Rosemary Rambles

News and stuff!

2012-01-26T12:23:00.001-06:00

News! Texas Gothic has been included on the 2012 ALA list of Best Fiction for Young Adults. I'm thrilled to be included with some of MY favorite books of the year!

Also, central Texas folks, get ready. I will be at Book People in Austin on February 10th at 7pm, where I will be on a panel with fellow "spine-tingling YA authors" Jordan Dane, P.J. Hoover, Mari Mancusi, Cynthia Leitich Smith and LA Weatherly. We'll dish on writing about scary stuff life vampires, ghosts, and falling in love.

Obviously, I'm back in the USA. Penny was so happy to see me when I got home. I fixed the line breaks on the posts from the cruise (now that I'm not paying tourist wi-fi rates) so if you want to read about the trip more or less as it unfolded, the first post is here.

If you want the backstory on why I don't sound quite as excited about the cruise as you might think, you can start with this post, which you should bear in mind was written days before that terrible cruise ship wreck last weekend. (Which, incidentally, I did not even hear about until I was ON the Carnival Magic, due to conspiracy of my friends and family.)

However, in the end, I had a really nice time. Some enforced downtime was probably really good for me. I read four Agatha Christie novels and a Barbara Michaels ghosty-mystery. I did not get kidnapped by Pirates or Cuban Revolutionaries. I didn't even get sunburned.

I did, however, come home with a cold, which I am going to go nurse now with a cup of tea and the happy thought that the ALA thinks my book is good enough to include with some of MY favorites from 2011, including Beauty Queens, Enclave, and The False Princess. Congrats, my friends!

Cruise, Day Whatever

2012-01-19T20:32:00.001-06:00

(I have no idead why there are no line breaks in my posts. Possibly something in the way I'm copy/pasting them. I'll have to fix them when I get home. ETA: Fixed, all the way back to the first day.)

Short update tonight, just so Mom knows I'm okay and my friends don't up the stakes on the sci-fi disaster pool.

Arrived in Montego Bay this morning, and I have to say, Jamaica may be one of the most beautiful tropical places I've ever seen.

Went into town, saw some of the old parts of Montego Bay, walked down the hip strip where the shops are... Got offered a lot of things that weren't for sale in the shops. "Sorry, mon. I have too many control issues to indulge in mood altering substances."

The people here really do seem to be very friendly. Everyone wants to offer you a deal (not even that kind of deal) but they're good natured if you refuse. I hear it's a little different in Kingston; this side of the island is resort-friendly.

The only sad part of today was that the heat and sun touched off a migraine. I'm just not a heat and sun person. A few hours in a dark stateroom helped, but I'll definitely be calling it an early night.

Tomorrow, all day at sea! All day lounging in the shade with a virgin colada and the 20 books on my Nook. (This is by far my favorite part of cruising. What? Nothing to do but lay around and read? Darn it!)

Cruise Day... 3?

2012-01-18T20:41:00.002-06:00

I've given up on the tweet format, because it's a pain to count characters by hand. So here is the prose version:

Tonight's report is coming to you from the Lido Deck, where I'm sprawled in a deck chair watching Iron Man on the Jumbotron. It's like a drive movie. I hear there are night clubs in this ship. I wouldn't know. That's for grown ups. (There's also a casino, which I know because you have to go through it to get to the coffee bar.)

This morning we arrived at Grand Cayman, and I actually got off the ship. Which was an adventure, because there's not a cruise ship pier in George Town, so you have to take launches from the ship to shore. This was delayed, and delayed, and finally Mr. RCM and I got to shore about noon, after two and a half hours waiting for a launch.

So not much time in George Town. Saw a lot of banks. Send post cards. Ate lunch. Headed back to get ahead of the line.

So the day I actually do something, I don't really have much to tweet. It basically went: wait wait wait, rocky boat, walk walk walk, wait, rocky boat, nap. That's my Grand Cayman experience. (Beautiful place, though. The water is so blue! <--Obvious cliche is obvious. But true.)

Cruise Tweets Day 2

2012-01-17T21:55:00.001-06:00

Day 2, right? It feels like longer than that. The theme of today's tweets is "overshare." Here are today's tweets:

8:00 am. Hello Cozumel. I've been to tourist Mexico before, and beaches have sand, so I'm staying on the ship today.

9:00 am. Shaving my legs is SO much easier when the boat is docked.

9:30 am. I have my pick of shady lounge chairs! There is no line at the buffet line! Disembarkation is for wusses.

10:02 am. The View is on the jumbotron over the pool. 1st story = cruise ship wreck. This is like watching Airport '76 on the inflight movie.

10:03 am. Ha! Someone changed the channel. Picturing the Cruise Director's mad scramble for the remote control.

10:45 am Oh, here's Mother Nature, and she's brought a gift for me. My life is a Tampax commercial.

10:47 am. Did I really just Tweet that, even if only in my head? What if only I think it's funny enough to balance out the TMI?

The mid-day hypothetical tweets go like this: Reading. Dozing. Eating. (repeat)

5:59 pm. Miss Marple unmasked the murderer just in time for dinner. Convenient. Also convenient that it was not a poisoner.

9:40 pm. On our way to Grand Cayman, where I will attempt to actually get off the ship.

*waving* Hi Mom! I'm still fine! No mutant shark attacks (yet)!Love,Me.

Cruise Tweets Day 1.5

2012-01-16T22:24:00.001-06:00

Monday 11:45am Ooo. Half price mimosas before noon.

12:30pm omg. I'm actually having a good time. Maybe it's the mimosa?

2:15pm So. Sleepy. Maybe it's the mimosa? Or the Dramamine. Ooops. #badjudgement

5:15pm Formal attire night. Mr. RCM is dressed in his tux. I suggest he pick up $$ as a strolling violinist. He says we're going to be late. (This was too long for a tweet.)

5:18pm Spanx dance.

9:00pm Skipped desert at dinner (see above re: Spanx). Remedying this oversight on Lido deck now.

Tweets posted. Nook opened. Pajamas on. Tomorrow, Cozumel.

Pirate Blogging Day One

2012-01-16T11:42:00.001-06:00

I caved. Bought a WiFi package. Watching all these programs on the shipboard TV about shopping in George Town and Montego Bay convinced me. Duty free designer sunglasses? $150. Emotional connection to the rest of the world in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico? Priceless.

So here are the Tweets I would have sent over the last 18 hours if I weren't on International Data Rates.

Sunday
1:15 pm Winding line to security. Winding line to check in. Winding ramp to boat. Did not realize I was walking to Cozumel.

1:45 pm Crowded elevator on a crowded cruise ship. Um. No. Goodbye worst nightmare. Hello stairs to the Lido Deck.

2:00pm All the ceilings in this place are really low. :-(

2:01pm Panic attack. Dammit.

2:30pm Managed not to abandon ship. Of course, we haven't left port yet. Walking around the open decks is helping. Stupid adrenaline.

3:45pm Safety briefing painless. Now there's just the lifeboat drill to get through, and I think I'll be okay.

4:15pm How is it that on a ship with this many people, I keep running into the same annoying ones?

5:00pm Goodbye Galveston!

6pm Dinner. I am so doped on Dramamine, I hope I can carry on a conversation.

7:30pm Dinner was delicious. Stuck to diet, except for desert. Creme brulee was probably not a wise way to fall of the wagon.

8:45pm Yep. Not wise at all.

9:30pm Doped on Dramamine and a 5 am start to my day. Going to bed. So. Very. Lame.

Monday1am Creme brulee was SUCH a mistake after a month of nothing richer than the half-and-half in my coffee.

8am Wrapped in bathrobe on the deck of my stateroom. Water, water everywhere and yummy coffee to drink.

9am Still in bathrobe.

10am Showered. Back in bathrobe.And now I'm going to post this blog and go knock around the ship. It's a big ship, I should go see some of it!

P.S. I'm not answering my readrosemary.com email, and probably won't comment much!

Upcoming Events, Should I Survive

2012-01-12T10:01:00.000-06:00

This Saturday morning from 10am-noon, I'll be teaching a writing class at the Yellow Rose RWA chapter in Grapevine, TX. The class is called "Method Writing: Using the Actor's Toolkit to bring your prose to life." Or something like that. The subtitle changes every time I type it. But it's basically about using acting skills to bring realistic emotion to your writing. (ETA: It's not focused on writing Romance specifically. It's a class any genre can use.)

Details about the meeting and location are on the chapter website. They welcome visitors, and according to the website, everyone goes out to lunch afterward so hey, if you ever wanted to go to lunch with me, this is your chance.

Maybe your last chance, since on SUNDAY I leave on the Killer Death Cruise (TM). Only last night that started to freak me out, so it's now called the Cruise of Potential Delights.

So, the deal is this. I have to go on a cruise. For free. Mr. RCM was awarded this from his company because he's that awesome at his job. Well, I'm rather fond of Mr. RCM, so there didn't seem to be a good way to say, "Congratulations and have a good time" if I wanted him to remain fond of ME.

(Yes, Sally. I know it's a ridiculous problem to have. I ALSO could not find a tactful way to say, "Hey, Mr. RCM. This is my friend Sally. She's going with you in my place. I'm sure Mr. Sally won't mind.")

So how is this a problem? Well, I'm a pasty, sun-sensitive, motion-sick, neurotic, for one thing. (Okay, four things.) And, oh yeah, I have panic attacks in... well, in a variety of situations, 90% of which will be manifested in a ship in the middle of the water with no way out which I am not steering or in any way in control of. Yeah. So that's a problem.

Just to amuse me, my friends have actually started a betting pool of all the disasters that could happen while I'm sailing the Caribbean. Here are just some of the slots taken:

1. Zombie pirates. (A little obvious, I think.)
2. Mutant bipedal shark attack.
3. Migratory Killer Bee Swarm
4. Plague.
5. Iceburg.

That's the kind of friends I have. I'm so blessed, really. I'm going to miss them when those zombie pirates come for me.

Scalding Hot Blog Post. Really.

2012-01-11T10:00:00.000-06:00

Do you ever do that thing where you’ve put off doing something for so long that you actually put of doing it because you’re embarrassed you’ve put if off for so long?

That’s how I feel about this blog. I was going to write an end of the year post. Then I was going to write a beginning of the year post. And now it’s ten days into 2012. So instead of telling you why it took me so long to get my year started, I’ll tell you why it took me so long to get my morning started.

Since I’ve been sleeping well for the first time in a LONG time, I’ve actually become... Okay, not a morning person. But coherent and less likely to slice open my finger while cutting a bagel. But thanks to a storm, and my dog having to go out (twice) in the middle of it, and drying her off, and drying ME off, I didn’t get much sleep.

So I stumbled through my morning routine, sticking a gluten-free waffle in the toaster and pouring my cup of coffee. Only I slosh scalding coffee on my thumb, then tipped over the cup and suddenly there’s a coffee waterfall over the counter and onto the floor. Then as I’m mopping it up with a kitchen towel, I stand up and brain myself on the open cabinet door. THEN, as I’m reeling from that, my mom comes in, sniffing, and asks, “Is something burning in the toaster?”

After that start to my morning, I figured should think twice about driving or operating heavy machinery. So, finally, a blog post.

It figures I would start this blog back up just days before I set off on The Killer Death Cruise*. Especially from the Cruise Ship, which charges $50 an hour for internet. At that rate, it would cost me $1 a Tweet. So there will actually be a reason for me to be incommunicado.

Well, there’s always a reason. But a GOOD one, and not just lounging on my couch watching reruns of CSI: NY.

Because I’m apparently 60 years old now. Going on cruises. Watching crime dramas. *sigh* What’s next? Pajamas in the daytime?

Oh. Hell. I already do that, too.

*I am going on a cruise because Mr. RCM was awarded one as a bonus from his company. I’m claustrophobic, motion-sick, heat and sun intolerant, as well as Internet dependent. More on this tomorrow.

John Carter and Other Things I'm Excited About

2011-12-01T11:00:00.001-06:00

Let's just get this out of the way. I am pretty darn excited that TEXAS GOTHIC was named one of Kirkus Reviews BEST BOOKS OF 2011. So that's my big news.

But what REALLY motivated me to get off my duff and blog for the first time in weeks is the release of the trailer for John Carter [of Mars].

Okay, I have seriously this thing four times this morning. This classic pulp sci-fi series from Edgar Rice Burroughs was one of my first introductions to science fiction and, along with the Tarzan books, one of my dad's very favourites. (My father was dyslexic long before they knew what that was, but he was a dedicated reader. I actually own his complete collection of the 1940s editions, which sold for 10 cents, for real. Bikini clad princesses and all.)

Anyway. Here's the trailer. The story is about a weary and disaffected Civil War soldier who is mysteriously transported to Mars, where there is a war between two races, and there are martian beasts and flying ships and very large green men and ALL KINDS OF AWESOME.

If it doesn't embed properly, you can go over to io9 to watch it there, or to IGN to see it in HD.

Bookanistas Book Review: Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

2011-11-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

Wrapped

by Jennifer Bradbury

The back of the book says: Agnes Wilkins is standing in front of an Egyptian mummy, about to make the first cut into the wrappings, about to unlock ancient (and not-so-ancient) history.

Agnes dreams of adventures that reach beyond the garden walls, but reality for a seventeen-year-old debutante in 1815 London does not allow for camels—or dust, even. No, Agnes can only see a mummy when she is wearing a new silk gown and standing on the verdant lawns of Lord Showalter’s estate, with chaperones fussing about and strolling sitar players straining to create an exotic “atmosphere” for the first party of the season. An unwrapping.

This is the start of it all, Agnes’s debut season, the pretty girl parade that offers only ever-shrinking options: home, husband, and high society. It’s also the start of something else, because the mummy Agnes unwraps isn’t just a mummy. It’s a host for a secret that could unravel a new destiny—unleashing mystery, an international intrigue, and possibly a curse in the bargain.

I say: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. One professional review called it a “fizzy, frothy adventure” and I think that’s just the way I would describe it, too. It’s a romp through Regency London, with a heroine who loves Jane Austen and wants more from her life than parties and clothes. There are spies and secrets and even a possible Mummy’s curse. What’s not to love?

Agnes was very enjoyable as a heroine. She’s clever and brave, and active in her own story. The love interest was sweet and also intelligent (a nineteenth century nerd... though a quite handsome one, of course). Clever always wins me over. I can’t help it. Agnes spends some time chaffing at the restrictions of her society, both of gender and of class, mostly as she’s throwing off the traces to go chasing after lost Egyptian artifacts before Napoleon’s spies can get to them.

Being as I’m VERY familiar with this time period and Napoleonic War history, I was very pleased that plot dovetailed so nicely with actual history. Also, Agnes had a brother in the Royal Navy and the author got those details spot on, too.

As far as the mystery, and the running around and sneaking into places and dressing as a boy... well, it’s all part of the fun of a caper story. Don’t expect the realism of a Historical Fiction novel, or the intricate puzzle of a Spy thriller. But expect a delightful story that’s fun to read. (This title would be appropriate for younger teens, too.)

What else are the Bookanistas reading this week? Click below to see.

Elana Johnson gushes about THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS

LiLa Roecker sings for VIRTUOSITY

Shelli Johannes-Wells praises NEVER ENDING SKY

Rosemary Clement-Moore gets all wrapped up in WRAPPED

Jessi Kirby yearns to start another REVOLUTION

Nikki Katz screams for LEGEND

Katy Upperman sets us all up for BEFORE I FALL

Bookanista Book Review: The Iron Witch

2011-11-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

The Iron Witch

Karen Mahoney

The Back Cover says: When Donna Underwood was seven (ten years ago), a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.

When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.

I say: I really liked this book. When I went to Goodreads to grab the cover copy, I was really startled by the polarized reviews of it.

One of the things some of negative reviews slammed was a lack of originality. This irked me (and I’ll tell you why at the end of this review).

There are plenty of original, interesting things in this book. I love the alchemy angle, and the secret Order of the Dragon, and the iron tattoos that magically knit Donna’s flesh back together after the horrific attack of a magical creature. I found her (platonic) relationship with Navin refreshing (and he was both not-white and also not-token, that is, a real, fleshed out character and not a caricature). I loved that the wood elves were actual monsters, and the hint of politics and more conspiracy to come within the alchemy society.

There was some really nice writing, turns of phrase I relished, and I found Donna an engaging protagonist. At times the prose was a bit uneven, and now and then the dialogue was a little awkward. And unfortunately, Chapter 1 does have some serious clichés. I was so very glad I kept reading, because from Chapter 2 on, I founds this an enjoyable, smooth read, with narration that pulled me right along in the story.

Here’s what I really like about it. Not only does stuff happen, but the main character--i.e., the GIRL--is the person who makes it happen, even if it’s in response to the gambit of the bad guys. Even though this is the first in a series, there is a primary, immediate conflict in this book that is dealt with in a satisfying way, even as it sets up future problems for future novels. Thank you for that!

So, here comes the rant. When people pick insignificant details (like the hero drives a (beat up) Volvo), or big ones that have a narrative and folkloric purpose (like the outsider/orphan protagonist) and immediately go “this author ripped off (insert paranormal romance of your choice)” they’re ignoring so much history of storytelling.

The outcast/orphan hero/ine is a major archetype of folklore. Bella Swan, Meg Murray, Luke Skywalker... They are all outcasts longing for belonging. The hot guy with whom the heroine feels a connection is a long standing trope of the gothic novel (and about a bajillion paranormal romances).

These tropes are part of the... Furniture of storytelling. A couch is a couch, but you can decorate it all different ways. You can wow me with glossy, slickly fashionable dystopian present tense or you can give me a comfy, familiar couch on which to enjoy an afternoon.

If you pick up The Iron Witch, give it past the first chapter. I was very glad I did, as I whiled away a very pleasant afternoon with it, and I will definitely pick up books by Mahoney in the future. The Iron Witch is a series, and an author, with a lot of potential.

What else are the Bookanistas talking about this week?

Elana Johnson is crazy about Crossed and Shatter Me

LiLa Roecker swoons for Sirenz

Christine Fonseca interviews Kids Inventing! author Susan Casey

Shelli Johannes-Wells dishes on Become (Desolation Book #1)

Beth Revis celebrates books for which she’s grateful – with gigantic signed book giveaway

Megan Miranda marvels at How to Save a Life

Veronica Rossi is amazed by Shatter Me

So much for resolutions...

2011-10-27T09:10:00.001-05:00

So, I was going to post about my post-deadline resolutions, that include blogging regularly, recommending books, going on a diet and exercising. (I always put on 5 pounds at the end of a book, but this time it was more like 10. I usually take them off by stopping with the cake every night and upping my exercise, but I realized I’m actually going to have to DIET or I’m going to have to go buy new clothes, which I normally don’t mind... except for that reason.)

Okay, so I WAS going to blog about that, but I made pumpkin spice cupcakes for a party last night, and I’m having one with my coffee for breakfast this morning.

Anyway. I’ll keep you posted on the rest. For an ACTUAL blog post, check out YA Outside the Lines from Monday, where I talked about my author photo, and what I ACTUALLY look like when I write.

And for book recommendations and news, here’s what the Bookanistas are talking about this week!

Elana Johnson REVEALS something awesome!!!

LiLa Roecker announces a winner - plus a Past Midnight series giveaway

Christine Fonseca reveals books she cannot wait to read

Beth Revis interviews My Very UnFairytale Life author Anna Staniszewski

Shannon Whitney Messenger interviews Skyship Academy-Pearl Wars author Nick James & agent Jennifer Rofe – with giveaway

Jessi Kirby twirls for Audition

Shana Silver burns for Circle of Fire

Carrie Harris devours Deadly

Stasia Ward Kehoe travels to The Day Before

2011-10-05T20:52:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Steve Jobs. Here's to living a life outside the boundaries of what's been thought by other people.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Speech, June 2005

Upcoming appearances

2011-09-17T11:33:00.000-05:00

Here's where I'm going to be in the coming month. I'm adding a "Appearances" tab to this blog to keep this where you can find it easily.

September 23-25 - Dallas, TX - FenCon VIII. A literary (book centered) science fiction and fantasy convention in the DFW Area. Many cool guests, including ME.

September 27 - Wylie, TX - Speaking at the Wylie Public Library at 6 pm. It's Banned Books Week! I'll be talking about my favorite banned books and other bookish subjects. (6 - 7 PM)

October 1 - Austin, TX - Austin Teen Book Festival. Many many amazing authors, and the chance to meet them. Join us 10 - 5 pm at the Palmer Events Center in Austin, TX.

October 22 - 23 - Austin, TX - Texas Book Festival. Many many amazing authors of all genres in this downtown Austin event!

October 29 - Irving, TX - Speaking at the Irving Public Library at 4 pm. There will be lots of events: campfire stories and s'mores and awesome. Join us!

November 5 - Birmingham, AL - Southern Magic Readers Luncheon. Have lunch with some of your favorite romance authors!

November 12 - 13 - Charleston, SC - YAllFest 2011 - A YA book festival with 20 amazing YA authors from all over the country.

In all cases, see the link for more details, including participating authors (other than me), time and location details.

Bookanistas Review: Alien Invasion & Other Inconveniences

2011-09-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

FINALLY a Thursday book post. Yes, it's been that long since I read a YA book. It was a crazy summer y'all. (Yes, we broke the hottest summer on record for the entire country EVER. That crazy.)

You know what else is crazy? A crazy good read, that is?

Alien Invasion & Other Inconveniences

by Brian Yansky

Summary: It takes ten seconds for the aliens to take over the world. Most humans simply fall asleep and never wake up. In moments, everyone Jesse knows and loves is gone, and he is now a slave to an inept alien leader. On the bright side, Jesse discovers he’s developing telepathic powers, and he’s not the only one. Soon he’s forging new friendships and thinking the aliens may not be invincible after all. But if Jesse and his friends succeed, is there anywhere left to go if the whole world has been conquered?

What I say: This is a slim book and a rocking good story. I'd actually seen this book when it came out (in October last year), and loved the first line:

It takes less time for them to conquer the world the tit takes me to brush my teeth. That's pretty disappointing.

But then I went, eh, present tense, and it went on that permanent 'maybe when I get to it' list. Then I met Brian Yansky in Austin a few weeks ago, and he was funny and nice, and I thought, I should read his book. But I was (am) finishing MY book, so it went on the less-permanent 'definitely when I get to it' list. And THEN I found out I was moderating a panel at the Austin Teen Book Festival one which Brian Yansky (among others) will be a panelist, and I thought... I hope this is a decent book since I'm going to have to read it now.

It was. I slurped this down like an extra-coffee caramel frappuchino. It's got a little bite, a lot of levity, a sweet character, and it's suitable for kids who don't think they like coffee… er, books.

Jesse is a great narrator. He's likable and resilient, enough of a smart-mouth to be interesting, but not so much that you want to smack him. He's got a good heart, and apart from the whole "human survival against the alien overlords" thing, I wanted this guy to succeed. Also his narration is spot on--funny and realistic, touching in an understated way. It also keeps things moving a good clip. There's not a lot of detailed descriptions--either of settings or of deeper feelings--but I didn't feel cheated. Yansky describes what needs to be described and zips past extraneous details.

This is a book that will reward a reluctant reader. By which I mean it's a pretty easy read, full of action and funny dialogue and scary monsters who can kill you with their brains. But it was also a rewarding read for this avid reader, because between the clean simplicity of the storytelling voice, there were real and satisfying emotions. Yansky hits the beats where they count.

If I have a complaint, it's that I think the ending could have been a smidge longer. That was the only part I felt a little rushed. But maybe that's just because I was enjoying the book so much.

What else are the Bookanistas talking about today?

Elana Johnson is in a tizzy over Texas Gothic

LiLa Roecker celebrates Something Like Hope

Christine Fonseca is transformed by Shifting

Shannon Whitney Messenger takes a shine to So Silver Bright – with giveaway

Scott Tracey is on board for Starship Academy

Beth Revis shouts about The Name of the Star

Shana Silver loves Lola and the Boy Next Door

Sarah Frances Hardy adores Birdie’s Big Girl Dress

Stasia Ward Kehoe takes a fancy to Fracture

Carolina Valdez Miller goes gaga for Glow and Shifting – with giveaway

Austin Teen Book Festival

2011-09-13T21:25:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited that I will be at the Austin Teen Book Festival! I'll have the chance to talk with readers, sign books, and best of all, I'll be moderating a panel of aMAZing authors: Scott Westerfeld, Maureen Johnson, Jonathan Maberry and Brian Yansky. (I seriously jumped up and down and squealed when I learned this. Lost ALL my cool kid cred.) Plus many more will be there for the day!

All the details, including the location, schedule, and what fun things are going on are on the ATBF Website. <--Click Here.

What? Austin Teen Book Festival

When? October 1

What time? 10 am to 5 pm

Where? Palmer Events Center (in Austin, TX)

Cost? FREE!

2011-09-07T14:07:00.000-05:00

It's been so long since I've been on Blogger, they changed the user interface. It's pretty, but I'll have to seem more--like nested comments!--before I can weigh in.

Let's see. I went to Minnesota, and Houston, and Austin, and now I'm finishing a book.

My BBF (Birmingham Best Friend) went to Israel. (!!) How awesome of her to send me this postcard:

And how awesome of her to pick it because it has this typo:

I tried to find a picture of surfer monks, but I couldn't. I also didn't try that hard, because I'm finishing a book.

Twisted Tour Day Three!

2011-08-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm really excited to get to participate in the TWISTED Tour for Gena Showalter's new release! Today is my stop, so welcome to anyone who might be new to this blog!

And if you're new to Gena's YA books, here's…

The 411 on TWISTED: His vampire girlfriend might have brought him back to life, but he's never felt more out of control. There's a darkness within him, something taking over…changing him. Worse, because he was meant to die, death now stalks him at every turn. Any day could be his last.

Once upon a time, the three souls trapped inside his head could have helped him. He could have protected himself. But as the darkness grows stronger, the souls grow weaker—just like his girlfriend. The more vampire Aden becomes, the more human Victoria becomes, until everything they know and love is threatened.

Life couldn't get any worse. Could it?

TWISTED Tour Author Quiz: When I Was a Teen…

1.What did you do during your “Best Night Ever” as a teen?

My Senior Prom Photo.

My best night ever? I had a lot of great nights, and the funny thing is, the ones I remember best aren't centered around a big event but just… hanging out with my friends and being silly. Take my Senior Prom, for example. It SHOULD have been the Best. Night. Ever. I had a gorgeous dress, that I'd designed and made with my mom. AND, I was going with my good "friend." By which I mean the guy with whom I was friends despite having a crazy crush on him even though he was totally not interested in me that way. He'd graduated the year before, so he was OMG in college. And on the swim team. But I'd gotten a terrible sunburn the weekend before, and I'd reached the itchy peel stage, just in time for the fancy dress. (Also, did I mention the unrequited crush?)

2. What musical act topped the charts?
I'll tell you what toped MY charts was LOVE SHACK, by the B-52's, and to this day I cannot sit still when it comes on. It's, like, the law or something.

3. What was your favorite outfit to wear then that totally mortifies you now?
All jeans were Mom Jeans: high waisted and unflattering. I went through a torn sweatshirt phase. And the blazer with the pushed up sleeves. Oh, and I had an asymmetrical haircut at one point, too. It was kind of punk rock, though, so not so bad as all that.

4.What was the most overused expression by you and your friends?
"Awesome." It's STILL my most overused word.

5. What did you think you would be when you “grew up?”
A writer! Even though my high school guidance counselor told me that was unrealistic because my spelling was so bad. (She predated spell check. And, you know, ball point pens.)

So, here's the official contest deets:

How do you define the “Best Night Ever?” Does going on a mini shopping spree for a chic new outfit, dinner out with your bestie and seeing your favorite music act live in concert sound like it would do the trick? If so, read on!

To celebrate the release of, TWISTED, the third book in her Intertwined series featuring Aden Stone, Gena Showalter is rocking out with her author buds on The TWISTED Tour. The tour spans almost two weeks and 11 author websites, including this one, from August 22nd through September 2nd. The Grand Prize winner will be awarded all the essentials for a perfect night out, including:

- $250 Ticketmaster Gift Card
- $100 American Eagle Outfitters Gift Card
- $100 Visa Gift Card for Dinner
- Glam Urban Decay Makeup Gift Set

A Second Prize winner will receive an autographed set of Gena’s Intertwined series, including INTERTWINED, UNRAVELED and TWISTED.

HOW TO PLAY: Visit www.knightagency.net/twistedtour.php and check the tour schedule. Visit the sites of each author on their assigned tour date and locate the concert ticket image.

At the end of the tour, fill out the form on the aforementioned TWISTED Tour contest webpage by matching the images you found to the authors’ websites that they were located on before Sunday, September 4th at 11:59pm ET. The winners will be randomly drawn and notified on or around September 9th, 2011.

Good Luck & ROCK ON!

Movie Monday: 80's Vintage

2011-08-22T10:04:00.000-05:00

Okay, so at ArmadilloCon this coming weekend, I'm leading a panel about 80's SF/F movies, which I totally volunteered for, because there are some amazingly awesome (and awesomely awful) science fiction and fantasy movies in the 80's. It was the advent of computer animation, the Sword and Sorcerer epic, and when we first met the Terminator, and Ellen Ripley uttered the immortal words "Get away from her, you bitch!"

For me and my friends, and SOME of my readers, these are also the first science fiction movies we saw. Even if I wasn't old enough to see some of them in the movie theater, because of the VCR and cable TV, I got to see them at home, as long as I didn't tell my mom they were R rated.

So I thought I'd ask you guys, so I can have a list of not just MY favorites. What are YOUR favorite science fiction and fantasy movies from the 80's? How do they hold up? Anything you loved as a kid that makes you howl with laughter now?

Review Link-a-rama (Bookanistas)

2011-08-18T09:33:00.001-05:00

Hey super friends. I'm home from Minnesota (fabulous time, fantastic weather, very long drive). Diving straight into writing, plus I've got a bunch of events still this month. So it's going to be awhile before I can do another Bookanista post, but I'll try and remember to link to the other fantastic recommendations out there.

Plus, if you're a writer, you might want to check out Write On Con. It's an ONLINE (and free) Writer's Conference. I contributed a video last year (that's still archived, I believe) and there are even more fantastic posts and videos about writing, revising, and making your book awesome.

So here you go. Cool stuff for readers and writers (and both). More from me soon.

WE INTERRUPT THIS BOOKANISTA BROADCAST…to celebrate WRITE ON CON! For some fun writer insights and pep talks, click along to…
Christine Fonseca , Beth Revis , Jessi Kirby and Stasia Ward Kehoe

And, we know you MUST have your Thursday Bookanista reviews so here you go!
Veronica Rossi loves Legend
Shana Silver serves up a Maureen Johnson double feature of The Last Little Blue Envelope & The Name of the Star
Scott Tracey is awed by Anna Dressed in Blood
Bethany Wiggins howls over How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend
Carrie Harris is in a frenzy over Stupid Fast
Gretchen McNeil is spellbound by Witch Eyes
Carolina Valdez Miller and Shelli Johannes-Wells are passionate about Possess
Matt Blackstone blogs From Bedside

WUSRCM?

2011-08-09T23:56:00.000-05:00

I'm leaving in the morning for a road trip to Minnesota. Yes, another trip. This one is personal (with one side trip to someplace that appears in the next book). Mom and I are heading up to the First Ever Boonaker family reunion. We've got relatives coming from Canada and the Netherlands and everything.

And Mom and I are driving up from Texas. No planes, no trains, just one VW and a lot of snacks.

Here's Mom's contribution to the car snacks:

Zone protein bars, three varieties.
Raw almonds.
Annie's organic graham cracker bunnies.
Green tea, with tea kettle.

Here's my contribution:

Sour Gummi Worms, one package
Twizzlers, one package (even though I vowed it would be a lot time before I ate them again after the HP Movie Marathon)
Gummi Cola Bottles, two bags.
Coke, six pack.
Chex Mix, three bags, three varieties.

Oh, and red pepper hummus and pretzel chips.

If you want to follow the fun, follow my Tweets (@rclementmoore) or Facebook or my Tumblr, which is pretty much just places I go (and apparently things I eat).

And yes, I will be working on my book while on this trip. And nope, I'm not going to tell you which location will be in it, though it will be part of the travel blog.

We've been trying to come up with a name for this trip. So far people have suggested:

Beat the Heat
Operation: Escape the heat
The Reunion Tour

Personally, after I just marked the route on the map, I think I should call it Where in the World is Rosemary Clement-Moore. (Or WWRCM for short.) Though I guess it would be Where in the US is RCM. (WUSRCM?)

August EVENTS!

2011-08-02T11:30:00.000-05:00

Here's where I'll be in August! Stop by and say "Hi!"

August 6th: Barnes and Noble in Hurst (near the North East Mall). Booksigning from 2 - 4 pm. Stop in and say 'hi'!

August 20: Murder by the Book in Houston. Booksigning starting at 4:30 pm. (Follow that link to email them to order a signed copy, which I'll personalize while I'm there! Cool, huh?)

August 26-28: ArmadilloCon in Austin, TX.

In between I will be working like crazy on my next book. Oh, and I'm going to Minnesota somewhere in there. But that's a family reunion. But you never know where you may spot me on the way!

Not going to be in Texas any time soon? Check out this interview on VOYA's webpage. Thanks to Stacey Heyman for asking me great questions about all my books. If you want the inside scoop, it's there!

Texas Gothic in the Wild

2011-07-25T18:16:00.000-05:00

I love it when people send me pictures of my book in the wild, whether it's on a bookstore shelf, their desk, or wherever. Especially when the picture includes an adorable dog.

(pic from reader @Laurenisaguitar on Twitter)

Here's another one! It's becoming a meme!

(From Kari's IMM post over on A Good Addiction)

It's no secret I love dogs. Here's one of mine (sans book) to round things out:

Bookanistas Book Review: Entwined by Heather Dixon

2011-07-21T01:02:00.002-05:00

Entwined
by Heather Dixon

The back of the book says: Azalea and her younger sisters dance in the mysterious silver forest every night, escaping from the sadness of the palace and their father's grief. What they don't understand--although as time passes they begin to get an inkling of the danger they are in--is the that the mysterious and dashing Keeper is tightening his snare with deadly purpose.

RCM says: *happy sigh* I loved this book. It is eminently satisfying and thoroughly enjoyable.

It's a retelling of a fairy tale (The Twelve Dancing Princesses), and manages to capture everything magical that a fairy tale should be. The writing, the characters, and the story itself are flat out charming. The plot stays true to the source material, while bringing a fresh originality to the tale.

Azalea, eldest of the twelve princesses, is delightful, and earns her stripes as an RCM approved fairy tale heroine. She doesn't go swashbuckling, but she has moments of great bravery and emotional strength.

The characters are all well-drawn and distinct, quite a feat with such a large cast. I adored Bramble and Clover. (All the girls have plant names, including a Delphinium, which amused me for reasons that readers of Texas Gothic will understand.) Even the youngest of the sisters had a consistent and dimensional personality, as did all the suitors--successful and not.

There's a delightful romance for Azalea (fairy tales need a happily ever after), but by far the most compelling relationship journey in the book was that of Azalea and her father, the King. The story begins with the castle plunging into mourning for the girls' mother, and the themes of grief and healing and family are explored very well. The resolution of this emotional arc was tied up with the external plotline in a most satisfying way. (There may have been a few sniffles. But I'm a daddy's girl, so there's that.)

This is exactly the type of story I enjoy most. Well-written, effortless prose, emotional depth, engaging characters, and an exciting plot. A ripping good tale, as Lord Teddie would say.

Highly recommended.

What else are the Bookanistas talking about this week?

Elana Johnson raves about Blood Red Road
LiLa Roecker shivers over A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie
Christine Fonseca is wowed by The Near Witch
Beth Revis loves The Last Little Blue Envelope
Carolina Valdez Miller gushes over The Girl of Fire and Thorns – with arc giveaway
Bethany Wiggins cheers for Chime
Stasia Ward Kehoe applauds The Predicteds
Scott Tracey praises Supernaturally

Texas Gothic Release Day

2011-07-12T08:00:00.002-05:00

So, Texas Gothic comes out today.

!!!!!!!!!

I'm just a little excited about that. I would like to pretend I'm all blasé about a new book release and ho hum, it's my fifth book so whatever.

But the fact is, I'm all tied up with nerves and hopes and fears and more hopes...

This is the book my dad and I plotted together when I was sixteen. This is the one I started first, the high school boyfriend I left behind when I went to college, but eventually met up with again. The setting is an eyes-open love letter to the place I grew up, not perfect, but beautiful and full of people and things that, good or bad, you won't find anywhere else.

There's so much of me in this book. There's spitfire romance and matinee adventure and family dramady. There's forensic anthropology and paranormal investigation. There's girl power and there's boy crazy. There's Sonic cherry limeade and Dr Pepper and Shiner beer and coffee and chocolate chip cookies. There's nods to Mrs. Radcliffe, Kathy Reichs, and Carolyn Keene. And yes, even to Scooby Doo.

Amy Goodnight is full of neuroses and awesome, who plunges into danger with a sense of righteousness and a bottle of Purell. Is it any wonder I feel so close to this book?

So, for me, book release day isn't just about "will the book perform well," or even about "will people like it." A book is a collaborative effort, in a way. I put all these things in there, and ask you, the reader, to come along to the story. You bring your own experiences, which enhance and nuance the story so it becomes unique to you, too. So the excitement, in a way, is anticipation of what readers will take away from the book, and hope that it's a wonderful shared experience.

Or, they will think I'm a nut. That's okay, too, I guess. As long as they enjoy the read.

You can get Texas Gothic at your local retailer. (Ask for it if they don't have it on the shelf. It may have sold out already and we want them to order more!) It's also available in all e-reader formats and from online booksellers. There's a whole list of online retailer links here.

Or ask for it at your local library! You don't have to buy a book to help an author. Letting your librarian know there's a demand for the book is important!

Here's a list of my upcoming signings and appearances!

Saturday, July 16th at 1pm: Barnes and Noble at the Parks Mall in Arlington, TX.

Saturday, August 6th at 2 pm: Barnes and Noble at the Shops at North East Mall in Hurst, TX.

Saturday, August 20 at 4:30pm: Murder by the Book in Houston, TX.

August 26-28: ArmadilloCon in Austin, TX

September 23-25: FenCon in Dallas, TX

Happy Reading!

Movie Monday: Green Lantern

2011-07-11T11:00:00.001-05:00

I have NOT forgotten that Texas Gothic comes out tomorrow! Don't forget there's a giveaway on Goodreads (see post below). And I'm signing the book at the Barnes and Noble at the Parks Mall in south Arlington, TX starting at 1pm on this coming Saturday (7/16).

But first... Green Lantern.

I was REALLY looking forward to seeing this movie, but the critical press reviews popped the bubble of my enthusiasm. I didn't go see it until this weekend.

And I LOVED it. It's not dark and gritty. It's not a post-modern examination of war profiteering or Cold War isolationism. It's a grand and slightly idealistic movie about the uncomplicated issue of good versus evil.

Eating planets? Bad. Digging deep and finding the willpower to overcome fear and save everybody? Good.

I especially like that the movie lampshades some of the awkwardness of the premise. Green Lantern is, after all, a magical space cop who makes stuff out of green energy. And Hal Jordan? Kind of an ass when the movie begins. Maybe even still a little bit of an ass when the movie ends, but in the best possible "I'm ready to put everything on the line" sort of way.

The bottom line is this: Green Lantern sets out to entertain, and it does. Are there other superhero movies with more undertones and psycho-social commentary? Yes. Superhero movies that go to a more "grown-up" place? Definitely. As my friend A. Lee Martinez pointed out on his blog recently, even Transformers is full of "gritty" robot gore.

But not everything needs to go to a dark, grown up place. Some movies need to speak to the kid in us. The one who can recite the Green Lantern oath without a shred of irony.

In brightest day, in blackest night
No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil's might
Beware my power... Green lantern's light!

(I may have teared up a little just then.)

There's nothing cheesy or simplistic about a movie about a white (or green) knight fighting a dragon to save the village. Choosing good over evil doesn't have to be a complicated decision. Part of me thinks that if more people recited the Green Lantern oath in the mirror every morning, the world might be a nicer place.

Anyway. I really enjoyed this movie. Ryan Reynolds is adorable and cheeky, a likable rogue. Well cast as Hal Jordan, I think. Kinda nice to look at, too.

Terrific fun. Bring your sense of adventure and check your cynicism at the door. (Provided you can find a theatre still showing it! Movies come and go so quickly in the summer!)

Win a copy of Texas Gothic

2011-07-06T15:28:00.000-05:00

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Texas Gothic

by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Giveaway ends July 20, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Bookanistas: Chime by Frannie Billingsley

2011-06-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Oh. My. Gosh. Have y'all been following the Twitter about my trip to NYC? I've been *relatively* copacetic since I got here, but wow. It really WAS Planes, Trains and Automobiles! A literal train wreck, a broken plane, a pothole in a runway, a crazy guy on a light pole in Times Square, and my inability to tell down from up where block numbers are concerned has made this the CRAZIEST transportation adventure evah.

More about that soon. First I have to tell you about this CRAZY great book I read while I was sitting in the airport forever and a day.

CHIME

by Frannie Billingsley

The back of the book says: Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.

Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.

What I say: I loved this book. I loved the voice, and I really loved the main character, Briony. The world is historical (turn of the 20th century) but with magic, only it's a gentle, superstitious sort of magic. No wands or wizards, but folktale creatures and fairy tale witches.

There is so much more going on here than just the romance (emphasized by the summary). There's a ton of mystery in Briony's life. She blames herself for all her family's hardships, including her sister's mental simplicity, her stepmother's death, a fire and a flood. Early on, her self-loathing and guilt was just a little hard for me, but she had just enough spark of life and humor to make me really root for her, and it was so clear that there was a lot more to this story than Briony was able to see. (She is an unreliable narrator, and Billingsley very skillfully lets you sense that from the get go.) I desperately wanted to read on to see (a) what REALLY happened and (b) to see this girl come into her own.

It helped that Briony was so witty and clever. Her turns of phrase and creative metaphor are delightful, and her interactions with Eldric sparkle. (LOVED Eldric!) Frankly, I just loved the way Billingsley told this story and in particular how it spun out. It was like the story Briony believed about herself was an intricate origami that had to unfold little by little as the book when on until we could see the truth.

There's magic and a genuine sense of mystery and jeopardy, a wonderful and satisfying romance, and an utterly engaging heroine.

I will say that this is a book for people who don't like everything explained to them up front. The world in particular is not spelled out, and you have to put the pieces together for yourself. I found this really rewarding, and I highly recommend that you at least check out the first few chapters of this book and see if it doesn't grab you, too.

What else are the Bookanistas talking about this week? Check it out.

Elana Johnson adores A Need So Beautiful

LiLa Roecker is gaga for Are You Going to Kiss Me Now?

Christine Fonseca interviews YA Fiction for Dummies author Deborah Halverson – with giveaway

Beth Revis interviews A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie author Matt Blackstone

Carolina Valdez Miller is wowed by Wildfire – with giveaway

Shana Silver gushes over Hourglass

Jen Hayley delves into Divergent

Rosemary Clement-Moore thinks Chime is divine

Stasia Ward Kehoe has applause for Trauma Queen

Bookanistas: Jinx by Meg Cabot

2011-06-23T12:30:00.000-05:00

Want to talk books in real time? I'm doing a live chat tonight (Thursday, June 23) at 9 pm ET/ 8 pm CT at The Knight Agency website. Click here to go directly to the chat room. Enter any combo of user name and password.

Now, on to Jinx by Meg Cabot!

What the back cover says:

Jean Honeychurch hates her boring name (not Jean Marie, or Jeanette, just . . . Jean). What's worse? Her all-too-appropriate nickname, Jinx. Misfortune seems to follow her everywhere she goes even to New York City, where Jinx has moved to get away from the huge mess she caused in her small hometown. Her aunt and uncle welcome her to their Manhattan town house, but her beautiful cousin Tory isn't so thrilled. . . .

In fact, Tory is hiding a dangerous secret one that could put them all in danger. Soon Jinx realizes it isn't just bad luck she's been running from . . . and that the curse she has lived under since the day she was born may be the only thing that can save her life.

What I say:

This is a delightful book that has been on my shelf for a long time. Maybe not since it came out but... well, a while. I grabbed it to have something to read while my car was being inspected, and as often happens when I pick up a Cabot book, I spent the afternoon reading “one more page.” (I did come home from the garage first, though.)

Cabot’s narrative voice sparkles, and her characters are effortlessly realized. Her dialog is always right on the mark. I love how the story and characters evolve through dialog, without sacrificing the zippiness. I love The Guy in particular. He was just the right contrast to Jean, the narrator and heroine, who’s nickname is Jinx for reasons that are pretty obvious from the jump. Or are they?

Jean, of course, discovers there’s more to the story, and she has to make peace with herself and her specialness (it is, after all paranormal book) as well as solve the problem of her cousin, who has embraced her specialness a little too fervently.

Unlike Cabot’s more recent books, like Abandon, which I talked about not long ago, this one is considerably lighter in tone and the plot is simpler as well. It suits a standalone book, and didn’t diminish my enjoyment of it.

It’s a lighter read, like a tasty sorbet, and perfect for a lazy summer afternoon.

What else are the Bookanista's reading this week? Click below to find out!

Elana Johnson adores Hourglass

Beth Revis has cover love for Incarnate

Shana Silver swoons over Supernaturally

Rosemary Clement-Moore jumps for Jinx

Stasia Ward Kehoe praises Possession

Gretchen McNeil is giddy about Moonglass

Sarah Frances Hardy brags about The Grandma Book

Live Chat on Thursday!

2011-06-21T17:14:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! You have a chance to chat with me LiVE on Thursday evening on The Knight Agency Website. There will be PRIZES. By which I mean books!

What: Chat with Rosemary Clement-Moore, Author of TEXAS GOTHIC
When: Thursday, June 23rd @ 9:00pm ET
Where: The Knight Agency Chat Room -

http://client1.sigmachat.com/sc.php?id=115545

How to Chat: Enter any combination of username and password. Login. Your computer must be Java enabled to chat.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles 2011

2011-06-19T12:42:00.001-05:00

I'm off again, combining business and fun, mooching couch space from friends and seeing parts of the US I haven't seen before. (And some I have.)

The highlights:

Birmingham, AL (Where I'll be speaking at the Homewood library on Saturday, July 25 at 1pm, along with other YA authors, about... well, writing YA, what else.)

Amtrak's Crescent line from Birmingham to NYC. Lot's of time to write!

NYC for the RWA National Convention. (Booksigning with a million authors on Tuesday night!)

Massachusetts, to visit with friends for the Fourth of July. I have never been to New England, and I'm so excited.

And finally flying home. That's the big straight line on the map below.

I'll be testing out Tumblr (which I have had but haven't used) to microblog about the trip. If you want to follow along with me, head on over there and bookmark or follow me. (I'll post some here, too.)

Here's a map of my trip.

View Planes, Trains and Automobiles 2011 in a larger map

Bookanistas: Bad Taste in Boys

2011-06-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Bad Taste in Boys

By Carrie Harris

From Delecorte Press, July 12 (The same day as Texas Gothic)

The Back Cover says: Super-smartie Kate Grable gets to play doctor, helping out her high school football team. Not only will the experience look good on her college apps, she gets to be this close to her quarterback crush, Aaron. Then something disturbing happens. Kate finds out that the coach has given the team steroids. Except . . . the vials she finds don’t exactly contain steroids. Whatever’s in them is turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless, flesh-eating . . . zombies.

Unless she finds an antidote, no one is safe. Not Aaron, not Kate’s brother, not her best friend . . . not even Kate . . .

It’s scary. It’s twisted. It’s sick. It’s high school.

What I say: I shouldn’t have even LIKED this book.

I hate zombies.

I find them both silly and terrifying, which is a weird combination, I know. It’s terrifying because... contagion and cannibalism. It’s silly because... the walking dead.

So why did I love BAD TASTE IN BOYS so much? Because Carrie Harris tells a great story.

I love the narrator, Kate, and her voice. She’s delightfully nerdy, terrifically funny, smart, resourceful, and altogether likable.

Harris makes the zombie thing work. And when I say this book is really funny, I don’t mean to say it’s silly. I think the reason both the premise and the humor work so well is that it strikes the right balance of taking the zombie thing seriously without taking itself too seriously.

The story and the storytelling drew me in so well that I stayed on the treadmill for a whole extra mile, because I didn’t want to stop reading. My thighs were NOT happy this morning.

But I was, because this was a terrific read. Fast, fun and frightening. If you like Prom Dates from Hell, you’ll probably really enjoy BAD TASTE IN BOYS.

And while you're waiting anxiously for July 12th, check out what the other Bookanistas are talking about this week:

Beth Revis interviews Hourglass author Myra McEntire – with giveaway

Shannon Messenger croons over Uncommon Criminals – with giveaway

Myra McEntire invites Possession author Elana Johnson into the Fort

Shana Silver gushes about Bloodlines – with arc giveaway

Jen Hayley is mesmerized by Imaginary Girls

Stasia Ward Kehoe is stunned by Girl, Stolen

DFW Teen Writers

2011-06-12T11:49:00.000-05:00

If you are a teen (13-17 years old) in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and you love to write and want to find out more about writing and publishing AND make your writing more better, here's some information for you.

WHAT: SUMMER TEEN WRITING WORKSHOP (presented by the DFW Writer's Workshop)
WHEN: Saturdays from 1-3pm, starting June 18 and going through July 30 (no meeting on July 2)
WHERE: The Simmons Center, 508 Simmons St., Euless, TX
HOW MUCH: FREE!

There is a flyer with all this information here. (Clicking will download a pdf document you can print out and show to your parents. (Or your kid.)

We’ll cover the basics of story, conflict, character, and voice with weekly pro guest speakers:

A. Lee Martinez - Sci Fi / Fantasy Author
Candy Havens - Author / Entertainment Journalist
Jenny Martin - Young Adult Author / Librarian
Kate Cornell - Screen Writer
Kirk von der Heydt - Teacher / Writer
Rosemary Clement-Moore - Young Adult Author

Writing topics to be covered:

How to give and take constructive criticism
Conflict and Plot
Characterization
Developing your own voice
Nonfiction / Journalism
Publication

Each meeting will have an interactive session with a writing coach covering aspects of writing and publishing. There will be free writing exercises and then opportunities for critique from your peers, as well as experienced and professional writers.

For information, you can email the head of the teen workshop. Or if you have questions, you can email me. (But to sign up, you have to email dfw teen workshop.)

On the first session there is a 12:30 sign up meeting that a parent needs to attend. The rest of the time, it just teens and pros.

You can check out the teen workshop facebook page and follow DFW Teen Writers on Twitter.

Where I'll be roundup

2011-06-09T14:11:00.000-05:00

Before you read this, you should be-bop over to Carrie Harris's blog and read her Bookanista review of Texas Gothic. (There's another surprise for a fellow Bookanista as well.)

DFW TEEN WRITERS WORKSHOP

Staring Saturday, June 18, I'll be participating in the DFW Writer's Workshop Teen Workshop. (Boy, that sentence was redundant.) It will run Saturdays from June 18th to July 30, from 1pm to 3 pm, and cover all topics about writing, plus free writing time and critique opportunities. You can find out more and sign up by contacting dfwteenwriters@gmail.com. (I'll post more about this soon here.)

Saturday, June 11, Allen Texas

If you are in the metroplex, and you're looking for a fun event this weekend (or just looking for a place to wear your sparkly tiara), I will be at the Boas & Tiaras Reader Event in Allen, Texas, along with a WAY impressive list of authors, including:

Nalini Singh, Rachel Gibson, Julia Quinn, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Dianna Love, Dakota Cassidy, Michele Bardsley, Jaye Wells, Lorraine Heath, Nikki Duncan, Rachel Caine, Vicki Pettersson, Kay Thomas, and Lori Wilde. The Fabulous Candace Havens will emcee the event.

Tickets are $45 and include fancy tea, a private authors signing, book sales, plus door prizes, raffles baskets, as well as special interview with Nalini Singh. Book Sale proceeds and raffle ticket monies go to Plano Family Literacy Center.

Here's the site if you want tickets.

Saturday, June 25, Birmingham, AL

For a FREE event, I'll be in Birmingham, AL on Saturday, June 25, speaking at the Homewood Public Librarywith young adult authors Jennifer Echols, Rachel Moore Hawkins, Chandra Sparks Taylor, and R.A. Nelson.

The program starts at 1:30, and we will be signing books afterward. It's more of a "writing YA panel"--we'll be talking nuts and bolts and publishing. If that's interesting to you, or heck, even if you're just a reader who wants to come hear some FABULOUS authors, come and see us. (Event is put on by the Southern Magic RWA Chapter.)

Tuesday, June 28, New York, NY

I'll be participating in the giant, humongous annual RWA Literacy Signing at the RWA conference in NYC. The signing is completely open to the public and takes place at the Marriot in Times Square. Lots of details, including HUNDREDS of authors participating, here.

More soon, I promise!

R.

Bookanistas: Hourglass by Myra McEntire

2011-06-02T07:00:00.003-05:00

What the back of the book says:

Seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole has been plagued by phantoms since her parents' death. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back. So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.

Here’s what I say:

I’ve been looking forward to reading this book ever since it came across my radar. I love time travel as a plot device, and Hourglass has a great premise--girl with a special talent, gorgeous guy with the answers, secret organization of secretly talented individuals...

This was a quite enjoyable read, and I think that readers of light paranormals like Hex Hall or Paranormalcy will really love it, especially if they like a strong dose of romance with their SFF. Emerson was a likable heroine with a compelling backstory, and McEntire has a nice touch with the world building (the timey-wimey stuff, to quote Doctor Who), giving enough to convey understanding and internal consistency, without weighing things down.

The main focus in this book is on relationships. I really liked Emerson’s brother and sister-in-law and her friend Lily, but of course, the big draw here will be the love interest, Michael. He’s mysterious and infuriating and compelling, as a romantic interest should be. I think teen readers will find that most enjoyable.

The science fiction-slash-mystery-slash-adventure part of the plot picks up in the second half, and for me that’s where I was drawn in. There were some very nice twists and surprises, and I appreciate that McEntire gives a satisfying ending here, even though there are a number of threads that will obviously continue into the sequel.

I do feel like more time could have been given earlier to learning about the Hourglass and how you actually travel through time. If you don’t like the romance stuff, you might get frustrated in the middle, where more time is spent worrying about boy-girl stuff, past the point where I thought they should be training for the big dangerous thing they needed to do.

That said, the boy-girl stuff was nicely done, and WILL satisfy those who DO like that sort of thing. And I admit, not everyone loves ye olde training montage like I do.

A highly readable high concept novel that will please lovers of romance and light paranormal adventure.

What else are the Bookanistas talking about today? Check it out:

Elana Johnson gushes over Blood Magic

LiLa Roecker & Shelli Johannes-Wells adore Hourglass

Christine Fonseca sings high praises for Possess – with giveaway

Shannon Messenger applauds A Need So Beautiful – with giveaway

Megan Miranda has a passion for Possession

Carolina Valdez Miller sees beauty in Between Shades of Gray

Bethany Wiggins finds Bad Taste in Boys delicious

Shana Silver celebrates A Need So Beautiful

Stasia Ward Kehoe delights in Delirium

Carrie Harris thinks Wrapped simply rocks

Sarah Frances Hardy finds the awesome in Okay for Now

For writers mostly...

2011-05-23T10:10:00.000-05:00

A quick informational update, since I've been so quiet on the blog lately. If my sporadic posts here aren't enough for you, makes sure you follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook. You can also find me every Friday on Genreality (writing related) and once a month on YA Outside the Lines (general blathering).

For teen writers: Something cool if you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The DFW Writer's Workshop (my Wednesday night critique group that I talk about all the time) is sponsoring a summer writing program for teens ages 13-17. It meets weekly starting on Saturday June 18th through July (minus July 4th weekend). We'll have a little bit of instruction from published and experienced writers as well as time for writing, and for guided critique. The cost? It's free! You can find out more right here.

For any writer: I'm teaching an online class on loglines, pitches and queries. Just how DO you interested an editor or agent in your wonderful manuscript? This class will tell you. It's also useful if you haven't finished (or started) a novel, because you can use what makes a great pitch to plot a great novel. The class is through the YA chapter of the RWA, and you can find out more and register here. The cost is $10 for non-YARWA members. (Free for members.)

You guys do realize that I do these "where to find RCM" posts so that *I* can remember what I'm supposed to be doing, right?

First Texas Gothic Review

2011-05-11T13:03:00.000-05:00

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you know I’ve been a little obnoxious about the fact that TEXAS GOTHIC received a starred review in the May 15th edition of Kirkus Reviews. The whole review is online here, but here are the highlights:

--
You can't get much more Nancy Drew than intrepid Texan heroines uncovering a mystery involving ranchers, Spanish ghosts, vandalized archaeological digs and lumps of gold.

Amy first meets Ben while she's chasing escaped goats and wearing nothing but cherry-spotted undies and rubber boots: an introduction worthy of the best contemporary adult romance.

This engaging mystery has plenty of both paranormal and romance, spiced with loving families and satisfyingly packed with self-sufficient, competent girls.
--

You know what this means? Even if everyone else hates this book, at least ONE person (other than my mom) really liked it.

Whew!

Texas Gothic Tidbits and other cool books

2011-05-05T14:12:00.000-05:00

If you're interested (which I assume you all are) there's an excerpt of Texas Gothic now up at the Random House site. (If that link doesn't show the expert, go to "about the book" and click "excerpt.") It's also up the book's Amazon page, which means I'll be posting it soon to MY webpage.

And in Googling this, I found that Random House Australia has the book listed, with the Australian cover, which I love as much as the US cover. I mean, when a cover image works, go with it! I think the Western font is fun, but I love the tagline, which I am hereby co-opting for my own use.

You can't escape your inner witch...

If you're looking for a book recommendation, be sure and check out April's Fresh Takes column for interviews with Jenny Archer (Through Her Eyes) and Kirsten Hubbard (Like Mandarin).

Or, you could check out what the other Bookanistas* are talking about today!

Shelli Johannes-Wells gives us THE ROYAL TREATMENT
Elana Johnson hosts a blog tour stop for 101 SUCCESS SECRETS FOR GIFTED KIDS with a giveaway
Shannon Messenger adores THE DAY BEFORE plus a giveaway
Carolina Valdez Miller is passionate about POSSESSION and gives away an ARC
Beth Revis shares some SOLSTICE cover love
Lisa and Laura Roecker and Stasia Ward Kehoe marvel over MOONGLASS
Megan Miranda and Veronica Rossi delve into DIVERGENT
Shana Silver shows her desire for DEMONGLASS
Carrie Harris is PUTTING MAKEUP ON DEAD PEOPLE
Sarah Frances Hardy wants to be just LIKE MANDARIN
Christine Fonseca is in love with DARK AND HOLLOW PLACES with a giveaway

*The Bookanistas are a group of bloggers and writers who love books, and on Thursday we talk about our latest love. Simple as that.

Intruder Alert

2011-05-03T12:11:00.000-05:00

It's the expressions on their faces that kill me.

see more dog and puppy pictures

The geek shall inherit the Earth.

2011-05-02T09:19:00.000-05:00

I suspect my mother is turning into a cyborg.

The other day I went into her room and there's this powerstrip beside her bed, with all these charging cords coming off of it, like feelers on some sort of cyberpunk parasite looking for a meal.

Leaving aside the environmental issues here, and the bad feng shui or the electromagnetic aura around her head, I'm seriously wondering if I need to worry about them hard wiring into her brain while she sleeps, in an electronic version of the pods from Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Granted, she has a reason to nest a bit, since she's on chemo and sometimes needful of distraction when in bed. But in addition to the iHome clock radio, which is the home base of the iPod, there's the laptop, the iPad, the iPhone, and the Kindle. Then across the room there's the satellite radio, the TV plus satellite receiver plus Blu Ray that connects to the Internet plus the TiVo.

It's my fault, of course. I am a cradle Appiscopalian. I don't so much drink the Kool-Aid as mix it in pitchers and hand it out to the kids in my neighborhood.

This is how Mom ended up with her iPad. I had decided to get one, and she wanted to go to the Apple Store with me "just to look." So I rattle off to the Apple guy what I want (The actual purchasing part of my trips to the Apple Store are always short. The last time I was in the store, they rather pointedly told me they were hiring. I was tempted, just because of the discount.) and my Mom says, "And I'll take one of all that, too."

I should have known. This is EXACTLY how she ended up with her first iPhone. I mean, word for word. We sidled up to the Genius Bar, I order and she's all "Barkeep, make that two."

See, Mom was part of the Science Fiction Club when she was in high school. Actually, it was in the English speaking school in Mexico City, and there were two members, her and her best friend Suzy, and I believe most of their meetings involved designing space age fashions, but the point is, when Mom got the opportunity to have her own tricorder in her pocket, there was no stopping her.

So really, there's a sort of chicken-and-egg enablement spiral going on here, since my parents are responsible for my love of science fiction, Star Trek, and gadgets. They got this newfangled thing called AOL when I was in high school and though they never really saw it's full potential back then, I did. Suddenly I had access to a world of other people who loved dragons and spaceships and writing about them. I could fly my nerd flag high... online.

And now we've come full circle. Computers are cool. The top rated shows on television have either speculative fiction elements or serious geek fu. Science nerds, history nerds, we are no longer confined to Nova and National Geographic Hour on Public Television. NatGeo has it's own channel now. There's a whole channel devoted to Science Fiction, and Dr. Who has become slick and cool. (Okay, cool with anyone who is important to me.) Writers solve crimes on television.

And even grandmothers can become hip and wired.

Well, wired, anyway.

Bookanistas: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

2011-04-28T08:00:00.021-05:00

Enclave by Ann Aguirre

A beautifully crafted post-apocalyptic dystopian that reads like a delicious action adventure fantasy genre novel. This is the book I have been waiting for.

What the cover says: With New York City decimated by war and plague, most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where life expectancy is no more than the early 20's. When Deuce turns 15, she takes on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a teenage Hunter who lived Topside as a young boy. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave has been decimated by the tunnel monsters—or Freaks—who seem to be growing more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in daylight, in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs. As the two are guided by Fade’s long-ago memories, they face dangers, and feelings, unlike any they’ve ever known.

What I say:

Holy moley, I loved this book. I mean, unqualified love. It satisfies on every level.

The world-building here is simply stellar, full of seamless and sensible detail. (You can tell that Ann Aguirre comes to writing YA through a science-fiction/fantasy writing background.) This is fully immersion in a very alien environment, for all that it exists underneath ‘our’ world, post-nameless-apocalypse. I loved discovering our own world through Deuce's eyes. The scene where she first sees the sun is wonderful, and when she tastes a can of cherry pie filling, it’s an extraordinary experience.

Even better, Aguirre accomplishes this without stopping the action. She only lingers over descriptions as they become important.

Stuff happens. A lot of stuff. Even though this is the first book in a series (of course it is), the characters are fighting battles and navigating untold dangers. It’s not merely the set up for the next chapter. There is a hard won accomplishment at the end of the book that satisfies, even though it’s clear that problems still exist. This is the Star Wars of Trilogies. The Empire hasn’t been destroyed, but the rebel base is safe and the Imperials are down one really expensive Death Star.

And still more stuff. I was exhausted by the end of this book. It is fight, slog, run, fight, fight, run some more. When things get tough for the characters, wait a minute, because they’re about to get tougher. Not only that, the extreme suck of this world is so gritty and tangible you can taste it. The Freaks are horrible, nightmare monsters, and they’re like the Terminator and the Xenomorphs (from Aliens). The just. will. not. stop. coming.

This is the real deal. There is no manufactured conflict or any “why don’t they just...” solutions.

Deuce is genuinely tough, but she has a heart. She begins the story ashamed of that heart, that weakness, and she is vaguely contemptuous of anyone who isn’t a hunter--even though she acknowledges they need builders and breeders, too, it takes her the length of the book to acknowledge there are other types of strengths than simply being the most bad ass fighter.

The love story is subtle, taking a back seat to the survival story. I really liked that--even though Deuce and Fade develop feels for each other, they are partners in survival first. I found it just right. And considering how raw the violence is, the romance stuff was distinctly not. It was romantic, and very gently sensual.

Past tense! *hugs Ann Aguirre*

A couple of things I loved that you might not:

The action is very violent. This is visceral, survival-level stuff. Much bone-crunching and gut-spilling. It’s not gratuitous, but nothing in this world is sanitized.

Actually, that’s the only caveat I can think of.

Don’t forget to stop by Myra McEntire’s blog for more awesome info on our first Bookanistas Give Back project

And, as for the rest of the Bookanistas…

Elana Johnson marvels at The Third

Christine Fonseca takes a shine to Demonglass

Shelli Johannes-Wells scribes about The Story Board

Shana Silver is rapturous about Moonglass

Carrie Harris revels in Divergent

Rosemary Clement-Moore adores Enclave

Stasia Ward Kehoe has Perfect cover love

Veronica Rossi enthuses over Enclave

Megan Miranda travels the pages of Blood Red Road

The right word

2011-04-26T12:03:00.000-05:00

"To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement. To condense the diffused light of a page of thought into the luminous flash of a single sentence, is worthy to rank as a prize composition just by itself. Anybody can have ideas---the difficulty is to express them without squandering a quire of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering paragraph." --Mark Twain

People seem fascinated by where writers get their ideas. The idea is the easy part. A good idea is a little harder. (Good idea = marketable, interesting, and sufficient to sustain a whole book worth of conflict.) But still... having an idea is not a problem. Trust me.

Putting it perfectly on the page... thats the tough part.

I blog therefore I am

2011-04-21T10:19:00.000-05:00

If ever there was a love/hate relationship, it has got to be the one between me and Social Media Networking.

I’ve mentioned before that I love to blog and tweet--mostly tweet--but once you start calling it “Social Media Networking” it really takes all the fun out of it.

Once I start thinking about blogging and tweeting as networking, it becomes, well, work. And then I look at my Google Stats and I see that the search that gets the most hits to my blog are Richard Burton and Funny Dog Pictures and then I get depressed.

The thing is, I don’t blog or tweet or facebook to sell books--I use it to connect with my readers (as well as friends, colleagues, and random people I find funny and/or insightful). Sure I also use it to get the word out when I have book news, releases, or signings, but that’s part of that connection.

By far my favorite part is when I can interact with readers. I love to get email and comments. I am delighted that so many of my readers are as clever and funny as I try to draw the characters in my books. I used to be hesitant to respond to Tweets or Blog posts that came up in searches on my name (it seemed weird and a little egotistical), but a quick ‘thank you’ comment or reply has yielded some delightful exchanges. Like this one:

Caillie @darcybear When I was a kid they had lobsters in the tank at the store. I tried to free them when I was about 6... It ended badly.

darcybear @Caillie Because lobsters are Evil. They belong in a Maggie Quinn book by @rclementmoore.

rclementmoore @darcybear @caillie But.... I like lobsters. With butter, please. Potatoes on the side.

Caillie @rclementmoore You eat EVIL for dinner! #Isawed #andalittleconcerned

darcybear @Caillie It’s true. @rclementmoore DOES eat Evil for dinner.

rclementmoore I totally want this as my next cover blurb-> RT @darcybear @Caillie It’s true. @rclementmoore DOES eat Evil for dinner. #bestblurbever

Caillie @rclementmoore You totally should use it!

darcybear @rclementmoore @Caillie You SHOULD use it. I give you the Official Laura Authority to use my tweets as blurbs.

So I had to take her up on it:

For the record, this random exchange TOTALLY made up for finding a one star review that said my book was “so boring [she] wanted to die.” Which, you know, is the DOWNSIDE of Social Media Networking. (And Google Alerts.)

But when the Internet reminds me (painfully) that not everyone is going to like my books as much as my mother does, the same Infernal network allows me to connect with the people who DO ‘get’ me, and vice versa--lovers of books, cupcakes and snark.

But not, apparently, lobsters.

Bookanistas: Abandon by Meg Cabot

2011-04-21T08:00:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite YA authors plus one of my favorite myths? Yes please!

What the back cover says:

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

What I say:

Abandon is the first in a trilogy. I don’t know why I didn’t realize this right away, but I just went, Oooo, I love it when Meg Cabot gets spooky! and dived right in. I was even more excited when I quickly realized it was a modern twist on the Persephone myth. (I don’t know why I love it, I just do; I know this seems counter to my feminist principles, but don’t judge me, okay!)

Anyway, Cabot confronts the passiveness of Persephone in her own story right away, and dispenses with it. Pierce, the Persephone in Abandon, dies in an accident, and because of hypothermia, is revived after an unusually long time, with no physical damage. But while she was dead, she traveled to the underworld and met John, who falls in love with her (of course) with that sort of epic instant destiny thing that is so popular nowadays.

But it works here because (a) it’s based on myth, and (b) you can see why Pierce is just the sort of girl to get right to the heart of the sort of guy that John is.

It helps that Cabot makes them so likable through her wonderful dialogue. In fact, John’s obvious vulnerability under his brooding exterior, and his temper and strength, were very appealing to me. (Translation: John is hot, and there’s a Beauty and the Beast vibe that I find irre-freaking-sistable. I do love a grumpy love interest.)

The book opens after the dying and coming back; this is told retrospectively as Pierce is trying to restart her life in a new place. While these flashback scenes were well done (especially the part in the Underworld), it’s really in the second half that the story started moving forward with the kind of drive I expect in a Cabot book. (I’m saying... stick with it.)

This book is basically Act One of this story. An entertaining Act One, but you need to know it ends with story problems that won’t be answered until book two.

So, a definite recommend, especially if you like Cabot’s Mediator series, or my personal favorite of hers: Avalon High. It was a refreshing read after all the dark dystopians. It was nice to see a heroine faced with saving a world that doesn’t suck, and falling in love with a young man that I found really appealing... in a brooding and slightly stalkery way. (I’m not sure how she pulled that off, but... yeah. That’s my favorite part.)

Here's what the other Bookanistas are talking about today:

Elana Johnson visits Dark and Hollow Places

LiLa Roecker gets silly over Spoiled

Christine Fonseca has a passion for Possession – with giveaway

Shannon Messenger marvels at Moonglass – with giveaway

Jamie Harrington adores Invincible Summer

Shelli Johannes-Wells is in the grip of Possession

Scott Tracey bathes in Blood Magic

Carolina Valdez Miller interviews Invincible Summer author Hannah Moskowitz

Jessi Kirby praises Playing Hurt

Bethany Wiggins delves into Divergent

Shana Silver presents a Guestanista gushing over Between Here and Forever

Carrie Harris sings out about Shift

Rosemary Clement-Moore applauds Abandon

Sarah Frances Hardy enjoys Me Jane

Matt Blackstone loves Like Mandarin

Corrine Jackson delights in The Duff

Stasia Ward Kehoe discusses Displacement

Beth Revis goes into Black Hole Sun

Ideas and Passion

2011-04-15T10:50:00.000-05:00

This is a snippet from an interview with Luc Besson, writer and director of a LOT of great, cool movies, everything from Taken, The Transporter, and (one of my all time favorites) The Fifth Element.

As you say, it's the characterisation that makes those films so memorable. Which aspect do you prefer, then, in your career? The writing process, producing or directing?

Writing. Definitely writing.

How do you generate your ideas?

You need to have all your senses open. You need to keep yourself in life, real life... . Most of the rich people I've met are boring.

I have so much more fun with my boulanger [baker]. When I go at 6am for my croissants, the guy's so passionate about his croissants. "Oh, you must try this one, because this morning I changed the butter!" The guy's passionate.

Watching old people in the park, talking about their lives. That's where it comes, from food and talking. I sat on the plane over here with a guy who studied cancerous molecules. He talked for eight hours about it, and I was amazed - the science, and how they separate the molecules, you know? That's where it comes from. It's fed from all these people who come from life.

I especially like what he says about the boulanger (which is my new favorite word because "bread" is my other favorite word. I've always said, a character has to be passionate about something. If they're meh about their life and their problems, why should I be anything other than meh about them?

For proof of how passion for something (something not even directly related to the plot) can take a character to the next level of realism, see Robin McKinley's Sunshine. (Ironically, also passionate about baking.)

The whole interview with Luc Besson is here, on Den of Geek. His new movie sounds so cool!

Bad Dog

2011-04-14T08:00:00.005-05:00

My mom has been dog-sitting for me while I've been traveling. Today she sent me this text:
Your "sweetie" drank a whole glass of Coke while I was on the phone. Look at this face! So innocent. LOL! Love you!

Let me tell you. The one thing that Penny (aka Penelope Pitstop, aka Princess Fang) does NOT need is sugar and caffeine. I'm glad Mom had to deal with the hyperactivity and not me.

It's Thursday, so here's what the Bookanistas are up to this week:

LiLa Roecker adores Alice-Miranda at School

Christine Fonseca caws about Scrawl

Shannon Messenger gets passionate about Possession

Shelli Johannes-Wells takes a shine to Shimmer

Scott Tracey raves about Red Glove

Jessi Kirby feels The Pull of Gravity

Shana Silver delights in The Day Before

Carrie Harris takes The Goddess Test - with giveaway

Corrine Jackson swoons for Starcrossed

Stasia Ward Kehoe is outspoken about Addie on the Inside

Sarah Frances Hardy celebrates The Best Birthday Party Ever

Kirsten Hubbard fawns over Family - with giveaway

Do you ever do that thing...

2011-04-13T14:15:00.000-05:00

Do you ever do something kind of embarrassing, like yelling across a hotel foyer like a hoyden, and then you're mortified that you were so unprofessional, but then you kind of forget about it for awhile, until suddenly you remember doing it and you're mortified again a week later but you still want to die just like when you did it in the first place?

Yeah. That keeps happening to me.

I have nothing more profound to say that that. I'm at the Texas Library Associations conference in Austin. If you're here, come look for me on Thursday at the Author Area. I'm signing books at 2-3pm. Also, they have ARCs of Texas Gothic.

Bonus Bookanistas

2011-04-11T17:11:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all. <--I'm getting my Texan on after being in California most of last week.

Because I was in California, and I couldn't get the internet to work on my computer (*grumble*) I didn't get the links added to Thursday's Bookanista review. Rather than add it now and bury it downstream, here are the cool book reviews from last week.

Christine Fonseca Fangirls Cassie Clare

Shannon Messenger Accessorizes with White Cat/Red Glove

Jamie Harrington Praises Posession

Shelli Johannes-Wells Admires Shimmer

Carolina Valdez Miller Wants You To Find Clarity

Megan Miranda Discovers Where She Went

Jessi Kirby Hopefully Doesn't Loath The Liar Society

Shana Silver Seeks Clarity

Rosemary Clement-Moore is Overwhelmed by Wither

Corrine Jackson J'Adores Anna and the French Kiss

Stasia Ward Kehoe Cries Over One of those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies

Sarah Frances Hardy Marvels Over Matched

LiLa Roecker Brags About Bookanistas Giving Back

Los Angeles and Love Shack

2011-04-11T11:45:00.000-05:00

Last week I went to Los Angeles for the RT Booklover's Convention, specifically Saturday's Teen Day. Here's my report:

The book fair was crazy. I met so many teen readers, it was amazing. Funny, smart, lovely girls who love reading. (And a couple of smart, charming boys who did, too, but mostly girls.)

(Cassandra Clare must have been dead at the end of things, because her line was in. sane. I feel like we are neighbors, Ms. Clare and I, because we so frequently share a bookshelf. Bookstore neighbors, so I can't tell you if she would throw raucous parties on a Saturday night, but I can say she gave one of the best answers I've heard to the "Do you ever get Writer's block?" question. I'm ~~stealing~~ saving it for the future.)

Many many book bloggers stopped by my table to say 'hi,' and I met even more! I think this whole Social Media Networking thing may catch on. I don't know. That's what folks tell me, though I'm just happy to use it as an excuse to whine on Twitter about Too Much Perfume Woman at my gym.

Lauren Willig and I may be secretly the same person, except that she's composed and adorable and lives in New York which automatically makes her a thousand times more cool than me.

Michele Jaffe made me laugh until ~~bourbon~~ coke came out of my nose. If you have not read her Bad Kitty, pick it up and save it for when you're having a sad day. It is the Love Shack of books.

(It is impossible to be in a bad mood after Love Shack by the B-52s comes on the radio. This is a law of the universe, like gravity and the speed of light.)

Speaking of-- I had too much fun signing Karaoke on Friday, though it did give me a nice Kathleen Turner huskiness to my reading from Texas Gothic on Saturday.

And I don't know if it really never rains in Southern California, but man it gets cold. I was inadequately prepared for the freakish cold snap in Los Angeles. It wouldn't have been so bad except for the rather frigid wind... and the fact I brought one (1) sweater, and it was a thin one.

Question: What am I doing with my one day home?

Answer: Laundry. Tomorrow I head out to Austin for the Texas Library Association's conference. Yay!

Bookanistas: Wither

2011-04-07T07:00:00.004-05:00

Wither

by Lauren DeStefano

The Back Cover Says: By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with just 20. Geneticists seek a miracle antidote, desperate orphans roam the streets, crime and poverty prevail, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children.

When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape her new life of wealth and illusion. Her husband, Linden, is in love with her, and Rhine can't bring herself to hate him as much as she'd like to. But not everything in her new husband's strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

What I say: The voice, the characters, and the intimate internalness of this journey are the major draw of Wither. It’s simply beautiful, from the cover to the complex relationships. The voice, the turns of phrase, the play of language, the elegant lines with which DeStefano sketches the characters through Rhine’s narration. The stark dystopia of her world, the one outside her luxurious prison walls, and the ones inside.

There’s also a horrific sense of possibility in the premise. I’m an optimist, generally, but it’s easy to see us doing something horrible to ourselves in the name of progress. As Ian Malcom says in Jurassic Park, We’re so busy figuring out how we CAN do something that we don’t always think about whether we SHOULD.

That said, not everyone will like this book. Would say that it’s a love it or hate it book, except that I loved it, even with some world building problems that I stumbled over at first. DeStefano smoothed them over well enough well enough to satisfy, and really, I was enjoying the read too much to quibble.

In fact, teens will probably enjoy this book more the way she deals with things rather than how I would--which is a much more pragmatic (and adult) view on how quickly humans will adapt their thinking to preserve a species. But the theme here is that a crappy life lived in freedom is preferable to a sham life in a gilded cage. Everything about Wither carries through this theme beautifully, so I’m okay with how DeStefano choses to paint this picture.

This is definitely Rhine’s journey. This book does not deal with saving the world (exactly). It deals with Rhine’s problem, and leaves the rest to tackle in future books. Like Matched and Across the Universe, Wither ends at more of a save point than a finish.

Pick it up and read the first chapter. If it grabs you, you’ll love the rest of the book. If it doesn’t, you won’t. But do check it out. It definitely grabbed me, and I devoured the book.

The Traveling Writer

2011-04-05T12:43:00.000-05:00

Are you one of those people who can throw two pairs of pants, a couple of blouses and a sweater in a bag, breeze through the airport, and look marvelous every day of your trip?

If so, stop reading, or you will lose all respect for me.

Tomorrow I head for sunny LA. (Only it won’t be sunny, it’ll be raining.) I’ll be there for the RT Book Lover’s Convention, and seriously, if you are a YA reader and you live anywhere close, you should check out the Teen Day events on Saturday. Panels, readings, “speed date the author,” plus a big, huge, massive booksigning. ($25 for the whole day, $5 for the book fair only.)

I haven’t traveled anywhere since the fall, when it seems like I traveled everywhere. I wish I could say all that travel has made me a better packer. It hasn’t. Here’s my problem: I tend to obsess about getting it right: not too much, not too little. If I need something, I want to have it, or something that will serve the purpose. I don’t want to buy or borrow while I’m there, because I’m... particular. I like my stuff. (And honestly, where toiletries and cosmetics are concerned, this is self-preservation. I’m sensitive to the most random things, and it’s taken years of trial and error to know what I can use and what I can’t.)

This trunk would make me deliriously happy.

But with clothes... honestly, the way I obsess, you’d think I was a real fashionista or clothes horse. Just the opposite. I worry about how I look, but I don’t have the knack of throwing things together and being confident in it. I have to plan my outfits just so. The right thing for the right event. Not too many things. Try and pick things that will all go with the same shoes. (Which is the part that really hurts, because I have some really cute shoes!)

Plus, going to a reader/writer convention, I have to think about the character I’m costuming: the quirky but polished, successful confident author. Professional but not pedestrian, eccentric but not odd. And of course, all in one suitcase, because this girl has her Act Together.

This is, of course, a complete lie. Which is probably why I obsess so much about the clothes I bring.

Mom said to me the other day: “I don’t know how you turned out so neurotic. I worked so hard to keep you from turning out that way.”

Mostly, though, I obsess about packing to keep from worrying about the plane plummeting from the sky. Or California dropping into the ocean during the five days I’m there.

Crud. I thought about it

Now excuse me while I distract myself with some packing.

Bookanistas: The Demon Trapper's Daughter

2011-03-31T02:35:00.000-05:00

The Demon Trapper's Daughter is the first YA from author Jana Oliver.

The back cover says:

It’s the year 2018, and with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheavals, demons are overrunning all major cities. Atlanta is no exception. Fortunately, humans are protected by Demon Trappers, who keep homes and streets safe from the things that go bump in the night. Seventeen-year-old Riley, only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing attraction to fellow Trapper apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving citizens from Grade One Hellspawn. Business as usual, really, for a demon-trapping teen. When a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood, she realizes that she’s caught in the middle of a battle between Heaven and Hell.

I say:

I’m going to tell you up front that this is a positive review. I liked THE DEMON TRAPPERS DAUGHTER, and I think lots of you will like it or even love it.

But let me tell you...

I bought this on the premise alone: girl with a destiny, battle between good and evil, heaven and hell, love triangle (sort of) with an older bad boy and a do right paladin... I couldn’t wait to read it.

First chapter. The greebly little demon is flipping her off and peeing on everything. Hm. She catches it in a sippy cup. Hmmmm. But it’s early yet, so I’ll trust the cover quotes and I keep reading.

Second chapter, new POV. Boy POV. Older boy POV. Hmm. Interesting. Not sure I like it, but I do think I may like HIM. Except...

His dialog is written with an accent. Not just the occasional dialect thrown in for flavor, but when he speaks, every you is a ya, every you’re/your a yer. Now this book was pushing all my buttons in the WRONG way.

Ugh. So I flip to the end and see if the apocalypse happened and if I should care.

I’m not going to tell you what happened in the book, but I ended up going back to the beginning and giving everyone--greebly demons, eye-rolling protagonist, drawling other protagonist--another chance.

The Demon Trapper’s Daughter really is original and the world building is so clever. It starts with the potential to be a bit silly, what with little greebly demon and the sippy cup. But the story itself takes a quite dark turn when Riley’s dad is killed early on. The s*** gets real--there are big bad forces at work, and they want Riley.

True, the writing wasn’t quit as smooth as some of the books I’ve read and reviewed recently, but to hold that against it is like saying Independence Day (a movie I freaking love to watch) isn’t 2001: A Space Odyssey (a movie I appreciate).

One thing that was a little jarring for me was the chapters in the viewpoint of Denver Beck. He’s 22, I think, but he’s done Army service, and very... worldly. He won me over, but he didn’t read like a YA character. He was just a little more adult in his perspective than I’m used to seeing in this genre. The parts in his POV could have been in any book on the urban fantasy shelves.

But weirdly, I like his chapters better. I kept wanting to get back to those parts. Riley was solidly a ‘teen’ for me, so when we popped back to her point of few I had to reorder my thinking not to think of her as a kid. Also weird, because I read more YA than anything. Maybe it was the contrast. I liked Riley, I wanted her to succeed and I felt for her, but she just didn’t fully resonate for me.

But I love the magic, loved the action, love the whole concept and the twists and details of this world. I love that a book about angels and demons bothers to mention God and the Church. (This should be no surprise to people who have read my books.)

I think people who read for a rollicking good story--especially readers who like to read from the genre (non-ya) shelves--will dig this. It’s very Urban Fantasy lite--the ‘lite’ being less sex (none), more homework, and no tramp stamped heroine. (There are F-bombs, though, and Beck’s POV makes me hesitate to recommend it to younger YA readers.)

If you've read this, let me know what you think. I'm curious, because some of it felt so not-YA. (And some did.)

Here's what the other Bookanistas have to say this week:

Elana Johnson is mesmerized by Memento Nora

Christine Fonseca gives a Guestanista video review of 11 Birthdays

Jamie Harrington is giddy for Texas Gothic

Beth Revis features Between Shades of Gray all week--with giveaway!

Megan Miranda gushes over Blood Magic

Myra McEntire introduces "Bookanistas Give Back" - with prizes!

Jessi Kirby wants to be Like Mandarin

Bethany Wiggins Praises the Princess of the Midnight Ball

Gretchen McNeil sings about Spoiled

Carrie Harris loves The Lipstick Laws--with giveaway!

Rosemary Clement-Moore is ensnared by The Demon Trapper's Daughter

Sarah Frances Hardy delights in Divergent

Veronica Rossi marvels at Moonglass

Stasia Ward Kehoe raves about Rival

If you like the Bookanistas reviews, check out the Bookanistas Book Club at The Reading Room.

Flashback

2011-03-30T14:24:00.000-05:00

Five years ago, Mom and I were enjoying a brisk and blustery day at Fountain Abby in Yorkshire.

(This picture was taken by two really nice looking French tourists. Hence my big smile, despite freezing my butt off, not to mention that I look like a Spinster School Teacher on Holiday.)

Surprisingly, the weather on this Texas afternoon is just ask brisk and blustery. But my taste in jeans has remarkably improved.

Ninja Critique

2011-03-29T12:36:00.000-05:00

And WRITING!

But I wanted to tell you about THIS AUCTION for charity. There are an amazing collection of books and writing things to bid on, including this item from yours truly:

One (signed) copy of The Splendor Falls. One ARC of Texas Gothic. One critique of up to 20 pages of manuscript. And I am HAPPY to critique a teen writer. If there's a teen in your life (or, you know, in your head), this is a great thing. It ends tomorrow (Wednesday!)

Office Excavation with Pictorial Evidence

2011-03-23T11:59:00.000-05:00

How can I tell it’s spring? Let me count the ways:

My allergies have given me the wet wheeze of an overbred pug.
Kids in my neighborhood are out playing on their yard forts.
The subdivision pool was getting serviced the other day.
The donations at Goodwill are piled up like Mt. Kilimanjaro.

So obviously it’s not just me who gets an insatiable urge to get out with the old and in with the new when the weather turns nice. I think this much go back to some Jungian memory of clearing out the nasty rushes on the floor and the last mouldy turnip in the cellar as winter ends and you can finally open the windows of the castle. (Or hut, as the case may be.)

Yesterday I got the wild hair that I wanted to rearrange my office furniture. Forget that this is a herculean task, given my overstuffed bookshelf and the geologic strata of clutter on my desk. I was going to do and I was going to start Right Now.

First order of business, move my sofa. One the plus side, I found:

two art museum posters I don’t even remember buying
a bag of 14 signed books (ditto)
three pieces of posterboard, now permanently curled
one box each of file folders, fancy business stationary, address labels and sheet protectors
five years worth of Christmas cards I bought but didn’t send
the pieces for the keyboard drawer for my desk
some ugly curtains I put up and then hated
six desiccated june bug corpses.

On the down side, now I have to figure out what to do with these things. The redecorating has now become a clear out.

The problem with having a clear out (a phrase I picked up from BBC America) is that things have to get worse before they get better:

At this point, I’m thinking about leaving the door open and hoping the hoodlums across the street with their pants around their knees will come in and steal everything. Only I know they’ll only take my stereo and leave all the crap.

Here’s the refrain that gets me in trouble:

But I might still need it!
I swear I’m going to read that soon.
But someone gave that to me! It doesn’t matter if I don’t remember who.
But I can’t recycle that and I hate to put it in the landfill...

I was extremely proud of myself for whittling my lip gloss collection by half.

This is the half I kept. (I may have a slight addiction.)

Here’s one thing I know I don’t need:

But how can I get rid of THIS find?

Look at my desk! This will last for five minutes.

By bedtime, at least I could see the floor again.

What about you guys? Does spring give you the urge to out with the old? Are you piling up bags for the Salvation Army? Do you know anyone who wants an Apple bluetooth mouse or an old style Apple USB keyboard (pre-chicklet style)?

Pssst. Hey... Want some free Books?

2011-03-21T10:16:00.001-05:00

Of course you do! Want some stolen books? Your answer would (probably) be different.

When you come across a site where you can download an author’s work for free--it’s not free, it’s stolen. It’s called piracy, and it’s not cool like Jack Sparrow. And even though I’m really flattered that my books are good enough to want to steal, it’s kind of a problem.

We watch TV for free, right? That’s because the TV show is paid for by the advertising. Even if you watch it streaming online, you still have to sit through a couple of ads, right? That’s so the actors, scriptwriters, directors, crew, janitors in the studio can all get paid. Sure, they make money if you buy the Blu-ray or buy a copy from iTunes. But the main way they make money is advertisements. Even movies get money for product placement.

There are no ads in my books. Starbucks is not paying my publisher to have Maggie Quinn addicted to coffee. Nor, by the way, do they pay me to tweet about them. Ditto The Cheesecake Factory. Ditto Russell Crowe. (Though if Mr. Crowe wrote and asked me to tweet about his movies, or rugby, or just about anything, I would. But for free.)

I only make money if people (or libraries) buy books. Not only that, my editor only makes money if people buy books. So does the copy editor, and the printer, and the person who reads through the slush pile, and the janitors, and the cute security guard in the lobby of the Random House building. (No. Really. The time I was in New York, there was this really hot guy in the lobby. He was probably an out of work actor, but I’m not complaining.)

But this is not, entirely, about the money. It’s about not-supporting book piracy. Here’s the deal: When you download one of my books to a pirate e-book site someone is making money off of us both. Why? The site has ads and sponsors, and that money isn’t going to me, my editor, or the hot security guard in the lobby.

What’s a pirate site? ANY site were you can download my book for free. You can read my books online on Google Books, but you cannot download a copy legally.

If you can’t afford to buy the books you want to read, go to the library. Team up with friends--if four of you each buy one book to share among you, that’s four for one! Heck, I would rather you go to a used bookstore and buy a copy of my book (recycling!) than download it from a pirate site.

You may think you’re doing me a favor if you upload my book to one of these sites. More people will discover the awesome RCM! And don’t think I don’t appreciate the thought. There’s even a certain logic behind it, like giving away free samples.

But the better way to help spread the RCM love is to tweet about my books, leave reviews onBarnes and Noble and Amazon and Indiebooks and other commercial sites. Review and recommend me on Goodreads and Library Thing and the Reading Room.

Heck, pass your hard copy around your school. Not only that, if you write to me, I’ll send you bookmarks you can pass out to your friends and classmates. (I have brand new ones, with The Splendor Falls on one side, and Texas Gothic on the other.)

It’s not that I’m greedy. It’s just that I have dogs to feed. But if my books don’t make a profit, the publisher isn’t going to want to put out any more from me. And that will make all of us sad. You, me, my dogs... probably not Russell Crowe, but I can dream.

Bookanistas: Across the Universe

2011-03-17T07:00:00.002-05:00

So, Across the Universe, by Beth Revis. Part science fiction, part dystopian novel, part murder mystery, part romance... though not as much as the cover would indicate.

Here’s what the back cover says:

Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed. She expects to wake up on a new planet, 300 years in the future. But fifty years early, Amy's cryo chamber is unplugged, and she is nearly killed.

Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where Godspeed's passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader, and Elder, his rebellious and brilliant teenage heir.

Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she? All she knows is that she must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.

Here’s what I say:

Whoo boy. My friend Jenny the Librarian says that this book hits the sweet spot between literary and genre or commercial fiction. Revis tells a thrilling story in a really interesting (and yes, literary) way.

The book is told in alternating first person present tense viewpoints: Amy, the girl in the back cover copy and first chapter, and Elder, the boy in training to be the ship’s next leader. He is as much a protagonist as Amy--possibly even more so. (I particularly liked Elder’s voice and character.)

Now, I’m going to be upfront and say that (1) I really don’t like first person present tense and (2) I really REALLY don’t like alternating first person present tense. This isn’t a fault of the book, it’s just a personal preference. So this was a lot for me to get over.

But it was such an interesting use of POV. The switches at the chapter breaks gave Revis an unusual control over the pacing of the narration, almost choreographing it, in a way, as chapters are sometimes pages long, and sometimes mere sentences. The voices were distinct, and I particularly liked Elder’s voice and character. In the end, it was such an intrinsic part of HOW the author unfolded the story, the book wouldn't be the same written any other way.

And I was completely drawn into the mystery part of the story, and then each reveal of the dystopian facets and The Big Secret of this book. It was definiteIy a page turner. I loved every reveal (even a few that I saw coming), the world building was fantastic, and there was a great depth of emotional resonance. Just staggering, really.

The end of this book is somewhat unresolved--it’s not an end so much as a pause before the next book. It’s clear that the solution to book one’s problems are going to set up new problems in book two, and I’m okay with that. I’d rather have a planned trilogy, than a conflict that’s stretched out unnaturally for three books. There is definitely enough story here for two more books. I'll be very interested in what happens next.

Here's what else the Bookanistas are talking about this week:

Elana Johnson shares her love for Like Mandarin
Christine Fonseca purrs over Save the Cat
LiLa Roecker is sweet on Like Mandarin
Shelli Johannes-Wells explores Dark and Hollow Places
Carolina Valdez Miller gushes over Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Bethany Wiggins is enchanted by My Fair Godmother
Shanna Silver praises Possum Summer
Carrie Harris falls for Head Games
Katie Anderson goes Retro
Corrine Jackson celebrates Where She Went
Stasia Ward Kehoe sings about The Mockingbirds

On the trail of El Cupacabra

2011-03-16T13:04:00.001-05:00

I am delighted to see that Amazon recognizes the value of books on cryptozology. Today in my inbox, I got this:

Dear Amazon.com Customer,
Customers who have purchased or rated Highway to Hell (Maggie Quinn: Girl Vs Evil) by Rosemary Clement-Moore might like to know that Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore is now available. You can order yours for just $14.91 ($10.04 off the list price) by following the link below.

Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore
Benjamin Radford

(I’m including the link, because the book actually sounds cool, and I have already ordered my copy. If for no other reason than to find out what OTHER awesome works of fiction include El Chupacabra.)

Even more awesome were the other books in the e-mail:
Tracking the Man-beasts: Sasquatch, Vampires, Zombies, and More 
Joe Nickell

TRUE GIANTS: Is Gigantopithecus Still Alive? 
Mark A. Hall

The Michigan Dogman: Werewolves and Other Unknown Canines Across the U.S.A. (Unexplained Presents)
 Linda S. Godfrey

Don’t know what Gigantophithecus is? From the book cover, it’s nothing I would want to meet in a dark alley.

Okay, so I’m poking a little fun, but I LOVE tracing the folklore of boogeyman legends. To me, the overlap of culture, geography, snippets of history--heck, even meteorology--that conspire to create enduring legends is fascinating. This should surprise no one who has read my books.

So what was YOUR favorite boogeyman story growing up? The more regional and wacky, the better!

Bookanistas links

2011-03-10T14:01:00.001-06:00

Hey all! No review from me this week, but other Bookanistas have great recommendations for you, so here’s the links:

Elana Johnson devours Demonglass
LiLa Roecker shines a light on Clarity
Christine Fonseca joins The Liar Society - with giveaway
Shelli Johannes-Wells swoons over Possum Summer
Scott Tracey leaps for The Liar Society - with giveaway
Myra McEntire invites Lisa & Laura Roecker into the fort
Beth Revis hosts a blog tour stop for Like Mandarin
Carolina Valdez Miller gushes over Imaginary Girls
Bethany Wiggins falls for A Change of Heart
Shana Silver is mad for Bad Taste in Boys
Carrie Harris drinks in Bloodthirsty
Sarah Frances Hardy loves The Liar Society
Stasia Ward Kehoe wonders at Where She Went
Veronica Rossi delights in Delirium

The Bookanistas are a group of writers/readers/bloggers (lots of crossover, you know) who recommend books we love.

Click here to join The Bookanista Book Club at The Reading Room where you can check out all the books we're buzzing about!

Lent: It's not about the fish

2011-03-09T08:03:00.001-06:00

Today is Ash Wednesday, for those who observe Lent. The fast food places have been leading up to this by advertising their fish sandwiches and shrimp baskets. Sometimes I think non-Lent-observers must think this is International Fish Season.

It's not about the fish. Here's my (completely unofficial and totally biased) observations about observing Lent:

It's a period of fasting, abstinence and/or discipline for spiritual growth and preparation for Holy Week and Easter. It commemorates the 40 days that Christ spent in the wilderness in fasting and temptation to prepare for His sacrifice.

Lent starts with Ash Wednesday, when you will be able to tell who is Catholic (or other observing denomination) by the smudge of ashes on their forehead after they go to mass/services that day. (The ashes are a reminder of our mortality, not a membership badge for the Holier Than Thou Club.)

Some people give up meat for all 40 days, some just one day a week. But fasting is not really about giving up meat; it's about eating small, simple (meatless) meals all day--enough to keep your body healthy, but not for enjoyment. (Usually people do this just one day a week.)

Passing up the BBQ for an all you can eat fish fry does not count as fasting.*

Often people will give up something they really enjoy--something that is a luxury, extravagance or vice. I have given up (not all in the same year): Coke (cola, not blow), meat, video games, the Internet (except one email check a day), television, bread, chocolate, desert, and coffee (the longest 40 days of my life).

The flip side of that is adding a discipline, like daily prayer or going to mass every week (if you're not good about that, which... I'm not), or volunteer work.

Working to improve your hand-eye coordination by playing Rock Band does not count as self-improvement.

Lent is not a 'diet' but a sacrifice. Every time I pass up something I love, I think about how lucky I am to have it, and how others are less fortunate.** It's not about how strong my willpower is, but (for me) a reminder how much I have been given, and how I should not waste it on self-interest, but use it to make the world a better place (even if it's just with my books).

Even if you don't observe Lent (or Christianity), we have a tendency as a culture to take non-essentials for granted. My cell phone has become indispensable to me--but even I have to admit that the games and apps are a complete luxury. All that I really NEED is for my family to be able to reach me in an emergency.

This year I'm giving up "empty" carbohydrates: White bread, white rice, white sugar... which means muffins, scones, pastry, cake, cookies and yes, pancakes. Basically the stuff that's luxury, not nutritious. This is going to be hard, because I love pastry more than chocolate.

What luxury or extravagance would be hard for YOU to give up?

* The (completely illogical) "fish doesn't equal meat" thing is more about tradition than biology. I think it's a cold-blooded/warm-blooded thing.

** I also think about Christ's suffering and God's grace, but I try to avoid religiosity in this blog. Um, despite this whole post being about a religious observance.

Speaking of UK book covers...

2011-03-08T12:57:00.000-06:00

Look what I discovered! The UK & NZ edition of The Splendor Falls has a new cover. Has anyone seen this in the wild? (It actually looks like Sylvie. Maybe a little young. But I like the scrolly things and the green background really goes with the story.)

Texas Across the Pond

2011-03-07T08:51:00.000-06:00

I just found out last week that TEXAS GOTHIC will have a UK edition, tentatively scheduled for the fall sometime. I am so excited about this, because I have some great reader friends from England, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand...

And a ton of you from Canada, but I don't know if you get the US edition or the UK one. Maybe both.

I wonder what the cover will look like. Whenever authors have multiple editions of their books, I'm always fascinated by what different countries choose for the cover image. I'll keep you posted about mine.

Bookanistas Book Review: Falling Under

2011-03-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

I was lucky enough to get to read Gwen Hayes's marvelous YA Paranormal Romance Falling Under last year, and I loved it so much that I bought so I could read all over again now that it's out.

Here's what the back of the book says:

Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life, but when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in her small California town of Serendipity Falls, she feels every urge she’s ever denied burning through her at the slightest glance from Haden Black. Theia knows she’s seen Haden before—not around town, but in her dreams.  

Theia doesn’t understand how, but every night has them joined in a haunting world of eerie fantasy. The only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards Hayden is stronger than her fear. And as she slowly discovers what Haden truly is, Theia’s not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul.

Here's what I said:

“FALLING UNDER is absolutely irresistible. A lush, dark fairy tale full of magic, intrigue, and love. Genuinely scary and swooningly romantic in all the best ways, once I fell into this book, I couldn't stop reading. Theia and Haden's story utterly enthralled me, and I can't wait to read more about Serendipity Falls.” –Rosemary Clement-Moore, author of THE SPLENDOR FALLS

Said it and meant it. I read this on the treadmill, and if you knew how much I hate to exercise, you would know what a big deal it is that I actually looked forward to going to the gym so I could get back to the story.

Falling Under is unapologetically romantic and surprisingly sensual. The fantasy elements are well developed and unique. There's a definite macabre aesthetic to "Under"--that's the 'otherworld' in this otherworldly fantasy--and when Gwen said that Tim Burton was one of her influences, I can definitely see that.

The writing is so very very good, and the characterization is fantastic. Theia is a strong heroine with a strong voice. I love that she has friends--good friends, and a real, complicated relationship with her father. Haden is a brooding sort, who will draw inevitable comparisons to a certain sparkly vampire. But I think he goes back to the source--there's a lot of Heathcliff, with a healthy does of Lord Byron to give him enough dash and wit to keep him from getting oppressive.

Gosh, this was a really good read. It takes the "girl meets otherworldly boy" story and tells it really, exceptionally well, taking it in surprising directions. There's nothing cookie cutter about this, and I am very much looking forward to the sequel.

What else are the Bookanistas reading this week? Check it out:

Elana Johnson shines a light on Clarity
LiLa Roecker raves over The Rendering
Shannon Messenger loves 13 Reasons Why - with a signed book giveaway!
Shelli Johannes Wells joins The Liar Society
Scott Tracey is amazed by The Iron Thorn
Kirsten Hubbard raves over these March releases
Michelle Hodkin introduces some marvelous March books
Myra McEntire invites The Liar Society authors Lisa & Laura Roecker into the fort
Beth Revis is mad for Matched
Carolina Valdez Miller delights in Delirium
Jessica Kirby adores Across the Universe
Megan Miranda peers into Sean Griswold's Head
Bethany Wiggins marvels at Matched
Shana Silver is a super stop on The Liar Society blog tour
Gretchen McNeil celebrates The Liar Society
Carrie Harris buzzes about Blessed
Katie Anderson shows cover love for Possess
Matt Blackstone is ecstatic over Edges
Stasia Ward Kehoe is wild for What Happened to Goodbye

Rosemary vs. the Bathroom Floor

2011-02-28T10:33:00.000-06:00

This weekend was DFW Writer’s Conference, a fantastic conference hosted by my “home” writer’s group, DFW Writer’s Workshop. I was scheduled to present a FABULOUS YA class, and be on several panels and generally have a great time participating and meeting authors and enjoying the creative energy.

I did not get to do any of that.

I woke up feeling fine. About 11 am, I started feeling funny. Kind of queasy and light headed. I hadn’t eaten very much, so figured that’s what was going on. Tried to eat, but couldn’t choke anything down because my mouth was so dry. I was about to give my big presentation, so I went and set up my slides and everything, figuring, I’d just give my talk sitting down, then go home.

Um, no. Someone asked me to sign a book for them, and I said, “sure,” then realized I could barely hold a pen, my hands were shaking so bad. I excused myself, with thoughts of some cold water on my face, and made it to the bathroom.

Specifically, the bathroom floor.

Things I remember:

Some very nice girl with hair like a fairy giving me crackers from her purse.
Someone catching me when I passed out. Definitely the most intimate I’ve ever been with a stranger’s boob.
Lots of people yelling asking if I wanted an ambulance. (I didn’t but they called one anyway, because I passed out again before I could tell them that.)
Lot of people hauling me out of the bathroom and onto a bench in the hall, where I’m pretty sure I flashed most of the DFW Writer’s conference because of my skirt. Fortunately, I’m a full coverage girl, and not a fan of the thong.
Many many very kind people, some of whom are my friends, some of whom I barely know, taking care of me.

Things I don’t remember:

Who any of these people were (other than the girl with the colors in her hair, and Pam, which was sort of the end of my coherence.)
What force in the universe could have every compelled me to sit, let alone want to lie down on, a public bathroom floor.
If I thanked anyone for their help. I don’t really remember much except asking Jenny to come in the ambulance with me, and swearing her to secrecy about my weight.

ANYWAY, after a lovely overnight stay in the hospital, I know that whatever else is wrong with me, I didn’t have a heart attack. It’s one of those things where after I started to feel better the next day, I felt very silly and overdramatic, because I only remember the big fuss, not how I got to that point. But as my friend Kristi said, for ME to end up on a public bathroom floor something must be very wrong indeed.

I’m home, and feeling kind of ugh, but at least I’m ugh at home. I most regret that I didn’t get to give my awesome presentation, though I’m glad that Candace Havens went through my slides, some of the best things aren’t in the notes. But I’ll be posting some stuff in this blog this week that will hopefully atone for that.

Pitching your book

2011-02-23T13:21:00.000-06:00

For DFW Writer's Workshop members. (You know who you are.) Tonight I'm leading a mini-workshop on pitching your book to an agent or editor, in preparation for this weekend's conference.

If you did not get the handout in an email from DFWWW, you can view it online here or download it here (download starts automatically).

I will not have paper copies at the workshop, so print it out or bring it on your phone/tablet/parchment scroll, whatever.

Earthquake in New Zealand

2011-02-22T12:14:00.000-06:00

In case you haven’t heard, there has been a devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake in the area of Canterbury area in New Zealand. There’s been massive damage, and 65 people are dead with more missing and presumed buried. Search teams with rescue dogs (yay!) are searching for survivors.

For those of you who want the latest information, here’s the website for the New Zealand Red Cross and a website specifically for updates about the Canterbury Earthquake. I’m sure that there will be information, eventually, on the best way to donate to help those who have lost family and homes, but for now, I’m sure they can use prayers.

The Christchurch Catholic Cathedral, after the earthquake.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

2011-02-21T08:21:00.000-06:00

One of the reasons that I talk about movies in this blog--other than I like movies and I like talking about them--is that in a lot of ways, story telling is story telling. Characterization, plot arcs, high concept, theme, motif, throughline... these are all things that apply to books and movies (and plays) equally. Even genres--the type of book/movie--factors in. I expect different things from a romantic comedy than I do from a cerebral thriller, than I do from an action adventure.

But here’s one thing I can’t really translate: casting.

I watched The Sorcerer’s Apprentice last week. I enjoy a certain amount of silliness, and Nicholas Cage chewing scenery, and lots of cool special effects and magic--and I actually really liked how the hero managed the apprentice-fights-the-master-villain thing in the end. (I sort of saw it coming, but I liked it anyway.)

On the “con” side, there were some pacing problems, and characters would flip-flop in their decisions, and also disappear and reappear as convenient for the plot, which was a bit convoluted for a movie of this length. (In other words, it was a little bit everything-and-the-kitchen-sink.)

But all of this is a little hard for me to judge because of the casting. You know in Sky High, when they line the superpowered kids up in gym and designate them as “hero” or “sidekick”? The title role (Dave, the sorcerer’s apprentice) was played by a guy (Jay Baruchel) who had “funny, nebbish sidekick” stamped all over him.

Now, I don’t mind a hero who doesn’t look like a matinee idol. (Scott Pilgrim vs. the world, for example.) But I couldn’t get past the actor’s nasal, whining voice. His line delivery made everything Dave said sound, well, whiny and weak.

Baruchel may well be a much better actor than I’m giving him credit for, and his character, Dave, is in fact a nebbish, neurotic, nerdy guy. So I can see where they were going with this casting. But the line delivery had the unfortunate effect of making this 20-year-old character sound like a petulant adolescent.

Maybe this would have bothered me less if there weren’t other characterization problems (see above re: flip-flopping according to plot needs). I mean, let’s face it, characterization wasn’t a real high priority with this movie. But the end result is, I didn’t really care about the title character OR his mentor--the top-billed star of this movie, Nicholas Cage. We were supposed to care about his back story, but we weren’t given enough time to really like him, as he would disappear for long spells (heh) while Dave pined after the stock Hot Girl for no real reason other than she was stock Hot Girl. (Though she actually had to do the only truly character-challenging thing in the finale, which happened mostly offscreen, which... maybe is a clue to why this movie is ultimately unsatisfying for me.)

So, maybe there is a writing lesson here. Give us someone to like. Don’t let flip-flopping and whining about their quest/mission/chosen-one-status stand in for character development or an internal growth arc. Have your hero be heroic, no matter what he looks (or sounds) like.

Anyway. Back to the movie. I liked the creativity with the magical elements and spells. It was a bit of a hodgepodge, but at least it was a hodgepodge of “Oooo, cool!” In the end, though, you’re not really missing much if you just wait for it to show up on the Disney Channel.

Field Trip Friday

2011-02-18T07:00:00.001-06:00

Y'all really need to pop over to my post on Genreality today. After not being able to think of a blog topic, it ended up being so good (she said, modestly) that I wish I could post it over here.

So click over and read it. You can comment there, or comment over here on the subject of...

What's your Dream Job? (Aside from writing.)