Tag: books

UCF Book Festival

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I went to the UCF Book Festival today, and had the best, most unbelievable time ever. I believe the experience can best be described by pictures.

The first event we went to was a YA author chat with (in order of above photo) Ellen Hopkins (!!!), Ty Roth, Allan Wolf and Jessica Martinez. In the end, I spoke with Martinez and Roth one-on-one. They asked if I wrote, and when I mentioned I just secured an agent, they literally cheered for me. We got to discuss the intricacies of the next stage, and they never made me feel like a fan, but more so someone in the same industry as them. Which was amazing. They are the nicest people ever, and if I could singlehandedly get the world to buy their books, I would.

We then saw a contemporary voices panel with Lauren Groff, Darlin’ Neal, and Michael Griffith. Here’s the thing – Groff’s first novel, Monsters of Templeton, is one of my all-time favorite books. So seeing her was like a dream come true. After, we went to her signing. Because I’m the biggest dork ever, I showed her the family tree I made while reading MoT (which thankfully she liked and didn’t consider me crazy) and then she, too, asked if I wrote. When I told her about my agent, she hugged me and my life suddenly felt complete. Biggest geek-out ever.

The last panel was another YA chat (with the same authors as above), where they discussed the importance of YA literature, and how it gets teens to read. And how books can help people. And how books create new, safe, exciting, worlds. I nodded along the entire time, and had to stop myself from screaming AMEN. Because these authors? They’re so inspirational.

The crazy thing is that if my book is published, I may be in their company one day. I may even be at this festival. Which is all so insane to even consider.

During the first chat,  Wolf explained that he wrote his book, The Watch that Ends the Night, because he liked the idea that different people get different stories from the same event. I’m sure many stories came from today’s book festival. Some may have enjoyed the other panels more. Some may have wished there was more. But me? I had the best day ever.

Oh, we also saw some mini ponies.

Road Trip Wednesday – Best Book of March

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Today’s prompt from YA Highway is: “What was the best book you read in March?”

This was actually kind of easy. I only read three books this month, so I didn’t have much to choose from, but my favorite was hands down Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver, the second book in her Delirium trilogy.

I reviewed Delirium previous here, and as you can see, I really enjoyed it. So of course I was thrilled for the sequel to come out. With the popularity of Hunger Games right now, I’ve been recommending my friends to this series next, over the other YA dystopias out there. Why? I find this one so incredibly haunting and real. And Oliver is one of the best writers out there. (If you don’t like dystopian novels, check out her first novel, Before I Fall.)

I won’t write much about it because it only gives away the first book (which you should read), but just know it’s just as action packed as the first (if not more), and Lena, the main character, is so compelling and strong, it’s crazy. She’s a great heroine, and I can’t see what happens to her next. But what I found most relevant about it is that, especially right now with a conservative fight going on politically, I can almost see the country going “yes, i agree, we should get rid of love! It’s a disease!” Crazy, right?

Anyway, that’s the best book I read in March.

Easter Eggs

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I love inside jokes. The little things that mean so much to just a handful of people, and nothing at all to others. Small mentions or glances that can tell a whole story. It makes you feel in on something, makes you feel part of it.

I suppose that’s why I love when authors make references to previous works in their novels. Paige Toon is fantastic at it. In each of her books, she’ll have one of her previous characters show up. It’s never an important role, and it doesn’t mean anything if you haven’t read her other books, but for those who know, it’s phenomenal. Sometimes it’s just a mention (for instance, in one book, the main character picks up a poster of a rock star. Simple enough, right? But if you know, the rock star was the main character from an earlier novel.) and sometimes they’ll actually show up and answer a question lingering from a previous book (one book ends with the question of who’s the father. The question is actually answered one book later when the mom and child walk down the street. Merely pass by, but there’s one sentence that details the child’s eye color and that makes all the difference.).

(That was the longest, most run-on sentence in the history of sentences, wasn’t it?)

Sarah Dessen does it really well, too. Instead of just mentioning a character, though, she creates a whole world. The same shops and restaurants are visited. Characters pass through, unremarkable unless you know. I love it so much. Vikas Swarup did it too, bringing his two main characters of Q&A (the book Slumdog Millionaire was based on) into his second novel, Six Suspects.

I guess, much like inside jokes, I enjoy these Easter eggs because they make me feel in with the book. Like I’m sharing a joke with the author and becoming more connected to their world. Perhaps i’m the only one who feels that way, but every time I see another reference, it’s like a wink in my directions, a thank you for sticking around.

So i’ve decided to do that, too. In a very minor way I’m making a small mention of a main character from TNWSY in Book2. If you get it, awesome. If not, it doesn’t matter. But man, writing that scene? It was so much fun. It was like bringing my character into a new world, and seeing how he’d do. And I loved it. And I hope others do, too.

As a reader, do you like when authors do it? What are some other examples? (And as a writer, have you ever thought of doing it?)

Music in Books – THE DISENCHANTMENTS

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After reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, my first reaction was “That was AMAZING.” My second was “I need to make a mixtape.” It’s true; music played such a huge roll in that book, I felt compelled to hear the songs Charlie heard, so I rushed to Napster (kind of dates how old I am, doesn’t it) and downloaded every song mentioned in the book. I still have the mix CD. It’s fantastic.

I haven’t really been inspired to do that again…that is, until I read The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour. About a not-so-great girl band touring the Pacific Northwest, the book has it all – road trips, small towns, coming of age, and music, music music. After first reading the description, I knew the book was for me…and after actually finishing the book, I know I was right to assume that. I really quite loved it.

Colby and Bess had a pact since the end of middle school – once high school ends, they’re taking a year off and exploring Europe. But as they set off on Bess’s band’s tour, Colby learns Bess doesn’t plan on leaving with him anymore. She wants to go to college. What follows is Colby learning where everything went wrong, and figuring out what’s right for himself. There are realizations, basement gigs, kisses, photographs, graffiti, wrong turns, and everything else that makes road trips great.

So once finishing the book, I had to find all of the music that framed it – the songs by Sleater-Kinney (of which I already had), The Runaways, Heart, The Supremes. As it turns out, technology got the best of me. Apparently a playlist has already been created on Spotify.

And how cool is that? With books and technology changing, what a neat way to keep up with the times.

That said, I highly recommend The Disenchantments if you’re looking for a fantastic coming of age young adult novel. And while you’re out it, check out the playlist to soundtrack your reading experience.

YA

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I just read this and thought it was quite interesting:

“Good YA is not dumbed-down adult fare; it’s literature that doesn’t waste a breath.”

How true is that? I write YA so perhaps I’m biased, but I hate the stigma that young adult books are thought to be “lesser” than adult books. They’re not. They’re just as good, just as honest. Perhaps the protagonist is in high school – that doesn’t mean s/he is any less a narrator. YA gets to the point, even with beautiful descriptions and a full back stories. It’s lovely, and I think more people are finally starting to see that…