Magpie Writes

So....I got a book deal...

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 23:22:00 +0000

What actually happens when what you've been working toward for six years—no, longer— happens? It seems sudden and unbelievable. I have trouble reminding myself that it is true. But I've seen the evidence of my own eyes, so I guess it really is happening.

My book sold.

I have an editor.

I will get published.

My book will become real.

There's this:

And this:

And finally this, meeting an author I love (Natalie C. Anderson) an old friend (Renee Ahdieh) and someone I already feel like I've known forever, my editor (NEVER. GETS. OLD.) Stacey Barney, at a Penguin Teen event at Books of Wonder in NYC.

All I can say is that it happens. You work hard AF. You never give up. People champion you and you champion them. And luck, or fate or la suerte, arrives.

I'm shutting down this blog - and will launch a new author website in a couple of months. I'll be working on edits and on writing that second book. And I'll be getting ready. For whatever this new beginning brings.

I wish you guys todo la suerte, too.

A Bumper Sticker and Diversity

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Mon, 09 May 2016 15:39:00 +0000

I have a political bumper sticker which I am afraid to put on my car. It doesn't matter who the bumper sticker supports - it only matters that, in this time, in this place, I feel afraid of voicing my opinion.

And I hate that.

When I was a teenager (in the 19-blah blahs as my daughter says. The little runt) I went to a U2 concert where Amnesty International had an information table. They had young (dare I say, cute) activists talking about political prisoners and how speaking up about human rights violations and dictatorships was the only way to change the world. I came home with a button (Buttons were big. So was hair.) a bookmark and a bumper sticker.

I was too young to drive. And there was no way my mother was going to let me put anything on her pristine white Mazda. So I put it up in my room. My mother asked me what Amnesty International was and I launched into a garbled, half-assed recitation of what the cute activist had told me at the concert.

"...so I signed a petition and..."
Mom cut me off. "You what?!"
"I signed a petition."
She became very serious. "Did you put down your real name?"
At this point, I was convinced my mother was either joking or smoking funny cigarettes.

"Yes, mother (insert eye-roll) my real name, real address, the whole thing." Duh, I didn't say, because slapping would occasionally happen in the 19-blah blahs.

I could tell from her face that she was mad and upset. But I didn't understand why.
Later, she told me that she didn't want me to sign up for any more 'political' things. That people who put their names down for things got in trouble. Sometimes they got beat up. Sent to prison. Disappeared.

I laughed at the woman. I told her that this was America, and that didn't happen here. What I didn't say (again, beware the slapping hands of South American women) was, just because that happens in some third world, ass-backwards country doesn't mean it could happen here.

Flash forward to 2016. There's this story about a disabled woman whose car breaks down and who calls a tow-truck. When the tow-truck driver sees her political bumper sticker on her car, he abandons her at the side of the road. He later said that he was proud that he drew a line in the sand. Against people like her. Because of a bumper sticker.

Thinking about this, I don't think my mother's warning was so crazy after all. Maybe it's not the same as what she experienced in Uruguay with the dictatorship and the Tupamaros, but it's not so different. People do get beat up for their opinions. And they get discriminated against. And it gets scary.

So what does this have to do with diversity? It's a complicated word, meaning a lot of things to a lot of people. But it has power. The power to normalize the idea of 'other' so that it doesn't frighten and anger us so much. Diversity has the power to give voice to the underrepresented and understanding to the majority. If it were a coin, on one side would be carved 'Diversity' on the other side would be 'Tolerance'. Diversity begets Tolerance. Tolerance begets Understanding. These are the slogans we want on our bumpers.

Writing a Hard Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Mon, 02 May 2016 13:50:00 +0000

This new WIP is already getting under my skin, embedded in my brain. I've been writing for two weeks now and, when I say writing, I mean thinking.

I do a lot of pre-writing when I start a new project. I cannot approach a blank page cold, without sketching out ideas first. These 'sketches' happen in my head, while I'm washing dishes or making a cup of tea - random acts of housewifery and home repair.

And I DO NOT write these sketches down. I build them up in my mind, telling myself the story as if it's a memory. "Oh yeah, Maribel is always stuck making the tea for her abuelita. And her aunt will tell her that Americans don't use soap and water to clean their bathrooms, they use Aguajane. Hmm. Got to Google what the generic Spanish term for bleach is..."

Basically, I have to give the main characters the chance to become real to me.

But for this WIP I have to do something else. I have to research two things that are hard. Grief and Immigration. Those are two heavy M-Fing subjects and I don't want this book to be a quagmire. I don't want to gloss over two very serious things either. I know I'll have to strike a balance.

Thing is, I know this WIP is going to be hard. It's going to stretch me and challenge me and will make me drink Hendrick's Gin and Tonic at 4:45PM. I'm a little scared of this WIP, this new idea.

That's why I'm doing it. It's not like other things I've written. It's going to require a level of writerly skill that I think I WILL have, that I MAY even already have, but one I haven't shown. In other words it's the challenging, heartbreaking book.

Trepidation. Worry. Excitement. Anticipation.

This is going to be good.

Reading While Writing: A Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 12:05:00 +0000

When I was a newbie at this writing thing I worried a lot. (Editor's Note: Unlike now, you mean?) What should I wear while writing? Computer or longhand? How many spaces should I indent? These are the things all writers worry about when embarking on the scary path of writing because they are the easy. You can fiddle with these details endlessly, never committing to actual writing.

But the biggest worry I let consume my mind before writing my first book: Should writers read while writing? What if the amazing book I’m reading seeps into what I’m writing?

The argument goes something like this: What if I’m reading American Gods and suddenly I write something incredibly Neil Gaiman-esque? Or worse—and more likely— what if I create a pale facsimile? Or if I plagiarize?

It seemed too dangerous to read anything at all, like a novitiate on her way to the nunnery who, driving past a happy hour sign and thinks, “Maybe I should go in and have one last rum and Coke?”

I made the mistake of not reading while I was writing my first book. No books AT ALL while writing my first draft. Keep the book pure. No rum and Coke for this How-Do-You-Solve-A-Problem-Like-Maria.

Maybe this works for some people, I don’t know. For me, reading is a combination of writing fuel and those mind expanding mushroom-y drugs I’ve never tried but read a lot about when I was fifteen, during my William S. Burroughs phase.

Reading does things to me. I can see patterns of meaning, filaments of connection between the made up worlds spilled out onto the page and my own life. If reading is doing that kind of good to my mind and soul, how much more good can it do to my writing?

I wrote that first book on the no-reading-regime and it was bad. It didn’t perform any of the magic that books should perform. The coalescing of thoughts and feelings, the sharp acknowledgement that someone who has never met you could understand something about your life that you’ve only just discovered. This book was just a bunch of characters standing in space saying words. That’s a bad book.

Looking back on that fallen-soufflé of a book I think it was down to two things; it was my first book and I didn’t know what I was doing and, I consciously choose not to read while writing.

That’s like going on a grapefruit diet before running a marathon.

So, I worked out a recipe for how to combat the reading while writing seepage problem.

Step One:

Read a sh*t ton of books. Saturate your brain with words from a variety of different places.

Step Two:

Have your bullcrap meter turned all the way up to eleven, so you know if you are unconsciously pilfering.

Step Three:

If you are writing in one genre, read in a wholly other genre. Or don’t read genre at all – read non-fiction. Or read books you have already read and loved.

Step Four:

Choose books that compliment what you are writing. Remember the color wheel from art class? Complimentary colors are opposites. Yellow and Purple. Red and Green. Historical Fiction and Sci-Fi Romance.

Step Five:

Read what challenges you. Read books that poke at you, so you can poke at your own work-in-progress. It’s no bad thing to feel a little off balance while writing.

Step Six:

Beta read for other writers. When you beta read or crit, you’re firing up your critical faculties. Then you get to bring your sharpened critical mind to your own work-in-progress. Win for them, win for you.

While writing my last manuscript, a YA contemporary, I read:

· A biography of cancer
· A high fantasy
· My favorite Chronicles of Narnia book, The Silver Chair
· Two beta reads for writing friends who kick ass and write in vastly different styles.
· Golden Age Mystery Not by Agatha Christie

Reading is essential to writing. Go forth and saturate your neurons. And write.

I Like My Books Like I Like My Music

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 22:59:00 +0000

If you tell me, “This book will break your heart,” I’ll scoot my chair a little closer to you, the better to hear your book recommendation.

If you tell me “It’s a tough read, complicated and devastating and exhilarating”—halfway through your adjective parade, I’m downloading the book onto my Audible app.

That’s how I take my books. Challenging and emotional and difficult.

That’s how I take my music, too.

I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

My husband makes fun of me because I can forgive somewhat boring music in a song, but I cannot forgive boring lyrics. Words are too important to be empty containers for the lowest common denominator.

That doesn’t mean I gravitate towards the nastiest, grittiest books I can find (just like I don’t stream Norwegian Death Metal 24/7. Or, frankly, ever.) It only means that I look for books that resonate.

David Arnold’s MOSQUITOLAND broke my heart. A 16 year-old girl on a journey to reach a distant mother who needs her. Put like that, it’s nothing special, but the images and emotions pulled out of me by the descriptions (some ridiculous, like the couple on the roof of the gas station; some deeply poignant like the box in an old woman’s hands) were etched into my heart forever.

No, not really. ‘Etched into my heart forever’ are definitely lowest common denominator words. So overblown, they’re meaningless. What I should have said was that MOSQUITOLAND made me think about the profound good that exists in ourselves and in others even when we don’t believe in it. And how damaged lives can be perfectly enough.

I create a playlist for every book I write, and some books, like MOSQUITOLAND, that I love and want to re-live with music. I did it for ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell and also for SERAPHINA by Rachel Hartman.

It’s possible that I stood at a recent Savages show and thought, “Park would love this show. Eleanor would probably think it was too loud.”

Good music and good books have the same elements. Heart, yeah, but not twangy-twangy-woe-is-me-heart that you’ve heard one thousand times before. It has to have authenticity and be stripped down to a vulnerable place where you can’t dismiss it.

And Voice. Music and books have to have singular, arresting voices, pitched so exactly right that you can hear it above the cacophony of every day voices. (Just so we’re clear, the every day voices tell me to eat more cake and watch old Murder She Wrote episodes. That’s not the voice I’m talking about here.)

Finally good books and music need Brains. Possibly zombies eating brains, I won’t rule any genre out, but mostly the kind of brains that plot out a narrative with twists and reversals that make you snap back your head, read a line again, listen to the same verse twenty times, to pry out meaning.

So, how do you like your music and books? Are your tastes the similar in both, or do you read slasher horror while listening to the Bee Gees? (That sounds pretty good, actually…)

How to Not Stop Writing

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 18:48:00 +0000

Stop writing.
Give up and don't start again.
Stop doing the thing that makes you crazy and hurts your heart and makes you a misery to be around.
Stop writing.

It's easier to start writing than to stop - that's the way of any addiction, right?
But I'm not going to tell you lies.

I'm not one of those people who have to write. I don't feel that if I didn't write, I'd die.

I'd be fine. I have a job I love and am good at. And I can paint and draw and dance and sing for the pleasure of being creative. Writing is something I choose to do, as hard as it is.

I could stop.

Last year around this time something happened that almost made me stop writing. I failed at something pretty spectacularly. It was, to put it mildly, devastating. And I didn't know if I could recover the blow to my writing ego. Worse, I didn't know if I wanted to. You see, if I stopped writing, all of the negative feelings would go away. I wouldn't be open to failing that way again.

Fast forward to today and I'm writing again, still. I wonder, how did I do it? How did I not stop writing when it would have been so much better for my happiness?

1) Happiness isn't everything.
2) Writing makes me feel new things and scary, amazing things that I have forgotten how to feel.
3) The "What if..." habit is a hard one to break once you pick it up.
4) I have people. Squad. Wonderful, brilliant humans who tell me to shut the f**k up and start writing because THEY want to read the worlds I create.
5) My husband does not take no for an answer when it comes to believing in me. He's a stubborn son of a bitch (sorry, mom-in-law.)

That's how you do it. That's how you keep going. You just do.

The (Second) Best Possible News

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 22:42:00 +0000

You know how, when you are in the trenches, trying to get an agent or get published or writing in a new direction, you have your team? Your posse? Your squad? Your coven?

Your people. (Oh man, do you need people. You can't do it alone)

Kerri Maniscalco is one of my people. Aside from her tremendous writing chops, she is gorgeous, kind, insightful and full of so much freaking positivity that it's hard not to smile when talking to her. And though I have not tried her food in person (much to my ever-living sorrow), when she posts recipes and photos on her blog, the food envy is intense.

And. She's. Got. A. Book. Deal. (with James Patterson's new imprint! take that WITCHES!)

I never really imagined that I'd feel so much joy for someone else attaining a goal I have (yet) to accomplish. I guess I thought I'd be a little sulky. I know I'm not perfect, so I can cop to having felt that before with other people. But with Kerri? It's impossible to feel anything but love for her.

She deserves it. She's worked her arse off in the years we've known each other. Oh, and I've read OF BLOOD AND SHADOW. And it is AMAZING.

So. Here's what you do:
Go to her site and give Kerri lots of love. http://kerrimaniscalco.com/
Go to Goodreads and mark OF BLOOD AND SHADOW as Want To Read
Get ready to be thrilled when this epic book comes out.

I. Can't. Wait.

Choosing a World to Build

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 14:19:00 +0000

In the past, when I've finished a book, I take a week or two off to clear out the previous book's webs in my brain-attic, then start on a new project.

This time, I took a different approach. I asked Agent B (the incredibly marvelous Barbara Poelle of The Irene Goodman Literary Agency) if she thought I should come up with a few more book ideas and we could chat about them before I started the next book. She said to come up with 20. Not 19, not 21. Exactly 20. She told me a story about another client of hers (who I have MAD respect for) that did this same thing, before she wrote her first best seller. So you can imagine how pumped I was to start.

Twenty is HARD.

Firstly, I always have a couple of ideas rattling around my head. Once I cleared out the dross and glitter globules of my brain, I found I had four.

Four is far away from twenty, you know.

Also, some of these ideas were a sentence. They needed some serious fleshing out.

I spent December's waking hours fleshing out my four initial ideas—giving them character names and ambitions and tweaking the blurb (we decided I'd write a 'blurb' for each of the books, as if I'd already written the damn thing and knew what happened at the end. Which I don't.)

But when I was asleep, or running or shoveling snow my brain was churning. The challenge and glory of having to come up with 20 story ideas is that you need to be less precious. You can't wait for your muse to hit you over the head with the story-stick, you need to grab ideas, turn them upside down and shake them until they say 'uncle' or until they bloom into something good. Every article I read I asked myself, Is there was a story there? Every TV show I asked myself if there was a fresh, me-like angle on the story. Music videos, billboards, other people's conversation. I was like the prince in Cinderella grabbing on to anyone with a lower limb trying to fit a shoe, uh, I mean, story on.

It felt a little feverish, seeing every tiny thread as a story waiting to be told. And exciting, and a little exhausting. Even after I had 23 ideas I could refine, I kept searching. A lot of my ideas came from dreams. A lot came from reading articles. Two came from something my kids said.

That was only part one of the exercise. The heavy lifting came when I spoke to B. She asked a lot of questions. Poking my ideas with her own Yoda-like story-stick to see if they held up, made sense and had legs.

The twenty became seven. Then were down to 2. Now I have narrowed it down to 1.

This story is where I'm world building next. I'm excited.

How to get Your Groove Back after Rejection

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 13:33:00 +0000

I have joked (and been serious) before about what I have done when rejected by agents, publishers or critiques. The strategy is mostly about drinking. But, having just had a somewhat brutal rejection, I find myself in a familiar and utterly ugly place.

Doubtsville.

It's a hideous country, flat and with nary a comfort food in sight. I hate it here. I hate how squishy I feel, like a snail pulled out of its shell. I hate how my thoughts bounce around looking for something good to hang on to and finding nada.

I hate how corrosive this place is. How it seeps into my bones and amplifies the negative voice in my mind. I need to get the fudge out of Doubtsville. Now.

Directions Out of Doubtsville

Personal Tsunami
A very smart friend said to me that it's okay to feel bad. Don't minimize how crappy you feel just because people have it worse. It's okay to have a Personal Tsunami, something that feels devastating, even though it isn't. Let it feel like loss.

Perspective
Yes to tsunami, but only for a little while. There's a big difference in accepting feelings and wallowing in a vat o' self pity.

Horses
As in getting back on it. This is something I try to do too soon. As soon as the tsunami hits, I mean before the waters recede and I even know where I am, I'm googling things. Books, conferences, crit groups, blogs, answers, answers answers! I want the remedy before I'm ready for it. But there's a time for horses and getting back in saddles.

Nerves and Fear
I have a friend who is a writer and an opera singer. She helped my daughter over come some fears about singing in public. She said that when you have nerves, don't try to stifle them, instead shake hands with your nerves and say hello. Your nerves, if kept in their proper place, can help fuel you, make you better. And if you've said hello to your nerves, you can keep an eye on them. They can't sneak up on you.

Fear is not your friend. Fear is gripping and crippling and all the 'ippings' you can think of. It can stop you from writing or WORSE stop you from writing what you are really capable of.

EXIT
Get past these twists and turns and I believe you can get out of Doubtsville. I'm stuck somewhere on the corner of Nerves and Fear but I have a plan to get out. A simple plan. It's called "I NEVER GIVE UP."

Diversity with Dragons, Football and Drama

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 16:49:00 +0000

I was brushing my youngest daughter's hair when I found myself talking about trans people. It happened because a mini-fight broke out between eldest and youngest about how to dress their stuffed bunny for Easter (Let me set the scene: This is right before church and the girls are trying to figure out if they can get our Rector to baptize the stuffed bunny. Spoiler alert: They can't.)

Eldest wanted Chubby to wear a bow tie and youngest wanted Chubby to wear a skirt. I said, "Why not both?"
"Because he's a girl," said Eldest
"No he's both," said Youngest
"That's not possible," said Eldest

And this launched me into a somewhat awkward explanation about how some people are born looking one way on the outside, but feeling another way on the inside. It was awkward, because I'd never thought about how to talk to my kids about gender diversity. There are so many kinds of diversity that young kids aren't exposed to (especially in quasi-rural Pennsylvania.) And if the diversity involves sex and gender issues there's a hesitancy to discuss because the topic is deemed inappropriate for the age.

But why? Why is it inappropriate to discuss gay people, trans people or any other people with non-heteronormative orientations, with children?

I can't think of a good reason. My kids see hetero relationships in cartoons all the time. And youngest liked 'marrying' our neighbor Trevor so much, she did it three times.

Driving in the car with eldest and her friends (10 and 11 year olds) we were discussing Raina Telgemeier's fantastic graphic novel DRAMA.

One of eldest's friends said her mother wouldn't let her read this book because it wasn't appropriate for children. I made that unattractive between-brow furrow with my face as I tried to remember what could be inappropriate in that book. After all, it's for their age, no curse words or drug taking or violence (lots of snarkiness and over reaction but duh, middle grade.)

It turned out to be because one of the characters was gay. I might have gone on a tirade about how if there's nothing inappropriate in the Cinderella love story, then there's nothing wrong with a gay person falling in love in a middle grade book.

So without any more tangential stories about my kids or driving through my neighborhood (the daffs are up! and the crocuses!) here are two books that I read recently which I think are good with gender diversity.

Boy In A Dress
David Walliams

Title says it all. This is a wonderful middle grade book illustrated by the excellent Quentin Blake about Dennis, who likes fashion and football. And thinks that dressing up as a girl is fun. He wishes boy's clothes were prettier. His Dad and his brother are typical British lads who do not understand and push hard to contain what they think is alarming and deviant behavior. Despite the heavy subtext, the book is light, funny and open ended enough to make kids think, without shoving a message down their throats.

Seraphina
Shadow Scale
By Rachel Hartman

I can't believe I didn't know how amazing these books were before. I've been burning through them for two weeks now and I'll likely have a seizure of withdrawal when I finish Shadow Scale. In a fictional world where Dragons not only exist, but can turn into human-like shapes to speak and intermingle with humans, there is an uneasy peace between human and dragon kind. Seraphina is a product of a dragon-human union - human seeming with a ring of silver scales around her torso and down her arms. She is ashamed at being a half-breed and for good reason. Everyone around her distrusts the dragons. But a half-breed is fit to be reviled.

The world building in these books is breathtaking, and the plot is intricate without being cumbersome. The message of diversity is not something that comes out at you like a jackhammer, but one that builds in layers as Seraphina learns about herself and about others like her. Seraphina has visions of other 'half-breeds' like herself and each of them is more different than the rest. Some are nearly unrecognizable as human. Each one challenges Seraphina's idea of what is 'normal'. The introduction of the transgender character Camber is wonderful because we see him in her vision when he is a man, then meet her in person when she identifies as a woman.

All this is seamlessly woven throughout a novel that is high stakes adventure and deeply human—even when the humanity is in the dragons.

New Year Resolution that Does not involve avoiding Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Sun, 25 Jan 2015 00:19:00 +0000

I have tons of bad habits. I eat too many Pringles for one. I neglect voice mail messages for way too long. There are lots of things I should resolve to do no longer (or start doing again - like running!)

But there's something that I haven't done in a long time which I miss so much that I've been afraid to start it again.

Paint.

I went to undergrad and grad school for art. I used to have a perpetual line of Pthalo Blue under my thumb nails. I used to draw on anything that would stay still for long enough.

And then, after grad school, I stopped. Hard to say why exactly, except that it felt like I didn't know what to say with art or how to say it. Years passed and I sort of lost my 'hand' That's what happens if you don't keep active. It's a little like what happens to your writing if you don't read, your language gets rusty.

In the last few years I've been helping out at my daughter's school on various projects, like painting a mural for International Fair Costa Rica or Brazil or for the school play (guess who's painting the Great Wall of China for MULAN this spring!) It got my art sense twitching until, right before the new year, I bought myself paints. Brushes. Linseed oil. Sketching pencils. Mini canvases.

I will try to paint at least once a week - and I will just do it without over thinking about it. Without wondering if it was any good or if it *meant* anything. Just for the joy of it.

Here's what I've done so far in January

Better than a diet or giving up trashy TV (heaven forfend!) This New Year's Resolution is guaranteed to make me happy and more creative. What's your (creative) new year's resolution?

What to Get Your Writer Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 18:52:00 +0000

It's the season of giving. (I REFUSE to say 'tis. I just refuse.)

And if you have any writer friends on your gift list, you might be wondering what the heck to get them. A pen? Some paper? A QUILL?

Here, are some suggestions that go beyond a gift card to Barnes & Noble:

His/Her Book
Notice I didn't say 'a book' but your writer friend's actual book. Whether it's a self-pubbed e-book or a traditionally published small press number - SUPPORT YOUR FRIENDS' WRITING by buying their book. If you already have their book, buy it and give it to someone else, letting that person know how much you love said book. Nothing feels warmer and fuzzier than spreading the word about books you love (by people you love.)

Here are two books I recently bought for friends, after buying for myself:

Cat Winters. SO GOOD.

Sarah Bromley - so excited, picking up my copy from
DOYLESTOWN BOOKS TODAY!

Time
What all writers want more of (yes, even more than chocolate.) If you can give your writer friend an extra couple of hours where you will watch their kids for them, or where you will pick up their dry cleaning or take up some other mundane task for them so they can have writing time - this is more precious than gold.

Time, The Luxury Edition
If you are feeling flush and/or particularly love your writer friend, you can help ship them off to a writers retreat or conference. Nothing is better for the writer's soul than being forced to be writerly, to put DOWN the dishtowel and be FORCED to be immersed in writing. A retreat is perfect for a writer who just needs to finish the *FUDGECICLE* up. A conference is good for a writer looking for representation, community or guidance.

For writers conferences listed by state, go here.

Writers retreats can be formal like these, or it can be informal - as in one or two nights at a quite inn or hotel.

The Lambertville Station Inn is great for informal retreats - just outside of Philadelphia and overlooking the Delaware river, it's perfect for contemplation.

Pendle Hill, a Quaker retreat and center is wonderful for getting the writer-mojo flowing. No TV's in the rooms, dorm-like accommodations, beautiful, walkable and woody setting and, the cherry on the creative sundae, a 24 hour Art Studio that you can use when you have writer's block and need a work around. I can't recommend Pendle Hill enough.

Encouragement
I have a fridge magnet that I keep on my desk. My husband gave it to me and I don't even have to look at it. I know what it says. I feel the fridge magnet's pull (get it?) every time I get crushed by this writing life.

Sometimes, that is all your friends who write need to hear.

Encouragement, The Luxury Edition
A cheerleader is great. A truly interested reader is even better. My mom is both. She tells me I'm awesome (naturally) but she also reads my books and tells me what she thinks of them. She tells me one character reminds her of a babysitter I had when I was little - and did I mean to write all about Olga? The gift with this kind of interest is that I get a glimpse into how my writing affects someone who isn't the intended audience, but who's opinion means more to me than I can show. If you are that person for a writer friend, take the time to read and comment.

Booze/Chocolate/Comfort Drug of Choice
There Will be Tears. The writing life is basically a mash up of hysterical, joyful and despairing crying mixed liberally with the writer's comfort drug of choice. Give them a whole box of it. A really great vodka. A box of expensive chocolate. A lunch date to a Jersey Diner for Disco Fires (what? That's legitimate!) Whatever gives comfort and fuel to keep fighting the good fight - that's a great gift.

So, what are you giving your writer friends? And what do you hope to get?

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Happiest of New Years!

What to Drink While on Submission

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 22:48:00 +0000

I know what it's like to be on submission with a publisher. I am doing it right now, even though you can't see me. It's like FIGHT CLUB because Rule One is that you are not supposed to talk about it. (Rule Two is to take a soap making class from your local community college, to pass the time.)

No. No, no no. Rule One is to write the next book. I am doing that. I am almost ready for little MOA to go to beta readers. I am happy with MOA and it's given me some distance from my baby, erm, book that is out on its own, sloshing in and out of email inboxes.

It's almost Thanksgiving and almost winter, but seasonal changes don't just mean changing outerwear and finally taking down the Halloween decorations. It means (for me) changing what I am drinking.

Last season's drink of choice was the Dark & Stormy. I was feeling a bit 'lashed to the mast.' But my new submission drink of choice—the drink I will enjoy while trying not to worry—is Penicillin. Here's how you make it, courtesy of Serious Eats.

Photo: Jennifer Hess

Penicillin

Ingredients:
2 ounces blended Scotch whisky (Famous Grouse works well)
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce honey syrup (see note)
3 slices fresh ginger
1/4 ounce Islay single malt Scotch (such as Laphroaig)

1

Using a wooden muddler or mixing spoon, muddle the fresh ginger in the bottom of a cocktail shaker until it is well mashed. Add the blended Scotch, lemon juice, and honey syrup, and fill shaker with ice. Shake until well chilled, about 20 seconds.
2

Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass (you may wish to double-strain through a fine tea strainer to remove the small flecks of ginger), and pour the Islay Scotch over the back of a bar spoon so that it floats atop the drink.

BUT WAIT! are you on submission and a non-drinker? Never fear!
Here's a gorgeous recipe for a Hot Cranberry Orange Wassail which I've tried and is delightful (would be more delightful with scotch, but that's me...)

What do you do when you are querying or on submission or entered in a contest - when your baby is out in the world and you are biting your nails? How do you cope?

I am THISCLOSE to being finished...

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Sat, 15 Nov 2014 20:55:00 +0000

with my middle grade fantasy opus. Which is why I have been ignoring you, blog o' my heart.

What I would like is a t-shirt that says 'SHUT UP AND WRITE' which I can wear when I am distracted by other shiny things. And if I'd been wearing that shirt around you, dearest blog, you would have known that I hadn't died, been deported or gone off grid.

I was writing my freaking former-eleven-year-old heart out.

If you thought going back to high school to your teenage self was hard (it is) going back to the edge of puberty is harder. Because you don't know who you are - you're not even sure that you get a say about who you are going to be. You are still wondering what happened to believing in Santa Clause and fairies. I had to do a lot of gentle excavating with a pick axe and a brush to get down to my eleven year old self. But she was there. And she shared her Twizzlers with me.

That's the world I've been living in and it's hard and awesome. My beta-peeps will be getting this draft in December and I will be able to start thinking about my next project.

What have you been up to?

What's Up, Wednesday?

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 12:08:00 +0000

Today, in my continued Herculean efforts to keep my (writing) self honest, I am participating in Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk's bloghop: What's Up Wednesday?
Can't say 'Wednesday' without thinking of either Wednesday Addams or Odin All Father, but that's my own damn fault.

I will answer some questions about my writing and you will try to believe me. Then, you will visit some of the other lovely writers in this bloghop to see if you believe them. It's all about accountability!

WHAT I'M READING

At BEA this year I was lucky enough to get a shed load of books. and ARCs. One of which is AFTERWORLDS by Scott Westerfeld. I loved the Uglies series and I adored the LEVIATHAN trilogy (especially since I read it on audiobook with Alan Cumming doing the narration. It was STELLAR.) AFTERWORLDS is a mammoth book at 600+ pages and that makes sense because it's really two interconnected books at once. It's the story of Darcy Patel, a teenaged writer who manages to write an awesome book, get repped AND a publishing deal for serious kish kash. It's ALSO the story of Lizzy and Yama, the two protags from Darcy's book. So you're reading about Darcy's publishing life (hard not to be jealous and fascinated at the inner workings) and about the life of her 'creations'. Very Meta. And unputdownable.

WHAT I'M WRITING
I'm writing an MG Fantasy or Magic Realism - the jury on classification is still out. There's magic. There's Jersey Shore. Enough said, I think. I am trying to faithfully stick to tackling the problems I'm having with the MS (a first draft) but I'm at that wrestling stage of the crafting where you go in and fight the words (and the words fight back) until you're too tired and the coffee's gone. Then you get up the next day and do it again.

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW
Nature. It's corny I know, but being out in the world is a balm, especially around where I lie where the green stuff is everywhere and the sounds you hear at night are cricket and owl noises. and during the day, wild rabbits hop past the window. Even the rustle of wind in trees seems to be noise to smile at. I'm also watching a lot of Studo Ghibli movies with my kids and reading MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO to my eldest.

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO

I've been a work from home mom for five years now and this fall I'll be the same. The difference is that my littlest is going to kindergarten and I'll have more time for myself. When I say myself I actually mean my APW (actual paying work) self and my writing self. I'm taking on one (possibly two) APW projects that are bigger, and more challenging that anything I've done in a long time. I hope I don't wipe out. But we'll see!

Please take the time to visit these guys who are also sharing WUW details today on, Oh, is it Wednesday all ready?
Link to your WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY post:

1.	Erin Funk	6.	Emma Adams	11.	Colin D Smith	16.	Rachael
2.	Miss Cole	7.	Melanie Crouse	12.	Valerie Cole	17.	Kitty Murry
3.	Leslie Ann	8.	Alex Villasante	13.	Kaitlin Bartlett	18.	Melanie Stanford
4.	Jessie Humphries	9.	Majanka Verstraete	14.	Steph Scott	19.	Ania Pendancer
5.	Sarah Kettles	10.	Jess Gofton	15.	Tonja Drecker

Writing Like it's Your Job - Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 14:59:00 +0000

this is an analog version of what I'm talking about

Hmmm. If writing *were* my job, I might have been fired yesterday.

Or put on probation.

Not because of the brazen visits to Pottermore or Buzzfeed. Not because the more-than-necessary tea breaks. (Also, my mom in law was in minor fender bender - she's totally fine but was FREAKED out, as she's never had a car accident in over 40 years of driving. I had to go help her out. That was my only legit excuse.)

I broke my own first draft rule. I let the Little Editor out of her cage. And she was red-pen mad.

Here's how it went down. It's been a while since I worked on my WIP, so I decided to read through the last chapter. Okay the last five chapters. Then something I was writing didn't square with something I wrote before (a timeline issue, no biggie) so I went further back. I ended up reading from the beginning (this draft is currently 42k so this took a while). That's when the Little Editor made her power play. I rewrote sentences. I cut things and put them back. I wrote an entire piece of dialogue to explain something that didn't need explaining. (I did cut that out, never fear.)

In essence, I tinkered.

Tinkering in the first draft is VERBOTEN. I am going get a t-shirt that says exactly that.

So, on today's agenda I aim to be more modest and more surgical in my drafting.
I will map out where this scene is going - an outline within the outline - so that I don't stray off the path.
I will NOT rewrite diddly. That's for laters.
I will not try to wizard duel ANYONE today.

Writing Like it's Your Job

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 16:17:00 +0000

I don't look like this.

This has been a bad summer for writing. After an intense spring of BEA, writing conferences, writing and critting, somewhere around July 1st, I hit a wall. It wasn't laziness. (I tell myself. Myself is only somewhat convinced.) It was the muchness of life. We went on vacation. My husband got a new job (yeah, Tim! Art Director at Quirk Books!) My mom came to visit from Uruguay. Uruguay did not win the World Cup but became famous for biting jokes. You can see how this would break my concentration, no?

In 22 days I will get to know, at long last, what it feels like to write like it's my job. I will have actual 'office hours' that are longer than two hurried hours on a bar stool at Starbucks watching the clock until my littlest's preschool is over. Because littlest is going to Kindergarten. 8:40 On the Bus. 3:40 Off the Bus.

I still have work to do that isn't writing. I have APW (actual paying work) and I have blog/critting/reading work. But I will suddenly have this huge chunk of glorious time.

I'm afraid of blowing it. I'm afraid that I'll wake up on October 1st having written very little but having perfectly polished fingernails and an alphabetized book shelf.

So this week (while both girls are at Girl Scout camp) and my mother is engaging in a long-distance romance with her boyfriend (they are currently on the outs, but it won't last) I am going to practice Writing Like it's My Job.

Here's how I'll do it:

1) I will dedicate a minimum of four hours (pee breaks allowed. shopping breaks not allowed) a day to writing, thinking and researching. NOTE: Researching does not happen on Lainey.com or Perez Hilton or Jezebel.com.
2) I will allow myself one hour first thing in the morning to reach out to long neglected writing pals and connect with them on their blogs, twitter etc. I will read and comment on blogs. I will do this ONLY FOR AN HOUR, lest it become a consuming vortex.
3) I will not berate myself for not doing more. Word count is not my game. Story through line - hat's my goal this week.
4) I will not compare myself to others or moan about why I have not reached the achievements they have. I have my own achievements. And if I want other ones, I have to move my blooming arse.
5) I will not let the overgrown grass or the honeysuckle vine choking the boxwood deter me from my appointed task.
6) I will report back on how many of these tenets I actually adhere too.

Off to Work!

BEA and a Wee Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 13:19:00 +0000

BEA WAS GREAT BUT I'M FRIED

I want to write extensively about my awesome first time at BEA but can't. My day job is taking me away from hearth and home pretty much until June 16. By which time no one will even remember what BEA is because everyone will have sun-nesia (amnesia that happens when exposed to too much sun and vodka.)

So. Here's what I loved about BEA in a short, somewhat rambling, post:

PEOPLE
Yes, it's soylent green. I loved meeting people and talking about books. I loved that it was positive talk about books. Not author bashing, not genre bashing, no one was interested in making anyone else feel bad about the books they like to read. For me, the expo echoed what Maureen Johnson said in her Keynote speech at the Blogger Conference. Critical discussions, yes. Sweeping judgements, no.

BOOKS
I DIDN'T KNOW. When I first signed up, I didn't know the books would be free. Is this me being stupid? I guess. But I didn't know. When I realized there was tonnage of books to be had, I read up on DO'S and DON'TS and made sure to wear comfortable shoes and bring an empty rolling bag to keep in coat check. I also made sure only to take a book that I truly wanted and would read. THAT'S ALMOST ALL OF THEM. By Saturday evening, as I headed back to Pennsylvania, that rolling bag was bulging with books. Books I am GEEEEEEKED to read. A sampling:

This is only a THIRD of the book haul. I also got tons of books for my kids and husband. Everyone was happy.

And I got THIS:

I waited in line and loitered near the Harper Collins booth for a LOOONG time. I annoyed everyone who worked there and got my mitts on this. I am complete.

BOOK CON
I wasn't a fan of Grumpy Cat - especially as I tried to wiggle my way past the gigantic line of people who wanted to look at this cat. It was more than an HOUR long. And I did think that the organizers might consider opening up the other half of BEA to the BOOK CON crowd - to alleviate some of that crowding but also to give some of those more indie publishers more traffic.
The best booth by far at BOOK CON was the MACMILLAN booth. It was totally consumer focused with give aways and buzz panels and awesome 'genius bar-esq' staff ready to give you recommendations based on what you want to read. I got some great rec's on YA mysteries I'm going to check out AND I managed to snag a copy of Rainbow Rowell's LANDLINE.

My daughter also got to meet Jeff Kinney, a person she spends a lot of time with. That guy signed for hours. Definitely better than Grumpy Cat.

KISMET
My friend and awesome person Jenny Herrera texted me to ask, Friday afternoon, if I felt like, I don't know, heading out to a screening of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS followed by a discussion with Lev Grossman and John Green. I may have broken one of the glass ceiling panels in the Javits with my screech. So that happened. And it was glorious.

What was your best time at BEA?

I look a little scared, don't I? It's because Kitty exudes fabulosity. And I'm not worthy.

Book Expo 2014 - Maureen Johnson Makes Me Laugh/Think (damn her!)

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Wed, 28 May 2014 15:08:00 +0000

Day One
Maureen Johnson is my new hero. I will likely stalk her to the end of my days. Her keynote at the start of the Blogger Conference at BEA14 was genius. She pretends to be a laid back, rambly sort of girl (the kind of girl I often find when I look in the mirror) but she's actually an insightful, deep-thoughts, whip-smart kind of author and speaker.

Her big take away? Book bloggers challenge the lazy status quo. For every broad, lowest common denominator media story designed to panic (TEENS DON'T READ! FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY IS BAD WRITING!) there needs to be (and there are) bloggers who challenge generalization. Bloggers need to shine a light on book love - because there is so much to love. Instead of click-bait rage.

She mentioned a recent article in the Atlantic that was just such click bait. (And of course, I clicked it.) But her point was that this kind of article is not engendering discussion (good) it's just a didactic rant (bad) and it's making readers sound stupid. I haven't finished reading the article, but I imagine it not only seeks to make readers feel stupid, but also seeks to make other people feel smug about not reading.

Lots of great food for thought! I've already had three cups of coffee!! If you see me buzzing around confusedly at BEA, please point me toward a bathroom/food table.

Are you at BEA? What are you looking forward to?

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY! IN THE AFTER by Demitria Lunetta

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Tue, 20 May 2014 14:22:00 +0000

This is a review of the audiobook for IN THE AFTER by Demitria Lunetta. First I'll review the book itself, then the 'audiobookness' of the book. THEN I'll give away a SIGNED copy of IN THE AFTER!

BOOK
Blurb from Audible:

Amy is watching TV when the world is attacked by Them. Most of the population is overtaken, but Amy manages to survive - and even rescue "Baby" - a toddler she finds in an abandoned supermarket.

Then, after years of hiding, they are miraculously rescued and taken to New Hope, a colony of survivors living in a former government research compound. While at first the colony seems like a dream, with plenty of food, safety, and shelter, New Hope slowly reveals that it is far from ideal. And Amy soon realizes that unless things change, she'll lose Baby - and much more.

Oh man, I loved this book. Maybe more so because I didn't think I would. I had shied away from it because I *thought* it was like a lot of other dystopian books that I've read lately (to remain nameless) all action no depth. But Amy is a deep character. She is not just reacting to situations - attacks by flesh eating 'them', having to become completely silent so as to not attract 'their' attention. She's got a rich internal life, and moral struggle. Should she leave Baby behind? Should she just save herself? When she reflects on what her life was like 'in the before' she realizes that the world she used to live in is gone forever.

Or is it? When she's rescued and brought to New Hope - a colony that tries very hard to replicate life 'before' - Amy is skeptical. She's an intriguingly prickly character with conflicting motivations and feelings. This makes her strong and real - she's no cardboard cut out heroine.

The scenes I love best are the ones between Amy and Baby. Their bond is amazing and I love the way Lunetta conveys so much emotion between the girls as they live in a silent world - using sign language, walking on bare feet, always hyper vigilant against the slightest sound that could bring 'their' attack.

The twists and turns in IN THE AFTER are unexpected and when they come, and you cast back in your mind to see if there were any hints that came before, you realize they were there, you just missed them. I didn't know how Amy would survive, not just physically but emotionally and the end made me impatient for more.

The good news is 'more' is coming. IN THE END the sequel to IN THE AFTER comes out June 24th. I can't wait.

AUDIO
I listen to a lot of audiobooks - it's how I get to read as many books as I have to/need to. If I had to wait to have some quiet, alone time in my household of crazy, I'd still be waiting. Audiobooks allow me to read while I'm cutting the lawn, driving, running and ~~ignoring my kids~~ caring for my children.

But the nature of audiobooks is such that the narrator becomes nearly as important as the book itself. A very good narrator is practically invisible, a voice in your head that stands in for you. A bad narrator - or even one that just rubs you the wrong way - can kill your book-enjoying buzz. I could not finish listening to FLORA & ULYSSES by Kate DiCamillo because the narrator got on my very last nerve. Hopefully, I'll be able to pick up the paper version soon and have a better experience.

The narrator for IN THE AFTER is Julia Whelan and she does not disappoint. She captures the tone and character of Amy perfectly, managing to convey the girl's fierceness and vulnerability at the same time. She also does a very good, seamless job of speaking in a slightly different voice when speaking another character's dialogue. Some narrators do this with a very heavy hand. They try to put on a 'voice' or accent so you know that the person speaking is someone other than the main character (especially in a book that is first person like this one.) I think Julia Whelan does this effectively but subtly. I never felt taken out of the story by the narration.

GIVEAWAY!

This is the lovely swag I have for you! A signed copy of IN THE AFTER along with a bookmark and sticker. All you have to do is leave a comment below and, if you'd be so kind, follow me on twitter if you don't already (@magpiewrites)

I'll select a winner at random on Monday June 2nd. Good luck!

GUEST POST by Sharon Bayliss - Wizards and Religion and Magic - Oh MY!

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Mon, 12 May 2014 11:50:00 +0000

I'm thrilled to host Sharon Bayliss, author of DESTRUCTION, on my blog today. I gave DESTRUCTION five stars (see review here) because I found it to be such an original, intriguing take on magic and wizards in the world. Particularly magic and religion, which is often ignored or sidestepped in books about magic. In real life, people who believe in magic *often* also believe in some kind of religion - they're not mutually exclusive.
****************************************************************************
In my recent release, Destruction, realism was critical. I wanted to show wizards as they would be in the real world. So, a family of wizards living in Houston, Texas in present day are going to have some obvious questions like, "Am I going to get an owl from Hogwarts?" and since the family was raised Christian, they're going to have some more serious questions too like, "Do wizards get into Heaven?"

Here is an excerpt from the book:

While glaring at his sister, he tugged a chain out from under his shirt and pulled it over his head. A heavy silver object clattered onto the counter. A Christian cross.

David didn’t know if this meant Xavier was secretly a wizard or secretly a Christian, or which one of those things seemed more unbelievable.

“Are you a Christian?” David asked him.

“No,” Xavier said neutrally. He grabbed the cross again, put it back around his neck, then tucked it into his shirt.

“Thank you for showing me,” David said to Xavier, who ignored him.

“Our mom gave it to him to use as his object. It’s more powerful as an object than my stone, but I wanted something of my own to build from scratch. The cross comes with built-in magic. Millions of people across the world and across time have used it as their talisman. People sing to it. Speak to it. Put it over the bodies of their dead. It all adds up. But you still have to make it your own, put your own magic in it, or it’s still just an object.” She swished a piece of waffle around her plate with her fork. “You have these in your house,” she said, still looking at her plate.

“Yes,” he said. “We’re Christian.” He didn’t know if she expected any more explanation.

“I thought you might understand then, if you saw his,” she added.

“I do,” he said, even though he wasn’t entirely sure.

Another excerpt:

“I thought you were a Christian,” Emmy said to Amanda. “Have you been pretending all these years? Why even take us to church?”

“What you are is different from what you believe. We can believe whatever we choose to.”

“Do you believe in God?”

“Yes.”

“Do you believe in the Devil?”

“Yes.”

“Can wizards get into Heaven?”

“They have the same chance as everyone else.”

“But you don’t know for sure.”

“Emmy, no one knows for sure. Not about any of this.”

“We know what’s in the Bible. And there are no wizards in it.”

“Are you sure?”

Emmy knitted her brows together. “No,” she said firmly.

And another (I blacked out a spoiler):

“Who were you talking to? Grandma?”

“Actually, it was Lydia Armstrong, you know, from church. She’s the one who always wears those gaudy pins on her blouse.”

“Why were you talking to her in the middle of the night?”

“She’s in my prayer circle.”

“You mean, they’re praying… for us? For this situation?”

Mom smiled a little. “They don’t know all the details. Just that Emmy is missing. As nice as it is to think I can cast a spell and protect my family on my own… I feel safer knowing I’ve consulted an expert.”

“You mean God?”

“Yes, I mean God.”

---

Amanda, the mother in the book, was taught by her parents that miracles that don't come from God are from the Devil. She believes that the only way to be a good and godly person and a wizard, is to deny her magic. So, even as it becomes apparent that denying magic won't be possible, or a good idea, she struggles against it. There seems to be no place in the world for a Christian wizard, but as the story progresses Amanda tries her best to fit that role and stay true to her faith and to her true self, as you see a little bit in the last excerpt.

I'm very proud that I have fans from all varieties of religious and spiritual beliefs, including Mormons, Catholics, Protestants, pagans, agnostics, and atheists. I don't intend for the story to have any specific religious message, but understanding oneself in relation to God (or a lack thereof) is an important theme, and one that I think most people can identify with.

Here is more about Destruction:

Introducing a new dark wizard family drama, Destruction by Sharon Bayliss, Book One in The December People Series.

BUY NOW

THE BOOK SPOT

An independent family-owned bookstore. The ONLY place to buy signed copies!

BOOK PEOPLE

A locally owned book store in Austin, Texas.

AMAZON

BARNES AND NOBLE

David Vandergraff wants to be a good man. He goes to church every Sunday, keeps his lawn trim and green, and loves his wife and kids more than anything. Unfortunately, being a dark wizard isn't a choice.

Eleven years ago, David's secret second family went missing. When his two lost children are finally found, he learns they suffered years of unthinkable abuse. Ready to make things right, David brings the kids home even though it could mean losing the wife he can’t imagine living without.

Keeping his life together becomes harder when the new children claim to be dark wizards. David believes they use this fantasy to cope with their trauma. Until, David's wife admits a secret of her own—she is a dark wizard too, as is David, and all of their children.

Now, David must parent two hurting children from a dark world he doesn’t understand and keep his family from falling apart. All while dealing with the realization that everyone he loves, including himself, may be evil.

The Author

Sharon Bayliss is the author of The December People Series and The Charge. When she’s not writing, she enjoys living happily-ever-after with her husband and two young sons. She can be found eating Tex-Mex on patios, wearing flip-flops, and playing in the mud (which she calls gardening). She only practices magic in emergencies.

www.sharonbayliss.com - @SharonBayliss - https://www.facebook.com/authorsharonbayliss

Who's Going to BEA?

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Thu, 08 May 2014 13:02:00 +0000

I've never been to Book Expo America (May 28 - May 30) and am really looking forward to it. I know there's some controversy about BookCon on May 31st, which is a reader-facing con (to make it really overly simplistic it boils down to: We Need Diverse Books and get Grumpy Cat instead. I actually think Book Con is trying to address this with a panel on Dystopian featuring Veronica Roth, Marie Lu, Danielle Page and Alaya Dawn Johnson. We shall see.)

I'm going on Wednesday for the Book Blogger conference and I'll be there Friday and Saturday.
So, if you've been to BEA before - what should I know? What should I definitely do and definitely, under pain of humiliation, NOT DO?

If you're going to BEA this year, let me know if comments so we can get together - I'd love to meet.

Finally, what are you excited about?

Here's a short list of what I'm pumped about:

Maureen Johnson's Keynote on Wednesday
Tiger Beat with Libba Bray (please do a Prince cover, PLEASE!)
Bob Shea & Lane Smith autographing on Friday
The Graphic Novel Today panel on Saturday
And the Macmillan booth because I *hear* (the books speak to me, you know) it will be EPIC.

Review: DESTRUCTION By Sharon Bayliss

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Mon, 05 May 2014 07:28:00 +0000

Given the choice between reading 'children's' books (picture/YA/MG) or 'adult' books, I'll pick the children's book almost every time. I like children's fiction because it's raw and full of wonder and nothing is taken for granted–regardless of the genre. Children's fiction is filled with magic of every kind. I'm sure there are books for adults that are full of wonder, that do have magic, but it's a lot less common in my experience.

So I was wonderfully surprised by Sharon Bayliss' DESTRUCTION. It's for grown ups–it's about grown up things, family and mortgages and adultery and abuse. But it's also about magic.

What's fascinating about this book is how seamlessly it integrates magic into the real world. No dart behind the Leaky Cauldron is necessary to find magic. It's in David's house, intwined in his family's DNA. There's no on/off switch. The Vandergraff's live steeped in it, whether they know it or not.

The depiction of family life–and the complicated additions to that family–are completely engaging. Sharon does a stellar job of getting us to care for eight distinct family members of wizards, imbuing them with motivation, soul and mile-wide-streaks of bad choices that make the wizards very human. That's another thing I loved about these characters - especially a flawed character like David. No one wears the white hat. That's what makes this book so intriguing.

DESTRUCTION challenged me. It was unpredictable and a hell of a ride. Nothing came easy for these characters and the resolution was one that I didn't see coming but, when it came, made perfect sense.

DESTRUCTION is the first book of the DECEMBER PEOPLE SERIES.

THE BOOK SPOT

An independent family-owned bookstore. The ONLY place to buy signed copies!

BOOK PEOPLE

A locally owned book store in Austin, Texas.

AMAZON

BARNES AND NOBLE

The Author

www.sharonbayliss.com - @SharonBayliss - https://www.facebook.com/authorsharonbayliss

YA FEST PA Recap, or How To Build a Shelter Out of Books

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Thu, 01 May 2014 14:49:00 +0000

There’s was only one bad thing about the 2014 YA FEST in Easton PA.

There were so many people (yay!) that it was a crush. Getting to any author's table to chat and sign was difficult until I learned the secret of walking behind the book stacks to get to the far side where the books were being sold. I spent a kajillion dollars on books. Then, because I am a sick, sick individual, I spent MORE money at the library’s used book sale. My reasoning? Why not build a shelter out of books for the coming Fill-In-The-Blank apocalypse?

Speaking of the apocalypse, I had the amazing fortune of meeting Demitria Lunetta.

Her post-apocalyptic book IN THE AFTER is stunning. I told her that I’d shied away from the book initially because I’d been burned by dystopians and post-apocalyptics before – books that were all action, no depth. IN THE AFTER is not at all like that. While being well paced and full of action, there are a lot of questions raised – morality, responsibility and how, in the ruined world of the after, the ideas of right and wrong are highly subjective. It reminded me of THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS by Alden Bell and ASHES by Ilsa Bick. (Those are about zombies, and there are no zombies in IN THE AFTER. But the sequel, IN THE END comes out in June and I just don’t know what the heck could happen next. IT'S THAT GOOD.) I'll be doing a full review of IN THE AFTER audiobook soon but just know it's an excellent read.

Demitria Lunetta and me. (Why do I look like a demented school marm? Not sure...)

I got to see and meet lots of interesting authors – both published and unpublished. I got to talk to kids and teens and ask them what they were reading, what they liked. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm. This was a gorgeous sunny Saturday. And they were in the library talking to authors, collecting autographs and chatting about books. Wish this event could happen every weekend. But then I would absolutely need that shelter of books as my house would be repossessed.

#insufficientfunds.

Next week I’ll be talking about another YA FEST author, Aaron Starmer who I babbled to unceasingly before remembering to let him get back to his signing table. His book THE ONLY ONES has twisted my mind forever. In the best possible way. I'm reading his new book THE RIVERMAN now.

What's been your favorite author event?

Predisone is Not your Friend and Allergies Suck

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Villasante) — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 13:02:00 +0000

SO. The title of this post explains my recent absence. I had a weird severe allergic reaction that made me look like I lost a fight and sent me to the doctor.

She put me on Predisone which got rid of the evil rash on my face and made me nauseous. Do you know how hard it is to work/write when your tummy is threatening to leave you, repeatedly?

I'm better now. And I wanted to tell you what's coming up on the blog.

Tomorrow: PART 1 Of my report from the YAFest PA - which was awesome! I met Aaron Starmer and Demitria Lunetta and got a ton of books. There is a giveaway coming.

May 5th - My review of DESTRUCTION by Sharon Bayliss. Guys! This book is so good! It kept surprising me and that's not an easy thing to do. I can't wait to give you the whole guacamole on this awesome book. (See what I did there? It's subtle. May 5th. Cinco de Mayo. Guacamole. You Are Welcome.)

IN THE COMING WEEKS!
I'm starting a review section that centers on AUDIOBOOKS. I listen so much - it's sometimes the only way I can get through the amount of books I need to read. And there are nuances, NUANCES, I SAY!

I'm fine. How are you?

(I was addicted to this show like crack in the late 70's. My first crush was on a Sherlock. Unfortunately, he was a squirrel)