How to use this Page

 
Here’s my selection of interesting (and sometimes amusing) posts about writing from the last week: 
 

How Do You Learn to Write? (Rachelle Gardner)

(Read more ...)

  
 
Here’s my selection of interesting (and sometimes amusing) posts about writing from the last week:
 
Electronic Publishing and The Emperor’s New Clothes (Nancy Fulda aka nancyfulda) 
 
Culprits that Block Writers from Reaching a Pro Level (Ray Rhamey) [Jon’s Pick of the Week] 
 
Library Lending for Kindles, coming soon (Ed Greaves aka temporus)
 
Long Stories (Patty Jansen)
 
Social Sites and Marketing (Dani Greer)
 
Things I Like About Being Traditionally Published (Lisa Schroeder aka lisa_schroeder)
 
What is North? (Terri-Lynne DeFino aka bogwitch64)
 

How's it going, verse novel challenge participants? I have quite a treat for you today.

I'm thrilled to share with you an interview with Lisa Schroeder. Stick around and enter to win a signed copy of her book, FAR FROM YOU.



Can you tell us about FAR FROM YOU?

It’s a book about 16 year-old Alice, who is struggling to come to terms with her step mother and new half-sister, as her dad has been able to move on after her mother’s death while Alice is still missing her terribly.


What inspired you to write this story?

With each of my stories there is usually a seed or two that sparks the book. And until I start writing, I’m not sure if it will work as a book or not.

I had been thinking about the wonderful verse novel OUT OF THE DUST, by Karen Hesse, and how she did such a great job conveying the heat and the dust through her verse, and I thought, I bet a snowstorm would be a great thing to write about in verse as well. Especially since lots of dialogue doesn’t work well in a verse novel, and someone being trapped in a storm would allow for lots of inner reflection.

I had also wanted to write a story about a girl who was a singer/songwriter, and a book with Alice in Wonderland elements had appealed to me as well. So I combined those three things and a book was made!

How does verse serve this story best?

For me, verse is all about atmosphere. I don’t know why other authors choose to write in verse, but I choose to do it because it helps me to create an atmosphere I can’t get with regular prose. After my agent read my first novel, I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, she wrote in her e-mail back, asking to set up a time to talk, that “the verse created such a unique atmosphere for the story.”

It also allows me to get to the emotional truths of the story, and to accentuate them.


You have successfully published three novels-in-verse. What is it about this technique that attracts you? Challenges you? Feels like the right fit for your writing?

My strength is not beautiful, flowery prose. At times, I wish it were. I read Laini Taylor’s work, and the way she puts words and sentences together, and I’m in awe.

I seem to do well trying to convey scenes, thoughts, emotions, etc. in a sparse, poetic way. I have always loved music, and in some ways, writing a novel-in-verse feels like writing a giant song to me. The rhythm and the flow and trying to say a lot in a few words – it’s challenging, absolutely, but my brain works well that way.

I fought it, at first, when I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, my first verse novel, wanted to come out in verse. I thought, what am I doing? I don’t know how to write like this. But I decided to give it a try, and the novel poured out of me and I had a draft written in about six weeks. That little book, which my agent and I had a hard time placing because no one seemed quite sure what to do with it, is now in its 9th printing and over two years after it released, I st

Yes, yes, I know we were supposed to be giving away only two copies.

But then it started raining again, and another copy magically appeared!

Everybear was excited to participate in the drawing. Is there a hat in the house?

Why yes, the perfect hat, just like one Isabel's Grandma might wear:
    

Cornelius gathered a pile of cupcake wrappers,


then diligently wrote everybody's name on them in his neatest handwriting (not easy when you have paws):


Then we tossed all the names into the hat.


Now, who would draw the names? (There is always fighting about this.)

Cornelius came up with the perfect solution. Only bears wearing hats could pick a name.

So Betty Sue came from the den,


and Eloise from the foyer,


and finally, Isabelle graced us with her presence, traveling all the way from the Great Room:


Please applaud if you like their hats!

And the winners are:

Drum roll please!


Jeannine Atkins, Julia Karr, and Joan (AuthorWithin)!!

Congratulations!! WOOHOO!!

Please email your snail mail addresses to: readermail (at) jamakimrattigan (dot) com.

Thanks, everyone, for entering the giveaway. Please help yourself to a cupcake before you go:

photo by Bento Business.

More Cupcakes and Bake Shop Treats here.

Copyright © 2010 Jama Rattigan of jama rattigan's alphabet soup. All rights reserved.

           

Have you entered the It's Raining Cupcakes giveaway yet?

You still have two days! The deadline for entries is midnight tomorrow (DST), March 16th. Just leave a comment at this post, telling us what your favorite cupcake flavor is, for a chance to win a copy of Lisa Schroeder's brand new, divinely delicious middle grade novel! This sweet read, which includes two cupcake recipes, is the perfect way to step into Spring!

Have a good week!

Weather Forecast for alphabet soup and vicinity: Mostly sunny with periods of heavy cupcake rain. Sugar highs astronomical with cheers blowing in from all directions. Frosting and sprinkles overnight north and west of town.

        
          Available as a 5"x7" print here.

Grab your umbrellas, everyone -- it's cupcake weather!

I am sooooooo excited that It's Raining Cupcakes by Lisa Schroeder (S&S/Aladdin, 2010) is officially out today! Truly, this middle grade novel has my name written all over it, and I'm here to shout its praises from the highest rooftops.

      

Will you just look at that cover? *lick lick* Scrumptious and then some. If it's got you anticipating a deliciously fun, uplifting story that will leave you comforted, inspired, and totally satisfied, you will not be disappointed. Just wait till you begin reading -- each chapter is named after a different cupcake flavor: Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes, Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes, Coconut Mango Cupcakes, and my personal favorite, Hawaiian Sky Cupcakes! ☺

You probably know Lisa from her teen verse novels (I Heart You, You Haunt Me; Far from You, and Chasing Brooklyn, all published by Simon Pulse), and may be wondering (as I did) how she would fare with a story targeted for a younger audience, ages 8-12. Fear not: this made-from-scratch treat will tempt even reluctant readers to gobble it up in one joyous bite.


"The whole cupcake thing started a couple of years ago, on my tenth birthday. My mom tried a recipe for red velvet cupcakes with buttercream frosting." ~ from IRC.
(photo by fruitcakey)

After all, Lisa used only the finest ingredients: a likeable, true-to-life main character, an appetizing premise, a cozy small town setting, and interesting secondary characters, all flavored with equal parts charm, humor, and suspense. Add to the mix a well-paced narrative that flows like butter from beginning to end, and you have a book that's lovingly baked to perfection.

         
        

Twelve-year-old Isabel desperately wants to get out of Oregon. She's never left the state, and dreams of going on a real vacation to any one of the many faraway places she's read about in books. But it looks like she'll be stuck at home again this summer, since her parents will be busy setting up a new cupcake shop. To make matters worse, her best friend Sophie&nbs

Jacket description:
"Years have passed since Alice lost her mother to cancer, but time hasn't quite healed the wound. Alice copes the best she can by writing her music, losing herself in her love for her boyfriend, and distancing herself from her father and his new wife.

But when a deadly snowstorm traps Alice with her stepmother and newborn half sister, she'll face issues she's been avoiding for too long. As Alice looks to the heavens for guidance, she discovers something wonderful.


Perhaps she's not so alone after all..."

A novel in verse by Lisa Schroeder, this one isn't quite as dark and dismal as the description makes it sounds. Alice is a girl suffering from terrible grief after losing her mother, as well as feeling replaced by a stepmother. She's not entirely sure how to work through all these feelings, but tries, through song-writing, going to church, and spending time with her amazing boyfriend. Still, all is not well. Alice has an attitude, a chip on her shoulder, and a broken heart. Depressing, yes, but written very well.

I loved how honest the writing felt and the pure emotion that came from Alice as a character. I was a bit put off by Blaze (the boyfriend) in the beginning, especially being the fact that his name is BLAZE, but I was pleasantly surprised by how he turned out. Their relationship was believable and maybe will help to inspire some teen girls to wait for the right boy to come along before giving her heart over to someone.

Alice's situation with the snowstorm is terrifying and had me frantically turning pages to find out what happened. Things certainly tie up in a neat little bow at the end, which was a bit annoying (too perfect maybe?), but overall I really enjoyed the plot. Loved the cover too. The paperback cover is not nearly as beautiful, but here it is in case you're interested:

A few weeks ago in the advanced creative writing class that marjorielight and I co-teach, one of our 7th grade girls had a question about writing novels in verse that stumped us. "Is it better for me to just write these poems as they come to me, do you think? Or should I have an outline first?" Having never written a novel in verse, I wasn't sure how most people approach the process, but never fear... a talented author and Skype came to the rescue!

Lisa Schroeder, the author of I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, FAR FROM YOU, and the soon-to-be-released CHASING BROOKLYN, woke up bright and early on the West Coast to join us for a 9AM class in Northern New York.



Since Skype is already installed on my desktop computer, we didn't need to do anything special to prepare. When Lisa called us at the appointed time, we projected her onto the big screen, and the kids came up to the computer one at a time to ask their questions.



Lisa chatted about her writing with my 7th grade writers with a genuine thoughtfulness and warmth that stayed with the kids long after their Q and A session was over. (In fact, I saw the girl from this photo in the library later on. "That Skype chat was awesome!" she said. "I was thinking about it all through math class.")

Some highlights? Lisa shared her process for writing novels in verse, including the fact that music plays a role. She mentioned bands like Lifehouse and Evanescence that help to inspire her words. She encouraged our young writers to read and read and read some more and shared some of her favorite authors, too -- like John Green, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Sarah Dessen. I saw a couple of our kids smile great big smiles when Lisa admitted that she doesn't always know all the answers when she starts writing a book. It felt like she was giving them permission to do that "discovery draft" as well, to figure things out along the way and then go back to revise.

After our Skype session, our students tweeted what they felt were some of the key points on our class Twitter account (@MessnerEnglish), so that schools that haven't tried Skype chats could get a sense of how valuable (and fun!) they can be. Thank you so much, Lisa, for sharing your time and talent with our kids!

If you're a teacher, librarian, or author looking for more resources on how all this works, here are a few links to check out:

Lisa Schroeder's Skype an Author page (And she's fantastic with kids!)
The Skype an Author Network
School Library Journal technology feature on Skyping authors: "Met Any Good Authors Lately?"
An updated list of authors who Skype with Book Clubs

I've never been
to a funeral
until today.

I see
dazzling arrangements of
red, yellow, and purple flowers
with long, green stems.

I see
a stained-glass window with
a white dove,
a yellow sun,
a blue sky.

I see
a gold cross,
standing tall,
shiny,
brilliant.

And I see
black.

Black dresses.
Black pants.
Black shoes.
Black bibles.

Black is my favorite color.
Jackson asked me about it one time.

"Ava, why don't you like pink?
Or yellow?
Or blue?"

"I love black," I said.
"It suits me."

"I suit you," he said.

And then he kissed me.

I'm not so sure
I love black
anymore.

So begins the verse novel I Heart You, You Haunt Me Lisa Schroeder

Ava's boyfriend Jackson is dead and Ava feels responsible, she's haunted by his death. Then, she's haunted by his ghost. It's hard to move on when he's right there, just out of sight, but leaving messages on the bathroom mirror and turning on the radio to your song.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I would have loved it at the age of 13 and mostly, I enjoyed reading it. However, I had issues with Ava and Jackson's relationship. It was very Bella-and-Edward. I mean, Ava finally gets out of the house and hangs out with her friends and Jackson's ghost totally trashes her room. He did the same sort of stuff when he was alive and Ava loves him for it. Ew.

And then there's my whole wishy-washy-ness on verse novels in the first place. There wasn't a lot of actual poetry in this, more terse prose with odd line breaks. That said though, it worked. The terseness, the brevity, the odd line breaks, all worked for Ava's voice as she tries to deal with what's going on.

So, would I give this to an adult friend who reads a lot of YA? No.
Would I give it to a junior high girl who lives romance? In a heartbeat.

Today's Poetry Friday roundup is hosted at Live.Love.Explore. Go enjoy!

Marketing interview with Lisa Schroeder

Hooray hooray!

It's double dippin' day here at alphabet soup! Two fabulous Live Journal friends are celebrating book releases. We've made lots of soup to congratulate them, so be sure to dip your spoons into both posts.

First, let's hear it for Lisa Schroeder (lisa_schroeder ), on the release of Far From You (Simon Pulse, 2008)! Yay, Lisa!! We've been hearing a lot about this book, so we're thrilled it's finally out!

    
      FAR FROM YOU by Lisa Schroeder
       (Simon Pulse, 2008), ages 12+, 368 pp.

This is Lisa's second novel for teen readers, a tale of love, loss and survival presented in a series of lyrical, poignant, free verse poems. Sixteen-year-old singer/songwriter Alice, who is still bitter about losing her mother to cancer, reluctantly goes on a family road trip with her stepmother, Victoria, and her newborn half-sister, Ivy. When a life-threatening snowstorm strands them in the car for four days, Alice's buried feelings of anger, scorn, jealousy, and resentment rise to the surface. What will get her through this ordeal -- her love of boyfriend, Blaze, her music, or an angel on earth?

I enjoyed Lisa's first novel, I Heart You, You Haunt Me (Simon Pulse, 2008), and really look forward to reading this new book. Liv's Book Reviews refers to both books as "unique, eloquent, flowing and emotional." She also mentions that Far From You is wider in scope than I Heart You, You Haunt Me, examining issues of death, divorce, and survival, in addition to referencing matters of Christian faith without being preachy. Above all, this is a story of romance, with what Kirkus calls "genuine emotion" and an "accessibility and heartache" that will attract many readers.

Now that winter is officially here, bundle up, fluff up your angel wings, and fly on over to your nearest indie bookstore, or if you prefer, click through. Lisa's sensitive, emotive writing will surely warm your heart as you connect with the characters and journey through this satisfying story.

And now, please raise your spoons in honor of Lisa, then slurp to your heart's content. You might finding yourself waxing poetic, or hugging the person nearest you. It's all good!


Today's Special: Snowflake Tomato (fortified with love and courage)

Special vlogs featuring excerpts from the novel can be found at:

Liv's Book Reviews
What Vanessa Reads
Lisa's Little Corner of the Internet.

Don't forget to visit Lisa's website for more about her books.

                               

Classmate Lisa Schroeder, author of the Young Adult I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, shares this about her childhood library:

It's hard being the young child of divorced parents. My life was pretty chaotic for awhile. And that's probably why I loved going to the Salem Public Library in Salem, Oregon with my mom during the summer vacations of my elementary school years. As soon as I walked into the children's area, I instantly felt welcomed and at home. Everything was in its place, and just as it should be. What a comfort this was to me at the time, and I can't even describe how much I loved our bi-weekly trips to the library. When I walked in, I knew right where I could find my good friends Betsy and Star, Encyclopedia Brown, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, and more.

I remember one summer, when they had a reading program going on, they had a detailed map on a big board sitting horizontally, and each child had a little marker he/she moved around the map. I can vividly remember sitting and admiring that map every time we visited, and it made me so happy to move my marker around as I read books that summer.

I'm so thankful to my mom for taking me to the library, and to the librarians at the Salem Public Library who did such an awesome job making the children's area a fun, welcoming, and friendly place.

And here's a little history from the Salem Public Library's website:

Salem Public Library was founded in 1904 by a group of determined volunteers from the Salem Women’s Club. The first library was housed in a corner of the City Council Chambers for the City of Salem . The library was operated by the Salem Women’s Club until it became a department of the City of Salem in 1912.


Erin Fitzpatrick-Bjorn, a librarian in Gresham, Oregan shares this about her middle school library:

A few years ago I was working on a poetry unit with fifth graders. They came into the library and we looked at great poets and poetry, and they did some of their own writing. Here's a favorite poem I have that a student wrote that year modeled after "i live in music" by Ntozake Shange.



I live in the library
By Kaylie

i live in the library
is this where you live
i live here in the library
i live on fairy tale street
my friend lives on mystery avenue
do you live here in the library
pages fall round me like snowflakes
on other folks
books touch my face
warm as fire and
cool like the winding air
thinking they waz fairy tales
i got fifteen chapter books where other
people got hips
and a thick book for both sides of my heart
i walk around in pages like somebody else be walkin’ on sand
i live in the library
i live in it
sleep in it
i could even hear it
i wear books on my fingers books
fall so fulla words ya cd make a river
where yr arm is and hold yrself
hold yrself in a book.

Librarians and libraries touch our hearts.

Today is day two of our now and later series when classmates share what their greatest accomplishments were from 2008 and what they hope to achieve by 2018.

LISA SCHROEDER

In 2008, my greatest accomplishments were:

1. Writing and finishing a mid-grade novel that is fun and marketable. I've always wanted to sell a MG - my agent thinks we're getting close!
2. Selling my second YA novel, FAR FROM YOU, to Simon Pulse. It comes out in just a couple of months.
3. Presenting at the Oregon conference in May, and at three different conferences this fall with members of the class of 2k8/2k9! So much fun!!
4. Watching I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME go into its fifth printing in eight months time.
5. Being a part of the amazing and successful class of 2k8!

By 2018 I hope to have:

1. more time to write as well as do fun things like travel
2. more money to do fun things like travel
3. more books on the shelf with my name on it
4. sold lots of those books with my name on it
5. a 10-year reunion somewhere fun with the class of 2k8

NANCY VIAU

In 2008, my greatest accomplishments were:

1. deciphering copyediting notes, and realizing how much I love revision

2. signing arcs at national conferences like BEA and ALA, while (hopefully) not making a fool of myself.

3. overcoming my fear of being a debut novelist

4. publication of Samantha Hansen Has Rocks In Her Head

5. personally "rehabing" a major shoulder injury that froze due to Butt-in-Chair-When-It-Should've-Been-At-The-Gym/Physical Therapist Syndrome

By 2018 I hope to have:

1. at least one more MG novel published
2. at least one picture book under contract
3. several chapters of a memoir completed4. gone to the high school or college graduation of each one of my kids, and I hope I'm thoroughly enjoying being an empty-nester
5. enough long term memory loss to forget how long (and hard) it was to get where I am today; enough long term memory to remember how fun it was

ELLEN BOOREAM

In 2008, my greatest accomplishments were:

1. Managing to sleep occasionally and maintain a portion of my stomach lining even though I have an actual book coming out with my name actually on the cover.

2. Writing a second book even though I have a book coming out with my name on the cover.
3. 2k8!

4. Creating a web site and a blog, which I never thought I'd do.

5. Getting ideas for third and fourth books, and maybe a fifth.

By 2018 I hope to have:

1. Figured out how to write better novels.

2. Made at least one reader shout at the page, "No! No! Don't do it!"

3. Heard from a kid that he/she read something of mine under the covers with a flashlight.

4. Figured out how to write a decent short story.

5. Published five-to-seven additional books with my name on the cover.

Are you reviewing where you've been and where you're going?

Last reviewer up in the hot seat, but the first (we think) to suggest a 2K8 debut authors reading challenge, Jocelyn Pearce of Teen Book Review fame!! Be sure to leave a comment by June 29th to be entered to win Lisa Schroeder's debut novel I Heart You, You Haunt Me. Winner for this and all the other Hot Seat giveaways will be announced on the 30th! Okay, Jocelyn, time to get in the seat and let's get quickly acquainted:


What's your handle? Jocelyn, mostly...I don't really use anything but my name, though some refer to me as "teen book reviewer."
What kind of books do you review? YA, or MG or Adult books that I think will appeal to teenagers. Or at least to this teenager :-) No specific genre.
Approx # of books reviewed? I have no idea. A lot. Several hundred.
Where can we find your reviews? http://teenbookreview.wordpress.com/
Reading turn-ons: Books that grab my attention right away. I have a short attention span. I also love a great, distinct voice.
Reading turn-offs: Books that are slow to start. Or that are required to read for school. Or that are so terribly written I visibly cringe.
Class of 2K8 books reviewed:
Alive and Well in Prague, New York
The Opposite of Invisible
I Heart You, You Haunt Me
A Curse As Dark As Gold

Excellent list! Okay, now right into the questions: We love the crazy handles book reviewers come up with—tell us how you came up with yours! A little bit about how you got into book reviewing would be cool too.

I usually just use my name, and my blog's name is Teen Book Review--not too creative. I obviously wasn't thinking too hard at the moment, and now it's kind of too late to change to something better! Although I do get lots of google search hits for general terms like "teen books," so that's cool. I don't really have a good story about how I got into reviewing. I saw some book reviews, and wanted to do it, too, because I read a lot and have opinions about what I read. My friends are always asking for recommendations, and they also tend to treat my bookshelves like a lending library!

You should probably make up fun ID cards for them to use as well! Hee hee. Okay, describe your grading system and how that translates to the reader?

I've stopped doing stars or numbers, because that just got too tricky and depended too much on my current mood. I just write what I think, and people can take that however they'd like to.

Sounds like a great plan. Speaking of plans, how do you pick the books you review? Or are they picked for you? Do you ever read books that wouldn't normally interest you—and if so have you ever been surprised by what you've read?

I try to read everything that is sent to me for review, but there's a big backlog there, always. I get more books than I can read! So generally, I just pick what to read for trivial reasons like a cool cover, or other things like an author I like, or a recommendation from someone whose opinion I trust. Whenever I get a new book, I read the first few pages, so if those are great, I'll read the rest of the book sooner. If not, well, then, it might have to wait awhile. I do read books I'm not sure I'll like, and sometimes it turns out wonderfully--sometimes, not so wonderfully.

You do know that Teen Book Review's initials are TBR (as in To Be Read pile) Interesting coincidence? Or carefully planned... eh, not sure where I was going with that, okay, what are the best ways to find new books? Any advice for authors about getting their book noticed by reviewers?

Well, of course, there's always book blogs and review sites! Just browsing can lead you to some pretty great things, too, at the library or bookstore. If authors want attention from reviewers, they should try to have a web presence (the Class of 2k8 does a great job of this!) of some sort, the best being something often updated like a blog (and don't just blog about book news--readers want to get to know you a little more, not just how your book sales are doing). But mostly, just ask us to review your book! We love to read new books. Especially before they're available to the public (meaning ARCs); it makes us feel special.

You are special! But what about those books that maybe are less so? If you really aren't feeling a book—will you make the ultimate sacrifice and finish it for the sake of the review?

Not generally, because that review would be very negative, and I'd rather recommend books to read instead of books not to read (though I do that as well sometimes). I also believe that there are so many great books in the world, and obviously I won't have time in my lifetime to read them all, even if I forgo things like showering, so why waste my time on something I'm not enjoying?

Let's not forgo showering. Yes, this is the Internet, but that doesn't make it okay. But what happens if you really love a book—will you read it again? If so—what are some of the books you just had to read more than once?

Yes, definitely! I have so many books I've reread. The entire Harry Potter series in one marathon five days. All of Tamora Pierce's books, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' books, Looking for Alaska...Really, I often get in a mood where I want to reread an old favorite, although there's less and less time for that.

But not less time for showering. Jocelyn, we're serious about this. As serious as we are about our book reviews. Do you have a basic philosophy on what should be included in a review—or does it depend on the book itself?

I don't have any specific rules. I like to include something about the plot of the book (but no spoilers!), and point out what's best about the book (great writing style, characters, suspense, etc.), and, if something stands out as being not so great, I'll point that out, too. Just your basic review. I usually try to touch on the voice, the characters, and the basic plot, but mostly it's just what I notice, for better or worse.

Let's chat about the "for better." Tell us about the last time your jaw dropped open, you laughed, or you cried while reading a book.

I'm not so easily moved to visible reactions like that, but I think it was probably Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. Absolutely brilliant. I think that's my new favorite book of all time. I had all those reactions, and much more, while reading it. I can't praise it highly enough.

Give us a week and SHAZAM good news bursts forth. It's literary lava and we are HOT!


RAVE REVIEWS

Nina Nelson’s Bringing the Boy Home received a glowing review from Kirkus. “"Told in two distinctive voices, this imaginative and beautifully realized novel, set in the Amazon, tells the story of two boys from the fictional Takunami tribe…their stories connect in a surprising yet totally believable way, giving psychological depth to this richly hued novel about the winding turns of destiny and the bonds between father and son, tribe and family.”

The Story Siren said Regina Scott’s “La Petite Four has a little bit of everything; mystery, suspense, romance and of course really beautiful dresses! The plot is interesting and captivating.” They also refer to Regina as an “awesome writer.”

BIZ BUZZ

M.P. Barker got an excellent write up in The Republican and was a featured author on Red Room.

Jennifer Bradbury’s Shift will be published in Dutch!

Teri Brown’s book trailer for Read My Lips is featured on CBS’s You Tube.

Laura Bowers is known for her amusing author interviews. Check out her latest 1-on-1 in which Daphne Grab confesses to singing to her cat.

Not only has Marissa Doyle been a featured author on the Fantasy Debut blogspot, her Bewitching Season was named in the editor's ten best summer reads for older readers in Scholastic’s Instructor, a magazine for teachers.

Sarah Prineas talks about killing your darlings aka revising as a guest blogger on Darcy Patterson’s Revision Notes. Even better, Czech and Slovak rights to The Magic Thief trilogy were sold to publisher Fortuna. That's a total of 12 languages, plus the UK/Australia!

Who knew Lisa Schroeder was an expert juggler?!? But she says as much in this great interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith. And I Heart You, You Haunt Me is going to be published in Polish. It’s official…2k8 is international!

Pittsburgh’s Lux did an awesome interview with Brooke Taylor (her first!). Check it out!

Sarah Beth Durst (Into the Wild) recently interviewed our Zu Vincent about her essay in the Teen Libris anthology, Through the Wardrobe: Your Favorite Authors on C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.

Annie Wedekind’s new website is a must see in addition to her post about the love affair between girls and horses on the Feiwel and Friends blog.

In keeping with yesterday's baby theme, we introduce you to the first book baby of Lisa Schroeder, author of the current YA sensation I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME.

My first book sale was in the spring of 2004. I had been seriously writing and submitting stories since 2001, and was about to surpass the 100 mark for total number of rejections. (Now that's persistence!)

I remember I was at work, trying not to fall asleep, because I had been up with a very sick child all night. My husband stayed home with that very sick child while I trudged into work.

Around 2:00, my husband called me and said, "an editor just called you! You're supposed to call her back!"

I grabbed my cell phone and ran outside, wondering if I was going to miss her since I was the West coast and she was on the East coast. When she answered, I said something like, "This is Lisa Schroeder, and I'm so glad you haven't left for the day." She said, "And miss telling you the exciting news? No way!"

Raising hand. Waving hand. Frantically. We have some Totally Important Posts!






Brooke Taylor's Undone and Lisa Schroeder's I Heart You, You Haunt Me have been nominated for ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers. Double congratulations!


What Shelf Elf has to say about Elizabeth C. Bunce's A Curse Dark as Gold: "Highly recommended." And, Shelf Elf, thanks for posting the video too!

Others adoring fans (in alpha order) of A Curse Dark as Gold: Bookshelves of Doom, Bookwyrm Chrysalis, Miss Erin, Sarah Miller,


And Jennifer Bradbury's Shift is a Richie's pick.


Wow! Go Class of 2k8!