Happy December, everyone! For those who participated in National Novel Writing Month, officially or unofficially, congrats on no longer having to think about your unfinished manuscript every damn day. I have a feeling most of y'all are taking a well deserved break and don't want to think about writing until after the holidays.
Unless you're me.
So I'm not a traditional NaNo-er. I think I might have used the website, like, once or twice. But I do use it as motivation and a self-imposed deadline. Sometimes, the challenge is for me to write the first half of a novel since, as a regular writer of 100k-word tomes, the NaNo goal of 50k is just that. Sometimes, the challenge is to finish revising something. This year, it was to complete a manuscript I started in September.
It was a tall order, since I had a lot going on in November between performing in an aerial recital and traveling to Tucson for a convention... and getting knocked flat by con crud for a solid week. I wasn't sure I was going to make it, but I picked up steam toward the latter half of the month. Oh, the manuscript was a struggle bus for sure, but by golly I was going to get to that last chapter.
Then on Wednesday, November 23, around 1:20pm, something happened that nearly derailed it: I got home from a noon kickboxing class, hopped into the shower, and got a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant idea for a new book.
Okay, so it's not really that brilliant. But it is exciting.
Even though all I had was a concept, I was so excited, I immediately hopped onto Facebook chat and started going on about it to some writer friends. And as I was going on, ideas started tumbling out unprompted (thank you, very patient friends, for putting up with the torrent). I so, so wanted to just start clattering away at this shiny new project right away.
But I was one week away from my goal. I had a whole plan to reach it if I wrote a chapter a day, two on weekends, for my existing work-in-progress. And this was a literal shower thought... it seemed silly to throw aside months of work for something that might not pan out to anything.
So I made myself a deal: I would wait a week. Finish November and my existing manuscript. Then, if the idea still seemed as brilliant as it did in the shower, I'd write it.
Thanksgiving weekend rolled around and I ended up writing way, way faster than I anticipated. I finished the manuscript early, on Sunday. I thought I'd need a few days to recover from the mad dash to the finish line.
On Monday, the shower thought book kept banging at my skull, until finally I created a Scrivener file and started typing out the ideas.
On Tuesday, a whole outline and first chapter poured out.
It's now Monday again, exactly one week since I started brainstorming, 12 days since the fateful shower thought occurred. I have 21,500 words in the new manuscript - 9 out of 28 planned chapters. I never write this fast... Usually, it takes me weeks, if not months, to even figure out my outline. But this book just wants to be written.
Will this keep up? Who knows. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and go, "Well, that idea was silly. I should set it aside for a bit." But for now, I'm enjoying the ride.
What's the book, about? Still not ready to talk about it publicly (mostly because I'm afraid I'll decide suddenly that I hate it) but I'll give you a hint...
A few years ago I had the great fortune to be invited to contribute to a YA anthology called Wicked South: Secrets and Lies. Emily Colin was one of the editors of that anthology, and I enjoyed working with her immensely. Luckily, she remembered me several years later and invited me to participate in her newest project, a YA anthology called Unbound, Stories of Transformation, Love, and Monsters, from Five Points Press.
I'm here today with New York Times bestselling author, Emily Colin and her SIBA Award Winning co-editor, Madeline Dyer, to get the details on this forthcoming anthology and find out more about their work on the book. Welcome Emily and Madeline!
When Emily approached me about the anthology, she said the stories should all be based on a theme of "transformation." But before she reached out, there had obviously been a lot of plotting and scheming going on behind the scenes. So, where
did the idea to do a group anthology come from, and how did y'all settle on a
theme?
MD: I can’t
specifically remember the occasion that we first thought of creating an
anthology—it just seemed to be one of those ideas that had been bouncing around
our group-chat for a little while—but it was during lockdown in 2020 when we
really began to seriously think about it. The five of us in the group-chat
(Emily, Lisa Amowitz, Sarah Anderson, Heidi Ayarbe, and I) thought that if we
each wrote a novella/long short story, we’d have quite a good-sized anthology
between us and also have all the skills we need to bring it to life, as while
we’re all authors, between us we also have experience in all the other parts of
publication—editing, cover design, interior art, marketing, etc. So, that’s
where it started.
And we settled
on the theme of transformation pretty quickly really. We knew right away that
we needed a theme that was flexible and could be adapted to a lot of different
stories. That was really important as we didn’t want to be too prescriptive or
controlling in what we were asking our writers to produce, and so themes that
can be interpreted in many different ways (and across different genres too) are
great.
Once we had
the theme, we drew up a list of authors that we knew who we wanted to
personally invite to submit work to our anthology before we put out general
calls for submissions too.
EC: I feel
like Madeline really said it all! I’ll add that the transformation theme also
came from how challenging 2020 (and now, 2021) has been for all of us—that it’s
changed every person I know in some ways, both big and small. We wanted to take
that transformative energy and direct it into something creative. Our group has
been a tremendous safe haven for us—even though between the five of us, we’re
located in four different countries (the US, the UK, France, and Colombia), we
chat multiple times every day—and we wanted to put some of that positive energy
out into the world, during a time that we all need something to look forward
to.
For me, there isn't a word better than "transformation" to exemplify the young adult experience, both in life and in literature. Young adulthood is literally the period of transformation between childhood and adulthood. There's so much change during that time, spawning so many experiences, and this anthology seems like a great expression of those various experiences. But having to choose just a few of those myriad stories seems like an overwhelming task! Can
you tell me a little about what the process of putting together this anthology
has been like from the Editors' point of view?
EC: Oh my
gosh. It’s been fun, it’s been challenging, it’s been an adventure. We decided
that out of the five of us, Lisa and Sarah would concentrate on design, Heidi
would brainstorm marketing ideas, and Madeline and I—since we edit
professionally—would take on that side of things. I’m in the US and Madeline’s
in the UK, so sometimes coordinating stuff that we had to do in real time—such
as having conversations with contributing authors—created a logistical
quandary, but we figured it out!
Madeline talks
a bit about how the details of the process worked, below, so I won’t go into
that too much—but I will say that when you’re working with a diverse group of
contributors, in terms of geography, background, styles, interests, experience,
etc., it’s important to find a flow with each author. Madeline and I each
worked with a select group of the contributors, but sometimes we’d collaborate
to figure out the best approach for a given story. I loved this—editing can be
a lonely process sometimes. It was lovely to have another editor to bounce
ideas and thoughts off, and Madeline is brilliant. I felt spoiled!
MD: It’s been
a lot of work! I definitely under-estimated how much work it would be. I write
and edit full-time, and I thought at first that this would just be a nice,
little side project! How wrong was I! Turns out co-editing an anthology is hard
work and so, so time-consuming.
As stories
came in, Emily and I read each one and voted on whether to include it (as well
as getting Lisa, Heidi, and Sarah to vote too). We marked stories ‘yes’ or ‘no’
and began to think about how we’d work editorially on each story while also
preserving individual voices and making the anthology into a cohesive whole.
When we’d
finalised which stories we wanted, Emily and I divided them between us, and we
each worked with the authors on developmental, line, and copyedits. And of
course Emily and I were each writing our own stories too—we were each other’s
editors for those, so that was super fun.
How many stories will the anthology have and what kind of genres can readers expect to see?
MD: We’ve got 12 pieces in this YA anthology, including a thought-provoking contemporary story with an unreliable narrator, a beautifully poignant narrative poem, epic fantasy stories, and some dark and chilling speculative fiction. We’ve also got a number of #ownvoices stories in this collection too.
EC: Well, the anthology’s subtitle is Transformation, Love, and Monsters, so…I feel like that kind of says it all! One of the things I really adored about editing UNBOUND is that the theme ties all the stories together—but within that, there’s so much variety. As Madeline said, there are contemporary stories grounded in our reality, urban fantasy, dystopian fiction, love stories with a twist…the central theme is change, and that’s something that all of the characters in these stories do—for good or for ill!
Among those 12 stories are the 3 that we've individually contributed as authors. I describe my story, "Of Marshmallows and Monsters", as a slightly fantastical, YA version of Pitbulls and Parolees--a girl seeks redemption for her gruesome past by rehabilitating monsters. Can you both give us a little hint of what your stories will be about?
MD: Sure! So, mine is called “Inside the Night,” and it’s a dark YA fantasy with a contemporary setting. It’s about a mysterious Power in the sky that turns people to stone, and it draws heavily on Greek mythology and the Medusa story, as well as taking a very feminist angle. It’s also #ownvoices for ace rep and chronic illness rep.
EC: Oooh, yes! Mine is called “Smooth the Descent,” based on the quote, “Smooth the descent, easy is the way.” If you’re familiar with Virgil’s Aeneid, you might recognize that this references the descent into hell. ;) My short story is set in the universe of my YA trilogy, where people live—and die—by the laws of the Seven Deadly Sins. In it, a teenage librarian whose passionate curiosity far exceeds her restrictive society’s limits, and a medic whose desire to heal sends him in pursuit of forbidden knowledge, collide—and, despite the fact that lust is punishable by death, they fall in love. Hijinks ensue.
A little Easter egg—if you’ve read the first book or prequel novella in my Seven Sins series, you’ll recognize that the librarian and the medic in question are none other than my main character Ari’s parents.
I've read both of the full-length novels in Emily's Seven Sins series (one of which is the soon-to-be-released sequel, Final Siege of the Seven Sins. It's awesome having connections and getting to read advanced copies!) and I'm super thrilled to get to read more set in that world. Along with introducing readers to your writing, what do you hope readers will get from this anthology?
MD: When I was editing the stories in this anthology, my favourite thing was the escapism it offered. These stories are all so different, and we’re covering many different genres while also examining the idea of transformation from so many different angles—the characters are engaging, the stories exciting, the plots surprising. One moment I’m on the moors of Scotland learning about folklore and monsters, the next I’m in an American museum where there’s a mummy on the loose. These stories really just grab you—and so I think (and hope) that escapism will be one of the big things that readers get. Especially in the current climate—escapism is what so many of us need.
EC: I couldn’t agree more! We created this anthology to give ourselves an escape from the crushing reality of recent events—and for me, at least, it delivered! I hope that readers will find that same sense of freedom in its pages—the sense of being transported to a world that exists alongside our own, where each story is a universe unto itself.
Also, we were intentional, as Madeline mentions, about including a diverse group of authors. The writers in UNBOUND hail from Colombia, the UK, France, Cyprus, and the United States, and their stories represent their perspectives—including LGBTQIA+, chronic illness, and BIPOC representation. I hope that readers see themselves reflected in our characters, and find themselves spending time with kindred spirits as they read.
When, where, and how will the anthology be available to readers?
Unbound releases on the 15th February, and it’ll be available as a free ebook download on Amazon and other ebook retailers. There will also be hard copies available to purchase from the usual sites and stores too.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me about Unbound and give us a glimpse at the hard behind-the-scenes work the editors have to put into such an undertaking. I'm so proud to be a part of this project, and can't wait to share it with our readers. Find out more about Emily and Madeline here:
Emily Colin's debut novel, The Memory Thief, was a New York
Times bestseller and a Target Emerging Authors Pick. She is also the author of
The Dream Keeper’s Daughter (Ballantine Books). Her young adult titles include
the anthology Wicked South: Secrets and Lies and the Seven Sins series,
including the upcoming Shadows of the Seven Sins (June 2021) and Siege of the
Seven Sins (August 2021), from Blue Crow Publishing.
Emily's diverse life experience includes organizing a Coney
Island tattoo and piercing show, hauling fish at a dolphin research center,
roaming New York City as an itinerant teenage violinist, helping launch two
small publishing companies, and working to facilitate community engagement in
the arts. Originally from Brooklyn, Emily lives in coastal North Carolina with
her family. She loves chocolate, is addicted to tiramisu, and dislikes anything
containing beans.
Emily is represented by Felicia Eth Literary. You can find
her at www.emilycolin.com.
Madeline Dyer is a SIBA-award winning author. She lives on a
farm in the southwest of England, where she hangs out with her Shetland ponies
and writes dark and twisty young adult books. She is pursuing her MA in
Creative Writing from Kingston University, having obtained a BA honors degree
in English from the University of Exeter. Madeline has a strong love for
anything dystopian or ghostly, and she can frequently be found exploring wild
places. At least one notebook is known to follow her wherever she goes.
Her books include the Untamed series, the Dangerous Ones
series, and Captive: A Poetry Collection on OCD, Psychosis, and Brain
Inflammation.
Madeline is represented by Erin Clyburn at the Jennifer De
Chiara Literary Agency. You can find her at www.madelinedyer.co.uk.
Many readers and writers were angry with the book murderer:
I have opinions on this debacle, as both a reader and as a writer.
First, as a reader, I can relate. I've never cut a book in half, but many of my longer books are worn to hell, mostly because I bought them used in the first place, then they spent a long time bouncing around in backpacks before I was done with them. Here are just a few of the books off my shelf from one of the masters of very long books:
Well-worn is well-loved. It marks the passage of time spent with the books, sometimes over multiple decades, if read more than once. I can still remember finding a private corner of my high school to avoid people and wear out that particular copy of It.
I like signs of book assault from other people, too. I'm reading a used biology book right now, and there are seemingly random words underlined throughout. Like someone before me thought "ah, yes, zygote, good word, gotta get out my pencil and underline that one so I can bring it up at a party later." It's a nice little connection with a stranger, because someone else didn't consider book mutilation a crime.
Tearing books in half is on a whole other level, but I can relate with that too. Especially as an adult, I have limited time for reading, and it can be daunting to see a thick wad of pages past my bookmark. If dividing it into two parts can make it easier to get through, then fine, be a book murderer. Lately, I just gravitate toward shorter books, but maybe next time a long book seems worth it, I'll consider introducing it to my scissors.
What about as a writer? How would I feel if somebody took a blade to my hard-won collection of ideas, which I so carefully printed onto pages and wrapped in a lovingly designed cover?
Honestly … fine. As long as you're reading my books, I don't care how you're transferring those ideas from my brain to yours.
Treat them like precious artifacts if you want. But also cut them up, highlight your favourite passages, dog-ear your favourite pages, stick them on an e-reader, listen to them as an audiobook, borrow them from a library, lend them, steal them, slice them in half.
Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew.
A book is not the physical pages it's printed on—it's the ideas the pages only echo, and the cool thing about ideas is that they can never be murdered.
I’m sure all of you have heard about the passing of Prince last week. I’ve long been a Prince fan, so I was deeply impacted by his passing. Not because I knew him personally, but because his music had affected my life in many ways through the years. A few of his songs are still my ‘go-to’ songs when I’m feeling down and need to lift my spirits.
As I tried to get back into my WIP on Thursday, my mind was still distracted by the news. Then I suddenly realized that I was at the perfect spot in the story to pay tribute to Prince. Here’s a snapshot:
I love that I was able to capture this moment in my work. It then made me think about other hidden gems I’ve been able to incorporate into my novels. As I started thinking through them, there are quite a few.
Why am I a fan of hidden gems in my work? I guess it’s because I view it as a way of leaving a bit of myself inside the fictional story I’m creating. Even if only a few people pick up on them, I know they’re there. Some gems represent special moments from my own life, while others are like coded messages to friends/family. Then there are a few that are specific to my writing for one reason or another.
Here are just a few examples of my hidden gems:
Kingston Series
Sarah’s son’s favorite stuffed dog, Max, is a direct inspiration from my daughter’s favorite stuffed dog (although hers has a different name and sometimes wears a pink tutu).
Sarah’s favorite pizza place in Chicago was my favorite place growing up. A reader sent me a picture of the book and pizza box when she visited Chicago!
Shattered Angel
Wuthering Heights was the first book I remember having a huge impact on me, and it plays an important role in Shattered Angel.
Whispers is a character who makes a brief appearance in Shattered Angel. His name is a nod to a friend who thinks he’s my muse.
Current WIP
As mentioned above, I’ve incorporated Prince into my current WIP. In addition to that, my two primary characters meet during a ‘constant, steady rain’. This is a tribute to my book club. They’ll get it :)
All Books
In my first book, Kingston’s Project, I used the number 113 for my primary character’s weight. In a later book, I subconsciously used that same number for a hotel room. I didn’t realize I’d used the same number until my edits. I now consider 113 my book number.
If I plan to drop any f-bombs in a book, I use a specific number. Again, this was something that started out unintentionally, but now I do it on purpose. I’ll keep the reason to myself—a bit of mystery is a good thing.
Adding hidden gems in your work is not only a great way to give something special to your readers (at least those who are paying attention), but it’s also a great way to pay tribute to things that are important in your life.
However, it’s critical that you don’t try to force a hidden gem into your work. It has to become a seamless part of the story. I have a friend who would like for me to incorporate something we call Sally into one of my books. I love the idea, but it has to be right. So for now Sally hasn’t made an appearance, but I hope to find the right moment in one of my future books.
If you're like me and scared of pretty much anything that goes bump-in-the-night, then Halloween might not be your favorite holiday. (But the fact that there's free candy and dressing up saves this holiday from being ranked dead last for me.) I hate being scared, I'm not a fan of horror movies, and I'm terrified of the dark and of spiders (both of which are pretty much synonymous with All Hallows Eve). And yet, I love books that are able to put me on edge. I haven't read many "traditional" horror books, but I have read a fair amount of creepy, thrilling, dark books that make you want to look over your shoulder or check under your bed. I'll call them horror-esque. And while some of them aren't considered horror, they still have that element of gore or scare, or "oh my gosh turn around it's right behind you TURN AROUND!" element to them. So here's a short list of books that I've read and liked (but aren't too scary for those wimps out there like me) that you might want to give a try:
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (Aliens invade! But they look like humans.)
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton (People suddenly die from a mysterious cause.)
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (An environmental anomaly consumes all who enter.)
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (The only survivor of a mass killing tries to find the real killer.)
Day Four by Sarah Lotz (Cruise ship stops dead in the water. Very strange events begin to happen.)
Fiend by Peter Stenson (The only way to stave off the zombie apocalypse is with... drugs?)
Fragment by Warren Fahy (Jurrasic Park + Reality TV show)
The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey (Young girl wonders why she's hated and why people suddenly smell so tasty.)
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston (Based on real-life events of a close encounter with Ebola in the US.)
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (Family buys house. House reveals terrifying secrets.)
Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Scandanavian child vampire seeks a friend.)
One Second After by William R. Forstchen (Scary-real account of what could happen after an EMP detonation.)
The Passage by Justin Cronin (Epic tale of how an immortality experiment turned most of the population into blood-thirsty killers.)
Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson (Exactly what the title sounds like. AI becomes self-aware. Decides to take over.)
The Three by Sarah Lotz (Three children survive unsurvivable plane crashes. That happen at the exact same time in different parts of the world.)
World War Z by Max Brooks (A "first-hand" account of the survivors of the zombie apocalypse.)
Out of these, I'd have to say that House of Leaves is the scariest one for me. If you've never heard of it, I urge you to go to your nearest bookstore and just take a look at it. It's unique in that there are stories within stories, footnotes that go on for pages, passages that are written in spirals (literally) and more. It takes commitment to read and is certainly not for everyone. It can be very confusing at times and gives the sense of what "going mad" must feel like. It's a book that stays with the reader (I'm getting goosebumps as I think about it) and has a cult following intent on breaking a supposed code that is written within the stories. It may not sound like a horror book from my description, but it leaves you feeling extremely uneasy every time you put it down.
Have you read any of these? What are some of your favorite horror books and why? What is the scariest book you've ever read?
Ahh yes. September. It’s time to go back to school! Fresh pencils, crisp loose leaf paper, immaculate folders and binders, and of course… new books! I’m sure many kids (current and former) had a love/hate relationship with back-to-school time like I did. You get to see all your friends, but you have homework, you aren’t bored, but you do have to sit through that one class where you don’t know anyone, you get to goof off in study hall, but you have to run laps for gym class. Summer reading was behind you… and a whole year of new reading material was ahead… wait. Who am I kidding? I LOVED both of those things!
While many of my classmates were still recovering from the near fatal speed-reading of the summer reading selection I was eager to crack open the first book of the school year, whether it was a novel or a textbook, it didn’t matter to me!
Each year there was always something I was looking forward to reading.
My biology textbook (yes, I was THAT nerd).
The Scarlet Letter.
The Great Gatsby.
Ethan Frome. ….What the eff?
Because of my epic nerdiness I never truly understood why many of my classmates hated school reading. But then I was forced to read Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton in 10th grade English. Oh. My. Gosh. All I could think about during class discussions was “What have I done to deserve this?” And if I was struggling with boredom how were my normally bored classmates still breathing? Why would anyone think it was a good idea to make teenagers read this book in high school? Not only that but the teacher dragged it out for two weeks! I’m pretty sure we watched a movie adaptation starring Liam Neeson, but the details are fuzzy...
Thankfully To Kill A Mockingbird was next…
Which required reading books did you love? Hate? Which ones did you just totally skip out on? Have you gone back to reread any of them to see if they were really as good/bad as you remember?
So here’s my attempt at the Back Jacket Hack Job! For the last three days I’ve agonized over which book I would do my hack job for. I didn’t want to do something obviously easy to tear apart *cough*Fifty Shades*cough* (I kid. I read them all and I can see the appeal. Please no comment flames) and I didn’t want to do something that might be considered sacrilegious like To Kill A Mockingbird or something and... clearly I was really overthinking this. So I decided just moments ago to do the last book I finished: Day Four by Sarah Lotz. Full disclosure: I really enjoyed this book. Not as much as I loved her first in this kind-of-series (The Three) but Ms. Lotz is a fantastic writer and really knows how to write a page-turner! So since I liked it so much I figured it would be ok to poke a little fun. OK here goes!!...
Are you afraid of ships? Stranded ships out at sea? Do you “hate people” and maybe find it difficult to be in a secluded area with them for any length of time? DO NOT READ THIS BOOK.
Just imagine being STRANDED on a cruise ship full of NEEDY people who completely LOSE their MINDS and revert to the most depraved versions of themselves when they no longer have access to electricity or fresh running water. There’s also a (psychotic?) psychic, a murderer, and *gasp* possibly children on this 21-and-over only cruise. Is there no end to the madness?!
Told from multiple points of view and over the course of a few days, Day Four is a mystery, I guess? A paranormal mystery? What would you categorize this as? There’s some weird dialogue and slang. I think the author is from somewhere other than the US and maybe wrote another book before this that might possibly tie into this one. Oh… that would explain a lot…
So there you have it! Can I give you my real review now? It’s really good. If you like mysteries that have a weird “Twilight Zone” twist to them then this, and the previous book “The Three”, are ones you should check out. Read The Three first. You don’t HAVE to, but there are events that happen in this book that allude to events from the first. The writing is really well done. As (poorly) stated above, there are multiple points of view and each is unique and distinct. Both are great books for when you are on the beach, or just want to pick up something that is compelling and won’t take you forever to get through. You’ll fly through them. Enjoy!
Summer is hands down my favorite season. I love the sun, the warmth, and being outside with a cold drink and a great book. Summer is the season of cookouts, beach days, and road trips. It’s also the season of the “beach read”. But what exactly is a “beach read”?
This + Rum = Happy Tara! Yay!
My personal definition of a beach read is a book that is easy to read, doesn’t take a lot of concentration, and is something that, despite many interruptions, can be devoured in one or two sittings. Beach reads are those books that you can take on airplanes (and leave for the next passenger), get sand between the pages, and spill your margarita on and not have the world end. It’s one that you’ll happily lend to your friends when they ask for a book to take on their vacation. I like to think of them as peacocking-books; you read them at beaches and public pools in the hopes that maybe the good looking lifeguard or the sunbathing hottie next to you will ask you about it.
You’ll probably see a movie or tv adaptation of these books in a year or so, thanks to their popularity and general relatable-ness. Probably not award winners but most likely have some pop culture relevance. Maybe an A-List actor in the starring role. Beach reads are lovely because they can be guilty pleasure books that you aren’t “embarrassed” to get “caught” reading. (Note: Never be embarrassed about something you like to read. Haters gonna hate.) “Oh, this? I just picked it up at the airport bookstore on my layover since I had already read everything else there.” Great ice-breaker books.
But really the definition of a beach read is totally subjective and open to interpretation. It doesn’t have to necessarily be of any one genre either. It can be romance, mystery, sci-fi, even a memoir. Each genre has its own beach read.
Past beach reads include Beautiful Ruins, The Paris Wife, Fifty Shades of Grey, Gone Girl, Orphan Train, The Longest Ride, Me Before You, Inferno, Orange Is the New Black, The Boys in the Boat, The Tipping Point, The Help, Water For Elephants, and One Day… just to name a few.
Now I’m no fortune teller or foreseer of the future but I have been selling books for the last 10 years and I like to think that I can spot trends when it comes to reading material. So with nothing but my gut instinct and a bunch of two sentence descriptions here’s a list of books that I think will be this years popular beach reads and ones that I will most likely be recommending to my friends and customers.
The Martian by Andy Weir (Sci Fi)
The Vacationers by Emma Straub (Fiction)
Pretty Is by Maggie Mitchell (Fiction)
The Life and Death of Sophie Stark by Anna North (Fiction)
The Rocks by Peter Nichols (Fiction)
Local Girls by Caroline Zancan (Fiction)
Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica (Mystery/Thriller)
Hugo and Rose by Bridget Foley (Fiction)
China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan (Fiction)
Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten (YA Fiction)
The Hand That Feeds You by A.J. Rich (Mystery/Thriller)
Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow (Humor)
The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand (Fiction)
Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell (Fiction)
In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume (Fiction)
...and of course…
Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee (Fiction)
What do you consider to be a beach read? What book(s) are you looking forward to reading this summer?
That's right. April is Autism Awareness Month. I'm sure we've all seen the colorful puzzle piece ribbons, the light-it-up-blue tints on profile pictures, and autism articles floating around. For me, this is something close to my heart, as our first appointment with a developmental pediatrician is next month (trust me, it's been a lengthy journey to get here!). With awareness comes understanding, and with understanding comes acceptance. So in honor of Autism Awareness Month, I wanted to bring light to fictional works that bring awareness to autism.
As I mentioned in my One More Chapter Syndrome post back in March, I was reading a companion series by Stephanie Perkins, one of which was Isla and the Happily Ever After. This book really struck a chord with me because it was the first one I read after realizing the potential for a spectrum disorder in my son that featured a character on the spectrum. And that sparked the idea for this post, along with several articles people have brought to my attention.
Because I, admittedly, haven't read many books that contain such a topic, I relied on my reading friends to compile a list (a sincere thanks to those who added books!). An asterisk (*) marks the books I've actually read. Also, these are in no particular order and not organized by genre or audience.
I'm a huge fan of reading challenges. They help me work toward a goal and push me to spend more time reading. And, really...who doesn't want to spend more time reading?
Goodreads is great for reading challenges and even counts books for you. At the moment, I'm behind my goal of thirty books this year, but I'm hopeful that I can get as close to that number as possible before the year is up!
Back in January, I blogged about a 2014 Challenge I was taking part in against my brother, Sunshine. Basically, whoever read the most books would receive a $20 gift card from the loser. My brother wants his card for the PlayStation store, while I want mine for Amazon. Of course I'll use it to buy more books.
Here are the rules for the 2014 Challenge, in no particular order:
Books must be added to and tracked on Goodreads to count, with a special 2014 Challenge shelf.
Books must be published (so my critiquing doesn't count, nor do my read-throughs of my own drafts).
Only novels count toward the total read (no non-fiction, comics, graphic novels, etc.).
Every two audiobooks listened to equals one book read.
Only one book started before January 1, 2014 counts toward the total for 2014 (for me, this was Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, started December 30, 2013).
Revamped books will only count if added to the 2014 Challenge shelf.
As of today, I have finished twenty-six books. Of those, eighteen were new reads, seven were audiobooks, and one was a reread. Considering I work from home, unschool two kiddos, and cover a wide range of other duties that would lead people to believe my alter ego is Wonder Woman, I think I'm doing okay.
In 2015, I already have plans to participate is in this reading challenge:
I'm already excited and thinking of which books on my TBR list can count toward each check!
Do you participate in any reading challenges? How are you doing for 2014? What are your reading goals for 2015?
We're a diverse group of writers, ranging from kidlit to adult. What is the one thing we all have in common? The love of a good story. Welcome, and thanks for stopping by. We'll see you on Mondays & Thursdays!
