MADE OF STARS Cover Reveal

We're honored to help reveal the cover of YAtopia Alum Kelley York's newest book, Made of Stars! 

When eighteen-year-old Hunter Jackson and his half sister, Ashlin, return to their dad’s for the first winter in years, they expect everything to be just like the warmer months they’d spent there as kids. And it is—at first. But Chance, the charismatic and adventurous boy who made their summers epic, is harboring deep secrets. Secrets that are quickly spiraling into something else entirely.

The reason they’ve never met Chance’s parents or seen his home is becoming clearer. And what the siblings used to think of as Chance's quirks—the outrageous stories, his clinginess, his dangerous impulsiveness—are now warning signs that something is seriously off.

Then Chance's mom turns up with a bullet to the head, and all eyes shift to Chance and his dad. Hunter and Ashlin know Chance is innocent...they just have to prove it. But how can they protect the boy they both love when they can’t trust a word Chance says?


Kelley's: Website -- Facebook -- Twitter  -- Goodreads -- Pinterest


You can pre-order Made of Stars at Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or add it on Goodreads!

Cover reveal: Suicide Watch by Kelley York

Former YAtopian, Kelley York, is releasing her latest novel, Suicide Watch this month! And YAtopia is happy to be hosting the cover reveal!

She released the ground breaking novel Hushed and now brings us more heartbreaking new novel. Subscribe to her latest news on her blog for information on how to buy Suicide Watch when it's launched.

Blurb:

18-year-old Vincent Hazelwood has spent his entire life being shuffled from one foster home to the next. His grades sucked. Making friends? Out of the question thanks to his nervous breakdowns and unpredictable moods. Still, Vince thought when Maggie Atkins took him in, he might’ve finally found a place to get his life—and his issues—in order.

But then Maggie keels over from a heart attack. Vince is homeless, alone, and the inheritance money isn't going to last long. A year ago, Vince watched a girl leap to her death off a bridge, and now he's starting to think she had the right idea.

Vince stumbles across a website forum geared toward people considering suicide. There, he meets others with the same debate regarding the pros and cons of death: Casper, battling cancer, would rather off herself than slowly waste away. And there’s quiet, withdrawn Adam, who suspects if he died, his mom wouldn't even notice.

As they gravitate toward each other, Vince searches for a reason to live while coping without Maggie's guidance, coming to terms with Casper's imminent death, and falling in love with a boy who doesn't plan on sticking around. 

GoodReads link:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16240541-suicide-watch

Beta Readers: Who, When, Where, and Why?

I notice a trend of writers who don't have beta readers, but plan on getting published someday. Many of them fall into one of two categories: 1.) They don't feel they need a beta, because their writing is strong enough on its own. Or 2.) They have absolutely no idea where to go and how to find a legitimate, helpful, honest reader, or they're too shy to reach out and ask for one.

If you're in the first category, my suggestion to you is to realize everyone needs a good beta. Unless you already have an editor at a publishing house who is willing to look at projects you do right off the bat, you better make sure that story of yours is polished to a shine. To do this, we need help.

If you're in the second category...this blog post is for you.

What Makes a Good Beta
- Above all, honesty. You do not want a beta who has nothing but positive things to say. Find someone who has a nice mix of pointing out what they loved, and what didn't work for them.

- Figure out what kind of beta-work you're wanting. Do you need someone to look for plot holes, spelling, grammar, voice, character development, all of the above? Do you want overall notes? Or do you want someone who will give you line-by-line notes, right in the document itself?

- Keep in mind, many betas might ask you to return the favor.


Where to Go to Find a Beta or Become a Beta
- Keep an eye out on blogs who sometimes feature critique partner match-ups. Bloggers (sometimes agents, even!) will host a small event where they match you up with someone who seems to be about your level, and writes a genre you would enjoy reading.

- Absolute Write, or similar writing forums. AW has a sub-forum specifically geared toward beta readers.

Etiquette on Writing Forums
Unfortunately, it isn't as easy as signing up and posting to the beta reader forum and waiting for magic to happen. Display some courtesy to your fellow writers.

- Watch the share your work forums. Comment. Learn. Put yourself out there and offer advice. This not only lets others see you're serious about the time you're investing, but that you're willing to give back. In fact, AW now requires a x-number of posts on the site before you can post your own work in SYW to avoid new members coming in and asking for help, then taking off.

- Look through the beta forum. If you find someone who fits what you're looking for, email them, ask a bit about what kind of beta reading they want, if they're willing to beta in return, etc. Figure out if you think they'd be a good match. If you give it a go and you aren't compatible, it's not the end of the world. You'll find someone who is.

- Make your own post. In it, include your genre, word count, and your blurb. Gain someone's attention with it. Offer to read in return, if you want.


Having a solid critique partner or two is an invaluable part of being a writer these days. Agents and editors want our work already polished when they get it so they have to do as little work as necessary, and to show we're really serious about our craft.

What are your beta stories? How did you meet your critique partners? Or, if you don't have one, why not? 

Key Points

So at the end of last month/into this month, several YAtopians helped out with the 250-word critique workshop. It got me thinking about the important "key moments" in a YA book, particularly when querying agents who request different sample pages. (Some want 5, some want 10, or 50.)

You goal is to catch someone's attention—be it a reader, an agent, or an editor. In my completely personal opinion, I thought I would break it down to what I look for when critiquing and writing, and maybe it'll help some of you out.

First 250 words:

This is the very, very first impression your story is going to make. It needs to be pretty, well-written, but concise because you have very limited words in which to grab someone's attention and hold it. If you have a prologue full of information you think is 'useful', get rid of it. Don't think But it gets interesting around page 5 because I guarantee you, most people aren't going to read that far to find out. Cut all the stuff before where it gets interesting.

Give us your narrator. Give us a brief sense of what they're like. Give us a sense of urgency. Avoid waking up, starting with their typical day of brushing their teeth, eating breakfast, going to school, thinking how normal everything is. Start where something new and unique is happening.

Don't start with the fireworks being set up, start with them being lit.

First 5 Pages:

If someone enjoys your first few paragraphs, they're likely to get through your first chapter. A lot of agents request a sample of five-ish pages. A lot can happen in five pages. Murders, death, love, first meetings, hauntings, fights, apocalypses. Take the first big event in your story, the first real turning point, and make sure you're right there at the five page mark. This moment should somehow have a lasting effect on the rest of the book, be it your narrator meeting a love interest, or an enemy, or anything that will be of importance.

If your narrator is discovering he/she has special powers, something needs to happen within these pages to show it. All the explanation doesn't have to be there, but something needs to be happening that spurs a reader onward while answering some of their questions from the first 250 words.

First 10 Pages:

Like in your first 250 words, the first 5 pages ought to answer some questions, but open up some more. By now, your reader should be invested and settling into your writing style and wanting to get to know your narrator. They should start having more empathy because there's a lot of connection that can be built, even from 5 pages.

By the end of 10 pages, if you're writing a paranormal, dystopic, fantasy, etc sort of story, there should most definitely be a sense of the setting by now. Don't throw paranormal elements into a story 50 pages in. Introduce it early on, even if the narrator isn't fully aware of what's happening. Ditto for narrators transferring to new worlds, or interacting with non-human beings, etc.

Ten pages is your time for get us interested and give us a solid feel for what kind of book we're in for.

First 50 Pages (about ¼ through the story):

Partial requests can be anywhere between 50-100 pages, or thereabouts.

So you've had time to give us a solid sense of world-building, character-building, and some relationships. Now it's time to, pardon my language, fuck it all up!

This is a fantastic time to pick up the snow globe and start shaking it. Upset your narrator's world. Starting really ramping up the conflict, and start making the stakes clear. Don't wait until ¾ of the way through the book to show us what's really at stake. At least allude to it earlier on, so we can feel anxious and worried, and we have ample time to really see the characters struggle against this. Nothing ever needs to be said plainly, but there needs to be a feeling of what could go horribly wrong. (And maybe does!)

Obviously this is just a template, and a rough one, with exceptions.

Try taking one of your books, or your favorite book, and flip open to these pages or thereabouts. See what's happening at those key moments and why it works, or why it doesn't.

As I said, this is totally a personal opinion and one I work with when writing. If I've reached page 50 and not much is happening, I've got to seriously pick up the pace. If I've reached page 100 and things still aren't ramping toward a climax, I know I've got a serious problem and need to rework what I have before continuing onward.

What do you guys think?

Neglecting That Which We Love

One of the biggest bits of advice you hear from authors, editors, and agents alike is to write every day. Set aside 30 minutes, an hour, however much you can spare, and just write. Which is a good plan. Even if what you pump out in that time frame is garbage, that's what later editing/revision is for.

Every day, sit your butt down and write.

But what happens when you don't? What if something comes up—the holidays, a family emergency, broken hands, whatever—and suddenly that daily writing isn't happening? When you finally sit back down to get back to it, is it hard? Is it like retraining yourself all over again to keep to your routine?

I've been a terrible writer so far this new year. (And a terrible reader, but that's another story.) I've written, sure, but I haven't kept anywhere near to writing every day like I ought to be. Or even writing every week. I certainly don't have excuses. I've just been tired and haven't had the motivation for it. It's frustrating.

(Funny thing—when I'm depressed, I can't write but I want to draw. But I'm okay, I can't draw to save my life, but I can write. Go figure.)

It's a funk I have to drag myself out of because, well, otherwise nothing gets done. And if nothing gets done, it depresses a writer further, doesn't it? Blank manuscripts and missed (even self-imposed) deadlines and word count goals. Getting back into your writing habits when you've been neglecting them for a few weeks or months or years is hard, but of course it's doable. We had to train ourselves to do it in the first place, after all.

Have any of you slipped out of your routine before or neglected your writing? If so, how did you get back into the groove?

2011 and all its changes

So we've reached our awesome one-year anniversary on YAtopia. We haven't lost any members, blown anything up, or created a max exodus from the internet. Unfortunately, we also haven't taken over the world or cured the common cold...so I guess that about breaks us even.

All of us YAtopians had a busy, busy year. Between book deals, agents, new group blogs, etc, plus—getting to take all of you on our journeys with us. I read more books last year than I had in the five years put together before that. My total was 50, which is really small beans compared to what some people read (150?! Geeeeez). I'm keeping my goal the same for this year, because I came really close to not reaching it in 2011 and I don't want it to become something I stress about.

But, within those 50 books, I found and fell in love with some amazing stories, characters, and authors. Sean Olin, Isaac Marion, Hannah Moskowitz, Maggie Stiefvater... I will be a loyal fan of theirs and read anything they release, because they're amazing.

2011, I also made a big leap into contemporary fiction. I read some paranormal, not much dystopian, but a lot of contemporary—namely, thrillers and horror. Which is a pretty big change for me.

(At the end of 2011 and into 2012, I'm slowly, very slowly, starting to draw again. Which is both frustrating because I'm so out of practice, but happy because I've missed putting my characters down onto paper in the form of pictures.)

All in all, 2011 contained a lot of changes, new things, and surprising things for me. What new stuff did you encounter in 2011? New authors/series you fell in love with? A new type of book you tried and loved (or didn't love)? Even non-book related. Did you get into any new music, movies, hobbies?

Last but not least, I hope everyone is getting their submissions and pitches ready for the session with eight Entangled Publishing editors on January 25th. See this post for more details. The date is creeping up fast, so hurry!

Today is the release date of Kelley's Hushed!!

One of our awesome Yatopians has a book birthday today. Kelley York, author of Hushed is freaking out right now, and rightly so. Release day is a big dollop of excitement mixed with a side of fear.  But fear not, Kelley, Hushed is fantastic. CHECK IT OUT, GUYS!

You can buy the awesome Hushed at Barnes & Noble and Amazon! Go get your copy now.

Congrats, Kelley!

Entangled Publishing Publicist Interview & Giveaway!

Blogger, writer, book reviewer, website owner and now a publicist with Entangled Publishing Stacey O'Neale knows the book industry from multiple angles. So let's get to know the woman who is a well recognized face on Twitter and in the Blogisphere.

I first found you on Twitter and have enjoyed reading your blog and The YA Fantasy Guide. Would you tell us a bit about the YAFG?

Thanks! :-)

The YAFG is a website dedicated to books within the YA fantasy genre. The site features recommendations/reviews by category, author and literary agent interviews, articles for aspiring writers, and monthly contests/giveaways.

How did you get into this?

Two people actually inspired the YAFG. The first one was Simon Lipskar from Writer's House. I had a chance to attend a literary agent panel that included Simon. In case you don't know who he is - he's one of the best and most respected literary agents in the business. The panel was discussing writing platforms and someone in the audience had asked if a writer should have a blog and what amount of traffic would be impressive to an agent. Every agent said 5,000 hits per month then Simon said 10,000. Everyone laughed but I remember thinking that I wanted to create an online presence that would even impress someone like him.

A few weeks later, a friend was telling me that she was re-reading Twilight for the 5th time and I looked at her like she was insane. I couldn't understand why she would continue to read the same series when there are so many other books in that genre worth reading. I ended up running down a list of other vampire books that I thought she might like and that got my wheels turning. When I went online that night, I looked for a YA fantasy site that broke down books by favorite characters (faeries, mermaids, etc.) or subgenres (paranormal, urban, steampunk, etc.) and I couldn't find anything. That's pretty much when the YAFG was born.

In case you're wondering, the YAFG gets anywhere from 20,000-30,000 hits per month. If I ever meet Simon again I'll thank him. :-)

What are some of your favourite YA books/series and why?

LOL, how much time do you have?

It's easier for me to tell you authors I love versus books. Anyone who follows me on twitter knows that I love Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, and Melissa Marr. I'd buy an encyclopedia if one of those ladies wrote it. From Holly, I love the Tithe series and the Curse Workers series. Holly is a master world builder and probably my favorite writer period. From Cassie, I favor the Infernal Devices series a smidge over her Mortal Instruments series because I have a fetish for steampunk. Cassie's great for creating characters that can make you laugh, and two pages later, make you cry. I love Melissa's Wicked Lovely series. The world she created is so dark and sexy. It gets to a point where you don't even know who you're cheering for because each character is so multifaceted.

I also love to discover new blood and help them promote great new books. I was blown away by Tahereh Mafi when I read Shatter Me a few months ago. A few of the YA fantasy book/authors coming out of Entangled have really impressed me including Touch by Jus Accardo, Hushed by Kelley York, and Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout. Now that I think about it, I actually wrote an article about some of my favorite debuts from the beginning of 2011.

What gives you inspiration for posts?

I attend a ton of conferences and have taken a ton of writing courses. I've also had the opportunity to talk to some fantastic people within the publishing world like successful authors, editors, publicists, literary agents, etc. Usually, the inspiration comes from something I learned that I think might help someone else or something someone told me that helped them during their road to publication. Other times, the inspiration comes from something currently going on in the publishing world or a request from someone online. The post, "How to Get a Blogger to Review Your Book" was a request from a follower on twitter.

You are currently working on a novel that sounds like you'll soon be querying. Would you share with us your writing process?

I'm very organized. I'm not a writer who can just sit down and go without a plan. When I do that I get lost. I always spend weeks writing a detailed outline of each chapter before I start the actual writing process. I try to write everyday even if it's only one page. I prefer to write during the day and usually with some music playing in the background.

In terms of the book I'm writing now, I'm in the middle of revisions. I had the novel professional edited and they came back with a really good suggestion, but it has caused a major rewrite of my first six chapters. Ugh, but that's writing. Most people rewrite their novel several times before it's ready for a publisher to consider.

You are now a publicist with Entangled Publishing, who are publishing our very own YAtopian - Kelley York. What made you decide to apply for the position?

I'm actually Kelley's publicist. :-)

Two Reasons:

#1 - Liz Pelletier and the rest of the EP Staff

I've known of Liz for years because I'm a member of Savvy Authors. When I heard about Entangled Publishing I knew I wanted in. The quality of people involved in EP is extraordinary. The level of talent here has the ability to change the game as we know it. I believe we will remake the e-pub model.

#2 - The EP Authors

Before I started with EP, I had a chance to get a few of the ARC's on Netgalley and I was blown away. Our authors are really talented and it's just getting better and better. I'm like a little kid when I find out that I've been assigned another author. I can't wait to get started with them.

What does a typical day for a publishing publicist entail?

Lots and lots and lots of emails. Most of my time is spent organizing book tours so I spend a tremendous amount of time talking to bloggers which l love because bloggers rock! Think about it - people who love books so much that they create a blog to talk about them. What's not to love about that?

Juggling three jobs within the publishing industry is a tough task. What's your secret to success?

HAHA! Answer - Determination. I'm very competitive and I want to be a successful writer as much as I want to see the writers I represent on the bestsellers list. I love publishing and I feel so blessed that I'm able to make a career out of something I'm so passionate about.

Rapid Fire Questions:

Mermaids or Griffins - Mermaids
Steampunk or SciFi - Steampunk (this one is hard to answer because I also really love SciFi)
Cinema or DVD - Cinema
eBook, hardback or paperback - eBook
Pink or Blue - Blue

Stacey is giving away an e-copy of the YA paranormal, TOUCH, by Jus Accardo and the YA thriller, HUSHED, by Kelley York. Just comment on the post with what type of stories you’d like to see come out of Entangled, or want Entangled release are you hanging out for. The winner will be drawn at random.  Make sure you leave your name and email adress as well so we can let you know if you've won. Entries close December 8.

Some changes on the horizon...

If you haven't already, we'd love it if you'd head over to Chanelle's post from last week and chime in!

In a little more than a month, YAtopia will be celebrating its one year anniversary. We've had a ton of posts, pitch sessions, interviews, and a couple of guest posts, all of which were absolutely awesome. And, to celebrate our anniversary, we'd like to switch some things up a bit. Which is why we'd love your opinion to know what all of you would like to see more (or less!) of.

In other news, Happy Thanksgiving this week to those who celebrate! And those who don't, well, never hurts to be thankful for things every day of the year, right?

To wrap thing ups, have a few quick reviews of some stuff I've been reading:

This is an extraordinarily moving novel about coming to terms with loss. The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming. . . .

This monster, though, is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. 

It wants the truth.

Review: First of all, like many others when I first saw this cover, I was expecting horror. Even when I read the blurb, I expected horror. But after reading through some of the GR reviews, I was able to go into this book knowing what to really expect.

I loved the artwork. It reminded me of the 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark' books I loved as a kid. Eerie and beautifully done inkwork-looking art.

The story itself was short and I got through it in less than two hours. I wasn't sure what I would think of it, but...yeah, I cried. Three or four times, even. My heart broke for Conor and his mom. It's hard to explain everything I loved without spoiling the entire book, but even for as short as it was (125 pages in the ebook version for $10), it was well worth it.

This is going on my top fave reads of 2011 list.

When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.

Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there’s more to this boy—and her father’s “law firm”—than she realized.

Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting “special” kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they’re caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect.

Review: Exciting and unique, TOUCH definitely stands out among all the other paranormal romance out there in young adult land. Kale was such a charming and adorable love interest, and I even had a soft-spot for Alex. While there wasn't exactly a love-triangle going on, I thought the way Dez reacted to both boys was spot-on and didn't leave me wanting to strangle her for being indecisive. She knew what she wanted, but sometimes fell back into old habits. Something I think so many teens have done.

Dez was a fun, kick-ass narrator. She was determined and brave, but not without her faults. It was refreshing to have a female lead who wasn't either a.) so down on herself despite the fact all the guys are all over her, or b.) gorgeous and well aware of it. Dez was confident, but aware of her flaws. She knows her strengths and how to flaunt them..

Jus' writing is lovely and flows well, and the humor is always giggle-worthy. Kale really was the highlight out of all the characters, what with his clueless remarks about the world and everything in it. I just wanted to give him a hug. (Despite this, though, I thought all the characters were well-formed and a lot of fun. I hope one particular character whose name I can't say gets more page-time next book.)

I haven't been into a lot of paranormal lately, but this was an exception I'm glad I got to read.

Conducting author interviews

Did everyone have an awesome Halloween? I did. I carved my pumpkin in the shape of John Lennon's self-portrait.

With my book's blog tour coming up at the end of November and going on through December, I've been introduced to the world of writing guest posts and answering interview questions. After doing so many, I've developed one good piece of advice for anyone performing author interviews:

Do your homework and be creative.

An author doing ten, fifteen interviews in a row will grow weary when every interview feels like a mirror of the rest. The same questions crop up again and again. Personally, my eyes start to cross and my brain hurts from trying to come up with ten different ways to answer the same question, until I'm eyeing the unanswered interviews still waiting in my inbox like this:





To be fair, I expected some of my questions to be the same because I'm doing them for a blog tour. These are blogs doing me an immense favor by giving me a spotlight on their blog for a day, so not all of them might have a chance to read my book beforehand. Still, it's really exciting when I get questions I know are meant specifically for me.

(Obviously, some questions are going to get repeated. 'Who are you, what's your book about?' That goes without saying.)

When conducting an interview, you can make an author's life a lot more enjoyable by really doing your homework. Obviously, it helps to have read their book(s) so you can tailor specific questions on characters/plot. It also helps to read the author's bio and learn a little about them, where they come from, and what their hobbies are. One of the most amazing questions I've gotten to answer was the result of the interviewer reading my bio and plucking info out of it to ask me questions and they were brilliant.

Most of all, be creative. Give your interview something fun and flavorful that no one will find from an interview anywhere else.

Ooo, eerie

When I first started writing--as in, seriously writing with the intent of completing a book--I had a number of failed attempts. Likely because I was attempting fantasy and, frankly, I'm really effing lazy and couldn't be bothered with all the world-building involved. I grew up reading primarily fantasy (HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE by Diana Wynne Jones, and the ENCHANTED FOREST CHRONICLES by Patricia C. Wrede, for instance) so I couldn't understand why I wasn't able to write in the genre I was familiar with as a kid.

My second thought was that I'd love to write horror. Except I find it very hard to place into words things I think are frightening. This might be partly to do with the fact books aren't really don't frighten me in the way movies do, likely because I'm such a visual person. There are exceptions (though I'm drawing a blank while trying to think of one, uh).

(When I was younger, this wasn't so much the case. I remember reading THE LANCASTER WITCH by Carol H. Behrman, and THE DOLLHOUSE MURDERS by Betty Ren Wright, both of which scared the hell out of me. I can't remember now why, but I'd be curious to reread those books all these years later and see if I can figure it out.)


(This thing? Also scares the crap out of me. It's the breathing. Every time Wife and I get to this part of the game with the Iron Maidens and Regenerators, I have to give the controller to her.)

My point being, every genre is so unique in its own right, and every genre requires a certain knack for an author to pull off what they want their readers to feel. In regards to horror, I personally think it's a difficult genre to get right.

I think this is because fear can be so subjective. Not everyone is afraid of what's under the bed, while others aren't afraid of the slasher sneaking into their house in the middle of the night. I'm no horror-writing expert, since my works tend to lean toward thriller-esque, but some suggestions I can toss out there as a reader:

1. Don't be afraid of bad endings. Especially in horror, happy endings aren't necessary. In fact, I grow bored with authors I know will always deliver me a happy ending even in this genre. How am I supposed to be afraid and suspenseful if I know there's no real chance of things ending poorly? (My favorite horror endings are the ones that appear to be hopeful, until the last page/few seconds. Think Dawn of the Dead.)

2. During suspenseful scenes, cut the purple prose and long sentences. These are emotionally-heavy scenes. Make us feel that. Stay away from describing anything that doesn't build on the suspense. Use all your senses: smell, sight, hearing, touch. When people are afraid, their senses become hyper-aware because they're trying to sense danger.

3. Don't over-explain. One nitpick I have about so many of the Americanization of foreign horrors movies is America's need to explain everything. Why do we need the back story and plotted out details of everything's motive? Why can't something be evil for the sake of being evil? There's nothing wrong with leaving the 'why' and 'how' to reader speculation. Again, fear of the unknown.

4. It's all about atmosphere. Weather and setting are important in horror. I remember watching Pulse and thinking that the movie was perfect because of the dark, gritty nature of every scene. It was dreary and depressing, which fit with the mood of the story.

5. Study what makes you scared. Pick out your favorite horror books and movies, and study them. I recommend this for everything (especially fight scenes, which I talked about ages ago). Pick out what exactly it is that scares you in a particular scene and try to put it into words, as practice for your own writing.

Maybe we have some horror pros out there reading who can offer advice, too, and what helps them when writing something scary. For the rest of you, what are you guys afraid of?


For me, it's stories of Shadow people, and zombies. I have zombie nightmares a lot.



Happy Halloween, y'all. ;)



And if you haven't already, there are only 7 more days to sign up for the I LOVE DARK YA blogfest. It's a low-commitment fest, so come join us and help spread the word!

Dark YA Blogfest Signups!

I LOVE DARK YA BLOGFEST SIGN UPS


Meet your hosts: Kelley York, Heather McCorkle, Christa Desir, and E.R. King.

We are so excited to be hosting this month-long blogfest in November for lovers of dark YA books. The rules are fairly simple. You only need to post on Wednesday of each week. We ask that you try to participate in each week’s activity, but you don’t have to if it doesn’t work for your schedule.

RULES:

1. Put the I LOVE DARK YA badge on your sidebar or at the top of each of the posts you do for the fest. Make sure you link it back to the YAtopia linky sign-up.
2. Visit blogs of your hosts and other participants if you can. Interact. Make some friends. It’ll be more fun!
3. Your blog post needs to be up on Wednesday. You can post early if you want, but people will be hopping on Wednesdays.

The themes for this blogfest:

WEEK ONE...
November 2nd: Blog about your favorite dark YA book(s).

WEEK TWO...
November 9th: Write a 500-word or less flash fiction piece inspired by this picture—




WEEK THREE...
November 16th: Music and Movie Fun—Take a dark YA book and build a soundtrack for it or cast characters for a movie version.

WEEK FOUR...
November 23rd: #YASAVES—Blog about how a dark YA book made an impact in your life.

WEEK FIVE...
November 30th: Waiting on Wednesday—What dark YA book are you most looking forward to?


On the final day of the blogfest, your hosts will each being doing a giveaway on their blogs. Any of the I LOVE DARK YA blogfest participants may enter. Sign-ups will remain open for the entire month of October. Thanks for joining in the fun!



Note: If you'd like to help spread the word for the blogfest, please link to this post! The signup form won't be available anywhere else.

EDIT: Sorry, guys. The old linky list went screwy on me. I had to make a new one and manually move all the entries. Keep entering, we still have a few days to go!!

Giveaways abound!

Sorry for the late post, guys.

Thanks to the dreaded Day Job, my brain's a bit zapped as far as blog topics. Instead, I thought I'd share a few links because--largely thanks to Banned Books Week--there are a ton of great giveaways going on.

Yesterday, Wendy offered up a copy of DELIRIUM and BLOOD RED ROAD...hard covers, no less! (I've been itching to read Blood Red Road, to be honest.

Jolene is giving away a copy of TWENTY BOY SUMMER in honor of Banned Books Week.

From Jenni Merritt, also in honor of BBW, you can win $15 toward the Book Depository!

Sarah Nicolas is celebrating her birthday...by giving away books. (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SARAH!) Books you could win include our very own DJ's HUNTED, Leigh's CARRIER OF THE MARK, and my own HUSHED. 

Lastly, Jus Accardo is offering a signed ARC copy of her book, TOUCH. This is pretty neat, because the ARC cover is entirely different from the cover that will be on the actual book...so it's sort of like a collector's item? ;)

I've extended my own ARC giveaway of HUSHED for this week, since I'm still getting in entries and want everyone to have a chance. I'll let it run until Friday and announce a winner on Saturday.

Any giveaways y'all want to share?

ARC Giveaway & Blogfest News

Interrupting your regular scheduled programing...

Just a quick note to our YAtopia followers, I wanted to share that I'm holding a contest over on my personal blog!

He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.



HUSHED isn't out until December, but I have an ARC to give away on my blog. (Plus, you get an extra entry for being a follower of YAtopia... ;) )

This contest is only open for a few more days, so hurry over!


ALSO, keep an eye out for the beginning of October! I'll be posting the sign-up and rules for the upcoming DARK YA BLOGFEST. This blogfest is going to be all kinds of awesome. You'll have all of October to sign up, and the blogfest itself will be held in November.

He's sooooo hot...or not.

I read an interesting Tweet and a few blog posts to go with it regarding characters and their looks—particularly the appearance of male love interests in YA. Rarely do I see a male love interest described as anything other than gorgeous.

A tip for writers: Don't tell me he's gorgeous every other line.

This drives me nuts, because often my idea of 'hot' differs greatly from that of others.

Maggie Stiefvater did a great job of this in her SHIVER series. Of course Grace thought Sam was attractive, but Sam was never really described as being drop-dead gorgeous. In fact, he was skinny and had a kind of emo-kid look about him. And yet there was something about Sam that makes him far more gorgeous to me than most other male love interests I've read about, and it more has to do with his personality and Grace's reactions to him.

The real trick is to let the reader in on what he looks like (but, please, please don't spend every other page going on about it), and show us how the character observing is responding to that. Hell, maybe her love interest is hot to all the other girls at school, but your MC really isn't attracted to him at first because he isn't her type.

Attraction really can be a purely emotional thing. One of the most fun parts I had in writing HUSHED was watching, as the story unfolded, how my MC's perception of the person he (initially) loved transformed from the first page to the last as his eyes opened to the person she really was.

Someone you love will be more attractive than anyone else when he's sweet and fun and makes you feel like the luckiest person alive, and the hottest boy on campus won't be so appealing when you think the way he laughs is obnoxious and he likes shoving kids into lockers.  

Though this makes me curious, who're some of your favorite YA love interests (be them male or female), and why?


Also, also...edited to say: my first ARCs for HUSHED are now out in the wild!

Support Your Favorite Books!

There are a number of ways you, as readers, as fans, as friends of authors, can show your support. Things beyond buying books. Well, of course buying an author's book is the biggest compliment an author can get, I think. But what about spreading the word? Loving something enough you want to share it with everyone?

Some people blog about books they enjoy. Others Tweet or reccommend by word of mouth. But there might be other things you haven't thought of, places to go to show even more support.

+ GoodReads
I've yet to read a book that hasn't been added to GoodReads, either by the publisher or the author themselves. GR is a great place to find new book recs, and thus great for showing your love for a book. Add things to your personal shelves so your friends can see what you're reading, what soon-to-be-released books have caught your eye, and many other things. Rate books (based on a 5-star rating) and write a review. Be honest. (But don't be mean on books you hated. Criticsm is not the same as hate-bashing. Authors have feelings, too. If you're going to leave a poor review, why not give logical, thought-out reasons as to why you didn't enjoy it?) I can't tell you how excited I am whenever someone on my friends list add a book I think looks interesting and makes me add it to my shelves, too.

+ Reviews
This goes along with GoodReads. Read a book, like it, post about it! It doesn't even need to be a huge, in-depth response picking apart every chapter and subplot. A short paragraph about why you loved it and why you reccommend it goes a long way.

+ Facebook
Let's face it (no pun intended)...a lot of us have Facebook accounts these days, even if we don't utilize them much. If you're an author, hopefully you've set up a fanpage for yourself/your book. (Note: Fan pages are entirely different from personal pages.) You know how you add things to your list of interests/likes? This is where having a fan page for an author comes in handy. Also, you can go straight to their page and "Like" it, which in turn adds it to your wall and your interests, and helps spread work to your FB friends.

+ Twitter
Like FB, so many of us are on Twitter...and pretty damn active on it. Utilize this! I've also found a lot of authors and books (and met a lot of awesome people) via Twitter. Many people link their GoodReads account to their Twitter accounts, so whenever they finish a book and/or rate it, a Tweet is automatically generated. When I see a friend has rated something highly, I'm always going to click to find out what it is.

+ Blogs
Follow your fave authors' blogs. Comment. Comment. It's sad seeing blogs with huge followings, but so few comments! Help promote posts you find interesting. Share them around with friends. Authors should - hopefully - have fun and insightful content worthy of sharing. Also, an author blog is often a good source for getting your hands on ARCs of their most recent books!

+ Book Stores
That's right. Book stores. Have you gone into your local indy store or Barnes and Noble and found the book/author you wanted was unavailable? Did you wander back out thinking, "I'll look somewhere else/buy it online/try again later"? I did this with a book I was itching to read, and yet my local B&N never seemed to have it. Finally, on my third visit, I marched up to the register and asked them to order it, which they were happy to do. Now every time I've browsed the YA section at that B&N, I see that book on their shelves, which means other people shopping are also seeing it. If even one person buys that book because I helped get it shelved, I feel like I've accomplished something.

+ Signings
Once upon a time, authors did signings a lot. Publishers paid for book tours and sent their authors across the country. Unfortunately, such things aren't possible anymore. A large majority of authors do very few signings, and even fewer tours -- especially outside of their own states. But if you know an author who is having a signing, help spread word. (Better yet: attend if you're nearby!) For a lot of authors, especially first-timers, signings can be terrifying, nerve-wracking things. ("What if no one shows up? What if no one wants to read my book??") Say hello! Let the author know you're a fan of their blog or how much you've been looking forward to meeting them/getting a signed copy/etc.

+ Giveaways
Another great way of spreading word are hosting giveaways. Maybe you grabbed an extra copy of your favorite author's super-awesome book. Well, you want people to know about it...so why not host a giveaway on your own blog? (Maybe invite the author to have an interview while you're add it!) Someone might be on the fence about whether they want to read this book. But if it's being given away...sure, why not! They in turn might love it so much and start spreading the love.

+ Libraries
Editing this post to add on, as Jolene and Wendy pointed out (and I so shamefully forgot)... Support your local libraries. Hit up your school library (high school, college, whatever!), or the public library up the street and request books you want to see. Requesting one or two titles by an author just might get those librarians to start stocking other titles by the same author later in time.


This post was inspired because lately, I've come across some really awesome books and have been startled by how little exposure they've gotten. Mostly they come from smaller pubs, or aren't typical 'mainstream' stuff. (Contemporary works and thrillers especially seem to get the backburner; paranormal still reigns supreme no matter what people say.)

I strongly encourage all of you...if there's a book you like, an author you think should be getting more attention, help make it happen. Especially if you're an author yourself. Trust me, when you get to that stage of the game, you're going to want cheerleaders to talk about you to everyone they know, too.

Not triangles, but threesomes?

Today I bring with me a slightly odd, perhaps controversial subject, and I would love for all our readers to weigh in on this.

We've all seen the Love Triangle done to death in YA. Boy1 loves Girl, Girl loves Boy1. Boy2 loves Girl, Girl loves Boy2 and has to choose between them. (I don't even think I've read a book where it's been two girls after the same guy and he has to choose. Am I looking at the wrong books?) In all honesty, I find myself shying away from books when I know beforehand they have a love triangle because, to me, it's always so obvious from the start who she's going to end up with.

But...but...

What do you think about threesomes?

I'm talking about three people who all feel strongly for one another and are in a relationship together. Alternatively, I guess it would be one central person who is with two people at once, although the two aren't necessarily interested in eachother.

Obviously, this kind of situation would have a whole slew of tensions and problems beyond those of a regular one-on-one relationship. The three involved would need to be a tight-knit, emotionally inseperable trio. They're the threesome who you just can't imagine pairing two of them together because what happens to that third person? (I guess they're the Riku/Sora/Kairi's of the YA world, for any of my fellow gamers out there.)

Or maybe this threesome gives it a try, and all hell breaks loose and they realize, "This was a terrible idea!"

We're seeing popular YA books trickle onto the shelves dealing with issues like polygamy and the like, so obviously this kind of thing isn't unheard of. Weigh in, everyone! What do you think? Would you secretly (or not so secretly) root for your love triangle to hook up?

Yes? No? Maybe?
	No, absolutely not. I like my couples to be just couples.
	Maybe, if it were done right.
	Only if all three were involved with each other so no one is ever left out.
	Once in awhile would be okay, but don't make it a trend.
	Yes, please!
	I like my love triangles just how they are, thanks.
pollcode.com free polls

The Sway of E-Readers

When e-readers first started making a big impact, I was skeptical. I was of the opinion that a book in print is ten times better. I love the look of them, the feel of them. I think covers look so stunning in person.

But, I was also having a hard time keeping up on all the 'new stuff.' Most of the books I was reading were a year old or more because I had to wait until they were released in paperback. Paying almost $20 for a hardcover book? Not possible more than once every other month or so. My wallet was really hurting.

Ultimately, the price difference is what made me decide I wanted an e-reader. After doing my research, the Barnes and Noble NOOK Color is what I chose. I've had my NOOK for a few months now, and have discovered a few other things that I greatly like about e-books.

1. Shopping From Home
I'm pressed for time. Between a demanding job, a family, and sharing a car with my wife who also has an extremely demanding job, we don't have time to make weekly (or even biweekly) trips to the book store just to browse around. From the comfort of my home, when I have a few moments to spare, I can browse around online and pick up a book that looks interesting.

2. Free Samples
I know. "Why not go into a book store and read from the actual book," right? Again, this goes back to time as well as my own personal comfort levels. While I would love to spend hours in a bookstore, browsing around and reading the first 30 pages of every book that catches my eye, it simply isn't logical for me. I can load up on a slew of free samples, and read through them in the rare instances I get throughout my work day that I can take a break. Chances are, if I'm not still thinking about that book when I get home, it isn't one that really caught my attention and made me want to read.

3. More Space!
Between Wife and I, we have a lot of books. And I mean, a lot of books. Two full five-shelf book cases, nine or ten boxes in the garage, and others stuffed in various places. We've reached the point where it really is ridiculous and we don't have limitless amounts of space to store everything. My NOOK solves this problem.

4. Picky, Picky
Despite my attempts at not doing so, sometimes I end up reading three or four books at once. I might be really into Book A, then happen to flip through Book B and get wrapped up into it. I might occasionally slip over to Book C if my mood calls for it. Having all three books on-hand at any given time is far more convenient than shoving three paperbacks into my purse.

5. Reading More Often
I'm not sure what it is, but since purchasing my NOOK I've done a LOT more reading. Maybe it's the ease of having my page bookmarked and only a button press away. Maybe it's that even if Wife is sleeping, I can read for 30 minutes before bed without disturbing her by having a light on. Whatever the case may be, I'm discovering that I'm now reading a book or two a week as opposed to one a month.

6. Lending
NOOKs have this handy feature called Lend-Me. (I'm sure Kindles and other e-readers have similar functions.) Of course, I can lend my physical books to friends...but only if I a.) trust them to return my books and b.) see them in person. The Lend-Me feature (which sadly isn't available on all books, but a lot of them) for those who don't know, works like this: Friend sees a book of mine they want to read and puts in a request. I approve the request. The book is removed from my NOOK for 14 days and placed onto theirs so they can read it. At the end of 14 days, it vanishes on their reader, and voila! It is back on mine. Handy feature to have, especially when most of your friends live several hours or states away.


I'm not trying to convince everyone to rush out and buy e-readers. I truly don't believe they'll ever be something 'for everyone.' However, I do think e-readers will become the future for a lot of types of books. (Non-fiction and textbooks, especially, but that's a post for another day.) I would definitely encourage anyone who hasn't to give it a try. You might be like me and surprise yourself.


What say you, YAtopians? For e-readers? Against them? Were you adamantly anti-e-reader that eventually changed your ways?



ALSO...I hope everyone knows that our very own DJ begins his Blog Tour on Wednesday in preparation for the release of HUNTED! You all should definitely check out his stops, and be ready to pick up a copy of HUNTED.

WINNERS and NEW COVER!

I'm in a great mood today. Why, you ask? Because I have two fun-fun things to share. I know we normally don't have Wednesday posts, but I couldn't wait!

First things first, we have our lovely winners from the pitch contest for Vickie Motter. You will be getting an email with instructions, so please hang tight!


Runners Up:
Mark, Aetherstorm
Esther, Sunkist Sodas and Sexy Underwear
Michelle, The World that does not Bow
MarcyKate, Confessions of a Teenage Cyborg

And (drumroll please), our winner:
Pam, No Longer My World

When 17-year-old Kimmy is kidnapped by rebels, she finds her loyalty for the alien invaders that raised her and her love for the leader’s son tested as she realizes the perfect new world order might not be as it seems. Human girls are dying because of an alien government experiment run by her adopted father and it becomes clear Kimmy is the only one who can solve the problem. But which race will she choose to save: the aliens that rescued the Earth from destruction or what remains of the humans that caused it?

Again, for the runners up and the winner, you'll be getting an email soon.

Thank you to everyone who participated!



Second, something near and dear to my heart...Entangled's darling and talented cover artist has presented me with the most gorgeous cover for HUSHED.

He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

Love it?? I do!

Release day is December 6th, 2011, but you'll have chances to win ARCs well before then. Keep an eye on YAtopia and my personal blog for more info. Until then, you can mosey on over to GoodReads and add it. :)

Unreliable narrators

Last week, I had the joy of reading the most amazing book, BROTHER/SISTER by Sean Olin. It was twisted, dark, eerie and utterly amazing in every way. I can't say too much about what made it the most amazing without spoiling it, but I hope those of you who have read it will know precisely what I mean.

This book got me thinking a lot about something I personally haven't seen often: unreliable narrators. When we're viewing the world of a book through a close third person or a first person point of view, we automatically rely on our narrator/point of view to be telling us things...well, accurately. Sights, smells, events. We assume what we're told is truth.

BROTHER/SISTER switches back and forth between two first person POVs: Will and his sister, Asheley. (Yes, spelled just like that.) As the story progresses and events are recounted as though the siblings are each telling their story to someone, you gradually began to notice things. Little things. Little inconsistencies between Will's story and Asheley's. There are points where these inconsistencies make you pause and wonder, Okay, wait, what did happen? This is part of why I found this book so glorious, and it's only because of the bouncing back-and-forth POV that we're able to locate these inconsistencies and try to figure them out.

This is a tactic that should be employed very carefully. If I were reading, say, a story told from the point of view of a pathelogical liar, it would be harder to take in. What is truth? What is a fabrication of her brain? While this would be a fascinating story, I would find it hard to relate to the narrator because how do I know these events for which I'm sympathetic for her are real and not a figment of her imagination?

For the most part, unreliable narrators would take me out of a story. I have to trust that whoever's eyes I'm witnessing the story through are telling me the truth. Or else...what is the point?

But in the case of BROTHER/SISTER, it truly does make the entire book what it is. Every little unreliable thing out of their mouths is intentional.

What say you, YAtopians? Ever read a book where the narrator wasn't always truthful? Had a skewed way of seeing things? Anyone else read this uh-may-zing book and want to squeel about it with me?