Jade hears voices

Standing still.

2013-09-20T09:23:00.000+10:00

I haven’t blogged in a long time, but even before that, my posts were dropping off at an alarming rate. I claimed lack of time and that I prefered to hang out on Twitter and Tumblr, which is true, but not the whole truth.

I was sad. I am sad. I didn’t have anything new to write about. Sure, I could do a post about drafting. Again. I could write about revising hell. Again. I could laugh about how crazy this writing thing is or cry about how unbelievably painful the whole is experience is.

Again.

I could have written those posts. And I did, multiple times, but I always deleted them. I couldn’t ignore that other people—people who started blogging about the same time as me—were writing about new things. Agents. Editors. Deadlines.

Book releases.

I couldn’t ignore the fact that I was standing still.

The number of times I’ve wanted to write this post in the last few years must be getting close to triple digits. I kept telling myself that no one really cares. It will come off as bitter. People will think you’re pathetic. And yet, every time I’d read a similiar post, I’d be filled with such gratitude. The weight would lift a little, and I’d know I wasn’t alone. I am not the only person struggling.

I am not the one person wanting something and watching other people succeed where I haven’t.

So this post is for anyone who feels like I do.

It’s hard, for me, anyway. Every time someone else succeeds, I feel like I’ve failed. Every time someone else signs with an agent or seals a book deal, every time someone else takes that next step, I can’t ignore the fact that I am standing still. I am standing still and everyone else is surging forward.

Or that’s how it feels, anyway.

But it’s not the truth. I am not standing still. Every day I’m reading books and noticing what the good ones do well and what the bad ones don’t do at all. I am sitting down every time my child is asleep and writing new words or revising old ones. I am critiquing manuscripts of my very talented friends and asking them to do the same with mine.

I am learning every day and getting better.

But still, it’s hard.

As I’ve worked through the agony of the last few years, the thing I've come to realise is this: all you can do is try. That’s the only part you control. I’m not ever going to get published if I don’t try, if don’t put in the effort, if I don’t show up and give it every I’ve got.

I’m not going to get published if I let my wanting paralyse me.

I wish I could say that you’ll get there in the end, that we all will. The truth is, we might not. I might not. And that’s a hard thing to own, but if it’s worth the effort then it’s worth the effort.

So good luck to you all, and I hope you get there in the end. If I can offer you any advice, it would be this: Believe in yourself because if you can’t, no one else will. It’s a daily struggle for me, but I’ll keep working on it.

And who knows? Maybe one day I’ll have something new to blog about.

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop!

2013-02-20T08:57:00.000+11:00

The lovely Sarah Wylie tagged me in the Next Big Thing* Blog Hop, which is a good a reason as any to update the blog.

What is the working title of your next book?

The Opposite of Dead.

Where did the idea for the book come from?

I have no idea. I was trying to rekindle my love of writing at the time, which was stagnating after some disappointing projects. I remember wanting to write a story about grief and loneliness and love.

What genre does your book fall under?

YA contemporary.

What actors would you chose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I hate to be totally lame, but I seriously have no idea. That said, if you crossed Milo Ventimiglia in Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry and the guy in Taylor Swift's Trouble, you'd have a pretty good idea what The Boy looks like.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

April Westingham has 355 days left to live.

Will your book be self-published or be represented by an agency?

It's not quite ready, but I'm planning on querying it later this year.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

What I like to think of as The Opposite of Dead 1.0 was written (on and off) over a couple of months in the middle of 2010. The first draft of The Opposite of Dead 2.0 (it was totally rewritten) took about 6 weeks in the second half of 2011.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver and Hold Still by Nina LaCour.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Before writing it, I spent a lot of time thinking about the question, What would you do if you were told you only had x number of days left to live?

What else about this book might pique the reader's interest?

The poem The Old Astromer to His Pupil by Sarah Williams plays an integral role. In particular, the well-known lines: Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.

I'm meant to tag five people, but rules were meant to be broken, so I'm only tagging 2: Kat and Corey, who just happen to be two of my favourite people.

What has everyone else been working on?

* I prefer the term "Unsigned Hype." Just like 50 Cent in his day.

Hit me baby one more time.

2012-12-11T05:00:00.000+11:00

"Let us ponder the mysteries of the universe."

(I realise the title makes so sense, but I have a six-week-old baby. Cut a girl some slack.)

If you follow me on Twitter you'll already know that I finally had my baby back in October and have been coming to grips with my new life as a mum. And sleep deprivation. Oh my god, the sleep deprivation!

Obviously my priorities have changed. These days any free time I have goes towards working on revisions/drafting (and procrastinating on Twitter) so things like blogging/reading blogs have slid right down to the bottom of things to do.

(Seriously. I've been meaning to write this post for six-weeks!)

Now most of you are probably looking at the total number of posts I've done for 2012 and rolling your eyes. Yes, posting on this blog has slowly decreased over the last 2 years, but I've always tried to keep up with my friend's/favourite blogs. But now? I just don't have the time.

And it's got me thinking: when I first found the blogging world back in 2008, I was obsessed. It was my favourite form of procrastination. I posted regularly. I was reading dozens of blogs. So what happened? For me, the answer is Twitter. I know it's not for everyone, but I love how everything is much more immediate, how you can have conversations with your friends/authors/agents/random crazy people. Twitter has well and truly replaced the blogging world for me.

So why keep the blog going? Well, I hope that I'll eventually have more time to return to it at some point in the future (in about 18 years) and I think blogging still has advantages, it's just that I don't have time to be as involved as I once was.

Basically what my sleep-addled brain is trying to say is, I'll still be here, but not as much. And I hope to come back. One day. Oh, and join Twitter. All the kids are doing it.

P.S. How cute is my baby? Seriously? Cutest baby ever or what?

P. P. S. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Make sure you eat and drink and be merry!

Five things.

2012-09-12T09:43:00.000+10:00

1. Spring has finally hit my cold corner of the world, as shown by these photos taken in my garden. I have no words for my excitement. This has been the longest, coldest winter I've ever experienced. Bring on spring!

2. I only have about a month left on my pregnancy! I still haven't quite gotten my head around the fact that I'm going to have a baby that I'm supposed to care for and stuff.

3. Revisions on The Opposite of Dead are going well. After two years of working on it (on and off), I finally gave it to my first reader. And she loved it! Her feedback was so excellent and all the things she said made me cry! I'm hoping some more people might get to read it one day.

4. I appear to have finally broken out of my first draft slump, which is relief because I've been stuck there for about a year. I recently gave myself the goal of writing 1000 words a day until the baby is born, and not only have I been reaching that goal, but I've also been going over. I broke the 15k mark on my WiP yesterday! It goes to show: all you need are small, achievable goals.

5. I've also been in a reading slump for most of this year (I might blame that on the pregnancy) but I've finally broken out of that too! And it was a couple of Aussie authors that did it for me. I've read the first two books in Jaclyn Moriarty's Asbury/Brookfield series (although, they're not technically a series, more a series of companion novels) as well as A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper. It feels good to be reading books I cannot put down again. It's been too long.

What are five things going on with you guys?

Guest post: The Secret Underground

2012-09-06T23:36:00.000+10:00

Today I have a special guest post from the lovely Natalie Bahm, here to tell you about the exciting release of her book The Secret Underground, but also to fill you in on the amazing cause she's raising money for.

Take it away Natalie.

Jayden’s Story

My first book, The Secret Underground, will come out September 28^th.

Twelve-year-old Ally is the only witness to a bank robbery in her small town. Unable to block out the memory of the robbers, a notorious gang known as the Gauze Men, Ally joins her little brother and a bunch of neighborhood boys digging a hole in her backyard.

Only the hole isn't just a hole - it's a massive set of tunnels snaking beneath the neighborhood and heading for an abandoned steel mill. Ally is old enough to know the danger, but she reasons spending time with sixth-grade heartthrob Paul is more fun than sitting at home with her worries. And dangerous it is - none of the kids' parents realize the tunnels exist, but the Gauze Men might.

The book is being published as a fundraiser to help the family of a sick baby boy.

Jayden Huynh was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, just before the devastating earthquake in February 2011 that killed 182 people. He suffers from a combination of serious health problems and because of this he's been through multiple surgeries during his short life. He's almost died many times, but whenever things look bleakest he’s rallied and shown his doctors and family that he will fight to hang on.

His family recently moved to Australia in order to be closer to a hospital that could handle his care. They've been through so much. Along with the stress and anxiety of dealing with Jayden's condition, they're also struggling financially, due to the massive burden of caring for a chronically ill child.

I’ve never met Jayden. I live on the other side of the world from him and his family. I learned about his struggles from his wonderful grandmother, my critique partner, Wen and I knew I needed to do something to help.

I called up agent, Sara Megibow, and asked if we could do a book for Jayden. She thought it was wonderful idea, so with the support of Nelson Literary Agency, I created a book for Jayden. All of the profits will be donated to his family to help cover expenses and hopefully give Jayden’s parents one less thing to worry about.

There you go guys. A chance to help out on a worthwhile cause through buying a book. It doesn't get better than that! You can pre-order copies through links on Natalie's website, and if you're interested in finding out more about Jayden, check on his blog.

Happy reading!

Challenge thee.

2012-08-31T13:59:00.001+10:00

Among the general awesomeness of WriteOnCon, this particular post from Molly O'Neill really resonated with me. You should definitely read the whole thing if you haven't already, but this paragraph really stood out:

Focusing on craft makes you ask and answer the hard questions of yourself: Are you growing as a writer? Is each character or plot or setting that you write more masterful, on some level, than those that came before it? Are you setting yourself new challenges (and meeting them?) with every book you write? Are you learning from your failures, instead of letting them limit or define you?

This is something I've been doing without realising that it was something I should be doing. As dumb as that sounds.

Let me explain.

When first started to take my writing seriously, I wrote a lot of ms in quick succession, and all of them sucked. I never felt the urge to revise or improve these stories. I was never strongly attached to them. I felt like I was writing the same-but-different story over and over again.

Turns out, I was.

It sucked.

I felt, for a long time, that I wasn't improving as a writer. I wasn't moving forward. I was stuck in this okay-but-not-amazing land of writing. I wanted to move on, to get better. I wanted to be proud of what I was writing.

So I decided to push myself. I put away the first person, past tense paranormal stories--of which there were many--and wrote a contemporary first person, present tense story. It was hard writing in present tense. It was hard writing a character driven story. But when I finished it, I had the first ms that I truly cared about. The first ms I really loved.

The first ms I was proud of.

And I have continued to write stories that challenged me as a writer. Now, when I'm thinking about new projects and ideas, I always ask myself: How can I push myself? Challenge my ability as a writer?
I may not have an agent, a publishing contract, hordes of screaming fans, but I do have the ability to improve my craft, and to grow as a writer.

At present, the two WiPs I'm playing around with are challenging me. Daily. One is a non-linear story with an unreliable narrator who I suspect is a borderline psychopath. The second one follows two separate stories, which I hope will come together at the end. (Fingers crossed!)
They're both hard, challenging, and frustrating, but if it was easy, I wouldn't be improving as a writer.

I'll leave you with this parting quote, also from Molly O'Neill's WriteOnCon article:

"…only YOU can make yourself a stronger writer, a better writer, a writer whose craft demands the attention of everyone who comes to the work after you complete it."

Happy writing!

On the suck and the getting stuck.

2012-07-07T14:55:00.000+10:00

It's been awhile since I blogged, but with good reason: I've been working hard. Seriously. It's like I have this crazy deadline fast approaching and I have to get as much work done as I can before it hits. (By the way, I'm having a boy!)

Not that things have been easy. I'm getting work done, but it's hard. SO HARD. But then, when is it not? (That's a rhetorical question. If you answer it with, "Meh, I don't think it's hard," I will punch you in the face and you won't be able to punch me back because I am pregnant therefore protected by the Pregnant Ladies Can Do What They Want clause.)

Um. Where was I? Right. The hard work. I've actually been working on two separate projects. I've been revising the wahzoo out of The Opposite of the Dead as well as slogging away on the first draft of The Children Most Foul. Basically, I've been alternating, so when I need a break from one, I just switch it up. It's possibly a strange system, but then, I'm a strange lady.

But it's the drafting of The Children Most Foul that I want to talk about today because I recently had an epiphany:

I hate writing first drafts.

Now before you roll your eyes and say, "Well, DUH, Jade," let me explain. See, for a long time I believed that I preferred writing a first draft to revising. There was a time in my life where I could breeze through a first draft in a month or two, barely breaking a sweat. I though getting the words down was the easy bit, the hard part was the editing.

But this was back when I didn't know what I was doing. When I was writing books that I didn't like or care about. This was back when I wrote a 175k word fantasy and a dystopian called The Freaks.*
Now that I have a tiny idea of what I'm doing, now that I care about the books I'm writing, that first draft is so bloody hard.

(To give you some idea, I started Children about this time last year, and I've had to put it away several times and then come back to it later. I'm still in the dreaded middle. *sobs*)

But I am determined to finish this book, even if Shiny New Idea is trying to seduce me. I made a commitment and I'll be damned if I'm going to let some little hussy lead me astray. So I went searching for some help, which I will now share with you guys because you are super pretty.

Many of you will know Laini Taylor as a mad talented YA author, but did you also know that she has a really cool blog called Not For Robots,** which is filled with helpful writing advice? I love it so much that a quote from one of her posts is stuck directly above my computer:

I happen to think that work is as important as talent. We need to work hard. We need to build our lives and our dreams like we're building houses or bridges or something, and not to expect it to be easy and idyllic.

Word.

Now I've been stuck at certain point in Children for MONTHS, and desperate to make progress, I scoured all my favourite writing sites for help. I ended up on this post on Laini's old blog, which I found so amazingly helpful.
One of her suggestions for getting unstuck, is to brainstorm a dozen possible scenes that could happen next. I did this, writing down all my ideas, even if they were crazy. A lot of them involved my MC burning things. Three scenes had her making out with three different people. Some of my ideas were ridiculous, but a couple of them were usuable. So I brainstormed a bit more and then BAM, I had written the next two chapters.

TWO CHAPTERS! (Did I mention I'd been stuck for months?)

Before I sign off (because, let's face it, this is a long, rambling post) I want to link to another of Laini's posts. This one, which deals with the suckage of first drafts. This is the other thing I've been struggling with--I can't shake the notion that this story sucks, that I suck, that my face sucks. It's so tempting to give up and start something new because new ideas NEVER SUCK, but this is a lie.

You must fight through the suck. You must find a way to unstick yourself. You have to keep pushing yourself until you reach the magical moment where you type THE END.

And everything is easy from that point on.***

Is anyone else stuck or full of the suck?

*Really. That's what it was called. Feel free to laugh.
**Seriously. It's not for robots.
***HA!

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi?

2012-05-24T22:45:00.000+10:00

As I'm sure you are all aware, I am a proud Aussie. And with this title comes grave responsibilities, such as telling all non-Aussies the truth about koalas.

They have chlamydia.*

Yes, even this one.

In all seriousness, I am very proud of being Australian. I am particularly proud of the level of awesomeness amongst Aussie YA authors.
I recently ordered a couple of Australian new releases, and when I added them to Goodreads, I noticed that most of my friends didn't have them on their lists.

Now this is totally fine. There is no hidden clause in the Jade Internet Friendship contract that says you have to like the same books as me. I obviously have fabulous taste, but whatever. The lack of adds on Goodreads did get me thinking, and I kept circling around one particular question:

How aware are non-Aussies of Australian books?

Now some Aussies are household names in the YA world. Melina Marchetta springs to mind. (And if you haven't read any of her stuff, get thee to a bookstore/library NOW!) But I wonder how many other authors are on the international radar?

(These questions are not meant to make anyone feel bad for their lack of interest in Australian authors. I am simply curious.)

Of course, lack of availability is probably a factor in this. A lot of my favourite Aussie books come from smaller, local houses, and aren't even available overseas. Some, like Graffiti Moon (which, by the way, is one of my all-time favourites!) have sold to American publishers. So there is that.

Sometimes it's even hard for me find local books in the stores, and I'm forced to go online.

Another factor is probably just a lack of awareness. Since a lot of these books are only published locally, there's not going to be a lot of hype on the internet. In fact, some of my favourite books I've found from trawling through publisher's websites. I hadn't heard of them until I came across them.

Many of my favourite stories are little Aussie books that could, and it makes me to sad to think that people are missing out on them. Like emo sad. So I'd love to hear from Aussies and non-Aussies on this topic. Have you read any amazing Aussie books? Is it something that you wish you had more access to? Could you not care less about my ramblings?

If you are interested, I am always happy to recommend books (actually, I'm happy to talk about any books, period.), and my favourite Aussie book blogger is Nomes. She's lead me to more amazing books than I can count.

* Yes, koalas really do have chlamydia.

The Silagree bites the dust!

2012-05-18T23:36:00.000+10:00

I AM DONE!!!

Yes, that's right. I have finally finished revising The Silagree! And guess what? There wasn't even as much work as I'd been dreading. It only took a couple of days of serious work to push it over the edge. And the best part? On my final read-through, I decided that it wasn't awful. Such a relief!

Now I can finally get back to The Children Most Foul. How I've missed my shiny little WiP. I cannot wait to get drafting again!

And in case you're interested, here's the first ever post I did about The Silagree back in September 2010. Man, it seems like it was just yesterday…

It's a hard knock life.

2012-05-17T18:42:00.000+10:00

If you've been lurking around these parts for awhile, you'll know that I've been working on a ms called The Silagree for some time. If you're not fond of lurking, let me fill you in: I wrote the first draft in September 2010, and I've been going mad ever since.

But now I am very very close to being done with it.

So. Close.

A few months ago, I received what I hope will be my final feedback on the ms, and I've been slowly (mainly because of my horrifying sickness) working through it, making changes, having panic attacks. Stuff like that.
I fixed up all the little things, and now I only have a couple of changes left. But they're not easy things. They're to do with character development. And the plot. Really fun stuff.

A few days ago, I reached a point where I just wanted to give up. I was sick of The Silagree. I was sick of banging my head against the wall.

Mainly, I was sick of the fact that I just wasn't done yet.

But I couldn't bring myself to give up on it completely. I knew that if I didn't push myself that little bit more, I would forever feel guilty about it. I would be a quitter. I knew this, but I just couldn't find the motivation to push through. And then something magical happened.

The motivation found me.

I learned that one of my writing friends had signed a three-book deal! I was so deliriously happy for her, especially because I knew how much effort had gone into her books. She worked hard and was rewarded for it. It was just what I needed to hear.

Sometimes it's hard to push yourself and then push yourself a little bit more. It's easy to give up and move onto something new. Something that's exciting and shiny. But there's no satisfaction in it. I know there's no guarantee that my hard work will pay off with The Silagree. It's most likely that it will be never be published, but if I give up on it now, I'll have failed. If I keep going, push myself just that little bit more, I'll know that I did everything possible to succeed.

And that, my friends, is the opposite of failure.

So this weekend, I'll be locked in my revision cave, banging my head against the wall, having anxiety attacks, and working hard. What will you be doing?

Also, if you haven't congratulated Stephanie yet, hop to it!

I'M BACK!

2012-05-11T09:33:00.001+10:00

It's amazing how being sick for three months makes you appreciate the little things. Like being well enough to write your first blog post in two months. I'll be damned if that doesn't deserve some fireworks and celebration!

For those that don't know, the reason I've been sick for three months is that I'm pregnant. I've never done the pregnant thing before so I was a little shocked to find it came with a violently ill clause. But that is all (hopefully!) behind me, as I'm starting to feel more and more like a human being every day. I swear, I will never take my good health for granted ever again.

Now that I'm feeling better, I'm hoping that my writing and reading habits will return very soon because I haven't done either in a very long time. And when that happens, I might actually have some blog content. Wouldn't that be crazy?

Apart from a few Twitter drop-ins, I've been completely offline, so I've missed everyone terribly. Let me know if anything exciting or non-exciting has happened to you because I'm desperate for some juicy goss.

Gone fishin'

2012-03-15T09:51:00.000+11:00

I just wanted to quickly apologise for the sudden absence from the interwebs and let you know I'm still alive. (Just in case you were wondering.) I do have a very good reason for falling silent, but I can't tell you about it yet. Soon, my pretties. Soon.

I miss you all terribly, and I'm hoping to be back in full force soon(ish). In the meantime, please send me any positive vibes you might have lying around because I could really use them.

It gets harder.

2012-01-27T13:46:00.001+11:00

When I first decided I was going to be a writer, I thought that the more I wrote, the easier this writing gig would become. And I continued to think this for quite a number of years.

Oh, what a fool I was.

In some ways, things have become easier. But in so many other ways, things have become harder. This last year in particular has been especially difficult. It's harder to be inspired. Harder to get the words down. Harder to edit. Harder to move forward.

It's taken me a long time to see this as a positive, but that's what I'm coming around to. It's harder for me to get inspired because I know if it's not something truly amazing, I won't put in the effort in. It's harder to get the words down because I now know how important each word is. It's harder to edit because I know I have to push myself to the breaking point to get the story I want. It's harder to move forward because I know how important it is to get it right.

These are all positives.

Some of you might be aware of the fact that I have 11 completed manuscripts to my name. Back when I was writing book 1 (in 2006!) I would have thought that by book 12 (which I'm currently working on) I'd be a pro. It would probably take me 4-6 weeks to smash out a first draft and then a couple of months to edit.

HA HA HA HA!

Truthfully, instead of becoming easier, they've become harder. A few years ago, I'd get a half-arsed idea for a book, leap into writing it without much planning, smash out a really quick draft, and think it was super awesome.

Spoiler Alert: They were never awesome.

Let's take 2010 for example. I always think of the year that I really started to grow as a writer. I also completed 5 manuscripts in this year alone. Yes, FIVE.
This might seem like a great feat, and they all helped me improve as a writer, but they were all far from being awesome.

Of those five books, two have been completely written off (although one of them does have a cool concept that I might use one day…). Another one was The Silagree which I spent most of last year editing (and I'm still not finished!). I also wrote the original version of The Opposite of Dead which I completely re-wrote last year, and Forever More, which I am currently in the process of totally re-writing.

Let me just sum up: 2 books were no good, 2 needed to be totally re-written, 1 needed a year of editing.

So, sure, maybe it was easier to get the part where I wrote THE END with these books, but what I was left with, was a total mess. I wasn't thinking about what I wanted to say with a particular story, what I wanted that story to be. I wasn't taking my time to think about what I was writing, and what I ended up with was an easy first draft that sucked. A lot.

Now I'm embracing the struggle to get a first draft done. It's harder, sure, but I am certain that the end product will be a lot closer to awesome.

Hopefully.

Who else is struggling through a first draft?

Time to be an adult.

2012-01-06T09:00:00.000+11:00

Happy (belated) New Year's, guys! Can you believe it's 2012? Seems like only yesterday that I was partying like it was 1999 and worrying about Y2K. Wait. That was yesterday.

Moving on.

I'm not big on resolutions and goals because I'm a go-with-the-flow kind of gal. Also, I have a tendency to set super unrealistic goals. I look back fondly at the start of 2010 when I was so sure that all my dreams were going to happen that year. Agent, book deal, super stardom, the Oprah show. Which was ridiculous. I didn't know the first thing about writing a book let alone getting published.

Ah, the beauty of hindsight.

For 2012, I've decided to do things a little differently. I'm setting myself some goals/changes that I hope will contribute to my personal happiness and well-being. I'm not going to tell myself that I have to write x number of books and edited x number of projects.

I'm going to try to stop stressing myself out all the time. That's Goal Number One.

The only thing I have set myself strict guidelines in, is this year's reading challenge, which, let's face it, I usually fail. But not this year. Instead of saying I'm going to read x number of books or die (although I would like to hit 103 because that's a cool number), my goal is to make a certain percentage of those books are from outside the YA/MG shelves. Like, 25%.

Yes, more adult books. How scary.

Of the 98 books I read in 2011, guess how many were outside the YA/MG world?

Only four.

*hangs head* As much as I love children books (which you may have noticed is quite a bit), I'm completely horrified by the number of adult books I read. This needs to be remedied. Immediately.

I used to read SO MUCH in the adult/non-fiction categories, but this has fallen by the wayside in my mad romance with children books. So I need your help. I realise most of you probably read a lot of YA/MG too, but surely some of you have recommendations. I don't care what genre it is (okay, maybe not gory horror), what it's about, if you love it, tell me about it

To give you some background, some of my favourite adult books include:

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Um, so yeah. Make of that what you will! And recommend some books. PLEASE. Help a girl out.

Why I read books.

2011-12-31T11:55:00.000+11:00

Today is New Year's Eve and I've been reflecting on the last year and, in particular, all the books I've read. I thought it might be interesting to break down the books I've read into categories I've why I read them in the first place. There are SO MANY books out there, and sometimes I feel overwhelmed by all the books I won't read, which makes it hard to pick the ones I will read.

In 2011 I read 96 books (Gah! Only 4 short of my goal) and I've broken them up into eight categories. Some books belong in more than one, but I picked the one that most fit it. Take The Scorpio Races for example. I have read a book by this author before, but the reason I read it was all the hype about HOW AWESOME this book is. (And it's all true.) On the other hand, Divergent got all kinds of hype, but I only read it because it was strongly recommended to me. (And I loved it!)

Here's the breakdown:

Reasons

Author is a friend/someone I know online: 8

Recommendation: 19

Hype: 9

Already a fan of the author: 23

Liked the premise: 21

Felt like I should read it: 8

Re-read: 5

Other reasons: 3

The Felt Like I Should Read It category is filled with classics that I thought were important for me to read, such as, The Virgin Suicides and Ender's Game. The Other Reason category includes a book I read because I liked the cover, a book that was turned into a movie and I wanted to read the book first, and a book by an author I met who seemed cool.

I'm surprised to find that the biggest category is books by authors I'm already a fan of. But it is true. If I've read and loved a book by an author, I'll usually read follow-up books regardless of other factors. I'm very loyal like that.
It also seems that I don't easily buy into the hype which I think is mainly because I have a good idea of what books I'll like and which ones I won't. But I'm not always right. I really didn't think I'd enjoy Divergent, but then I loved it and there's a few books where I bought into the hype and then didn't enjoy AT ALL.

Out of interest, I also decided to work out how many of those 96 books I owned, borrowed, etc, so here's the breakdown for that:

Bought: 55

Borrowed from library: 31

Swapped: 3

ARC: 7 (I also bought 2 of these books once they came out, and plan to buy 3 more when they're released.)

This is proof that I buy WAAAY too many books! I also got another 21 books for Christmas. Oops!

And one final piece of bonus information: the author I read the most in 2011? It's a tie between E. Lockhart (I re-read The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and the first three books of the Ruby Oliver series) and Maureen Johnson (13 Little Blue Envelopes, The Bermudez Triangle, The Name of the Star, Let it Snow.)

I'm curious about what makes other people read the books they do. Is it through recommendations or hype? Already a fan of the author? Pretty covers? Blurbs from famous authors? Let me know what you think.

Have a Happy New Year and I'll catch you all in 2012!

Faves of 2011: the covers.

2011-12-23T23:15:00.000+11:00

Today is the final day of the Faves of 2011, and it's all about the shiny, pretty covers. So here are my top ten favourite book covers from books I read this year.

I am absolutely obsessed with book covers! What are some of your favourites?

Faves of 2011: random stuff.

2011-12-22T20:30:00.000+11:00

Since I missed Day 3 of the Faves of 2011 in all chaos of packing for my trip, I thought I'd combine it with today's category. So I'll give you a few of my favourite scenes and then some random book highlights.

The Scenes

Best First Chapter: Across the Universe by Beth Revis. If you want an example of an awesome opening chapter, look no further. There was so much tension in this scene that I just about gnawed my lips off.

Best ending: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. This ending destroyed me. I was literally sobbing like a small child while I read it. And even though it's been a few weeks since I finished it, I still find myself thinking about it all the time. If you haven't got the message yet, I LOVE THIS BOOK.

Best plot twist/revelation: This a tie between August by Bernard Beckett and The Museum of Mary Child by Cassandra Golds. I didn't see either of the twists coming and they totally floored me. Love a good plot twist!

The Randoms

Best first sentence: Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

Favourite book title: This is Shyness by Leanne Hall and I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells.

Can't believe I waited so long to read: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Seriously. WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?! One of those books that linger.

The book I'd give to my past self: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta. Teen Jade would have LOVED this book. If only.

The book that lived up to the hype: Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Perfection. Surpassed my incredibly high expectations.

The book I was *dying* to get my hands on: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. Thankfully I got to read it early, so I didn't have to wait as long!

Tomorrow is the final day of the Faves of 2011 where I'll be revealing my favourite covers of the year!

Faves of 2011: the characters.

2011-12-20T21:08:00.000+11:00

Day Two of the Faves of 2011 is all about stand-out characters. If I had to pick just one book for awesome characters, I'd have to go with Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta. I want to be friends with them all. Especially Tom.

Here are some of my other favourite characters from books read in 2011:

1. favourite female main character: Ruby Oliver from The Boyfriend List. I only discovered this series this year (which is odd because Frankie Landau-Banks is probably my all-time favourite female character) and I absolutely adore Ruby.

Lola from Lola and the Boy Next Door. I wish I'd been like Lola when I was a teenager.

2. favourite male main character: Four from Divergent. He is EXACTLY my taste. Perfection.

Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door. I'm not always a fan of the "nice boys" but he is the right amount of sweet and sexy.

3. best couple: Sean and Puck from The Scorpio Races. It's not a big, swoon-y romance, but it's as satisfying as it is beautiful. LOVE.

4. who I so want to be best friends with: Jack from Supernaturally. Such a fun, cheeky character. I ADORE him.

5. who I fell completely in love with (new literary crush): Tom from The Piper's Son. He's a perfect example of a good boy gone off the rails.

6. favourite villain: Divergent had some of my favourite villains ever. They made me really fear for the other characters.

7. best character twist: Tristan from August. Did not see that coming.

8. best kick-arse female: Tris from Divergent. That girl is bad-ass.

9. best kick-arse male: Four from Divergent. Am I getting the message across? I LOVE FOUR.

10. best YA parents award: Lola and the Boy Next Door. Lola's dads were freakin' awesome!

11. favourite sibling relationship: Invincible Summer. Love that family something fierce.

Who are some of your favourite characters of 2011?

Faves of 2011: The Books

2011-12-19T21:20:00.000+11:00

All this week, one of my favourite book bloggers is running the Faves of 2011, a Book Award Thingy where you give shout outs to your favourite books read this year. Today is all about the books:

Here are some of my favourite reads of the year so far:

1. favourite book read in 2011: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

2. most powerful book: The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

3. brilliantly funny: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

4. best ache-y, heart-breaking, tear-jerker read: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

5. most beautiful story: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

6. delicious rainy day comfort read: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

7. adrenalin-fuelled, unputdownable award: Stolen by Lucy Christopher

8. the beautiful prose award: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

9. most atmospheric and vivid setting: A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

10. i-so-want-to-go-there award: The Museum of Mary Child by Cassandra Golds

11. most original and imaginative: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

12. best under-appreciated, hidden gem book: Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar

13. i-had-no-idea-i-would-love this-so award: Divergent by Veronica Roth

14. most haunting story: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

15. outside my comfort zone but gosh how i loved it: Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

16. series that i’m loving: Wildefire by Karsten Knight

17. always recommending this book award: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

18. completely awesome premise award: The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

19. would make the best movie: Burn Bright by Marianne de Pierres

20. want to re-read already: Good Oil by Laura Buzo

What are some of your book highlights?

Throwing out some book love.

2011-12-08T01:00:00.000+11:00

I did a post recently where I asked for some good book recommendations. I'm happy to say that I've recently read several really awesome books which I thought I'd share. (Click on the book's name to go to its Goodreads page.)

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

One of the best books I've ever read. Yes, ever. So utterly different and gut-wrenchingly beautiful. The final page undid me completely. Love to the power of infinity.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Such a poignant and powerful tale. It's an emotional heavy-hitter, but definitely worth all the tears. I wish I could write like this.

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Why did I wait so long to read this? WHY? I laughed, I cried, I wished desperately that I had friends like Francesca's when I was in high school. Such fabulous characters.

The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

A companion novel to Saving Francesca, it deals with a lot of similar themes (friendship, love, loss) but it a totally different way. It also has a great example of a good-boy-behaving-badly as well as lots of new yet fabulous characters.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

I'm not usually a fan of dystopian stories, but I really enjoyed this book. Brilliant characters and frighteningly high stakes combine to make it a tense read. And it didn't hurt that Four is my kind of leading man.

Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver

A story that is as beautiful as it is powerful. So impressed with this book!

I'm always up for more recommendations, so if you've read anything awesome lately, don't keep it to yourself. Share!

I also plan to spread some more book love by participating in this later in the month! It combines books, lists, and questionnaires! My three great loves!

I'M BACK!

2011-11-30T01:30:00.000+11:00

This is how I feel, post-editing

I am officially done with editing* (for now) and I'm equally relieved and stressed, wondering if I've gotten it right. Basically I'm crazy on a stick right now.

It is not a pleasant sensation.

Despite all the craziness, I am making a timid return to the blogosphere. I didn't post much (well, at all) during most of the editing, mainly because my posts would have been something like this: I HATE UR FACE, EDITS! But that is done with (for now) and I will be back sometime next week after I take a trip to Melbourne. And then recover from said trip.

I wish I could say that my future posts will be filled with nuggets of editing knowledge that I gleaned during my epic stay in the editing cave, but alas, there are none. Editing Jade resembles a muppet with no sense of direction and who doesn't speak the local language.

Yeah, there was a lot of arm flailing.

During my editing break, I also plan to return to my much neglected WiP, The Children Most Foul. I currently have a grand total of 5781 words which is rather pitiful if I do say so. I'd like to at least 6000 before 2011 ends.

I'm not sure if I've mention this book before, but knowing me, probably not. So before I fall into another blogging abyss, here's some images from my inspiration file:

What has everyone else been up? Who is surviving NaNo? Who is in a corner rocking back and forth? Who is cursing the day they decided writing might be fun?

* For those who aren't aware, I have been busy killing my remaining brain cells in a mammoth edit of my book, The Silagree.

You need friends.

2011-11-08T00:30:00.000+11:00

The quantity (and, let's be honest, quality) of posts has been lacking of late. This is because I'm in Week 5 (but who's counting?) of a massive revision of The Silagree. Any extra energy I have at the end of the day has to be used to open the liquor cabinet, so blogging has fallen by the wayside.

But this isn't a post about blogging guilt. It's about appreciating those wonderful creatures who respond to texts such as, "I AM STARTING A PIG FARM!!!" or reply to emails you've written drunk and/or mildly panicked.

They're called friends.

I am so so so so so so so grateful for mine.

The last couple of weeks have been rough. I've reached a point where I hate my ms so much that I might have given up on it if it wasn't for these lovely ladies. Not only do they let me send them crazy texts/emails/pics/Tweets, but they also humour me when I start talking about the aforementioned pig farm. They distract me when I'm losing my mind (which is at least once an hour) and offer me so much advice they could write a self-help book or two.

For reals.

But more than that, it's the enthusiasm and belief in my book, especially when I don't have any. It's all the nice things they say to talk me off the ledge. It's the willing offers to read and critique my work.

Did I mention I was grateful?

When I consider my current crazed mental-state, I can only shudder to think what I'd be like if I didn't have my writing friends.* It's highly possible I would have given up. Or I'd be living in a cave. Referring to myself in the third person. ("Jade haz the nice cave.")

If I'm ever lucky enough to get published, my acknowledgements will be a novel in itself.

Who else is grateful for their writing friends?

* Don't get me wrong, non-writing friends are great, but they don't really understand your attachment to the Optima font.

Throw some books at me.

2011-10-28T10:37:00.003+11:00

I'm still currently locked in my editing hole, but I foresee an escape in my near future. When I escape, I plan to catch up on all the things that have fallen by the wayside in the last month. This will involve watching some tv shows that have been recommended to me and also reading ALL OF THE BOOKS.

This is where you come in. It's been awhile since I read an AMAZING book. Some have been good, others meh. It's been too long since I've read a book I CANNOT PUT DOWN. So please, please, please throw some book recommendations at me. I don't care what genre they are, if they're adult or YA, if they're recent or classics. THROW THEM AT ME.

I like to feel something when I read a book, and I'm always up for something new. Unless it's filled with very descriptive and senseless gore. This is the only line I draw. I'm up for anything else.

Let me have it.

Pushing through the pain.

2011-10-23T10:04:00.003+11:00

How do you push through when all you want to do is give up?

I remind myself I would not have done this if I didn't, at some point, believe in my story. I hang onto the one thing I truly love about it, even if I can't feel it anymore. Even though I can only see the individual words on the page, I remind myself that they add up to a story I care about.

At some point, I'll reach the other side, and it will all be worth it.

I hope.

Commiserations to anyone else struggling through.

How to NOT edit your book, Jade-style

2011-10-22T00:04:00.000+11:00

1. Wake up with a hangover. What? You had really bad day at work. Don't judge.

2. Feel sorry for yourself. Now you have a sucky job AND a hangover. Could life get any worse?

3. Listen to Jay-Z's 99 Problems. He's right. You might have a lot of problems but a bitch aint one.

4. Try to recall all the drunk emails you *may* have sent your writer friend. Remember, DON'T JUDGE.

5. Spend three hours at the hairdresser's. You may not have a readable book, but your hair looks damn fine.

6. Try to come up with a new story which you can write the cute boy from hairdresser's into. Because you really need ANOTHER story idea.

7. Stare at freshly printed manuscript. This is scientifically proven to reduce the number of pages.

8. Select a pen and highlighter for editing purposes. Change said pen and highlighter at least twelve times.

9. Write random lines from book on your leg in biro. This makes you look edgy and hot.

10. Play Jay-Z's 99 Problems again. Wonder what he and Beyonce will name their kid.

11. Wonder about this some more.

12. Google: pregnant Beyonce. Study pictures for scientific purposes.

13. Stare at untouched manuscript. REMEMBER, this is the only way to decrease the number of pages.

14. Let the pit of despair swallow you. At least your hair looks good.

15. Write a blog post about all the things you did today. Notice that "edit the shiz out of book" is not one of them.

16. Weep like only a writer can.