Extraordinary News from the League

Lots of news has happened this month in the world of the League! 

First, excellent news from Elana, who revealed the beautiful cover of her third book, ABANDON! You can find out more information about it here (and add it to your GoodReads). Additionally, in the month of October, Elana's holding a Review Drive. You can find out more information here.

As we gear up for two (two!) launches of League books this month, there's lots of exciting news for both Mike and Genn. Make sure you don't miss any of Mike's stops for his blog tour celebrating ASHEN WINTER. And if you'd like to see Mike in person, a full list of his upcoming appearances can be found here.

Genn will also be touring blogs throughout October, as well as touring in real life with the Fierce Reads book tour from October 16-22. A full list of all the stops can be found here. And lots of people are loving on CREWEL--not only have the Italian rights sold to Rizzoli in auction, but CREWEL was chosen as an Amazon Editor's Fall Pick for Teens!

CREWEL's not the only molto bene title in our group--Lissa's STARTERS was just released in Italy! Additionally, it is now in a second printing and also made a surprise re-appearance on the Southern California Independent Booksellers Assoc Bestseller list at #8! If you'd like to meet Lissa in person, she has several upcoming appearances:

• Orange County Childrens' Bookfair on 10/30 at 11 am
• Portland's Wordstock 10/13 at 12 and 2pm 
• 10/13 7pm Jan's in Beaverton
• 10/15 Beach Books in Seaside, OR 
• 10/18 7pm Burbank Library Buena Vista 
• 10/20 2pm B&N Grove with Melissa de la Cruz and David Levithan. 

And Lanore has been able to reveal a full list of awesome blurbs for her debut, LEVEL TWO! Look at what's being said--and who's raving about her book!

“A gripping debut! This utterly unique take on the afterlife poses fascinating questions . . . I can't wait to read the rest of the series to find out the answers!”—Megan McCafferty, New York Times bestselling author of Bumped and Thumped 

“Appelhans brings the afterlife to a whole new level. . . . A high-voltage thrill ride through love, death, and memory that will leave you breathless.”—Jess Rothenberg, author ofThe Catastrophic History of You and Me
“Absolutely gripping. My heart pounded on nearly every page. You won't be able to put it down.”—Mary E. Pearson, award-winning author of the Jenna Fox Chronicles

And finally, I've got some news of my own...I'll be at NY ComicCon this year! Not only will I be on several panels, but I'm also going to signing (free!) copies of SHADES OF EARTH during the con. I'll also have an event at Books of Wonder. For more information on these and all my stops, just check here.

I also have a little bit more news, including an upcoming giveaway, but all I can say now is that you should probably check out my blog around October 15...

Post-Apocalyptic Jello and Caviar Delight

Today we have a guest post from Peggy Eddleman, author of Through the Bomb's Breath, a MG post-apocalyptic adventure coming in September 2013.  Learn more about Peggy below.

Let's say that you're a chef instead of a writer. (Just go with me on this one for a minute.) And you come up with the BEST recipe EVER. One that you love. You may have some different tastes in foods, but you know plenty of other people with different tastes in foods, and you know they will LOVE what you made, too. So you work hard and perfect your creation, which you've named Cheeto Peanut Butter Rainbow Jello Delight, Topped with Pineapple and Caviar. And it's truly incredible. You know not many people eat something like it every day, but if you could just get a major chain restaurant to put it on their menu, Cheeto Peanut Butter Rainbow Jello Delight, Topped with Pineapple and Caviar-loving people everywhere will cheer.

Permission granted by Mark Fickett, and by freestock.ca [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons, and by Maks D. (My dinner) [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

So you present your perfected creation to Olive Garden, P.F. Changs, Texas Roadhouse, Red Lobster, Applebees, and The Cheesecake Factory.

Every single one of them turns you down.

And they all give you the same reason-- they don't think there's a big enough market for Cheeto Peanut Butter Rainbow Jello Delight, Topped with Pineapple and Caviar to justify carrying all the ingredients in all their restaurants, training all their chefs on how to make it, advertising, and reprinting all the menus.

And really, can you blame them? They are, after all, a business. If they put things on their menu that would lose them money, how are they supposed to stay afloat? So... does that mean Cheeto Peanut Butter Rainbow Jello Delight, Topped with Pineapple and Caviar is awful? Not necessarily. Should you just give up on your dream of people eating it?

Well, that depends on what, exactly, your dream is.

If your dream is to get people to eat Cheeto Peanut Butter Rainbow Jello Delight, Topped with Pineapple and Caviar, then no-- don't give up on it! There's not a lot of Cheeto Peanut Butter Rainbow Jello Delight, Topped with Pineapple and Caviar out there, and you'd be filling a niche that not many others are.You just need to find the right way to sell it. A food truck. A roadside stand. Your own restaurant. By mail order. 

If your dream is to get one of your creations in a major restaurant chain, then yes. Maybe it's time to re-evaluate the kinds of things you're submitting.

(You do get the analogy here, right?)

So what? You're telling me to give up on writing what I'm passionate

about and only write things that are commercial?!

Pshaw. Heck no. Let's take HUNGER GAMES / GREGOR THE OVERLANDER author Suzanne Collins for example. She is the daughter of a military officer, so hearing about wars and strategies and the harsh realities of what happens to children in a war-ridden country were common dinner table discussions. It fascinated her. She could've very easily taken that knowledge and fascination and written a Vietnam War narrative. Or went non-fiction, and wrote about the history behind war. She probably would've really enjoyed writing them, and some people would've really enjoyed reading them. They probably wouldn't have sold a ton of copies. Would that have been bad? ABSOLUTELY NOT. She would've been writing what she was passionate about and getting it out there for people to read. Instead, she chose to take that same knowledge and fascination and wrote something that would appeal to a much broader audience. She really enjoyed writing them, and people really enjoy reading them. Does that mean she sold out? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Because she was still writing what she was passionate about and getting it out there for people to read.

Everyone has different writing / publishing dreams and goals. Yours are more than likely exactly perfect for you. If your dream is about a specific creation, (a.k.a. a specific manuscript), no matter how outside of mainstream it is, then follow that dream! If it's about getting yours to a major publishing house, then take that fascination and passion burning inside of you, and look at what is also going to appeal to the broadest range of people.

Because like it or not, publishing is a business.

Peggy Eddleman is the author of THROUGH THE BOMB'S BREATH, a post-apocalyptic adventure for middle grade readers about a girl who can't invent, in a town where it's the most important thing. When bandits invade, inventing won't help, but the daring and risk-taking that usually gets her into trouble just might. THROUGH THE BOMB'S BREATH releases from Random House in September 2013. You can find out more about Peggy and her book at:

Blog: www.peggyeddleman.blogspot.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13411048-through-the-bomb-s-breath

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeggyEddleman

Too Many Curators in the Kitchen

Today’s guest author, Lana Krumwiede, is a self-proclaimed board game queen who has an interesting look at the similarities between writing a novel and curating.  Lana debuts next month with her MG novel, FREAKLING. Peek below to see the wonderful cover.

I feel sorry for buzz words. They're like actors who have the misfortune of being typecast for the rest of their lives. So sad. The latest victim is a perfectly good word: curate. These days, people are curating everything from spice racks to retail inventory. Even so, at a recent conference, the word caught my attention when someone commented that authors should think of themselves as story curators.

I've been thinking about the concept of story curating, and I decided it's not a bad term for the past five years of laboring to bring my story into the world. After all, "show, don't tell" is the writer's watch cry, and I love thinking of the scenes of my story as a series of displays, selected and arranged in thoughtful order by me, the story curator. I can testify that a lot of behind-the-scenes work goes into getting those displays set up just so.

First comes research. The story curator has to become a subject specialist on everything related to the story. My research included various theories of psychokinesis. Some people think that moving things with mental exertion might be possible if we could figure out how to make better use of our brain and tap into certain cosmic connections. Even though this is the fantasy element of Freakling, I needed it to sound perfectly logical and even mundane in Taemon's world. Research was key. It became grist for the world-building mill. That is, I was able to use this information to create a setting that felt rich and layered and real. But a story curator's expertise doesn't end with setting. She must know everything about the character, the character's family, and the events leading up to the story. That's a mountain of information--too much, in fact. Which leads nicely to the story curator's next task.

A story curator carefully chooses items for the exhibit. The curator knows he can't possibly fit all the items he's collected into the space available. So he sorts through everything and selects only those pieces that will best portray the emotion, communicate the story, and help patrons connect with the characters. Every author has to do this, whether it's during an outlining process or after the first draft. Tough choices have to be made, or the story suffers.

A story curator makes decisions about the arrangement and presentation of the exhibit.  For this part of the job, the curator needs a strong sense of story. What is the most logical sequence of events? What is the best beginning? How will the tension build? How will I create the context that the patron needs to make sense of the exhibit? How will I set up the climax? These decisions will affect the emotional impact and the satisfaction that the patron feels at the end of the exhibit.

The story curator is responsible for the care of the objects in the exhibit. This comes into play as a writer seeks out an agent and a publisher for the story. You are assembling a team to care for and nurture your story, so find people you can trust. You are your story's best advocate.

After all that work, to see the exhibit finally open to the public is an incredible feeling. It's the story curator's finest moment. And curator, may I point out, is still a perfectly good word.

Lana Krumwiede began her writing career by writing stories and poetry for magazines such as Highlights, High Five, Spider, Babybug, The Friend, and Chicken Soup for the Child’s Soul. Her first novel, Freakling, will be released October 9^th from Candlewick Press. Freakling is the story of Taemon, a boy who lives in a city where everyone has telekinetic powers called psi. Everyone, that is, but Taemon. Lana had tried has tried psi many times, especially in association with household chores, but could never make it work. A sequel to Freakling is scheduled for a Fall 2013 release. You can learn more about Freakling at Lana’s website: www.lanakrumwiede.com

Blogger Perks: Epic Meet-ups

One of my favorite parts of blogging has always been the community of authors and book bloggers. I've had the opportunity to meet many of my favorite authors and bloggers over the years, even some of my fellow League authors. I met Genn Albin for the first time last September and Mike Mullin at BEA this year - but I wasn't slick enough to get our photos taken together.  So today, when Susanne Winnacker came to Frankfurt and we went to my favorite sushi restaurant at Eschenheimer Tor (yes - the very one that makes a cameo appearance in LEVEL 2), I made sure we secured pictoral evidence:

Lenore and Susanne after devouring sushi



Next up I get to meet Lissa Price in November! So watch out Beth, Angie and Elana - I'm coming for you ;)

The ASHEN WINTER Blog Tour

The ASHEN WINTER blog tour has begun. Mundie Moms kicked it off yesterday with a giveaway--it's super easy to enter, and you could win both ASHFALL and ASHEN WINTER, autographed by Stephanie Meyer! (Well, I really mean that I'll do an extraordinarily bad job of forging Stephanie Meyer's signature if you want, although I'm actually better at signing my own name.)

Today I'm at Book Love 101 with an interview. Book Love 101 is totally the wrong title for this blog, by the way. Amanda Marie has AT LEAST a master's degree in loving books, so it should be Book Love 501, amIright? Anyway, you can go there to learn which book I think everyone should read (well, everyone who was born into a Western culture, anyway).

If you want to follow along for the rest of the blog tour, here are the stops. I'll update these with links to the actual posts as they go live:

Sept 23 - Mundie Moms

Sept 24 - Book Love 101

Sept 24 - Crossroad Reviews

Sept 25 - A Book Lovers Review

Sept 25 - Carina’s Book Reviews

Sept 26 - Good Choice Reading
Sept 27 - Page Turners

Sept 27 - Alluring Reads
Sept 28 - Book and Things

Sept 28 - Bookpics

Sept 29- Singing and Reading In The Rain 
Sept 30- Rhiannon Paille's Blog

Sept 30- Bea Book Nook

Oct 1- My Reading Room

Oct 1- Workaday Reads 
Oct 2- On the Verge

Oct 2- Unabridged Book Shelf 

Oct 3- Forever Young Adult

Oct 3- Bending The Spine
Oct 4- Tale of Many Reviews

Oct 4- Teens Read and Write

Oct 5- Speculating on Specfic
Oct 6- I’m A Reader, Not A Writer 
Oct 7- Books With Bite 
Oct 8- Hooked On Books

Oct 8- Xpresso Reads 
Oct 9- Literary Rambles

Oct 10- Musings of AMLYBNER 
Oct 11- Badass Book Reviews 
Oct 12-Once Upon A Twilight
Oct 13- Read Now Sleep Later 
Oct 14- An Avid Readers Musings

There will be at least six giveaways of signed first-edition hardcovers of ASHEN WINTER and paperbacks of ASHFALL--some open internationally. I also wrote about a dozen brand new guest posts--if you're interested in survival tips or taekwondo, you're in for a treat. There will also be some amazing interviews, so stay tuned! Many, many thanks to Savannah Valdez at Books with Bite for organizing the tour.

The (second) greatest Star Trek question of all time

KIRK

or

PICARD

?????

Choose wisely.

What makes YA YA?

Here is a guest blog from my friend Jay Kristoff, whose debut just came out yesterday! It is a Japanese Steampunk...YA? Or not? Read and let us what you think in the comments!

 

I’ve come to something of a terrible realization over the past twelve months: I don’t know what YA is.

I have a vague understanding what it looks like. I have a vague impression of what a poster-child YA book might read like. But that’s the problem – everything is vague. I have a book coming out this week called STORMDANCER (plug, plug, plug) and opinion seems somewhat divided about whether it’s a YA book or not. To tell you the truth, I don’t even know myself.

The term “YA literature” seems to lack a concrete definition, or at least one that I can find. I’ve discovered some common themes suggested by learned folks in the blogosphere, but many of them don’t seem to ring true. Observe:

a. YA novels are books read by a Young Adult audience (someone between the ages of twelve and eighteen according to the American Library Association). Now this one is demonstrably wrong – the legion of adult YA fans out there are testament to that. After all, I’ve been known to read YA, and while I might look like a fifteen year old when I shave off my facial hair, my days asking dad if I can borrow the car are well and truly over. YA seems to be read by anyone with eyes.

b. YA novels have teenage protagonists. This is pretty much true. But, are all novels with teenage protagonists YA? Take The Lovely Bones for example. This is a story told through the eyes of a 14 year old girl, and while some of the marketing for tLB was aimed at teenagers, it definitely wasn’t pushed solely on a YA platform, nor received as such by critics or the media. So while a YA novel needs a teenaged MC, not all books with teenaged MCs are YA. So insofar as nailing down our definition, I’m not sure how much this helps us.

c. YA novels feature the notion of ‘becoming an adult’ as a central theme. Is this really true? Let’s take a look at the goliath of current YA properties – the Hunger Games. Is “growing up” in any way part of Katniss’s story in tHG? She seems to already be an adult in her mindset and worldview - she’s pragmatic, capable, possessed of empathy for her friends and family, yet perfectly capable of being apathetic to others. At the beginning of the novel, she hates the Capitol, by the end, she still hates them. She doesn’t appear to come to any dramatic conclusions about herself as a person – the only real change she undergoes is in regards to her feelings for Peeta (sort of), and her increased ability to ‘game the game’. Does this really constitute “coming of age”? Can it be truly said that Katniss begins the tHG as a girl, and ends it a woman?

d. YA novels deal with issues that are important to a YA audience – defining moral/ethical beliefs, acquiring social understanding/developing behaviour, finding emotional independence, sex, drugs, marriage, impending parenthood, claiming responsibility for oneself and one’s actions. This one is similar to “becoming an adult”. And again, I hold up tHG. Does Katniss do any of these things? She’s already responsible, mature, defined in her opinions. She already knows how she feels about most of the pressing issues in her life. Maybe she fails as a typical YA heroine? Take a look at another YA novel (soon to be movie) – Ender’s Game. The only teen issue Ender deals with through the book is peer acceptance, and this doesn’t seem to be a theme throughout the novel, more a source of conflict than anything else. It would also seem logical that, if a book stars a teenage MC, that MC is going to be dealing with issues relating to teen life at some point. If you’ve fulfilled point b. then point d. is logically going to follow. Its almost like saying if you write a vampire novel, you’re going to mention drinking blood. True, yes, but stating the obvious a little maybe? And it definitely doesn’t seem to be a rule.

e. YA novels are typically fast paced and deal with powerful emotions – Fast paced? One skim through Twilight will tell you that not all YA is running a mile a minute. Powerful emotions? Sure, but isn’t this true of any novel? Stories are built around points of conflict – I can’t recall many novels I’ve read recently where the MCs weren’t experiencing powerful emotions at some point. Jealousy, rage, lust, joy, greed, hubris these are the tools that most narratives are constructed around. So yes, while it’s true that YA books contain them, I’m not sure they contain them in greater abundance than adult fiction. Certainly not genre fiction, anyway.

f. Parents are usually not in the picture in YA books. This seems a logical outcome from point b. You’re writing a story about a teenager saving the world – it might be a short book if said teenager gets grounded in chapter 3 for coming home with demon blood on their jeans. This doesn’t seem so much a defining trait of YA as a necessary construct within the narrative to allow the teenage MC to do whatever it is they have to do without Mother/Father getting all up in their grille. Besides which, I’m certain there are YA books with the parents still in the picture. So what are we left with? There are no real taboos (Virginia Andrews was writing teen books with incest as a theme back in the 80s) that YA won’t deal with, so it can’t be something like ‘subject matter’. And in terms of complexity of plot or language, YA might be deemed “simple” by some, but certainly no more simple than the average mass market adult bestseller. It’s not like the plot for The DaVinci Code was complex?

So what is it?

What makes YA YA?

 

Jay Kristoff is a Perth-born, Melbourne-based author. His first trilogy, THE LOTUS WAR, was purchased in the three-way auction by US publishing houses in 2011. He is as surprised about it as you are. The first instalment, STORMDANCER, is set to be published in September 2012 in the US, UK and Australia.

Website: http://jaykristoff.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJayKristoff
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stormdancer-jay-kristoff/1108946269?ean=9781250001405
Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Stormdancer-The-Lotus-War-Book/dp/1250001404/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346708863&sr=8-1&keywords=stormdancer