Jenny Torres Sanchez!
17
May

Whew! Made it in just before midnight!

Tonight I went to the book launch for The Downside of Being Charlie by Jenny Torres Sanchez!

It’s super exciting for me because there are so few book events in Orlando and this one happened about a quarter of a mile from my apartment! I had the pleasure of meeting Jenny at the inaugural Orlando Literati event a while ago and she is just the sweetest little thing!  I’m sorry, I was so busy socializing that I didn’t take any pictures!

More about Jenny’s book…

Charlie is handed a crappy senior year.  Despite losing thirty pounds over the summer, he still gets called “Chunks” Grisner.  What’s worse, he has to share a locker with the biggest Lord of the Rings freak his school has ever seen.  He also can’t figure out whether Charlotte VanderKleaton, the beautiful strawberry lip-glossed new girl, likes him the way he likes her.  Oh, and then there’s his mom.  She’s disappeared—again—and his dad won’t talk about it.

Somewhere between the madness, Charlie can at least find comfort in his one and only talent that just might get him out of this life-sucking place. But will he be able to hold his head above water in the meantime? (From the author’s website)

You can read the first chapter here!

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Memories of 1984
16
May

I’m cheating and killing two birds with one stone today:

RTW topic: What book brings back memories?

I know it’s an odd thing to say, but 1984 by George Orwell was the first book I thought of when I read this topic. Not necessarily because of the book itself, but because of how much time I spent reading and thinking about it.

My senior English term paper was about George Orwell’s thoughts on political revolutions – specifically whether or not he believed a true revolution, where things actually changed permanently and for the better, has ever existed. So my last semester of high school was spent focused on this book (and some of his less-known works) – which means the book brings back all the memories of that time. I’d even be thinking about it in jazz band and basketball practice.

(A note on why I put so much time and effort into it: My English teacher was as misogynistic as they come. Girls rarely, if ever, got As in his classes. I was determined to give him NO excuse to take my hard-earned A away from me. Oh yeah, he also hated Americans. And Christians. Fun guy. Hey, lookie there; a whole bunch of other memories!)

 

So how about you? What book brings those memories flooding to the surface?

Category: RTW  4 Comments
My sister and I didn’t always get along so well…
15
May

Anyone who knows us or watches us on the YA Rebels knows my sister (Kayelee) and I have a pretty great relationship. We definitely don’t agree on everything, but we get along great.

This wasn’t always true…

For Mother’s Day, my sister and I reenacted our childhood. Take a look:

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A Sexless Succubus and Wizard Rock
11
May

Fridays at Blog Me MAYbe are supposed to be about sharing a laugh! Today, I have two things for you that have a laugh – at the end.

First up: My first ever post on Figment is a short story called “Between Want and Need.” What is it about? Arien is a young succubus with only one friend to her name. When she’s injured and trapped in an elevator with her friend’s boyfriend, will she be able to resist “feeding” on him to heal herself?

I’d love it if y’all read it and comment! Also, it’s for a contest where the top ten most “hearted” entries become finalists. So if you like the story, please click the little heart and turn it red! <3

 

Secondly, a YA Rebels video. In honor of Mother’s Day, we’re talking about the “Parent Problem” in YA lit this week. My sister and I basically say, “Chill out!” Also, at the end of the video, you get K singing and dancing to a Wizard Rock song!

Category: Writing, YA Rebels  One Comment
Guest Post: Ascendio
10
May

I asked Alexa, the organizer of the Quill Track at Ascendio 2012 to tell us more about what the conference offers for YA writers (and readers!). In case you’ve never heard of Ascendio, it’s a Harry Potter fan conference with a pretty impressive offering for writers. (To put it in perspective: I first heard about it through Molly O’Neil, editor of Divergent) The conference takes place July 12-15 in Orlando.

I know this is a long post, so here are the basics:

  • Quill track programming for writers includes sessions with rockstar authors, incredible agents and talented editors.
  • PITCH SESSIONS
  • Free to the public book fair with readings, signings, Q&A
  • Awesome Harry Potter stuff

UPDATE: There is a Google Offer for a one-day pass for $37.50! (Friday and Saturday are normally $75)

Take it away, Alexa….

If you’re an aspiring writer, YA enthusiast and a Harry Potter fan,  THE hottest place to be this July is Ascendio, a Harry Potter conference with an entire track of programming for writers. The Quill Track features a host of amazing authors – all of whom are Harry Potter fans – plus literary agents, editors and publishers. Some of our guests  include:

• Lev Grossman (The Magicians)
• Libba Bray (Beauty Queens)
• Beth Revis (Across the Universe)
• Veronica Roth (Divergent)
• Aimee Carter (The Goddess Test)
• Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer)
• Ben Schrank (President, Razorbill)
• Joanna Volpe (Vice President, Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation)
• Lindsay Ribar (Sanford J. Greenburger Associates & author of The Art of Wishing – coming 2013)
• Carlie Webber (Jane Rotrosen Agency)
• Saritza Hernandez (L. Perkins Agency)
• Cecilia Tan (Circlet Press)

Programming highlights include a mega-watt panel on Kickass Girls in YA Fiction (featuring Veronica Roth, Beth Revis, Libba Bray, Michelle Hodkin), a panel and several workshops on Digital and Self-Publishing to ebooks (pros, cons, differences, how-tos), and a sure to be thought-provoking panel on Say Yes to Gay YA, featuring Joanna Volpe and Libba Bray. Plus, at our Saturday keynote luncheon, Ben Schrank, President of Razorbill (a Penguin imprint), will be speaking on the topic of how Harry Potter has impacted a generation – and publishing.

Friday and Saturday of the conference are jam-packed full of panels, plus Thursday will feature back-to-back readings & signings by Lev Grossman, Beth Revis, Michelle Hodkin, Aimee Carter and more. (SARAH SAYS: Reader and book blogger friends! This is a free, open to the public event!!) Ascendio is the perfect opportunity to meet some amazing authors, hear about their writing process, and ask them questions. There are no velvet ropes here – all of the authors and agents are as excited to geek out over Harry Potter/YA lit as you are, and you may just find yourself sitting next to your ‘fave book of 2012’ pick at the bar!

Plus, our literary agents will be hosting pitch sessions for those with finished manuscripts who are looking for representation on Friday evening and Saturday morning. All-around literary agents Joanna Volpe, Carlie Webber and Lindsay Ribar will be hosting several pitch sessions, plus e-pub agent Saritza Hernandez, who specializes in romance and erotica, will be taking pitches and hosting a workshop for writers who are interested in erotica writing but unsure where to start. You can sign up for a pitch session at our Thursday Book Faire event  or at our Meet & Greet table on Friday morning and afternoon.

Now, if you’re as much a Harry Potter fan as you are into YA/writing, there’s plenty on offer. Ascendio is hosting an exclusive, private event at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, called Night of a Thousand Wizards 2 . It’s a rare opportunity to experience WWoHP with hundreds of other fans, all in costume, with unfettered access to all the rides, shops and sights! You can snag a ticket for $140, along with any level of registration (you can add your NoaTW2 ticket during the Ascendio registration process). It’s sure to be a magical night!

Ascendio will also have plenty of Harry Potter discussion panels, of course, plus dozens of fan meet-ups, craft activities, fanfic readings, Quidditch games, a fashion show, musical revue and more! Plus, with any level of registration (which we’ll get to in a minute!), you get a ticket to our Saturday night ball – think of it as Wizard Prom (though fancy dress is not required!).

There are many ways to come and enjoy Ascendio and the Quill Track, though the easiest and most popular is our Full Registration, which gets you access to programming and activities Thursday-Sunday, plus two Hogwarts-style Feasts. All Quill Track content is included in the registration, including pitch sessions and readings/signings! The Full Registration is $250.

If you just want the Quill Track programming Friday and Saturday (and aren’t interested in Wizard Rock or our Feasts), we recommend getting a Day Pass. They are $75 for either Friday or Saturday, or $150 for both. Note that the Day Passes do not include either the Welcome Feast or Leaving Feast. The Thursday author readings don’t require a registration, but if you’d like access to other Thursday activities – our vendor room, art gallery or our Wizard Rock concert day – then the full registration may be the better bet. Remember that any Day or type of registration gets you into our ball, so even if you do a Friday Day Pass, you can come back Saturday evening for the party!

Our host hotel is the Loews Portofino Bay Resort, which is just a ferry ride away from Universal City Walk, Universal Orlando and Islands of Adventure (where The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is). Ascendio has a fantastic rate of $210 per night. For more details and to book, click here.

We hope to see you there! It’s going to be an amazing weekend, with some incredible authors and agents, all convening over our shared love of Harry Potter, books and writing.

 

Thanks Alexa!

Alexa mentioned to me that there are going to be some Google Offers deals for day passes, so I will definitely let y’all know when those pop up. And if you’re going to Ascendio? Let me know so I can keep a look out for you!

Lastly, if you’re a local published author and HP fan, and would like to get in on the Book Fair or panels, they are still open to adding authors. If you’re interested, drop me a line and I’ll send you Alexa’s email address.

Category: books  Leave a Comment
Meeting Tahereh Mafi and Veronica Rossi
09
May

OK, so this is only a little bit about someone else – but I had something else planned for today’s bog and it fell through. So I’m finally going to blog about meeting Tahereh Mafi and Veronica Rossi! First, watch this video:

And pictures!

Veronica talking, Tahereh watching

 

The bloggers I had the pleasure of hanging out with! Photo courtesy of Jenna.

 

Me with the authors! Photo courtesy of Jenna

 

I got two of each book signed, plus keychains from Tahereh and bookmarks from Veronica!

 

Many thanks to Jenna of Making the Grade Reviews for the ride and pictures!

Category: Uncategorized  2 Comments
What do you think about New Adult?
09
May

Wednesday at Blog Me MAYbe is about asking you guys something. And I have something to ask, but I also want to put my thoughts out there.

The question is: How do you feel about “New Adult?” Feel free to answer before or after you read my thoughts.

How I feel about New Adult can be summed up in one short statement: I want it to happen. In a big way. I don’t even know if I would read it or write it, but I want to live in a world where it exists. In fact, I wish I could go back to my senior year of high school and make it exist then.

We so often talk about how YA lit offers a place for teens to experience things in a “safe” environment. I don’t know about anyone else, but my post-HS years were a hell of a lot scarier than my years living at home. Going to college, drinking, first jobs, moving out of the parents’ house, sexual exploration, going to Dr’s appointments alone, a car accident without being able to call the parents to come get you, friends getting married and having babies on purpose? The first joys of independence and hardships of having to be self-sufficient. The 18-24 age is ripe with story material.

We, as people, don’t jump from the (relative) innocence and confusion of teen life to become the jaded, wizened people featured in adult literature – so why should our books?

A lot of publishing professionals have an automatic “no way, Jose” response when New Adult is brought up. Here are some of the arguments against it and my response to them:

  • There is no New Adult section in bookstores, so they will chose not to shelve it because they don’t know where to shelve it. This is a terrible, terrible argument. Um, I don’t know if you guys remember your teen years like I do, but there was no YA section when I was a teen either. There were a few books for teens – where did they put those?
  • The line between YA and NA is too blurred, how do you figure out which is which?  How do we determine the difference between MG and YA? It’s pretty blurred too, if you ask me.
  • People that age don’t read books, there is no demand. I know this is purely anecdotal, but I did. All of my core group of friends did. Lots of people on the bus did (commuter campus). Who’s to say that age group wouldn’t read more if they actually had books targeted to their age range? If they could read about characters who, like them, are more than inexperienced but less than disillusioned.

Here’s the thing – there are New Adult books coming out all the time, disguised as YA because the publishers don’t know what to do with NA. People are working in the NA trenches everyday and I think it’s just going to take that one mega book with an author who says “Hey! This is NA!” and the whole landscape’s going to change.

What do you think?

Category: books  5 Comments
Reading My Work In Public
08
May

Tuesdays at Blog Me MAYbe are supposed to be all about me! Well, this Friday I am reading my own writing in public for the very first time. I’m no stranger to public speaking and I don’t get too nervous when someone reads my work, but for some reason, the combination of the two has set me on edge.

For one, what I will be reading is very different from what is normally read at these things. Y’all know I write YA fantasy. Most of the people who read are more on the “literary” end of the spectrum. (This is why I’ve invited pretty much all of my Orlando friends, who I know like my type of writing.)

Also, I don’t think I’m that good of a reader. I’m kind of monotone and afraid to take chances.

So have any of you read your own writing in public? Any recommendations for me?

And if you want to go to the event, there is more info here.

Category: Uncategorized  One Comment
Ten tips for dating a writer
07
May

I’ll be the first to admit writers aren’t the easiest kind of people to date/marry. We’re quirky – at best. We are interested in the strangest things and many of the emotions we’re dealing with aren’t even our own. Here are some tips if you want to keep your writer S.O:

1) When we zone out, let us stay there. Unless, of course, we’re driving or doing some other very important activity. When we zone out, we’re probably working out a plot point or figuring out something new about one of our characters. Try not to take it as an insult when it happens during conversation. (Think of it this way: you said something that inspired the zoning out, so you’re our muse!)

2) Everything you say/do is game. Especially if it’s something that pisses us off. What do you think we carry those little notebooks around with us for?

3) Books are a necessary expense. Get over it. Trying to stop a writer from buying more books is like trying to stop a politician from lying.

4) If you want us to break up with you, make sure you call our hours of staring off into space and staring at an unmoving cursor “slacking off.”

5) If you want to do something but we say we “need to write,” drop it. Forcing us not to write to spend time with you tells us you don’t support our writing and is the quickest way to relationship troubles.

6) Be prepared to look at things differently. Just the other day I saw a woman walking down the street pushing a stroller. “Do you think she’s the grandma?” I asked without even thinking about it. We’re constantly trying to work out stories and backstories of the people and places around us.

7) Our characters and characters that we love are real to us. We’ll cry when they hurt and talk about them like they’re people we know. Don’t judge.

8) When we’re upset about a rejection, a bad review, or a book that just came out similar to our own, resist the urge to try to “fix” it or give us advice. It’s just something we need to work through and – chances are – your advice will only make us feel worse.

9) If our fingers are typing away at the keyboard, interrupt us only if you enjoy a good maiming. It’s hard enough to get in the zone without interruptions once we’re there.

10) Celebrate every little victory with us. Even if it doesn’t seem like much to you. Even if it doesn’t pay. You may not care that a certain author said they loved our work or that a certain agent recognized us from Twitter, but these are the little victories that keep us going.

 

I could go on, but really I like lists of 10, don’t you? Any other advice for the poor saps who choose to date a writer?

Category: Uncategorized  8 Comments
For when you need cheering up
03
May

My boyfriend spends a lot of time on Imgur. So whenever I’m not having a great day – or sometimes just when he feels like it, he’ll send me cute/funny pictures to make me laugh. Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

 

 

This is a baby fennec fox, in case you're wondering. They're my second favorite animal.

 

Baluga Whales are my first favorite animal

 

They put a sock on his foot! I tried this with my dog but he just calmly removed it.

 

Also, I cried laughing at these Texts From My Dog, because that is so much like my dog!

Category: just for fun  2 Comments
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