My First Interview

2 May

I had my first author interview with Nova Ren Suma, author of Imaginary Girls, this past Friday on her blog, Distraction No. 99. Check it out!

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Sunflower

2 May

May screensaver.

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Hunger Games Quiz

10 Apr

This is a reposting from my HG Trilogy heart throb quiz as it appeared on Forever Young Adult.

How will we sustain our Hunger Games TEABS until Fall 2013 when Catching Fire is released? With a quiz, naturally, to determine your favorite HG heartthrob. So, gear up, Tributes, and find out who will be your number one weakness in the cornucopia of love.

1. On your first date with your new beau, you end up having one too many strawberry daiquiris and reveal too much about yourself, namely that your first romantic high school experience was with:

A. The boy next door. Your parents were devastated when the two of you broke up. You still see him at family reunions because, as your parents say, he’s bound to be part of this family…eventually.

B. That hot senior guy. Your parents did not approve. At first it was a thrill, but after six months, you still couldn’t tell if he was that into you. After you broke up, he refused to speak to you until the day before you left for college, only to say, “You’re the only one I ever loved.”

C. The lead in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He took you to the most outrageous parties and was forever surrounded by an entourage of fascinating people. When you pointed him out to your parents, your dad said, “the one with the makeup?”

D. The tattooed line-cook at the pit barbeque where you worked part-time. Because of the age difference, your parents never knew about him. You were together for all the wrong reasons. The only way to quit him was to quit your job. Now, you can’t eat barbeque beans without tasting regret.

 

2. It’s your second date with your new beau. Instead of meeting you for drinks, he’s picking you up at your house. Once there, you’re surprised to discover that he drives:

A. A Toyota Camry, safe and dependable. He claims the John Mayer CD was in there already when he bought the car, but you don’t believe him.

B. A Jeep Wrangler with no doors. When you ask about a seatbelt, he throws you a rope and says, “Strap yourself in.” His music might be bluegrass, if you could hear above the wind.

C. A silver Mercedes with heated seats. His soundtrack—Madonna, the Immaculate Collection.

D. A Boston Whaler blasting Aerosmith’s Sweet Emotion. He knows all the words.

 

3. You’ve come down with a cold. L Your new beau drops in to check on you. To make you feel better, he:

A. Cooks you homemade chicken noodle soup which he feeds to you with a toddler spoon to make the experience last longer.

B. Pours you a shot of Jack Daniels and drops a BC tablet into it. When you complain about the taste, he reminds you of all those in the world who’ve got it worse than you.

C. Doesn’t do well with germs, so he wears a face mask, but stays to watch a marathon of America’s Next Top Model.

D. Rubs your feet, then puts up his feet and says, “me next.”

 

4. You’ve had a rough couple weeks at work and have just met your big deadline. It’s time to relax. Your beaufriend surprises you with:

A. A weekend reservation at the local bed & breakfast because why would you want to leave town when everything you could possibly want is right here?

B. A plastic tarp and some iodine tablets. The two of you will be roughing it in the woods.

C. A plane ticket to meet him in Paris for Fashion Week where he speaks only in French.

D. A road trip to a clothes-optional beach in Florida where he introduces you to his sister, who oddly enough looks a lot like you.

 

5. Things are getting serious. It’s time to meet his family, including his mother. She can’t help but compare you to his ex. According to her, his last girlfriend:

A. “came from a very good family.”

B. “was a crazy, hot mess.”

C. “was model-gorgeous, but looks don’t matter much these days, do they?”

D. “was a mermaid.”

 

6. You decide to sleep over at his house. In the middle of the night, the smoke alarm goes off. Fire! As you’re both running for the door, he turns back to grab something. On the lawn you realize it’s:

A. A pastry knife.

B. A shotgun.

C. A value-pack of feather hair extensions.

D. A trident.

 

7. You and beau are at the beach. A pretty girl walks by and you catch him checking her out. He knows he’s busted and says to you:

A. “Your face is much more beautiful.”

B. “She looks like a lot of work.”

C. “That swimsuit was horrendous.”

D. “If only she had a tail.”

 

8. The two of you have been spending a lot of time together, so much that you’ve neglected your besties. Girls night in! Your phone rings. When they see his name on your caller ID, they say:

A. “that guy is so obsessed with you.”

B. “If things don’t work out, feel free to send him my way.”

C. “Invite him over!”

D. “Is he the one with the fin fetish?”

 

9. You got into a fight with a co-worker who is a backstabbing B. To make you feel better, he:

A. Listens to your second-by-second replay, sympathizes with you 100%, then takes you to see The Vow and sneaks in a pint of ice cream, which he ends up finishing because it’s just so unfair!

B. Makes a target with her face on it and lets you shoot his gun.

C. Designs you a new outfit to wear at the next company event.

D. Cooks you seafood paella, dims the lights and puts on Marvin Gaye’s greatest hits.

 

10. You can’t believe it’s been five weeks already! When he says “I love you,” you:

A. Feel the stirrings of a panic attack.

B. Wonder if it’s because you said it first.

C. Figure it was because you said Versace is uninspiring.

D. Assume he must be trying to get in your pants; it works.

 

Now for the results…

Mostly A’s: Team Peeta

Like the pocket of bread he’s named for, this sensitive type is not afraid to open up and spill his guts. He will keep your secrets in his doughy center and accept you as you are, so long as you remain faithful and true. But beware his passive aggressive tendencies. They can be murderous.

Mostly B’s: Team Gale

The strong, silent type. You often wonder what he’s thinking, but then he tells you, and you wish he hadn’t. He wants what he wants when he wants it, but you’re okay with that. You like a good project, and you’re confident that given enough time, you will wear down his rough edges. Keep your prescription for happy pills filled; you’re going to need them.

Mostly C’s: Team Cinna

This cosmopolitan trendsetter is confident in many social circles. Not many can pull off gold eyeliner, but he can. He knows all the hot places to go for dining and dancing, and has an open invite to the best parties in town. Your friends will love him. Your mother too. He can tell you if that dress makes you look fat or fabulous, but when it comes to gutting squirrels, you’re on your own.

Mostly D’s: Team Finnick

This is a bad boy of the best kind. You realize that this relationship might not last, but it’s the ride, not the destination, that matters. The only thing that wanders more than his hands, is his eyes, but you know that his heart belongs to you. You can introduce him to your parents, but not your little sister. Like you, she has a sweet tooth.

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Arrowhead

1 Apr

April screensaver.

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Darth Vader and the Death Star: An Editing Ideology

28 Mar

In between construction on Death Stars I and II, Darth Vader moonlighted as senior editor for a major publishing house. He applied his same philosophy in running the Death Star to critiquing manuscripts, using the Force to ensure that writers were as ruthless with words as he was with underlings. He valued, above all else, economy and efficiency.

Here are a few pointers from the Darth Vader school of thought:

1. Choke your darlings.

If you have a minor character who is underperforming, or worse, not performing at all, choke them out using the Force. If you have a droid and a human who serve the same function, combine them into a cyborg, thus making them more than both. There is no room on the Death Star or in a manuscript for freeloaders.

2. Blast your adverbs, clichés, unnecessary dialogue tags, etc.

These time-wasters are like Stormtroopers—can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Like the Imperial Army, they’re incredible ineffective. They have state-of-the-art weapons, but never actually hit their mark. In fact, they are the laughingstock of the entire galaxy. Economize the best and pulverize the rest.

3. Treat your adversaries with respect, but show no mercy.

Make your protagonist work, your antagonist too. Don’t let their fates be handed to them. If your protagonist is lacking oomph, make life harder—murder his aunt and uncle, cut off his hand, throw him down a vent shaft. If your antagonist seems two-dimensional, give him an inglorious Jedi past, a lost love, a dysfunctional father-son relationship. Give them both motivations and desires. And plans. Your antag and protag should each have a master plan that is in direct conflict with each other. Also, a fight scene with lightsabers never hurts.

4. Curb your tangents.

Keep only what’s interesting, relevant and well-written. This applies to both descriptions and random factoids. Do you know what the Death Star serves in the cafeteria on Wednesdays? Or how Darth Vader feels about the Emperor’s new job creation policies? Don’t distract from the story with too many asides. Keep the reader in the action of the story.

5. Break his heart.

Darth Vader no longer has a heart, but he remembers what it was like to have one. He wants to feel things too. Give your protagonist an internal struggle, have them build relationships with other characters, then destroy those relationships only to rebuild them again. Darth still wonders how a Wookie has more friends on Facebook than he does. Don’t they know he can destroy them with a single thought? It’s because at the end of the day, neither superweapons, nor annihilation can fill that empty space in Darth Vader’s chest.

Only the heart of your story can.

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HUNGER GAMES Movie Review

23 Mar

Deep breaths.

I just returned from the Hunger Games movie premiere with my head full of thoughts and my heart full of feelings, but as it is 4am, there is only time to explore so many, so here is the distilled version of my Hunger Games movie experience.
 
Overall, I’m satisfied with the choices director Gary Ross made. One of my biggest fears going into the movie is that they would try to either glamorize or minimize what I believe to be the story’s most important themes–violence, oppression, and greed.

They did not.

From the reaping in District 12 to the opulence of the Capitol to the carnage of the arena, the story felt honest. The fight scenes weren’t tricked out with special effects or slow motion or made to be longer than would seem natural. In fact, many of the deaths happened so fast, especially in the cornucopia scene, that one hardly had time to process what was going on, similar to how it might feel if you were actually in the arena. The Capitol citizens were despicable. The gamemakers were as well.

The movie inspired many emotions, including unease, anger and sympathy, not just for the most beloved characters, but for all the tributes forced to enter into the Hunger Games, which I think is Suzanne Collins’ intention.

The documentary style of filming, as well as the absence of a peppy soundtrack, added to the austerity of the film. There was a lot of silence throughout, or a simple backdrop of forest sounds that allowed for thoughtful moments and space for reflection. The settings were authentic. They really nailed the Seam, the District 12 square, the Capitol and its lavishly dressed audiences, the arena, even the modes of transportation. The extras were some of the best I’ve ever seen. Give them all a raise!

I felt each of the principal actors held their own. There could have been a little more chemistry between Katniss and Peeta, but their connection was tender and heartfelt in the cave, rather than completely staged for the Capitol audience, and I appreciated that.

Some of my favorite bits:

Prim–outstanding in every way.

Effie Trinket twirling her hand in that glass bowl right before she pulls Prim’s name.

District 12′s solemn salute to Katniss after she volunteers.

Peeta greeting the Capitol for the first time with genuine excitement.

Rue in the rafters of the training center.

Katniss throwing Peeta up against a wall after he confesses his love for her on stage.

Caeser Flickerman–yesss!

Rue and Katniss cuddled up together in the tree.

District 11′s riot after Rue’s death.

Gale’s attempts at not noticing Katniss and Peeta kissing in the cave.

Cato’s last monologue at the top of the cornucopia.

Seneca Crane and the bowl of berries.

Prim atop Gale’s shoulders when Katniss and Peeta return home, as well as the look on Peeta’s face at the realization that Katniss is conflicted in her feelings.

Overall, I feel J-Law did Katniss justice. In quiet moments she evoked a lot of emotion while leaving room for viewers to have their own thoughts and feelings on the matter, though I did wonder how that might work for people who haven’t read the book. Josh Hutcherson also did well as Peeta, though I’m hoping for Catching Fire there will be more opportunities for him to take the lead. Liam Hemsworth as Gale didn’t get enough screen time for my taste, but in his brief scenes, he did inspire the brooding mystique that surrounds Gale in the book.

My biggest complaint, Buttercup is a tabby cat with eyes the color of rotting squash and they put a black and white kitty in there. What the Buttercup?

But in the end, this fan is pleased.

Are you?

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On Dating

7 Mar

I recently read WHY WE BROKE UP by Daniel Handler (awesome book, btw) and without giving any of the story away, it reminds me of my own high school experience. I feel compelled to share. Names have been changed.

I was a junior. Dylan was a senior. We met at Papa John’s Pizza where we both worked along with several other people from our high school. There was a gender divide at Papa John’s. Boys made pizzas; girls answered the phones. The only time a boy answered the phone was when we girls were busy and it was only to say, “yeah, um, hold on.”

Except Dylan. He actually, you know, took orders. And when it was slow, he would use funny voices with the people on the phone, or ask them strange, personal questions. He was handsome, charismatic, funny… except every once in a while, he’d tell a lie.

Early on in the relationship I recieved a warning from Dylan’s best friend, Javier. Javier and I were playing video games while Dylan was occupied elsewhere in the house. Javier paused the game, turned to me and said, “You know that Dylan is a pathological liar, right?” I laughed it off (surely, you jest), but Javier assured me, “No, I’m for real. Homeboy lies all the time.”

Red flag. I didn’t argue with Javier because by then I’d noticed it as well, a little white lie here and there, all fairly innocent (Yes, I have enough money to cover dinner. No, I’m not late, you’re early. No, I didn’t get fired, I quit.)

I generally knew when Dylan was lying and I even knew why he lied. He wanted to be that person who didn’t make mistakes. I chose to see his potential and overlook his faults. So even while the evidence mounted against him, even when my friends raised their eyebrows at his inconsistencies, I forgave him.

But being lied to is not cool, no matter how small the lie. It makes you feel stupid when you believe that person, and it makes you angry to think they think you are stupid enough to believe them. Not to mention that lies breed more lies, mistrust, loss of faith, etc. etc.

As my boyfriend’s life spiraled out of control (skipping school, which led to dropping out, which led to doing more drugs, which led to…), I could no longer be the person treading water for the both of us. I had been doing it for too long, and I was exhausted.

It took two break-ups to make it stick. At the time it was very painful–the death of a relationship, my first love–especially when I found out how quickly he’d moved on. But that experience taught me a lot about what I was willing to put up with in a partner. From that point on, lying was a deal breaker from day one.

So, when you are thinking about who you are going to trust your heart with, I encourage you to make a list of the qualities you want from a partner and hold yourself and your someone special accountable. Tread cautiously and take it slow. If you mess up, forgive yourself, but learn something from it. No one is perfect, but there is someone out there who is perfect for you.

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THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green

2 Mar

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS is the story of Hazel and Augustus, both teen survivors of cancer. Augustus’ bone cancer is in remission, for now. Hazel has “lungs that suck at being lungs” and would have died, except that she is on a miracle drug that, along with an oxygen tank and breathing machine, have bought her a little more time.

If these two lives aren’t tenacious enough, enter a blossoming loveship and a wish to meet the author of The Imperial Infliction, a book that ilicits Catcher in the Rye type-adoration from its fans. In order to do so, the duo must gain the approval of family and doctors to travel to the Netherlands where the reclusive and mysterious author resides.

All Hazel and Augustus really want to know is what happens in the end to the the characters of The Imperial Infliction. But once there, the author himself is a dismal disappointment who offers no closure, which harkens back to the book’s theme, “the world is not a wish-granting factory.”

In strokes of light and dark, humor and sadness, John Green paints a portrait of two teens who transcend hummanity while wishing for it just the same. The love story between them is compelling, as well as their day-to-day interactions with family and friends. The way in which Green can turn a phrase to either send you into a fit or giggles or land a punch that has you gasping for air. Incredible. As an author, he’s getting better and better. Here are just a few things I liked:

The way Hazel, Augustus, and Isaac reappropriated cancer-speak and all of its tropes and slogans (I’m on a roller coaster that only goes up!)

That Augustus revered Max Mayhem who defied death at every turn (spolier alert: he never dies), and was bad at video games because he continually committed suicide to save others.

The third space that Hazel and Augustus created and their ability to draw humor from seemingly bleak situations.

The Anna Foundation for People with Cancer Who Want to Cure Cholera.

That every support group meeting opened with the story of Patrick’s balls.

TFIOS is a novel that is well worth the praise and adoration. It’s a story that will stay with you and one that you’ll want to read again and again.

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Southern Magnolia

2 Mar

March screensaver.

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Hotlanta, Here We Come!

22 Feb

We’re just hours away from SCBWI, Atlanta, aka Southern Breeze. I traveled there with my critique partners Heather and Angele two years ago and listened to some great speakers, including Scholastic editor Cheryl Klein and lit agent Josh Adams. My critique with Cheryl Klein was fantastic and the early version of the book she critiqued is currently being shopped around to editors. Not only that, when we went two years ago, MUSE was playing in Atlanta and Heather, her husband, and I popped over there Saturday night for the BEST CONCERT EVER.

Memories…

Sadly, MUSE will not be joining us this year, but our trio is making the pilgrimage once again. And there are some fantastic speakers, including Newberry Honor winning author Kirby Larson, Egmont USA editor Greg Ferguson, Harper Collins editor Kristin Daly Rens and one of my own agent’s associates, Mary Kole from Andrea Brown. I’m super excited about Greg’s talk on How to Make Thrillers More Thrilling, because I have a project that is in need of some thrillerizing.

And the Marriott has an omelet station. YUM!

For the Trinity, this is a special time as well because Angele is abandoning us  moving to Germany this summer for an amazing opportunity that shant be missed. Just kidding, Ange. (I’m working through it.) All this is to say, that this trip will be EPIC! Tears. Laughs. Pillow Fights. Omelets.

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