our first issue is available off our blog http://suckerliterarymagazine.wordpress.com/  and is also available in various e-book versions from SMASHWORDS.com <http://SMASHWORDS.com/>  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/138135
Hannah Goodman, MFA, ME.d
Editor/Founder, Sucker Literary Magazine
suckerliterarymagazine@cox.net
http://suckerliterarymagazine.wordpress.com/
@SuckerLitMag

 

Just Finished

Just finished Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. It took me longer to get into it than I expected, mainly because I found myself unusually impatient with both protagonists for the first third or so of the novel. But I'm fond of dually-narrated novels, and I'm fond of Levithan, and have read Cohn, so I kept going (also, I spent 2 dollars on it at Half Price, so no way was I going to quit before I got my money's worth). And I decided it was worth it. The first bit, with all its disconnects and miscommunications is deliberate and even necessary to the characters' developments; the process of being in relationship with others is complex and knotty, and, as all of us who have ever been in relationship with anyone else (which is, of course, all of us) know, it can be . . . challenging. So a traditional boy-meets-girl-loses-girl-rewins girl would be less compelling than the cyclical two-people-trying-to-figure-themselves-out-so-they-can-figure-each-other-out that Cohn and Levithan wind up with.

And also there's a character named Caroline who is sort of a nice person, so I like that. She is mostly drunk and generally off-screen, but she's not an evil character, as many named Caroline are, so that's a plus.

I'm currently reading Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler's The Future of Us, which is very interesting in many ways (though I'm getting similarly impatient with one of the protagonists). The nature of time, cause and effect, fate/destiny, agency and lack thereof all play prominent roles in engaging the reader.

It makes me wonder about this recurring trend of dually (and multiply) authored novels for YA readers. Do you see it anywhere else? Is it just publishers capitalizing on trends, or does YA lit lend itself uniquely to this style of narrative?

Hunger Games Mania Manifesting Truly Oddly

Okay, I'm going to paste in two links. The first is to a company website, the next is to a blog for nail polish aficionados. (I am not one of these; I can't wear nail polish without getting it all over myself. These links were forwarded to me be a friend.)

http://www.chinaglaze.com/products/index.php?coll=57

http://www.alllacqueredup.com/2012/02/china-glaze-capitol-colours-hunger-games-nail-polish-collection-swatches-review.html

What do you think?

Speaking of Stars . . .

John Green, in Austin tomorrow night. Here's a link for tickets: http://www.bookpeople.com/event/site-john-green-fault-our-stars
Dr. Olson and I will be there . . .

Star Related Book Titles

The main focus for today's post are going to be: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

I find it incredibly interesting that these two books came out relatively close to one another, are written by authors who are great friends, and have stars in their titles. This is primarily a point of amusement for me, being as I know that the two titles have no connection to each other and both books deal with very different subject areas.

The Name of the Star takes on serial killers, things unseen, and darkness. In essence--fear. Johnson sets the novel in a boarding school in London and takes on the whole of fear itself. There were several moments throughout reading it that I had to set the book down because I was reading alone at night and was a little frightened. However, I think that allows for the importance of standing up to our fears to come out much stronger--even if we aren't trying to take down serial killers or things we cannot see. It was a great book and it left me chilled and excited for the sequel.

The Fault in Our Stars is remarkable in that it is probably the first (and only) book that an author has signed the entire first printing of. John Green signed 150,000 pages of The Fault in Our Stars in an effort to ensure that every pre-order was signed. That alone suggests that it is going to be a great book worth reading. I just recieved my copy today and have not yet read it (thus I am not going to say much about the content of the book), but I have heard great things and cannot wait to read it. I do feel comfortable revealing that a great deal of the book revolves around a disease and how one very lovely girl deals with it.

So, dear readers, if any of you were looking for more books to read (or to recommend to friends, teens, students, or anyone who can read) I think you can consider these.

I will post more about The Fault in Our Stars when I am done reading.

Also . . .

For you aspiring authors out there, here's a call for manuscripts and reviewers. I don't know Knox Robinson, but it's always worth exploring, eh?
 http://atmst.net/utr.php?e=lJavHJbaJQJtDtrx&url=d6262109c80d0d735421b6486b334a9e*americaim*http%3A%2F%2Fwww.knoxrobinsonpublishing.com%2FKRP.html>           

Hunger Games Trailer

Many thanks to Abbey, Patrina, and Emily for posting! I am a notable slacker, and I do not anticipate that this will change anytime soon.

Here is a link to the Hunger Games movie trailer:

  http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=hunger+games+trailer&view=detail&mid=B5449E928E38A04D7B4FB5449E928E38A04D7B4F&first=0&FORM=LKVR2
 

I can already see where the movie is losing some of the book's subtlety and understatedness. These are two elements which make the books remarkable and draw me to (and back to) them. I just keep telling myself, “It’s a movie, it’s different, it has to be . . .” It’s a very effective trailer, I think, but I can already see some small, but significant, changes (and it isn't just freaking out because the actors don't look like the people in my head. Though I'm sure there's that, too). Madeleine L'Engle taught me that "comparisons are odious," but how can you stop yourself with something like this, something you're so deeply invested in? I guess that investment is the problem, which leads to the question, WHY do we (or some of us, at least) get so strongly invested in these literary texts? Do you care about every filmic translation of books you've read? I didn't like what they did to The Lightning Thief, but I was able to respond fairly philosophically--I understood why they aged Percy and why they collapsed certain characters and plot elements into others. So why does a "faithful" interpretation of The Hunger Games mean so much to me? I realize that the particular elements I'm attached to may not be the ones that lend themselves most readily to the screen, or even that others would find important enough to preserve. . . . So, what do y'all think??

Paper Girls: Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns

Lately I've been thinking a great deal about two of my favorite female characters in the YA canon: Margo Roth Spiegelman and Alaska Young. These two characters, though driven by different motivations and back-stories, share very similar qualities. What I love about them is that they're real, vulnerable, and they aren't perfect all of the time. I feel like these two girls have a depth and uniqueness that many female characters don't have.

And I empathize with these two girls a great deal. Especially Margo. Granted, I'm not some idolized popular beauty queen in a public high school--but the striking difference between the Margo that the world sees and the Margo that Margo sees is the part that I empathize with.

The fact of the matter is, Margo Roth Spiegelman and Alaska Young are not perfect. They are not heroines, or victims, or romantic leads. They are not soft and frilly or "one of the boys". They are portrayed as brilliant and mysterious and hypnotizing and yet, the more we learn about them, the more we see that that's all conjecture--sometimes the girls are those things, but it's impossible for them to maintain.

And so we have a Paper Girl.

So often I feel like the bits of me that I know and the bits that other people see do not add up. If you were to take all of the pieces of me and add them together, I don't think that you would get something greater than that sum. I think you would get a mathematical nightmare. I'm inconsistent and conflicted and like Margo and Alaska, most of the people around me have no idea.

I understand why Margo could feel so empty in her paper town and why Alaska smokes to die. It's impossible to maintain an image for other people to see when it isn't who you are. It's exhausting and frustrating and it leaves you empty--a wrapped up gift with pretty paper and nothing inside (or worse, socks).

But the beautiful thing about Margo Roth Spiegelman and Alaska Young is that they have people who love them anyway. Sure, you can make the argument that Pudge only loves the Alaska he sees--but at the end of the book I would argue that he loved the Alaska that he didn't know too. And then you have the wonderful Q, who comes to this awesome realization:

"And all at once I knew how Margo Roth Spiegelman felt when she wasn't being Margo Roth Spiegelman: she felt empty. She felt the unscaleable wall surrounding her. I thought of her asleep on the carpet with only that jagged sliver of sky above her. Maybe Margo felt comfortable there because Margo the person lived like that all the time: in an abandoned room with blocked-out windows, the only light pouring in through holes in the roof. Yes. The fundamental mistake I had always made--and that she had, in fairness, always led me to make--was this: Margo was not a miracle. She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl." ~John Green

This knowledge sums up so much of how I feel sometimes, and it's one of my favorite quotes in Paper Towns.

My only problem, and the question I would pose to John Green were I to get the chance, is this:

How do you stop being a paper girl?

Because the Alaska and the Margo models don't seem to work long term.

(this post can be found originally on one of my other blogs, however, it was a perfect candidate for this blog as well, so I am posting it here. Original Post)