Comment below for a chance to win Elevensie and 2k11 bookmarks! Contest closes Monday, 31 July.
Possession -- Elana Johnson
Vi rebels against the Thinkers' control while wrestling with choice, ethics, and a boy with great hair in this fast-paced and surprisingly funny debut.
The Pull of Gravity -- Gae Polisner
In this tender book about a promise to a dying friend, Nick learns trust trumps security and plans that go awry can lead to second chances.
Sparrow Road -- Sheila O'Connor
Raine's summer at Sparrow Road introduces her to the beauty of silence, the art of listening, the courage to face the truth, and the father she's never known in this honest, lovely read.
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Elana Johnson, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 11 of 11
Blog: Caroline by line (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Possession, Elana Johnson, one sentence reviews, Gae Polisner, sparrow road, the pull of gravity, Sheila O'Connor, Add a tag
Blog: readergirlz (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: possession, cover stories, elana johnson, Add a tag
Elana Johnson's Possession has great buzz. For example: “Emotion pumps through every scene of this thriller. Given all the urgency and action, the novel’s ending may surprise readers as the heroic adventure turns into a tragic love story.” –School Library Journal
The book also has a simple but captivating cover. Here's Elana to talk about that:
"I didn’t dare dream of a cover. That way, if it wasn’t what I’d pictured, I wouldn’t be disappointed. And luckily, someone much smarter than I am designed my cover—and I love it!
"I got to give input after I saw the design, and something I suggested actually got changed. It was something little about the font on my name, which used to be a much tighter, more Zaner-Bloser, type of cursive. I didn’t like the cursive at all..."
Read the rest of Elana's Cover Story at melissacwalker.com.
Blog: The Librarian Writer (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Elana Johnson, Debut Author Challenge, reading, book review, Possession, Add a tag
Title: PossessionAuthor: Elana JohnsonPublisher: Simon PulsePublication Date: June 7, 2011ISBN-13: 978-1442421257416 pp.Reading copy from publisher via Galley GrabI don't give stars for my reviews, but if I did, I'd give 3 out of 5 for Possession by Elana Johnson. It fell in the middle for me ... somewhere between Across the Universe by Beth Revis, which I L-O-V-E-D and Bumped by Megan McCafferty
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: possession, Elana Johnson, bookanistas, Add a tag
beginning to end. And what an end! I fell in love with the
characters and had countless moments of ‘Wow.
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: author, guest post, Elana Johnson, Add a tag
Elana Johnson has stopped by to give some tips on what you can do if you are not going to LA!
========================
Since I’m not in LA at the frawesome SCBWI smashdown (next year, I swear…next year), I just know I’m going to miss out on all kinds of fabulousness.
Yeah, I know I’ll be able to get some great information from people like Shelli, who are going to the conference, but it just won’t be the same reading about it after the fact. Le sigh.
So what’s a girl to do so she doesn’t gouge her eyes out in a fit of SCBWI-induced jealousy?
1. Write. Okay, this is lamesauce, but hey, it’ll pass the time.
2. Critique. This could be worse than #1, but at least I’ll feel productive.
3. Read. Again, this doesn’t compare to being at a live conference with ultra-sweet agents and editors and writerly peeps, but there’s nothing like losing yourself in a story.
4. Go to the pool. Hey, we’re all living under the same sun. Maybe I’ll text my friends and tell them to go to the hotel pool and we can pretend we’re all there together…
5. Mope. Let’s face it, this is probably what I’ll do.
Because SCBWI-LA is the place to be this week. But hey, if you’re not going, feel free to stand outside in the sun with your mopey face on. I’m sure I’ll feel your vibes. *wink*
Let Elana know if you have any other ideas? :)
Blog: Adventures in YA Publishing (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Young Adult, Contests, Casey McCormick, Elana Johnson, Add a tag
YAY! Great books and a contest! Okay folks, let's do something a little different today. I just took my afternoon coffee break and stopped by Literary Rambles, Casey McCormick's blog, and saw that she is doing a Spread the Awesome giveaway in response to YA author Elana Johnson's list of best YA books. Casey did a wonderful review of Wintergirls, and added a twist, a Spread the Awesome twist, by adding a giveaway for anyone who comments on the post. I love that idea.
Sooooo.....
Here's your chance. Do you know any UNDER-APPRECIATED young adult authors? Any books that didn't generate the buzz they deserve? Something you think is absolutely wonderful but didn't make everyone else's list?
Please share it with us! We'll run this contest for two weeks taking nominations, and then we'll compile a list of everyone's submissions and ask you to pick your favorites. Hopefully, we'll all come away with some great new books and encourage authors who deserve exposure.
To reward your nominations, we'll add some prizes. We'll draw five random winners and give away goodie bags each containing a great YA book (Fallen, Beautiful Creatures, Shiver, Hex Hall or Body Finder) for inspiration along with some tension-taming writing essentials like bath soak, aromatherapy stuff, and chocolate.
Winners will be selected at random. We'll submit one entry for you for each of the following:
- Following the blog
- Commenting with a book recommendation (you can duplicate someone else's recommendation, but we will only count one recommendation for each commenter per book. If you comment twice with the same recommendation, we will enter you only once. If you comment twice with two different recommendations, we will enter you twice.)
- Posting a link to this contest on your blog or website
- Retweeting a link to this contest
This is going to be fun. Go read and comment and enjoy!
Martina & Marissa Add a Comment
Blog: Caroline by line (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: ARC giveaway, Elana Johnson, Three Rivers Rising, Jame Richards, novel-in-verse, Spread the Awesome, Add a tag
Welcome to a day of young adult/mid-grade recommended reading! Here's the complete list of bloggers/books participating in Elana Johnson's Spread the Awesome. You can also click on the link below to read the next post on the list. Before you go, make sure to enter my contest for your own signed copy of THREE RIVERS RISING.
I have always loved how historical fiction gives a glimpse of everyday lives at a different time. Add to this the mix of natural disaster, a love story, secrets between sisters, a class system thrown off course by tragedy, and a chance at redemption, and you have Jame Richards's beautiful debut, THREE RIVERS RISING: A NOVEL OF THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD.
Three Rivers Rising: A Novel of the Johnstown Flood, Jame Richards (Knopf 2010)
3RR is a YA historical novel-in-verse. I know a lot of you aren't familiar with NiVs, so here's a feel for Jame's story:
Thunder falls toward us
from high up the mountain pass.
Breath and screams
leave the lungs
all at once.
Fingernails dig into the tree
and my face buries itself
in the wet trunk.
It's coming.
The water is on its way
and I am already drowning.
From the cover: Sixteen-year-old Clelestia vacations with her family at the elite resort at Lake Conemaugh, a shimmering Allegheny Mountain reservoir held in place by an earthern dam. Tired of the superficial cheer and sly judgments of the society crowd, she much prefers to swim and fish with Peter, the hotel's hired boy. It's a friendship she must keep secret -- her parents would never approve -- and when companionship turns to romance, it's a love that could get Celestia disowned.
These affairs of the heart become all the more wrenching on a single, tragic day in May 1889. After days of heavy rain, the dam fails, unleashing twenty million tons of water onto Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in the valley below -- the town where Peter lives with his father.
Told by multiple narrators, Jame Richards's searing novel in poems explores a cross-class romance, the random hand of disaster, and a tragic and indelible event in American history.
Not only is Jame's work remarkable, she is approachable. When I first heard about her novel (thank you, Valerie!), my own historical NiV was on submission. It's stressful having any book out with editors, but I think there's a special anxiety for those of us whose work isn't commerical or cutting edge, or for that matter, written as prose. I emailed Jame, asking about her submission process. She shared with me her experiences and told me there would eventually be an editor who got what I was trying to do. I've kept a print out of that email in my calendar ever since. Thank you, Jame, for encouraging me along the way.
If you would like to win a signed copy of Jame's THREE
Blog: Caroline by line (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: book lists, ARC giveaway, Elana Johnson, Three Rivers Rising, Jame Richards, Spread the Awesome, Add a tag
The fabulous Elana Johnson has pulled together Spread the Awesome: Books That Deserve Ten Stars for Monday, 3 May. Dozens of kitlit bloggers will come together to promote books they love.
Elana will have the entire list of participating bloggers at her site. Each post will also link to the next blogger on the list, meaning you can click through from one blog post to the next.
On Monday I'll post about Jame Richards's YA historical novel-in-verse, THREE RIVERS RISING, and give away a signed copy of the ARC. For those of you participating in my Verse Novel Challenge (and those of you who aren't), this is a book worth reading.
Come back Monday to participate!
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: agent, interview, mardi gras, Thursday, querying, Elana Johnson, Add a tag
411 on Marketing Mardi Gras
As you know, next week (Feb 15 - Feb 19) is my Marketing Mardi Gras Party. The party will last all week long and include many special guests, daily prizes, a Marketing Scavenger Hunt, and 2 Grand Prizes awarded at the end of the week.
1) A Marketing Package for agented authors
2) My Agent's Critique Package (Alyssa Henkin at Trident Media group) for unagented authors.
Sound fun or what!?
Now, Elana Johnson (The Query Master) and I are throwing this PAR-Tee together. She will be having tons of prizes as well including additional agent query critiques.
The thing is to enter this Mardi Gras Party - you really need to follow us BOTH.
So go ahead and sign up for both blogs today and get a head start.
What do you have to lose? We give great advice, we are fun, and we give 30 day guarantees if you don't laugh at least once. Plus let's face it - the prizes are awesome! (if i do say so myself :)
All details on the party will be announced TOMORROW so come back!
===================
Today, Elana stopped by today to tell us the Five Things To Avoid When Querying (On her blog today she asked me about how to balance Social networking with Writing. GO check it out!)
Querying can be a long and tiring process. Writing a query letter can feel the same way. And since your letter is what you use to query, here are a few hints for what to avoid when getting ready to enter the query trenches.
1. Querying too early. Write your query letter. Revise it a few times. Post it for others to review. Rewrite it a few more times. This same advice should be applied to your manuscript. Write it. Revise a few times. Give it to some trusted readers. Rewrite some more. Don’t query until both your letter and your MS have gone through this process.
2. Sending mass queries. You need to personalize. Research each agent. QueryTracker.net has all the pertinent links you need for every reputable agent. And stats for how long they take to respond, how often they request, etc. Make sure you spell the agent’s name right. Be sure they’d be a good match for your work. Mass querying is bad for everyone.
3. Gushing. The query letter is a business letter. Treat it as such. It’s okay to say you read something on their blog/twitter/website that made you think they’d be a good match for your book. Don’t gush about how amazingly awesome they are or that you like their cat or whatever. That just screams “stalker!” and that’s not really how you want to start your professional relationship.
4. Blathering on and on. We all want to make ourselves personable. But as I said before, the query letter is a business letter. State your business and be done. They don’t need to know how many kids you have or anything like that. They want to know if you can craft a concise summary of your book. Because usually, that means you know how to use words well, and your MS won’t be stuffed with useless words. If your query is, agents likely think your MS is too.
5. Sending repeatedly. Follow the rules. If an agency says a “no” from one is a “no” from all, don’t try someone e
Blog: Faeriality (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Elana Johnson, lila, sarah frances hardy, katie anderson, corey schwartz, Good News, congratulations, Add a tag
Yay!
Another blogger buddy is agented.
Congrads Elana Johnson - you deserve it!
I can't stand the excitement and have no idea how to put into words how rewarding and wonderful it is to watch writers I've been blogging with for the past year or so finally take another step towards their dream/.
I mean, it feels like it's happening to me all over again!
Cant wait til more book deals start coming through :)
Because I know the party's not over yet! I KNOW there are more of you out there getting ready to take your next step in this crazy journey. I can feel it! And if/when you do, PLEASE let me know when you do so I can do my dance for you too! :)
For now, here's to Corey, Lila, SF, Katie, and Elana! I'm so happy for you all and this dance is for you!
P.S. Congrads to LK Madigan, AprilLynne Pike, Cindy Pon, Maggie Stiefvater, Laini Taylor and more for being nominated for "Best Books for Young Adults (by YALSA)". Check out the rest.
Blog: Day By Day Writer (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: query letters, Literary Rambles, querying agents, agentquery.com, Elana Johnson, QueryTracker.net, researching agents, Add a tag
I did it! I’ve send off my first submissions for my novel. Queries went out to agents this morning and to two editors I met at the SCBWI Houston conference. I’ll let you know the results.
As I was finishing up these submissions, I was doing some more final research on the agents and came across a site that I had heard about at my critique group and promptly forgot: QueryTracker.net. The site offers similar research opportunities as AgentQuery.com, which I used to get my master list of agents, except, I believe, QueryTracker.net also tracks response times from agents.
I came across the site through a blog I found called Literary Rambles, which posts some really useful agent spotlights. The blog’s writer, Casey McCormick, has compiled info and links for a bunch of agents, some which aren’t very easy to find online, so thanks, Casey. I’ve put her blog in my blog roll under Blogs By Writers, so check it out.
But in her latest post, Casey talks about the importance of researching agents before you send to them, something I’ve talked about a lot on Day By Day Writer. Casey also provided a post in which QueryTracker.net’s Elana Johnson lays out how to research agents.
It’s really worth it to do this work. Not only do targeted query letters save time for you and the agent, you’ll get fewer automatic rejections. Rejections aren’t nice anytime, so why put yourself in the path of one by sending to an agent who doesn’t handle the kind of books you write? Research, research, research.
Write On!
I loved Possession and have heard great things about Sparrow Road.
That's great you're helping other debut authors by posting about their books.
Fun contest. Thanks for supporting other authors!