Guestopia - Aften Brook Szymanski

It's Guestopia time, and this month we are thrilled to welcome YA debut author Aften Brook Szymanski to YAtopia! 

In case you're wondering about her Aften - OF COURSE YOU ARE! - here are a few details to get you started! 

Aften Brook Szymanski, at the age of five, once fell on her bum looking out a large picture window while eating a pickle and people laughed. She thought she was funny, life has never been the same. She’s obsessed with LEGOs, cozy reading nooks, and over-the- knee socks. A graduate of the College of Southern Idaho with an Associate of Arts degree, Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science degree, and the University of Utah with a Master of Education degree. Learning is more fun than testing, sometimes we have to endure both.

She lives in a very cold Wyoming valley with her husband, three kids, and one unhappy cat, where they are being cryogenically preserved for all time—thanks to how cold it is.


And now for the interview! Take it away, Aften! 


Is this your first published book?

Yes—through a publisher. Though I have self-published children’s books, mostly for my own kids and family. That is what got me started and taught me that “hey, maybe I can do this writing thing I’ve always loved.” Not everyone considers self-published works to be the same as published.

What’s it called?

Killer Potential

Which genre?

Psychological Thriller

Which age group?

YA or teen

Is it a series or standalone?

It’s written as a standalone novel.

Are you an agented author?

I am not agented. I’d love to have an agent. I’m currently querying a different novel in hopes of finding agent representation.

Which publisher snapped up your book?

BookFishBooks offered me a contract. I had three offers for this piece at the time, and it was difficult to decide where to take the story. I loved the covers that BookFishBooks puts out and they’re contract was very fair. I’ve also loved working with their editors and staff. They’re fantastic.


How involved have you been in the whole publishing process of your book?

I’ve revised a number of areas that just weren’t sharp enough, as well as gone through several rounds of edits. The marketing team lets me know what they’re working on and asks for my feedback, but overall they get the final say. They make good work, so I trust them. I was also able to approve the cover design, which I’m sure stressed the team out a ton. I panicked once of seven times.

Do you have another job?

My favorite job is being a mom. I also work as a teacher for the visually impaired, where I get to do cool stuff like work with braille (only part time). I like to work and have taken jobs from filling in at the local Post Office on Saturday’s for our Post Master to weeding onion fields and picking peas. I’ve worked in a fabric store, burger joint, teen correction facility, psych unit, research aide for a molecular biologist, teaching grade school (this is what my undergrad degree is in), filing HMO’s… I enjoy work where I feel like I’m helping. (I also started working when I was 13 and worked while I was going to college and grad school, which gave me a lot of different work opportunities).

Did you receive many, if any, rejections prior?

Heck yes! There were some weeks when I averaged a rejection a day.

What created/what were you doing or watching when the first idea for this book sneaked up on you?

Probably staring at the blinking cursor of mockery.

How long did you plot/plan until you started writing it?

I’m a bare bones plotter. I create a basic outline and beef it up from there.

Once you started, did the story flow naturally or did you have to step in and wrestle it into submission?

This story flowed. Revisions… That was a wrestle, but well worth it.

How many drafts did you write before you let someone read it? Who was that someone?

Two. I probably should have waited for three. I think Tifani Clark was my first beta reader. We often read each other’s works. She’s an amazing writer.

Did you employ an editor/proofreader or did you have a critique partner/beta readers before you started querying?

I circulated through two rounds of beta readers and critique partners. In each round I had between three and five people read and made revisions first on things that were common concerns, and then went into greater detail with each person’s notes from there. I have great beta readers/critique partners.

Roughly how many drafts did it take before you sent the manuscript off into the real world?

Probably twenty-three. By the time I sent to BookFish It had been revised twenty-seven times (at least, maybe more).

How many drafts until it was published?

If I count the edit rounds with BookFish, I’d say thirty some-odd drafts.

Has the book changed dramatically since the first draft?

So much. Completely. All for the better.

Are there any parts you’d like to change even now?

Sometimes I’d like to make it a happier story, but it just doesn’t fit.

What part of writing do you find the easiest?

The part before revision, but the most rewarding part is definitely the revision phases.

What part do you find hardest?

Due to my natural lack of organization, revisions can be a struggle. But, I’ve managed to employ some helps that make it easier for me to tackle everything thanks to amazing writing friends.

Do you push through writing barriers or walk away?

Both. It depends what’s going on in my day as to whether I can push through or need to just walk away. I’ve found that I generally make better choices to address the barrier if I go with my instinct regarding the hang-up. By that I mean, if I feel the need to walk away, I often discover the problem/solution engaging in other activities. Or if I feel I can push it, the scene often materializes.

How many projects do you have on the go at the same time?

I try to work on one project at a time, but might also be doing revisions while working on a new WIP.

Do you think you’re born with the talent to write or do you think it can be learned?

I’m a firm believer in dedication over talent. I am not naturally talented in writing. I am dedicated and in love with writing. Determination to learn skills in areas I fall short has helped me continue to progress. I love that.

How many future novels do you have planned?

Way too many. I have an abundance of ideas and not enough time to write them all. I have a folder with story ideas that continues to fill all the time.

Do you write other things, such as short stories, articles, blogs, etc?

I write all the things (minus articles). I love venturing into different styles. Though I admit I am not skilled in every genre of writing. If I worked at each genre I’m sure I’d improve in those areas, but I might not ever be awesome at them all.

What’s the highlight of being published so far?

When someone relates to something in the story. That’s my favorite thing in the world.

Give me one writing tip that work for you.

“Whether or not you write well, Write Bravely.” –Bill Stout

And one that doesn't.

“Write every day.”

Can you give us a clue or secret about the next book?

Trust your instincts or accept the consequences.

What question have you always wanted to be asked but never have? What would the answer be?

Q: “Are those salon made silver streaks in your hair? It looks amazing.”

A: “Nope. That’s all my own self-grown wirey-gray strands or life experience and awesomeness. Gray Pride.”

Best question and answer ever! 

Well, thank you, Aften, for taking the time to pop by. We wish you all the best with Killer Potential and implore lovers of dark YA fiction to get out there and buy this book! Here's the blurb and some essential links! 

BLURB

Seventeen-year- old Yvette Gibbs was just admitted to the hospital psych unit in handcuffs as the main suspect in a murder case, which she refuses to talk about. 

Drugs and depression claim her family—leaving Yvette to fight her own demons alone. Adopting the skill of master of passive-aggressive vengeance lands Yvette in the psych unit with no family support, unless she cooperates with her therapist to clear her name, also a convicted murderer.

Yvette wants revenge on the world that taught her to be afraid, claimed her mother to depression, hid her father in a fog of job hopping, turned her brother to dealing drugs, and swallowed her sister whole, but to achieve this she must lie, manipulate, and most of all survive. Pitting her dead sister’s shady friend whom she fears against the man who reminded her she’s not immune to victimization, is her perfect solution to all life's hassles, even if that means she ends up with blood on her hands. Until everything backfires.

Follow Aften

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Where to Find Killer Potential

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And here's a cheeky giveaway! 
 
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Tips for Writing About Serious Subjects

One of the most amazing things about having a book out is finally hearing what lots of different people think about your writing. I've heard some amazing things and some bad things, but one of the most interesting things is how raw and realistic my work is, especially when it comes to heavy subject matter. What is heavy subject matter? Self-Esteem, Drug Use, Abusive Relationships, Self-Loathing, Insane Parents, Teen Pregnancy. Basically just your day-in-the-life of most teenagers or their friends or classmates. This isn't something I set out to do intentionally, but I am so happy I am being recognized for it.

I am so happy readers and reviewers think PRETTY AMY speaks to teens, adults, teachers, parents about the real issues they go through.

For my first official YAtopia member post, I thought I would share some tips on how to write about serious subjects and have teens and adults actually listen.

1. Do not censor yourself. As you're writing you might hear your inner editor say things like, don't use swear words, don't say things like that, don't let your MC admit they think things like that. When you are writing about serious subjects you need to put yourself and your characters out there, otherwise your readers will see it as inauthentic.

2. Open a vein. Not literally, but let yourself feel what your character is feeling. Teens feel differently and more intensely than adults do. They haven't learned to brush things off as easily as adults. If something happens to them, give it the attention it deserves in their life and on the page. In PRETTY AMY, Amy is arrested on Prom night, she deals with this challenge for most of the book. It would be strange for her to feel better, or understand the full-impact of her arrest immediately.

3. Don't Preach. Present the issue without any kind of opinion. This is very hard, but you don't not want to come out and say, drugs are bad, or you should know you're pretty, or anything like that. It seems inauthentic and will make a teen shut your book faster than they could download it.

4. Don't solve the problem with a neat little bow. Happy endings happen sure, but make it seem believable. If someone is going through something horrible, there is no way they will be completely better by the end of the book. They will be a little better, they may see things more clearly, but no be jumping up and down with happiness so create your endings accordingly. In PRETTY AMY, Amy has come to a place of understanding about herself and her life, but she also knows and acknowledges that she has a long way to go.

5. Use detail. Make your reader feel the searing pain of having a boy reject you, the fear of being arrested, the dull ache of not being good enough. You can't just say your character feels these things, you need to show how in scene.

6. Allow your character to grow. (This would be something I learned from my editor). When you are dealing with serious subjects, you tend to have characters that are negative, angry and closed off. They cannot be like this for the whole book. They need to open up eventually, or the reader feels duped.

7. Keep some scenes funny and light. Even if you are dealing with serious subjects you need to entertain the reader. Your whole book cannot be doom and gloom. Also having scenes that are funny and light tends to highlight the deeper and heavier scenes making them more poignant. There are several scenes in PRETTY AMY that have been referred to as "laugh-out-loud". I placed them strategically in between very heavy scenes.

8. Open your high school yearbook. I'm serious. Nothing takes you back to the way you really felt in high school than by looking at it. This all goes back to sounding authentic.

9. Use overarching metaphor. This gives your book and main character deeper meaning. Choose a symbol that brings to mind a particular emotion or feeling. In PRETTY AMY it was Amy's parrot AJ. It talked and she felt like she could not. It was in a cage and she felt trapped. It was set free at the end, where Amy starts to understand how to "set herself free".

10. Be real. Like really, really real. I think if you are a Contemporary YA author you have a duty to present the kind of issues and situations that teens really experience. Sure, not all teens are arrested on prom night, but what teen hasn't dealt with feelings of inadequacy. That kernel is where the true story should come from.

Any tips you would add? Please mention them in the comments.

What to include in YA novels?

Simple answer to that: EVERYTHING!!

I've seen a lot of questions around the internet recently on new writers, or even people new to YA, asking what is deemed acceptable to write about in YA.

So in simple terms, if it happens to teens, you can write about it.

There's a lot of controversial topics out there. Teenage pregnancy, sex scenes, swearing, abuse, kidnap, drinking, drugs, smoking! It happens, so it can happen in your book too.

Of course, there will be editors and agents who have preferences. But if you feel that your book needs for your characters to have sex, or to get into a relationship with an older person then write it. Write what the book needs, not what you feel the market needs. And when you decide that you want to find an agent and get it published, look for the agents you know represent topics like yours. Research into books and find out who the agent was.

Trust me, there really isn't much you can't put in YA. There's even YA erotica that's on the up and up. Don't be afraid to write your story. Seriously, don't. Just write what you want to write, read up on the books that'll be your competition, that'll be in your genre and have fun!

And to finish this post, here are a list of books I personally know of that deal with the topics above:

Living Dead Girl - Elizabeth Scott

Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson

Hate List - Jennifer Brown

Stolen - Lucy Christopher

Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles

Forget You - Jennifer Echols

The Duff - Kody Keplinger

Some Girls Are - Courtney Summers

Forbidden - Tabithua Samuza

Diversity in YA Lit

First, I want to make a little announcement. Last time I posted, I mentioned that my sister and I were trying out for the YA Rebels. Well, guess what?

We're the new Saturday Rebel(s)! All the Rebels are posting intro videos up this week so check them out and you can see ours on Saturday! I wrote a post about all the new rebels, but my web host's server crashed last week and hasn't come back up, so you can see the Google cached version (without pictures) here if you wish.

Now on to my regularly scheduled post...

My post today was inspired by this post by Zoe Marriott (who, by the way, I met through YA Rebels auditions!) as well as the posts over the past week(ish) by YAtopians Kelley, Leigh, and Sharon. It seems we're inadvertently tackling "issues" in YA lit this week!

Zoe's post is basically encouraging (especially) white, straight, able-bodied writers to add more true (non-stereotypical non-token) diversity to their characters. I didn't even fully realize until I read this post that I'm 20k words into a novel where my FMC is 4th generation Chinese-American, my MMC is a Ugandan who has been in the US a few years, and one of my antagonists is a Japanese woman pretending to be the German Ambassador's daughter (don't ask; just trust me on this one for now). BTW, to avoid confusion, both of my MCs and most of my characters are also weredragons. There's also diversity in the types of dragons that definitely causes tension between the different groups. I mean, check out how different these two dragons are:

There are even "differently-abled" people as supporting characters all over the place. The reason why that specific phrase is used and in quotes is they're differently-abled compared to the other dragons, not necessarily compared to human conventions. There is one woman who suffered a brain injury that prevents her from fully changing back to a human and she has dragon scales covering some of her human body. Another character is in terrible shape - missing both legs, terribly scarred face, and other dragon-specific injuries.

FMC: Katherine "Kitty" Lung

My point is, I didn't really set out to create this "diversity." It's simply a result of the different dragon mythologies I wanted to blend to create my world AND the fact that these dragons are constantly facing dangerous situations with a high probability of severe injuries. And I've learned over the years that I'm apparently more accustomed to living in "multicultural" settings than most people expect a blue-eyed girl born in Missouri to be, thanks to my life as a military brat.

MMC: Bulisani "Sani" Mathe

I'm comfortable with all these different cultures, it seems natural to me - especially in a country as diverse as the US. But I do still worry about getting something wrong. I'm doing tremendous amounts of research on cultures, but I fear that I'll make one mistake and be accused of being "ignorant" or "insensitive." (I may somehow be the former, but I'm definitely not the latter.) My FMC is 4th generation American - but is she too Americanized? Too Chinese? My MMC is Christian, like 80% of Ugandans but will I be accused of trying to make him more relatable by mentioning his religion?

These are all real, valid fears I have and I know it's a risk. But for me, for this story, it's a risk I'm willing to take. I know I'll have to find a publisher to take those risks with me too - and with all the talk of whitewashing covers the past few years, I'm worried.

So what do y'all think about diversity in YA Lit? I'd really love to have a conversation about it in the comments.

UPDATE: I just realized I didn't discuss diversity in terms of sexual orientation, but that is something to think about too.

That's dope - or maybe it's not?

Wow, it's been so long since I've done a regular post with all the competitions we've had here. But a huge thank you to all the agents and followers who participated. At the bottom of the post you'll find the winners of the John Cusick Micro Synopsis.

Today I want to talk about something that could be a bit more controversial - drugs. More specifically recreational drugs in YA novels where it is not issues based.


For me I have mixed views. On one hand I understand how impressionable young readers can be, and feel that writers have a responsibility not to lightly insert sex, swearing or drug use into YA novels. On the other hand I believe that writers also should, where possible, portray things realistically. And drugs are out there, and some teens use them.

And then, I'm also a mother and I would love it if my kids never touched drugs.

So I'm looking for you opinion - are scenes with recreational drug use okay in YA novels that are not issues based?

So, you can take the poll, but I'd love you to also leave some qualifying comments.

Is it okay to have drug use in a non-issues YA book?
	No.
	No, writers have an obligation to society not to promote drug use.
	No, not in YA. But in adult fiction it's okay.
	No, but in issues-based YA it's okay
	Yes, some teens do drugs.
	Yes, if it's not glorified and is realistic.
	Yes
pollcode.com free polls

Now Drumroll... and the message from Mr. John Cusick himself:

This was a tough one! There were some really fabulous ideas, and the final five were very close.

Winner:

GAME SHOW by Pam Vickers

30 Page Synops:

STORM CHASERS by Andrea Leech

Untitled Time-Travel Y.A. by Melanie Stanford

I thought these two deserved Honorable Mention:

WORMHOLE by Scott Springer

RIGID STEPPES by Tamara Heiner

Contestants are welcome to query John via the S©ott Treimel NY  agency's online submission form.

Profanity (Yikes! I mean cursing) in YA

Firstly, Ugh! I just hate that word ‘profanity’ it has a horrible ring to it.  It offends me just to type it here.  It conjures up images of old ladies with corkscrew permed, blue rinsed hair, banging on about how society is wronging the youth of today.

But I encountered the use of this word in a review regarding a few minor curse words used in my book, Carrier of the Mark.  Now I’m not talking the F bomb here, I’m talking the occasional (and I hope I don’t offend anyone reading this blog with these words, I personally don’t find them offensive, so apologies in advance to those of you who do) ‘Jesus Christ’, ‘shite’, and the one that really got up this reviewers nose, ‘god damn’.

In my view, there is a fine line we YA authors thread.  It is our job to write a true representation of YA’s in the world we live in.  In Carrier I'm representing real Irish people, who speak with Irish accents and Irish slang.  People might not like that fact that cursing is part of our lives, but it is, and there is no getting away from it. 

The reviewer loved Carrier and gave it a glowing review saying it was the best book she'd reviewed since she started reviewing, but she had issues with the ‘cussing’ so downgraded her review from a 5 star review to a 3 star review because of one use of ‘god damn’ and several uses of ‘shite’ .  Now I think everyone is entitled to their opinion, and this reviewer is a really nice girl with very strong religious beliefs, which I respect her for. 

So here’s the question I put to you.  Do you believe that books should be penalized for use of elements that you don’t agree with even though the accurately portray the world you're writing about, should reviewers take a broader view?  Or, do you think YA books should be kept clean of any use of cursing and cushion the YA reader from the realities that some might find a little harsh?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.  Please give us your insight, as this is a topic I’m fascinated by.

Have yourselves a good one!

Leigh

Violence vs Sex in YA

My post is a day late - don't hate me! But as my way of saying sorry, I bring a discussion. Please participate, even if you don't really have an opinion.

So, recently it has been plaguing me that within YA books these days, sex scenes are taboo, but violence is okay. What kind of world do we want to bring our children up in, or do you want to grow up in, where hurting someone is seen as everyday, but talking about sex or having sex or thinking about sex is bad?

There are a lot of different opinions about this. We have the thought that not every teen is thinking about or having sex. Which is a fair enough point except most teens are a bundle of pulsating hormones that means even if they're not doing it, they're most definitely wondering about it and thinking about it. Do we want teens to read about sex from pornos? To only learn about the mechanics of it in sex education? Or can they read about other people in their situation and how their first times, second times, whole sexual relationships can be?

An opposition to this would be that these books are fiction. They're made up from someone's fantasy, someone's mind. Maybe sex is romanticised. Maybe books give teen girls the impression that guys are perfect and will treat you well during your first time and will want to be with you after. They give a false sense that sex means happily ever after. But what about the books where it shows that sex isn't everything? That you should wait? Because while there are definitely books that might briefly touch upon a young couple moving to the next step and it being perfect, there are also the books that show girls choosing to have sex too early, too unprepared for it.

And yet we have violence. We have books that happily show kids dying (The Hunger Games, for example) or parents dying (Harry Potter) or even scenes where innocent strangers die or supernatural bad guys. Scenes where bodies are torn limb to limb and blood is drained and people are bitten and mauled. We describe blood and sometimes guts and most definitely wounds - both physical and mental. But when it comes to sex, we often fade to black.

So, let me ask you a question, how disappointed would you be, reading a YA book these days, if your kick-butt heroine comes up against her nemesis and just as they rush at each other, the scene fades to black, only to reopen with the heroine briefly looking back at it and only explaining her emotions throughout but giving no detail?

There is a huge difference between going overboard and writing every detail of a fictional couple's first time in bed. But there are ways to do scenes tastefully and without in depth detail. Ways to let the reader know what's happening, while giving them the chance to use their imagination. Why and how has it become okay that kids can read about violence but not sex? And whose fault is this? Why do authors shy away from writing it or editors shy away from publishing it?

What do you think?

*I would like to make it clear that I am not a sex perv, nor am I seriously offended by the fact that sex is seen as taboo in YA. I just thought it would be an interesting discussion*