Must Read

I just finished reading Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. This book was excellent! I loved it. I am not sure if it is a series or not. It ended where it could go either way. But, I highly recommend reading this one. It is written in multiple POV, an idea I tossed around for my own novel but didn't feel that I could pull off. Maggie did it beautifully. You get to see first hand each of the two main characters inner workings. I hate to keep using the same adjective, but it really is a beautiful story!

Here is what Amazon.com has as the book description:
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

I also recently finished Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Loved it! If you havent already read The Hunger Games, this is also a must read.
On a side note, I have just returned from vacation, and not having internet. I am hoping to update my blog soon, so keep an eye out...of course "soon" could mean within the next month. ;)
I spent my week vacation typing my longhand novel notes into my new laptop! I am nowhere near done, but I put a little dent in it anyway.
What books have you read lately that made you want to pass copies out to all your friends?

I Thought the Past Was Dead and Gone, But I Was Wrong...

Yesterday, a new show premiered on the CW network - The Vampire Diaries. I am both a little giddy and a little unnerved. Let me explain:
As a young teen, when The Vampire Diaries trilogy first came out, I was obsessed. I read these books probably 3 or 4 times, if not more. I couldnt get enough. I even dressed up as the main character, Elena, for Halloween. Well, sorta. Let's just say my costume was inspired by events from the books. So, understandably, I am pretty excited to see the books that inspired me to read more and want to be a writer brought to life from the page.
But, at the same time, I am a little bothered.
First off, Elena's supposed to be a blue eyed blonde. Is there a problem making her character believeable on tv if she's a blue eyed blonde? I don't get the purpose in completely changing how she looks. Strike one.
Secondly, they've given her a cell phone and a brother. Ok, ok. The cell phone I get. We have to modernize it to fit in with today's teens. When I kid, we all survived just fine without them - but that's ok, give the girl a cell phone. The brother though? Seriously? What's up with that? Maybe this will broaden her character more, having a little brother? Maybe this will allow for more action and excitement? Who knows. Doesn't make sense. Strike two.
Thirdly, Elena's best friend, Bonnie...In the books, if I remember correctly, Bonnie was a petite, bouncy strawberry blonde. In the show? They've made her a cute black girl. I am not at all prejudiced. But seriously? What the hell? Not only that, but they've juiced up her "psychic" abilities. Again, I am guessing this makes for a more interesting show somewhere down the line. Yeah? Well, strike three.
And despite the three strikes, I am still going to watch. Despite all the little discrepancies, I am probably going to be a fan. Sure, at this point, I am a little old to be watching a teen show. But I dont care. There's a vampire craze going on, and I've been part of it for the last 17 years. These were THE books for me growing up. (And by the way, apparently not only have they re-released these books, but she's written more to continue the series! the first "new" one to the series came out in Feb '09, and the second comes out Feb '10) So, YAY for vampires and YAY for the past being undead!! I can't wait for next Thursday...

Does Size Matter?

Absolutely!

In my opinion bigger is better- especially if it's good! Get your minds out of the gutter, people, I'm talking about book length! :)

According to a lot of editor and agent websites/blogs, shorter is the way to go. This is especially true if you are a new and previously unpublished writer. Publishing houses are being extra cautious these days, what with the economy and all. But, it appears that there have always been loose guidelines in what is an acceptable manuscript length. What once was a "loose" guideline is really tightening up in recent months.

Once you've become published and you can prove your worth (i.e., book sales), you can definitely loosen your guidelines up for length quite a bit. Some publishers may remain adamant that they want you to keep the novel length shorter, but that's what agents are for, right? Agents who are really passionate about your work, and who are good at what they do, will help to negotiate what is ultimately turned in for publication.

Like I said, I prefer books to be at least 500 pages if not longer. If they are good books I don't want them to end. More is better. Even if they are series books. That's just my personal preference. The book I am writing was originally planned to be at least 500 pages in length (which translates to approximately 130k words), but I've decided to taper that back a bit - maybe around 300-350 pages. It is a planned series, so I figure whatever I can't fit into this one I can certainly squeeze into the others. And once I'm published (positive thinking!) I can hopefully extend the length a little if necessary!

Here are a few useful links to some blogs I follow that contain TONS of excellent info:
here
and here

Wuv, Twu Wuv

I went to bed broken hearted last night. But, is it true love for The Bachelorette's Jillian and Ed? It better be.

Last night's season finale held a surprise twist - Reid. He came back with an emotional profession of love, and to propose. Can I just say that I am devastated that she didn't choose him?

This appears to be a recurring theme, here. Reality TV, you've gone and done it again, you bastards! Suck me into these shows only to kick me right at the end of the last episode! I would say that, in protest, I'd quit watching - that's just how sad I feel for Reid - but I can't say that. I can say that if I wasn't married, I'd marry you, Reid, you precious little fella *sniffle*. Just ask my husband. He had to hear me pine all night and first thing this morning.

If it doesn't work out for Jillian and Ed - and I don't think it will, personally, because Ed can't just give up on his career that easily (let me add, lest everyone think I am completely anti-Ed, that between Kiptyn and Ed, I totally rooted for Ed) - will Reid still be ready to take her back?

I hope your heart gets better soon, Reid. :( I was rooting for you.

I think Jake's up as the next bachelor...

AND! On a lighter note, I did get some writing and typing done this weekend! Go, me!

Fire and Ice

How far can you go with sex and violence in a YA novel?

Kids today are saturated with this stuff and are certainly doing things a lot earlier than even when I was a kid. (Which wasn't really that long ago...) Things that are acceptable on TV and in books now, definitely weren't as commonplace then. Or perhaps they were and I was just oblivious. I know that I read books like The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith. There was definitely romance going on, but nothing hard core or descriptive.

**possible spoilers below**

And there are books now, like Wake and Fade by Lisa McMann and Graceling by Kristin Cashore, that have sex (handled quite adult and very sweetly, I might add). There is a fair amount of fighting and violence in YA books as well. Obviously with Harry Potter, as the series progressed, there was a lot of death, but not so much description on the violence. In the Twilight Saga there was both sex and violence. But the sex here waited until marriage. And again, the violence was toned down - though I believe there was mention of James' head being yanked off and his body burned and some other such activities.

So, this leads me to my point: How far is too far in YA literature today? Can it still be YA if your leading couple goes "all the way", perhaps on more than one occasion? - of course, keeping the sexiness and passion toned down and to a minimum in descriptiveness for sensitive eyes. And if chapter 3 has "the bad guy" doing some very bad and evil things - such as ripping out a heart of an underling - is that going too far?

Of course we don't want to condone kids' bad behavior - the point is, kids are going to do bad things anyhow. It's a fact of life. You live and you learn. Just because you read about sex and death doesn't mean you are going to think these things are ok. In fact, I would think that kids that take the time to actually read are smart enough to know what's right and what's wrong - that the books are actually fiction, after all . I also feel the parents hold a certain level of responsibility here.

I guess no matter what, there are going to be critics out there who say a novel was taken too far on some level. Look at all the folks who say Edward from Twilight was abusive and that little girls that read that will think "it's ok to be in an abusive relationship now". I'd better not go there today...

But, what is your opinion? Is there such a thing as too far with teens and what they read today? How hot is too hot for love, and how cold is too cold for evil?

RIP Phillip

So, once again, I am mourning the "loss" of a reality TV favorite. First it was Adam Lambert from American Idol. Seriously, how could he lose? Now, it's my little Phillip Chbeeb from So You Think You Can Dance.

How could you America? Why didnt anyone vote for this awesome dancer? He's ridiculous! And I mean that in a good way. At least he gets to go on tour. And his good bye speech? Brought a little tear to my eye.

I will miss you, Phillip, and your sweet-ass popping abilities. You will always be on my "hot tamale train". You rock!

A Little Progress is Still Progress

For the holiday, I had a four day weekend. I had big plans for that weekend. Big plans...
Why is it that big plans never work out?
See this precious little bunny with all the crumpled papers in the garbage? That's how I felt sitting in front of my computer this weekend. Blocked. Unable to complete those big plans.
My husband was out of town. I could've gotten so much accomplished. Alas, I did not. However, I did get half of a chapter written. And though half a chapter is nowhere near the goal that I had set for myself this weekend, it is something.
So YAY! for all of you out there who made a little progress. Be it 3 chapters or 3 pages - or half a chapter- a little progress is still progress. Give yourself a pat on the back for all your hard work.