More than romance
This was originally a comment I made on the HuffPost article “Lovesick and Tired: Unnecessary Romance in YA,“ but it encapsulates my thoughts on romance and relationships within YA that I’m reposting it here. YA literature is, at its heart, about relationships. That doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be romantic ones. Some of the most beautiful YA I’ve read didn’t center on romance. One of my faves in recent years is The Sweetness of Salt by Cecilia...
Read MoreNew Adult
Update (4/23/13): In the three months since I originally wrote this post, New Adult has progressed significantly to the point where some of this information is obsolete or opposite from what I wrote earlier. So I’ve revised the post below to reflect new changes in how NA is developing. And this info might well go another 180-degrees within the next three months. If you participate at all in the online YA writing publishing community, you’ve undoubtedly heard the term New...
Read MoreWhy YA needs strong female characters
I’ve kept largely quiet on the commotion surrounding comedian Daniel Tosh and a woman in the audience who said he joked about how funny it would be if she were gang raped. The resulting debate is disturbing in many ways,* as the (largely male) negative response shows the pervading rape culture is going strong and perhaps even assimilating into some aspects of society where it hasn’t previously flourished. More than that, women are given the role of victim and forced to play the...
Read MoreBooksbooksbooks
It’s that time of year again, when a horde of media, librarians, and booksellers descend on NYC with one goal in mind: free books! Yes, it’s BEA, and if you’re like me, you’re stuck at home doing . . . work. Ugh. Fortunately for us, Book Expo has organized a live stream for some of the top breakfasts and panels, so we won’t be completely out of the loop. The video player is imbedded below so you can watch right here. Just keep in mind, everything is live streaming...
Read MoreWhat do you mean by “weary”?
I’m getting questions from writers curious about why I’d specifically say I’m weary of paranormal romance and dystopian, so let me explain. By the time a book hits the shelves, it’s already old hat for agents and editors. Most fiction is acquired 1 1/2 to 2 years before it is published. So that means when The Hunger Games hit theaters, the acquisition of dystopian books has been going on for the past three or so years. Even longer, if you start with publication of the...
Read MoreDanger of the “bad boy” fantasy in YA
Update: For another perspective on this, using one YA book as an example, see Bookshop’s post Bad Romance (or YA and rape culture). I’ve been noticing something disturbing with quite a few of the beautiful paranormal romances currently shimmering on bookstore shelves, and I’m not talking about the paranormal aspects. In too many of them, the controlling and violent behavior of the “bad boy” becomes fodder for a romantic fantasy where the sweet, innocent girl...
Read MoreAuthors, Bloggers and the Goodreads War
If you’re involved in the YA book community and haven’t noticed any of the recent dustups over reviews, well, you’re probably lucky. So let me fill you in a bit. Since January 1, there have been 8 separate incidents in 2 weeks between (mainly new) young adult authors and book bloggers who post reviews on Goodreads. Timeline of the meltdowns: Update 1-17-12: It seems the drama continues with a rebuttal from YA author Maggie Stiefvater in her post The Only Thing I Am Going to...
Read MoreCan we still be friends?
After the somewhat recent hullabaloo that was #yamafia, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I approach book reviews. I love reading and then sharing my thoughts on books, not just with friends, but with pretty much everyone. I’ve been known to hand sell books at the library and bookstores I frequent. It’s not that I’m going to shut up about books, but as a part of the larger kid lit community, I’m evaluating my place as a reader, editor, writer, and reviewer. The...
Read MoreRules for Heroines of Paranormal Romances
Even though YA paranormal romances have shifted from vampires to werewolves to angels to every creature imaginable, many of the same themes present themselves in the various iterations. In an effort to take a lighthearted poke at the cliches that inhabit this genre*, I present the Rules for Heroines of Paranormal Romances: Aim to be normal in every way. Paranormal guys are really attracted to this. Being uncoordinated, a bad singer, or lacking in other artistic talents is really cute. Every...
Read More“Mormon Mafia”?
I found this post by Editorial Anonymous about a “Mormon Mafia” in publishing rather hilarious, for reasons I’ll explain in a moment. First, click here to read the post. Now that you’ve stopped puzzling over why I found it so funny, I’ll share this secret tidbit of information about myself: I am a BYU graduate from Utah who writes young adult fiction! I only need to find me a husband and pop out a few kids before my multi-million dollar contract will arrive in the...
Read More
