Shameless Saturday

(left to right) Jennifer Bradbury (SHIFT), Jody Feldman (THE GOLLYWHOPPER GAMES), P.J. Hoover (THE EMERALD TABLET), Nancy Viau (SAMANTHA HANSEN HAS ROCKS IN HER HEAD), Brooke Taylor (UNDONE), Stacy Nyikos (DRAGON WISHES)

These awesome 2k8 classmates rocked at the National Council of Teachers of English conference with their panel: New Voices for a New Generation. They shared the scoop on how to grab reader interest in a technological world. San Antonio, Texas may never be the same again!





More accolades this week for Ellen Booraem's middle-grade THE UNNAMEABLES!

School Library Journal says THE UNNAMEABLES has "a style and charm all its own," and the American Library Association's Booklist says "Patient readers who like a little quirk in their fantasy will enjoy this stick-it-to-the-status-quo romp."

Go, Ellen!





And...you can catch up with Ellen on a couple of blogs! Here she is on the ever-popular Cynsations, talking about her writing life. And then there's a really fun interview on Laura Bowers' Shop Talk








And...Happy Birthday, Jonathan Swift! (November 30, 1667)

Shameless Saturday

Courtney Sheinmel's MY SO-CALLED FAMILY was reviewed on Teens Read Too, and it was given 5 stars along with a Gold Star Award for Excellence!

Instructor Magazine reviewed Jenny Meyerhoff's Middle Grade debut Third Grade Baby (Illustrated by Jill Weber) in their Five Best Back-to-School Reads column. YAY!

The Book Vault Blog has an awesome review up of Brooke Taylor's UNDONE.

Be sure to check out P. J. Hoover's The Forgotten Worlds Book 1: The Emerald Tablet great review on Teens ReadToo where it was given 5 stars along with a Gold Star Award for Excellence and her other great review where it was Highly Recommended by Jen Robinson. Go PJ!!!

Zu Vincent's The Lucky Place is the August pick for ALAN Review! How cool is that? Plus she's scored excellent reviews at SWON Libraries:

"Zu Vincent does a wonderful job of taking the reader into the mind of a child handling the divorce and remarriage of her mother. Vincent delicately handles the emotions children feel as they experience life changes and learn to look at their parents through the telescope of reality. This extraordinary work of realistic fiction should be shared with any child experiencing the divorce and/or remarriage of a parent."

and Metapsychology Online:

"The Lucky Place is an outstanding read for anyone who wants a young child's inside view on divorce and illness. With her optimistic protagonist, Zu Vincent charms the reader and shows us that there is a lighter side to every dark tale."

Cool Contest going on at Laurel Snyder's blog, and the prize is a pre-release signed copy of her new book Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains!! The skinny is you blog about a job for which you'd be unsuitable, and she'll pick a winner! Good Luck!

She Said- She Said RWA National Conference

What happens when two 2K8ers who've only met online, get together and become roomies for the 2008 RWA (Romance Writers of America) National Conference? Answer: Cute clothes, lots of networking, and really great workshops. And, oh yeah, don't forget the margaritas! Authors Teri Brown and Brooke Taylor ask and answer questions about their conference experience:


Q: What’s it like sharing a room with someone you’ve only “met” online? Were you nervous you wouldn’t get along?

Teri: Oddly enough, I wasn’t that nervous. Brooke and I have known one another for two or three years and I knew I could be a good roomie. It’s all about being courteous. Turns out we got along fabulously. We were both social and independent, so we did things together and apart. Brooke has a wicked sense of humor and we laughed a lot.

Brooke: I’ve exchanged emails with Teri for a long time now, we critted each other’s work, and acknowledged each other in our books, so rooming with her wasn’t scary at all. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and we had a whole “kismet” moment when I unpacked my Magic Bullet blender and she unpacked two margarita glasses.

Q. How do you keep it real as a YA author at a non-YA centric conference?

Teri: There were so many YA people there it wasn’t that hard. I met lots of YA writers that I’d only previously met online. I took workshops aimed at YA writers and then a couple of workshops that were more about the writing life. You know, creative energy type workshops. If I went to a publisher’s spotlight, I made sure they had a YA line so I wouldn’t be wasting time. Also, I was very upfront about my genre… see the t-shirt I wore for the book signing!



Brooke: YA has been growing in RWA by leaps and bounds. We’re even starting a YA chapter. There are more workshops—two years ago there was only one, this year there were 3 or 4. Last year Meg Cabot was even the keynote speaker! Still, I find I must keep my YA identity—I too did it with clothes, check out the sparkly skull-n-crossbones under my signing suit:

Q. How much networking can you really do at a conference? Any tips for introverted writers?

Teri: I did a TON of networking at the conference! It seems like every time I turned around I was meeting an important person. You just have to learn to bring up conversations whenever you meet someone. I once asked someone the type of writing they did, only to learn that it was the senior acquisitions editor for an important publisher.

For introverted writers, it can be quite challenging. Nothing is louder than a group of mostly women writers. I suggest taking breaks, I took myself out to a fancy restaurant for one of my evening meals. I really needed that alone time to recharge.

Brooke: Teri’s not kidding. Almost every time we’d reconnect, she tell me about some one she’d met. I’m not quite that good at meeting new people. For me it is much easier when I’ve met someone online. That gives me some things to talk about. So I try to be part of YA loops and keep up with YA bloggers. That and I bring a blender so if all else fails I can always invite them up to my room for drinks!

Q: What was more valuable for you—the workshops or meeting people?

Brooke: Both. When I first started going to the RWA conference, every day was packed with workshops. I had my schedule and highlighter and used them well. Now, I’m more into catching up with my writer friends and having that all important face time with my agent. It is so much easier to talk face to face about works in progress and career directions. I’m looking into conferences where I can do the same but with my editor.

Teri: Absolutely meeting people. Not only was my networking fabulous, but I made some great long term friends. Don't get me wrong, the workshops were great too, but I loved meeting all the people. I think because writers work on their own so much, the social aspect is very appealing...at least for awhile!

Q: Was there someone you met That you had always wanted to meet?

Brooke: This year I was excited about meeting fellow YA author Alyson Noel. She’s always so supportive and encouraging on the Yahoo teenlit loop and we’ve commented back and forth a few times on each other’s blogs. Plus I’m a total fan girl—love her books!! Anyway, I’d coordinated the National Reader’s Choice Award YA category and knew she had won. I wanted to be sure she was at the conference, because we have a wonderful award ceremony, but I couldn’t tell her she’d won. So I kept asking, so you’re going to be there aren’t you? It was touch and go, but she did come and I’m soooo glad she did. It was wicked cool getting to meet her!! And I was dying to meet Teri Brown, of course!

Teri: There were so many! I've been wanting to meet Rachel Vincent for a long time and we actually got together several times. It was awesome. Also, I have been a fan of Lynda Sandoval's work for ages and she just seems so nice online. We not only met, but hung out awhile with fellow 2K8er's Terri Clark and Brooke Taylor. Lynda is so funny. Just love her.

Q: What tips would you give other writers to get the most out of a conference?

Brooke: Pace yourself. Take breaks, like Teri said. I always take one night off for room service and to rest my feet (they don’t do well in conference shoes!). If you’re a workshop junkie—buy the CD’s—well worth it. I’ve listened to workshops from each year. I pull out my CD’s whenever I have a writing issue to work through and it is just like being there. So don’t kill yourself to get to them all. Make sure you get out and meet people. Take advantage of your local chapter, online friends, and any other networking group you are involved in, find an outgoing person and ask them to introduce you around. Talk to the person sitting next you—I’m still friends with a lady I met at my first conference, at the very first workshop—we were both new and hung out from that point on.

Teri: Don't pack your schedule too full. Leave room for serendipity. At one conference I started talking to a woman who turned out to be Julia Quinn. She invited me to sit with her friends, Jayne Ann Krentz, Catherine Coulter, and Stella Cameron. I had a workshop I was going to take, but figured I could learn more where I was!

Stay tuned all week for more conference advice and gossip from both RWA and SCBWI!

Day 5: Brooke Would Like to Thank...

the academy? One of the best parts about being a debut author is getting to write your dedication and the acknowledgements--you know the place where the author thanks everyone including the mailman and sometimes makes little inside jokes or refers to friends with nicknames? And most of us enjoy reading them because they give us a little glimpse into the author's world, and sometimes even into the research for the book.

So who did I thank in my acknowledgements? Pretty much everyone! When it is your first book, you try not to forget anyone because who knows if you'll ever get the chance to again. I imagine by my third book I'll be thanking the inventor of shoelaces or my cat, but for this book it was all about my friends and family and those who've supported me for day 1. And, not only that, but I wanted to include fun little details that were personal and special to me--like my Aunt's bookshelves which were the first place I ran to in her house. And my Granny's map of the world that was filled with colorful pushpins. And then there were my writing friends who helped me with things like the craft of writing or how to prepare a query letter and were there for me through all of the stress, sometimes with Dark Chocolate (aka Edgy Chocolate). And of course, you always want to thank your agent, editor, and the wonderful folks working behind the scenes to make your book an actual book.

Probably the best and hardest part of the acknowledgements was writing the dedication. There was really no question about who to dedicate Undone to. Not only did my father, who supported me 150%, pass away before I even landed an agent, but he was someone who made sure to never leave anything in his life undone. The way he led his life was inspiring, and I know that his influence was what made writing and getting Undone published possible. Yes, it is bittersweet that he can't be here to enjoy this with me, but I know he will always be cheering me on.

Awesome! And we'd love to thank you for spending the week getting to know Brooke and helping celebrate her launch! Be sure to come back next week when we talk with authors, agents, editors, and other publishing professionals as we go through the entire process of taking a story from idea to hardbound book!

Day 4: Brooke'sTop 10 Favorite Books!

Here they are in no particular order.... My Top Ten Favorite Books!

Dracula by Bram Stoker

It's been more years than I will admit since I last read this one, but I can still close my eyes and be right there in Dracula's castle!

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume

This one resonated with me--I had a friend just like Caitlin. In the book, a girl says that everyone says that, but it's true.

Joy School by Elizabeth Berg

The epitome of an older boy crush. What girl couldn't identify?

The Black Stallion by Walter Farley

Horse + shipwreck + island= amazing!

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

My imagination <3>

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Team Edward. 'Nuff said.

The Outsiders by SE Hinton

Groundbreaking, raw and lyrical. Plus gorgeous boys.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Boarding school books are always a fave, but this one is special.

Sarah Dessen-Can’t pick just one

They're all so good, so clever in such a real and simple way. She has a gift for being every girl in every town.

It’s Happy Bunny-Jim Benton-Can’t Pick Just one

Sarcasm at its most perfect.

~Brooke

Day 3: A Tour of Undone

Welcome to Kismet, Colorado!

(fictitious home of Undone)

Kismet is a fictionalized mish-mash of cities in Colorado. One is Evergreen, Colorado, which is an upscale bedroom community just up the hill from Denver, much like Kismet is.

Here are some pics of the reservoir that Serena and Kori go to hang out.

This is beach where Kori skinny dips!

Many of the details that turn up in Kismet came from my years living in the mountains of Colorado. The extreme degrees of difference between the wealthy and the working class is very much a factor in most of Colorado’s mountain towns—you either live in a mansion of a log home or an apartment that hasn’t seen new carpet since the 1960’s. There is no in between.

Vail's once infamous Saab police car

And my favorite pizza place, Beau Jo’s, even makes an appearance. In RL, the original location is in Idaho Springs, Colorado. You must go if you ever are heading up I-70 on a ski trip.

YUM!

The trip Serena took with Cole was to The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park made more famous by Stephen King’s The Shining. In the movie it is called the Overlook Hotel.

In real life,The Stanley Hotel is haunted.

Day 2: Interview with Brooke!

Time to learn a little bit more about Brooke Taylor and how here debut novel Undone came about!

So, where do you do most of your writing? What's it look like? (maybe include a picture if you can get it!)

I don’t have one specific place I write from, I just drag my laptop out and start typing away. Most of my actual writing occurs in my car as I’m driving. That is when my mind goes into story mode! I usually have music playing that may or may not eventually become part of the book's unofficial playlist.

Can you tell us how the book came about? How did you begin writing it?

I saw a license plate with CCCCCF8 on it, and it triggered all sorts of ideas. F8 for “fate” had a gamer feel to it that soon gave birth, if you will, to my main character Serena. Serena told me about her best friend Kori and then Kori pretty much hijacked the story. As you can tell, it is character driven.

And how did it find a publisher? Give us the *real* dirt!

I found my publisher the traditional way, through an agent. Walker is a division of Bloomsbury, and Bloomsbury also has it’s own YA imprint. Typically you will work you way throughout a house, hitting the imprints in order, never simultaneously. So we submitted to Bloomsbury’s YA imprint first, and the editor said Undone was a little to edgy for her, but she felt Walker would be perfect for it, and sure enough it was a great fit.

Did anything surprise you or caught you off guard when you were writing your book?

I was a little surprised at just how much was going on in my character’s lives, but then I remembered how it was in high school. How important everything was. And then it just seemed right.

Welcome Brooke Taylor!

What better month to launch a debut novel than the hot hot month of July! And have we got a hot one for you! Please help us welcome Brooke Taylor and her novel Undone to the shelves!

Kori Kitzler is the “dark angel” of her high school: beautiful, mysterious, the subject of rumors. Serena Moore is just an average girl: unassuming, not sure exactly who she is or who she wants to be. But then a seemingly chance encounter ignites a friendship—allowing Kori to draw Serena into her world.

When the girls are given an assignment to list five things they would never dream could really happen—their five ways to tempt fate—Serena doesn’t take it very seriously. But then a tragedy leaves Serena shocked, alone, and in possession of Kori’s five secret impossible possibilities. Can Serena complete her best friend’s list, or will she leave Kori’s dreams Undone?

Brooke Taylor has woven a complex, thought-provoking story of fate, friendship, and the ultimate ties that bind you to the people you think you know best.


Brooke Taylor lives and writes from her country home in Oklahoma where her pets are a constant, but happy, distraction. She doesn't remember a time when she didn't have a book on her bedside table or an idea for a story in her head and she fully admits to getting a little giddy at the sight of a floor-to-ceiling bookcase. When she’s not reading or writing, she enjoys horseback riding, going to the lake, and traveling.

“I started UNDONE intending to write a book about fate and what happens when you start living the life you’ve always envied. As the characters started opening up and coming to life, UNDONE became much more than just a careful-what-you-wish-for novel. It also became a novel about friendship, family, and the secrets we keep from the people we are closest to. And there’s nothing more fascinating than the need or desire to lead a secret life.”

Stayed tuned all week for more about Undone and Brooke Taylor!

Shameless Saturday!

Ellen Booraem’s The Unnameables is a Junior Library Guild premiere selection for Fall 2008!! Congrats, Ellen!

Catch an interview with Brooke Taylor and a review of Undone at In Bed with Books. Also check out her guest blog at And Another Book Read to find out what is real and what is fake in Undone.

Bewitching Season got a great review in the July issue of Locus magazine (and it just happened to be their YA issue!) and the 2009 Children's Writers and Illustrators Market, published yearly by Writers' Digest, is out...and has an interview with Marissa Doyle about Bewitching Season and writing historical fiction.

Nancy Viau’s Samantha Hansen has Rocks in her Head reviewed by TeensReadToo!

Shameless Saturday!

On this Saturday's agenda we have a couple quick notable mentions and then a little recap of ALA! Enjoy!

Reviews and Interviews!

M.P. Barker, author of A Difficult Boy, was interviewed about her summer reading plans for Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette has a feature article about M.P. Barker's return to her old stomping grounds at Old Sturbridge Village.

TeensReadToo awarded Regina Scott's La Petite Four their Gold Star Award for Excellence! "This award is reserved for books you want to read over and over again,because they're great!" Wow! Thanks!

BookReviewManic reviewed Brooke Taylor's Undone! "This book and I were inseparable! It was amazing, staggering, and very much so tremendous! ... would recommend this book to every teen out there, it is not one of those books that are “girly”. Actually I would recommend this book to adults too."

And now on to ALA!

For several days at precisely 9 AM, thousands of librarians and booksellers hit the Anaheim Convention Center floor in order to mingle and choose their favorite new books. So it wasn't quite as dramatic (or dangerous!) as Spain's famous bull-running fiesta, but the energy that these book-lovers brought to the conference was electric. Throughout the event, attendees toted heavy bags filled with hardcover books, ARCS, and promotional materials, then hailed cabs and buses to gather off-site at awards dinners, luncheons, and even early breakfasts. And we just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING!

Two class members signed at their publishers' booths: Zu Vincent/The Lucky Place (Front Street Press) and Nancy Viau/Samantha Hansen Has Rocks In Her Head (Abrams Books for Young Readers)..

And quite a few other 2k8 books were spotted, as well, including:

Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different
I So Don't Do Mysteries
My So-Called Family
The Unnameables
The Possibilities of Sainthood
Undone

Happy reading, everybody! See you at the Mid-Year ALA Conference in Denver! (Unless, of course, we do find you next week...hanging out with the bulls in Santo Domingo).

In the Book Reviewer Hot Seat: Reviewer X

She's a new kid on the block with only 25 books--but for only being in the book reviewing biz for 3 months, she's on a roll! X marks the spot in our Hot Seat! Also hot is Brooke Taylor's debut novel Undone! All you need to do to be entered to win is post a comment by June 29th, winner will be announced June 30th!

Okay, Reviewer X, let's review the facts:

What's your handle? Reviewer X—but my real name's Steph. :)
What kind of books do you review? Anything. (But I have a soft spot for YA books because, wouldn't you know it, I am a young adult.) I have no inhibitions in my reading habits. ;)

Approx # of books reviewed?25 or so? I've only been around for three months, so I'm working on it!

Where can we find your reviews? On my blog, http://reviewerx.blogspot.com/. I also post them on Amazon and Good Reads for good measure.

Reading turn-ons: Dude. Great characters and great prose. Biggest example is Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, my favorite book of all times. Not much of a plot there, but Curtis Sittenfeld's prose is flawless and her character, Lee Fiora, is very relatable. <3>

Reading turn-offs: You would think this doesn't happen a lot, but of the books I've read recently, about half have this undying tendency of ending abruptly. I'm not too sure why—is it a word count limit authors are pushing? Or are they getting bored with their own books? Please, don't end your book right where the real story begins! The only things worse than this are weak writing and horrible characters.
Class of 2K8 books reviewed: I've read both Undone by Brooke Taylor and Braless in Wonderland by Debbie Reed Fischer, but neither of those reviews are posted yet because I'm working with Debbie in branching off an event based on fashion books for my blog and I'm in the process of interviewing Brooke. Oh, and Nancy Viau offered me an ARC of her novel this morning!

Awesome! Okay, so as you know, we love the crazy handles book reviewers come up with—tell us how you came up with yours!

The original name of my blog was X-Rated Reviews. I created the name Reviewer X to give my blog's name some ambiguity. (I love ambiguity.) See, it could be just another meaninglessly chosen name—X-Rated Reviews; but it also could mean reviews rated by someone named X. I ultimately changed the name because I hated it, so now my blog is just the self-titled Reviewer X entity.


LOL. And maybe people might think you reviewed something other than YA books, eh? So how did you get into the book review biz?

I wanted to talk to authors. I wanted to interview them. So I created a blog, emailed Lauren Baratz-Logsted (lovely lady, by the way) and she got back to me within hours agreeing to do an interview. I sent off the questions, she sent them back the next day, and bam, blog was finally started. From there on out I have started several other features, like Young Adult Weekly, Reviewer Profiles, and Author Weeks. All of it brings me a wider crowd and what can I say, it's a blast talking to you beautiful author people!

Aw, thanks, we love doing interviews and talking to book lovers! What we don't like is not knowing if 4 stars is a great accomplishment or means we need to take up tennis. Describe your grading system and how that translates to the reader?

I've been back and forth on my grading system, from a 5 star scale to a 1-10 grade and now I'm at letter grades, which I love and have decided to stick to. The official key reads something like this:


A: Dude, this is incredible.
B: Great read.
C: Meh...
D: Tanks, but doesn't fully suck.
F: Are you kidding me?

You can also translate this into a star system—A is five stars, B is four stars, and so on.

The letter grades are very appropriate for YA and MG novels, just like being back at school! Okay, so 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?

As a reviewer, I receive quite a few books from authors and publishers, so that puts the whole "picking what books you read" thing into perspective. I love the variety of books I've been receiving, though, and it's probably good that I don't choose all books I get. This way, receiving a lot of books I probably wouldn't have picked up if they hadn't been sent to me, my knowledge of the YA field grows exponentially. Whoever complained about an expanded horizon?

What are the best ways to find new books? Any advice for authors about getting their book noticed by reviewers?


Whoa, hold up—you guys worry about attracting our attention? Really? It seems to me it's the other way around. Honestly, a simple email to the reviewer will do—we love receiving free stuff! 'Cause if piquing our interest is what you're worried about, you've got no problems—email, email, email!

Now, my question to you guys is: Does it bother you when reviewers email you asking for ARCs or review copies?

(Would this be the place to add in here that I am dying to read so many of the Class of 2k8's books and if anyone wants to send an ARC or something to me, I'd jump on you and scream in delight?)


LOL. Hold on while I hop up into the hot seat... Yowzer--it really is hot up here! Okay, forgive the politically correct answer--but it just depends. As the letterhead states, we're a diverse group of debut authors so the answer varies depending on the author and more importantly the book's publisher. But I don't think any of us like to say no, especially when a reviewer is dying to read our books and would jump and scream in delight. :-)

Okay, back in the hot seat X. If you really aren't feeling a book—will you make the ultimate sacrifice and finish it for the sake of the review?

If it won't cause me any internal bleeding then sure, why not. However, my health comes first and if a book is radioactive waste, it gets tossed aside and reviewed from a partial read because number one rule of writing is not damaging your readers' insides.

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?

Hell yes I will! I love revisiting books, whether I hated them or not. (It's funny to see if my opinion changes given time.) As for what books I've loved and reread, well, the list is quite long, but here's an abridged version:

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (Best. Book. Ever.)
A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, and The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty
Looking for Alibrandi (On The Jellicoe Road, which I just finished, will probably be reread many a time—and I also have Saving Francesca up next to read, which I expect will be fantastic) by Melina Marchetta
The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance by Catherine Ryan Hyde
However, the book that I've reread the most is:
The Boys Next Door by Jennifer Echols. Love its everything.

Quite a diverse collection of greatness! I bet it is easy to review books you love and would re-read. Do you have a basic philosophy on what should be included in a review—or does it depend on the book itself?

My basic philosophy for reviewing is: The author wrote a book, right? That took a lot of work. (Queries, agents, editors, copy editors, booksellers, professional reviewers, the readership—all of it is tons of stress, work and pressure.) The least I could do is try to give as thoughtful and detailed a review as possible, whether positive or negative. What I mention in each review (aside from the characters, which I always touch on) depends on each book, but I really do try to give a full account of all my thoughts and reactions to each book I read. This often results in long-winded reviews that probably bore people to tears, but to hell with it. If I get a book to review, I do go through that entire process.

That said, some books do, from time to time, provoke me in such a manner that they cause me to lose the control to my snarky side. Hence a category on my blog called Reviewer X Goes All X. I can get pretty sardonic. (But always with substantiated evidence!)

No need to Go All X! Let's talk about the good times, when was the last time your jaw dropped open, you laughed, or you cried while reading a book?


This wasn't the last book I read, but I thought it might interest you, Class of 2k8 authors, to know that I cried while reading Undone by Brooke Taylor. I remember it distinctly: I was having one of my usual insomnia episodes and grabbed Undone from my TBR pile to read. At 1:30AM or so, I got to a really sad passage and began crying. I got up and went to my laptop to email Brooke about it, actually—at 1:30AM, folks. It was that compelling. (And I proceeded to sleep at 3AM or so, for those interested!)

Last book I read was On The Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (and I do love me some Marchetta books)—it was great. I got all of those reactions mentioned above from it and more.

Is there any character in a book that you wish would come to life? Or any place you wish existed?

I really want to meet Jessica Darling from Megan McCafferty's books. I think we'd have a lot to talk about because she and I are much the same.


You and Not So, eh? That Marcus wouldn't be bad to meet either. So what books do you find yourself recommending over and over and why?

I always recommend any books by Curtis Sittenfeld, Libba Bray, Megan McCafferty, Melina Marchetta, and Jodi Picoult. (Though, for Jodi Picoult, I'd stay away from any books before The Pact.) Why? Great voice, great characters, great writing, great plots, great messages, great authors, and great books.

Okay Reviewer X, we can't avoid it any longer, it is time for the Extra Scandalous Question—


I love scandalous ordeals!

Then here we go... really bad reviews—do you ever fear giving them? Ever had an author get upset with you? (It's okay—you can tell us, just don't name names!) And what advice do you have for authors who get a bad review?

No fear. I've given my share of negative reviews so far, and the turnout has been great—people take your opinion more seriously when you offer a balanced perspective. (Or so the people who have emailed have said!) Also, no hate mail thus far, though I am curious! Feel free to tell me what I can do with my blog if I give your book a bad review ;)

As for advice on how to take a negative review, first thing to remember is, it's only an opinion. Yeah, it sucks that you didn't conquer all who read your novel with its brilliancy, but remember, someone's always bound to all-out love it and, like all things in life, someone else is bound to think the exact opposite. Take comfort in that because reviews (especially blog reviews, as much as it pains me to say so) are not know-all-and-end-all. Also, if you're a glass-half-full kind of person, you might to extract something from that negative review to help you strengthen your writing. (And this is considering the review is actually well written and founded—some negative reviews suck, and if that's the case, it's not your problem but the reviewer's. Ignore.)

Good point! Thanks for all the great answers! One last question: if they aren't scared off by all that bad review talks and an author would like you to review her book, what should she do?

I'll start by saying that the review isn't the first thing you should be scared about; my response to your offering your book is. You might be met with an abundance of exclamation points and capital letters; it's only my usual acute psychosis, really, but it's still frightening. (If you don't believe me, ask Christina Meldrum how I replied to her when she offered up Madapple.) If you can handle my enthused hairball response, and the possibility of a negative (and possibly snarkastic) review, then shoot off an email to reviewerx (at) gmail.com


Okay, readers are you like Reviewer X and love to get offered free books? Simply leave a comment and you'll be entered to win an ARC of Undone. Reviewer X hasn't written her review yet, but here's what another reviewer is saying about Brooke Taylor's debut novel:


"(Undone) totally grabbed me in and wouldn’t release its grasp until the very last page. The story took twists and turns that I never suspected in the least. I think that half the time I was reading my mouth was hanging open in shock of what had just happened. My only complaint is the book ended!" And Another Book Read

(Click here for more great Hot Seat interviews)

Shameless Saturday

Reviews:

N.A. Nelson’s BRINGING THE BOY HOME found to be “refreshing, well put-together, and completely original” at teensreadtoo!

Brooke Taylor’s UNDONE “completely spell binding” at And Another Book Read… AND "seriously amazing!" at Midnight Twillight's Book Blog (be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win an ARC of Undone!)

The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman garnered a couple of local newspaper reviews far away from her hometown ... from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Book Reviews: These puzzlers are treats for tweens and from the Miami Herald Breezing through summer with books that are fun - 06/07/2008 - MiamiHerald.com

Interviews:

Susan Van Hecke interviewed M.P. Barker for Authorlink.com. You can read it out HERE and then go check out the trailer for A DIFFICULT BOY and more on Susan’s blog "Adventures in Authorhood"

Busy Busy:

Teri Brown takes time from her Read My Lips Simon Pulse Launch Gala for a guest blog at And Another Book Read…

Daphne Grab has been very busy the launch of ALIVE AND WELL IN PRAGUE:

Check out her guest blog on Teen Book Review, her interviews with Sea Heidi and Jessica Burkhart, and a review from School Library Journal- here's Daphne’s favorite line:

"The story provides a safe and positive alternative to teens who are hoping for happy endings in their own lives."

Going Live:

The microsite for Sarah Prineas' The Magic Thief is live at http://www.magicthief.com/. It includes games, exclusive content, wallpaper, podcast, etc. so be sure to check it all out!

Check out Terri Clark's funny and fierce book trailer on Youtube for her short story, DON’T MIND ME, in the YA anthology BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO with Ellen Hopkins, Lynda Sandoval and Niki Burnham. Sometimes...breaking up is for the best.

Summer Events:

Look for Zu Vincent at these Upcoming Events:

ALA Book Signings: Front Street will host two signings for Zu Vincent's young adult novel The Lucky Place at the American Library Association's Annual Conference on June 28th & 29th in Anaheim, California.

Zu will present on the panel “Managing Your On-line Career” at Vermont College Masters Program Alumni Weekend on July 13th.

Zu joins other 2K8ers for a panel presentation "Turning Old Writing Tricks into New Reading Tricks for Today's Young Audience " at the 110th California Library Association's Annual Conference & Exhibition in San Jose, California, November 14-17.

Zu's radio interview about writing her novel The Lucky Place first aired on "Nancy's Bookshelf," KCHO 91.7 FM, Saturday, May 24, 2008, at 3 P.M. Pacific Standard Time.

And don't forget Terri Clark, Teri Brown, Brooke Taylor, and Regina Scott will be signing at Readers for Life Literacy Event in San Francisco July 30th.

Romance is What Summer is All About!

Attending the Romance Writers of America's National Convention in San Francisco (July 30-August 2nd) will be Terri Clark, Teri Brown, Brooke Taylor, and Regina Scott! All will be participating in the annual “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing, where over 450 romance-fiction authors will be signing romance books donated by publishers. The signing is open to the public an proceeds of the sales go to literacy charities, so make sure you come by and meet the all the authors!


Regina Scott provides some insight into the Romance Writers of America National Conference held every July:


One of my must-go conferences is the national conference for Romance Writers of America. I’ll be there this year in San Francisco with several other members of the class, including Teri Brown, Terri Clark, and Brooke Taylor. The literacy signing Wednesday afternoon is amazing: over 400 authors packed cheek-to-cheek in a ballroom, madly schmoozing with fans and autographing our books for charity. But my favorite part of the conference is a little-known event called the Beau Monde Soiree. The Beau Monde is the chapter of RWA focused on writing about the Regency period. Wednesday evening after the literacy signing, we gather for period dancing, period card games (and gambling with chocolate coins), exceptional food, and excellent conversation. Many members come in costume. Because it’s a bit difficult to get into the dance moves when everyone dancing is generally female, I decided to come in costume as the “girl dressed like a guy” made famous in romance and historical novels. Thus, Sir Reginald Scott was born. The only problem is that he’s more popular than I am! Now everyone who sees me on Wednesday asks, “So, is Sir Reginald coming tonight?” But at least I get my pick of dance partners, including cool gals like Avon romance author Shirley Karr and Kensington romance author Nonnie St. George.

Isn't Sir Reginald Scott handsome!

Shameless Saturday

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.