Pitch contest with agent Mandy Hubbard

It's competition time! Rockin agent Mandy Hubbard has stopped by YAtopia for a pitch contest. Here's the rules:

1. Post your two sentence pitch in the comments section of the blog along with:
• Your name
• Email
• Title
• Genre
• Word count
• Link to where you've shared the competition (any social media platform is fine).
2. Your entry must be YA or MG.
3. Entries close midnight 5 October.
4. You must be a YAtopia blog follower.

There is no limit to how many entries you can put in (as long as they're for different MS).

The Prizes: ANYONE who manages to capture Mandy's interest will recieve a full MS request!

Find out more about Mandy as an agent visit her website: www.mandyhubbard.com or by following her on Twitter @Mandyhubbard. You can also read an interview with Mandy on Down Under Wonderings.

Good Luck!

Banned Books Week - Beyond the Choir

First of all, how come no one told me Banned Books Week started on my birthday this year?! It's one of my favorite Weeks (with a capital W), but it snuck up on me this time around.

Every time someone tries to ban a book in any capacity, the book community rallies and speaks out in support of the book and the author - and that's an amazing thing.

But I feel - a lot of the time - the real damage has already been done. And the beautiful defense of these wonderful, misrepresented books and justified outrage against the major news network that carried the story is akin to the choir all preaching to each other simultaneously - making a lot of noise that no one outside the church hears.

It's one thing when someone publicly speaks out against a book because it contains certain subject matter, leaving room for people to make their own judgements about whether or not they want to read it (or let their children read it).

But what about the times when someone - someone who many people will listen to - completely misrepresents a book? Like when a certain Missouri "educator" tells parents that Speak encourages teens to go to parties, get drunk and have sex. Or when church leadership, in the ultimate display of irony, tries to ban Fahrenheit 451 because they claim it endorses destroying religious texts. Or when a conservative teacher tries to wipe out the incredible messages in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by only talking about the (very accurately-depicted) language and a TEENAGE BOY's internal monologue about masturbation.

The media love these people. There's nothing that sells papers/commercials faster than a scandal and a threat to your children. Thousands of people declaring how YA lit with heavier themes has saved their lives? That doesn't get people to "tune in after this message from our sponsors."

My point is: parents and other decision-makers, listen to these deluded people and will forever think these books are horrible because they will never hear the impassioned (and more accurate) defenses of these life-affirming books. For all the wonderful #yasaves and #gayinya and #speakloudly discussions, most of the people seeing those discussions already support the cause, already think book banners are full of it.

So my question is, how do we reach these people? And on the same scale the book banners do? How do we let the parents and other decision-makers - who may have not read a novel since graduating high school, skim only the first three pages of the newspaper, don't follow any #yasaves fans on twitter, and trust everything the nightly news tells them at face value - know that reading a so-called "dark" book will actually make you or your child a better person? How do we stop preaching to the choir, reach beyond the participation of the congregation, and get our message out to everybody else?


***

Also, just wanted to throw in a mention that I'm giving away six books on my blog this week, including some by our very own DJ, Leigh and Kelley York! EVEN MORE, my sister and I are giving away two books by Lisa McMann at the YA Rebels.

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?

Weather-Related and Seasonal Reading Giveaway

This time of year makes me hunger for spooky reading. Something dark and dangerous and mysterious. When it comes to YA literature, I definitely get that feeling from a good dystopian novel.
I don't know how the weather's been where you live, but here on the central east coast it's been dreary. Rain, overcast skies, and darkened rooms, even during the day. It's spooky reading weather at its best, with chilly hints of autumn in the air. I'm in the mood to share this feeling. How about a book giveaway?  :)

There are two brand new, hardback, dytopian books up for grabs and I'll choose a winner for each! 

 

Here's what you need to do:

~ Be a follower of this blog

~ In a comment, tell me which book you'd prefer (if you have a preference)

~ Provide an email address where I can contact you (if you're not comfortable putting your email address online, you can send it to me at wendyhigginswrites@gmail.com)

~ Also in your comment, tell us what spooky, dark stories you recommend :)

I'll accept entries for one week. Contest will end at midnight Friday, September 30th. Winner will be chosen at random and announced Sunday, October 2nd.

Thanks everyone!  ~Wendy

Random Giveaway winner

It's Thursday, so you know what this means?

Winner time!

I'd like to thank everyone who entered and especially those who added My Heart Be Damned to your Goodreads shelves. You guys are amazing.

But without further ado, the winner is...

HOOT!

Hoot, drop me an email at chanelle(@)chanellegray(.)com for your prize. You have 24 hours or I pick another winner.

Thanks again and look out for more contests soon.

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.

Tuesday Twaddle - The Blue Edition

Nope we're not talking naughtiness, we are talking Carrier. You'll have to forgive my little blue indulgence, but you see, there's all sorts of awesome stuff happening for me at the moment, and I just can't help myself going on about it, and writing incredibly long run on sentences...it's the nature of the beast.

You'll also have to forgive the late posting of this.  That's a big fat oopsie right there. I nearly forgot that it was was my day because...well because it's blue indulgence day.

I got my finished books today! Yes a whole big box of them, and they are gorgeous.  I also got a big box of beautiful bookmarks. *sigh* so much prettiness.  I must make sure some of you guys get your paws on them.

And following the Carrier blue theme of this post, my book trailer was released yesterday to lots of oohing and aahing over it's...blueness and it's dramatic awesomeness.  So I'll allow you absorb the blue beauty of this post.



Thank you for allowing my moment of blue indulgence, and talk to you in two weeks when... dun dun dun, you can do blue, with your very own copy of Carrier. Aghh!
. 

Angry or unlikable characters

Today I want to talk about unlikable characters. We all know it's important for readers to find something they like... or maybe like isn't the right word, but something that connects them with a character. What I want to talk about today is those characters that are a little harder to like. Characters who are angry or tough and well... not always nice.

One of the first YA books I wrote had a female character like that. Life had dealt her a really bad hand and she was angry about it. Not only angry, but hurting and to deal with that she built a huge wall around herself. Her wall came up in the form of sarcasm, and pushing people away. I let quite a few people read that book and a number of them came back with the same comments, "she is TOO hard" "she is TOO angry". It's a fine line, I think. It's hard to straddle it well. But for me, she was HURT. Yes, she was angry. Yes she was tough. Why can't a girl be angry? LOL. Obviously I wasn't doing my job well enough to make the reader bond with her, but there's a part of me who thinks some of us, myself included, tend to be a little tougher on female characters than male. When it comes to those angry, tough characters, I think girls don't get away with it as easily. *ducks for cover* I don't mean that to sound bad, but I'm pulling from my personal experience in regards to my reading and writing experiences. I think *I* am subconsciously guilty of being tougher on girl characters who are angry sometimes than I am boys. Thoughts?

One example that I'm thinking of as a character that's hard to like is Jade from the show Victorious.



I fully admit to watching too much iCarly and Victorious with my daughter, but I'm curious how people who have seen the show feel about Jade. She's DEFINITELY angry... she's not nice. With her, I'm not sure WHY though. I think that makes the difference. If you understand where the character is coming from, if you know the circumstances that made them the way they are, I think it's easier to be more forgiving.

What are your thoughts on angry or unlikeable characters? Do you feel like you or others are harder on male or female characters?

Review: Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

Because I loved this book so much and the fact that it inspired me to try writing in present tense, here's my review of Amy Garvey's upcoming YA debut, Cold Kiss. This is one book you do not want to let get lost in the shuffle. Not that it would, though--it's so good it stands out. :-)

When her boyfriend, Danny, is killed in a car accident, Wren can’t imagine living without him. Wild with grief, she uses the untamed powers she’s inherited to bring him back. But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy she once loved.
Wren has spent four months keeping Danny hidden, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school and somehow, inexplicably, he can sense her secret. Wren finds herself drawn to Gabriel, who is so much more alive than the ghost of the boy she loved. But Wren can’t turn her back on Danny or the choice she made for him—and she realizes she must find a way to make things right, even if it means breaking her own heart. (GoodReads)
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I picked up Amy Garvey’s Cold Kiss not only because it sounded good, but also because the back says it’s “perfect for fans of Shiver and Beautiful Creatures”. Well, yeah. We all know how much I love Shiver. Actually, I think I’m more obsessed with it, but that’s beside the point. What is the point, however, is that Ms. Garvey’s YA debut is a beautiful book.

Ms. Garvey’s writing is stunning. She has given Wren a very poetic, funny, and honest voice. Raw, even. The descriptions leave nothing to be desired and have a sort of depth to them, if that makes sense. The dialogue is smooth and fluid, as well. Although Wren is withdrawn from her friends, they are still great members of the cast and help show just how strong friendship can be.

Prior to reading the book, I knew Danny had to be some sort of zombie given the fact that Wren brings him back to life. Zombies tend to freak me out because of the whole flesh-eating thing, but Danny is not freaky. He is a tragically broken person who seems trapped between death and life. I really like how Ms. Garvey has presented both zombies and witches in this. I wouldn’t necessarily consider Danny a zombie nor Wren a witch, though. And I mean that in a good way. They’re both just them, beautifully flawed characters.

Although the romance in the book held my attention, what I liked most while reading is the way Ms. Garvey has included the themes of loss and love, and what it means to deal with both. At times, Cold Kiss read as a contemporary novel in the vain of Gayle Forman’s If I Stay. The balance between the paranormal aspect and the realism is wonderfully crafted.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Cold Kiss. The ending felt a tad rushed, but it ended on a sweet note. Nonetheless, it’s a beautifully written and told story that I know many will love. Wren, Danny, and Gabriel—a boy I’m sure many will swoon over—all tugged at my heartstrings and I can’t wait for other readers to be swept away by their story.

Getting connections

I've often heard that in the publishing industry who you know can take you a long way. I've read many interviews where the writer's friend, who happened to be a writer or worked in the biz, had read their MS and passed it onto an agent. I've even read one where a debut author was commissioned to write a story by a friend of her mother's. Not a bad way to become a published author with a guaranteed publishing deal. There are lots of stories like this, and I'm not saying it's not a legitimate way as I might end up with a story like that. What I want to look at today is how do you get to be a story like that.

If you aren't one of those lucky people who was born into a family of publishing royalty then the key is to network. So here's some tips on how to network without being one of those creepy leechers who lurk at the back of conferences waiting to pounce on a passing editor or agent (I've seen it, and the look of fear and exasperation that follows...um it wasn't me doing the major stalking, I only do minor stalking):

Oh yes she did!

1. Join your local writers centre. I actually live in a publishing waste land, but when I was in my state's capital I went in and joined up in person. I got chatting to one of the ladies who worked there, who also happens to be one of Australia's leading speculative fiction short story writers. We kept in touch, I interviewed her on my blog, she interviewed me on her blog and now she's taken me on as her mentor. The interaction was genuine and I gave. The only thing I asked for was occasionally an opinion and some advice on who she would recommend as someone for me to hire to help edit my work. And that's when she offered herself.
2. Join a critique group or writers group. This is something I haven't done personally, mainly due to family time constraints, but I have visited the local writer's group and made a good connection there. I'm hoping that they will help me get a local writer's conference off the ground. But I've heard many stories of how published authors where in critique groups together.
3. Join an online writers community. I wouldn't be a part of this blog if I hadn't joined inkpop. It's where I met my fellow YAtopians Wendy, Leigh and Kelley V. It's also where I met Jeyn Roberts, who's debut novel DARK INSIDE hits the stands soon, Kate Grace, who I interviewed in my last post on YAtopia and a whole bunch of other writing friends who offer to do critiques and reviews.
4. Enter competitions and short story submissions. My first published piece,GROWTH came through a submission to The Australian Literary Review for the anthology BASICS OF LIFE. I also was a runner-up with KARMA for Aus Lit's YA short story competition. Since then, I have received two invitations to write short stories for anthologies. It's a slow start, but it's a start and it's still my stories published and on book shelves.
5. Go to conferences. Conferences are a great place to meet other writers and you also can get the opportunity to pitch to agents and editors. I met some great people at the CYA Conference in 2010 and I'm hoping to go again in 2012. I also did get the opportunity to pitch to an editor, which scored a MS request.
6. Have a strong presence on social media. Twitter, blogs, Tumblr, Google + and Facebook yourself. Even Pottermore if you can. Be nice, polite, funny if you've got the right humour bone and connect with as many editors, agents and writers as you can. Just remember two things: not all publishing professional want you to friend them on Facebook (so check out their friend list to give you an idea of how open they are to friends requests) and that social media is an open forum, so be mindful of how you behave.  Stalking social media profiles in a non-creepy way is good. I've scored a request through a Twitter call for pitches. You can see what trends are expected and get an up-to-date knowledge on what agents are looking for, what conferences they're going to and even their querying status.
7. Go to book launches. You can often get to ask a few polite questions, especially if you're getting them to sign a book you've just bought. But don't thrust a manuscript in their face. Book launches often have a variety of publishing industry peeps at them, so use the opportunity well.

Stop posting negatives and post positives!

So here's a list of things not to do:

1. Accost agents, editors and writers in the toilets.
2. Turn up at places of work uninvited - it scares them. There's a query process, use it.
3. Harass agents and editors on social media, good way to ensure your query gets deleted without even being read.
4. Follow them around at conferences. It's creepy and they might call security on you.
5. Ignore submission guidelines. Whether it's a competition, query or a story submission, follow the guidelines. It's the top pet peeve for publishing peeps.

Let's add to the list, what are some other writer no-nos (feel free to include examples...without naming the guilty party)?

And for those of you who are at the querying stage, Mandy Hubbard from D4EO Literary is hosting a two sentence pitch contest here in two weeks. You can read her interview on my personal blog.