Diana Peterfreund tends to have great covers, and when I saw
For Darkness Shows the Stars (a post-Apocalyptic take on Jane Austen's
Persuasion, hello!), I fell in love with the starry sky. So I asked her about it, and here she is:
"I always have an idea in mind for my covers, but since I’m not an artist it’s probably best that my publishers ignore me. They did ask me to send inspiration pictures, though. I sent in a lot of pictures of harsh seascapes and rocky cliffs and beaches beneath a sunset/sunrise and a starry sky. Sometimes there were forlorn women standing on these beaches. I think Harper and I were totally on the same page about the direction we wanted to go in, which mostly makes me feel like I’m finally getting a hang of this imagery thing.
"I asked for something very lush and romantic, to fit the feel of the book. Also, because this book has such a distinctive title that bucks the trend of the one-word YA book titles, I asked for a fun font treatment that really highlighted the title..."
Best Young Adult Books: Top Picks from YA Bloggers in the Know, #3
By Nicki Richesin, The Children’s Book Review
Published: June 9, 2012
Michelle and Andi, the masterminds behind Galleysmith, kindly agreed to choose not 5, but their 10(!) most swoon-worthy and gripping new summer reads. We’re ready to grab a beach blanket, a pina colada, and dive into these books. Thanks to Michelle and Andi for making our summer reading list even better.
The Ten Most Anticipated YA Summer Reads
When The Children’s Book Review asked that I stop by and tell you all about my five most anticipated summer reads I thought to myself, “only five?!?” You see, on my blog Galleysmith my colleague Andi and I have The List of Ten. The purpose of this list is to plot out our next ten reads to avoid the indecision that sometimes accompanies book selection. Moreover, it’s intended to help us keep our reading varied by being comprised of various formats, genres and ages. Have no fear, readers! The list below doesn’t follow our usual rules of formation nor does it come with any of the usual selection indecision. We’re thrilled to share with you some of our most anticipated forthcoming summer releases and we couldn’t just stop at five!
By Courtney Summers
Zombies! Need I say more? ZOMBIES. And not just the flesh eating terrifying kind. The kind that have heart and soul despite their undeadliness. Oh, and it’s Courtney Summers one of the all-time best writers I’ve read.
Ages 13-17 | Publisher: St. Martin’s Press | June 19, 2012
by Jenny Han and Siobahn Vivian
Jenny Han wrote one of my favorite series ever (the amazing Summer series which I encourage you to pick up) and Siobahn Vivian is equally amazing at writing empowered and independent female characters. Together I have no doubt they will work magic with their story about girls seeking revenge on those that have wronged them.
Ages 14 and up | Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers | September 18, 2012
By Jennifer Echols
The queen of contemporary drama, Echols has yet to disappoint me with any of her work. She writes romance like nobody’s business! When she announces a new book I’m all about pressing that “pre-order” bu
.........I am examining For Darkness Shows the Stars, by Diana Peterfreund. Set for a June 2012 release, the novel is an original and successful adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasuison. Check it out here.
Manuscript update: Buried in query letter and synopsis writing hell.
Yesterday, I promised more on synopsis writing today, so here goes.
I went through this already with my first novel, but when I sat down to write the synopsis for my second, I felt like a toddler on uneasy legs. So, I did my favorite procrastination activity: Research. (Just kidding about the procrastination activity. Research is incredibly important and useful and helpful, but I will admit that sometimes I can be a little more meticulous than I need to be when I’m avoiding the writing I should be doing.)
In my research, I found some cool links on synopsis writing, ones I hadn’t found in my original research. Share time:
- How to Write a Synopsis: Marg Gilks explains why working hard to write the best synopsis possible is necessary (because it’ll be used as a sales tool by your agent and editor) and offers up some good tips on how to write a brilliant one, such as starting while you’re doing the final read of your manuscript.
- How I Write a Fiction Synopsis: Diana Peterfreund, an admitted lover of synopsis writing (she has to be in a minority there), details how she writes a synopsis—before the book. And she defends herself against all the writers who gasp and think she’s crazy. It’s a fun and thought-provoking read.
- Writing the Fiction Synopsis: Diana Peterfreund points readers to Kathy Carmichael’s online synopsis workshop, which has some very useful tips too.
- Synopsis Samples: Charlotte Dillon provides a huge number of sample synopses, most for romance books, but the great thing is, these are synopses that got the said books sold, so they’re priceless no matter the genre.
Got any others you want to share? Paste them into the comments.
And now onto the big news of the week, Apple’s iPad. Sure it sounds all ooh and ahh, but, call me sentimental, I’ve got a special place in my heart for Amazon’s Kindle because it came first. (Not that I own one. I’m still in love with paper and ink.)
Also, I’m not big on the idea of one device taking over the world. I have an iPod — like everyone &
(HARPER TEEN, AUGUST 2009)
Give us the elevator pitch. In short, what's RAMPANT about?
DIANA: RAMPANT is a young adult fantasy adventure about killer unicorns who can only be hunted by virgins descended from Alexander the Great. It's set in modern-day Rome, after it's discovered that unicorns are not extinct after all, and once again pose a threat to people. The teenaged heroine, a born unicorn hunter, is sent to Rome to train in the crumbling nunnery where the women in her family lived for centuries, but things there are a lot more complicated and dangerous than she could have imagined -- especially once she meets a handsome art student.
Did you have any unfortunate unicorn incidents as a child? *side-eye* Why pick on the good guys?
DIANA: Who says the unicorns are good guys? The unicorn legend is actually much richer and more varied then the things you see in the average child's coloring book. There are unicorn legends from all over the world, like the kirin of Japan (maybe you are familiar with the beer? Next time you have one, check the label. It's not a dragon, it's a unicorn!) There was also a middle eastern legend about a unicorn called a karkadann, a vicious, maneating beast that some stories claim was the famous steed of Alexander the Great.
The unicorns in my book aren't necessarily "good" or "bad" -- they're wild animals, like sharks or tigers. Which is part of the problem. Back in the day, we humans killed predators. Now we hit 'em with sedative darts and relocate them to wild areas where they can be safe and free.How do magical hunters fit into this brave new world, a world where it's also uncommon to tithe your daughter to a nunnery at birth?
So, the warriors have to remain virgins to retain their fierce unicorn butt-kicking abilities... Not so easy for teens hopped up on hormones. Why did you decide to tackle the oft-debated subject of teenage sexuality, specifically female virginity?
DIANA: Unicorns and virgins go together like vampires and blood, like werewolves and the moon. It's an integral part of the legend, and the topic of developing sexuality is a natural one for young adult literature. I was abstinent as a teen (and yes, my school had awesome comprehensive sex ed), and I remember being taken aback by the people who assumed that there had to be some "reason" I was "saving myself." "I don't want to" or "I'm not ready" weren't viewed as valid reasons.
Luckily, even as a teen I knew that was dumb -- of course they were valid reasons! Every bit as much as a religious restriction. I wanted to write about the different reasons teens might choose to wait, and how they are all valid -- even if the reason is that they want to be able to hunt unicorns. It was important for me to show right from the start that though it is Astrid's virginity that allows her to be a unicorn hunter, the reason she is not sexually active is because she is not ready and does not wish to have that experience yet.
There are thousands of years of history of institutional celibacy, and even institutional virginity, from which to draw to create my idea of the hunters. Nuns, priestesses, even the vestal virgins of ancient Rome are all orders that included vows or chastity or virginity as a basic part of their makeup. I decided that the unicorn hunters would have organized themselves, once upon a time, as an order of warrior nuns, much as in the middle ages, the Knights Templar were an order of warrior monks. Of course, that was a lot easier to do in times where everyone you might put in your order was European and Catholic, and living in a time where it was no big deal to tithe your daughter to the church from an early age. In the modern milieu of my book, however, the order is defunct, and those born with the ability to be unicorn hunters must rediscover its secrets within its ancient monastery's crumbling walls.
Why do you think RAMPANT, and young adult literature in general, has such a mass appeal to both teen and adult audiences?
DIANA: I hope it does! I think RAMPANT will appeal to both teen and adult readers of fantasy and paranormal romance. It's really not that different than reading one of Deidre Knight's books. The same conditionsapply: a richly imagined world, a fast-paced adventure, high stakes, a forbidden romance, and a full cast of characters you care deeply about. The only difference is that the main character is a few years younger than most of Deidre's (many years younger than her immortal Spartans!).
But the nice thing is that all adults were once teens, and the issues are familiar to them: trying to figure out how to control your own destiny, worrying about disappointing your parents or whether your parents' plans for you are the correct ones, finding and keeping friends, falling in love. These are universal issues. One of the nice things for me about writing young adult is that my teenage protagonist is experiencing a lot of these things for the very first time, with all the wrenching emotional struggle that entails.
...or three, if you include me. LOL!!
In our week of tributes to our critique partners (CPs in the writing world), I am blessed to have two awesome ladies who read all of my work and give me their invaluable input. I've known then pretty much since this whole "writing thing" started and I've cried and celebrated along with them when they sold their books.
First up is the fabulous Diana Peterfreund.
Diana and I met in 2002 on the eHarlequin message board, right after it first came out. We joined a critique group together and it was soon apparent that our voices and writing style didn't mesh with the others, so Diana and I politely exited. I've had the priviledge to see Diana's writing develop over the years into the wonderful Secret Society girl series and her upcoming YA book, RAMPANT. Her third book in the Secret Society girl series is coming soon...don't miss it!
Next up is the equally appreciated Wendy Toliver.
Wendy and I met at the Romance Writers of Ameria conference in (what year was it? Ummm...I want to say 2004 in Dallas?) I was immediately drawn to Wendy's sweet smile and friendly demeanor. She's just a total ball of energy and I saw that "must write" sparkle in her eyes. Ironically, I judged some of Wendy's work in a contest before we teamed up. I knew her style and work ethic and it just works to help each other with our writing. I introduced Wendy to her awesome agent and I squealed like a little girl when Wendy's book, THE SECRET LIFE OF A TEENAGE SIREN. Cutest. Book. Evah.
And a discussion on CPs wouldn't be complete without a shout-out to my first CP, and my writing mentor, Jessica Andersen.
Jess befriended me at my very first RWA meeting and from then on, she never gave up on me, taught me so much about style and substance of writing, and helped me navigate the waves of the publishing industry. Jess doesn't write YA, but for our adult readers, her unbelievable FINAL PROPHECY series comes out next month and let me tell you...she is going to hit it big with this. Go pick it up!!!
Have you read their books? If so, be sure to let them know here how awesome their writing is! If you haven't, I encourage you to pick up their books immediately...if not sooner.
Here's to Diana, Wendy, and Jess!
Hugs,
Marley = )
SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? - Available Now! Puffin Books
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters - Available Now! Puffin Books
GHOST HUNTRESS Series - Begins May 2009, Houghton Mifflin
Below are descriptions of ten animal books with amusing titles. The descriptions come from BN.com, where the books are available. Your job is to figure out which is the actual title of the book. The other titles are fakes, created by the Evil Minions.
1. The unauthorized album of caught-in-the-act photos your beloved furry ones never meant for you to see.
Time to Party! The 'Rents Are Gone!
What Pets Do While You're at Work
That's My Evil Twin Crapping on the Carpet: and other lame pet excuses
The Secret life of Fleas
The Dog Ate My Homework . . . and I Got it on Film
Pussies Galore
2. Every generation brings a few elite cats who rise above their species. Cats who make a difference. Cats who inspire us with their bravery. Cats who broaden the world's understanding of science, history, art, and religion.
The Crown and the Claw
Under the Fur: Genius and Heroism in Cats
Super Pussy
100 Cats Who Changed Civilization
From out of the Litterbox
A CATalogue of Inspirational Pussies
3. Men and dogs have lived in close symbiosis from literally the beginnings of civilization itself and still, after 200,000 years we can't keep the dog from jumping up on the dining room table and eating all the hamburger buns." The legendary Rabbis of the Boca Raton Theological Seminary don't claim that they can rectify that situation, but they can make it funny.
Myron Cohen's Once Upon a Canine
Keeping the Kosher Kennel: Canine obedience lessons from the Talmud
How to Raise a Jewish Dog
First Teach Him Yiddish: Dog training through guilt
I and Chow
Hamming It Up with Your Dog: Keys to kosher dog ownership
4. Adorable dog models dressed in haute couture and even wearing mud masks.
Dogue
Doggy Style
Doghouse Debutantes
Fido Fashion
The Dog Fancy Guide to New York Fashion Week
Hounds a la Mode
5. Why look for love in all the wrong places when it's right across the room chasing its own tail?
At Least My Dog Doesn't Cheat On Me
Who needs Craigslist? You've Got a Cat
Cats are from the Pet Store, Dogs are from the Pound
See Tail, Catch Tail. An Illustrated Handbook.
Mooch vs. Pooch
101 Reasons to Dump Your Man and Get a Cat
6. Your cat's idea of a perfect Sunday-The Times, a smoke, and a great Bette Davis flick.
Is Your Cat Gay?
Purrfect
Seventh Heaven, Kitty Style
A Double-Martini with Anchovy-stuffed Olives: The lounge cat in repose
Days of Feline and Roses
How Your Boyfriend is Like a Cat
7. This hilarious book reminds us why we give them free room and board. The occasional comment on human affairs in dog disguise, and a lot about pups on their own terms. From howling at the moon to refusing to fetch, from the merits of canned versus dry food to those irresistibly wagging tails . . .
Men Are Really Reincarnated Dogs . . . NOT!
Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Lassie: A modern American dog's lament
Everything I Need to Know I Learned in the Kennel
You Had Me at Bow Wow
Wags
Can't Live With 'Em; Can't Live Without 'Em: One dog's story of human ownership
8. Want to know what your dog really thinks of you? In this hilarious exposé, Genevieve, a two-year-old papillon, takes you into the inner sanctum of dogdom, revealing canine secrets never before shared with humans.
My Prying Canine Eyes - Believe It Or Not
Why I chase cars: 100 secrets your dog is keeping from you.
Scratch 'N' Sniff
Candid Canine
Memoirs of a Papillon: Living with humans without going mad
The Papillon Diaries
9. Sterling Sugar Magnolia, the sassy pup who narrates the book, offers highly opinionated views on everything from personal hygiene to commitment issues, from holiday garb to human food.
A High-Class Dog's View of the Trailer Park World
Basic Training: Keeping your owner in line
Who Shit in my Shoe?
For the Last Time, Don't Feed Me Chocolate: a dog opens up.
Don't Eat the Yellow Snow: and other tales from the kennel
The Complete Petrosexual: A Handbook for the Modern Dog
10. A whimsical compilation of amusing, unusual photos of cows, along with words of wisdom from our bovine friends.
The Tao of Cow
Udderly Delightful Proverbs
The Milk of Bovine Kindness
Till the Cows Come Home: A book of tripe
Cowabunga
No Bull . . . but Plenty of Beef: Real complaints from cows
Actual Titles Below
Fake titles were submitted by Dave F., BuffySquirrel, ChristineElden, Debhoag, Khazar-khum, Anonymous, and EE.
Actual Book Titles:
What Pets Do While You're at Work
100 Cats Who Changed Civilization
How to Raise a Jewish Dog
Dogue
101 Reasons to Dump Your Man and Get a Cat
Is Your Cat Gay?
You had me at Bow Wow
Memoirs of a Papillon: The Canine Guide to Living with Humans without Going Mad
The Complete Petrosexual: A Handbook for the Modern Dog
The Tao of Cow
The books described below are available at BN.com. The descriptions were taken from BN.com. Your job is to figure out which title goes with each description. The other five titles are fakes made up by your fellow minions.
1. Birds do it, bees do it. And guess what—cookies do it, too. In fact, never have a pair of gingerbread cookies looked so pleased. Featuring an unabashed gingerbread couple, who are photographed in unflinching full color.
a. Appetizing Young Gingerbread For Sale
b. The Spiced and Frosted Kama Sutra
c. The Cookie Sutra
d. Biscuit Beavers and Gingerbread Wieners
e. Ginger and Gilligan: As you've never seen them.
f. After Hours in the Cookie Factory
2. For every woman who's ever come home after a disastrous date or day at the office to the unconditional love and comfort of a pet, this funny, irreverent memoir poses (and answers) the eternal question: Why is it so easy to love an animal and so hard to live with a man?
a. The Love of My Life is a Dog
b. 101 Ways Dogs Are Better Than Men
c. The Litterbox May Stink, But at Least Cats Don't Drink
d. A Pony in my Bedroom
e. The Pig and I
f. Hit the Road, Jack: You can have the house, I'm keeping the dog.
3. The first significant book about men and women actually written by a man and a woman. It's not a lecture, but an extended argument, a combustion of viewpoints that winds up unearthing startling truths. In the words of the authors: "Our Mars and Venus breach their orbits and collide in a screaming fireball from Hell."
a. We Both Know Who's Right, But Only One of Us Will Admit It
b. Women are from Venus, Men Are From Uranus
c. Ffkkunzq
d. Men Think They're Always Right - But Women Know Better
e. Man Vs Woman: The Real Fight of the Century
f. I'm with Stupid
4. How a five-dollar date can get you laid, how to stop being friends with girls and start getting them in the sack, where you’ll have the best odds of finding a one-night stand, and how to get rid of the chick the next morning, how to trick a woman into thinking you’re classy, even if you have holes in your underwear . . . All this and more!
a. The Complete A**hole's Guide to Handling Chicks
b. Getting Laid While Avoiding the Crap that Goes with It: an instruction manual
c. Screw The Odds: How Even Loser Guys Get Laid
d. Ego-Studs: Why Women Love Us
e. Can We Skip the Foreplay? I'm Kinda Sleepy.
f. Lance Corvette's Lovemaster Secrets
5. Bitingly witty comments and candid insights on sisterhood. The perfect present for birthdays, bachelorette parties, or just those times when you want to conjure up some girl power.
a. Ya-Yas Without Ding-Dongs: A Sisterhood Exposed
b. Dish it, Bitch!
c. Sistas Doin' It for Themselves
d. Don't Blame Me, Sister: I Told You Not to Use it in the Bathtub
e. Artificial Insemination: It Sure Beats the Alternative
f. The Superior Sex
6. An illustrated board book with a large die-cut hole in its center. Every spread features a dazzling full-color illustration with one thing missing: a banana, perhaps, or a fire hose, or a sea serpent. Male readers can complete the illustrations using the talents God has given them.
a. Elephant at Play
b. The Larry Craig Art Studio
c. Glory Hole: A Pop Up Book
d. Cock-A-Doodle-Do
e. Give the Snowman a Nose
f. Penis Pokey
7. A refreshing take on the places in and around the home that men claim as their own. The smoking room, the garage workshop, the basement pool room, the recording studio or the wine cellar are just a few examples.
a. The No-Estrogen-Allowed Hideaway
b. No Girls Allowed: A Guide to the Grown-Up Treehouse
c. We Have A Kitchen?
d. Manspace: A Primal Guide to Marking Your Territory
e. Get Your Hand Off My Tool
f. I Don't Go in Your Laundry Room; You Stay Out of My Den
8. Stuck with a boss from hell? Trying to escape a bad date? Looking for a way to fix a friendship, or make it through your next family reunion? Believe it or not, the solutions to each of these dilemmas (and many more!) can all be found in this book.
a. How to Pee Standing Up: Tips for Hip Chicks
b. Smart Solutions to Code Red Situations
c. The AMA Guide to Infectious Tropical Diseases
d. Life: A Survival Guide
e. The Great Fugue State Escape: How to Get Away With Amost Anything
f. Fifty Problems that Can Be Solved With a Gun
9. An outrageous collection of cartoons featuring abundant women, big butts and men acting like dorks.
a. The Pirate King's Big Booty
b. The Crack Book
c. Bottoms Up!
d. My Ass May Be Big, Butt There's More of it to Love
e. Beefybutts and Birdbrains
f. Duffs!
10. One of the funniest and most astutely observed works on the sexes since James Thurber, it turns the often-expressed axiom "Men are dogs" into a howling little handbook on men for contemporary women.
a. Everything I Know About Men I Learned from My Cockapoo
b. Bark Twice for Love: Bad behaviors by the men in our lives
c. How to Make Your Man Behave in 21 Days or Less Using the Secrets of Professional Dog Trainers
d. If I Want Sensitive Eyes, I'll Buy A Fucking Basset Hound
e. Bad Boy!
f. Don't Pee on the Carpet; Don't Howl at the Moon; Don't Lick my Best Friend's Face; and other things I had to teach my husband.
Answers Below
Fake titles contributed by Dave F., Precie, Robin S., surlyQ, Anonymous, EE.
Actual Book Titles:
1:c; 2:e; 3:f; 4:a; 5:d; 6:f; 7:d; 8:a; 9:b; 10:c
Below are descriptions of twelve children's books. The descriptions were taken from Amazon.com. Your job is to guess which title goes with each book. The fake titles were composed by Dave F., Mignon, Scott, Talpianna, Bill Highsmith and Evil Editor.
1. A "fanciful creature of undefined nature," it was also once the wisest, kindest, most fun-loving living thing in the world--until people stopped believing in it.
A Young Person's Guide to the Democratic Party
My Body, My Elf
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
The Graveyard of the Imaginaries
The Sad little Bloggosaur
When Puffalumps Walked the Earth
2. Three children pore over an extraordinary manuscript forced on them by a passing hen: "The True Story of Harrowing Farm." The hen tells how little green men shoo her and her fellows from the cramped cages where they've been confined to lay eggs, uncomfortably, in public, then fit the cages to humans -- the species they prefer as food.
The Chicken Gave It to Me
Guess Who We're Having for Lunch
Green PETA People Eater
When the Clucking Ends
Three Men in a Kettle
The Hen Zen of Martian Farming
3. "Some cases start rough, some cases start easy. This one started with a dame. (That's what we private eyes call a girl.)" Fourth-grade gumshoe Chet Gecko searches for a missing chameleon named Billy.
How Chet Saved A Ton Of Money On His Car Insurance
The Case of the Reptile Dysfunction
The Geeky Gecko Gumshoe Caper
The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse
Gumshoe Lizard
Flight of the Iguana
4. Chester the cat, Harold the dog, and Howie the puppy set out to save the neighborhood vegetables from a vampire rabbit.
The Celery Stalks at Midnight
Full Vegetable Jacket
The Brave Little Onion
Revenge of Bunnicula
Carrot Dracula
The Vampireteen Rabbit
5. What if your Dad loved books, owned a bookstore, and even called his cherished volumes "my little bookies"? What if, while you're working in the store and hoping shoplifters will ease your burden, you spot a weird, pale stranger drinking a book--with a straw?
Return of The Blurb
Eat Your Words!
Thirst For Knowledge
The Ink Drinker
The Vampire's Book of Party Snacks
One Flew over the Book Coot's Nest
6. The author has a simple philosophy of the fable: "If you can't say something nice about someone, change the guy's name to Donkey or Squid." After all, the alleged Aesop did it.
Animals Are People Too
Squids Will Be Squids
An Ill Wind Blows No Nose
Christopher Hitchens's Book of Nasty People
In Case You Were Wondering, the Donkey is George Bush
Moral Minority
7. Two abandoned kittens encounter mishaps on all sides when they are adopted by a human family.
Cat Scratch Fever
Kitties In The White House: How Two Kittens Started the Iraq War
Snot Stew
Fur from Home
The Fortunate Felines' Fantastic, Fateful Adventure
Snot Stew? What's that got to do with Kittens?
8. Fourth-grader Albert has always been a little afraid of the Pine Manor Nursing Home, which he passes on the way home from school; the residents wave at him, but he just can't relax until he's well past it.
Old People Were Human Once Too
Albert Weinstein and the Case of the Agin' Cajun
Heaven Can't Wait
Evergreen and Ever Dead
Mannequin Manor
Old People, Frogs and Albert
9. The sibling rivalry between twelve-year-old Megin and her older brother Greg intensifies after she ruins his science project and he retaliates by throwing her favorite hockey stick into the pond.
Things to Do in Canada When Your Brother is a Dork
Blood Is Thicker--When Spilled
Pucks 'n' Ducks
Siblings from H-e-Double Hockey Stick
Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush?
That Does it: I'm Sending in My Goons
10. In this Edgar Award winner set in medieval times, Anora chooses to marry the obnoxious but wealthy Farold instead of Selwyn, thus making Selwyn the chief suspect when Farold is found murdered.
The Donjon Murder
Death of a Big-Cheese Burgher
Twelve Angry Wenches
Never Trust a Dead Man
Stop, Fief!
Murder on Michaelmas
11. Shamelessly exploiting the intelligence, honesty, and guileless wit of the nation's youth (and apparently having a heck of a time doing it), the author asked over 100 kids the same question: "What do you think would make our world a more perfect place to be?"
No more Homework!
The Kid's Guide to Self-Delusion
Undoing the Damage Grown-Ups Do
Lima Beans Would be Illegal
Have Your Mom Buy You This Book and Make Me Rich
Kids Say the *#!$%-est Things
12. The author appeals to the gross-out side of kids in this exploration of edible grub (larvae and otherwise) around the world, past and present, and it's more laughs than a barrel of monkey brains (the one delicacy he missed).
It's Disgusting and We Ate It!
The Big Book of Yuck!
GrassWhoppers and McCockroaches
Grosstronomy for Kids
Surely You're Not Going to Stick That in Your Mouth!
Bugmeister's Insectivorously Delicious Diet
Answers below
The real book titles are:
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
The Chicken Gave It to Me
The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse
The Celery Stalks at Midnight
The Ink Drinker
Squids Will Be Squids
Snot Stew
Old People, Frogs and Albert
Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush?
Never Trust a Dead Man
Lima Beans Would be Illegal
It's Disgusting and We Ate It!
The following are descriptions of ten books that can be found at Amazon.com. Each is accompanied by six titles, one of which is the actual title, and five of which are fakes submitted by the Evil Minions.
a. This self-help manual for female teens from age 14 up is a crash course covering every topic from puberty and sex to making friends and choosing colleges. Includes a detailed section on oral sex.
Am I Weird or Is This Normal?
Just Say 'Blow': A Girl's Guide to the Top
A Jaw-Dropping Guide to Teen Sex
For Girls Only: A Teenager's Survival Guide
The First Swallows of Spring Break
Making Your Parents as Miserable as You Are: What Every Teen Needs to Know
b. Devastated after being fired from her job at a Silicon Valley start-up and suffering a miscarriage, Devi feels she has strayed far outside the expectations of her traditional Indian family and attempts to commit suicide. However, her intrusive mother, a continual source of aggravation for Devi, saves her life. Devi then moves in with her parents, but she refuses to speak, taking up cooking instead.
From Here to Tandoori
It's Chapati, You Can Cry If You Want To
The Widgetmakers of Hindu Kush
Serving Crazy with Curry
Gosht Story
Joy of Cooking Tikka Masala
c. When Tori got lucky, she never imagined that her birthday fling would last longer than one night. But this papi chulo turns out to be "the one," and they quickly decide to elope. . . . Meanwhile, Sylvia has one of the hottest careers in town reporting on Miami's nightlife. But when Tori makes her shocking announcement over Monday-night mojitos with the girls, Sylvia decides it's time for some bold moves of her own . . .
Latino Chic
The Miami Welcome Mat
The Chicharrones Connection
The Devil Wears Tammy Apostol
Tori and Sylvia Do Little Havana
Sex and the South Beach Chicas
d. Wounding with words is the talent of this lopsided novel's heroine, so skilled at repelling her friends that she nicknames herself the Alienator. Unfortunately, the Alienator's powers work just as well on readers, who are likely to find her such unpleasant company that they won't stick around for the book's more satisfying second half.
Loathe Me and Leave Me
Full of It
Is There a Book Doctor in the House?
The Scathing: Yes, It's A Novel
How Jenny Came to Not Hate Everyone
Metamorphosis of a Miscreant
e. Julia, a hip salesgirl at Pelham's jewelry store, finds her social life turned on its head when she is asked to deliver a necklace to the store's young heiress, Lell Pelham, on Lell's wedding day. Beguiled by Julia's earnest cluelessness and her vintage-chic vibe, Lell and her gang adopt Julia, and "Eliza Doolittle" her into passing as the heiress to a Park Avenue family fortune, just for a laugh. Dazed by her new world, Julia is unprepared for the ardent advances of Lell's husband—or the vicious claws her new "friends" develop when they decide Julia is an ingrate, and demote her from society goddess to penniless cling-on.
Wolves in Chic Clothing
Breakfast at Wal-Mart
Cindy Adams, the Little Flower Girl and the taking of Pelham 666
Careful What You Wish For
My Phat Bitch
Prigmalion
f. A collection of tongue-in-cheek characterizations of men, organized by sign, for the date-weary hetero woman.
All Dressed Up and No One to Love
What's Your Sign? (And Other Pickup Lines of Assholes)
The Loser Zodiac
Never Date a Virgo on Thursday
How to Spot a Bastard by his Star Sign
Is That Your Planet Ascending, or Are You Just Happy to See Me?
g. Valuable insight into the way in which Latin America has been regarded and utilized by modern nations, governments, and corporations interspersed with Disney cartoons possessing ridiculous political implications: vultures representing Hegel and Marx, dogs dressed up like Che and Castro...
How to Read Donald Duck: Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic
Goofy Presents: Poverty Incorporated and the Plundering of a Continent
Under the Mouse's Thumb
Uncle Scrooge, South of the Border
Yankee Go Home . . . Pluto, Stay
Shamrock Bones and the Cocaine Cartel
h. When a British writer, performer and musician makes a drunken bet that he can hitchhike through his country with an unlikely possession, he starts an unexpectedly wonderful adventure into the good-natured soul of the Irish people.
Travels With My Anteater
'Round Ireland with a Fridge
Have You Met My Potato?
Erin Go Brassiere
Caravaning In The Land of Bogs with Patty O'Swirly
Mick and Bono's Most Excellent Adventure
i. CALIFORNIA ENGINEER EXPERIENCES CONTACT WITH OTHER WORLDLY VISITORS screamed the headlines in the Las Vegas and LA papers after an engineer first reported his contacts with extraterrestrials. The space beings said they were from a planet which remains hidden behind our sun and that they had developed their civilization to the point where there was no war or crime. To date the author's rather shocking claims have NOT been disproved!
The Nerd's Guide to Doppelgangers
High in the Hollywood Hills
You Weren't There; I Was
Probed! The Carson Waggoner Story
You Won't Be Calling Me Crazy When the Sarkonn Fleet Arrives
Messages from the People of the Planet Clarion: The True Experiences of Truman Bethurum
j. It's the edgy gift book for every unmarried woman who's fending off her nudgy mother and overly concerned friend, who can't go to a holiday dinner, class reunion, shower or wedding without hearing the usual round of questions. Something like So, why aren't you married yet?
Well, Just Look at Me
The Un-Vagina Monologues for Single Girls
Even God is Single, So Stop Giving Me a Hard Time
Because Gay Marriage Is Illegal, Okay?
Actually, She's More Than Just a Friend
I Know Why I'm Not Married; Why Aren't You Divorced?
Fake titles supplied by Paul Penna, Dick Margulis, Dave F., anonymous, and EE
Actual Book Titles:
Am I Weird or Is This Normal?
Serving Crazy with Curry
Sex and the South Beach Chicas
Full of It
Wolves in Chic Clothing
How to Spot a Bastard by his Star Sign
How to Read Donald Duck: Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic
'Round Ireland with a Fridge
Messages from the People of the Planet Clarion: The True Experiences of Truman Bethurum
Even God is Single, So Stop Giving Me a Hard Time
We still need fake plots for tomorrow's exercise. The titles are Zero Gravity, Late Nights on Air, Lauchlin of the Bad Heart, The Assassin’s Song, and The Architects Are Here.
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Wow, Thanks for this post! I’m going to speak about synopses at the NJ SCBWI conference in June and was just about to start researching the topic. you gave me a good start.
anita
That’s great! Glad this helps, Anita. I’ll be working on my synopsis for the next couple weeks probably, so look out for more posts on the subject. Hope you find some good stuff in these links. I did.
Love that quote at the end. So true.
I’m pretty excited about the iPad, but unsure of whether it’s worth the price. We’ll see…
Also: I’m with you, I really like the Diana Peterfreund info on synopsis writing.
[...] I noticed that Day by Day Writer has a nice list of sources for synopsis information, (Synopsis Helpful Links) and wondered if anyone else had other sources on the topic. I like to hand out a list of [...]