You know you’ve made it when someone asks you to guest blog on their fabulous website! Okay, okay…I volunteered while she’s away on her book tour, but just the same, stop by Eileen Cook’s website where yours truly is guest blogging about the difference between the YA we grew up on, and the YA available today.

Oh, and make sure you come back here on Friday (if not before). I’ll be interviewing writer, Alan Gratz, author of SAMURAI SHORTSTOP and SOMETHING ROTTEN.

This is my very first dishrag. I have to say it works excellently too. What do you do when you’re brain is too fuzzy to read or write?

Make sure you drop by Carol’s site to find out more about her and her and to read the first chapter of her books, Manderly Prep and Rich Girl.

1) What’s on your CD player?
Broadway tunes. I’m a big fan of musicals, especially Oklahoma!, The Fantasticks, Into the Woods and South Pacific. I listen in the car and sing along. But I can’t listen to music when I write, it’s too distracting.

2) Do you use an outline when writing or just let it flow and write as fast as you can?
I have a brief synopsis, but after I start writing I seldom look at it. If I know what’s going to happen I get bored, so I try to surprise myself.

3) What’s the riskiest thing you’ve ever done and how did it work out for you?
I took a job on a hospital ship when I was 28, where I was hired to sail to Africa for a year and translate for the doctors and nurses from French to English and vice-versa. I had no idea what I was getting in for, but it was the most amazing experience of my life. The country was colorful, exotic and exciting and the people were fascinating. (see my web site, carolculver.com for a photo of me in Guinea).

4) Do you eat right, get exercise, sleep eight hours or sit in front of a computer all day?
I am too restless to sit for very long. I write fast, get up and stretch or bake something or take a walk then reluctantly go back to the computer. I eat (sort of) right, sleep 8 hours a night and get plenty of exercise. In the summer I swim every day. Can’t wait!

5) Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I want a second house in a warm climate so I can swim every day. I see myself writing in the mornings, soaking up Vitamin D in the afternoons at the beach or pool. I’d like to have a cook in the kitchen whipping up delicious and nutritious meals from local ingredients including the fish caught off our pier. How’s that for a dream?

I really have been winning the Fabulous Book Lottery lately. To be fair, a lot of the books are recommendations, and not just ones I’ve picked up randomly (thanks, Michael). This is a very good book. The subject matter is a little hard on the heart. If you’re a kid and you decide to read this, I hope you’ll ask your parent or friends to read it too, so you can talk about it afterwards. And the same for parents. This is a good book to share. Set in Pakistan, it gives an authentic feel of what it’s like to be a young woman there and it’s not so pleasant, really. It’s good for us Westerners to be a little uncomfortable though (or a lot uncomfortable). Also, Antieau has a real gift for instilling hope when times are tough (see the blog about her other book, MERCY, UNBOUND further down), so I hope you’ll give it a read.

I’m posting the picture so you can enlarge it and see the cover for a reason. When I was at the library, I picked up this book. I am not sure why, because the cover is off-putting to me. However, I read the first page, liked it, checked it out, took it home and it’s been sitting on my shelf as I read every other book and then some new ones too. I didn’t remember that I’d read and liked the first page, and the cover just couldn’t get me excited enough to pick it up. So, finally, I ran out of library books and had to read. And guess what? Yep. I LOVED it.

It’s funny, unusual, and unique. There were times when things happened to the character that she hated, and I personally would’ve LOVED to happen to me when I was fifteen, so sometimes I wanted to just shake her, but other than that, it was just a great read. And if she’d embraced these things, well, then there wouldn’t have been much in the way of dramatic tension, now would there?

The book is about a girl from Canada who goes down to spend two and a half weeks with her punk rocker father in L.A. That’s all I’m going to tell you. That, and put it on your reading list. I’ll definitely be looking for more books by Castellucci.

I only write about books on this blog that I really like, but this one…this one goes to the top of the book pile. I am totally in love with this book. I read it through in one sitting and was truly blown away by it all: the writing, the story, the characters, the ideas, everything. Do not let this one go unread. Oh, and if the author’s name sounds familiar, scroll down a bit and you’ll find where I wrote about her other book, BEIGE, which I liked a lot too. But this one I love. Also read THE QUEEN OF COOL last night and liked it too.

I feel like I’m on a roll here…lots of great books have come my way lately. This is a neat book. I know that makes me sound like I’m twelve, but it’s the word I want to use. It’s just kind of neat how it’s told from many different perspectives. Unlike many authors who try this, it’s completely clear and not the least bit confusing. It’s magical in its way, but also real and touching and often funny. My favorite bit (which won’t spoil anything) was when the mother said to one of the main characters, Chrissie, “Believe you me. Those Southern boys are all manners until you’re alone with them.” Of course, I got a good laugh out of that, being married to a Southern boy myself! This book is unique and very visual. It really comes alive in a sort of subtle and minimalistic way. Check it out!

I am happy to get back into a routine with my Friday Author Interviews. This week, Carol Culver has stopped by to answer some pressing questions. Okay, maybe not pressing, but interesting! Carol is a romance writer who is dipping her toes into the YA pool. Heck, she’s not just dipping, she’s making a splash with her new Best Friends Forever series. Here’s the interview!.

I decided since I’m going back to a schedule of sorts, I should do my Thursday Humorous Animal essay. This is when I write about the humorous animals in my life. In the past there was a skunk in the house, my cats always offer fodder and we had an eagle in our yard once, trying to pick off a goose out of the lake, which wasn’t exactly funny, but was very cool. Today we’ll talk about deer.

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, so deer were around. I mean, you didn’t see them down at the local 7-11, but you’d see them at the beach or along a country road, or even in the neighbour’s yard. Now I live on an island and there are deer, deer, everywhere deer. And guess what happens to deer who have no predators? They get friendly with the humans! Some more than others. Today we had a whole herd of young bucks in our yard. If you look closely, you can see their antlers trying to push through their skulls like little teeth pushing through baby gums. These guys LOVE me. Or I should say, they love carrots, bananas and apples – all of which they associate with yours truly. Today, the one we call Nubby (although to be fair, that could be any of them), was so intent on getting carrots that while I tried to give one to another deer with my right hand, he pressed his big wet nose right into my left hand and stole carrots while I wasn’t paying attention! The glutton. He’s cute though. Did you know deer have teeth? Well, of course you did, but did you know that if you run out of carrots, they’re not abject to chomping on your finger as a way of saying, “Hey! Go to the store and get more carrots!” Sorry guys…we’re all out. But next time they’re on sale, I’m going to buy a big bag. There ain’t nothing like a little deer slobber to brighten your day!

Me and Nubby- And yes, I am in my pajamas, but hey! It was morning. Give me a break.

“What do you mean they’re all gone?”

Nubby, just a few minutes ago when he came back to see if I’d been to the store yet. When he found out I hadn’t he bit me! He’s still cute though.

Oh, and my husband, the photographer, wanted me to point out that the colour phots are snapshots…snapshots and not photos that he wants credited to his portfolio (although the last one IS one he’ll accept credit for). I had to agree to this disclaimer before he let me use them on my website because he didn’t think y’all were dumb enough to believe that a mysterious less-than-talented photographer snuck over to our house this morning to photograph me with the deer, which was what I was going to say.

Well, as predicted, this was a very funny read. Yeah, I know…Eileen is one of my best friends and you might just think I’m plugging her book because I’m so proud of her, and maybe I am giving her a little extra press, but I also really enjoyed this very fun read. I laughed and laughed and then I laughed some more. So, you know, get yourself a copy and embark on a hilarious journey with her fab character, Sophie Kintock. And then follow along on Eileen’s first book tour.

I have to admit, that at the beginning it was a little hard for me to get into this book because so much of it is in italics. This was to show where the character was journaling vs. what was actually happening, but it made me a little crazy to read. This book also came recommended to me though, so I decided to keep going, and I’m really glad that I did. To be fair, it was my poor old eyes that objected, and since it’s YA, I don’t suppose those teens with young, sharp eyes will mind a bit! If you have old eyes too, keep going, it’s worth it!!!!

The reason I loved this book so much is because it takes on the harsh realities of eating disorders and infuses it with hope, magic, and love. It’s a beautifully written book, filled with an amazing amount of information on everything from eating disorders to mythology to the Holocaust to art, history, and world issues, and yet even with some sobering facts, I never found it depressing at all. It’s very poetic and lovely. Check it out!

I’m on a great book reading roll. Click here to find out why I loved this one.

Whether you call it the pitch, the hook, or simply your
query, the blurb you write in your cover letter that tells an agent
or editor what you’re trying to sell them, is one of the single
most important things you’ll ever write. When trying your hand
at it, think about the back of a book’s dust jacket. Think about
the blurb a reviewer uses to describe a book to an unknowing
audience. Think short, sweet, and exciting. But don’t think it’s
something you can gloss over because your sample pages will
speak for themselves.
Early in my career I went to a writer’s conference and I
distinctly remember an editor saying that she put very little
value in the cover letter. She advised writers to keep them short
and to let the writing do the talking. She said that she barely
read covers and a brief letter would endear you to an editor’s
heart.
I held onto that advice for years. Now I know she was
only speaking for herself, but at the time, I thought she
was speaking for all editors.
When it came time for me to
try and sell my young adult
manuscript, I included short
covers and only submitted to
editors who accepted sample
pages. With a bland cover, I
was counting on my writing
to grab their attention. What
I didn’t understand is that a
strong hook does so much
more than make them want
to read your sample; it makes them want to read your whole
book.
Just over a year ago, I switched from searching for a
publishing house to trying to find an agent. As I tuned into
blogs (Miss Snark, Kristen Nelson, Nadia Cornier, Rachel Vater), I
learned that the hook for you book, which is part of your cover
letter, is probably the most important tool you have at your
disposal. In theory, I understood the concept, but it took me a
long time to really “get” that the hook was as important as they
all said it was.
And believe it or not, I had to learn it twice before it sunk in.
The first time was last summer. I had finished my new YA and
wanted to query an agent who had shown interest in some of
my previous work, but who had declined to sign me on. I knew
my book had a good twist to it, so when she responded that the
writing was solid (first five pages) and she loved the character’s
voice, but the story was tired and had been done many times
before, my first thought was, “How can she say that? She doesn’t
even know what my book’s about! It’s got a great twist!”
After I got over the pang of rejection, my second thought
was, “All she really knows about my book is what I put in my
hook.” Ding. Ding. Ding. That was my problem. I rewrote the hook
but I didn’t just fire it off to agents again. Instead I gave it somethought and worked as hard on it as I had on my manuscript.
This time I thought of a clever way to tie the hook into one of
the unique features of my story and the title. I made the voice
of the hook match the voice of my character, even though it was
in third person. And I made it tight, snappy, and funny, just like
my manuscript.
That hook went on to snag many requests for partials and
fulls (even without sample pages) and in the end my writing
got me an agent. But I wasn’t done with hooks yet. Before I had
signed, I finished another YA and I started querying that one. I
wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice though. Instead I
made a new one. People who’ve read your manuscript are not
the ones who should critique your hook. They already know too
much.
I sent that hook out to my critique group. They gave me
great suggestions on how to tighten it, what should be cut,
where I could rearrange stuff, and when I was done, it was
very smooth and professional.
Everyone in my critique group
already liked my book, and
knew first hand the sense of
urgency that I’d embedded
into the manuscript, so they
didn’t notice it was missing in
my hook.
I sent out a batch of
queries and one of the quicker
agents got back to me right
away with the comment, “This
is really polished but I don’t feel the magic.” How could he not
feel the magic? Couldn’t he see how quick-paced and exciting
my book was? Didn’t he feel the life or death situation? I decided
it must have just been him. After all, not every manuscript is
right for every agent. But it wasn’t just him. When the “no’s”
started coming in hard and fast, I clued in that, once again, it was
probably my hook. Instead of going back to my critique group, I
sent it to a writer friend who knew absolutely nothing about the
book.
Her comments were, “There’s no sense of urgency. What
does the character lose if she doesn’t get what she wants? Why
does this matter?” In my attempt to show off my great plot and
character voice, I’d forgotten the essentials. What does she want
and what happens if she doesn’t get it? It all has to be in there, every
time, and if you ask agent/writer Donald Maas, he’ll say do it in
50 words. Yep. Fifty words! Others, like Miss Snark give you 250
words, but you still only get to write a one-page query, so you’ve
got to pack in your intro and bio around that. No fair using 8-
point type either.
Miss Snark (www.misssnark.com) and her Crap-o-meter is
a great place to start researching how to do a hook. Even if she
never does another one, everything you need to know is alreadyout there in her archives. Rachel Vater (http://raleva31.livejournal.
com/) talks on her Live Journal regularly about the queries she
receives and explains why they do and don’t work for her. Every
agent who blogs covers this topic off and on. With all the help
available, there’s no excuse for not making your hook the best it
can be. After all, the better your hook, the more likely an agent or
editor is to find the gem in slush. Help them find your jewel, and
you’ll help yourself get an agent or publishing contract. Besides,
it’s good practice for when you really do have to write the copy
for your dust jacket.

(sorry the formatting’s kind of funky…I cut and pasted from an Adobe document)

Read the article here.

I suppose this is old news to any of the members of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, but I get my bulletin very late, so I’ve just seen it. I have a new article published in the Jan/Feb bulletin about writing your manuscript hook for your cover letter. It certainly hasn’t caused the stir that the Red Hair article spurred, but if it helps, I’m happy to have assisted. If you’re not a member of SCBWI, you can check it out here.

P.S. I’ve updated the pictures on my Bio page too.

Read all about my new favorite bubble bath series here (I call it a bubble bath series because you really should sink into a tub with some yummy snack and this book).

   I’ll just say up front that I never would’ve picked this book up if someone hadn’t recommended it to me. No offense, but I’ve read too many of those rich girls who go to private schools, shop, party, spend their summers at the Hamptons and generally bore me to death books. I’ve read at least two and a half, I’m sure! Oh, and there’s always some poor relation or nanny or something too, isn’t there. Blech!

However, had I assumed this was one of those books, I would’ve been wrong. Luckily, the people who like those books, will pick this up, and those who don’t will find out about it on blogs like this one. Besides the personal recommendation, it was published by Delacorte and I love Delacorte books, so I had to at least give it a chance.

I’m really glad I did because this book is really, really fun.  And there are more! It’s a series. Yes, the three main characters (triplets) are big time celebutantes. Yes, they own more clothes for one season than I’ve owned in my whole life. And yes, they have a chauffeur and a limo and get facials and each have their own luxury bathroom. But they’re also smart, funny, have distinctive personalities, goals, and are human. That’s the big difference between this book and so many others. The other thing is that they have a penchant for solving crimes. And that’s where the real fun begins. So if you thought this wouldn’t be your type of book, you should get some chocolate, draw a foamy bubble bath, and settle in with it. Think Agatha Christie meets Hello Magazine.

This is a fabulous book that I almost didn’t read. Here’s why and also why I’m glad I didn’t judge a book by its cover.

Well, I just read two books in a row with where the main character’s mother was dead. I think that’s #12 on my list of most overused things and sometimes I wonder if it shouldn’t be moved up. I’m partly bugged by the dead mother syndrome because how many kids did you know when you were growing up whose mother was dead? I knew exactly zero. But mostly I’m bugged by it because it seems like authors are using it to try and be unique. It’s not unique. It’s #12 and on the rise.

However, in the case of both of these books, the authors get a pass from me (not that they probably care, actually!). The reason is because both of these books are about motherhood. Usually when the mother is dead in MG or YA, it’s simply to have gotten rid of her so the father can be the one raising the kids and clueless to the angst, or so the father can remarry and it’s not a case of just another divorce.

In Spinelli’s new book, EGGS, there’s not much…well…new. Still, I’m a big fan of Spinelli in general and certain books in particular. If you don’t mind a sort of tried and true story from him, then this is a good read. And he has such a way with words, he’s so poetic in the most uniquely Spinelli way, that really, it’s worth reading just for a few times where his prose really stuns you.

This book is what I think is usually referred to as a novella. It’s a read-in-one-short-sitting sort of book. I think it’s got a unique hook, although maybe teens might find it a little heavy handed with its message. Still, it’s not your typical girl gets pregnant book at all and I enjoyed it. I like Ryan’s other book, Rules For Life, better, but this is good too.

I just read two books in a row with dead mothers.

I really liked this book a lot. It was really funny with a great voice and a nice quirky plot. The main character is an American/Brit who normally lives in England, but is visiting her grandmother in the US, so it’s a nice combo of American and British humour. I particularly like the layout for how it’s told, but it’s easier if you see it than if I explain it. The only problem I had with it was twice the character made phone calls to England, and being that I live on the west coast, and she was visiting California, and I make calls to England, I feel like someone should’ve checked the time difference in the editing process. It’s eight hours most of the year, and definitely during the time the book was set, but she called her friends as they were “going out with their parents” and yet, it was late afternoon in California. That makes it roughly 10pm-12am in Oxford. Things like this drive me crazy. But that’s just me…Pick up the book, read it, laugh out loud, look for more of this author’s work, and don’t let my little idiosyncrasies drive you crazy too!

It’s that time of year again… My Fave Fifteen of 2007 They are listed in the order I read them, not the order I loved them. If you’re the author, feel free to make some stickers for your book saying, “Endorsed by Joëlle Anthony”. I’m cool with that.

1. Amazing Grace by Megan Shull
2. Megiddo’s Shadow by Arthur Slade
3. Scarlett by Cathy Cassidy
4. The Isabel Factor by Gayle Friesen
5. Squashed by Joan Bauer
6. It’s a tie – Framed and Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce
7. The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff
8. The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl by Barry Lyga
9. The Boxer by Kathleen Karr
10. If We Kiss by Rachel Vail
11. Gentle’s Holler by Kerry Madden
12. Gemini Summer by Iain Lawrence
13. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
14. Brides of Eden by Linda Crew
15. I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
    

These were not all written in 2007, that’s just when I read them. Some are a bit light and fun, some are more literary, and some are just really good stories, but I loved them all. If you look at last year’s list (scroll down to the bottom of the post), you’ll see some author repeats. Can’t help it! Those authors have got my number!

Rules For Life by Darlene Ryan

How to Take the Ex out of Ex-Boyfriend by Janette Rallison

A new YA by my friend Eileen Cook that’s not out yet…I got a sneak peek. You’re gonna love it when it’s out next year.

Knots In My Yo-yo String by Jerry Spinelli

Terms of Endearment by Larry McMurtry

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter (much awaited, loved it, but…well, email me if you read it, I have a question for you)

The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer (audio, read it ages ago)

Probably more, but that’s all I can remember for now. I recommend them all even though I haven’t said anything specifically or dug up all the covers to make this post pretty and eye catching. Enjoy!

Reading Is Less Fundamental in Bush Budget
CEO of Reading Is Fundamental Carol Rasco issued a statement warning that “President Bush’s proposed budget calling for the elimination of Reading Is Fundamental’s (RIF) Inexpensive Book Distribution program would be devastating to the 4.6 million children and their families who receive free books and reading encouragement from RIF programs…. Unless Congress reinstates $25.5 million in funding for this program, RIF would not be able to distribute 16 million books annually to the nation’s youngest and most at-risk children.”
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