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Thank you so much for supporting Operation Teen Book Drop and the GLW Ballou Book Fair! :) #rockthedrop

I enjoyed doing this a great deal and love how it turned out.

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with us!! We had fun putting the post together.

And thanks to the loads of people who have come by and checked this interview out. Good luck in your epublishing and other publishing endeavors!

Hi Tanita -

A huge thank you for hosting Sunbolt's cover reveal here at Finding Wonderland! And I am so glad that you like the cover :) I know we'd talked about developing covers without cover models, and that was especially important in this story where my heroine is actually biracial. I saw what Jenny had done in some of her (just for fun) cover redesigns on her website, and approached her about designing the cover. She was game for it, and I absolutely love what she's developed.

Ah, The Bone Knife. I've had a lot of feedback about how people liked it but it was just too short. Apparently, I should stay away from short stories :D The good news is I've been able to make The Bone Knife permanently free on all platforms, so at least the price won't disappoint!

Thanks again for taking part in the cover reveal. All the best,

Intisar

I do love that cover--really, really nice. And I've just downloaded The Bone Knife, so I'm excited about that, too!

@ Intisar: I LOVE the worldbuilding in The Bone Knife; I don't think it's not a good short, it's just that I want to STAY once I get into your worlds.

@ A.F.: I think you'll want a longer story, too!

@aquafortis - Thank you! I hope you enjoy The Bone Knife. I'd love to hear what you think of it.

@Tania - LOL! I'm glad you enjoyed it that much :) It's been a tough road working on Rae's story, but I'm hoping to come out with Book 1 of that trilogy by the end of the year...

Gorgeous cover. I so look forward to reading this book!

I also downloaded The Bone Knife. And like everyone else I think the cover of Sunbolt is beautiful and the premise very intriguing.

@ Melissa - thanks so much!

@Lin - I hope you enjoy The Bone Knife. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it if you get a chance :)

That is a lovely cover! It reminds me of the repackaging of the Blood of Eden series. Very emblematic but with depth.

Thanks, Liviania! This was one of the best experiences I've had with cover designing. We thought a lot about the symbols and feel of the story, and I think Jenny did a great job capturing that. I'm so glad the depth came through to you.

I think I made two comments last week. That's...what?...Thirty-three below goal?

I made one comment so far today (obviously not counting this one)...so...yeah.

I am struggling with it, so am glad to get an easy comment in here about the struggle of it all.

Thanks for these, especially the Brown Book Shelf shout out.

Cheers for Banned Books Week!

Thanks for the Pinterest plug, my love. <3

It always feels like Book Christmas on Cybils announcement day. :)

How much do I want to read NERD CAMP? If only I'd known skipping two grades was supposed to make someone a living legend. Jeez, I could've been lording it over everyone at school. (Or, lording it under, considering how much shorter I was than everyone else.)

THERE IS A MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS BOOK APP???

I am so going and getting that right now. There goes the rest of my afternoon.

I agree that our best literature is not "safe." And yet, the beauty of a book is that it is safe in another sense--reading about an experience is not exactly the same as living it. Reading about a drug addict is not the same thing as becoming a drug addict, for example.

So I suppose what I mean, and how I relate it to this post, is that books are *physically* safe--we can read about any experience while sitting in a chair at home. But edgy books are not *emotionally* safe; they ask us to take emotional risks and make emotional investments.

I don't object to people who don't like edgy books seeking out books they think are emotionally safer. To each her own, and they can read what they want. I only object when they want to take the edgy books away from the rest of us.

When I started grad school, people said things like, "if it doesn't make you bleed, it's a waste of time," and "if it doesn't make someone uncomfortable, you're speaking into the void." I got impatient with that kind of idea, it seemed like people were advocating Annoying Others for annoyances' sake, and I didn't like that. Why couldn't everyone just get along???

Years down the road, I'm beginning to see something in publishing - it's a chock-full field. Young adult and children's lit is stuffed with talented and entertaining people, and I've learned that even if your work really matters, it may matter only to you. And if your work speaks... well, it's unacceptable if my work speaks only to me.

Somewhere out there is a kid who doesn't need a hundred thousand other pretty, soft-focus boy-meets-girl-and-then storylines, s/he needs THIS story. And so, edgy or not, THIS is the story I need to tell...

That's how I relate to the "edgy." Like the author, I feel it's not in specific things like language or behavior - that's fairly external. Jen, I agree: emotional vulnerability is a lot edgier than dropping the f-bomb every four words. That's more of where I think I want to be - on the emotional edge, telling stories that are about taking risks, and remembering how to do that.

Brilliant, brilliant, ladies! Thank you for giving me the chance to continue thinking through my idea.

Jennifer, I agree that risking emotional safety is what's really at stake--and in a good way. Like you, I understand the many reasons why people might not want to take this risk (or might not want their kids to), but I maintain that they are missing out on something critical that makes literature literature.

Tanita, I think I am going to make the following quotation from your comment my mission statement as a writer: "there is a kid who doesn't need a hundred thousand other pretty, soft-focus boy-meets-girl-and-then storylines, s/he needs THIS story. And so, edgy or not, THIS is the story I need to tell..."

Thank you both.

I agree with everything that's been said here. I think any writer who is worth his or her salt will realize that writing in general is not "safe." You open yourself up to criticism, misinterpretation, etc. A good story bleeds through you like ink on a page. In my program, one of the graduating students read an excerpt from her creative thesis. Judging by the passion and power of her work, we all bled and were all changed in that moment. That's what a good story does.

Thank you, Lin. The moment you described is precisely what I'm talking about. It's nothing that we can prepare for; it's something that happens to us and changes us before we know what's going on. Thanks so much for weighing in.

I just downloaded this and omg I didn't realize this was the same author who writes the Theodosia books, I love that series.

I really, really want this book!

This book sounds amazing!! I wish I'd been on top of things to get it thru NetGalley--I'd have made the time to read it for sure. I cannot wait! Go, Robin!

Annie-
I’d love you lots if you could send me a high res scan of the snapdragons! They’re my favorite! Plus one other you’d suggest to go with it. I’m thinking some wall art is in its future.

Thanks.

Also I have a snazzy plan for a stuffed naan. Using naan as the dough and a good chicken potato curry as the filling. Pocket foods are the best!

Absolutely!! I will email you a couple of choices. They’re all so beautiful it’s hard to pick!

P.S. Stuffed naan sounds DELISH. I hope that’s in my “pocket book” of recipes…

I am so behind on things I want to watch. I keep meaning to watch some of the Crash Courses (my BFF's been watching them, and she says they're really good, and she is a history teacher, so there's that), but first I must, must, must watch Unintentionally Awesome.

This weekend, maybe, I'll get some quiet watching time when the weather gets cold and rainy again.

I am SO going to have to check out Tabletop. And these Crash Courses sound intriguing--this is the first I've heard of them, but then, you know I've been in a cave for a few months. :) Plus, since our house is currently filled with Teaching Company Great Courses (speaking of crash courses) if any more education sneaks in anywhere the universe might implode.

I'm so excited for LW and Unintentionally Awesome! I can't wait to get some time to watch those. I did see a trailer.

Ben just discovered the Crash Courses last week, and has been spending his spring vacation educating himself therewith!

And Yay for Spring! (I guess. I don't have time for it yet...but maybe next week!)

Thanks, ladies! I hope you enjoy Unintentionally Awesome.

I'm flattered to be mentioned in the same post as Felicia Day/Geek & Sundry/The Guild, and the Vlogbrothers/Nerdfighters!

"No wonder we're friends...♥" indeed.

I love you both - and now I just love ya that much more! (It always strikes me as so amazing when I discover that friends are as deeply connected to certain books and music as I am. It's like we've been fated our whole lives to find each other...)

Ah, now I'm teary - but seriously, Collen: EXACTLY.

And it is a better world. We have Dalemark. We have the Chrestomanci. We have Howl and Calcifer and The Dark Lord. And we can never unhave them.

That made me all teary, too.

@ rockinlibrarian - That is my mantra - it makes me feel much better. There are always and forever the stories.

There is something about sharing the same beloved books that, I feel, links people together at the level of the heart and the imagination...more strongly, almost, than any words that could be spoken aloud. Maybe that sounds melodramatic, but it feels true.

Anyway, T, I think I'd like to go back and read all the DWJ books, too, especially since there are plenty I've never read. Maybe we can plan a couple of joint reviews, if our re-reads coincide...

I'm in if you do it. I loved rereading F&H so much last month - must do all the others (and the ones I missed).

What a beautifully-written tribute, to Diana and to the power of books...love it!

This is such a lovely tribute to Diana Wynne Jones! I wish I discovered her books earlier, when I was a kid. But I don't think they were available here in the Philippines? In any case, I need to catch up and read the rest of her titles because I love Howl's Moving Castle (and really enjoyed reading the companion novels and the first two Chrestomanci books).

Happy DWJ Week! :)

@ Colleen & AF: After SBBT, yes?
@ Cheryl: thank you, and thanks for dropping by.
@ Chachic: They might not have been available in the Philippines - but now she's EVERYWHERE, so do read!! You will find not only fantasy and adventure and humor, but a thoughtfulness and a cleverness that will still appeal to your adult side.

I hope that sickness all drains away! Summer colds are COMPLETELY unfair.

Thank you, Adrienne!! I am feeling better today. Still coughing, but feeling better. :)

To my mind, triweekly means three times a week.

Clearly, living in the land of "fortnightly" has done my head in.

Tomorrow is National Buy a Book Day--I'm going to challege myself, and any others who care to join me, to head to a bookstore and a buy a book with a brown (or other non-white type of person) on the cover...If enough people buy them, there will be more of them....

Good point. I've also noticed a bit of a trend for authors who are trying to appeal to a wide audience to be vague about their characters of color in terms of physical appearance...which, I guess is better than populating a world with nothing but blue eyes and blonde hair, but to me it feels like a lukewarm response to the problem.

I'll have to go read these links in more detail, but on first glance I just wanted to say YAY and AWESOME. I wholeheartedly approve. :)

I'm in the middle of Coe's post (excellent of course as Coe usually is). Two semesters ago, we had a long discussion at school about this topic.

The author sounds amazing and this book sounds like one that I shouldn't miss. Maybe I should start picking up books based on the author's name!

@ Vasilly: Sometimes I do that - pick up random books from the library because I like the author's name or the cover. I get some gems that way! Thanks for dropping by!

Love that cover! And the premise sounds wonderful. I will definitely look for this book!

@ LinWash: Yay! I'm hoping to get people reading this one before the Cybils so it'll be a nomination option for those stuck on finding a book.

Anything that is compared to Robin McKinley needs a second look :)

@ Fence: Definitely. It's not an exact read-alike, but it reminded me of her books, and I was impressed. Really, really impressed.

Hope you check it out, and thanks for dropping by!

Oh dears about the cover, but otherwise it sounds excellent! I will add it to my list, before I get too swamped with my own Cybilian reading...

@ Charlotte: You and I have conversed about necks on YA book covers before - don't know what it is, but some neck/face ratio isn't working out - her head is oddly tipped. Some Photoshop Disaster at play - and she just doesn't match the story. The story itself is so worthwhile, though, so I hope you do find a chance to read it.

Oh, I love books with fairy tale roots. This sounds like a really fun read. (And you compared it to several of my favorite authors.)

@Liviania: I thought I was over the fairytale thing, after reading a couple which threw in vampires in a completely random fashion (I shall not name names) but I'm happy to see this one worked well in every way.

Thanks so much for participating and for reading a book no one else read! I'm glad you enjoyed it, though I agree on the cover.

I really appreciate it when authors include pronunciation guides for their fantasy works; not that I can't imagine my own pronunciations, but when you know they've spent soooo long creating these worlds, you want to feel as though you're doing it justice by "speaking their language" as a reader. This sounds like a great story!

@ Aarti Count me in the next time you do this!

@ Buried in Print: It IS a great story. I might have misguided you, though; the pronunciation guide is only for her name!

This sounds REALLY, really good! And, yay for more Pakistani-Americans writing YA fiction. :) :) I'll give this one a try.

Another thing that makes the girl on the cover look odd, and what makes me tend to agree with you about the Photoshop job--her face is very pink, while the skin of her neck and chest is much more yellow in tone...

Sorry to be so late to chime in on this. I really look forward to reading it!

Ah. It IS the coloration; I knew something was wrong about the neck. There probably aren't a lot of amorphously ethnic models for book cover use, so ...

Hi Tanita!

Thanks for the mention; my post is up! Justice is actually 1978, earlier than the edition you were looking at. I am surprised you'd never heard of it before! I feel that it has been haunting my peripheral book vision for decades, and I'm really glad I finally took the plunge and read it.

Ah. I thought the date seemed weirdly later - I don't recall the year she died, but I thought it was prior to '89. I didn't like the author's work particularly, mainly because people pushed her on me - as one of the few girls of color in my school, I OBVIOUSLY had to read/love Virginia Hamilton. I avoided her like the plague, and wished people would just let me choose my own interests, which veered much further toward Diana Wynne Jones than Hamilton's dreadful realism.

I had NO idea she wrote magical realism/spec fic. Will check it out!

Sounds interesting. Thanks for posting.

I clicked over, and it looks fantastic. My only question: how do I clone myself so as to have time to read this, too? Decisions, decisions... Still, I'm ready to be suckered!

I'm really happy to see more YA zines popping up these days, with this one, and Verbal Pyrotechnics...the short fiction needs to get out there and read!