Judging Books by Covers

Sometimes, let's face it, we judge a book by it's cover. You may not do it intentionally, but it's human nature to be drawn to something visually powerful. And if we're fair about it, the marketing departments are trying to package the book in a way that makes us want to buy it. But as we discovered in Kristen Painter's recent (and quite excellent) discussion of the cover for Liar, sometimes they fail.

The reality is that author's have very little-- if any-- say in covers. I once turned down a rather nice, unsolicited offer from an epublisher based upon this. I won't say who it was. They certainly make a great deal of money and have a good reputation. I just hate, hate, HATE their covers.

But I'm also guilty of the "pre-disappointment dream" of a magical, wonderful, glorious cover in my future. I love Mel's cover for Bite Me, and Rhonda's are so eye-catchingly bright, too!

Here are some books I loved for both what was on the outside, and on the inside. I've bought books with glorious covers that disappointed. These are a few favorites that didn't.

Terry Pratchett is my all-time favorite author. I love his young adult, his adult, everything he does. And his cover artist is Josh Kirby. You have to hunt around for some of the Kirby covers in the US, which pushes the generic, plain ones. I'll never understand that. The UK just has a superior sense of book aesthetics, I guess. This is the cover for Guards! Gaurds!, one of my favorites. There is so much going on in the illustration you could spend as much time looking at it as reading the text inside!

Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince series is one of my favorite fantasy series. The Star Scroll, cover pictured here, was an absolute masterpiece by Michael Whalen, a legend in fantasy artwork. He captures a softness, fierceness, and strength all at the same time in his paintings. The colors are gorgeous, but the detail is even moreso.

Anne Bishop, another fave, has darker, more thoughtful covers. She's always been an auto-buy for me. I have every book she has ever written in both hardcover and paperback. But I stumbled upon her because I walked by the New Releases in the Sci Fi/Fantasy section and was arrested by... drumroll... one of the covers for her Black Jewel series. After grabbing it on impulse, I did what I usually do: I read the first few pages... only I had reached page 10 before realizing how long I'd been reading.

Yasmin Galenorn was another author I picked up strictly in response to her covers. I loved the dark, edgy look of them, and particularly liked her tough-looking, lovely ladies. I wanted to know these women, and reading their stories was the natural way to go about it. Picked her up, read two pages, picked up everything on the shelf that day. I've been a loyal fan of this series.

And of course, this is a YA blog. My absolute-favorite-cover-in-ages is Robin McKinley's Chalice cover. It uses the Pre-Raphaelite painting Miranda, by John William Waterhouse. Google him some time when you need to be inspired. I have prints of his work all over the place. Chalice features Miranda from the Tempest as its central image but only die-hard dorks like myself make the immediate connection. She is featured in a gorgeous circle of knotwork with bees at the four compass points. I think I bought this book just as much because of the cover as McKinley's name on it. It's a dream-cover for an author.

What are some of your favorite covers of all time?

Blaming the victim

Usually I go for the fluff when given the choice between posting about fluff or substance. I'm just so disgusted right now that I can really only vent.

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_13048639

In a nutshell, the article refers to a woman who was raped at gunpoint in the parking garage at the Stamford Marriott. In response to a lawsuit, the hotel not only argued that she failed to use good sense to protect herself and her children, but they also subpoenaed people like her babysitter and Pilates instructor who had not knowledge of her rape to testify.

Here's my thing. I can understand the Marriott feeling like they had no responsibility in the matter. They didn't rape the poor woman. They didn't know the rapist was hanging around waiting to rape anyone. Crimes happen everywhere and everyday and the people to blame are the criminals, not the people who own the plot of land where the crime happened. I get that. But I have stayed in a Marriott before. I complained about my wireless internet not working and they gave me a free breakfast and moved me to a different room. If someone gets violated on their property, I would expect that there be some compensation. Though I expect a free breakfast would have been the wrong thing to do, it was better than what they did instead.

Blame. Humiliation. "It's your own fault."

Marriott--you are disgusting.

The Importance of Setting

What comes first, the characters or the plot?

That seems to be the age old question for fiction writers, and there really doesn't seem to be any right or wrong answer. Some characters pop fully formed into an author's mind...they just need to figure out what these characters are doing. Other authors get a fantastic idea for a plot, but need to figure out who's doing those things.

Plot and character are definitely very important. Without them, you'd be missing the two most crucial elements of commercial fiction.

But what about setting? Can you just plop your characters down in any old place and end up with the same story? Or does setting become another "character"? Can it change your plot?

I just finished reading a fabulous historical called "And Then He Kissed Her" by Laura Lee Guhrke. I picked it up at the Avon signing at RWA, and I'm definitely planning to go buy more of Ms. Guhrke's books now. I'm hooked!

This one was so cute. The hero is a viscount who owns a newspaper and publishing house. The heroine is his secretary, who dreams of being an author. After he rejects her fourth manuscript and she learns he actually never bothered to read any of them, she quits in a bout of frustration, and begins working for his rival as an etiquette columnist.

Had this been a contemporary, I probably never would have picked it up. Not that I don't love contemporaries -- I do. But it's a fairly straight forward premise. Cute, but nothing really that stands out.

So what made this one stand out? Easy. It was set in Victorian England. Bingo. Instant conflict and it immediately intrigues me. So few ladies worked during that era, and the idea of a "girl-bachelor" was so interesting that I had to pick it up.

What other examples can you think of where simply changing the setting can totally change the tone of a book?

How Does Fear Hold You Back?

Yanno, I like to consider myself a brave person. I've overcome a lot of issues in my life by trusting myself and doing what I felt was right for me and my family. But there are still things I feel an unusually intense fear about:

1--trusting others. I find myself creating a "contingency" plan that usually relies upon me being 100% self-reliant, just in case anything awful ever happens. Is it smart to be prepared? Absolutely. But there are good people in the world whom we can depend upon. I just have a hard time letting go of my fear of overdependence, so I swing to the other side of the pendulum and end up being overly independent. This is something I struggle to get over, but I still try, every day.

2--writing. I have a book contract, and I am SOOO thankful about it. But I still fear that I'm not good enough, that it was a fluke, that my editors will not like anything else I send them. It's irrational, I know. With every new story I write, I'm growing as a writer. I work hard at my craft. I'm not afraid to revise as needed. That voice in my head is awfully loud, and I can sometimes silence it by taking stock of how much I've accomplished. Even if I never sell another book again, I've still achieved my goal. Plus, writing has given me a sense of depth and resonance in my life that I never would have imagined--that can never be taken away.

3--death. I can't escape it. It's 100% guaranteed to happen to me, my family, my friends, and everyone I know. But that doesn't mean I feel comfort in that fact. I am petrified to die, especially in a way that's not just me passing quietly in my sleep when I'm super old. If I think about it for too long, I start freaking myself out. This is going to sound super goofy, but in my head, I believe I will live to be 100, so I still have another 67 years to go--and I find a little bit of comfort in that. haha

4--my perception. I have certain views and thoughts about myself, the world, the people around me, and I like to feel that my viewpoint is fairly accurate. But what if I'm wrong? What if my head's all messed up and I'm one of those super-crazy people who doesn't know she's a whacko nutbar? haha. Logically, I know that's probably not the case, and I'd like to think if something were really that messed up in my head, that someone would have intervened by now.

What are your most intense fears? Do you feel they are justified? What steps do you take to overcome those fears so it doesn't hold you back in your life?

These are a few of my favorite things

For the first 13 years of my life, I lived in rural Pennsylvania. We literally lived on the side of a mountain. I think there was one other kid about my brother's age who lived close enough to play with, but he was a little strange so we didn't play with him that much.

As a result, my brother and I had to entertain each other. Not such a hard thing, really. After all, we had acres of forest to roam around in, a dilapidated farm house further up the mountain to explore, a nearby creek (that my brother almost drowned in once), a monstrous tree house my dad built us and about 30 cats and one toy poodle (who was perpetually annoyed that the cats out-sized him) to play with.

My mom was big on trips to the library, but those books only lasted so long. We played a little Atari, but for the most part our indoor fun revolved around Legos. It became a kind of challenge for us and my dad to build whatever was on the outside of the box before we just did our own thing. Without fail, we perfectly replicated everything Lego put on the boxes.

I have to say, looking back, it's no surprise what a good job my dad and brother did building those massive constructions considering that they're both custom home builders now.

What toys bring back childhood memories for you?

signs, signs, everywhere are signs...

Sing it Tesla.

I went back to Oxford, Mississippi Saturday with fellow Arkansas author (and friend) Stacey Jay for a book signing. We had a great time...signed lots of books, met lots of great people, and I got to see a bunch of old friends who I have missed dearly.

Jill and Square Books Jr. treated us right and the most awesome book club in the world hung out the entire time.

I miss Oxford. I never thought I'd say it, but I really do. I miss the people, I miss my house, I miss the slower way of life, and I miss hanging out on the square.

I also miss a few little quirky things. Like the way they pronounce certain words. You know, every state, city, town, region has their own individual eccentricities, and Northern Mississippi is definitely no different.

Like the time a few years back we went to a cookout and the street name was pronounced "Lauder." The directions weren't that clear, so we stopped and asked for help. The attendant said it was "just up the road a spill to the right." But that couldn't be correct because we'd been up the road a spill and didn't see it anywhere. Then we decided maybe the street sign had been stolen. So we go back up the road a spill, don't see it, turn around...and just as we're driving back by, I start laughing. (<---laffing)

"Lauder" was right in front of us...only it was spelled "Laughter."(<---lafter) Now I don't know about you, but I pronounce that word a little differently from the way the locals do.

Bastardizing a pronunciation weeds out the outtatowners, you know...

I lived in Lafeyette county. Pronounced here: Lu FAY' ette NOT lä-fE-'et as it is in the rest of the world.

We had a Marquis Cheveron. Pronounced Markus not mar 'kee

We had a China Royal. Achem. Pronounced, China RoyAL.

Need I go on? These things used to drive me nuts, and now after a little distance, I find them very charming.

Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, I finally got a picture of my favorite street name ever on the way home. (the sign is almost always stolen...) Seriously, this is real. I totally want to know the story behind it. C'mon...you know you do, too:

Read All About It

I've been an avid fan of newspapers for many, many years. My mom and dad love to tell the tale of me, pre-school aged, sitting with a copy of The Boston Globe, upside-down. When asked what I was doing, I replied "I'm ponderin' the world sichapashun." I have no memory of this, but it sounds like me imitating my father's southern drawl, so it's probably true.

I still read at least one newspaper a day, quite often more. I think non-newspaper people find this startling, because they have images of their friends reading every single word in The Boston Herald, passing out in their cornflakes, and getting nothing else done all day. What we actually do is skim, scan, and read the juicy bits. I, personally, read the first few leads. Then I scan. I read the gossip page. Scan some more. Read the editorial page, picking anything that matters to me and ditching the rest. I never read letters. A quick perusal of the Sports page, then I leave it for anyone else who cares. My Sunday and Weekend Editions are a more leisurely, luxurious process. I milk those all weekend.

Newspapers can be an amazing bonding experience, too. My father is another newspaper person. He often drops his Herald on the chair next to me in the morning to save me the buck. And we're both bad about reading articles out loud, as if the entire world MUST be fascinated by what fascinates US. Ahmed, too, is a newspaper guy. One of my absolute, all-time favorite things in the world is to lay in bed on a crisp fall morning, snuggled under warm quilts, sharing a pile of weekend newspapers in silence. We'll go an hour without a word, two nerds with glasses on the ends of our noses, to grunt a brief "did you see this?" and receive a muffled "hmph" of response.

You know it's real when you can tell the difference between a "yep" hmph, a "no" hmph, and a "not interested" hmph. And you know it's forever when you don't really care which hmph is which, because you're exactly where you want to be... you just like the sound of that hmph.

I hate to see the gradual decline of print news. I know everyone blames the internet, but to be honest we stopped having ours delivered because we went through dozens of incompetent delivery persons. In the end, it probably costs me no more to buy one paper daily at the stand, pick up the odd edition of another when I see something interesting now and then, and avoid the soggy, sloppy, and unreliable slings and arrows of delivery. Plus it's part of my routine in the morning... and I actually love it when my dad beats me to it and hands off his ratty, pre-read copy to me. It's something we share, still, after all this time. I only share my newspapers with the very best people.

Now, if you'll excuse me... it's Saturday morning. I'm off to grab the weekend Ledger and spend some quality time, ponderin' the world sichapashun. Hmph.

RIP John Hughes

I have known for about an hour now that John Hughes passed away from a heart attack at the age of 59. What I didn't know was how freaked out it would make me.

I was already tender from losing such icons from my childhood as Michael Jackson, Ed McMahon, and Farrah Fawcett.

But John Hughes?

My childhood has been decimated. I am sure in the coming days, people will expound upon what he contributed to our culture. How he captured the essence of being a teenager in the 80s as well as trying to keep it together in the suburbs in the 80s as a child, teen, and parent. To me, he encapsulated how hard it is to balance the parts of us that never want to grow up (Ferris Bueller) against the adults we must become (Clark W. Griswold). He managed to mix enough raunchy fun with equal shares of big heart to endear my generation as teens so much that when we became the grown ups, we shared his movies with our own kids.

And I don't think a day goes by when I don't quote one of his scripts.

So, Mr. Hughes, thank you. Thank you for the fun and the tears. Thank you for contributing to my family's holiday tradition (Christmas Vacation on Thanksgiving every year). Thank you for inspiring me to write real YA characters with faults and heart. Thanks for that God awful dress Andie wore to Prom.

And, thanks for understanding that as a teen, I wanted her to end up with Blane, but now that I'm grown up, I know it should have been Duckie.

I hope in your next life, you get to be a fry cook on Venus.

Free at last! But there's still work to be done

If you haven't seen the reports of the release of US journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee from prison in North Korea, you've probably been living under a rock.

Thanks to former President Bill Clinton, these two courageous young women have returned home to their families. The press conference was incredibly touching and emotional.

I couldn't imagine being in their shoes. The mere fact of their arrest is proof positive of how hostile the North Korean regime is to freedom of the press, a principal held dear by so much of the democratic world.

Another case that has made the press lately is that of Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist who was arrested in Iran, charged with espionage and sentenced to a eight-year prison term. An appeals court later reduced the charge to possessing classified information, a charge she denied, and reduced her eight-year prison sentence to a two-year suspended sentence and she was released in May 2009.

As horrifying as it must have been for these journalists, these stories had happy endings. Too often, however, that is not the case.

Since the very first World Press Freedom Day was celebrated in 1991, 692 journalists worldwide have been killed. Not to mention the hundreds more each year who face intimidation, censorship, and arbitrary arrest. Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the Press co-founders California Congressman Adam Schiff (Dem.) and Indiana Congressman Mike Pence (Rep.) consider these journalists "guilty of nothing more than a passion for truth and a tenacious belief that a free society depends on an informed citizenry."

How true those words are. As writers, we at Fictionistas are passionate believers in the freedom of the press. And though I can't express how happy I am that these oppressive regimes have released these journalists, I won't be satisfied until such oppression is eradicated from this earth.

So welcome home, Laura and Euna and keep up your good work. But my thoughts and prayers are with your colleagues worldwide who continue to be intimidated. Ensuring the vitality of a free and independent press is more important than ever.

What's your guilty pleasure?

First off, we have a winner for yesterday's contest! tetewa -- please email Kristen with your name and address HERE to claim your prize! CONGRATS!

Okay, so we all have things that we love. And sometimes, we have an unusual love for something beyond what's normal. haha. But they're our guilty pleasures, the things we turn to when we need them for whatever reason. Here are a few of my guilty pleasures:

1--Air Supply. Yes, I said it, out loud. Don't judge me! LOL. Sometimes I get a hankering for a cathartic moody session, and Air Supply is my go-to music for that. Something about their soft, depressing lyrics just works to help evoke that emotion from me when I need it. Of course, I have to limit my listening time, to keep from jumping off a bridge or something. haha

2--Peanut butter and chocolate. This deadly combination, often found in chocolate bars, ice cream, etc, makes me go BATTY wild with glee. I love when you're eating chocolate ice cream, and you hit a thick ribbon of peanut butter in it. Sometimes I even add extra PB on top, if I'm feeling extra sassy. *drool*

3--Pedicures. This is a new guilty pleasure for me, and maybe I shouldn't feel super guilty about it, but it's not like I'm rollin' in the dough or anything. haha. But something about having someone else rub your feet and pamper you just makes me sigh in happiness.

4--Soda. I can't help it. I know it's not the best for you, but I adore Dr. Pepper so much. I also have a lot of love for Coke with lime. mmmmmmm...

5--Romance movies/books with chase scenes. You know, where the hero and heroine have a huge fight, and the heroine is about to leave on the plane to fly to Barbados or somewhere exotic, where her boyfriend/fiance who's a big jerk is waiting for her (but he's actually cheating on her or doing something equally sinister and she doesn't know it yet), and the hero realizes he messed up big-time about something-or-another and he's about to lose her, so he hops on a tractor or in a cab or rides a galloping horse or something and runs after her, and he arrives at the airport and thinks he's too late and then turns around feeling depressed and sorrowful and there she is, waiting for him with that look in her eye that says, "OMG I can't believe you came here...for ME." THAT kind of scene.

Okay, time for you to share...what's your guilty pleasure?

Interview with Gena Showalter

Please help me welcome the always fun and fabulous, Gena Showalter, to the Fictionistas today! Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Paranormal Romance, Contemporary Romance, and Young Adult novels from a multitude of publishers. She has appeared in Cosmo and Seventeen magazines, on MTV, and has also been featured on many regional and national news programs.

And get this, one lucky commenter is going to win a signed copy of Intertwined, her amazing new YA novel!

Tell us something surprising about yourself. I recently polled my friends (Jill Monroe, PC Cast and Kresley Cole) on this very subject. They said they were surprised to know how shy I really am, that I was once a cheerleader, I’m deathly afraid of fish, I firmly believe snipes sneak out of my closet in the middle of the night to nibble on my toes, and I like to wear boy underwear.
How did you get the inspiration for Intertwined? One day I saw a (sexy) teen boy in my mind. (Yes, I’m a cougar) He was talking to himself and everyone assumed he was mental. Only he and I knew he was actually talking to the souls trapped inside him. Intertwined was born from there.

What authors do you read? Jill Monroe, Kresley Cole, PC and Kristin Cast, Meljean Brook, Nalini Singh, Karen Moning, Stephenie Meyer, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jennifer Crusie, Jeaniene Frost, Deidre Knight, Candace Heavens, JR Ward, Jessica Anderson, and so many more! I love me some authors.

Who is your favorite character (of your own or another book)? I have two. Edward from Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. And Lachlan from Kresley Cole’s A Hunger Like No Other. Both men are SEXY. Maybe because they are beyond powerful and willing to sacrifice themselves for the women they love. Lachlan even chews and claws off his own leg to escape his chains and reach his woman. I’m still waiting for my husband to do something similar for me.

What five things are always in your purse? A Wisp (it’s a small, packaged toothbrush that has a drop of toothpaste in the center), blotting paper, a tiny notebook, a pen, and my Blackberry.

What music are you currently listening to? The Veronicas

Tell us about your pets. I have three slobbery English bulldogs, and they like to sleep under my desk while I’m working. Two words: toxic gas. You might understand why my muse fled for her life a long time ago.

One item of makeup you can't live without. Chapstick. Is that makeup, though? I only wear the other stuff when I’m at a writer related function. But chapstick. . . it’s my one true love. (Baby, if you’re reading this, you’ll be my own true love just as soon as you claw that leg off!)

First thing you drink in the morning. Coffee. Always. Characters tend to die when I write without coffee.

Worst high school memory. So many choices, so many bad decisions . . . Let’s see, let’s see. Okay, I know. I’ll go with something cosmetic. First, some backstory. (Hey, I’m a writer. It’s necessary.) See, I have naturally curly hair. Or rather, naturally wavy hair. But back then, tight curls were in, and so, hoping for a little extra poof, I got a perm -- and I walked out of the salon looking like a poodle. Though it’s been fifteen years, I’m still battling those stupid curls.

If you could go back in time and talk to the teenage you, what would you tell her? First, I’d dropkick her for getting the perm. (Not that I’ve repeatedly dreamed of doing that or anything) Then I’d tell her to follow her heart and start writing now rather than waiting until years later.
What are you working on next? Unraveled, the sequel to Intertwined. The stakes are higher and the romances between my leads are heating up. Aden still has the souls trapped inside him, knows his own death is closer than ever, and has all manner of creatures hunting for him.

Thanks for the great interview, Gena! And y'all don't forget to comment so you're in the running to win a signed copy of Intertwined! (You might want to follow us too, just so you don't miss the announcement of who wins.)

launching a star...or a book...whatever

So my book launch party was yesterday. It was amazing, exhausting, overwhelming and one of the best days of my life!

Here's some pics:

Pam, Liz, Mel, & Alan
Books-A-Million in NLR handled the sales of my book beautifully! What a great group!

Kristal, Me, Anna and Annetta
These are my peeps from High School and Annetta's daughter!

My daddy. He's very proud. Though he did spend most of the day going around to everybody and asking them to tell me that my tattoo was a bad idea. Sorry, pop. Bad idea or not, it's permanent!

Me and Stacey
Another one of my good friends from high school. I'm feel very very blessed.

Community Bakery did a great job with my cake. it was very, very tasty.

Me signing Wendi's book.
Another friend of mine from high school!

Me signing Danny's book! Haven't seen Danny since I was 18.

It was a fab day! Thanks to my friend Robyn and her family for hosting the party. It was very special and it means a lot to me!

The Marshfield Vampire

Almost thirty years ago a guy in a small New England town killed his grandmother, burned her house down, and tried to drink her blood. He claimed he was a 700 year old vampire and that he needed to drink her blood, but that she was a dried up old woman and couldn't give him enough to survive. His name was Jim Riva and I knew him a little. He was the crazy guy who used to collect road kill.

Today he's eligible for parole.

Jim is a prime example of somebody who is, at least in my opinion, completely nuts. I also think he's a prime example of a nut who should stay in the nuthouse. But that doesn't mean I don't feel sympathy, only that I feel concern for public safety. His website once featured bizarre and disturbing artwork. It now contains a rambling and barely coherent personal statement: ( http://www.jamesriva.com/).

Jim spent some of his youth in mental institutions and told his mother for some time that he was a vampire, and that his grandmother was one as well, often feeding from him at night. I know some of Jim Riva's family, and they did try for years to get him help.

I bring it up not just because he is now eligible for parole, but because vampires are such a hot topic now. They weren't when this incident took place, in April of 1980. I had just started high school. Vampires suddenly became very hot in Marshfield. We've always been a little ahead of the curve.

This town is a little bit notorious for ghosts. Penelope Winslow, the daughter-in-law of the first Governor of Massachusetts, has been seen by at least one third of the people I know. (More about Penelope here.) Daniel Webster, who owned all of Green Harbor, was heard riding his horse Traveler all over this area at night until, some years back, the body of that horse was found on the hill above my property. He'd been buried standing up with his saddle on, just as legend said. When the folks who were digging a hole for their pool had Traveler re-interned the sound of hoofbeats stopped. His battle with the Devil was alleged to take place elsewhere. He loved Green Harbor, wrote about her often, and likely faced very few demons here. Though my home sits on his apple orchard and he caught fish in the river behind us. You never know.

Then again I had a horse at the time named Becky who was something of an escape artist, so it may not have been Traveler at all.

Green Harbor, a village of Marshfield, has its share of spooks, haunts, and even vampires. What are the infamous legends of your home town?

For more on Jim Riva:
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/weird/vampires/6.html
http://roswell.fortunecity.com/seance/500/killers/riva.html

Lap-Band..not dance

I've been doing a little research on Lap-Band surgery this week, and am considering doing it. Having no health insurance, this is a huge financial commitment for my family--but then again so is being obese without having health insurance.(I'm not insulting myself--technically, I am medically obese. It's just a word.)

So, I'm putting out to our blog readers. What's the word on your street? Have you had it? Thought about it? Decided against it? If you exercised four times a week and were on Weight Watchers for three months but only lost nine pounds, would you do it? If twelve pounds was the most you EVER lost on ANY eating plan, would you consider it?

ETA: the BITE ME! winner from Monday's contest is Maria D! Congrats Maria! Mel has your email and will contact you today!

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.

Pants On Fire

What's your first impression of this cover? Mine - the eyes draw you in, the title pretty blatantly tells you what the book is about to some degree and I feel like the heroine is well-represented. Were your impressions similar to that?

How would you feel if you found out the heroine of this book is actually a black girl with super short hair who is actually mistaken for a boy? (Hence the title.)

There's a small uproar on the net about this cover vs. the actual contents of the book and what it all means. Do black models make it harder to sell books? Would you buy a book that featured a model of a different race than you? Does the cover even matter?

What do you think?

who wants a copy of BITE ME! (and other stuff?)

First of all, I'd like to congratulate ALISON the winner from last week's contest! Please contact Rhonda: rhonda@rhondastapleton.com to claim your prize


So y'all know I've written a book, right? And y'all know that it is scheduled to hit the shelves tomorrow, right? So who wants to win a free autographed copy plus some BITE ME! swag, and a $25 Amazon gift certificate? Anyone?

Just in case you've been living under a rock, BITE ME! is the next big vampire novel. (or so I keep saying...you know, just putting it out there for the Universe to take and do something with)

AJ Ashe isn't your typical seventeen-year-old vampire—as if there is such a thing! She's stuck in the middle of a huge fight between her two BFFs. Her ex-boyfriend—whom she's still totally in love with, by the way—is now her stepbrother. A former classmate—who, um, she may or may not have turned into a vampire—is stalking her. And now, apparently, the fate of humankind lies in her little undead hands. What ever happened to the good old days, when all a vampire girl had to worry about was the occasional zit and hiding her taste for blood?

There are 4 different ways you can qualify to win:

1.If you're on Twitter tweet: BITE ME! By @MelissaFrancis hits the shelves this week. I can't wait

2 &3: If you're on Facebook, join my author fan page and my book group page. Click the banner and link below:


Have You Been Bitten?

4: Blog about BITE ME! on your own blog, myspace, or facebook page.


Once you've done your tasks, comment on this blog to let me know how hard you worked for your swag! Just leave me a comment like this:

awesomeblogreader:
I tweeted you under my name @awesomeblogreader
I joined your author page
I joined your book page
I blogged you at awesomebookreader.com

You get one entry for each thing you do, but you only have to leave 1 comment. Now, let's get the word out and get this party started!

ETA: Winner will be announced Friday! Contest closes Thursday, July 30!

Child's Play??

Like so many writers and avid readers, my childhood was filled with books. This week I've been working on a children's book that I promised to my nephew, Liam, who will be in first grade this fall. He, like his aunt before him, was too impatient to wait for the school system to teach him what those mystical symbols on the page were all about. He taught himself to read, and now spends his summer reading absolutely everything with gusto. He's close to a second grade level already, and can sit with a beginning book in his lap without any assistance. He knocked me off my feet about two weeks ago when, while sounding out words on the sports page of the Herald, he struggled for a few moments and then blurted out the word "intercollegiate."

Folks, I know college graduates who can't spell it, much less sound it out from the page.

So I promised him his very own book as a reward, and I'm working on it now. Since I intend to break every rule in the book to create it-- and since I don't know what I'm doing anyhow-- I'll self publish it.

You'd think that writing for children would be simple, since they are, right? The arrogance of that statement is why, I think, so many people find themselves stunned when they answer those crappy ads in magazines shouting "YOU CAN WRITE CHILDREN'S BOOKS." It's actually quite likely you can't. I've always been marginally aware that writing for younger people bears a greater responsibility. But until I sat down to pen something for beginning readers I'd never considered how much it took.

Try it. Write a sentence describing your sneakers. Use only vocabulary, sentence structure, and imagery a child of five to seven years can understand. It's not that simple. Now try to create a story rich enough to make a child who is being reared in technicolor HD magical boob-box-hood within the same parameters.

It makes me genuinely appreciate the absolute genius of Doctor Seuss, Maurice Sendak, and god-love-them, the people involved in Sesame Street.

I clearly remember the very first books I devoured, including Where the Wild Things Are, The Monster at the End of this Book, and everything Seuss. But like my nephew, I was quickly bored with anything that seemed to be addressing me as a child. I quickly moved on to slender, first novels. My teachers were not so much pleased as mortified to find me hunched over The Hobbit and Watership Down by second grade. They were probably right, too. I was intellectually fascinated but the darkness did frighten me, and I was most likely nowhere near emotionally ready.

Anyway, wish me luck on Liam's book. It's harder than I thought it would be, but I suspect I will be prouder of myself than I thought, too. This ain't child's play.

Bestest wedding ever

Because this video makes me absolutely giddy and reminds me why I write about love.