~Waiting on Wednesday~

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that spotlights upcoming books to get excited for.  It’s hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I’m waiting on . . . .

Storybound by Marissa Burt
HarperCollins Children’s
April 2012

In the land of Story, children go to school to learn to be characters: a perfect Hero, a trusty Sidekick, even the most dastardly Villain. They take classes on Outdoor Experiential Questing and Backstory, while adults search for full-time character work in stories written just for them.
In our world, twelve-year-old Una Fairchild has always felt invisible. But all that changes when she stumbles upon a mysterious book buried deep in the basement of her school library, opens the cover, and suddenly finds herself transported to the magical land of Story.
But Story is not a perfect fairy tale. Una’s new friend Peter warns her about the grave danger she could face if anyone discovers her true identity. The devious Tale Keeper watches her every move. And there are whispers of a deadly secret that seems to revolve around Una herself....
With the timeless appeal of books like A Wrinkle in Time and the breathtaking action of Inkheart, Storybound has all the makings of a new classic. Brimming with fantastical creatures, magical adventure, and heart-stopping twists, Storybound will leave readers wishing they too could jump through the pages into this enchanting fairy-tale world.

What really draws me in is the imaginativeness of the story. I think that’s one thing that middle grade has the YA doesn’t—imagination.

BLOG TOUR—IMAGINARY GIRLS/Nova Ren Suma + Giveaway

Hey kitties! I was lucky enough to snag a spot on the blog tour for IMAGINARY GIRLS by Nova Ren Suma—a book I love dearly. Below you will find a guest post from Nova, and a few goodies. Enjoy!

I’m here spilling secrets about my book Imaginary Girls. As the cover says, “Secrets never stay below the surface.” I guess not, because here’s another one bubbling up now…



Secret #8: Music shaped Imaginary Girls more than you know.

Sometime ago, I was listening to a CD my sister told me I’d love: You Are Free by Cat Power. I was staring at a blank page, headphones in, willing words to come. Suddenly they did, and those words were the opening paragraphs of the story that would become the novel you now know as Imaginary Girls. There was something about a particular song—a favorite of my sister’s that I made into her ringtone on my cell phone whenever she called or texted me—that gave me ideas about the plot. In “Fool,” Chan Marshall sings this:

     Come along, fool
     A direct hit to the senses, you’re disconnected
     It’s not that it’s bad, it’s not that it’s death
     It’s just on the tip of your tongue, and you’re so silent

The last two lines, especially, found their way into my story. And this wasn’t the only time music my little sister introduced me to informed the book. She sent me a song called “Hanging High” by Lykke Li, an artist I’d never heard of before, and the idea of what happens when Chloe returns home after two years away can be found in these lyrics:

     Oh I’m hanging high
     Oh won’t you let me down
     Back where I started at
     You know I’m a little lost

Clearly my sister is an inspiration for Imaginary Girls—and not just her, her music. Thankfully I don’t quote these lyrics in the book (or I’d have to pay permission fees to music companies), but I am absolutely sure the book wouldn’t be what it is without them, even if the connection is obvious only to me.

* * *
Here are links to the songs, if wanted, from YouTube:
“Fool” by Cat Power: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBE1uxe8j2c
“Hanging High” by Lykke Li: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qsoDSGMRFI

Nova Ren Suma’s Website | Twitter

Isn't she a cutie? 

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.
But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.
With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.

You can read an IMAGINARY GIRLS sampler here.

I have one (1) signed finished copy of IMAGINARY GIRLS to giveaway to a winner in the US. To enter, fill out this form. Open to entries until July 8th, 2011.

Early Buzz – Fall ‘11

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

♦August 2011/Penguin♦

I literally squealed when I got my hands on this book! As a huge fan of Richelle Mead’s VAMPIRE ACADEMY series, I’ve been dying to read BLOODLINES ever since Mead announced she’d be writing a spinoff. BLOODLINES has everything I loved about VA: a relatable heroine, sizzling romance, and thrilling plotline.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

♦September 2011/Simon & Schuster♦

I absolutely love middle grade! As of late, I’ve been reading every single MG story that lands on my desk. Before I even started reading THE UNWANTEDS, I knew I would love it—up until that point, I read every single YA Lisa McMann ever wrote, and loved them all. THE UNWANTEDS is one of the best MG I’ve read all year. It’s so compelling. I mean, who wouldn’t wanna read something pitched as “The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter”? This is a book that I will be forcing my friends who don’t generally enjoy middle grade to read.

Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey

♦September 2011/Flux♦

Homosexual witches. That is all I have to say to get you interested in this action-packed Romeo-and-Juliet-like story. Once I started, I could not stop reading! Scott Tracey’s writing is addicting. This right here is the future of gay YA—where the protagonist’s sexuality is only one of his/her many qualities.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

♦September 2011/Simon & Schuster♦

Do not even get me started on MARA DYER—I want to carve my name and the book’s title with a heart into trees everywhere. It’s creepy, psychotic thriller mixed with insanely intense romance. This book blew my mind.

Stick by Andrew Smith

♦October 2011/Feiwel & Friends♦

Andrew Smith’s STICK is one of my favorite books of the year. It’s unique, dark, and will make you wince. But the ending fills that spot in your stomach where STICK punched you with hope. Andrew Smith is so talented.

Variant by Robison Wells

♦October 2011/HarperCollins♦

First of all, let me just say that I have a small problem with the way VARIANT is being pitched: as dystopian. If VARIANT is anything, it’s scifi. Not dystopian. But I guess that’s just reader response…? Idk. Anyway, VARIANT is a quiet and intriguing book that grabs your attention and guides you through the first couple hundred pages until BAM! you reach the ending and you’re left w/ the world’s hugest cliffhanger. There’s a twist at the end that just blew my mind. Add this to your reading list! 

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

♦September 2011/Penguin♦

Stephanie Perkins brings everything you loved about ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS back in LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR. When you love a debut author’s first novel so much, you get scared their sophomore novel won’t live up to your expectations. I was scared before starting LOLA! But no, no, no. LOLA is just as magical. This is a story about first loves and the impact they have on you. This may be a tad spoiler, but: there’s a set of adorable gay daddies that just made this book shine! I can’t even get started talking about LOLA without wanting to take up 20,000 words. Stephanie Perkins is my new favorite writer. 

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

♦September 2011/Simon & Schuster♦

Another amazing novel from one of the most well-known YA writers out there. Love the topic, love the approach, love the authentic voice. Ellen Hopkins writes brilliant poetry. This book is perfect.

sirenz by charlotte bennardo and natalie zaman

 
June 8th, 2011
Charlotte Bennardo + Natalie Zaman
Flux
Paperback/264 pp.

Bickering frenemies Meg and Shar are doing some serious damage at a midnight sample sale when they find themselves arguing over a pair of shoes—with fatal consequences. One innocent bystander later, the girls are suddenly at the mercy of Hades—the god of the underworld—himself. To make them atone for what they’ve done, Hades forces the teens to become special-assignment Sirens, luring to the Underworld any individual whose unholy contract is up.
But just because they have an otherworldly part-time job now doesn’t mean Meg and Shar can ignore life’s drudgeries (work) or pleasures (fashion!). Finding that delicate balance between their old and new responsibilities turns out to be harder than they expected, especially when an entire pantheon of Greek deities decides to get involved. Then there’s the matter of the fine print in their contracts . . .

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
A few weeks ago, I was in the mood for a mythology-type book. I was also in the mood for something light and fun. SIRENZ looked like the perfect book for me!

Once I got my hands on a copy, I immediately started reading and omg couldn’t stop. I was sucked in by the voicey narration of Meg and Shar—they are seriously funny!

I liked that mythology was a big part of the story, and that it was portrayed as light and funny, rather than hardcore serious. I especially liked the way Ms. Bennardo and Ms. Zaman wrote the character Hades—charming and hot and mysterious and a little bit too coy.

SIRENZ was a great, funny read!

imaginary girls by nova ren suma

June 14th, 2011
Nova Ren Suma
Dutton Juvenile
Hardcover/352 pp.

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.
But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.
With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
That cover! My god, that cover is enough to make this book a besteller! I’d been following Ms. Suma’s blog long before IMAGINARY GIRLS had a cover, but once I saw it, I knew more than ever that I *had* to read this book. It’s so funky and artsy—and once I started to read IMAGINARY GIRLS, I realized it matched the writing perfectly.

Let me start off my review by saying that Nova Ren Suma’s writing is breathtakingly beautiful. Her descriptions are intricate, and she plays with word placement a lot, and I just loved it. I have this things where I judge a manuscript/book/whatever on how many quotable phrases it has—how many lines it has that I’d want tattooed on my body. IMAGINARY GIRLS has too many to count!

The relationship between the main character (Chloe) and her sister (Ruby) is what really drives the story. I have a younger sister, and since I’m gay I think that makes me an older sister figure to her, LOL. Nova Ren Suma nailed that sister relationship. Chloe was intimidated by Ruby, and she tried so hard to please Ruby. She loved and hated Ruby at the same time. Oh, it was just perfect!

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book today!

hourglass by myra mcentire

June 14th, 2011

Myra McEntire

EgmontUSA

Hardcover/397 pp.

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.
So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.
Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?
Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
I read HOURGLASS  because all of my favorite bloggers loved it. (And also because Myra McEntire is funny, as I found out after months of Twitter-stalking.) The premise (time travel) was intriguing enough, and I was sold once I saw the cover. Before opening it up, I was crossing my fingers that it’d live up to the hype.

And it did! I completely adored HOURGLASS. The characters were extremely relatable and funny, and the hot guys were, well, hot. I want to carve “Brent Taylor + Michael Weaver / April 20, 2011 to Forever / <333” into a tree.

I love genre mashups. It amazes me when a writer can masterfully write an umbrella novel that has so many different and striking elements that no one knows what to call it (scifi, paranormal, etc.). HOURGLASS is a time-travel story (scifi), a love story (contemporary), and a story about loss and grief and recovering (literary).

I’m having a hard time gathering my thoughts and putting them into words.

I’ll summarize for you: THIS $H*T IS F%CK!NG GREAT BUY IT NOW!!!

CLOSEDgiveaway: the girl who circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own making

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.  With exquisite illustrations by acclaimed artist Ana Juan, Fairyland lives up to the sensation it created when the author first posted it online. For readers of all ages who love the charm of Alice in Wonderland and the soul of The Golden Compass, here is a reading experience unto itself: unforgettable, and so very beautiful.

 

One lucky reader will win a copy of THE GIRL WHO CIRCUMNAVIGATED FAIRYLAND IN A SHIP OF HER OWN MAKING by Catherynne M. Valente.

Giveaway rules:

• to enter fill out the form below (or click here)
• one entry per person
• open to entries until June 27th, 2011
• US mailing addresses only

**Thanks to Macmillan + Zeitghost Media for sponsoring.

my week in tropical paradise

Hey Kittens!

I’m (finally) back from vacation—with tons of blogging to do. Did you miss me?

I thought I’d take a few minutes to post a few photos and tell you guys a bit about what I did with my week off.

First of all, I read absolutely no manuscripts! Lately, my inbox has been popping with mss to read, and while most of them are painless, it gets tiring. I wanted a week full of great reads, so I took tons of Fall ‘11 ARCs with me. I read some fantastic books—I’ll probably blog about a few of them this week.

I left two Fridays ago for Panama City Beach. When I got there, it was sweltering. That ocean-side breeze is the only thing that kept me alive.

This is the beach: (I instagrammed it, that’s why it looks so vintage)















This is the view from my hotel room balcony:


This is the beach at sunset: (not instagrammed)


At some beachfront restaurant, there was this really pretty collage of license plates, so I snapped a photo:


Also, I bought this hand-carved shell ring, and I adore it:


And in case you missed it, last week I was accused of being Teisha Little.  To those people: I bought five of these—watch out!

q&a with author kady cross

You're previously published, just in a different genre. What made you make the switch from adult to YA? Back in 2001 I wrote 2 historical YA's for the defunct Avon True Romance line. I've been wanting to write more ever since, but the timing was never right. When the idea for The Girl in the Steel Corset struck, I knew I wanted to do it as a YA novel. 

In what ways would you say adult and YA are different? I would say there's so much more freedom in writing YA. In romance, there are certain things readers expect, but in YA you can do whatever you want. My characters can fall in love, or not. They can be whatever race and gender I want. The book can have sex in it or not. Really, the only limits in YA are your own imagination. It's an amazingly exciting part of publishing.

Which writers have had the biggest impact on your writing? Wow. Judy Blume. Stephen King. Sidney Sheldon. Oscar Wilde. Jane Austen. I think those are my big 5.

Your steampunk YA is set in 1897 London. While writing THE GIRL IN THE STEEL CORSET, did you have any trouble getting into the mindset of teenagers in this time period? I'm used to writing historical, so I think there were times I made the characters too mature because a 17 year-old at that time would be considered an adult by today's standards. So yes, there were times when I forgot my characters were young. Thankfully, that's what I have an editor for! The only character that really gave me trouble was Griffin, because he's a duke and supposed to be in control. However, when I found my groove, it wasn't that difficult to see these characters as teenagers. All I had to do was remember how awkward I felt at that age, and it was suddenly a lot easier to combine history with a more youthful voice.

What's your favorite thing about the time period in which your novel is set? The clothes! Seriously, I love Victorian clothing, and Steampunk fashion as well. I also love the Victorian era because it was such an amazing age for science and discovery. Industry boomed, Darwin made headlines, Tesla played with radio waves. It was a fantastic era for technology and innovation.

Kady Cross is a pseudonym for USA Today bestselling author Kathryn Smith. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and a pride of cats. She likes singing with Rock Band on the 360, British guys, Vietnamese food, and makeup (she’s hopelessly addicted to YouTube makeup tutorials!). When she’s not writing Kady likes to catch up on her favorite TV shows, read a good book or make her own cosmetics.

FYI – Kady’s publisher, Harlequin Teen, is giving away the jewelry on the GIRL IN THE STEEL CORSET cover art to one lucky reader! Visit http://facebook.com/HarlequinTEEN at the end of this week for details.

blood red road by moira young

June 7th, 2011

Blood Red Road | Moira Young

Margaret K. McElderry

Hardcover | 512 pp.

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
I cannot adequately blog about BLOOD RED ROAD. I loved it far too much to write a review that says more than, “OMG, OMG, AMAZING.” BLOOD RED ROAD is a unique dystopian story about a girl fighting to save the ones she loves, all the while guiding her entire civilization through a revolution. BLOOD RED ROAD completely blew my mind. This isn’t one of my favorite dystopian story—it’s one of my favorite stories, period. I like to call it “literary dystopian.”

Where to start. One of the many things that makes BLOOD RED ROAD stand out is the writing. The jacket copy calls it “poetically minimal,” and it is just that. It’s a poetry/prose hybrid, and it is genius. When I first started reading I was like, “the fuck? grammar?” but then I immediately fell in love with it. There’s nothing I love more than when an author’s writing style matches their story.

Also, I should mention: the plot and pacing will keep you up all night. You’ll finally fall asleep (with the book in your lap) at 5am, only to wake up at 6:30 because you dreamt too hard about what was going to happen next in the story. Luckily, I read this over winter break, and didn’t have to worry about anything. You know, there’s a reason Simon & Schuster made this a summer release! With no homework to worry about doing, you can read BLOOD RED ROAD all day long.

Since December, I have read this book twice. No joke. Each time I flip it open just to glance and remember how in love I was, I get sucked back into the story and end up reading the whole 400 pages over again.

BLOOD RED ROAD put that deep and wrenching nervous feeling in my stomach that didn’t go away until I flipped the last page. 

1,000,000,000,000,000,000/5 stars

Read the first chapter here.

giveaway: forgotten by cat patrick

What if every day when you woke up, you had no recollection of the days before? Each night at precisely 4:33 am, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can “remember” are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated when a new boy at school enters the picture. Luke Henry is not someone you’d easily forget, but try as she might, London can’t find him in her memories of things to come. When London starts experiencing disturbing flashbacks, or flash-forwards, as the case may be, she realizes it’s time to learn about the past she keeps forgetting – before it destroys her future.

Learn more/Watch London’s video diaries

Two lucky readers will win:

• a copy of FORGOTTEN by Cat Patrick

Giveaway rules:

• to enter fill out the form below (or click here)
• one entry per person
• open to entries until June 13, 2011
• US mailing addresses only

**Thanks to Little, Brown for sponsoring.

a need so beautiful by suzanne young

Published 6/21/11

A Need So Beautiful | Suzanne Young

Balzer + Bray

Hardcover | 272 pp.

We all want to be remembered. Charlotte's destiny is to be Forgotten...
Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.
But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become--her mark on this earth, her very existence--is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.
Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny--no matter how dark the consequences.

Brent’s opinion of the novel:
I usually tend to shy away from angel books, but because I heard such great things about it, I read A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL—and I’m so glad I did! Suzanne Young’s writing hooked me, and I just couldn’t stop reading.

My favorite part of any story is the characters. Characters just have to be great, or I just won’t like the book. Luckily, the characters in A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL are fantastic. Charlotte was perfectly relatable, her best friend Sarah cracked me up. And the hot dude, Harlin? TOTALLY HOT. You can feel the many forms of love flying off the pages.

I also really loved the fresh take on angels. I’ve never read any story like this one. It’s intense, it’s filled with passion, and the ending will make you want to hack Suzanne Young’s computer and download the sequel. Not that I ever thought about doing that before. Just sayin’.

guest post: suzanne young on lgbt characters in ya

There are a lot of different ways to approach LGBT characters in YA. There are books that are centered around coming out, books that have the main character coming to terms with a friend/relative being gay/lesbian. Then there are just characters that are gay, just like there are some that are straight. It’s just… there. My friend Lee Wind has a site: I’m Here. I’m Queer. What the Hell do I read? over at www.leewind.org where he breaks down LGBT books into categories in an amazing list that he’s put together. It’s a great resource!

For me, the character of Alex—my main character Charlotte’s foster brother—was one of the most fun to write. He was witty and sarcastic with his brotherly tauntings underneath. He was also gay. He mentions his boyfriend, but Alex being gay was never an issue. He just was, just like he was Puerto Rican. Just like he was adopted. Just like he… was everything. It was just part of him that didn’t require a spotlight.

Now there are many great books out there that capture LGBT issues, but I also think it’s okay to have books that capture a character without highlighting their sexual orientation. Everyone grows up with a different experience and I think stories should reflect that. Books become more diversified every day, and although I know we’re not there yet, including characters who are the love interest, the brother, sister, best friend, protagonist, antagonist, and oh… they’re also a LGBT character is something that will reflect some reader’s experiences and widen the acceptance in books of what some of us already see in life.

Pre-order A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL/Add it on Goodreads

Suzanne Young currently lives in Portland, Oregon where she uses the rainy weather as an excuse to stay inside and write obsessively. After earning her degree in creative writing, Suzanne spent several years teaching middle school language arts in Arizona. Now she can be found at home chasing after her two children and writing novels for teens.