Some of you may remember my dear friend Dawn on Survivor a couple of seasons ago. While I was in England for seven weeks shooting Austenland, she was in the Philippines for seven weeks shooting Survivor. Though we didn't know it at the time. She was super secret.

Well, she's back in this season's Survivor: Caramoan! They're several episodes in, but if you want recaps, I love what Dalton Ross does at EW.

I love watching the show and rooting for a friend, but the most interesting part for me is reading what others (viewers, contestants voted off) say about Dawn. It's cool and it's heartbreaking. And a good reminder to me that what we see on TV isn't the whole story. Dawn is one of the best people I know. She is the first person in the neighborhood to notice a need and go rushing in to help. She genuinely loves and cares about people. She and her awesome husband adopted six awesome kids. She's very intelligent and funny and witty. But from watching a 45-minute show edited for some other purpose, you can't see her whole personality. You get an incomplete and sometimes false picture. This realization has made me less inclined to judge anyone I don't know by what a TV show or article or books shows me. I always wonder, but what's left out?

Of course this isn't only true of those visible in the media, is it? I mean, how well do I really know anyone? A few minutes here or there, edited out of their whole life. I have no right to judge anyone. I can't see their whole picture. I can't understand all that's going on inside their head.

Just my quick musing on a Monday morning amid a crazy book deadline. Time to go get inside my characters' heads...

I have taken
on a project
that has a
crazy deadline

and you were
probably expecting
timely
blog posts

Forgive me
I am a dervish
spinning and sweating
words elsewhere

I'm mostly shy about self-promoting. In my real life, I never bring up my profession with people I meet. When asked about it, I usually answer briefly and then change the subject. I've mentioned here before, I spent years doing school and book store visits usually without ever mentioning my books. But there are two consistent exceptions:

RAPUNZEL'S REVENGE and CALAMITY JACK, y'all!

I don't know why it's so much easier for me to tout these books. Probably because they're not mine alone. I co-wrote them with my husband Dean and artist (no relation) Nathan Hale.

Possibly also because they're FREAKIN' AWESOME.

Here's the thing about these books. Librarians who know them and stock them tell me they can't keep them on the shelves. I hear this constantly from school, public, and classroom libraries across the country: the kids fight over these books. The kids read them again and again. My avid readers read these books. My non-readers read these books. My non-readers became readers because of these books.

They're absolutely life-making for me, these comments.

Then I also hear: I can't find these books. Bookstores don't carry these books.

When we first wrote Rapunzel's Revenge, I couldn't name a single other graphic novel for young readers. Children's book publishers were not yet publishing graphic novels. We thought we'd have to try to publish it with a comics publisher. That world was new. Bloomsbury took up the book, and when we decided on a trim size, we chose a comic book size, because that was what had been established.

Shortly thereafter traditional children's publishing got into graphic novels in a huge way, and they all went for a smaller trim size, one that could fit on bookstore shelves beside other novels.

So my publisher, Bloomsbury, has decided to revisit these books. Since their reception by readers has
been so great but bookstores can't fit them on regular shelves, they are re-releasing both books in a smaller trim size. The smaller size will start replacing all the other books in about two months.

What does this mean?

Hopefully that you will start seeing these books regularly available in your local bookstores!

But it also means that the larger size will disappear. So if you like that size (I do) then BUY NOW!

And may I recommend? Boldly again, since I only speak about these books boldly. Buy the hardcover. They get re-read. Lots and lots. And paperbacks fall apart. So invest in the hardcover. That thing, as Nate says, will stop bullets.

Happy reading, and yee-ha!

When I was in sophomore English class, my teacher Ms. Barnes hit us with a revelation: The Author Is Not The Narrator.

I had never considered this possibility before.

In our essays, we got red marks against any phrase like, "The author believes," or "The author states that," correcting it to "The narrator states."

"In fiction, you cannot assume the opinions in a book are the author's, only the narrator's."

This is more obvious in a first-person narration. The narrator of Catcher in the Rye is Holden Caufield, not JD Salinger; the narrator of Jane Eyre is Jane, not Charlotte Bronte. But things get murkier with third person. Some third-person narrators are invisible, channeling only what the main character sees and knows. Some take a small step back, seeing and understanding a bit more than the main character can. Some go even further back, switching back and forth between two or more characters' POVs. Others are omniscient, understanding everything at once. Some, like To The Lighthouse, flow in and out of characters' consciousnesses. And still others are unnamed and yet have a presence and clearer personality.

The latter kind is the kind I write with for my adult novels: Austenland, Midnight in Austenland, and The Actor and the Housewife. I love the style and humor available to me with that narrator.

I assumed that everyone had a Ms. Barnes who cleared up the narrator/author thing in 10th grade, but I continually hear from adults who are confused.

"I can't tell if the opinions are Jane's or the author's," a reader of Austenland might complain.

The answer is: neither. The opinion is the narrator's. Unless it's stated in dialog, unless the narrator says it's the character's opinion, then the only thing you can be sure of is that it's the narrator talking. I am no more the narrator of my books than Julia Roberts is Erin Brocovich or Heath Ledger is the Joker. I am the artist channeling a character. All the characters, including the narrator.

It's not accurate to assume that the opinion of any of the character's is the author's opinion. Same of the narrator. The narrator is always character.

The narrator of Princess Academy likes to slow down and savor moments. She stays close to Miri and only reports what she knows, but uses words in a way Miri wouldn't. The narrator of The Actor and the Housewife has a lot of opinions. That narrator wants to laugh, sometimes with the characters and sometimes at them. The narrator of Book of a Thousand Days is Dashti, the main character, reporting in the very moment the action happens, though translated from her native tongue into English by an unknown narrator who had license with word choice and expression. The narrator of my book coming out next year is the main character, told in retrospect from a point after the action occurs. The narrator of the Books of Bayern is close to that of Princess Academy with a desire for richness, the dramatic, the imperative of each moment.

It is as fun for me to write different narrators as it is to write different characters. And my narrators are as much me as are all my characters. Ani and Selia, Ungolad and Geric, Miri and Dan, Tegus and Khasar, Rapunzel and Jack--they came from the same place as my narrators, and yet all speak with a different voice.

I was recently gifted a Kobo and now have read three books on the ereader. I like that it's not backlit. After working on my laptop, I don't want to stare at another screen. I like that I can purchase ebooks through my local bookstore for it and check out books from the library and hold many books in one small place. I don't like that it has to be recharged, turned off on airplanes, doesn't feel like a book or smell, I can't easily tell how far into the book I am, the formatting isn't beautiful but functional, etc. I can see the benefits of ebooks in certain circumstances, but I am far from converting entirely to electronic.

I'm not disgruntled about ebooks. I wish I liked them more--I'd love space for a dresser in my bedroom, but all the walls are taken up by book cases. I receive royalties for ebooks just as I do for paper books. But I do believe it's important to consider the consequences if ebooks take up too much market share.

Often ebook retailers who also sell e-readers sell ebooks at a loss in order to promote their e-readers. If ebooks are sold for significantly less than their hardcover and even paperback counterparts, it's less likely people will invest in the latter. Paper books will come to seem ridiculously overpriced. Which they are not. Publishing is not a fat cat industry. No one is getting rich (except a very few megaseller authors, which represent such a tiny percentage of the industry they're hardly worth mentioning). Look at anyone down the line: editor, agent, publisher, publicist, distributor, bookseller, author, and you see that everyone is trying to make a living and no one is wealthy. No one gets into any part of publishing with the intent of striking it rich (unless they're woefully ignorant). They do it because they love books and care about literacy.

So, what happens if ebook prices dip down lower and stay lower? Customers like that because they can buy books for less. HOWEVER, the smaller the print run of a paper book, the more expensive it is to publish, the less profit a publisher makes. If most editions sold of a book are electronic, publishers won't be able to afford printing hard copies. Many books would only be available electronically, and those in paper would be more expensive.

So what? Maybe everything goes digital in the future. Save the trees, right? But what about those who can't afford an e-reader? What about libraries, schools, kids? Right now, public libraries are "the great equalizer" as someone said. Anyone can have access to most any book for free in a library. But if some books are only available as an ebook, only those with readers will have access. Libraries are already underfunded. What will happen if fewer hard copies are printed and the prices go up?

I don't know how this will all play out, but I am concerned. Some say, keep the market open and don't be afraid of change. But the change I foresee isn't just a different industry, it's one that is actually smaller, more prone to monopolies, and less accessible by the poor and by children. I want quality literature. I want freedom of speech. I want all children and adults to have access to thousands of different books, any one of which might change their lives.

When I was about 18, I was in a community theater production of Robin Hood. As is so often the case with theater, there were more girls than guys who auditioned, but there were more guy than girl parts in the play. I was one of three girls cast as a silent, hooded "Merry Man." During rehearsals it quickly became ridiculous. Though we kept our hoods on all the time, three of us girls playing Merry Men were really bad at walking and moving like men. I remember talking with the lead male actors.

Me: Why do all of the Merry Men have to be men? I could still be a girl and be in the band.
Actor: But if there was a girl in the band, why wouldn't Robin fall in love with her and not Marian? We don't want to confuse the audience.

I was confused myself. Why would that even be an issue? The presence of a single woman in proximity to the lead other than the Love Interest would confuse the audience? In real life, do guys go around falling in love with every girl who happens to be nearby? Obviously, I thought, Marian happens to be Robin's type. He must like the polished, noble, girlie-girl, and a Merry Girl would be rough-and-tumble. What's confusing about that?

But it is. As I look at movies, especially action movies and animated movies, there are rarely any girls besides the Love Interest. Audiences are accustomed to this. The main character's Love Interest can have an elderly female friend, or even a comic-relief female friend her same age (so long as she's overweight, extremely quirky, lacking classical beauty features, etc.). But No Extra Girls Allowed. It's as if the only function of a female character is to be the Love Interest. So if there are, say, two female characters then the audience will be confused. But wait, there are two! Which is the Love Interest? We don't know who to expect will end up with the Lead and the unexpected is upsetting!

Just when I watch a film that's an exception--like Thor, which had several female characters (though male characters still represented the large majority)--I think, hey, we're over it! Then I see 4-5 action or animated movies in a row with an all male cast and one token female--the Love Interest.

I want to be conscious of this. I want all of us to be aware. Because I don't want to see the reverse happen either. In an effort to over-correct, are we doing that with the boys? In YA novels, do we have female characters with 1 male character (The Love Interest) or two if there's a triangle? I'm begging writers of movies and books, be respectful of the girls. Include them in the stories. Girls can be funny and interesting and daring and shy and adventurous and evil and anything a character should be.

Final post from squeetus guest blogger and teacher, Kirsten Wilcox. This post Kirsten addresses common mistakes parents make while helping their kids learning to read.



Covering up the pictures:  Even if your child is on a beginning level and you feel they are just “memorizing the words” they are still reading.  DO NOT COVER UP THE PICTURES!  If they have “memorized” the words they are still benefitting from reading the book, especially if you have them point to the words as they are reading it.  Each time they look at the word and read it correctly it is working its way into their memory. 



Getting books that are above their child's reading level:  Don’t get anxious and buy harder books because you want them to grow.  This will slow their learning down rather than speed it up and will cause confidence issues.  



Continuing to read with a child when they are frustrated and angry:  When a child is angry they are unable to concentrate, focus or think.  This will only lead to more anger from both child and parent, and confirm their belief that they don’t like reading.  Try saying, “I can see that your angry right now, and need a little time to cool down.  Go get a drink and let me know when you’re feeling better about things”.  Sometimes they’ll insist they are ready even when you know they aren’t.  I usually say, “I love you too much too read with you when you’re upset.  We need to take a few minutes to calm down”.  They don’t need to go to time out, and it doesn’t need to be a consequence.  When working with my foster boy, he would sometimes throw a raging fit about it, but he quickly learned it just made things last longer.   I never talked to him about it when he was in the angry state.  I learned from their therapist that kids can’t process what you are saying when they are angry.  It is better to talk to them about things when they have calmed down and their mind can listen and think things through.  



Telling a child to sound it out whenever they come to a word they don't know: Sounding out a word is only one strategy and isn’t the answer to everything.  Many words can’t be sounded out.  I usually say, “Let’s say the sounds of the first couple of letters and see if the word ‘pops’ in our head”.  Or I just completely use the other strategies all together. 

Correcting a word immediately after the child makes a mistake:  Sometimes when reading the child will read the word wrong.  Let them continue reading to the end of the sentence to see if they can figure out that the word didn’t make sense.  If they go back and correct it on their own, praise them for it.  If they don’t go back, ask them if what they just read made sense.  



Getting frustrated when a child can't figure out a word or saying, "You just read that word!!!"  :D  This can be frustrating for us as adults, but even if a child just read a word, or it is a word you just talked about, they might need to see it and read it 500 more times before it becomes rote.  This is all part of the learning process and it’s ok.  How many things do we need to hear and do before we get something new down correctly? 



Not reading with their child on a daily basis (even when they've made it to chapter books):  I know it takes a lot of time, and is extremely difficult.  I’ve experienced this first hand, but reading with your child 20-30 minutes each day is so important especially if they’re struggling.  If it is too much time for them you can break it up into smaller pieces.  Let part of the time be talking about the pictures and the book.  Practice sight words with your child (there are many apps that help kids learn sight words you can use for part of the reading time). 

The most important thing is to have fun with it and keep it positive.  :D

THANK YOU, Kirsten! Your tips are timely for me. What are your thoughts? Any other traps you've caught yourself falling into? What's worked for you and your kids?

Continuing on with our 3-part series, welcome back squeetus guest blogger, Kirsten Wilcox, 1st grade teacher, literacy specialist, and darn fine lady. Next I asked Kirsten what parents can do with emerging readers if they're struggling with comprehension.

There are different things you can do with them.  Make sure you are reading with them when they read.  Stop after every few sentences and talk about what was read.  Here are some comprehension strategies I like:

Predict:  Have your child tell you what they think will happen next.
Retell or Summarize:  Have them tell you what they just read--do this every few sentences or paragraphs.  Don’t wait till a whole chapter has been read.
Make Connections:  Have your child tell you what the book reminds them of.  (ie. The Little Red Hen: This book reminds me of when my brother wouldn’t help me clean up our room, or when mom made us homemade bread, etc.) They can also make connections to other books (This book reminds me of Chicken Little because they both had Hens in it). 
Make a picture in their head:  Have them describe or draw what they are seeing when they read a part in the story.  This is a skill some kids have to develop. 
Questioning:  Probably the one we’re the best at.  Asking basic questions, but just because your child can answer the basic questions doesn’t mean they have good comprehension.
Inferring:  Many times kids can ask the basic questions but have trouble with inferring, where I believe true comprehension comes into play.  For example: Once I was doing a reading group with some third graders.  We were reading Stuart Little.  There is a part in the book where the cat is talking to another cat about how frustrated he is having to share his home with a mouse he isn’t allowed to eat.  Meanwhile a bird is sitting on top of a lightpost listening to their conversation.  The other cat says he will go to the home and eat the mouse for him.  That night Stuart Little finds a note saying he is in danger and needs to leave.  When I asked the students, “Who do you think left the note?”  No one could figure it out.  We ended up reading it three times before someone finally said, “It was the bird!”  A good rule of thumb is, when reading with your child, whenever your mind does something or thinks something, check to see if your child’s mind did the same thing.  You would be surprised at how much they might be missing. 
When reading any book, let your child look at the pictures and stop to talk about it.  This processing time is just as important as the time spent reading the words.

If your child is struggling with fluency: 

First of all, fluency isn't just reading fast.  I tell my first graders, it's making your reading sound like talking.  It includes reading smoothly, reading with expression, and phrasing correctly.  Fluency and comprehension go hand in hand.  Many times if a child is having trouble with fluency they are also struggling with comprehension and vice versa. 

One thing that can help with fluency is pair reading.  When you pair read with your child, read the book together at the same time matching your speed to theirs.  As your child starts to read more smoothly stop reading with them, when they start to get choppy, join in again.  I always prepare my students before doing this.  I tell them we are going to read together, but if I stop reading they should continue to read without stopping. 

I also really like the You Read To Me, I Read To You books by Mary Ann Hoberman.  They are fun to read with your child to help build fluency and the kids really like them.  I wouldn’t start this until your child is at least on an F or G reading level. 

It also helps children to hear fluent reading.  Reading to your child can be effective.  If you feel you aren’t a good reader, you can have your child listen to books on cd or audio books on the kindle or ipad.  They should listen while following along with the book. 

Reading books more than once is huge when working with fluency.  If it is a chapter book I always pick a paragraph for them to read a few times working on fluency.  Many times I try to find a paragraph with quotes, because phrasing can be tricky and imperative to comprehension.  It can also help them work on their reading expression. 

Today I have a guest blogger! I asked first grade teacher, literacy specialist, and all around fab lady Kirsten Wilcox to give some advice to parents with beginning or struggling readers.

Wow this is a loaded question.  :D  

First of all, if you have a child that is young or in the pre-reading stage, phonemic awareness is a great way to give them a boost for when they start reading. Phonemic Awareness is playing with words and sounds without print or letters.  It is all auditory. For example, reading them books, singing songs, playing with rhymes, clapping syllables, changing the first letter of a word, alliteration, breaking words apart, blending sounds together to make a word are all good exercises.  Nursery rhymes and singing songs with your child at a young age is a great way to build their foundation for reading.  Reading to your children daily is also extremely beneficial. 

When a child has learned the names and sounds of the alphabet and are able to start blending sounds together they are in the first stages of reading.  When reading with a child, it is critical that children are reading books on an independent (98% accuracy) or instructional (95% accuracy) level.  Anything beyond that is frustrating and will not be beneficial.  A good note of thumb is if it's frustrating or difficult for you to listen to, it's probably frustrating for the child trying to do the reading.  Confidence is key!  

Make sure you are consistently telling them what a good reader they are.  Try to keep things positive.  If they're getting upset go to an easier book for a while. 

When I first started reading with my 10 year old foster boy, he would get extremely angry and upset whenever he had to stop and fix a word, or got to a word he didn’t know.  I knew I needed to keep things positive even though it was difficult.  I would never continue until he calmed down.  When kids are angry and upset their “brains turn off” (just an expression I use).  I told him we needed to get our reading done before he could play, etc but I couldn’t read with him till he was calm.  I also got some m&m’s and every time he came to a word he didn’t know and was able to stay calm and figure it out with my help he would get an m&m.  Sometimes we have to get creative in helping our kids to feel ok about making mistakes.  They many times have ingrained in their mind that they are stupid or CAN’T do it.  If their mind believes they can’t do it, they really can’t.  Confidence is everything, so if they’re struggling, the first step is to build their confidence through praise and finding them books they can be successful with, even if it means going back a level or two for a while.  Sometimes one step back will gain two steps forward in the end. 

When a child gets stuck on a word help them use reading strategies to figure it out.  If you see them getting overly frustrated, it's ok to just tell them the word once in a while especially if it's a word you know they aren't going to be able to figure out. 

Some of my favorite strategies are: Look at The Picture,  Look for a word Inside the word (ie: hand),  look for parts you know (ie: playing), Skip the word and read to the end of the sentence (I always tell my students when using this strategy to remember to go back and see if they can get it),  Think about what makes sense, Think of the first word that “pops” in your head.  


As a child uses these strategies, I praise them for it by saying "That's what good readers do".  For instance, if a child reads a word wrong but then fixes it on their own I say, "Great job self correcting!  That's what good readers do!"  Or if I see a child look at the picture to try and figure out a word I say, "Great job looking at the picture.  That's what good readers do."  




Preparing a child before they read a book is also very effective.  When starting a new book with a child I always tell them the title. We look at the cover and I have them predict what they think the book is going to be about.  We then go on a “picture walk”.  Go through each page looking at the pictures.  Have the child talk about what they see and what they thing is going to happen.  As they are looking and talking about the pictures, scan the words and look for words you know they will have trouble with.  Use those words over and over again as you talk about the picture with your child.  Sometimes I even point out the word on the page.  I say, “look at this word.  It’s a hard one.  This says….).  Sometimes I say, “laugh is a hard word.  Do you think you can find it on this page?"  Then we talk about it.  I keep it light and joke with them.  I say, “what a crazy word!” and read it the way it would sound if I said the sound of each letter. They usually laugh and I say, “No one knows why that word is spelled that way, it’s a red word.  It doesn’t follow the rules”.  Basically you are preparing them to read the book, so when it comes time for them to read it they are more successful.

Thanks, Kirsten! We'll hear more from her later. What do you think? Anything she said surprise you? Any strategies that have worked for you?

reposted from Dec 2011:

Dear reader/writer/event organizer,

Thank you for the email/letter/blog comment. I really do care that you reached out to me. You asked so kindly if I would read your manuscript/answer questions for your school project/sign and return your books. Surely I'm no busier than you are. We're all busy. The very least you deserve is a response. But silence followed.

The truth is, it really would be in my best interest to blurb your book/be interviewed on your blog/attend your book event. Publicity is important for any author and you were so kind to think of me. You must think me rude for not responding to your email/Facebook message/tweet. You may have expected more from me. After all, I sound so accessible on my blog/Facebook/interviews. And we have a personal connection since we're from the same place/have a friend in common/both like cheese fries. Surely I'm the kind of person who doesn't get so full of herself she ignores the common reader?

I don't have great excuses, just the usual of kids/books/sloppy brain syndrome. In all sincerity, I feel guilty about my ineptitude at responding to your kindness. Every day. I can't respond to everyone, of course. That would be impossible unless I had a personal assistant/magic time expander/clone. But because you were so awesome with your request, I fully intended to respond to you, and then a baby woke up/I realized I hadn't eaten all day/I plumb forgot. I hope you don't take this personally. You are a noble woman/man/giant ant deserving of real attention. You know what would be awesome? You should go ahead and become a famous writer/entertainer/cheese fry chef and when I ask you for something, you should ignore me! Justice, baby.

Take care, enjoy this snow/rain/sunshine, and I hope one day you can forgive me. I really am sorry.

Cheers/xoxo/sincerely,
Shannon.

My prediction:

1. Some people who love the book will love the movie
2. Some who hate the book will love the movie
3. Some who love the book will hate the movie
4. Some who only liked the book will love the movie
5. Some who loved the book will only like the movie
6. Some will be indifferent to both
7. And some will decorate their bedroom with JJ Feild/Ricky Whittle/Bret McKenzie/James Callis posters

I fall in category 1, and I hope most people will!  But there's really no way to ever guess how anyone will respond. I can tell you that the crowd reaction to the Sundance screenings was marvelous. Laughter was constant. There were visible meltings at romantic moments and audible "ahh"s too. It's not exactly like the book. I think it helps to prepare yourself for that. Jane's story is a little different, some of the characters aren't quite the same, some scenes don't make it from book to movie but most of your favorites do. Women reported to me that they left the movie feeling swoony and happy. Men (and some women too) reported to me that they didn't expect to like it but couldn't remember the last time they'd laughed out loud so much. What will you think? You'll have a chance to find out this summer! As more info on the movie's release emerge, you can be sure I'll post them here.

Jerusha Hess said, "We wanted to make a movie for all you Jane Austen fans, and we wanted to make a movie for all you who think Jane Austen fans are funny."

A couple of Austenland clips have been released. The first one you can view at mtv.com. This scene Jerusha and I wrote just for the screenplay. While the ladies don't go shooting in the book, we wanted another activity that they do at Austenland, and hunting on a country estate seemed perfect. So we expanded the horseback riding scene into this. I love the visuals of it!

The second scene was in the book, though it might be a bit different than you imagined. What do you think?

So much has happened. So much goodness and craziness. I hardly know how to organize my thoughts. I have a bunch of crappy phone photos so maybe I'll just paste those in.

On the "red carpet." When I first arrived I was the only one. I posed for photos. Awkwardly. Such a relief when the actors came and took the attention.

I have a photo of the three of us almost exactly like this from four years ago, the first time we three got together to talk about the movie. (I don't have a photo cred for this one but it's not mine, couldn't find the source, sorry.)

Jerusha Hess (Austenland director) and I backstage before the premiere in Park City. I love her.

The audience as I came up on stage after the screening with the cast, director, and Stephenie.Watching the film with a huge, sold out crowd, hearing their honest and constant laughter (and sometimes gasps) gave me goosebumps and made me cry. Surreal, beautiful experience.

On stage for the Q&A. The entire cast flew out for Sundance (Georgia King and Jennifer Coolidge didn't arrive till after the premiere due to filming their respective TV series) You can watch the video of that Q&A here.

With Jane Seymour (Mrs. Wattlesbrook) and her real life sister Annie (Patience the maid). These two were dear friends of mine on set and it was a joyous reunion when I saw them again. Annie flew in from England!

I got Ricky Whittle to eat a vegetable.

My agent Barry with Lady Jane.

More Ricky! With some amazing nachos. I love this boy.

And even more Ricky! Given some of the photos I had with me and Ricky on set, I thought it only fair that I get one with my husband and Ricky embracing, just to be fair.

The fabulous Jennifer Coolidge and Jerusha's assistant and my friend Erica. Great ladies. Hours of excellent convo.

How about some crappy, self-shot iphone photos?

With Ricky and Jared Hess (Jerusha's husband, Napoleon Dynamite director, and as you can see, ultra-serious and highbrow.)

Jerusha and JJ Feild (Mr. Nobley). He even looks good in this crappy photo. We think Jeru and JJ look like siblings.

Ricky, Steph, Annie, and part of Jane's face. Everyone was so happy to be together again! Lovely, lovely crew.

Jerusha and I after the Odgen screening last night (thanks for the photo, Rachel). So awesome to hear people laugh at lines I wrote, really enjoy something we worked so hard on. Truly a gift. When people read my books, they're alone. It is special to be present when people are enjoying something I've worked on.

After the Ogden screening, I ran into my former high school Drama teacher Cindy Hunt! So excited to see her. And when I got on my phone to show her a photo of my husband, I found a text informing me that Austenland sold to Sony for distribution! WAHOO!

From last post, many of you were curious what I do for a school assembly. It just so happens that I can show you. In the fall I did an assembly at the Brooklyn Friends School in New York City that was live webcast to 100+ other schools through School Library Journal. SLJ has the webcast archived, and you can view it for free. You need to register to view it. If you see it let me know what you think, 'cause I will not be watching it. 'Cause it's my own voice and face.

(Friday is the premiere of Austenland at the Sundance Film Festival. I will report back to you on Monday. Excited and nervous, excited and nervous...)

When I wrote my first book, The Goose Girl, I didn't know I was writing a children's book. I thought I was writing a fantasy novel with a young protagonist, completely ignorant of the whole young adult category of books that had spread while I was in my 20s. I remember the first time I visited The King's English, my local indie bookstore, as a newly minted author and talked to bookseller Margaret about doing a possible event.

"Do you do school visits?" she asked.

"Sure, I do anything," I said, eager to be accommodating and to promote my baby any way I could.

But I was thinking, School visit? What does that even mean?

There were no author school visits when I was growing up. I had no idea that children's authors were expected to go around doing assemblies and no idea what on earth I was supposed to talk about. But I was determined to figure it out before Margaret and everybody else discovered I was a fraud who didn't deserve to be a children's author.

Jump ahead ten years. I've done at least 100 school assemblies and classroom presentations, perhaps double that. I've seen other authors do presentations and talked to a lot of teachers, librarians, booksellers, and authors. I've learned a lot. Let me impart here my wisdom, grasshopper. Please ask any school visit related questions in the comments, and I'll answer what I can next post. (Note: I'm not writing this to solicit school visits. With four small children at home, I'm not looking for anything extra for at least a couple more years.)

AUTHORS ARE PAID FOR DOING SCHOOL VISITS

I got an MFA in Creative Writing. Here's how MFA programs are staffed: excellent writers with MFAs of their own and professionally published (and usually award-winning) books teach in order to keep writing, because the royalties from their excellent literary and poetic works aren't enough to support them. In order to keep their jobs teaching, they must keep writing and publishing. In order to have enough money to support their writing, they must keep teaching. And students benefit by getting real working writers as their instructors.

This is basically the system with children's book authors. There isn't as much money in children's books as books for adults: smaller advances and smaller percentages of lower cover prices. In order to pay the bills, children's writers often do school visits. It's good for them to supplement their income, allowing them to keep writing, and it's good for the kids who get to hear from real working writers who sincerely care about kids and books.

FREE SCHOOL VISITS ARE THE EXCEPTION NOT THE NORM

Authors often do family's and neighborhood's schools for free. School visits for touring authors are usually free. When I'm on book tour, my publisher contacts the local bookstore where we'll be visiting. The bookstore arranges a couple of school visits with schools with whom they have a relationship, sending home fliers with the students so they can preorder any of my books. When I get to the school, I sign and personalize any preorders, then I do the assembly. Which is counter-intuitive, because after the assembly, after they know who I am and what my books are, they all want one, but unfortunately it's a tour so I won't be here tomorrow to sign any post-orders.

I like doing school visits on tour. I like getting to meet the kids and getting them excited about reading. And I have every intention of continuing to do them. I'm in their town, I'd rather talk with kids than just sit in my hotel. But those visits are often not perfect, partly because they're unpaid.

PAID VISITS ALWAYS GO BETTER

This is my observation: 95% of paid school visits go topnotchfantastic, 30% of unpaid school visits go topnotchfantastic. There are problems with the free school visit. There's less motivation for educators to prepare the kids for the visit. It's free, after all.

And sometimes they just don't go down at all. I cannot count how many times I've showed up for a free school visit arranged through a bookstore for my tour or through a book festival to discover that no one at the school remembered I was coming. Either they apologize and turn me away or else hastily gather a dozen kids from some class to meet me in the library. Often, I've had 4-5 hours of sleep, gotten up at dawn to catch a flight to that town in order to get there in time for the morning school visit that no one remembered or cared about. Why didn't they? Because they weren't paying for it. Truth I've learned: we value what we pay for.

PAID OR UNPAID, A SCHOOL'S PREPARATION IS WHAT MAKES A SCHOOL VISIT ROCK

Imagine you're a kid. Your teacher says, "Put away your notebooks, we're going to an assembly." You shuffle into the gym, not knowing what to expect. The librarian takes the microphone and says, "We have a special event today! Mrs. Blah-blah-blah (who you've never heard of) is here to talk to you about writing books!" And then Mrs. Blah-blah-blah, yet another adult who wants to talk at you, does just that for an excruciating 45 minutes while your bum gets sore sitting on the gym floor.

Now imagine instead that a week before the assembly, the librarian visits your classroom and does a 5 minute talk about the visiting author. And your teacher reads one of the author's books to your class. And the PTA gets involved helping students do projects to prepare for the author's visit. And by the time the assembly comes, you are so excited. You are more excited to meet this author than that uber-famous scantily clad singer or youtube star. You read her book! And visited her website! And she's actually coming to talk to you IN YOUR SCHOOL! Imagine how thrilling when the author comes on stage, shows you photos, talks about storytelling, calls on you to answer a question, chooses you to come up and help with a storytelling activity. How you can't wait to go home and tell your parents the most amazing things that happened in school today! And hey, can we go to the library and check out a book, because I know you usually have to pull my teeth to read but that one book the author talked about looks SO GOOD.

PREPARATION. I CANNOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH. PREPARATION.

Some schools have so much fun with the preparation, the creativity blows my mind. Awesome, awesome educators. Schools where the educators prepared the students for my visit, the assemblies went 1000x better, and students were still buzzing about the assembly and reading my books and other books I recommended for months after.

YES, ULTIMATELY SCHOOL VISITS ARE ABOUT SELLING BOOKS

Many educators and parents are rightly wary of bringing in an author to essentially tout their wares for a captive young audience. I've seen school visits that were no more than a long advertisement for the author's books. I don't approve of that, but it happens. But other visits are hands-down the best assemblies I've ever seen and everyone leaves so jazzed about reading and writing, feeling great about themselves and excited about stories and learning. And you know what books those kids most want to read next? That author's books of course. And that's great! As long as that author's books are great and worth of those kids' time.

BEFORE BOOKING AN AUTHOR, READ THAT AUTHOR'S BOOK(S)

A school visit is a combination of two things: how good that author is as a presenter, and how worthy that author's books are of being read. Just the fact that someone wrote a book is not enough to qualify him/her of doing a school visit (paid or unpaid) just as the fact of someone publishing any book is enough to qualify him/her of teaching in an MFA program. So first, read one of the books. You know quality. What about the presentation itself?

GET RECOMMENDATIONS FROM EDUCATORS

Educators who have had that author in the school can tell you if it was worth the students' time. I wouldn't trust anyone else's recommendation.

SCHOOL VISITS AREN'T ONLY ABOUT SELLING BOOKS

For authors, they're also about giving back, and reaching the kids, and spreading the love of reading and learning. It's an awesome part of this profession.

I was shy about talking about my books for a long time. That's kind of an understatement. I'd say for the first 4-5 years I did school visits, I never mentioned any of my books unless someone happened to ask me a direct question during the Q&A portion. I didn't want to seem like I was hawking my wares, I didn't want to be petty and self-interested. But I realize now (after much feedback from others) that that was silly. Kids sometimes need a hook to get interested enough to ready any book. Sometimes that hook is meeting the author. I don't only talk about my books, of course, but I've learned that people actually do want to hear something about them.

When kids are prepared for an assembly, and the author presentation is a good one, those kids never forget. They remember that author, that assembly, those books years later. And for so many of them, that moment is the one that made them want to be a reader after all.

Hey, so you've noticed that girls will read anything, but boys often refuse to read a book about a girl. And you've thought, that's ridiculous. A book is a good book, a character is an interesting character, regardless of gender. Besides, reading represents the ability to empathize with other human beings, and it's going to be a long, tough life for boys if they can't empathize with 50% of the population of the world!

You want the boys in your life to read books with leading girls, but at the same time you're hesitant to recommend anything to them that's too "girlie" for fear of turning them off the book and helping to cement that no-girls-allowed prejudice. Have no fear! Here are some excellent books in many genres that have female main characters but don't emphasize romance or "girl issues" (ew, cooties!).

Ps. some of them are by me. SHAMELESS.

Middle Grade

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park
Icefall by Matthew Kirby
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon & Dean Hale, illustrated by Nathan Hale
Kiki Strike (and series) by Kirsten Miller
Leviathan (and series) by Scott Westerfeld
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede
Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
A Wrinkle in Time (and series) by Madeleine L'Engle (good graphic novel too)
Protector of the Small quartet by Tamora Pierce
The Circle of Magic (and series) by Tamora Pierce
The Cabinet of Earths by Anne Nesbit
Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull
Kat Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis
Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
The Wee Free Men (and series) by Terry Pratchett
Palace Beautiful by Sarah DeFord Williams
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Dragonflight (and series) by Anne McCaffrey
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Zita the Space Girl by Ben Hatke


Teen

Uglies (and series) by Scott Westerfeld
Liar by Justine Larbalestier
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
The Goose Girl (and series) by Shannon Hale
Prophecy by Ellen Oh
Legend by Marie Lu
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Sabriel by Garth Nix
Blackbringer by Laini Taylor
The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
The Books of Pellinor by Alison Croggon
The Nation by Terry Pratchett
Cold Fury by T.M. Goeglein
Heist Society series by Ally Carter
Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Wow, that's an awesome list of books, and I know there are many more. Let me know what I should add to the list.

The first time I was asked the question, "Why do you choose to write strong female characters?" I was surprised. My first book was based on the tale of "The Goose Girl," and I had purposely chosen not to greatly alter her from her fairy tale form of the sheltered, often weak, unsure and untested girl into a battle-ready fantasy heroine. I believed she gathered her own strength and came into her self through the story, and I found her interesting and realistic, but I never thought, "I want to make her STRONG."

I continued on the receiving end of that question after publishing Enna Burning, Princess Academy, River Secrets, Book of a Thousand Days. I love my girl characters. I think they're different from one another, have various strengths and weaknesses like anybody does. I do think they're strong in their own ways. But I never make the decision "I'm going to write strong females in my books," a sort of inorganic goal to turn a character away from her natural tendencies of weakness into a statement of girl power. Yet that's what that question seems to imply.

So usually the way I answer the question is to say, "I think I'm writing realistic female characters."

But of course no one asks "why do you write realistic female characters?" because that would be silly. Surely every author seeks to have realistic characters. Why I wince is "strong females" doesn't seem to be considered synonymous with "realistic females," and in my experience, they should be.

Yet the question continued after publishing Rapunzel's Revenge, Calamity Jack, Forest Born, Palace of Stone. "Why do you write strong female characters?"

And here's the thing: no one has ever asked me, "Why do you write strong male characters?"

Because I do. I have loads of male characters. Two of those books I mentioned the main character is male, and all of them have several major male characters. Razo, Finn, Geric, Jack, Talone, Tegus, Khasar, Ungolad, His Radiance, Brute, Blunderboar, Peder, Pa, Timon, Sileph... And yet never once that question.

And that's the part that disturbs me. The heart of the question implies that if a male character is "strong" that's to be expected, because boys and men are strong. Normal. Default. Go about your business. But if a female character leads a story, does stuff, has a voice and a purpose and changes her life or others' lives or starts or stops a war or makes a stand or has power then it's newsworthy, because that's not expected, not true to life. Not normal. Not our default assumption about girls. So stop and take note.

I know I shouldn't still be surprised by that question, but I am, every time. When I began writing novels, I assumed I wouldn't have to prove my right as a woman writer or have to dig out a place for female characters. I thought people who had come before me had already done that, writers like Tamora Pierce, Robin McKinley, Anne McCaffrey, Ursula LeGuin. I felt like I didn't have the burden of screaming back at the world, "a girl can carry an action story, look, look!" While writing I'd decided that sexism didn't even exist in my fantasy worlds and I never had to wrestle with it. In my worlds, girls do stuff and nobody thinks two things about it.

But it turns out that my books aren't published in my fantasy worlds. They're published in this world. And people still do think two things about it, or three or four. And I'm surprised. But...but...didn't we already get over this years ago? Don't we already agree that girls are interesting and diverse, as are boys?
Are "strong female characters" really so rare that we note them, call them out as extraordinary?

I don't want anyone to worry that I think badly of you or judge you if you've used that phrase. I absolutely know that every interviewer or reader who has asked me that means absolutely the best by it. And I know that the phrase "strong female characters" means different things for different people. For example:
1. female characters who are interesting and realistic
This is broad, includes so-called villains. This is the definition I prefer and believe.
2. girls who are just as strong as boys!
This implies that "male" is the definition of strong. And inserting "female" into the male role of action and decision making and power is what makes her strong.

Too often in stories, it's okay if there's only one female character, just as long as she's "strong." There's a falseness to this, a board room mentality. Diversity of characters is more important than strength. Because realistic characters should always be the goal. Not a stilted desire to make them appropriately strong. Not the subtle fear that, in the real world, girls really aren't as interesting or note-worthy or powerful as boys and therefore if a female character is there should be a great hurrah for breaking stereotypes and teaching girls everywhere that they can be "as good as the boys!"

Characters. Just characters. With strengths and flaws--which really just means: with personalities. Male and female. Old and young. Interesting. And worth reading about.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and hello! We're snowed in here and feeling cozy. About to go write for a couple of hours and thought I'd drop a few lines to say what I've got in store in 2013 (since the world isn't ending...yet).

No new book in 2013. Prepare yourself for a shocker: toddler twins have slowed me down a bit. I outlined my current novel in 2005, finished the first draft in 2009, and hope to finish the final in January 2013, pubbing in early 2014. It's been a doozy of a book. I've cut about 300 pages overall. But I like it! I really, really hope you will too. I've worked SO hard on this. Promise me you will love it? Cross your heart?

Well, I sort of have a new book in 2013. I wrote a short story for the new GUYS READ anthology, edited by the marvelous Jon Scieszka, theme: fantasy and science fiction. I believe that will pub in the fall.

See my events page for stuff. So far:

AUSTENLAND premieres at the Sundance Film Festival January 18.

I'll be speaking at the Family Literacy Symposium in Provo, Utah.

I'll be in La Verne, San Diego, and Los Angeles doing events in February.

Teens, come join me at the Teen Author Boot Camp in March.

In May we'll do our annual fab 1-day writers' workshop Writing for Charity, TBA.

Check here for ongoing news about the AUSTENLAND movie, title and jacket of my new book, some teasers for the first book of THE PRINCESS IN BLACK series (book 1 pubbing fall '14), and other such niceties. Thanks for stopping by squeetus.

Have I mentioned I have news? Yes indeed, I do. Austenland the movie is an official selection of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

Yeeha! Yippee! Callooh Callay!

For those of you who aren't sure what this means, it's a BIG FREAKIN' DEAL. Sundance is widely considered the largest and most prestigious film festival in the United States and a top four fest worldwide (alongside Cannes, Toronto, and Venice). Besides being a huge honor, it's a chance to showcase our film in an incredible venue full of incredible people. Many films discovered at Sundance have gone on to receive wide theatrical distribution, such as Napoleon Dynamite, The Usual Suspects, The Blair Witch Project, Precious, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Little Miss Sunshine. Huge congrats to director Jerusha Hess and the outstanding cast and crew who worked so hard and are exquisitely talented to boot. I just wanna hug 'em all, the unbearable cuties.

Now I'm anticipating your follow-up question: "But how can I see it?"

Good question! You are so smart. If you're able to attend Sundance, go! Sundance takes place in Utah at the end of January and will be chock full of outrageously great filmage. This here is the registration page for the festival that explains how to get tickets. (P.S. I can't get you tickets.)

"What if I want to see it in my local theater?"

I very much hope Austenland will be in theaters worldwide, but I have no news on that front. Rest assured as soon as such news exists, and other lovely bits such as theatrical trailers and whatnot, I will crow loudly about it here, on twitter and facebook.

In the meantime,if you haven't read the book, hey, what perfect timing. You can buy it from your local bookstore (find yours here) or from mine, The King's English. Or Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other fine retailers. Or go to your local library. If they don't have a copy, most libraries are happy to have patrons request desired books. And did you know there's a companion book out in paperback, Midnight in Austenland? [end shameless self promotion]

Hey, did I also mention: Sundance, baby! Yeeha! Yippee! Callooh Callay! And of course, Tallyho!

This summer I took my girls to a toddler splash pool, which was daring of me frankly. We rarely go anywhere. But it was summer, and hey, it was worth a shot. With one walking around the shore trying to break into other people's treat bags and the other adventurously leaping to her possible death in 2 feet of water, I kept busy. The other mothers kept looking over at me. At first I thought it was the natural "that poor lady has twins" gaze that I've gotten used to. But there was more staring than normal. And it seemed somewhat annoyed. Were my girls exceeding the allowed toddler rambunctiousness?

Finally I said to the nearest mother, "Please let me know if my girls are bothering your kids."

She said, "Oh no they're fine."

A beat.

"So, did you make that yourself?"

Make what?

This is how slow I am. It never even occurred to me that they were all staring because I was wearing this:

-minus the husband.

Going to the splash pool had been a last minute decision, and frankly, I hadn't had time to shave. So I was like, hey I'll wear that swimming costume with bloomers I don't get enough use out of. It was cute and also conveniently cover-upper-y. I put it on and didn't think about it again, which seems odd, I know. I guess my whole mind was occupied with toddler twins.

I looked back on the stares, the concern, the apprehension and annoyance from the moms, and finally realized they were simply reacting to my outfit. They didn't know what to make of me. I was wearing an odd costume to a splash pool! Without showing any shame! Or at least breaking out into the Charleston. Was I a lunatic? An attention freak? A sister wife?

The truth was so much simpler. I was a frazzled mother of twins that hadn't had time to shave.

Thanks so much for the discussion the last two posts. As I said, it has disturbed me over the last few years how common, acceptable, and often admirable it's become to hate fans of Twilight and its creator. But this is just one spark in a much bigger sky.

October was devoted to bullying awareness. We know bullying is epidemic and so damaging. My heart breaks hearing news story after news story of children as young as 12 committing suicide because of bullying. And those who were the bullies are victims now too, children who should have known better but maybe didn't, and now they are forever changed by driving someone to take their own life. How much do you just want to reach out right now and hug every child who feels alone, who is harassed at school for looking or acting different, who honestly feels that no one could ever love her or him?

It was interesting to contemplate the bullying epidemic during a month leading up to a major election. On one side, people were speaking out against bullying, trying to bring awareness to kids of everyone's humanity and encouraging kindness. And on the other side, people were ranting and raging and spewing hate against the other political party.

Like many of you, I have close friends, family, and acquaintances that are both fervent Republicans and fervent Democrats. And during this election I had the chance to hear them both speak about the other side. I heard words like "hate" and "evil" and "idiots." I watched people either not listen to the other side at all or listen only to pick through their words for proof of their evilness and idiocy. I heard adults speak degradingly about other human beings as if those with different opinions didn't deserve to live. And speak like that in front of their children.

I wonder about the bullies. I wonder what their parents are like at home.

And so I keep coming back to the conclusion that it's not okay to hate anyone. Not even a politician who you believe is trying to take away your civil rights or your job. Not someone whose religion offends you or who deems your sacred religion as ridiculous. Not the referee at a sports game who made a bad call. Not the troll online who writes profane and hurtful comments. Not anyone who disagrees with us or hurts us. We know that hate actually physically hurts the hater. It's bad for the health. But it's so noxious it spreads out from us too. Children watch and listen.

By hating someone or a group of someones we're denying them humanity. We're stating that there are people in this world who don't deserve respect. That life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness only apply to those who agree with us. By hating anyone (even those we believe deserve it), adults are showing children that it's okay to hate some people. That politician. That extreme liberal/conservative group. That religion. That race. That kid in class who smells like urine. That girl who clearly never washes her hair because her family lives in their car. That boy who seems gay and has no friends. That kid who is autistic and always says the wrong thing. That Other Person who is not me, so different than me I don't have to try to empathize. I don't have to work to understand. I can just nix them from the human race. I can hate.

I believe that the majority of people are really, really wonderful and good and kind. I believe that most of us never consciously hate anyone. It's that tiny invisible hate, the kind that seems not only acceptable but even admirable, that's really insidious. The hate disguised as Standing Up For Myself or Others or A Better Country. As my children get older, I'm trying to be more aware of how I talk about other people. I've tried to eliminate "hate" from my vocabulary altogether. I hope I never do or say anything that tells my kids it's okay to hate some people. One of the best things I can hope for them is that they grow up without the burden of being a bully. That they will never make another child cry.

[EDIT: sorry, I jumped the gun on reposting some movie photos. I'll repost when it's okay.]

Jerusha and I were interviewed in a nice Salt Lake Tribune article.

Unrelated: This is a school assignment one young reader did for Princess Academy--a box of cereal! This made me laugh. Love it.

I've been wanting to do my yearly roundup of great reads from the past year before the holidays but I have to do a sloppy quick version. There's just not a lot of time lately. So here it goes, super fast.

Middle grade:

Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel

We love all the chapter books. Funny and surprisingly informative!

Zita the Space Girl by Ben Hatke

My top recommendation for middle grade graphic novel for the year. Great for the boy or girl on your list. Adventure! Humor! Great characters!

Wednesday Wars, by Gary Schmidt

Schmidt is one of the best middle grade living authors, and this book deserves its shiny silver medal. Clever, interesting, page-turning.

Liar & Spy, by Rebecca Stead

I was a fan of When You Reach Me and am happy to add my love for this book. Stead knows how to craft a story, this one a mystery where her last was science fiction.

I really want to recommend Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales graphic novels, which combine history with humor, information with action, but...I haven't read them yet! I want them so much. I'm certain they're fantastic and you should definitely buy them. (And while you're at it, Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack aren't too shabby either...)

Young Adult:

I read a lot of YA scifi this year (working on my own), and some quick standouts: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi, Across the Universe by Beth Revis, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, and The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson. All extremely strong and unique.

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose

Such a great non-fiction book, not just for non-fiction readers and please, not just for the month of February. Claudette was a young teen when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white person months before Rosa Parks's famous stand. Teen readers will relate and empathize with Claudette's amazing story.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Yay! YAY YAY YAY! Read this one. I would have eaten up this smart, perfectly crafted book as a teen, and I ate it up now.

The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

This book needs to help from me to find an audience, but I don't mind adding my own voice to the screaming. (enthusiastic screaming, that is. not the screams of terror.) The characters stayed with me months later.

The Diviners, by Libba Bray

Don't read this one before bed. Unless you're not a wimp. Like me. Libba is a wonderful sentence crafter and loves to play in a big landscape with lots of memorable characters.

Happyface by Stephen Emond

My top graphic novel for teens recommendation for the year.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Gotta love a paranormal romance that starts with the main character tasing a vampire with her sparkly pink taser. Humor, romance, danger, adventure.

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

Compelling and perfectly crafted story. Marcelo is a teen with autism venturing out of his comfort zone into his father's law office for the summer. There are a few f-bombs, but the book isn't crude at all IMHO. Very accessible, a study of humans and spirituality and finding one's place.

Monster, by Walter Dean Myers

I read this quickly, couldn't wait to see what would happen. I really felt for the main character and wanted to root for him. Interesting and accessible for any teen.

Adult:

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

Won the National Book Award this year. Beautifully written. Heartbreaking and hopeful.

Ender's Shadow, by Orson Scott Card

Listened to this audio book and really enjoyed hearing Bean's side of the story. I hadn't read Ender's Game in years but I didn't feel lost at all. Stands alone.

Hm, not a lot to recommend from my "adult" reading this year. Too many standout "children's" titles.

What are some standouts from your reading year?

Some of you took my post On Hate to say that I don't think we should have any opinions, which would be ironic since it was a very opinion-y post! I definitely think we should have opinions. And discussion. And feelings. And investigation. And disagreement. But can't we have those things without hatred? While writing Palace of Stone I researched and thought a lot about Rhetoric, when discourse is productive, when it isn't, what rules for good discourse are, and where we are today. I feel like we've almost given up on any hope of civil disagreement and discourse, and I don't want to.

The confusion re: my post may just be due to a lack of clarity on my part, but I wonder if some of it is our tendency to link passion and strong emotions to hatred, and that without passion, ie hatred, we can't have opinions. We might think of hatred as a natural extension of a strong opinion, as if our opinion can't be really passionate and powerful without hate.

I'd like to question that assumption and posit, Hey, how can we make this whole life experience a little better for everyone? I think it'd be awesome if we could somehow magically eliminate all hatred in the world, but I don't think any of us were speaking to that lofty and impossible goal. We were looking at our own little lives and what tiny changes we can make to perhaps relieve ourselves of that stealthy brand of hatred.

Anger, indignation, a passion for justice--these emotions are often productive and lead to world changing and improvements. Hate, I think, is quite different. Hate immobilizes. Hate isn't enlightening--it's blinding. Once we hate we can no longer see clearly. People merge together into groups of Other. Any time in history when humans choose to see any group of people as less-than-human, very bad things have happened. Slavery. Genocides. Mass murders. This is dangerous turf. Choosing not to hate doesn't mean excusing atrocities. We can stand up for beliefs without hating those who believe differently; we can fight for justice without hating the offenders; we can protect ourselves and our loved ones from toxic and destructive influences without hating those sources. Or at least, we can try, and I think it's worth trying for. In reality, I don't think hating anyone truly denies them humanity. It only damages our own.

I would argue that hatred has never improved a single moment for a single person on this planet. It's a primal reaction, one that has been scientifically proven to harm, to flood the body with toxins, to damage the heart and mind. When I say "I hate--" I find myself feeling that emotion, and what I once only disliked I begin to loathe. I've written "hate" many times in this post. I'm not seeking to eliminate it from the English language. It's an apt description of a strong emotion. But I am seeking to eliminate it from my own self, even if that's not totally possible. I don't want to feel hatred, and I don't want my kids to be raised believing that hate is okay. Hate breeds hate. It's a very strong word, and it's one I've learned to be careful with. It's improved my life to be more aware of it, careful with it, mindful of the consequences of being too casual with hate.

I have sometimes noticed people bestowing a kind of respect upon hate, as if it's a power, something that makes one better, stronger, more active and intelligent than others. I want to kick the altar built to hate. I want to deny it any majesty and expose it for the deceitful, unproductive, damaging and unquenchable hunger I believe it is. Hatred starts naturally as a knee-jerk reaction. But ongoing hatred we have to nurture in ourselves, we have to choose to hate. I question the benefit of that.

We all have different experiences. This is mine. In the end all we can really do is share our own experiences, listen to others, and try to make the best choices we can, living the lives we've been given. I hope this discussion will be worthwhile. Again, in the comments feel free to agree or disagree, but please do so respectfully.

More Austenland movie news: Sundance announced the Austenland screenings, and Entertainment Weekly posted a darling First Look photo.

Both Austenland and Midnight in Austenland will be published in the UK in March and available as well in New Zealand, Australia, and all world English markets. What do you think of the UK covers?