Stupid Cupid is out in the wild!

So, my brain is totally fried because the first book in my teen trilogy, STUPID CUPID, released yesterday. YAY!! :D That means this post will be short and sweet, LOL.

I'm really excited--people have sent me pictures of my book on the store shelves and of them holding a newly purchased copy. It's amazing, having all this support and love. It's overwhelming and humbling and just...LOL I'm actually at a loss for words. It's just incredible.

Anyway, happy holidays, everyone! And thank you all so much for the generosity and kindness. ((hugs)) If you're interested in buying a copy of STUPID CUPID, check out your local bookstore (Walmart is carrying copies too!). Or, order it online at one of the links below:

IndieBound
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Borders
Powell's
Books-A-Million

Thanks so much! *MWAH* And a special shout-out to my awesome fellow Fictionistas--Chrissy, Mel, Kristen, Amanda, and Gwen. They have been so, so awesome and supportive of me. Love you guys!!

Favorite books as a kid

I used to devour books when I was a kid--I loved reading many, many different kinds of stories--horror (esp. Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine), romance, historical, mystery, family drama, etc. I don't know if I can think of one book in particular that stood out as an all-time fav, but here are a few that are still very memorable for me:

Homecoming by Cynthia Voight. I distinctly remember this one because the kids are traveling by themselves to reach a relative after their mom abandons them. And they have to ration their money by living off bread and peanut butter. I was riveted!

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. I cried and cried and criiiiiied about those dogs. Seriously, I was a mess. That one scene stuck in my head for a long time.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I distinctly remember when I was reading this that I was drawn to Rochester. I couldn't help it--he was magnetic, and I loved and hated him for how he treated Jane. And I wanted poor Jane to finally get something good in her life. I loved all the crazy twists in the story!

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. I remember being horrified that this was a real person's story...it moved me to hear about the trials and struggles she went through, hiding from the Nazis.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Another tear-jerker. I guess I was into those. But I was so caught up in the story, and the death totally floored me. I was NOT expecting it.

There are many, MANY more books I adored, of course, but right now I wanna hear from you. What were your favorite books when you were growing up?

Rediscovering Some Faves

The Fictionistas were commenting yesterday about how our blog tends to be a mixture of fluff and substance (which, in turn, prompted Chrissy to joke that we should introduce a 7th 'Nista named Fluffy Substance, but I digress).

Fluff and substance...personally, I think it's a good combo. You don't want too much substance or you run the risk of boring your readers. But you don't want too much fluff or you become completely irrelevant.

Anyway, it looks like we're well on our way to a week all about YA books, which surprisingly, might just be a first for us here. Kinda funny, when we're ostensibly a blog about YA boooks. :)

I could ruin the trend and blog about the crappy week I'm having, but I don't want to be a buzzkill. So since the three 'Nistas who've blogged this week have all started on a theme, I'm going to continue.

There's a book that was released last week from Avon A (not exactly a YA publisher, but still) called "Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading." The primary author is Lizzie Skurnick, who used to write the "Fine Lines" column for Jezebel.com in which she reread and reviewed her fave books from her own girlhood. The book consists of Skurnick's Jezebel essays, along with a few reviews by such best-selling fiction giants as Meg Cabot, Laura Lippman, Cecily von Zeigesar, and Jennifer Wiener.

"Shelf Discovery" is based on a simple premise...revisiting your fave books from your childhood and teen years and then exploring what made it so. As one would assume in any list of '70/'80s vintage MG/YA, there's a ton of Judy Blume in here. But there are also some classics from the 19th and early 20th centuries as well.

Check out the list of books reviewed:
"A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle
"From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg
"Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself" by Judy Blume
"Harriet the Spy" by Louise Fitzhugh
"Farmer Boy" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
"Danny, the Champion of the World" by Roald Dahl
"Ludell" by Brenda Scott Wilkinson
"The Great Brain" by John D. Fitzgerald and Mercer Mayer
"Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret" by Judy Blume
"Sister of the Bride" by Beverly Cleary
"Blubber" by Judy Blume
"The Cat Ate My Gymsuit" by Paula Danziger
"A Ring of Endless Light" by Madeleine L'Engle
"Tiger Eyes" by Judy Blume
"The Long Secret" by Louise Fitzhugh
"Then Again, Maybe I Won't" by Judy Blume
"And You Give Me a Pain, Elaine" by Stella Pevsner
"To Take a Dare" by Crescent Dragonwagon
"The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskins
"Daughters of Eve" by Lois Duncan
"The Grounding of Group 6" by Julian F. Thompson
"Summer of Fear" by Lois Duncan
"I am the Cheese" by Robert Cornier
"The Arm of the Starfish" by Madeleine L'Engle
"Secret Lives" by Berthe Amoss
"Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
"Summer of My German Soldier" by Bette Green
"The Pigman" by Paul Zindel
"Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson
"Tell Me if Lovers are Losers" by Cynthia Voigt
"A Day No Pigs Would Die" by Robert Newton Peck
"Beat the Turtle Drum" by Constance C. Greene
"The Gift of the Pirate Queen" by Patricia Reilly Giff
"Deenie" by Judy Blume
"Don't Hurt Laurie!" by Willo Davis Roberts and Ruth Sanderson
"Are You in the House Alone?" by Richard Peck
"Go Ask Alice" by Anonymous
"It's Not the End of the World" by Judy Blume
"Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell
"Little House on the Prairie" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
"The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
"Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
"The Endless Steppe: A Girl in Exile" by Esther Hautzig
"Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead Geroge
"Understood Betsy" by Doroth Canfield
"Ghosts I Have Been" by Richard Peck
"A Gift of Magic" by Lois Duncan
"The Girl with the Silver Eyes" by Willo Davis Roberts
"Stranger with My Face" by Lois Duncan
"Hangin' Out with Cici" by Francine Pascal
"Jane-Emily" by Patrica Clapp
"Down a Dark Hall" by Lois Duncan
"Forever" by Judy Blume
"Happy Endings Are All Alike" by Sandra Soppettone
"Fifteen" by Beverly Cleary
"My Darling, My Hamburger" by Paul Zindel
"In Summer Light" by Zibby O'Neal
"The Moon by Night" by Madeleine L'Engle
"To All My Fans, With Love, From Sylvie" by Ellen Conford
"An Old-Fashioned Girl" by Louisa May Alcott
"The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" by Joan Aiken
"The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett
"Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
"Belles on Their Toes" Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
"A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett
"All of a Kind Family" by Sydney Taylor
"My Sweet Audrina" by V. C. Andrews
"The Clan of the Cave Bear" by Jean M. Auel
"Wifey" by Judy Blume
"Flowers in the Attic" by V.C. Andrews
"Domestic Arrangements" by Norma Klein

Although I haven't read all of the books on this list (and don't even recognize some of them!), a few are my all-time faves.

If you were asked to contribute an essay, what book from your childhood or teen years would you write about? Alternatively, if a second edition is released thirty years from now, which of today's YA books would you include?

Breakin The Law in YA Novels

I just finished reading Sweethearts by Sara Zarr, a brilliant YA novel that has these wonderful, compelling characters and a dark, magnetic storyline. I was so hooked. Have you read this novel? If not, go run to the bookstore and get it right now. Then, come back here. I'll wait. haha

Anyway, in Sweethearts, there was an element of stealing, which played into the heroine's persona, her view on life, her struggles, etc.

Even though I've read a lot of YA, I haven't run across stealing, or other crimes being broken, in books a lot. The biggest one I see is drinking--in Amanda Marrone's Uninvited, alcoholism is a rampant problem. And in Jennifer Echols' Going Too Far, there's lots of lawbreaking, which is pretty much the purpose of the story. LOL. But then again, it's not like my friends and I got the old "five-finger discount" or went to wild drinking parties when we were in high school, so I wasn't exactly looking for it. I was very much a goody-two-shoes and would never have dreamed of shoplifting or getting drunk.

In fact, the only memory I have of stealing was when I was, like, 5 years old--I think I'd stolen a pencil, or a small piece of candy or something. My mom saw what I did and marched me back in the store to give it back and apologize to the clerk. I was mortified when I realized what I'd done was wrong and that I was in big trouble.

Have you read any YA books that have stealing (or some other crime) as part of the plot? Does it bother you to read about teens committing crimes, or do you consider that to be part of the realism of YA? When you were a teen, did you ever, um, "liberate" anything? haha.

College Daze

My little cousin Kristin will be graduating soon from high school. (Yay!) Come late August, she'll be heading off to the hallowed halls of Wellesley, one of the so-called "Seven Sisters," and famous as the old stomping grounds of Hillary Clinton (then Hillary Rodham).

College is such an exciting time in a student's life. It's a time of firsts, of changes, a time to find yourself. Sounds just like a YA novel, right?

Yet many YA publishing houses don't seem to want to publish books set in college. The general rule you hear flying around the literary agent blogs is that 20-something college students is a very difficult sell for YA. You would think it would be perfect, because teens read up, so of course older teens would want to read about college students, but for whatever reason, it's just a very hard sell.

Take my own manuscript, PARTY LIKE IT'S 1899. When I originally wrote it, I had the heroine as a 19-year-old college sophomore, and the hero was 20. This was the version that finaled in the Golden Heart last year.

When we subbed it to editors, however, the general consensus seemed to be that it should be in high school. In fact, one editor even requested two rounds of massive revisions, including requiring that I turn my 19-year-old college sophomores into 17-year-old high school juniors.

This isn't a completely unheard of phenomenon, either.



Jessica Burkhart originally wrote her series with her students as 21-year-old college students. When her agent signed her, she said that Jessica would have to rewrite it with the characters 16-years old and in high school, "so we can sell it to Simon Pulse." So she did. When her agent submitted it to Simon Pulse, the editors there liked it, but didn't think it was right for that line, so they passed it on to their colleagues at Aladdin (Simon & Schuster's tween line). The Aladdin editors made on offer, on the understanding that she would have to rewrite it yet again, to change her characters to 12-year olds in middle school.

This book later became the first in the popular and prolific "Canterwood Crest" series of books about girls who love horseback riding. Looking at the end result, it's difficult to imagine that it was ever originally in a college setting, but that's because Jessica underwent major revisions. Changing your characters from 21 to 16, then from 16 to 12? Yikes! And I thought 19 to 17 was a big change!

So let's look at books actually set in college, shall we?



Probably my favorite college-setting series is Diana Peterfreund's "Secret Society Girl" books. (In fact, the last in the series was just released this past Tuesday!) Many people mistake this series as YA. It's not. It was sold to Delta Trade, which (until Bantam Dell imploded) was an adult Random House imprint. It's published under an adult imprint and shelved in the general fiction section of the bookstore. It's marketed to both adults and teens as a crossover book, but not shelved in YA because it's not technically a YA book. Many people think it's YA because the NY Public Library called it one of the best "Books for the Teen Age" but there were also several other adult books on that list, too.



One of the best suspense novels I've read all year was Kayla Perrin's WE'LL NEVER TELL (St. Martin's), which is about a hazing gone wrong, murder, and coverup at the University of Buffalo, and the pledge that three sorority sisters make never to reveal the truth of what happened that night. I believe the characters are juniors and seniors, and this was definitely published under an adult imprint.



Speaking of thrillers set in college, there's always the classic KISS THE GIRLS (Grand Central Publishing) by James Patterson (which was much, much better than the movie, but I digress). It tells the tale of two psychopath killers stalking female students on the Duke and UNC campuses. It's definitely a good thing I didn't have time to read for fun in college, so I read this one during the summer in between my sophomore and junior years. Why? Well, I happened to have lived right next to where one of the killers used to prey, according to Patterson. Needless to say, I probably never would have been able to walk alone -- or at all -- at night if I'd read it during the school year. Oh yeah, again, this is an adult book.

But there's got to be some books set in college that actually are YA books, right? Yes, of course there are. But I've got a theory about this.



Kate Harmon's "Sorority 101" series (Puffin) is pretty much exactly what it sounds like -- a series about what it's like to go through sorority rush. But the characters are actually still in high school at the very start of the first book, albeit like one day away from graduation. It then quickly shifts to two months later, at college move-in and orientation. So yes, it's set in college, but in many ways, it's still a YA book because the characters are teenagers (most are 18 and a couple are 19) and it's very much a "finding your place" type of book...it's college orientation with lots of changes.



Another example is Rosemary Clement-Moore's HELL WEEK (Delacorte), which also takes place during sorority rush. This is the second book in her Maggie Quinn series (following PROM DATES FROM HELL), and by the second book, Maggie is in college. But the first book took place in high school, so I can see why she's able to get away with a college setting in a YA. (Her third one, HIGHWAY TO HELL, was released in March, and is a Spring Break setting, but again, she already had a high school setting, so it's merely the proper progression.)



Same with "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" (Delacorte). The first 2 books, the girls were squarely still in high school. The third book took place during the summer after graduation. The fourth book (FOREVER IN BLUE) took place during the summer after their freshman year of college. But since she began the series when they were just sixteen, it's still a YA series, even if they're no longer in high school.

Anyway, this is just my theory. Feel free to tell me I'm full of you-know-what.

What are some of your fave books set in college? Are they YA or adult books?

Funny YA books

I don't know about you guys, but one of the things I most love is picking up a book that makes me laugh--hard. I'm sure I'm forgetting some great ones, but here are a few that round out the top of my funny list:

Demon Envy by Erin Lynn (she's one of my good friends, the one who actually encouraged me to try YA. A demon comes out of the heroine's bathtub drain, released from his hellish prison after she spills her zit cream in there. LOL)

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway (this is seriously one of the funniest stories EVER. It's for older teens--a bit edgy--but really, really, REEEEEEALLY funny--after a teen breaks up with her boyfriend, he writes a scathing song about her that hits the charts and sends the paparazzi hot on her heels)

My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters by Sydney Salter (I read the ARC of this and laughed--the poor heroine! So much bad stuff happens to her as she tries to earn money on her quest to get a nose reduction. haha)

What Would Emma Do? by Eileen Cook (OMG the scene that describes how they'd asked santa why he took the Christ out of Christmas--I snorted OUT LOUD, haha)

Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott (her characters are quirky and unusual...plus, the dad quit his job to sell vitamins in a mall kiosk. LOL)

Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies by Erin Dionne (a BOX OF BRAS falls on the heroine. Seriously, I was dying)

Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard (I read an ARC of this--the poor heroine goes through some funny struggles to fit in when she accidentally goes back in time to regency England)

So, what about you? What YA books have cracked you up?

I'm a book addict

Yes, I admit it. I'm a book addict. A fiend. It's my crack, only legal and slightly less expensive.
See, I go to a bookstore and buy a bunch of books I'm dying to read. I read a good chunk of them. And then I'm ready for the next hit. And then the next...and then the next...see how easy it is to fall in with the wrong crowd?

Booksellers are more like pushers, actually--they often tempt me with coupons: "Psssst--Rhonda, come here. Take this coupon and get 20% off your purchase." Like I can say no to that!

Anyway, here are some Simon Pulse books coming out this year I'm absolutely frothy-dog excited to see released:

The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading (May 19, 2009)


Swoon (May 19, 2009)


Giving Up the V (June 9, 2009)


Crash Into Me (July 7, 2009)


The Hollow (Fall 2009)


Stupid Cupid (Dec 22, 2009 -- Oh come on, I had to put this on here, LOL)

So, who else out there is a book addict? What novels are you looking forward to releasing this year? I'm always eager to add to my to-buy list. LOL

Review of THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins

As a writer, I find that when I pick up a novel, my reading is much more critical than it used to be. I find myself checking to make sure threads are resolved, that character motivation feels plausible and interesting, that the plot is progressing in a logical and well-paced manner, and so on.

Every once in a while, I run across a book that catches me up in the story, making me forget to check those things.

And even more rarely--every once in a blue moon, I'll find a book that literally knocks the wind out of me. That makes me gasp and laugh and cry. That makes me both excited to be an author and lamenting that I didn't write it.

I finished reading one of those books last night.

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. A young adult novel set in a dystopic future, where there is no more North America--only a place called Panem, with its gorgeous capitol and twelve outlying districts. Back in the day, the districts gathered together and rebelled against the capitol. The capitol defeated them soundly, even oblitering what used to be the 13th district.

Now, as part of the peace treaty terms, every year each district must draw the names of one boy and one girl, between the ages 12 and 18, to participate in a yearly event called the Hunger Games--a fully televized, commercialized fight to the death held in a massive terrained arena, to see which person will be left standing. That person will be lavished with prized goodies and food, as will their district.

The heroine, Katniss, is horrified when her younger sister's name is drawn, so she steps forward to take her place as the female candidate (called "tributes") from district 12, which hasn't had a winner in thirty years. A skilled hunter used to living off the land, Katniss will use her skills and fight to hopefully survive the Hunger Games.

Okay, I admit, the cover didn't do too much for me at first (once you read the story, the symbolism makes perfect sense). I'd actually bought the book a couple of months ago and hadn't cracked it open yet. But I'd heard such praise for this story that I finally couldn't resist and started reading it on Monday night. And once I picked it up, it was magnetic. Compelling. Riveting.

Basically, un-put-downable.

The author is so deft at weaving a story that doesn't overwhelm you with tedious worldbuilding details or slow pacing, but is still rich and lush in vivid details that suck you in. And the story, the characters--where to start? I'm so tongue-tied, I don't even know how to gush properly. LOL. It's a love story. A mystery. An action tale of survival. A cautionary warning of the effects of war on children, on families.

I loved reading about the flawed heroine...I felt like she was so tangible and fascinating. And the other main character in the story, a guy named Peeta who is the male tribute from district 12, is just as amazing to me. He's ambiguous, charming, and so realistic.

In the end, the best way to sum up my pleasure with this book is to say I wish I had enough money to buy a copy for everyone I know. LOL. Also, I'm requiring this as reading for my children--I believe they'll love it, too. This is one that will remain on my keeper shelf.

Oh, and I just found out there's a sequel coming out--YAY! I'm happy to hear that, because it ended with some unresolved issues.

So, has anyone else read The Hunger Games? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Or, have you recently read a story that just blew them away? Do share--I'm always looking for new recommendations!!

Review of GENERATION DEAD by Daniel Waters

Generation Dead is a young adult paranormal novel by Daniel Waters that came out in May 2008.

Phoebe, the heroine of the story, is a goth girl with a major crush...on a zombie. In this era, which seems to be set slightly in the future, saying the word "zombie" isn't PC--the current favored term is "living impaired" or "differently biotic." haha

Not that Phoebe's fellow schoolmates want, or accept, these "living-impaired" students, which are flocking to Oakvale in increasing numbers. And unfortunately for these new students, there aren't any laws that protect the rights of these teens who have come back from the dead (oh, and for some reason, it's only American teenagers who are returning).

But Phoebe can't help but feel drawn to the mysterious zombie, Tommy. Which is unfortunate for Phoebe's football jock friend, Adam, who's crushed on Phoebe forever. Nor is it accepted by fellow goth friend Margi.

And there are others out there who want to get rid of all zombies...permanently.

I read this novel in one day. It was killer awesome and very addictive--the dialogue and banter was quite funny and spot-on, but there were surprisingly dark moments in the story that gripped me, as well. It wasn't as gross as I thought it was going to be--the zombies weren't trying to eat brains or anything. LOL.

The story actually had a lot of heart and romance, and the subplot revolving around the rights of the zombies was quite emotional and gut-wrenching to read. I liked seeing how the first zombie came about and how society is trying to deal with their existence.

The bad guy in the book is soooo cruel, but very fleshed out and realistic. I loved to hate him. And the end of the book really threw me for a loop--I was NOT expecting it, but I really liked it! The ending also left some questions that I expect may be resolved in book 2 of the series--Generation Dead: Kiss of Life. That one comes out in May of this year.

I'm eager to pick up the next in the sequel (and it doesn't hurt that I looove the covers)!! Mr. Waters has written a fantastic story. Even if you're not into zombies, I hope you guys give it a chance!!

Review of Ophelia by Lisa Klein AND CONTEST!

I made a New Year's resolution to read more books (in fact, to read one a week). Ophelia, a YA novel by Lisa Klein, was the first book I completed in 2009. And I loved it so much, I had to write today's blog post about it.

Most people have either read Shakespeare's Hamlet, or have at least heard about it--Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is haunted by his father's ghost that claimed to have been murdered by Hamlet's uncle...the very same man now occupying the throne, and who also just married Hamlet's own mother. Drama! Intrigue! Potential bloodbath!

Of course, since this is a Shakespearean tragedy, Hamlet goes on a rampage, until there's, like, only one person left alive in the end...and it ain't Hamlet.

One of the people affected by this tragedy is Ophelia, Hamlet's love--in the play, she goes mad with grief after Hamlet accidentally kills her father, and she ends up drowning herself.

I always loved Ophelia and wished Shakespeare had written more about her. Well, he didn't, but Lisa Klein did. Starting from Ophelia's childhood, Klein explores Ophelia's upbringing--how she came to fall in love with Hamlet, the twists and secret plots that ultimately kept them from being together, and what happened to Ophelia when Hamlet went mad...and afterward.

Ophelia is a strong, empowering character who struggles to find her sense of purpose, as well as true happiness. I was gripped by the narrative and had a hard time putting the book down.

Even better, this novel breathes new life not only into Ophelia, but into the play itself. The author cleverly comes up with plot ideas that fit the frame of the original story. The language is vivid, beautiful, and evocative, but still a quick read.

I truly enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to anyone who loves Shakespeare or Shakespearean-era stories. Huge, huge thumbs up to Lisa Klein for a wonderful tale.

PS--Klein has a new YA novel out set during the Civil War, called Two Girls of Gettysburg, and you'd better believe I'll run out and buy it, too!

OKAY, CONTEST TIME!!!

Who's your favorite Shakespearean character, and why? Leave a comment in this post telling me, and you'll be entered into a random drawing to win a $10 Amazon gift card (it'll be emailed to you).

Contest winners will be announced Friday morning on Gwen's post, so you have today (Wednesday, 1/14/09) and tomorrow (Thursday, 1/15/09) to leave a comment in this post and enter to win.

Good luck!

What Are You Reading????

I'm looking for some good suggestions. What YA books have you read recently that you absolutely loved? Dish!

As Rhonda knows, I can't rave enough about Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle Trilogy. These books (A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, and The Sweet Far Thing are set in Victorian England and feature a young girl who dabbles in witchcraft with her friends at boarding school. It's a classic good-vs.-evil struggle as she battles with the evil Circe for control of the Realms, a magical world beyond ours.

I don't normally read much paranormal, but I'd heard a lot of good things about this trilogy, so I had to try it out. Besides, having written a time travel set in that time period (although mine is in France, not England), I was curious to read more about the era. And I'm so glad I did, because I LOVED IT!!!!!!!

From the start, I couldn't put the first book down. Totally devoured them. Libba Bray just blew me away.

So whatcha been reading? Anything good?