The Best Books I've Read This Year & Readers' Choice Nominations

Each year I give myself reading challenges. Beyond the fact that I love listing things, reading challenges remind me (when I get lost in the haze of writing) that I need to take time out to read. If you want to see what I've read and where I'm at with my challenges, you can see all of it here.

These organized lists also help me keep track so that I can look back over the year and see which books stood out the most. So today I'm going to list my faves of the year.

THEN it's going to be your turn. Last year I did the Fiction Groupie Readers' Choice Awards and featured your recommendations. I'd like to do that again, so in the comments tell me what was your favorite book of the year (it doesn't have to be a book released this year just one you read this year.) And then I'll feature the list next week.

All right, so on to my picks for this year...

Favorite YA:

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly

A fabulous story about a girl with a "touch of Asperger's" finding her way through friendship and first love. Amazingly good.

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

The title may make this sound like a fun YA beach read, but, man, it is so much more than that. Beautiful book.

Romance:

Haunting Beauty (A Mists of Ireland Novel) by Erin Quinn

A time-travel Irish romance that had me guessing at every turn. Awesome.

Erotic Romance:

Pleasure's Edge by Eve Berlin

A BDSM romance -This was one of those that I knew from the very first chapter that I wouldn't be able to put it down.

Corralled: A Blacktop Cowboys Novel by Lorelei James

One woman and two hunky bull riders. The author did such a great job of world-building that she made me want to go to a rodeo--and believe me, that's saying something for me, lol.

Finding Eden by Kele Moon

A male/male BDSM romance. This is a prequel to Beyond Eden. You don't have to have read one to understand the other, but I definitely recommend both. Disclaimer: This one is considered "darker" or heavier BDSM. So if you've never read the genre, you may need to work up to this one. :) )

Romantic Suspense:

Smash Cut by Sandra Brown

A serial killer who imitates famous movie scenes in his killings. How's that for high concept?

Writing Books:

Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder

Changed my life. That is all.

Are You There Blog? It's Me, Writer? by Kristen Lamb

I'm sure most of you already follow Kristen, but here's where you can get all her blogging tips in a nice, neat package.

Books by Author Friends Which I Loved:

Tempest by Julie Cross

Time-Travel YA - I technically read this one last year because I was a beta reader. BUT, it comes out Jan. 17 and is fabulous. Go buy it.

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

A girl quarterback, a love triangle, and a whole lot of fun.

Okay, so those are my picks. Now it's your turn. In the comments, tell me what was your favorite book of the year. I'll feature the books (and link to the person who recommended it) in a future post.

Writing Teen Angst--Guest Post by Author Julie Cross

 

Today, I have a special treat for you! Julie Cross, my friend and the author of the upcoming Tempest trilogy is here to shed some light on writing that lovely part of teenage existence--angst. Ugh. Even the word sounds gross and painful. But there's no writing YA without an in depth knowledge of angsty-ness. I mean, what fun is a totally well-adjusted teen character? Bo-ring! 

So, take it away Julie...

 

The Essence of Writing Teen Angst
One concept that I grasped early on in my writing journey is how different teen angst can be from what you might read in an adult novel. And when I say angst, I’m talking about the drama, the emotion, the character’s internal struggles that evolve from a well crafted story. Adults who are new to writing YA may struggle to make this believable for readers. Mostly because we are more removed from those years.
I’ve created a few basic guidelines for writing YA drama and emotion that is both authentic and true to teen characters, but also appeals to a wide variety of readers—adults included. A lot of what teenagers go through, to an adult, seems ridiculous to even dwell on. But a good YA writer will pull us so completely into a character’s head that we are living the emotion right along with them. First kisses, first boyfriends, fighting with your best friend, fitting in… all of it becomes so real we can feel it. And then we immediately thank whatever all-powerful being we pray to, that those years are really over.   

Onto the real lesson. Point number 1:

UNDERSTAND NOWHERE LAND
-          Nowhere land is the in between world teens have to live in. They aren’t adults, they aren’t kids, but they have to act to like both sometimes and shouldn’t act like either at other times.
-          Think about it. Teens are expected to operate a vehicle responsibly on the same road as families piled in minivans. And yet, they can’t go to the bathroom during Biology without permission and a hall pass. That is seriously confusing!
-          Nowhere land creates this “Right Now” state of mind. All focus is directed on the present. Teens are impulsive and everything going on in their lives, right now, truly becomes the most important thing in the world.
-          This is the reason YA books are typically very fast paced and the stories rarely stretch over long periods of time. Even teenagers that appear to be responsible-future-planning-good-decision-makers are faking it most of the time. By “faking it” I mean they’re following the steps, but not really understanding or visualizing the long term outcome. They really can’t at that age.
-          As a writer, you have to figure out how to embrace Nowhere Land and freeze a moment in your character’s life. Start with the beginning of the book’s major event or conflict (or just before). Then dissect it and make your reader feel like there is no other day, month, or year except this one.
-          Personally, I LOVE to write the way-before-my-story-actually-starts pages because it helps me get to know my characters better. And besides, prequels are totally in right now. So go ahead and write those excess pages if you need to, then cut them out later.
-          Think about Judy Blume’s famous YA book, FOREVER (if you’ve read it). Katherine is so absorbed in her relationship with Michael, her first love, she can’t imagine ever being with anyone else. No one can shake her and tell her she’s wrong. It won’t work. And the reader is in there with Katherine. On her side. That’s what you have to do as a writer.
THE TRUTH….WHAT’S THAT AGAIN?
-          Honesty is probably more rare in teens than anything else. They lie to everyone. When they’re trying to be nice they lie, when they get angry and shout horrible things they lie. Teens aren’t supposed to get too excited about anything, or too upset. They’re not supposed to care what other people think, which means they can’t do anything but care.
-          When writing a YA book, the external dialogue and internal dialogue should show that sharp contrast of truth and lies. But don’t spell it out, let the reader slowly interpret it for themselves. If you’ve read CATCHER IN THE RYE than you know exactly how this can be done. Holden is the ultimate unreliable character. I also have a tiny excerpt from an old manuscript that basically displays the lack of truth flowing between two teen characters:
When I turned around Drew was there, standing in the door way. The instant our eyes met, I knew I was in love so much my heart would shatter into a million pieces, and there was no way to put it back together. No going back.
It was an unhealthy obsession, like Alice. A delusion. 
I forced myself to suck in a breath, even with the stabbing pain. “Are you taking off?” I asked him.
“Yeah, my dad wants to hang out.”
“I guess we’ll both be at the dance tonight.”
“John asked you?”
 I nodded, trying to read his face. Searching for some kind of reaction.
He turned and walked toward the door and then in an instant snapped back around. “Tawny, if you want to me stay, I will.”
Which means you feel guilty about screwing me. I didn’t want any part of the needy girl routine. And I didn’t need any guilt from Drew. This wasn’t his fault, it was mutual.
“Just go, quit worrying about me.”
He opened his mouth to speak and I turned my back on him. A few seconds later the front door closed.
-          What I love about writing this dishonesty aspect of the teen years is the opportunity to write the few subtle moments of pure honesty. The raw observations of the world that are so unique through fresh eyes. Another example from my character developmental journals I use to help write TEMPEST.
 The second I walk back into the room, I get an entire eyeful of David’s man region. It doesn’t look anything like I imagined. Like it’s a complete stranger attached to the body of someone who I feel very comfortable with.”
-          This excerpt was stolen from Holly’s Diary and is very briefly referenced in TEMPEST. When I told my agent, Suzie Townsend, that I needed to write Holly’s disastrous prom night but it would be too painful to produce a detailed description, she basically said, “You have to do it… no glossing over.”
-          The retelling of this was so painfully embarrassing for me as a writer, but I did it and the whole 10 or 12 pages is basically full of blunt, humiliating honesty. And so far the feedback has been good. It reminded me of reading those embarrassing stories in YM magazine with my friends. Everyone devoured them. 
BE TRUE TO YOUR CHARACTERS

-          You gotta keep it real…above and beyond anything else. Your character doesn’t represent you, he or she represents your ability to bring a fictional soul to life.
-          In my opinion, YA books do this better than most other genres. Yes, the language can be bad, the rating can be worse than R, but the experiences are real and raw.
-          The journey that a YA character takes can be amazing and life changing for readers. Seriously. If you don’t believe me, try reading one of these books (if you haven’t already)-- 13 Reasons Why, Before I Die, Twenty Boy Summer, Story of A Girl, Or anything Courtney Summers has written. Those are stories that stick in your head long after that final page.
EMOTION COMES IN LAYERS

-          Build up to the tension or angst slowly throughout the story and then hit that peak close to the end
-          Feel free to take every amount of support and help away from your character until you’ve left him or her standing in the middle of the woods completely naked in twenty below temperatures. But do this one layer at a time.
-          The first layer of emotion needs to come early on and not be too heavy or cheesy. It should be carefully inserted and possibly open the door for an unresolved issue that the main character is dealing with or going to have to deal with. This one is from the end of the first 20 pages of one of my earlier contemporary YA manuscripts. The story is about a painfully shy Catholic school girl who gets tangled in a web of mean girls, a cute older boy, and a lot of really bad rumors.
I was writing my answer to Hailey’s riddle when the rest of the lights went out. I leaned further forward, squinting so I could see the letters properly. I heard Alison gasp beside me and I lifted my head and was completely horrified when I saw the words on the giant screen. They read:
THE ELEANOR STORY – A STORY OF A GIRL WHOSE REPUTATION GOT IN THE WAY OF HER RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
Translate that into eighth grade terms – the girl was easy and boy crazy and would rather be kissing than praying. And she had my name! And reddish-brown hair, like me.
My heart was pounding so loud I thought blood might start pouring out of my ears. It was slow motion. Heads were moving around, twenty-nine of them, until finally fifty-eight eyes were staring at me. This was the worst spotlight ever. Or like the dream where you go to school naked. Alison gripped my hand and Hailey’s fingernails dug into my arm confirming that my worries were justified. I was never going to live this down.
I watched in horror as movie Eleanor became the most exaggerated flirt ever in the history of fourteen year-old girls. I mean get real! They had this girl hiding in a closet with one boy and then telling another boy she wants to meet him after school behind the dumpster. Seriously. The dumpster. The worst part was the end when she went to the priest crying because everyone was calling her an inappropriate word I won’t say. When the movie ended Sister Clarisse turned the lights back on and the three of us sat there frozen while everyone filed out.
“I would have rather put condoms on fruit,” I said.
“Definitely,” both girls said together.
So, there you have it. The essence of teen angst. And yes, lots of these techniques can be applied to other genres, but the actual moments in a YA book, the reactions of the characters, are extremely unique. This genre is blooming more than any other and that alone is certainly worth taking a hard look at the reasons behind the popularity of YA novels. Not just teens are reading these books anymore. The audience is very broad. 

My PhotoJulie Cross is represented by Suzie Townsend with FinePrint Lit. Her young adult novel, TEMPEST has been sold to editor Brendan Deneen with Thomas Dunne in a 3 book deal. TEMPEST is the first in a trilogy about a 19-year-old time traveler who witnesses his girlfriend's murder and inadvertently jumps back two years; stuck there, he's recruited by a shadowy government agency run by the man he thought was his father and vows to save his girlfriend no matter the cost. Visit her at http://juliecross.blogspot.com/

 

Creating an Authentic Teen Guy's Voice

 

 

How can we top off a week of fabulous guest bloggers? Well, duh, invite my friend and soon-to-be debut YA author Julie Cross to hang with us.

Julie and I met in bloggy land early on, and I've had privilege of both beta-ing some of her work and having her beta mine. And let me tell you--this girl knows voice. No matter what story excerpt I read of hers, that's the thing that came shining through in every piece. I'm half-convinced she's not a fellow mom like me and is secretly a high school student. :) 

So, I hope you'll take the time to absorb this terrific post and if you're not already doing so--go follow her blog. She's going to be the next big thing, people, with her debut YA time travel novel Tempest coming out next year.
CREATING AN AUTHENTIC TEEN GUY’S VOICE
First of all, I just want to come right out and admit a couple things:
1)      Roni’s blog totally rocks and I’m totally nervous to be guest blogging today. I’ve got butterflies just thinking about all the amazing people who might read this post.
2)      Until very recently, I completely stunk at writing real teen boys. My guy characters were basically girls in cute boy bodies. Seriously. I’m so not kidding.
Okay, on to the real information
MY CREDENTIALS
**feel free to skim this if you want to get on to the information, I felt obligated to establish credibility so you all weren’t like, “Who the freak is this lady and why is she telling me what to do?”
In the past year, I’ve written 7 young adult novels (5 girl MC’s and 2 boys). All of them are written in first person. All of them have some kind of romantic element and I made the mistake of assuming if I’m writing for a female audience, my guys have to be perfectly caring and sensitive or complete a-holes (which leads to a sensitive girlie-boy, who’s of course totally cute, sweeping in to rescue the girl from the manly a-hole).
When I started creating TEMPEST with my editor Brendan Deneen, we both knew the concept was big enough to reach a larger audience than just teen girls. So, the real challenge was creating a guy that girls enjoyed reading and boys could read without gagging.
Not as easy as it sounds. At first, I didn’t over-think it. I wrote one chapter at a time and just before I’d hit the send button to pass it along to Brendan, I’d chicken out and remove at least half of the sappy, over dramatic crap. That was my only motivation in the beginning.
The second person to read TEMPEST was my agent, Suzie Townsend and the very first thing she said to me in an email and then again on the phone was how much she loved Jackson. And I’m seriously not trying to toot my own horn. I was completely shocked to hear this was what stuck with her most. And it kept on coming from all the readers that followed. I would get words like, “Swoon” and “Major swoon.” This is straight from Suzie’s notes on Draft 2 (and Suzie has a well-deserved reputation for giving kick-ass notes): I love Jackson from the first time we meet him. He has a great voice, I was rooting for him the whole way through the book – and he is rather swoon-worthy. (ah, sa-woon!)”
Okay, so here I am, ready to write the next draft which required some MAJOR revisions and I’m all full of warm fuzzies because everyone loves my nineteen year-old time-traveling guy.
Great, right?
I get everything ready and start to attack the MS for the next draft and then I get really freaked because I knew Jackson was the favorite, but I hadn’t figured out exactly how I got it right. How I got him right. It was completely on accident (mostly because I hated sending Brendan the mushy-girlie stuff) and now I had to write new scenes and not turn him into something different. Major, major freak session followed along with writer’s block (that I completely denied).
The first thing I realized and was pretty shocked with, was the fact that Jackson is never really described physically and neither is his main love interest. Her height, hair/eye color are noted, but Jackson never comes out and says she's the hottest girl on the planet and every guy wants her (I made that mistake in a very early version—readers don’t like that). Jackson doesn’t have girls falling all over him either. He comes across as fairly polite when compared to an insensitive horn-ball character. He has a few moves, but kinda bombs with them. Readers interpreted him as “swoon worthy,” but I never came out and said he was a Mr. Gap model guy or anything.  
After careful analysis, I figured out a few things about my MC that anyone can apply to help create an authentic teen guy. Even if your audience is mostly female, they still want the guy to seem as close to real as possible with just a hint of something amazing. And I swear you can do this without mentioning the word erection or boner and without sessions of “guy talk” involving embellished (or completely made up) sexual experiences. My guy is nineteen, so a younger guy (13-15) may have more mention of those things in the internal dialogue. If it’s important, don’t skirt around it. My book just happens to have life threatening events on every other page so there’s not much room for mention of every moment of arousal or time spent looking at internet porn. 
** keep in mind, writing a teen boy is SO hard for me. When I work on my character development journals and I get to write from Holly’s POV (my female MC) the words just fly onto the computer like the most natural thing in the world. Don’t expect it to come too easy (unless you’re actually a guy, but grown men sometimes forget what’s it’s like to be a teenager, more so than women). 
  
BOY BASICS
EMOTIONAL PACING (No Crying on page one!!)
n  Where your boy is, emotionally, in the beginning of the book has to escalate enough to show growth and keep him from being a flat character.
n  If you start at 8 and 10 is the goal, you’ve got a problem.
n  With TEMPEST, you know just from the short description, Jackson witnesses his girlfriend’s murder and gets stuck two years in the past. In my very earliest version, Jackson was hopelessly, forever and ever in love from page 1. Which is really sweet, but then what?
n  The new and improved Jackson isn’t an asshole, just less focused, not completely sure why he likes being around Holly, just that he usually does. For him, that’s enough. For her, it isn’t always, which is an awesome conflict you in the first 2 pages.  Here’s a little sample of Jackson’s internal dialogue  in the opening pages during a fight with his girlfriend:
It would have been impossible to insert even one more drop of sarcasm into her voice. And it hit me like a gust of icy air. I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to come up with something decent to say. Or to decide if I should run. Instead, I went for a change in subject.
**If you’re worried about your character coming off as jerk in the beginning, then maybe, instead of saying something mean or insensitive, you can use the technique I used with Jackson and have him either not know what to say or be completely unaware that he’s even said the wrong thing.
This method = imperfect yet likable guy.
TRY PHYSICAL IN PLACE OF VERBAL 
n  And it’s not just kissing, but a physical action that shows the reader his emotional response without having your dude talk about his feeling.
TOTALLY MADE UP EXAMPLE
Guy MC doesn’t get along with his dad. Dad wants him to play football and he wants to join the GLEE club. Kid lets Dad know he wants to quit playing football after practice one day. They have a big argument outside, right in front of their car. Dad finally admits that his dead Grandpa’s dying wish was for his grandson to play in a state championships. Kid stares at Dad for a second, thinks about how Grandpa let him smoke a cigar when he was 10 and told him not to tell his parents, then he gets in the car without another word or complaint.  
                **So, even though no one sobbed or said I love you, a scene like this can carry a TON of emotional weight and works great with pre-teen/teen boy MCs. Even Dad’s confession can be subtle, “It’s the last thing grandpa said to me. ‘Damn, I would have loved to see Joey kick some ass in the state championships.” Seriously, people will cry. Trust me.  
n  But if we ARE talking about love stuff, kissing might be the way to go. Just when you’re about to have your 17 year-old guy give a speech equal to the worlds’ greatest wedding vowels, stop and ask yourself, “Could he just kiss her instead?” The answer is usually yes and your readers will probably LOVE it because it flows naturally rather than some awkward sentimental speech.
WHAT DOES A REAL GUY DO?
n  I know what you’re thinking, if I’m writing a real guy does that mean he has to play sports, sweat a lot, scratch his balls, sniff under his arm pits, drink out of the milk carton, have porn movie marathons. The answer is: NO, he can do essentially anything. Seriously, there are ways around any hobby or characterization.
n  Would you believe me if I told you that my realistically boyish and very likable MC does all of the following things:
1)      Recites poetry in French
2)      Performs a waltz to the song, Come Away With Me
3)       Recites several pages of Dickens
4)      Sits in a famous art museum in his free time to sketch things
5)      Willingly volunteers at a day camp and is very good with kids
**Did any of you roll your eyes? I totally would if I read this list without reading the book. It’s hard to explain the exact technique for achieving this so I’m just going to give you an example. Again, my motivation began with writing something my editor, a guy who loves action/thrillers, wouldn’t put the red lines through. This little mini-scene made it through without a mark. It follows an argument Jackson and his girlfriend Holly have at the beginning of the book. Jackson offers up a “Make-up gift” and Holly makes a request he’s not excited about granting.
 “You’re turning me into a complete freak. Or worse -- a chick.” I made the mistake of turning my head. One glimpse of the tears still drying on her cheeks and I caved. “If you tell anyone, I will kick your little ass. Got it?”
She mimed zipping her lips, then snuggled up to me. “Do you think you can manage a British accent this time?”
I laughed and kissed her forehead. “I’ll try.”
“Okay, on with it.”
I rolled my eyes then took a deep breath. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom. It was the age of foolishness. . .”
My ninth grade English teacher always made us recite Dickens while standing in front of the class. I hated it. For Holly, I didn’t mind too much, but I’d never tell her that.
“Do you think he did the right thing?” Holly asked after I’d recited the first few pages.
“You mean Sydney? Getting his head chopped off so the woman he loves can be with another man?” I said.
Holly laughed and her lips vibrated against my chest. “Yeah.”
“No, I think he’s a complete moron.” I kissed the corner of her mouth and she grinned at me.
“You’re lying.”
I pulled her closer and kissed her again, ending the discussion that would inevitably lead to spilling out more secrets than I cared to share.
LESS IS ALWAYS MORE WITH BOYS
n  Give us only a little, tiny insight into the guy’s real feelings. This makes your readers crazy for more, which is a really awesome thing. Besides, readers love to read between the lines and interpret a simple moment into something bigger.
n  Like with the fake example from above, the kid could be imagining his Grandpa carrying him in the house after he fell and broke his leg, or when his grandpa told him how much he loved him. But instead, he’s thinking about how cool it was to smoke a cigar like a man. What it tells the reader is, “Joey” and his grandpa shared a special moment that no one else knows about. Everyone will go “Aaaww” when they read that. And it’s about a ten year-old smoking a freakin’ cigar.
n  Think about how powerful those “Almost kiss” scenes can be. It’s hard to pull off a teen guy voice that gets all sappy. But what if your guy, “Almost” says something sappy, but can’t quite go through with it. This especially works well in first person because the reader knows what he almost says and then we just feel sorry for him and we’re swooning at the words that were never actually spoken. It’s enough that he wants to say it. Actually, most of the time is more than enough. Less is better.
I’ll leave you with one more example of how this could work in your favor:
 That was the first time I really wanted to say it… I love you. It would have been perfect, just melting into the moment. Not like some overplayed drama. But my tongue tied up just thinking it, so instead I said, “Did you know you have a freckle on your-”
She put a hand over my mouth. “Yeah, I know.”

 

So, have you struggled with writing from the male POV?  Which authors have you read that have nailed the guy perspective?

Thanks so much, Julie! And for even more information on how dudes think, I did a post on adult male POV here.

 

**Today's Theme Song**
"Teenage FBI" - Guided With Voices
(player in sidebar, take a listen)

 

The Beta Club: Harbinger (YA Urban Fantasy) - Agree with my Critique?

 

 
It's Beta Club Tuesday!  YA Urban Fantasy on the agenda today.  Read on and let the author know what you think!  Remember, this will be the only Beta Club of the week, so give it all you got.  ;)

For newbies:  If you haven't been here on beta club day yet, don't be afraid to jump in with your comments.  All feedback is welcome as long as it's constructive.  And if anyone has an itch to be critiqued, the rules for submitting to the Beta Club are under the "Free Critiques" heading at the top of the page.

 

Alright, please read through the author's excerpt, then provide your feedback in the comments.  My detailed critique is below. 

Author: Dawn Hullender (go visit her here)
Title: Harbinger
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Excerpt:

Cool, crisp night air sneaked in through the partially open window and cast a light veil of mist throughout the small bedroom. Karma shifted restlessly as the dream dancing through her mind pulled her deeper and deeper.
Sweat dampened her brow and the covers tangled around her failing limbs. In her mind she ran from four hooded figures on horses; each one carrying an identical sword as the next. Her flight through strange woods proved fruitless when everywhere she turned there they were, bearing down upon her.
Her bare feet were covered in scratches and the hooded ones seemed to smell her seeping wounds like bloodhounds on a trail. She grasped at the wispy ends of her cotton nightgown as they fluttered in breeze of her flight. Her breath came in ragged bursts and she was sure her lungs would explode at any moment.
“What do you want from me?” she screamed into the blackened night sky and cringed when one black horse approached her slowly. His breath came in soft tufts, lifting the ends of her hair. The rider remained seated, as did the others; however he did reach down for her to take his gloved hand.
“We want you Elemental, come with us or fail the world,” his voice rang hollow, his breath putrid upon the breeze. Karma backed away from the rider and horse. She lost her footing when she stumbled over a tree root and screamed as she fell down a black hole.
Karma eyed her grandmother’s front door with a mixture of suspicion and dread. Today was her eighteenth birthday and she knew; she just knew Nana had something up her sleeve. Remnants from last night’s dream still plagued her and the last thing she wanted was a noisy – unwelcome – birthday party.
Every year she begged for this day to pass unnoticed, but the universe never indulged her whim and neither did her grandmother.
Tired of dallying, she sighed and trudged up the steps, mentally preparing herself for the insane surprise waiting, but nothing could have prepared her for what she faced once through the blue door.
“Happy birthday dear,” Nana smiled and handed her a large, over-wrapped present. “I know how you dislike surprises, so this year I decided not to throw a party. Today it’s just you and me.”
Karma didn’t know whether to laugh or cry so she did the only thing she could think of and that was to hug the older woman, “Thank you so much.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Nana patted her roughly on the back, “That present arrived for you today. It came from your parent’s attorney,” she narrowed her eyes and frowned. “I suppose they wanted you to have it today. There’s a letter on the table that came with it, I suspect you should read it first.”
With a small nod, Karma pushed past Nana and raced to the kitchen to find a long white envelope bearing her name resting amongst the napkin holder.
She sat the box on the table and ripped into the envelope. At first the letter didn’t make sense, so she closed her eyes – counted to ten – and read it again.
“Karman,
            If you’re reading this letter then it’s your eighteenth birthday
and we aren’t there for you. Who knew Anthropology was such a
dangerous field huh?”
Karma rolled her eyes at her mother’s attempt at humor. She always had some lame joke to tell and it never failed to make people laugh. She would never understand why.
“…Have you opened your gift yet? Well, what are you waiting for, open
 it now!”
Karma sat down the letter and ripped into the cartoon duck covered wrapping paper. She frowned when she opened a square box and her eyes settled on an old leather tome. It looked older than her 1807 first edition of Children’s and Household Tales, written in native German by the Brothers Grimm.
“Wow, I wonder what this is.” Karma muttered as she gingerly opened the front cover. Her heart flip-flopped when she realized it was no published book but a personal journal. Its handwritten pages were smudged here and there, but she had no way to determine just how old it was. Turning back to the letter, she sat the journal back in the box.

 

Below is my detailed critique.  Please select FULL SCREEN to view, then once the document is open RIGHT CLICK to ZOOM and view the comments.


Alright, so what do you think?  Are you hooked?  What did the author do well?  What things could  be improved?  Agree or disagree with my crit?

Thanks ahead of time to all of you who comment and thanks to the author for volunteering!

**Today's Theme Song**
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) -  Marilyn Manson version
(player in sidebar, take a listen)

 

Gone: A Review

Gone (Wake Series, Book 3) (Wake Trilogy)

Author: Lisa McMann
Genre: Paranormal YA
Heat level: Toasty 
Rating: ★★★★
Back Cover (from Amazon):
Things should be great for Janie--she has graduated from high school and is spending her summer with Cabel, the guy she's totally in love with. But deep down she's panicking about how she's going to survive her future when getting sucked into other people's dreams is really starting to take its toll. Things get even more complicated when she meets her father for the very first time--and he's in a coma. As Janie uncovers his secret past, she begins to realize that the choice thought she had has more dire consequences than she ever imagined.

REVIEW:





I've mentioned this series before.  This is the third book, so if you haven't read any, you need to start with Wake and Fade, then go to this one.  They are superfast reads not just because of the suck-you-in plot, but because of Lisa McMann's unique writing style.  She's one of those who has figured out how to break the rules and make it work.  Her sentences are short and choppy much of the time.  And there is *gasp* some telling instead of showing.  But it works amazingly.  Her stark writing style makes for a breakneck pace and high tension.  Here's an example from Gone:

     6:29 p.m
     Voicemails.
     From Carrie.  Five of them.
     And they're bad.
     Janie listens, incredulous.  Listens again, stunned.

Things that rocked:
  • The story jumped into the action, there wasn't a lot of catching the reader up from the previous book.
  • The relationship between Janie and Cabel is both mature yet believable for two teens who have lived tough lives.
  • The drama is gut-wrenching, heavy stuff - no lighthearted conflict here (not that I mind that, but it's a nice change from a lot of YA.)
  • This is a paranormal, but doesn't feel that way.  You almost start to view Janie's dream catcher abilities as if she has a disease.
  • Love Cabel - He's not perfect, he's not described as this gorgeous guy, he's a normal guy who treats Janie with respect, understanding, and patience.  I think he presents a good model for teen girls - look for a guy who treats you with that kind of care and concern.
  • The characters are realistic.  They curse (although not gratuitously) and there is sex (but it is the "fade to black" kind and it is not portrayed as this big, all-encompassing part of their relationship.)  I think both of those decisions fit for two older teens who have grown up basically on their own their whole lives.
  • I felt satisfied with an ending that wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, which is hard to do.  I'm a HEA girl, but Lisa McMann wrote the ending that was needed for this book - bittersweet.
    Favorite Quotes:

         In the cool dark basement, she whispers, "It's not Ralph, is it?"

         Cabel's quiet for a moment, as if he's thinking.  "You mean like Forever Ralph?  Uh, no."

         "You've read Forever?" Janie is incredulous.
         
         "There wasn't much to choose from on the hospital library cart, and Deenie was always checked out," Cabel says sarcastically.

    Overall: 
    Obviously, I'm a fan.  If you haven't read these, pick up the series.  You'll fly through them.  They are very different from the other stuff out there.  So go forth and read!


    Have you read these?  What books have you read that broke rules effectively?  


    *Today's Theme Song**
    "Already Gone" - Kelly Clarkson
    (player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)

    Question of the Day: Pushing the Envelope in YA

     

     

    How do you feel about YA books having edgy themes, cursing, and/ or sexual situations?


    If you're writing YA, where do you draw your line?  If you have kiddos or teens, do you let them read the edgier stuff and discuss or do you not let them read certain YA books?  Which YA book would you be reluctant to let your children read?  How do you think edgy YA books compare to what is on the tv shows teens watch?

     

    **This week I'm am on a cruise, so I apologize for the short posts and the lack of responses to comments.  I look forward to reading all of your answers when I return!**

    Face Off Friday: YA Lit and Sex*

     

    As most of you know, young adult books are all the rage right now. Many are calling it a YA renaissance. I know that many of you who read this blog both write (and read) YA, as I do. So hopefully this is a relevant topic for you guys.
    When I was writing my YA, I had the constant worry about where to draw the line on the controversial things, particularly sex and cursing. In my teen years, YA lit was very different. Most of the books were pretty clean. There were the exceptions that many of the libraries banned (Judy Blume's Forever and the book Go Ask Alice come to mind), but for the most part books were "wholesome". So, in theory, when reading YA we were protected from the "adult" things. Right?
    Well, this theory didn't hold true for me because by fourteen, I was bored with YA and had moved on to adult novels. As I mentioned in a previous post, I started V.C. Andrews' Flowers in the Attic series my freshman year of high school. Looking back, these books would probably be considered YA now. The protagonist was a teen. However, the books had sex, so at that time, they were marketed as adult fiction. And as for cursing, well I had a thing for Stephen King books in high school too, so...
    In today's YA market, the books run the gamut--from the squeaky clean to the shocking. So when writing, I had to make the decision of where I would fall on this issue. People on each side of this debate feel very strongly about their opinions. I'll give you the argument, then I'll tell you what I ultimately decided worked for me.
    Wholesome vs. Edgy

    For love of the wholesome:
    • Books with cursing, sex, and drugs normalize these behaviors and encourage teens to participate in them
    • These books are pornographic and are selling sex to kids
    • They teach teens (girls especially) that their worth is tied into their ability to please a boy
    • The situations in these books expose children to adult situations that they aren't prepared to handle or interpret correctly

    In defense of edgy:
    • These books, although it is unfortunate, reflect reality: many teens are in fact having sex, some are exposed to drugs, and the majority are cursing.
    • Teens are programmed to think about sex so we're not giving them any ideas with the books
    • There is safety in fantasy. Perhaps teens can explore the topic through a book instead of in real life. For instance, in Forever, the sex is there but so are the emotional consequences that can happen in a sexual relationship.
    • Most YA authors, although I'm sure there are exceptions, do not put sex in for gratuitous purposes, but for plot purposes.
    • Has anyone watched TV lately or seen a movie or listened to the radio? Teens see a lot more sex outside of books than they see inside them.
    • Teens can connect with a character who is struggling with the difficult issues and not feel as alone.
    • Teen readers won't believe you if all your characters are squeaky clean
    • If it's kept out of YA, the kids (like me) will just move to adult books, which may paint sex in a much more gratuitous and tempting light (sans consequences).
    Both arguments have good points. So what did I do? I ended up trusting my characters. If in real life, I felt the character would curse, then I let him (where it would have the most impact.) I also put in some sexual situations and dialogue, but nothing beyond making out actually happens (although my beta reader has told me I need to dial the loving back a bit, lol, so I still struggle with this line).
    Why? Because of plot reasons. If I had felt my character was ready to have sex, then I probably would have let her. But the story didn't lead me that way. So I guess I fall on the liberal side in this debate. Perhaps I'm jaded from working with troubled teens in my past. They always trusted me more in therapy when I didn't balk at or preach about the things they were experiencing. I just let them talk through their feelings and offered some insight to try to lead them in a better direction.
    So where do you fall in the debate? How did you make the decisions in your own YA? If you're a parent of a teen, how do you feel about what your child reads?
    **This is a REPOST from 8/28/09. Hope you guys have enjoyed the "reruns", all new posts next week! Have a great weekend!**
    **Today's Theme Song**
    "Don't Tell Me" - Avril Lavigne
    (player in sidebar if you'd like a listen)

     

    Rating Books Like Movies


    OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

    Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Site


    So apparently, my blog is rated PG. My parents would be so proud. I was hoping I would at least garner a PG-13, but oh well. ;) If you want to check your rating, go here.

    This rating got me to thinking though. A while back I posted about the sex in young adult books. Many of you commented that you prefer to both write and buy wholesome. However, the norm for most teen books these days is to have a bit more than wholesome. Some it's mere sexual tension or comments, some it's full out sex/drugs/violence. So I started wondering about ratings.

    We use rating systems for a number of things already. Movies, music, and video games come to mind. These handy letters let us decide what we want to see/hear personally and what we allow our children to be exposed to. So, should this be considered for books?

    And I'm not just talking about YA books, but all books. The level of sex, language, and violence in novels can vary greatly. For instance, in the romance genre, you can find anything from inspirational (where a kiss before marriage may be taboo) to straight up erotica (where hardly any line goes uncrossed). Many category publishers draw up their own rating systems to let readers know what to expect.

    Harlequin does it by having separate lines with different sensuality levels. For instance, you know if you pick up a Steeple Chase book from Harlequin, you're going to get a sweet romance. You pick up a Blaze (high sensuality) or a Spice (erotica), you know there will be no fade to black sex scenes. Everything will be out there for the reading. So readers have the option to decide what they are comfortable with.

    So could this work for other books? What if you picked up the latest thriller and on the back it said "Rated R for adult. Contains graphic violence, torture scenes, and language." Or, you picked up a YA for your kid and it said "15 and up, contains mild sexual situations and some foul language." Would you pay attention to that rating?

    Many people will argue against the rating because it could lead to censorship. What if libraries (or Walmart--as they did with the CDs with explicit lyrics) decided they wouldn't stock any teen books that weren't PG? What would happen to the authors who write great edgy YA? What great stories would readers miss out on? Or, a library/store in a conservative community could decide that no x-rated books were allowed for adults, so all sensual romance/erotica was banned. (I shudder at the thought, lol.)

    So I have mixed feelings on this (what's new). Part of me likes the idea of a rating. No so much to censor what I'm reading, but more just to know what to pick up when a mood strikes me. Sometimes I'm okay with reading graphic violence, sometimes I'm in the mood for something milder. I also think that parents have the right to know what they're kids are reading. (Although, I lean more on the side of letting them read it if appropriately aged, then have a discussion about some of the more adult themes if necessary. I would have hated to be stuck with only squeaky clean books as a child. A lot of edgy YA is awesome.)

    But on the other hand, it does make me nervous to think that some books/authors could be censored. My YA tends to lean to edgy and my adult romance has no closed doors, so I could be one of those people to get stamped with a naughty rating (if I ever were so lucky to be published.) I would hate to see any author's creative freedom be choked by having to play to the market. And God help us all if Walmart starts deciding what is okay for us to read.

    So what are your thoughts? Do you think ratings would be helpful? Or do you fear the fallout they would cause?


    **Today's Theme Song**
    "Livin' on the Edge" - Aerosmith
    (player in sidebar--go ahead, take a listen)


    Face Off Friday: YA Lit and Sex

     

    As most of you know, young adult books are all the rage right now. Many are calling it a YA renaissance. I know that many of you who read this blog both write (and read) YA, as I do. So hopefully this is a relevant topic for you guys.
    When I was writing my YA, I had the constant worry about where to draw the line on the controversial things, particularly sex and cursing. In my teen years, YA lit was very different. Most of the books were pretty clean. There were the exceptions that many of the libraries banned (Judy Blume's Forever and the book Go Ask Alice come to mind), but for the most part books were "wholesome". So, in theory, when reading YA we were protected from the "adult" things. Right?
    Well, this theory didn't hold true for me because by fourteen, I was bored with YA and had moved on to adult novels. As I mentioned in a previous post, I started V.C. Andrews' Flowers in the Attic series my freshman year of high school. Looking back, these books would probably be considered YA now. The protagonist was a teen. However, the books had sex, so at that time, they were marketed as adult fiction. And as for cursing, well I had a thing for Stephen King books in high school too, so...
    In today's YA market, the books run the gamut--from the squeaky clean to the shocking. So when writing, I had to make the decision of where I would fall on this issue. People on each side of this debate feel very strongly about their opinions. I'll give you the argument, then I'll tell you what I ultimately decided worked for me.
    Wholesome vs. Edgy

    For love of the wholesome:
    • Books with cursing, sex, and drugs normalize these behaviors and encourage teens to participate in them
    • These books are pornographic and are selling sex to kids
    • They teach teens (girls especially) that their worth is tied into their ability to please a boy
    • The situations in these books expose children to adult situations that they aren't prepared to handle or interpret correctly

    In defense of edgy:
    • These books, although it is unfortunate, reflect reality: many teens are in fact having sex, some are exposed to drugs, and the majority are cursing.
    • Teens are programmed to think about sex so we're not giving them any ideas with the books
    • There is safety in fantasy. Perhaps teens can explore the topic through a book instead of in real life. For instance, in Forever, the sex is there but so are the emotional consequences that can happen in a sexual relationship.
    • Most YA authors, although I'm sure there are exceptions, do not put sex in for gratuitous purposes, but for plot purposes.
    • Has anyone watched TV lately or seen a movie or listened to the radio? Teens see a lot more sex outside of books than they see inside them.
    • Teens can connect with a character who is struggling with the difficult issues and not feel as alone.
    • Teen readers won't believe you if all your characters are squeaky clean
    • If it's kept out of YA, the kids (like me) will just move to adult books, which may paint sex in a much more gratuitous and tempting light (sans consequences).
    Both arguments have good points. So what did I do? I ended up trusting my characters. If in real life, I felt the character would curse, then I let him (where it would have the most impact.) I also put in some sexual situations and dialogue, but nothing beyond making out actually happens.
    Why? Because of plot reasons. If I had felt my character was ready to have sex, then I probably would have let her. But the story didn't lead me that way. So I guess I fall on the liberal side in this debate. Perhaps I'm jaded from working with troubled teens in my past. They always trusted me more in therapy when I didn't balk at or preach about the things they were experiencing. I just let them talk through their feelings and offered some insight to try to lead them in a better direction.
    So where do you fall in the debate? How did you make the decisions in your own YA? If you're a parent of a teen, how do you feel about what your child reads?
    **Today's Theme Song**
    "Don't Tell Me" - Avril Lavigne
    (player in sidebar if you'd like a listen)

     

    For Love of the Bad Boy

    I just recently finished reading Motley Crue: The Dirt - Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band . Even though I usually stick to fiction, I picked up the book for a few reasons. One, I'm a big fan of the band. Two, my current WIP's male protagonist is a lead singer in a rock band, so this was helpful research. I'm not going to go into a detailed review. But I'll say that I really enjoyed the book. It was an unapologetic look into the proverbial world of "sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll." So, if you like rock music, don't mind an r-rated (nc-17?) book, and can handle the overuse of the word "dude" in the Tommy Lee chapters, then I would say go for it.

    But in addition to being a fun read, this book also got me to thinking about bad boys. They show up all the time in fiction, especially in romance and YA. It's one of our favorite alpha male types both in books (and for some of us, real life). After reading this true life account of four seriously bad boys, I started to wonder why we're so drawn to them and why certain bad boys are appealing and others appalling.
    The Motley members were drug addicts, womanizers, and, at times, criminals. Yet women flocked to them even before they were famous or rich. Therefore, something about them was inherently appealing.
    Then there are guys like Wes on the current season of The Bachelorette. He's considered the bad boy of the show. And based on last night's reunion show, he was wildly unpopular with the female viewing audience (including me.)
    So what's the difference? Where is the line between uber hot and uber jerk? What traits make a bad boy sexy instead of scary? When writing, how do we create that delicious bad boy that will make our reader not just swoon but fall in love in with the character?
    I think the key probably lies in the character's motivation. Your bad boy can't just be bad for the hell of it, just because he thinks it's cool. (Yes, Wes, I'm looking at you.) You have to explore the reasons why he is the way he is with your back story. He also has to have some crack in the armor that the heroine can pry into and heal. Because, otherwise, why are we reading?
    Since the Motley Crue guys maintained their appeal (in my mind) even after wildly egregious acts, I'll use them as an example of some appealing types of bad boys. (I'm leaving Mick out because he is not an alpha male.)
    The "I've always been pretty" bad boy (Vince Neil, lead singer): This is the bad boy who knows he's hot. Girls have always liked him. Attention has come easily. He can get whomever he wants, which can make things boring for him. It can also lead to going through girls like they're disposable. He's not used to being told no.
    Crack: He ain't that confident. Sure, he knows he looks good, but he's not convinced the person underneath the looks is all that great.
    Other Examples: Eric in the Sookie Stackhouse books (a personal fave of mine), Keenan in Wicked Lovely, Jordan Catalano on My So-Called Life (to pull out an old 90s reference)
    What he needs: A heroine that isn't afraid to knock him down off that pedestal and challenge him.

     
    The "Up for anything" wild child (Tommy Lee): This guy appears to have no fear or impulse control. Seeks thrills and fun at all times. He's ruled by the Id. Doesn't take anything seriously including silly things like rules, laws, or social mores. Sees relationships as something that would hold him back from thrill-seeking.
    Examples: Jules in Erica Orloff's Freudian Slip (who is basically a good-looking version of Howard Stern), Barney on How I Met Your Mother (although his thrill seeking is limited to women)
    Crack: He's actually a sucker for long-term relationships. He's so passionate about everything in his life, that when he finds the right girl, he will give himself over completely to love. Tommy Lee turned lovesick both with Heather Locklear and Pamela Anderson.
    What he needs: Someone that can keep up with him, but is also a calming force. A heroine who incites enough passion in him that he seeks thrills with her instead of separate from her.

     
    The Wounded Soul (Nikki Sixx): This is my favorite to write and read about. This guy's motto is "get them before they get me". He's been hurt deeply somewhere along the way, and now has locked away all true feelings from others. He's easily angered and shuts down when anyone gets close. He can be the most formidable of bad boys because he doesn't care enough about himself to avoid danger.
    Examples: Julian in Sherrilyn Kenyon's Fantasy Lover, Edward in Twilight, Jace in City of Bones, Wrath in J.R. Ward's Dark Lover, Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing
     
    Crack: He feels unworthy of genuine love. Nikki Sixx was abandoned by both his parents early on. So later, when people in his life showed him love, he didn't believe them. He'd push them away before he had a chance to care.
    What he needs: A super tough girl that can push through that seemingly impenetrable wall. A woman that will call him out on his crap and not be intimidated by his flashes of anger. A woman that will love him fiercely.
    So there's my theory. The only bad boys worth writing are the ones that offer a challenge, but that can ultimately evolve. We don't just want to read about the bad boy being bad, we want to see his character heal and reform so that he can keep the good parts (fun, attitude, touch of danger, daring) while taming the undesirable parts (lying, cheating, illegal behavior, etc.).
    So, what's your opinion? Do you like a bad boy character or do you think they're overused? What makes you like one better over the other? Who's your favorite bad boy?