Wednesday, June 30, 2010
WIP Wednesday
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tantalizing Books
Monday, June 28, 2010
Review and a Half: City of Bones/City of Ashes
Age Group: Young Adult
Published: March 27, 2007 by Margaret K. McElderry
Format: Hardcover, 485 pgs
Source: Library
Description:
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....
Friday, June 25, 2010
Reading
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Review: Maximum Ride Book 2
Age Group: Young Adult
Published: April 1st, 2007 by Little, Brown Young Readers
Format: Paperback, 448 pgs
Description:
The heart-stopping quest of six winged kids--led by fourteen-year-old Max--to find their parents and investigate the mind-blowing mystery of their ultimate destiny continues when they're taken under the wing of an FBI agent and attempt, for the first time, to live "normal" lives. But going to school and making friends doesn't stop them from being relentlessly hunted by sinister spies, who lead Max to face her most frightening match yet: a new and better version of herself.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
WIP Wednesday and a Blog Award
I mentioned on Friday that I got the Versatile Blogger Award from Amparo Ortiz and Katrina Lantz; both ladies are amazing. Go check them out. :) Thanks so much for thinking of me!!
Like just about every other award, this one has a handful of rules, but I'm not going to follow them. Here they are anyway, haha:
Okay, here are the rules I must follow:
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Teaser Tuesday
So a little info. Taryn and the people she is with are special. The Between is kind of a place and a thing. There is more than one realm in my story. There are three, and they are linked by the Between. In order to get from one realm to the other you must pass through It, but no one can actually live in the Between except for people like Taryn, Nicolai, and Michelangelo.
In this excerpt, Taryn is making her first journey into the Between to the City that Nicolai and Michelangelo are from; it is not the only city in the Between, but it is called the City. Okay, I guess I should probably give it to you now, huh? Alright, fine:
Monday, June 21, 2010
Review: Maximum Ride Book 1
Age Group: Young Adult
Published: 2007 by Warner (first published 2001)
Format: Paperback, 422 pgs
Description:
Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it's like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the "Flock"--Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel--are just like ordinary kids--only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time--like when Angel, the youngest member of the "Flock," is kidnapped and taken back to the "School" where she and the others were genetically engineered by sinister scientists. Her friends brave a journey to Death Valley, CA, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare--this one involving fighting off the half-human, half-wolf "Erasers" in New York City. Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives. Along the way Max discovers from her old friend and father-figure Jeb--now her betrayed and greatest enemy--that her purpose is save the world--but can she?
Friday, June 18, 2010
First Pages Friday
I've been thinking a lot lately about first pages, and I thought I'd talk about it here today, even though must of you probably already know these things:
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Review: A Question of Guilt...
by Julianne Lee
Age Group: Adult
Published: October 7th, 2008 by Berkley Trade
Format: Paperback, 320 pgs
Description:
A rich, compelling novel that asks the question: Was Mary Stuart guilty of murder?
It is three days after the execution of Mary Stuart and the streets of London are buzzing with the news. But not everyone is convinced that the scandalized Queen of Scots was guilty of plotting against her cousin, Elizabeth I—or that she was involved in the murder of her husband, Henry Darnley.
Scottish-born Lady Janet de Ros, wife of a wealthy English merchant, thinks the ravishingly beautiful Mary was merely an innocent bystander, betrayed by the machinations of a disloyal court. Determined to uncover the truth, Janet travels from Fotheringhay Castle to Edinburgh, to pursue an investigation that, she will come to realize, could endanger her life—and bring disgrace to her very own family.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
WIP Wednesday
The current project, abbreviated TSA, is now 60 words exactly from 25k, which, ya know, kind of really bothers me. I thought about writing a bunch of crap or typing 'blah' repeatedly just to get there. I resisted!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Writing Methods
Personally, I walk the line between both methods. And you know what? It works for me. I can't just write and write without knowing where I'm going, but I can't know every single step of the journey either.
And I know I'm not the only one who has this problem.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Review: I'd Tell You I Love You...
Age Group: Young Adult
Published: April 1st, 2007 by Hyperion
Format: Paperback, 284 pgs
Description:
The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school, that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE, the latest in chemical warfare in science; and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes computer class. So in truth, Gallagher Academy might claim to be a
school for geniuses, but its really a school for spies. Cammie Morgan is a second generation Gallagher Girl, and by her sophomore year she's already fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti.) But the one thing the Gallagher Academy hasn't prepared her for is what to do when she falls for an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without his ever being the wiser, but can she have a regular relationship with a regular boy who can never know the truth about her? Cammie may be an elite spy in training, but in her sophomore year, shes beginning her most dangerous mission; she's falling in love. Friday, June 11, 2010
Agent Interview: Sarah LaPolla
Sarah is super nice and very easy to get along with, just don't mention Thin Mints. (They're all sick of those evil little cookies.)
About Sarah (courtesy of the Curtis Brown website):
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Review: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
Age Group: Young Adult
Published: May 4th 2010, Simon Pulse
Format: Hardcover, 309 pgs
About:
Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.
Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.
Well, sort of.
Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.
It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding--and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.
As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.
My Thoughts:
Shade is absolutely brilliant. The concept is fresh and fun and heartbreaking all at the same time. Smith-Ready captures you on the very first page and never lets you go. It's been days since I finished it, and I'm still thinking about Aura, Logan, and Zachary, not to mention the world they live in.
The Shift makes Aura's life hell. She's tired of seeing violet ghosts everywhere she turns, until the love of her life becomes one. Logan doesn't get to spend much time alive, and you know he's going to die up front, but Smith-Ready doesn't make it easy to let him go. Her characters are vivid and alive, even when they're not, and I connected deeply with each of them. I was angry at Logan for being so caught up with his music and at Aura for not understanding that she meant more to him than she thought, and it completely broke my heart when they both realized they could never go back.
Enter Zachary. I love him. Seriously. That's all I'm going to say about that.
The plot unfolds smoothly, and is full of intrigue and twists. As Shade is the first in a series, a few plot strings are left untied, the bigger mystery still waiting to be solved, but Smith-Ready doesn't leave you dissatisfied in the slightest. Well, that's not entirely true, but the novel does come with a sense of completion and satisfaction upon reaching the end.
Jeri Smith-Ready's Young Adult debut Shade is a heart-wrenching, beautifully crafted book that sucks you in and never fully lets you go. Shade is gorgeous from cover to cover. I highly recommend it, as well as a box of Kleenex, because you'll probably need it.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Writerly Wednesday
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Teaser Tuesday
Monday, June 7, 2010
Review: City of Ember
Audience: MG
Published: (this edition) May 2004, Yearling
Format: Paperback, 270 pgs
About:
The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever! This stunning debut novel offers refreshingly clear writing and fascinating, original characters.
Friday, June 4, 2010
New York: Tercer Dia
My internet hates me, really, it does. It keeps kicking me off and not letting me back on until it's passed my usual posting times, which tends to be anywhere from the morning to early afternoon for me. (It's 11AM now for those of you not in my time zone...)
So without any more delays, I give you the touristy side of New York. Oh, and Lake Eerie, too.This is going to be a very long, very picture-filled post, just fyi.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Apologies
Sorry for the wacky schedule and odd posting hours. If my internet cooperates tonight I should have everything running smoothly again tomorrow! : )
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
New York: Part Two
I spent Monday and Tuesday at Curtis Brown learning all about the agenting side of publishing from the absolutely amazing Ginger Clark (but if you talk to her I said she was horrible and mean, okay?) as well as a few of the other awesome people working there. You can read that post here.
Curtis Brown is where I decided that I want to be an agent after I graduate. I've never been more sure, you know, other than that whole being a writer thing... :)
Wednesday and Thursday were spent inside Penguin, yes, you read that right, at two of the children imprints shadowing Jordan Hamessley, who was kind enough to host us despite some inner turmoil at one of the imprints.
Now, on to pictures! (I'm trying to get better at this but Blogger really doesn't like me posting pictures.)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
New York Revisited
New York was fantastic, and I'm more sure than ever that I want to make the move next summer after graduation to be a part of publishing. So, how about some pictures to catalog the trip? :)
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