Ramona was a waitress

I’ve started a new novel.

I think the last one’s done. I think if I edit it again I’ll suffer a brain aneurysm. I’m waiting on the opinions of a couple more smart people before I seriously send it out into the world (and if you like books and stuff and want to read a bit, email me).

This new novel is temporarily wonderful and sparkling. It’s about an idealistic dead boy and the repercussions of his death upon his family and friends. It sounds like The Lovely Bones, but it’s less sentimental and doesn’t have any of that rubbish about true love* and also this boy isn’t annoying like Susie Salmon.**

I haven’t figured it out yet, not entirely, but there are a few things I think may happen:
- his step-brother and sort-of girlfriend*** steal his ashes. This is for some profound reason that is a bit too difficult to explain at this point, but will clear up later.
- his step-brother becomes involved in some kind of relationship with a waitress named Cilla. Her name is Cilla and she has red hair and she is quite beautiful and has very thin lips and I know all of this because I had a dream with her in it, and also in that dream I kept coughing up whole pears. It was so strange.
- there is a scene in a Laundromat. I’m not clear on what occurs, but it’s in a Laundromat.
- I will need to take photos of all things around the town where I live because I know where certain scenes will occur. Like in the Laundromat. I quite like the Laundromat.

It’s so very difficult to explain. I’m going to write a blurb, and who knows, I might post it on this very blog. Would you like to read the blurb? And an excerpt, maybe? Just a paragraph or so, because I occasionally write a couple of sentences of genius and I can make you think I’m quite a good writer when I’m not.

You can listen to Ramona Was A Waitress (blog post title is after the song) and watch the video here. I much prefer it without video because the video is scary, but it's a good song, so just close your eyes. That's what I usually do. It's by Paul Dempsey, and it's from his album Everything Is True.

It is so very late.

* & obviously it’s nowhere near as good as The Lovely Bones but that doesn’t even need to be said.
** & really? Susie Salmon? What the heck.
*** If you are going out with someone and then they die what do you become? I mean, a married person becomes a widow, but what about people who aren’t married? What do they call these people?****
****And also, she’s his sort-of girlfriend mainly because I had originally imagined he was gay. And he’s still gay in my head though there’s no reason for it in the story, it’s just that all the gay people I know are pretty awesome.*****
*****And straight people are awesome too, so don’t go thinking I’m discriminating against anybody, because I’m not.******
******Except people who love Robert Pattinson. I’m discriminating against you. I’m starting a club, and it’s called the No R.Pattz Fans club. And you’re not allowed in it.*******
*******That’s it. I wish there was a decent footnotes function in blogger.

On book reviews & author’s reactions

I was reading the blog The Worst Review Ever – brainchild of awesome YA author Alexa Young – and I was thinking about the books I’ve reviewed and how the book’s authors would have seen those reviews, about Amazon reviews and about reviews on other blogs.

To authors I have to say: If you get a bad review, don’t react. You’ll regret it later on. If the bad review is on Amazon, it means nothing. Many, many people have rubbished To Kill A Mockingbird on Amazon. Most of the people who post negative reviews of wonderful books can’t spell to save their life. These reviews don’t matter.

To reviewers and bloggers: When you review, take into consideration that the author may read the review. By no means does this mean all your reviews should be positive. Remain unbiased, but try and think about the book from another person’s perspective (if you are not the intended reader). Keep it constructive, and never be mean, or insult the author (Like “A. Author should be shot for writing this tripe” = BAD). You can be honest to your readers AND be kind. Usually, if a book reaches the point of publication, there must be some merit to it, for that many people (agent, editors, marketing people) to believe in it.

If an author does react to a negative review – and sometimes they will – this does not mean you should change your review nor should anyone say anything bad about anyone else. First of all, consider your review. Is it just? Or have you been nasty? Always consider what you’re posting on your blog for the world to see, especially if you’re saying something negative.

You might have noticed I haven’t reviewed anything negatively on this blog (except for Twilight, but that was a bit of a joke). I do note the things I like and don’t like about a book. I haven’t reviewed anything negatively, because all the books I’ve been asked to review so far I have enjoyed. I’ve read lots of other books from the library and that I’ve been given, and some of them I haven’t enjoyed. But those books aren’t YA (I do read a lot of smart, grown-up people fiction, mainly because I’m trying to be worldly, and I’m just not) so I don’t review them.

I want to ask book bloggers: Have you ever written an atrocious review and regretted it? Or written a nice review about a book you hated because you didn’t want to hurt the author’s feelings?

And of course, authors with stories about their worst review ever should check out The Worst Review Ever.

It’s good stuff.

Angel Fish by Lili Wilkinson

Black Dog Books, September 2009, YA, 252 pages paperback

Back-cover blurb:
A charismatic religious leader has come to the village. Stefan has convinced Gabriel that only children will be able to liberate the Holy Land from the Infidel.

Together they raise an army and make the arduous journey over the Alps to the Mediterranean—Stefan’s promise that the ocean will part before them urging them on.

But the power of Stefan’s promises dim as they suffer misadventures again and again. Gabriel must face his doubts and the questions that plague him.

Who is Stefan? Is he really a holy prophet? Or has he doomed them all? And can they survive on faith alone?

Angel Fish is very loosely based on the Children's Crusade in the 13th century, and is told by Gabriel, who meets Stephan, a boy who claims to speak to God, and who has grand plans for how an army of children will defeat the Saracen.

This is an incredibly interesting premise - I haven't read any fiction, let alone fiction for teenagers, that covers the Children's Crusade - and what follows is an incredibly novel. Angel Fish is beautifully told in deceptively simple language, by Gabriel, as he follows Stephan on their way to the Holy Land, gathering children as they go. Gabriel has unwavering faith in Stephan, and that he really is a holy prophet, but his singlemindedness and utter faith was at times frustrating.

Something that I really loved was the relationships between Gabby and the other children, especially Ines and Fox-boy. Their journey was incredibly difficult both physically and emotionally, and I felt it was written really wonderfully - the simplicity of it made it all the more powerful.

Lili Wilkinson is such a versatile author, writing both historical and contemporary fiction (like her recently released novel Pink) seamlessly. Angel Fish was easy to read (writing-wise; it lacked the flowery prose that's in a lot of historical fiction, and I liked that), but was so emotionally evocative. The characters stayed with me long after I finished reading.

I'd recommend this to teenagers who are looking for a story with a substance and powerful read.

--
http://liliwilkinson.com/

I've gone to check it out 'Children's Crusade' on Wikipedia, and there are only really general things said about it: The Children's Crusade is the name given to a variety of fictional and factual events which happened in 1212 that combine some or all of these elements: visions by a French or German boy; an intention to peacefully convert Muslims in the Holy Land to Christianity; bands of children marching to Italy; and children being sold into slavery.

Inkys launch & longlist

Well, the Inkys online launch was awesome, and the Inkys longlist has been announced. You can now see the Inkys longlist on the Insideadog website, with details on every book. The online launch finished just now, and it was a lot of fun, and I read out the Golden Inky nominees. If you missed out, you can go watch the entire thing here.

An Interview with Sarah O'Leary Burningham

Sarah O'Leary Burningham is the author of two fantastic non-fiction books for teen girls: How to Raise Your Parents and Boyology (which I reviewed here). She blogs on her website - http://sarahburningham.com/ - and you can find out more about her here. Many thanks to Sarah for answering my questions!

Q: Can you describe Boyology in 25 words or less?
A: Guys, advice, quotes, quizzes, crushing, flirting, friends, dating, talking, kissing, love, like, boundaries, boyfriends, hooking up, breaking up, empowerment, meeting the parents, hanging out, e-love.

Q: Both Boyology and your first book How to Raise Your Parents are fun, witty non-fiction books for teen girls. What inspired you to write them and not, say, a book about animal calls?
A: My books were both inspired by my own life and the lives of all the teenagers I've talked to. While I think animal calls are an ever-important topic - one not to be taken lightly - I think the research involved might be a little beyond me. Although I've been told that when I snore I sound like a grizzly bear. But that's our little secret.

Q: Can you tell me about the process of writing Boyology from idea to publication?
A: I had an idea of how I would outline the book before I started doing all the interviews and research but I rearranged things once I started getting responses. I was surprised by how much things have stayed the same AND how much they've changed. That might sound contradictory but I found that the first heartbreak is as hard for today's teenagers as it was for me, but they also have Facebook and Twitter thrown into the mix. I wanted to make sure to include all of it.

Q: How did you go about getting the quotes from real teenagers?
A: Over the past few years I've built an online network of over 2,000 teenagers (guys and girls) across the country and I relied on all of them for my research. We mostly communicate through email or on MySpace and Facebook and I did interviews and sent questionnaires to find out what they think about relationships and dating in general. The responses were totally enlightening and influenced every word in my book.

Q: Complete this sentence: My teenage years were…
A: ...an adventure I'm glad I had, but I'm also glad to be done with.

Q: Do you write fiction as well? Do you think you’ll ever publish a novel?
A: I'm actually working on a YA novel right now. I just quit my day job so that I can spend more time on my writing. It's a little scary, but I think sometimes you have to take risks and follow your heart. That's what I'm doing!

Q: I found Boyology to be really honest, but still appropriate for all ages. What sort of reactions have you gotten from readers and their parents?
A: The reactions so far have all been great. Boyology is really about trusting yourself in relationships while having fun and getting to know guys. There's heartbreak and those butterflies, but most of all, I want girls to trust themselves when they're making decisions. If you can't trust yourself, who can you trust?

Q: Are you working on another book at the moment? Where to next?
A: On top of the novel, I just started working on my third book, which is all about friendship. It goes way beyond mean girls, like how to be a good friend and find good friends and how to get through a fight without hating each other. After writing about guys and parents, I figured the next most important topic was friends. It's like the trifecta of teen life.

Q: Who are your favourite authors, and what books do you recommend for teenagers?
A: There are so many writers I love - and books. Oh, books! My apartment is filled with them. Here are just a few I recommend: Jennifer E. Smith's YOU ARE HERE, Cynthia Voigt's IZZY, WILLY-NILLY, anything by Ned Vizzini or Melissa Walker. And, the best kid's book ever, The House on East 88th Street. I grew up on that and I don't care how old you are, you should read it. Lyle the Crocodile is just plain awesome.

Q: Complete this sentence: My life outside of writing is…
A: ...definitely not what I expected when I was teenager but better than I could've hoped for.

An interview with Ben Beaton

Ben Beaton's debut novel, Mama's Song, is to be published next month by Black Dog Books.I was lucky enough to get a copy of Mama's Song, which I reviewed here. It's a truly beautiful novel, and you should definitely check it out.

1. What was the inspiration behind Mama's Song?
I was originally going to write a story about a guy who has a child and a grandchild on the same day - from his daughter’s point of view. Georgina's father was going to enter the story half way through and be the link between Mary and George. As I was writing the book however, this direction didn't feel right, so I made it more about George’s development from rebellious teen to independent more self reliant young woman.

I also wanted to explore the relationships and connections we make in life. George thinks she’s going to find her grandmother, someone who will look after her and continue to support her. Instead she finds herself in a strange environment, surrounded by strangers, so the novel is a little like a puzzle, where we get to see how she will work herself out of this situation. Most of all I was inspired by George herself. She came into my head fully formed, and I merely had to write down what she said.

2. A lot of the focus of Mama's Song was on Georgina's life as a new mother. Did you find this difficult to write? How did you research?
I really wanted this aspect of the novel to be believable and realistic. Obviously I
couldn’t have written it without going through the experience with my wife when our two children were born. My job as an author is to tell a story, and have you feel like that story connects with you in some way. So for Georgina I thought about how she would react, what fears she would have and how she would deal with the situation. Some of the things that happen in the novel are drawn from real life experience, and other things are fictional, but if it feels real, and as a reader you identify with the characters and their experience, then I’m happy. We also had a few health professionals read the story to make sure all of the medical references in the novel are accurate.

3. Mama's Song is your first novel. Are you working on a second at the moment? Could you tell us a bit about it?
I have an idea for a book about boys and online video games. Lots of boys live
double lives. By day they blend in to their surroundings, trying not to attract too
much attention, but at night, behind closed doors they master their virtual worlds
and engage in violent battles. I want to look at this world and pose the
question - does playing violent video games make for violent boys? I want to
really play around with the narrative in this book, so it will be a little bit like a
detective story, and h reader has to make their own decisions based on the
information presented.

4. What three words would you use to describe yourself? And what three words would you use to describe your writing?
Big computer nerd and my writing is to the point.

5. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were...
A blur, but a great time full of good friends and fun times.

6. Have you always wanted to write for young people? Or did you set out to become a brain surgeon and wind up stumbling down this path? Was the road to publication rocky for you?
I started out wanting to be an actor, and studied theatre and music at high school until I discovered how many out of work actors and musos there were. I loved Drama and English so did the natural thing and became a Drama and English teacher. I had a band for a while, but it was a bit hard to keep it together after starting a family, so for me writing is a good way to satisfy my creative energy.

I’ve been very lucky with my writing to be well supported and encouraged by friends and family, and now with the team at Black Dog Books. They really care about the process and the end product, and pushed me to produce something we can all be proud of.

7. Who were your biggest inspirations and idols growing up and today?
If you look at the dedication for this book, you’ll see my grandmother, mum, wife and daughter named. Each of them inspire me in different ways, and encourage me to live life to the full.

8. Who are your favourite authors and which novels are your all-time favourites?
I really liked the way Tim Winton wrote the Lockie Leonard books. He brought all of his power and sensitivity as an author to the YA space, and I think he set a great example of how you can write with strong messages and lyric beauty for teens.

For me, you have to read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime, it set a new standard for the post modern novel, Ender’ Game by Orson Scott Card, The 10pm Question which came out this year, and Chasing Boys by Karen Tayleur. The common thread here is books that help you get completely lost in the characters and leave you wanting more.

9. Complete this sentence: My life outside of writing is...
Hectic. I have a great job integrating IT into the curriculum and also working with staff to extend what we do with the students at my school. I also have a fab family who let me do the fun things, and keep me very grounded.

10. If you were a superhero, what would be your name, power and costume?
Gadget Boy (my family picked the name) I love gadgets - so I’d be able to make them work just by touching them - a bit like Mica in Heroes. My costume would have to have some sort of reference to iPhones and iPods - I know, it’s sad.


--
Thank you Ben (and Kristen at bdb)!

An Interview with Jenny Hale

Jenny Hale is an Australian author illustrator of children's picture books, and her werewolf fantasy book, Jatta, is her first novel (and a pretty good one at that!). Many thanks to Jenny for answering my questions about Jatta and being a writer!


1. What was the inspiration behind Jatta?
I had this image of a girl weighed down by a disability. By its stigma. By the threat of its cancerous growth. I chose a werewolf curse because this brutal alter-ego would be the opposite of Jatta’s own shy, gentle personality. Considering the trauma she suffered as a child, it was also the very thing that would almost crush her. I wanted to see her develop from there. Of course the werewolf would also grow stronger, and I didn’t yet know which of the two sides of Jatta would win.

2. I often hear that fantasy novels are a bit like an iceberg - you only see the ten percent that is the story, but there's a whole lot of background information underneath. Is this true of Jatta? Are there things about the world and characters that exist within it that never made it in to the book?
Oh, sure! I love biology, and the creatures in Jatta — dragons, wolves, Undead, Sorcerers, even prehistoric pterodactyls — appear to come from a whole junkyard of fantasy genres. However, in Jatta there’s a common, semi-scientific root to them all: it’s the Sorcerers. They play God, and fabricate dragons and pteros from assembled prehistoric bones, a la Jurassic Park. I’d always figured dragons looked a bit like a composite dinosaur, complete with ptero wings and T-rex head. Only, mine aren’t so pretty.
My Undead are another Sorcerer creation. They display no especial powers except having skin that’s near freezing. That’s to discourage grubs, because corpses start to smell quite appealing to egg-laying flies and beetles by night’s end. Oh, and obsidian teeth. (Volcanic glass is one of the sharpest materials known, used in some surgical blades). Undead are just DEAD. Unclothe one, and you’ll find mottled wine-red staining under the skin along his back. This is where blood settled during his first hours of Undeath. Gruesome, I know. That’s why it’s not in Jatta’s story. (Yet.) It’s hard to imagine romantic feelings stirring for such creatures … though one of my characters tries.

3. What's the most rewarding thing about writing?
It’s waking from a night’s sleep to find the ideas I’ve been toying with have melded into something quite simple and elegant. It’s discovering as I write that my scene is evolving into something more powerful than I had first imagined. And writing’s an addiction.

4. Are you working on something new at the moment? Could you tell us a bit about it?
I’m into Jatta’s sequel. She will continue to morph. Arthmael’s a strong presence, and there’s romance, too. I now understand my characters so well, it’s easier to guess what they’ll do.

5. What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Intense. Warm-hearted. Forgetful.
And what three words would you use to describe your writing?
Intense. Layered. Surprising twists.

6. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were...
A work in progress. At 14 I was like Jatta, incredibly shy. However my friendship with the girl who sat next to me in English gradually brought me confidence. We’re still best friends. We galvanised other school ‘creatives’, launched into plays, art, film, into long debates over boys and life. I made my first movie (vampire, of course).

7. Have you always wanted to write for young people? Or did you set out to become a brain surgeon and wind up stumbling down this path? Was the road to publication rocky for you?
I wrote stories as a kid. I also drew. I wanted to be an illustrator of children’s books, and I’ve had fun doing that. But four years ago I got the writing bug again. YA fantasy. I love reading it; it speaks to adults, too. I’m pretty focused, and the road’s also been smoothed by my previous career. I wrote one novel, sent it to one publisher. When she politely rejected it on a Friday, I sat down that Saturday with the idea for Jatta. I haven’t looked at that first novel since, and I’ve no idea anymore whether it’s brilliant or bad. Jatta took 11 months and lots of drafts, but I found Margaret, a literary agent who shared my vision of Jatta as a tortured, sensitive soul in a genre filled with feisty kick-arse heroines, and my agent championed my book to publishers.

8. Who were your biggest inspirations and idols growing up and today?
Charles Darwin in Year 8 Biology. His simple concept made God superfluous for me.
Nelson Mandella. Anyone who has suffered a terrible crime and has forgiven. There’s no other way out of the painful abyss.


9. Who are your favourite authors and which movies are your all-time favourites?
Jane Austin. JK Rowling. Stephenie Meyer. Jonathon Shroud (Bartemaeus Trilogy) Cormac McCarthy (The Road).

Movies? Oh, so many! Shrek. Groundhog Day. Pride and Prejudice (BBC series). The Sound of Music (yes, cringe). Raiders of the Lost Ark. Men in Black. Harry Potter. Mars Attacks. Brazil. Pan’s Labrynth, The Orphanage (El Toro). Gone with the Wind. Contact. GATTACA. AI. The Sixth Sense.

Steph, here’s the abbreviated list:
Shrek. Pride and Prejudice (BBC series) Men in Black. Harry Potter. Mars Attacks. Pan’s Labrynth. GATTACA. AI. The Sixth Sense.

10. Complete this sentence: My life outside of writing is...
My cute, cuddly, hunky husband Brad.

Jatta by Jenny Hale

Jatta is a princess in the kingdom of Alteeda, but her life is no fairy tale.

Her mother was slain by werewolves when Jatta was three years old, and the palace has been haunted by fear ever since.

Then Jatta wakes one morning, bruised and disoriented , soaked in sweat, to see her bedroom smeared with bloody paw prints …

One thing which I really loved about this novel was the main female protagonist, and the book's namesake, Jatta. She grew extraordinarily through the novel, from being shy and wealthy and not questioning the things her father told her, to being independent, able to strike out on her own. I also felt that the relationships between Jatta and the other characters - especially her older brother Arthmael, who was incredibly frustrating at times, but who was only looking out for his sister - really made this novel great.

I loved the world which Jenny Hale created in this book, were all sorts of scary and fantastic beasts existed, as well as magic. It's difficult not to give anything away, but there's a chapter a bit into the book where Jatta and Art go to see the sorcerer, and I thought it was really fantastic.

It was a bit long-winded in parts, and I felt there were a few unnecessary passages, making an already long book long. However, I'm usually more inclined to shorter books, and I'll admit to the fact that I prefer books set in the real world. If you are a person who primarily loves fantasy, this novel is in all ways a wonderful, unmissable read.

With Jatta growing so much as a character, a fair bit of the novel was made up of conversations and chapters of non-action, which were really quite refreshing when plenty of action scenes surround it. But those scenes of action were fantastic too - I found Jatta's transformation and time as a wolf to especially well-written (and such a contrast to Jatta as a girl).

In Jatta, Jenny Hale has created a fantastic mythical world and deeply enjoyable novel. I think this book will appeal to fantasy fans of all ages, and if you're interested in a magical read, you should definitely check it out.

You can read the first chapters online, and find out more on Jatta's website: http://www.jatta.com.au

An Interview with Sue Lawson

Sue Lawson is an Australian author of wonderful novels for teenagers and children, including Finding Darcy and After, which was published this month by Black Dog Books. I got to review After recently, and you can read that review here. I think After is only to be released here in Aus, but if you're overseas and interested in getting it, you can always order it from one of these websites.

Many thanks to Sue and Kristen at Black Dog Books for the interview.


1. What was the inspiration behind After?
The idea for After was sparked by a newspaper article I read about four years ago. That story stayed with me and sparked a heap of questions, not so much about the incident, but what happens after an incident like that. How does a child/family recover from something like that? What impact does it have on their lives?
Can you live with that secret burning away inside of you?
I'm being evasive deliberately so as not to give away the story line.

2. What's the most rewarding thing about writing?
There's so much to love about writing. I love developing an idea from a series of questions into a story, watching how the characters develop and grow, and becoming lost in that world. There's nothing better, especially when it all comes together.
As well as loving the writing, the feedback from readers is fantastic. It's great to hear their perspective on your story. I'm always blown away by what readers notice and take away from the book - sometimes it's things i haven't considered.

3. You've written a number of novels for teenagers and younger readers, but I think this is your first novel from the perspective of a boy. Do you have to get into a different mindset when you write as a boy, or is it just different with every character?
Actually, this is my fifth novel with a boy protagonist.
My first four books, picture books, Jamie's Star and My Gran's Different and junior novels, Dragon's Tear and Ferret Boy, all have male lead characters.
After my first book with a female character Tessa, I had a run of female characters in the Diva Series, Allie McGregor's True Colours and Finding Darcy.
It doesn't matter if the character is male or female, I find the mindset is different for every character - depending on their background, personality, problem, needs and wants. It's weird, but each of my characters are real to me, to the point I miss them when I finish the book. But let's not tell too many people about that

4. What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Loving, loyal, and honest. (and funny! but not according to my 15 y-o)
And what three words would you use to describe your writing?
Boy! That's tough. Hmmm - honest, compassionate and real.

5. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were...
Turbulent, overweight and filled with self doubt.

6. Have you always wanted to write for young people? Or did you set out to become a brain surgeon and wind up stumbling down this path? Was the road to publication rocky for you?
Ahh, the career path. I wanted to write, but for a number of reasons, ending up teaching.
After three years as a teacher, I left to work in radio, where I stayed for 12 years (Radio was a complete hoot!). When we moved, I returned to teaching.
Amidst all of that, I also taught swimming, managed a gift shop and worked at the MCG.
The main reason I 'avoided' writing was, and this is tragic, I was scared I wouldn't be any good at it. Pathetic really.
It took a serious illness to make me face my fear and write. It was the best this that ever happened to me and now I'm doing what I absolutely love.
When I visit schools as an author, I urge students to follow their dreams and not let fear stop them from doing what they love.

7. Who were your biggest inspirations and idols growing up and today?
My greatest inspirations were close to home. My paternal grandfather believed in me and made me feel I could do anything, my maternal grandmother was the bravest woman I've known, my husband's aunt taught me about generosity and my husband and daughter's believe in me and support all that I am.
Then there are the teachers who had a huge impact in me - Mr Samuel, Mrs Hocking, Miss Woodburn, Mrs Phillips and Miss Brown.
My 'celebrity' heroes are an eclectic bunch.
John Lennon, Nelson Mandella, Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King, Jane Austin, Peter Garrett (when he was with Midnight Oil), Tolkien, Johnny Clegg (South Africian songwriter), William Blake and heaps of Collingwood footballers (it's an illness I can't shake!).

8. Who are your favourite authors and which novles are your all-time favourites?
My favourite authors are Tim Winton, Robert Drewe, JRR Tolkien, Amy Tan, Jodi Piccoult, David Metzenthen, John Marsden, James Moloney and Jackie French just to name a few.
And my favourite novels, in no particular order, are A Wrinkle In Time – Madeleine L’Engle, Dirt Music – Tim Winton, To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee, The Outsiders – S.E. Hinton, Catcher In The Rye – JD Salinger and Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien

9. Complete this sentence: My life outside of writing is...
...fantastic, but busy - it's driving my daughter from piano to netball to school to netball to friends' houses, laughing, reading, footy, long walks and hot risotto on a winter's night.

10. If you were a superhero, what would be your name, power and costume?
Hmmm, superhero...this is tough!
Well, for one thing my costume wouldn't be made out of lycra! It would be something comfortable, probably purple, black or red, and it wouldn't cling to any part of me.
My super power? Probably talking! I love a chat! But I also like to help out, so I could be a resucer.
Perhaps I could be Chatter Woman, dashing about in my purple, red and black t-shirt and jeans.



Thank you Sue!

--
http://www.suelawson.com.au/

After by Sue Lawson

Black Dog Books, August 2009, YA, 288 pages paperback

Back-cover blurb:
CJ has been banished to the country to live with his grandparents.

His attempt to fade into the background at his new school is thwarted when Luke Bennett, a boy suffering from a brain injury, befriends him.

Here he learns that no matter how hard you try to run from the past it is always right there in front of you, waiting.

Initially, this was a book that didn’t really grab me; Callum started out as an annoying and difficult character, whose actions and behaviours made no sense. Gradually, however, as snippets of the past were revealed (‘Before’), his attitude changed. I think about a third into the novel, I really started to enjoy it. I think Callum’s initial behaviour is necessary, as he grows a lot as a character through the book.

The story was suspenseful and well-written – even though Callum’s day-to-day life living with his grandparents and attending a new school were mundane, I continued reading so that I could find out what it was that had changed his life so much and why he was sent to live with his grandparents.

There are a lot of books in the teen fiction market with the premise of ‘A Big Bad Thing Happened and now everything has changed’. I think After pulled this off really well, without making it seem stale, and though I figure out the Big Bad Thing early on, there were so many other things that I didn’t see coming.

This book felt distinctly Australian, and I really loved that. Overall a fantastically written novel, which I think teenagers will relate to, and which packs a powerful ending.

--
http://www.suelawson.com.au/

…and that, my friends, is why teenagers shouldn’t write

I wrote a guest post for the lovely blog First Novels Club. Check it out here. I'll be interviewing the ladies of First Novels Club very soon...

I came across this post on the BookEnds literary agency blog back near the end of April, and bookmarked it. I’d intended to do a post back then, but as you know, it’s now August, and I’m only now getting around to it. This is a testament to how good I am at forgetting to do things.

So I was going through my bookmarks today – because although I have many things to do, I don’t want to do any of them – and I read it again.

What I’m posting about here is both my thoughts on the topic, and not my reaction to the post, but my reaction to the comments on the post. Some of which are quite ridiculous.

The agent who posted on the topic, Jessica, made a valid point that it’s not about your age, but it’s about the writing. And you also have to be thick-skinned.

And then of course I read the comments. Sometimes I think no one should be allowed to comment anonymously, because it seems a little pathetic. And even if people don’t comment anonymously, the internet already allows for a lot of anonymity, so people can speak rubbish.

This comment isn’t necessarily rubbish, but it just made me go “What the…?”:

I wonder how many teens actually have time for all the edits and rewrites and deadlines.

Um, hello, do you know how many adults work full-time jobs and are writers as well? First of all, if a kid has gotten to the point of writing something decent, and editing it a bunch of times, then landing an agent or getting a publishing contract, they’ve obviously already sacrificed things to get to this point.

Then this comment:

Teens and children should be studying for tests and doing homework so they can get into a good college. Agents who are not making enough sales for the adults they represent don't need to exploit underage children. What a waste of time.

Some of the smartest and happiest people I know never pursued further education past high school. I do know a lot of people who spent years and years at university and then found themselves with no sense of what they wanted to do next. And besides, kids don’t write instead of studying. They write instead of watching TV or IMing on Myspace.

And I believe that an agent would take on an author based on their writing merit alone. Age wouldn’t factor into the equation if the manuscript was good enough.

Sure, writing is great and a healthy outlet for kids--whether it's a diary or the school paper or just for fun. But kids and teens should concentrate on getting a college education and life experience BEFORE they consider getting published.

Too much pressure and heartbreak--and suddenly your childhood is gone.

I think, as a teenager writing for teenagers, there really isn’t a better time to start. Even if the books I’m currently working on never reach publication, and if I continue writing YA, these books will be a good reference point when I’m a lot older, I think.

And this comment:

Well written, publishable books by teen writers are definitely the exception, but that doesn't mean they don't happen.

Well written, publishable books by adult writers are also an exception. A beginning writer is a beginning writer, and it doesn’t matter how old they are.

But guess what! There were teenage writers (and older people) who were saying sensible things. Including Weronica, who I interviewed a little while back:

Most of these young writers have found their passion now and they're lucky to have done so. It's unfair for adults to discourage the learning process...especially if we enjoy it.

Which I agree with totally.

Another thing which popped up a lot was that ‘if you are a teen writer, you will miss out on the most important years of your life.’

Yeah. Years you could have spent underage drinking, bitching about girls and being totally preoccupied with hooking up at parties.

Dear God, I need to change my ways! I shouldn’t spend the rest of my teen years writing when I could be out and about spreading STDs and sculling alco-pops! I’ve wasted three years already! The best time of my life, almost halfway gone!

The next time someone tells me that my teen years are the best time of my life, I am going to repeatedly stab someone in the eye with a salad fork, and it may or may not be me. Because I don’t know if you’re wearing rose-coloured glasses or just going prematurely senile, but your teenage years are terrible. And by you saying it’s the best time of my life, you indicate that this is just going to get worse, and that once I get out of the tunnel of adolescence, I’m just going to fall into the fiery pits of the hell of adulthood. This makes me want to curl up in a little ball in my tunnel and never speak to anyone again.

Some things I want you to know:
- By writing, I’m not sacrificing my teenage years. I’m enhancing my experience by observing and recording things. I’m telling stories that are exploring my views of the world (under the guise of being fiction). There are few things that I think would be as good a learning experience.
- Schoolwork is never sacrificed for writing. Often, those kids who do write are the ones who do well at school. The kids smoking behind the toilet blocks and failing most classes are not the writers. They’re your future boss, if you get a job at McDonalds. They’re the parents-at-fifteen. They’re the ones you should be concerned about.
- Can you please stop thinking of Christopher Paolini every time you hear ‘teen writer’? Eragon was just a mish-mash of basically every fantasy novel ever written.
- To me, writing a lot doesn’t negate living life. I think binge-drinking and smoking drugs does. I think peer pressure does. I think being independent and thinking for yourself and motivating yourself towards your goals IS living life.

Rant concluded. Feel free to say, “But Steph, your teen years are the best of your life…”

Mama's Song by Ben Beaton

Black Dog Books, September 2009, YA, 208 pages paperback

Georgina—a teenager, alone and pregnant—is estranged from her mother and father.

When she seeks refuge in a country town, she discovers her grandmother has passed away, leaving her more alone than ever. It is here, in a small country hospital, that she must come to terms with the enormity of what she faces and the new life she is now responsible for.

This novel was incredibly beautiful - I sat down and started reading, and not once did my attention wander. It was written almost lyrically, alternating between Georgina during the present day at the hospital and her memories. Initially, I was surprised by the fact that this novel is mostly about Georgina's experiences as a new mother, considering the author is a man, but I shortly forgot about that and was swept into the story.

I particularly enjoyed the exchanges between Georgina and the other new mothers at the hospital, Mary and Nasreen. Another thing I liked was that there was no imposing moral in Mama's Song, as I've found in other books about teenage mothers. Instead, the novel reflected on the beauty of human life.

Georgina was a character who matured greatly as the novel progressed, but I felt that I didn't get to know George well enough, and that I barely got to know her family at all. I wish there could have been a bit more back story, a bit more of a reason why George was in the situation she was in. I really wished we could have learnt more about her. It felt a bit cut short.

When I finished reading, I immediately thought of a teenage girl I know, who isn't a strong reader, but who I think would get a lot out of Mama's Song, and because of the length, she wouldn't mind reading. I think this is the type of novel that will speak to people like her.

However, even though the novel is short, it had a great deal of honesty and depth. I believe adults would enjoy this novel as well, because even though the protagonist is a teenage girl, I think the wonderful writing gives it crossover appeal. Overall, I found Mama's Song to be a unique and fascinating novel, that was at times depressing, but also incredibly hopeful.

Promoting your blog! And other stuff! Etc!

I'm not sure where I found this cartoon. Maybe Married to the Sea?

I thought I'd tell you the lovely Sara J. Henry has just gotten a two-book deal! Congratulations, Sara!

I’ve been asked a couple of times how I’ve managed to get such a strong readership in such a short time, considering my unintelligible posts on sparkling vampires and zombie strippers (we haven’t talked about them in a while…).

Well, in this post I plan to teach you how to SHAMELESSLY PROMOTE YOURSELF! And authors, how you can shamelessly promote both yourself and your book through one of these new-fangled things they’re calling internet weblogs.

To explain my blog’s popularity:

This blog is part of an online niche. A lot of people reading this are part of that niche as well. They’re kids and older people who read books for teenagers, and also love talking about those books and reviewing those books and deciding what books they want to read next. A lot of these people might not have friends who read YA (especially the grown-ups), and book blogging allows them to talk about books with people across the world.

YA book blogging is a pretty big niche. I’m not sure how big it is in proportion with other book blogging genres, or any other type of blog, since I only really keep track of YA book and author blogs.

If you’re a reader or writer of YA who has started a blog, look at blogs that are similar to yours. Maybe people who review your subgenre or people in your own country. If you go to the YA Blogosphere, you can click the categories along the sidebar to look for blogs that might suit you.

I’m not sure how I ended up turning Hey! Teenager of the Year into a book blog. Originally, I just reviewed books I had in my bookshelf and got from the library. I emailed authors whose books I loved and asked if they’d like to be interviewed.

Then I started interviewing people whose blogs I loved, and was offered books for review, and gradually more people found my blog, and either liked it, or was lured in by the promise of cupcakes and/or undying love (I haven’t really delivered on either).

The point of this is: Look for blogs that are similar to yours, and see what they do. Email the people you admire. Offer to interview bloggers (like, um, me!). If you’re book blogging, don’t start book blogging to get free books. I didn’t intend at all to be reviewing. But I am, and I enjoy it, and I like to promote debut and little-known authors, especially Australians.

This is the fourth blog I've ever started done. The first three were crappy. This one actually has some aim to it, and that aim is to un-brainwash Twihards. Don't look for the old ones. They've been destroyed to the point where they can't come back as zombies.

Authors! Authors! Authors!
Blog only if you want to. Update regularly. You can talk about things other than books. Write your blog for whoever you want to (though if you write for teens, I wouldn't target your blog at the elderly). Don't just flog your book everywhere - let people get to know you! When your book first comes out, email book bloggers you like and ask if they'd like to review your book or interview you! You don't have to sacrifice writing time to blog.

How you can promote yourself elsewhere:
- Offer to write guest posts, interview authors and other bloggers,

- Don't expect to have a bunch of readers right away. It's a slow process.
- Do link swaps with bloggers.
- Be nice. If you want to be a reviewer, avoid requesting books until you have a really strong readership. If you're an author, I think it's important for you to update regularly (and everyone says 'Don't blog about your life' but I really like to find out about people's lives. It makes me feel less weird. Though my voyeuristic tendencies then make me feel weird again.)

Remember:
- Post decent content. I don't, but you should.
- Update regularly.
- Make your blog look nice, but don't go over the top, otherwise your blog will take ages to load. Content > design.
- Can you please not embed songs on your blog that play as soon as you arrive? They frighten the bejesus out of me.
- Comment on other people's blogs. Because it's nice.

Author blogs

My thoughts on author blogs:
1. I really enjoy reading blogs by authors whose books I like. I’ve also purchased books in the past, based on an author’s blog.
2. I prefer blogs that are updated at least semi-regularly; every few days, weekly or fortnightly.
3. Professional vs. Personal. I like author blogs that are a bit of both – it makes authors more like real people (I know they’re real people, but it’s kind of hard to explain – I’m more likely to buy an author’s book if I like the image that an author has online.), with writer’s block and kids and opinions on TV shows.
4. It bothers me when I can’t find any information on a book or author online. I think all authors should have websites – domain names are pretty cheap, and you can set up a basic website quickly and easily – if only so that people who hear about the author or their book can find out more and know where they can get the book.
5. I am personally not a fan of the group blog for authors. This is mainly because when it’s shared between three or more authors, it’s hard to keep track of who’s who and often the name of the person who posted a blog is in very small letters. For authors who don’t have much time to blog, or aren’t as inclined to blog but have to, a shared blog is probably the best idea. However, I do like to get to know just one author through their blog.
6. I don’t know whether or not blogs sell books. However, I’ve found my blog to be really rewarding in terms of getting to know other readers of YA (not many of my friends read) as well as authors, people in publishing and more. It’s a community that’s really valuable to be a part of, and it makes it easy to keep up with new books and authors.
7. It’s only worth blogging if you enjoy it. There’s no point to doing something you don’t enjoy. I love blogging. So I blog. No matter what, though, writing and schoolwork come first (and a job… when I eventually get it).

A few of my favourite author blogs
William Kostakis’ blog is incredibly funny. Unfortunately he doesn’t update all that often. He’s the Australian author of Loathing Lola.

Penni Russon’s blog is probably one of my favourite blogs ever. Her blog was what inspired me to start blogging (I’m also very inspired by her books). She’s the author of the Undine trilogy, Little Bird and Indigo Girls.

Kate Constable’s blog is similarly lovely. She wrote the Tremaris trilogy, which I haven’t had the opportunity to read, but I did read Always Mackenzie and it was wonderful. Kate and Penni are also friends, and they co-authored a book that’s yet to come out, but which I’m looking forward to.

Various social media sites and how useful they would be to authors
Facebook – I’m still not entirely sold on Facebook (I’ve been a member for all of three weeks), but it’s still pretty popular. It’s worth being a member I think, and setting up a page so that people can become your fans as well.

Myspace - Waning in popularity, but still useful for YA authors, since a lot of teenagers are on Myspace but not Facebook.

Twitter – I’m not sure if Twitter actually has any promotional worth. But it’s really fun to follow authors and readers and other smart people, and I think it’s a fantastic communication tool

Social media sites you shouldn’t bother with
These pretty much do what another site above does, but not as well, or with not as many users:
Plurk (similar to Twitter)
Friendster, Bebo, Myyearbook (similar to Myspace)
Tumblr (I just don’t like Tumblr. Because it’s damn confusing, that’s why.)

One more thing – Is it worth me doing a follow up post on setting up and promoting your blog? Or does everyone know this stuff already?

And of course if anyone wants to ask my advice on anything to do with blogs, comment or email me.