Kate Hart

Road Trip Wednesday: In Verse

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:45:00 +0000

To celebrate National Poetry Month, YA Highway wants to know:

What's your favorite poem and/or poet?

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Sylvia Plath // Federico Garcia Lorca // Seamus Heaney // Pablo Neruda // Sherman Alexie

(Click images to buy prints at Etsy shops)

(I'm sorry, Seamus Heaney, but the only fan art I found for you was a set of earrings and that just seemed... wrong.)

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Leave a link to your own favorites post in the comments at YA Highway!

Road Trip Wednesday: On the Silver Screen

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:50:00 +0000

This week, YA Highway wants to know:

With all the success of YA on the big screen and Kickstarter campaigns for overlooked titles,
what titles would you most like to see made into a movie?

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I am not a huge movie fan. My favorites fall into a few categories: ridiculous, sweeping settings, and Muppets, basically. I'm fine with books that make me cry, but I don't seek out movies that do the same (unless they're based on a book I already love).

So my picks fall into some predictable categories. I took the liberty of making a few fake movie posters for them.

Historical Settings:

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
The Diviners by Libba Bray
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Flight by Sherman Alexie

Modern Settings:

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Starglass by Phoebe North

Funny and/or Exciting:

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
Ashfall by Mike Mullin
Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook
Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

What book would you adapt? Head over to YA Highway and leave a link in the comments!

Image Credits:
Vectors from here and here
Inspiration from here and here

Litreeary. Litera-tree. Liter"air"y. IDK.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:45:00 +0000

Since we started our treehouse-building business two years ago, my husband has built a LOT of cool stuff. Naturally, being the bookish type, I'm partial to the projects with a literary theme.

This is a Tolkien-inspired playhouse. It's for an auction to benefit CASA
(and if you're local, it's on display at the mall -- you can bid on it this Saturday!).

This family wanted a treehouse just like the one in The Magic Treehouse books.

And it's not *strictly* literary, but close enough: Pirate-themed playset!

What book do you think would make an awesome treehouse theme?

All photos copyright Natural State Treehouses. Feel free to share with credit.

Best of Field Trip Friday- Index

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:56:00 +0000

Writing Tips: From word choice to "what should I write."

Writer Life: Drafting, editing, and the glamour. So much glamour.

Writing Careers: Author life, pro tips, conferences, money, reviews, and piracy

Marketing: Swag, websites, social media, and more

Querying: Dos, Don'ts, cliches, offers, and rejection

Publishing: What literary agents and editors do

Book Lovers: Author love, controversies, and more

Fandom: Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and Twilight

Otherwise Amusing: General ridiculousness

Hashtags

Field Trip Friday: Other Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Highlights of the "otherwise amusing" tweets of the last three years

Click here for a list of Hashtag Highlights! (There were too many to do a cut and paste feature.)

Serious and/or Thoughtful

Music

Parenting

Lady Things (I Guess?)

Completely Random

More Random.

And Some More Random.

Annnd... some personal favorites

Thanks for three great years!

Field Trip Friday: Hashtag Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 13:59:00 +0000

Scroll down in the linked posts for each hashtag!

Book-Related

Books Are Better Than Pants

Books With One Letter Missing

Bumper Stickers for Authors

English Major Basketball Teams

Failed Children's Books

Heat Wave Books

Higher Stakes Children's Books

Hip Hop Books

Jonathan Franzen Hates...

My Life is Twilight/Zoolander

National Book Award Controversy (2011)

Pot Lit

Publishing Myth Busting

Just For Fun

Change One Letter Movies

Less Exciting Band Names

Thanks for three great years!

Field Trip Friday: Fandom Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Highlights from almost three years of publishing tweets!

The Hunger Games

Harry Potter

Twilight

Things Edward Googled

Field Trip Friday: Book Lover Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Highlights from almost three years of publishing tweets!

The Serious

And the Not-So-Serious

Author Love

Controversies

Field Trip Friday: Marketing Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Highlights from almost three years of publishing tweets!

Marketing Tips

Swag and Website

Social Media

Field Trip Friday: Writing Career Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Highlights from almost three years of publishing tweets!

Author Life

Pro Tips

Conference Tips

Money

Reviews

Book Piracy

Respect

Field Trip Friday: Writing Tip Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:21:00 +0000

Highlights from almost three years of publishing tweets!

The Basics

Word Choice

Bigger Issues

Other Tips

Field Trip Friday: Publishing Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Highlights from almost three years of publishing tweets!

Agent Life

What Agents Do

What Editors Do

Editor Life

Overheard In Editorial

The Industry

Field Trip Friday: Writing Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Highlights from almost three years of publishing tweets!

Writing Is So Glamorous

Drafting

Writing Is Hard

Editing and Revisions

Editing Is Hard

Writers Are... Not Normal

Next Big Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:30:00 +0000

One of my most favorite people ever, Sarah Enni, tagged me in this meme,
and I do pretty much everything Sarah tells me to do.

Q&A

What’s the working title for your book?

Refuge. I tried to change it at one point and got the side eye from various advisers.

What is the one sentence synopsis for your book?

A small town Oklahoma girl with the genetic memories of several generations has to untangle the truth behind outlaw treasure tales in order to solve a shooting and save her own sanity.

What genre does your book fall under?

Historical YA with maybe some magical realism?

What other books would you compare your story to in your genre?

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff, The Diviners by Libba Bray, and The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.

Where did the idea come from for your book?

The very first draft was inspired by the idea of witches living in Southwest Oklahoma, plus a line in Twilight where Alice tells Bella to grow a pair and protect her family. The current draft is more influenced by the outlaws that visited the Wichita Mountains and how their legends are still "alive" today.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I... have no idea.

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

Agent Michelle has the draft right now. I am looking forward to its evisceration.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? May we see an intro?

Maybe once said evisceration is over? But this book has taken... well, at least two years. Three, if you count the original draft, which is almost nothing like the current version. A lot of that time was spent researching; a lot more of it was spent trying to find the right approach for the material. Once I gave myself permission to use an unusual approach, the draft came together in about two months.

What else about your book might pique a reader’s interest?

Crows, kissing, football, hiking, concepts of memory and identity, more kissing, treasure maps, and true history that's stranger than fiction.

Tagging: John Rea-Hedrick, Amy Lukavics, Kristin Otts, and you, lovely reader.

Field Trip Friday: Query Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Highlights from almost three years of publishing tweets!

THE BASICS

QUERY DON'TS

QUERY DON'T(BE A CREEPER)S

QUERY DOS

QUERY CLICHES TO AVOID

DEALING WITH REQUESTS/OFFERS

DEALING WITH REJECTION

Holiday Road Trip 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 21:21:00 +0000

Today's the last day of YA Highway's special "Holiday Road Trip" - a week-long blog hop collecting all your favorites of the year - and since the holidays kept me from participating, I'm doing a Friday speed run through all five days.

(Picks are from my 2012 reading, not things released this year!)

Monday:

Best Book Of The Year:

The Fault In Our Stars - John Green

Most Unexpectedly Delightful Book Of The Year:

The Monsters of Templeton - Lauren Groff

Book I Wanted To Hate But Couldn't Because Game Recognize Game* :

Tender Morsels - Margo Lanagan

Book I Can't Get Out Of My Mind:

Everybody Sees the Ants - A.S. King

Best "New To Me" YA Author:

Marcelo In The Real World - Francisco X. Stork

Tuesday:

Best Sequel**:

Days of Blood and Starlight - Laini Taylor

Books Not Normally In My Wheelhouse That I Still Enjoyed*:

Graceling - Kristin Cashore; White Teeth - Zadie Smith

Best Book Cover:

Insurgent - Veronica Roth; Meant to Be - Lauren Morrill; The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater; Unspoken - Sarah Rees Brennan; Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo

(apparently I like silhouettes.)

Wednesday:

Best "I Want To Go To There" Setting in a Book:

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien (bedtime reread)

Favorite YA Characters:

The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater; The Diviners - Libba Bray

Thursday:

Best in YA Films/Television:

Best Music to Write To/Be Inspired By

New in 2012

Cat Power - Sun; Polica - Give You the Ghost; Grizzly Bear - Shields; Horse Feathers - Cynic's New Year; Caveman - Coco Beware

New to Me

The Antlers, The Head and the Heart, Wye Oak, Dessa, S. Carey

Friday:

Most Anticipated Book Releases in 2013:

Charm and Strange - Stephanie Kuehn, Starglass - Phoebe North; Nobody But Us - Kristin Halbrook, Mila 2.0 - Debra Driza; Taken - Erin Bowman; Fault Line - Christa Desir; Just One Day - Gayle Forman; The Lucy Variations - Sara Zarr; 17 and Gone - Nova Ren Suma;

Begin Again - Sumayyah Daud, Fates - Lanie Bross; Hemlock 2 - Kathleen Peacock, Infinityglass - Myra McEntire, Isla and the Happily Ever After - Stephanie Perkins; Untitled (Raven Cycle #2) - Maggie Stiefvater; Leap of Faith - Jamie Blair

Most Recommended (By You):

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches - S. C. Gwynne; The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater; The Fault In Our Stars - John Green; Marcelo In The Real World - Francisco X. Stork; My Name Is Not Easy - Debby Dahl Edwardson

It's not too late!
Link your own post(s) in the comments at YA Highway,
or check out our year-end retrospective for more new year fun!

* These topics lifted with admiration from Roxane Gay's end of year reading list
** I have not yet read Insurgent.

On Grief and What's Okay

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 21:00:00 +0000

When I was fifteen, a good friend hung himself.

We gathered in the ICU waiting room, in what we thought were hopes of our friend waking up from a coma. They let us in his room two by two, and we said whatever it is fifteen-year-olds say when they find out they're not immortal. I think I said "We love you," but I'm not sure. I mostly remember wishing I knew what to say.

I do remember that there were kids in the waiting room that I didn't know, and their presence annoyed me. I didn't know their connection to my friend, so their grief seemed inauthentic and unjustified. And I do remember that before we left, we all gathered around his bed to say a group good night. I said something cheesy. A girlfriend made a cringe-worthy joke. Most of us couldn't say anything at all.

I was embarrassed for us all. I had no idea what response was okay. Even the ones that made sense seemed wrong.

Later, I found out the adults had given us that chance to say goodbye knowing life support was futile. One of the adults was Miss Julie-- mom of another friend, and a child therapist. After we left the hospital, she knew we needed to be together, and opened her house to us the way she did any other weekend. We goofed off and roughhoused and made fun of each other and probably made cookie dough just to eat, because that's what we always did. We were loud and obnoxious.

I don't remember this next part. As an adult, I worked with Miss Julie, and a co-worker told me this story, not knowing that I was one of the loud kids. But when her oldest son walked in, he was reportedly horrified, and asked Miss Julie how she could let us act that way, given the circumstances.

She told him there's no right way to grieve. Whatever we were doing was what we needed to be doing.

It almost doesn't matter if that story is true, because I've seen her wisdom proven true many times since. When I thought I was miscarrying my first child, my sister cried, because her reaction to most strong emotions is crying. I was mad at her for crying, because my reaction to most strong emotions is anger. When friends lost their daughter this year, they found comfort in prayer, and the idea that her short life had made others value their own. But when another friend's wife was undergoing cancer treatment, prayers felt insulting to him-- full of pity with undertones of "thank God I'm not you."

My friend died. He got a two-line memorial in the yearbook. My sister's friend died. The school lobby filled with mementos.

Wailing at a funeral is stifled, or comforted. In other cultures, silence indicates a lack of grief.

A hundred years ago, we took pictures of the deceased. Now, we take pictures of the bereaved.

Expressions of grief are not uniform. They're varied and unpredictable. And that's okay.

When tragedies occur, some people look immediately to solutions, and find inaction an insult to the victims. It doesn't mean they have "an agenda." It means they're dealing in the only way they can.

Some people look immediately to prayer, and find skipping that step abhorrent. It doesn't mean they're "too lazy to do anything 'real'." It means they're dealing in the only way they can.

Some people can only deal in small steps, and have to focus on other things in the meantime to stay sane. It doesn't mean they're sticking their heads in the sand. It means they're dealing in the only way they can.

Do what you have to do. Light candles. Write a blog post. Make a donation.

But don't tell me how to grieve. Because there's no right way. And that's okay.

End of the Road (for Field Trip Friday)

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:00:00 +0000

It's been almost three years since I did my first Friday Twitter round up. Today's makes the 140th... and the last. (Sort of.)

This is a weird post to write, because the round up has lasted so long, and I don't want to end it without an explanation. But I also don't want anyone to think I have an over-inflated view of its importance (i.e. slim to none), and I don't want that to sound like a plea for people to convince me otherwise.

So! Basically, this feature has run its course. However, over the next few months, I'm going to put together a couple of "best of" posts by topic, because there's a lot of good information in the archives, and it's hard to find any of it.

In the meantime, I'll continue to do round ups at YA Highway, and to post occasional thoughts and charts and news and things here. Much appreciation to all the folks who have read and retweeted over the years (years!), and if you have a suggestion for a "best of" topic, drop me a comment here or on Twitter.

Also, here is a groundhog surprise party.

some other surprise parties by Liz Climo: chameleon, skunk and opossum

Happy Friday.

Road Trip Wednesday: Writing is Rewriting

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:38:00 +0000

This week, YA Highway wants to know how you revise.

I am, perhaps understandably, hesitant to offer advice in response...

The binder, nine notebooks, eighty-seven gazillion index cards,
and eighteen-page timeline it has taken me to get to my current draft.

And it is, perhaps, obvious why I love the Kristin Cashore post that Sarah linked. Because at this point, my only revision wisdom is:

credit: 4rilla at Flickr

(There's also a whole list of resources on the Publishing Road Map, and some of my favorites are highlighted on the Resources page here.)

What's your advice? Check out the comments and add your own at YA Highway!

Field Trip Friday, Twitter Version: November 16, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:24:00 +0000

A companion to the round up at YA Highway, this week brought to you by the lovely Amanda Hannah.

PUBLISHING

WRITING AND READING

OTHERWISE AMUSING

Road Trip Wednesday: Legos and NaNo

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 20:54:00 +0000

I'm not doing NaNo. I never have, which is not to say I never will, but right now, I am waist-deep in revisions of a book I've been writing for-ev-er. However, my goal is have a decent draft to my agent by Thanksgiving, which makes me feel like I'm doing a November sprint with everyone else. It also means that when Sarah Enni organized YA Highway's Carpool Lane newsletter for November,* I was glad that my assignment was motivation and inspiration, because those are things I'm most in need of.

As I've ~~complained~~ shared before, my current 78K draft sits atop a cut file of roughly 450K words. Seriously. Basically, my brain has looked like this:

Yay! Legos are fun! But there are so many. And so many colors and shapes and wait, this kit has directions? Are there rules I'm supposed to be following? Maybe I should smash it and start over. Okay but this big green piece, that's a pretty solid base, right? Maybe. I like this gray one though. Okay, so walls. Maybe some over here... this thing here.... and voila! A ~~book~~ castle-thingy!

I didn't really build this. My kids did.

It looks.... pretty good! I mean, it's recognizable as something resembling a ~~book~~ castle. But I don't know what's up with that random tree. Or that car that appears to be crashing into the front door. Or that inexplicably dead horse. I mean, it's a better place to be than drowning in ~~words~~ Legos. But it's still not much compared to this:

credit: aidsley at Flickr

At which point I want to take my toys and go home.

Luckily, some of my favorite writers don't just inspire me through books-- they also have great blogs. For instance, Laini Taylor's "A Dollhouse Metaphor for Writing":

"You know how rearranging a room is so rewarding? Well, dollhouses are no different. And ... are you ready for this? Manuscripts are no different either!"

Or Gayle Forman's "Doors and Books and Doors to Books":

"You start out with this solid mass. A 60-year-old door. An 80,000 word document. Same diff. They are both large and unwieldy and kind of ugly. Yet, you suspect somewhere within this mass is something better, something worthy, something you want to display to the world. But first, you have to dig it out of all the layers of crap."

Or Kristin Cashore's "Advice to New Writers":

"In the end -- and I mean this 100% -- what matters is what you think of your book. Don't get me wrong, this can change based on the intelligent commentary of others. Speaking personally, criticism by others has absolutely helped me to see my own books more clearly, in all their flaws. But don't forget that some of the people who express reactions to your books will actually be judging a green triangle as if it is a failed attempt at a yellow square. Those criticisms hurt, but they're not actually relevant to your process. It's safe to let them go."

What keeps you from driving a Tonka truck through the walls of your Lego castle (and over your laptop while you're at it)? Head to YA Highway and leave a link in the comments, then see what inspires and motivates other writers.

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*This newsletter is really fantastic so far, and I say that honestly and objectively because my contributions don't go out until next week. So seriously: you should be subscribed to this thing.

Field Trip Friday, Twitter Version: November 9, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:00:00 +0000

A companion to the round up at YA Highway

PUBLISHING

WRITING AND READING

OTHERWISE AMUSING

ELECTION

AUTHOR SEX MOVES

Field Trip Friday, Twitter Version: November 2, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 18:37:00 +0000

A companion to the round up at YA Highway

PUBLISHING

WRITING AND READING

OTHERWISE AMUSING

HURRICANE

Happy Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:00:00 +0000

The Raven Boys, The Eternal Ones (carved by my husband), and Marcelo In The Real World

Don't forget:
You can make your own BOOk pumpkins and enter to win great ARCs at YA Highway! Patterns are here, or make up your own!

BOOk Pumpkins! 2012 edition

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Hart) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Last year was the year of "Dark and Scary YA," and to celebrate, I made a bunch of jack o'lantern patterns based on book covers. This year has been a little less contentious, but we're doing another contest at YA Highway-- plus they're fun! So here are this year's patterns: for giving your porch that extra-special touch of pearl-clutching, "won't somebody think of the children?!?" Halloween style.

Petrifying Paranormal

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff; The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce; Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare; Touched by Corrine Jackson

Zombies Vs Unicorns by Holly Black et. al., The Blood Keeper by Tessa Gratton; The Archived by Victoria Schwab

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller; The Diviners by Libba Bray

Damned Dystopian

Surrender by Elana Johnson; The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Insurgent by Veronica Roth; Ashes by Ilsa Bick

Arclight by Josin McQuein

Scary Sci Fi

Starglass by Phoebe North; Reboot by Amy Tintera

Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza; Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Legend by Marie Lu

Freakish Fantasy

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck; Shadows and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Huntress by Malinda Lo; Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Killer Contemporary

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley; Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Marcelo In The Real World by Francisco X. Stork; Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
(based on this fan art)

How to use these patterns:

1. Click the image to expand, then right click and save to your computer
(or download them all at once in a PDF).

2. Print at whatever size fits your pumpkin, then pin the pattern to it.

3. Use a toothpick to poke holes around the edges of the design (more holes = easier to see the lines).

4. Remove the pattern and rub a small amount of flour over the holes to make them show up better.

5. Carve, take a picture, and post the link at YA Highway!

Carved examples from last year are here and here!

Fine print:

Please do not sell or distribute these patterns. I own zero rights to the source images. These patterns are intended for fun only. In other words, I'm not making money off of these. Please don't sue me.

Original pumpkin picture credit: 416style at Flickr -- used under a Creative Commons license.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!