The Word is My Oyster

Baking Sourdough Bread!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Sat, 25 Apr 2020 22:44:00 +0000

I'm back! Now, on to baking sourdough bread. There are a lot of different ways to do this. Different amounts of starter to use, different flours, different temperatures, different times. It's dizzying. I tried one with this famous YouTube guy, Joshua Weissman, and honestly, it was too much effort. I have work to do during the day and I can't babysit dough all the frickin' time. I also watched these guys, (Irish guy Patrick, and guitar rocker/baker/FoodGeek named Sune from Denmark) who are both oddly very soothing (unlike Joshua, who is AWESOME but makes me feel like I just drank three pots of coffee).

So yeah, I tried about four different methods, and settled on the method by Culinary Exploration. It's pretty low maintenance, once you get used to it. It's a 65% hydration dough, which gives a loaf with a crunchy crust, an airy but not too airy crumb, but nice and moist and not too dense. It seriously looks like it came from an artisan bakery.

I'm going to adapt his recipe to a two-loaf recipe, because honestly--if you're gonna go through the trouble, you might as well have two loaves to show for it. I stick one dough in the fridge so I can bake two days in a row, instead of baking them back to back to reduce the chance of having unwanted, uneaten stale bread, which would pain my gluten-filled heart.

You can also use that fridge dough for pizza, or foccacia, too. Just know they'll have a slight tang!

Recipe for 2 loaves:

Total time: Approximately 7-8 hours, not including starter prep the night before

For starter:
100g starter (a full 1/3 cup of stirred down starter)
50g whole wheat flour
50 g unbleached white flour (total of about 3/4 cup of both flours)
98 g warm filtered water (scant 1/2 cup)

For loaves:
500g warmish filtered water (2 1/4 cups)
20g salt (about 3 slightly rounded teaspoons)
750g bread flour (5 1/2 cups). I do think bread flour, with higher protein content, works best here.
256g sourdough starter (a heaping 3/4 cup). I've put in more, like just over full cup and it works okay but can have a tendency to overproof.

Equipment:
-flexible bench scraper
-banneton, about 9 inches round, or 10 inches for an oval OR a floured cloth napkins inside colanders
-Dutch oven OR big cookie sheet with a pan/ovenproof container on the side for water
-cooling rack
-bowls for mixing and such
-plastic bag (if you want to save one half of the dough to bake another day)
-parchment paper (this is optional, but using parchment to transfer dough to the Dutch oven/sheet really prevents your dough from being slapped down when you drop it onto the hot whatever)

A note about temp: You have to get used to baking according to your room temp, and your oven temp. My room temp is comfy warm. My oven runs hot so I change all these temps down by 25 degrees. You may need to go up to 500 degrees if you have a cool oven. It varies. It's good to have an oven thermometer. The experts have their own fancy proofers with temp settings.

1. Night before, 7-9 PM: mix your starter, flour and water thoroughly, and use a rubber band to mark it. Leave out at room temp all night.

2. Day of baking, around 8 AM!
Your starter should have doubled or more by now.
Add your warm water and salt in a very large bowl. NO, the salt will not kill your starter. Promise. Dissolve salt, then add your starter and mix it up with your hands until it's pretty loosely distributed in the water.

3. Add your flour. Mix together with your hand. It's going to be a very shaggy, very wet dough. Do not underestimate the size of a bowl you'll need to mix this. USE A HUGE MIXING BOWL or you will have flour in your eardrums. Once it's pretty thoroughly mixed, scrape the dough off your hands (bench scraper works good here) and leave it all in the bowl, covered for one hour with plastic wrap or a plate. This gives your dough time for the flour to get fully hydrated.

4. After an hour, scrape out onto a clean surface. Cut in half with your bench scraper. With each half, gently pull and fold dough over three times, using a different edge each time. Use your bench scraper to gently push and twist around and around, tucking under the dough until it looks nice and round and smooth. I can't do this with my bare hands. Too sticky. I use the bench scraper to do this. DO NOT add flour! RESIST THE TEMPTATION. Place each nicely rounded dough into a separate medium-sized bowl, and cover with plastic wrap or a plate.

5. Cold proof for 4-5 hours at room temp. This part has varied with the little experience I have. If you overproof your dough, it won't rise much in the oven because it's risen so much outside. So I tend to keep to 4.5 hours at the most. If your place is hot, proof less. If cold, proof more OR use a warmed oven to speed the process. If you've used more sourdough, proof less. If you're proofing in a glass bowl, you'll see gas bubbles forming in your dough and it'll spread and rise a bit. See photo, below.

6. Scrape out dough onto clean surface very, very gently. You don't want to punch it down, or knead or anything. You're going to save all that aeration that's occurred from this rise. Do several folds of your dough, about 4 total, one on each side. Use your bench scraper to get under each edge to grab it. Don't tear the dough! Pull gently and slowly, and it'll stretch and accommodate. Thoroughly flour your banneton, or napkin-lined colanders. Gently flour your dough (I like to use a little mini strainer with flour like this one) and lay it into your colander/banneton.

7. Last proof. This one goes for 1-2 hours. If you'd like to bake a fresh loaf tomorrow, put one into a plastic bag, tie it into a knot, and stick it in the fridge and skip the 1-2 hours of proofing. If you're going to bake today, and you want to have an easier time of scoring it for a pretty design, then proof at room temp for 1 hour, then stick in fridge (like the other loaf) in a plastic bag for 1 hour. It's easier to score with a cold "skin." Not necessary, though.

8. About 15 minutes before you're ready to bake, set your oven to 475 and place your Dutch oven in there. If you're going to use a cookie sheet, then you can preheat your cookie sheet too. Also preheat another oven proof container (a deep set 1/4 jelly roll sheet, for example, or brownie pan) for water. Heat a cup of water to near boiling in the microwave.

9. When it's time to bake, flip your dough gently onto a square piece of parchment paper. Flour the surface until it's covered. Using a very sharp paring knife or lame (fancy word for a razor blade) cut a deepish gash (about 1/3 inch deep) across the loaf, off center. Or make a fun design. You need the cut so the loaf can expand and spread and not be contained by the bread "skin" so-to-speak.

10. Put your loaf into the hot dutch oven and cover. Or, if using the cookie sheet/water method, put dough onto the hot cookie sheet, and add the water to the water pan. You will scream when the water hits the hot pan. It happens.

11. For the Dutch oven: set for 25 minutes. When it goes off, remove the lid to the Dutch oven, and drop the temp to 450. The loaf should look risen and blond. Set the timer for another 15 minutes.

12. For the cookie sheet method--check around 35 minutes. You're looking for a medium brown loaf with some darkness on the crust by your cut. Some like it darker, some lighter. But it should not look "blond." That is not baked enough. It might need a total of 40 minutes.

Remove, and let cool on a rack. Don't forget to turn your oven off, or you will be very sorry. Sometimes if you listen closely, you'll hear your crust "sing" by making crackly noises as the hot crust hits cooler air and contracts!

Next day baking: I heat my oven, take my dough out, score it, and bake it. I don't wait for it to come to room temp, and I don't let it proof again. Works just fine!

Good luck, bakers!

Photos, so as not to ruin the flow of the recipe above.

The dough after about 4.5 hours rise time. I think this was a little over-proofed.

How floury my napkin/colander set up is

Thoroughly floured and ready to be scored

My husband scored our dough. He's got a good hand!

This loaf was one where the dough stayed in the fridge overnight.

The crumb texture on the overnight/fridge dough. Not bad!

Another gorgeous loaf! This was a same day loaf.

This crumb was airier. Both tasted about the same sourness (lightly sour),

both super soft, chewy, and delicious.

Sourdough Starter a.k.a. making your pet "Sour Doug"

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 19:52:00 +0000

Sour Doug all grown up.
Here he is after he's risen to his full peak, about 12 hours after a feeding.

From the top: slightly domed, bubbly, no hooch. Ready to use for baking!

Hi.

It's me.

It's been ages since I've blogged, but I've gotten a few requests on how I do my sourdough starter and bread, so why not share it with the world?

I very much hope you, your friends, and family are all staying safe during this pandemic!

Here goes!

What is sourdough?

Sourdough is a mix of water, flour, and natural yeasts and bacteria that grow from the air and the flour itself. It's a bit tangy, as the bacteria produce a little lactic acid (like in yogurt). It's the way to make risen breads, cakes, and other pastries without relying on active yeast you need to buy. Once you've got a "starter" you basically can make bread forever without worrying that a pandemic is going to make active dry yeast hard to buy!

Is it very sour?

The sourdough breads I've made are only a touch sour. Some sourdoughs like the famous Eli's in NYC, or San Francisco's famous sourdough (a very specific mix of yeasts and bacteria) are a bit more strong (deliciously so!) but my homemade has been pretty mild.

For more sour taste, a longer rise when you're making dough, or using starter straight from the fridge, will probably give you a more pungent flavor. Using more starter in your recipe oddly makes it less, sour, compared to more sour with less starter. Confused? Watch this guy.

A few notes to start with:

*Try to use filtered water, not tap/chlorinated. There's a theory that the chlorine will slow the growth of your sourdough microbes, but I know some people who just use tap and it's okay. I like to use filtered, to be safe. If you don't have a filter, just sit some tap water on the counter for a few hours and the chlorine evaporates.

*When possible, use 50/50 unbleached white flour plus whole wheat flour or rye flour. I think the whole meal flours help the sourdough grow better. Vitamins and minerals and all that. But if you only have regular unbleached, at least be sure it's unbleached!

*if you don't have a digital scale, then measurements are in parentheses

*container: I love using those takeout plastic containers. They're wide-mouthed and easy to use. I've used mason jars but I don't like how even the wide mouth ones make it difficult to stir. There are pricier glass Weck jars, but this is about using what you have, so.

*metal: Some people say never use metal instruments or bowls or whatever. I think that's probably bunk. I tend to use plastic, glass and silicone, but I've used metal spoons and it's fine.

Day 1

(These are about 24 hours apart. I usually do my starter stuff at 8 AM)

Mix 100 g flour (about 3/4 cup) and 115g (about a teaspoon + 1/2 cup) filtered water together. Use either a plastic or glass jar. I like those plastic take out containers because the opening is wide. Keep loosely covered (if it’s airtight it’ll explode and it needs oxygen to grow, too). Use a rubber band to show where the level is, so if it rises you’ll see growth. Keep in a warm place, like near the stove.

You may notice it will get a little bubbly.

Day 2

It should smell a little yeasty. It may have risen, or not. That's okay.

Remove 70g of starter (1/4 cup of stirred down starter) and place in a new container. Store the rest of the starter (the “discard”) in the fridge or throw in compost (there are recipes online for using the discard if you don’t want to be wasteful. Remember it has a 50/50 water to solid content, so you can figure out substitutions in recipes. I have a great banana bread recipe to come to use with starter that I'll post soon.

To your 70g of starter, add 100g flour and 115 g filtered water. Mix really well so it’s well incorporated. Wait another day.

Day 3:

You may notice it rose a little more. It should smell yeasty, but possibly a touch yogurty as the yeast is also mixing with bacteria and fermenting to make some lactic acid. That’s cool. Repeat your discard and feeding (keep 70g starter; add 100g flour; this time, add 110g water (1/2 cup + half a teaspoon).

Day 4:

Repeat, but this time, use 70g starter, 100g flour, and 105 g water (1/2 cup).

Day 5:

Repeat, but this time use 70g starter, 100g flour, and 100 g water (barely less than half cup).

By now, you’ll notice a rhythm. Your starter will get bubbly and rise. As it rises, it’ll look domed on top. At some point, it will flatten out, and start to fall. This is a sign that it’s eating all the food supply and going anaerobic. Sometimes you’ll notice a touch of liquid on top—that's “hooch” or alcohol. A little bit won’t hurt your starter, but a sign that you need to feed it more often. A lot of hooch isn't great.

If you find that your starter rises and is falling around 12 hours after you did your morning feeding/discard, then it’s time to start feeding every 12 hours.

At this point, use 70g starter, 100g flour, and about 98 g water (little less than 1/2 cup). (Good god, does that -2g of water really matter? Dunno for sure. But it seemed happy by being 2% less wet.)

Keep repeating. When your starter has more than doubled reliably 2x within 12-18 hours after each feeding/discard, it’s ripe and ready to use.

Using starter:

Ideally, you should use the starter when it’s at its maximum rise after a feeding. So you need to time this for your baking. Often, it means feeding at night, and baking the next morning.

Storing:

Once your starter is ripe and mature, and you’ve named it something memorable, it’s time to store.

Take 70g starter, add your 100g flour, 98 g water, mix well, and leave alone for about 2 hours. Then stick it in the fridge, and feed/discard once a week. I find that Dough gets hoochy after a full 7 days, so I feed on day 6.

Using starter after it’s been in the fridge.

I'll take it out the night before I'm going to bake, don't discard, just add 100g flour and 100 g of water, and let it rise overnight. The next morning, it should have doubled and be pretty bubbly.

Some people use starter straight out of the fridge for a recipe, but generally it takes more time to rise and will have a slightly stronger flavor.

Problem Solving:

Your starter smells like nail polish remover.

It probably went too far and wasn't being fed often enough. Either start over, or start with a very tiny bit of starter, like a tablespoon, and mix with 100g flour and 100g water and see how it goes.

It also may mean your environment is really warm and your starter is eating through its food supply very fast. It may need to be fed more often, like twice a day.

Are you covering the starter? it should be loosely covered, not airtight.

You're getting a lot of hooch.

See above--probably needs to be fed more often. Or it's not getting enough air.

No rise or activity at all

Probably too cold? Try turning on your oven to 200 degrees, then shutting it off and leaving your starter in there for several hours and see how it goes. Remember it should be loosely covered, not airtight.

It's liquidy and bubbling, smells okay, but never rises.

It probably needs less water, and a touch more flour. Decrease the water amount so after a feed, it feels like a thick, moist dough, not a liquidy, pourable dough.

Good luck all! I'll try to answer questions in the comments!

YA Scavenger Hunt: TEAM ORANGE!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Tue, 02 Oct 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are SIX contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the ORANGE TEAM--but there is also a red team, a gold team, a blue team, a red team, and an indie team for a chance to win a whole different set of books!

If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the orange team, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!).

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by SUNDAY, OCT 7, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

*****

AND NOW...TIME FOR THE HUNT!

Today, I am hosting Jennifer DiGiovanni on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt!
Jennifer is the author of contemporary and light fantasy novels for teens. When she's not reading or writing, she likes to try new sports and activities, from archery to ballroom dancing, all in the name of book research.

Find out more information by checking out her website here, and find her on Twitter @jendwrites and on Instagram @jendwrites!

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

Purchase here!

Cara Scotto is living a secret life. She hates holding back the truth about her supernatural powers from her family and friends, but tells herself it’s the only way to protect them. When she struggles to control her surging energy levels, she fears someone will uncover pieces of the truth in her lies.\n\nIntent on learning how to best use her new abilities, Cara trains with her boyfriend Alex, hoping to increase her speed and strength. Though Alex and Cara vow not to let fear rule their lives, they can’t forget Ian, the supernatural scientist intent on uncovering Cara’s true potential, and wonder what his next step will be. They won’t need to wait long before he strikes again.

Soon, the answer becomes clear—someone needs to step up, eliminate Ian, and replace him. Until now, Alex has avoided the underground supernatural networks, but he realizes that agreeing to take over Ian’s position may be the only way to secure the future he and Cara dream of having.

Intent on learning how to best use her new abilities, Cara trains with her boyfriend Alex, hoping to increase her speed and strength. Though Alex and Cara vow not to let fear rule their lives, they can’t forget Ian, the supernatural scientist intent on uncovering Cara’s true potential, and wonder what his next step will be. They won’t need to wait long before he strikes again.

And now...drumroll...an exclusive content from TRUTH IN LIES!

This is a novel aesthetics board to get you in the mood. I love it!

And...

if you need some audiological supplementation to your reading experience, a playlist!

TRUTH IN LIES Playlist

Unstoppable – The Score

Never Be the Same – Camilla Cabello

Whatever it Takes – Imagine Dragons

Bad Liar – Selena Gomez

Come Alive – Greatest Showman Soundtrack

Warriors – Imagine Dragons

Who Do You Love – Marianas Trench

Confident – Demi Lovato

I Lived – OneRepublic

Natural – Imagine Dragons

-->

Something Just Like This – The Chainsmokers, Coldplay

Jennifer is generously offering an exclusive giveaway just for the YA Scavenger Hunt!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of books with my exclusive content, hosted by Tori Rigby! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 4 . Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on Team Orange and you'll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

CONTINUE THE HUNT

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author, Katy Upperman!

BUT before you keep going, I am also having my own exclusive giveaway!

A signed copy of TOXIC and this fantastic swag pack including a signed copy of TOXIC artwork created by me, buttons, enamel pins, stickers, and bookmarks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOXIC Preorder GIVEAWAY!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 15:11:00 +0000

I'm so excited to announce this preorder. I've been working on it for months, and there is some supremely awesome swag in this preorder bundle!

Here's the painting that I worked on for weeks.

It's a print of a watercolor that includes pearls, a luna moth, and a lotus flower in space.

Each has its own symbolism in the book.

I love this enamel pin!

I designed it myself, and it also includes a quote from the book

as well as that lotus flower.

These are some of the buttons included in the swag pack. Love this quote, too!

Bookmarks!

Stickers!

**Preorder Details**

Open Internationally

Send proof of purchase of TOXIC to LydiaKangContest@gmail.com

Preorders will receive:

-signed 8x10" artwork

-two pins

-enamel lapel pin

-sticker

-bookmark

-signed bookplate

ENDS NOVEMBER 5th!

TOXIC countdown!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 01:10:00 +0000

Have you seen the cover reveals for TOXIC and THE IMPOSSIBLE GIRL? Right over there on your left. I am so happy with how well they turned out!

I love the smoky, disintegrating lotus flower on the cover of Toxic. It has so much symbolism in the book. (No spoilers--you'll see!)

And I also love the colorful heart for The Impossible Girl. It's so perfect and delicate and brutal at the same time.

Get ready for two very different books coming soon!

In the meantime, I have this nifty countdown widget for TOXIC. If you'd like it on your blog, click on the HTML button on the left to copy the code!

💕Lydia

My Querying Journey

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 17:28:00 +0000

This is an old blog post from my days as a Lucky13 Debut, on our old defunct blog. So I'm reposting here for posterity!

By Lydia Kang

For some reason, I've been secretive about the intricate details of my querying quest. I think it's time to come clean. Even with an agent and a great book deal, I'm still embarrassed that I got so many rejections. I'm afraid I'll be judged by them, that I'm not one of these "I queried 10 agents and got 8 offers, voila!" kind of people.

So here's the nitty gritty, down the very last numbers and request rate percentages. Hold on to your hats!

2009

June: Decide to write a YA urban fantasy novel, after writing mostly non-fiction and poetry. In a manic 4 weeks, it's done, all 90K words of it.

July: Start querying. Meet Querytracker and its lovely forum peeps. Get a few partials and a full. I'm overjoyed.

August: Start getting rejections on partials and fulls. Revise the novel lightly. Revise the query heavily. Send out more queries. More fulls and partials; more rejections. Learn a lot about the publishing business. Learn about writing. Inhale Steven King's On Writing. Realize that my UF novel is pretty amateur, but not horrible.

September: Decide that writing a historical YA is the way to go. Start researching (fun!). Continue querying the UF; more rejections pile in. Reread every forum post that says "Rejection means you're that much closer to success." Refresh email box 1000x per day.

October-November: Continue writing the historical novel; decide I'm going to query the heck out of the UF. I exhaust the agents in the U.S. Decide I don't have to be that patriotic. Start querying in Canada and the UK.

December: A bite! FISH ON! (Sorry, I've been watching too many episodes of River Monsters.) Have phone call with UK agent. She wants to pass my MS around to her agent mates. Two weeks later, she rejects me. She offers a R & R, but I've lost faith in the novel and I sense that the agent is not a good fit for me. Meanwhile, the historical novel is written. Send it out to my precious crit partners that I've found via Querytracker and close friends.

2010

January: Stop querying the UF. Crits come back. They are not pretty. Start major revision #1. Continue to read voraciously online about revision and the craft of writing.

February/March: Voraciousness continues. Start blogging, because I vaguely hear I need it for platform. Start meeting lots of blogger/writers who teach me what I don't know about writing, such as arcs (not the gold ones from the first Indiana Jones movie.) Continue revisions.

April: Revision is done; start querying historical YA. I select my agents better this time and refrain from using the spaghetti method. Get better at writing my query. Get lots of rejections. Realize that the historical needs yet another huge revision #2. Hold of on sending full to Very Interested Agent. She graciously agrees to wait.

July: Send full to Very Interested Agent. She loves it. Requests an R & R.

August: Send back revised MS to Very Interested Agent. Start outlining a dystopian.

September: Dystopian outline is 35 single spaced pages. Toss dystopian as certain elements have been done too much, but learn a ton about plotting in the process. Very Interested Agent doesn't offer, but wants more revisions. We email back and forth...

October:...and she stops replying to my emails. Tear out some precious hair. Start outlining a YA sci-fi.

November-December: Write YA sci-fi (AKA CONTROL!). Stop querying the historical, just wait for more rejections on old queries to pour in. Surprise of surprises: I get an R & R from Big League Agent. Realize that to do the R & R correctly, I'd need to completely rewrite historical all over again. But am currently in love with my sci-fi. I stress out and decide the sci-fi would have a larger audience and might be a better debut novel anyway.

2011

January: Feedback rolls in from crit partners on CONTROL. It's great feedback. CPs enthusiastically tell me this is "the one." Start working on revisions but they are less humongous than the revisions needed on the historical. Plotting skills are much better this time around! I email Big League Agent and tell her I need more time on the R & R because I'm working on the sci-fi. She doesn't respond. (I was hoping she would nibble on the sci-fi; she didn't.)

May: Start querying the sci-fi. Get a good request rate, about 1/4.

June: Start writing a fantasy/dystopian MG. Get one near miss by an agent. Query some more.

July: Get two more near misses by agents. Both said they loved it but had enough issues that they didn't want to offer. I query the R & R Big League agent from January, but she rejects my query. :(

Early August: Get R & R from great, interested agent. I don't agree with the R & R, but sit on them for a while, to see if I'll agree with them after a period of time.

Mid August: Seriously consider self publishing.

Late August: Get offer from agent! She's stoked about my novel. We have a phone call where I bounce around a room a lot. I let the R & R agent from early August know I have an offer, and that I stand by my novel as is; she declines to offer rep. We part ways very amicably.

Early September: After notifying the other agents who have my full, get another offer from awesome agent who's also super enthusiastic.

I accept the second agent's offer...Eric Myers of the Spieler agency.

And now, the deets. I dug them up from Querytracker, which compiled the stats for me. And the highlights, in case the above synopsis was a blur.

YA Urban Fantasy
Queries sent: 155
Partials: 7
Fulls: 11
Request rate: 11%
1 Agent phone call with R & R. I decline to do R & R. No offer.

YA Historical
Queries sent: 54
Partials: 6
Fulls: 4
Request rate: 18%
2 R & R's (one I revised, one I didn't). No offers.

YA Sci-Fi (CONTROL)
Queries sent: 101
Partials: 11
Fulls: 13
Request Rate: 24%
Three near misses
One R & R (I declined to do it)
Two offers of rep!

Total rejections: Umm. A lot.

So there you have it. I've learned plenty along the way, but with regard to querying, these rules always applied:

1) Work on the next WIP while you query. Never stop writing.
2) Be your own best critic and trust your instinct. I rejected one R & R because it didn't feel right; and another because the agent didn't feel right, and yet another because that novel wasn't meant to be the one I wanted to debut with.
3) Never stop trying to perfect your craft (first and foremost) and your query writing skills. My query writing got better and better, and my request rate reflected that, I think. And my third novel reflected that my craft improved a great deal from June of 2009.
4) Understand that there will be practice novels that you will have to shelf. Personally? I am glad that my first two novels didn't find an agent. I am much, much happier with my third novel being the one.
5) Find friends who will celebrate the good news and listen when you're down, because it's no lie when they say querying is an emotional roller coaster.
6) There are certain laws of the universe you can't change. The earth will spin dizzily, vinegar will perpetually remind me of stinky feet...and rejections will always happen to a writer. Don't fester in them or you'll get soggy. Just keep writing.

My QUACKERY Tour, and the talk on CPAN's BookTV!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Sat, 09 Dec 2017 23:45:00 +0000

Well, my book tour for QUACKERY is finally over! I had a wonderful few weeks visiting Boston, Miami, Chicago, Austin, Denver, Cincinnati, Omaha, and Baltimore. I was able to see lots of friends, make some new ones, and meet lots of new readers. It was exhausting but wonderful.

Four different trips, and over fifteen flights! I saw a lot of beautiful sky.

The lovely Alyson McCandless in Chicago!

U Miami medical students who learned some medical history that night.

Dr. Hasan, a sweet friend from medical school. This was at Denver's BookBar!

I did a podcast with Dan Rodricks podcast, Roughly Speaking. Listen here.

The Cincinnati Books by the Bank festival

Signing this gorgeous poster at the Bookworm Omaha!

While I was in Chicago, John Green was at my hotel. Cool.

A talented friend--Lenore Eisenhour, who writes beautiful YA!

As part of my talk in Baltimore, hosted by the Enoch Pratt Library, BookTV recorded my talk for CSPAN. So if you missed me when I was travelling, here's a chance for you to see the talk for yourself!

Enjoy! (click image below)

YA Scavenger Hunt, TEAM PURPLE!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 05:00:00 +0000

Welcome TEAM PURPLE!

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are SIX contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the PURPLE TEAM--but there is also a red team, a gold team, an orange team, and an indie team for a chance to win a whole different set of books!

If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE

Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the purple team, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!).

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by DATE, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Okay. Now on to the good stuff!

Today, I am hosting ALEAH RAYNES for the YA Scavenger Hunt! Aleah is a fantasy, mystery, and romance writer and she's got some great exclusive content for you today!

Find out more information by checking out the author website or find more about the author's book here! AleahRaynes.com

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

Ayla

Footsteps stopped just inside of the ballroom. And there she was. Corinne, Mary’s mom and our nursemaid. The scowl on her face made me look away. We were in trouble. But Corinne’s form of punishment was to make us clean up our mess, then some other task that involved cleaning.

And we had to do it without using our magic.

“Look at her wings!” Corinne stormed across the vast ballroom.

I glanced over my shoulder but couldn’t see much. The weight said enough. My wings were coated in the slime my sisters threw on me. A giggle escaped. I couldn’t help it. This was payback for what I did to them last week. It took them days to get all the honey and feathers off theirs.

“I don’t understand you girls.” Corinne gripped my upper arm and tugged me to stand. When she started toward the bathroom at the back of the room, Baxter, our father’s soldier in arms, burst into the room.

His features were darker than I’d ever seen them. His brows bunched and his eyes were dark, commanding. My heart pounded. Something was wrong.

Corinne stopped and stared at him. I could tell by the way her face paled that she, too, knew something happened. Or was about to.

Baxter advanced to us, motioning for my sisters and Mary to gather around Corinne and me. He was in full battle gear with his helmet under his arm. Cold fear sliced my insides. We were being invaded. Most children didn’t know the severity of being invaded. We, however, had been trained for such an event.

The day our mother banished her brothers from the kingdom for threatening her and our father’s lives, a seer told them our uncles would seek their revenge. So, we were trained. Trained to fight and run.

Baxter knelt on one knee and took Luna’s hand. With his head bowed, he said, “Take your sisters to the boat like we talked about. No matter what happens, you must survive. All of you.”

I glanced from Luna to Baxter in confusion. They’d planned this? “What about Mom and Dad?”

I couldn’t hold back the panic any longer. I used my magic to clean off the slim, dissolving it into dust that settled to the floor.

“We’ll will be right behind you.” Baxter stood and pushed us, Corinne included, toward the back of the ballroom. “Now go.”

Corinne gripped my hand and pulled me behind her. I met each of my sisters’ scared gazes. This was no drill. My bottom lip trembled and my eyes watered.

Just as we reached the secret passage to the stairs that descended to the caverns and river underneath the castle, soldiers in uniforms I didn’t recognize charged inside the ballroom. Baxter drew his sword and sounded an alarm.

The clanking of swords faded as Corinne led us deeper underground. I shook all over, and my ice magic became uncontrollable.

From the corner of my eyes, I noted Pyria was having the same problem with her fire magic. Her hand glowed in red and orange hues. “We should be fighting with them. Protecting our home!”

She stopped and glanced back as if deciding to go join the battle.

Luna blocked Pyria’s way up the stairs. “You must resist the pull. Your emotions…all our emotions are taking over our powers. We can’t let that happen. If the castle falls into Iveos’s hands, it is up to us to take it back.”

That was part of the plan I never understood. How were a group of kids supposed to reclaim a kingdom from a madman?

-->

***

Thanks Aleah for that great exerpt! Buy the book here!

And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of books by me, Lydia, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 18! Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on Team Purple and you'll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!

CONTINUE THE HUNT

To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author, Alexandra Sirowy!

But before you go...A personal giveaway! I'm raffling off a signed copy of THE NOVEMBER GIRL plus swag that includes this sweet wish bracelet!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pre-order Giveaway for THE NOVEMBER GIRL!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 13:40:00 +0000

Hello all! I'm so excited to let you know that I'm holding a pre-order giveaway for my book! I spent many hours in the last month making these adorable silver wish bracelets.

I've been a huge fan of wish bracelets for a long time. In fact, I often wear them when I'm writing a new book. I would make one with a charm that represented the book, and then wish that I could write it/finish it/get a publishing contract...you get the idea!

Once you tie it on, it stays on until the string breaks. It's made of Irish waxed linen, and it's pretty strong. Usually mine last for about two months before it falls off.

I picked this shape because it looks both like a tear drop and a rain drop, and I thought both the emotion and the storminess of the symbol was perfect for Anda and Hector, my two characters.

And look how cute these buttons turned out! The one on the right is a quote from Hector, talking about his difficult life. Who else needs a good fairy tale in their life right about now? ;)

So!

The first 150 pre-orders will get a hand made wish bracelet made by me, plus bookmarks, signed bookplate, postcard, and two buttons.

ALL PREORDERS will receive a signed bookplate, bookmarks, and post card!

You can email your proof of purchase to LydiaKangContest@gmail.com OR

Fill out this Google Form instead!

The contest is open from today until November 6th.

US Only!

Thanks guys!

The November Girl Countdown Widget!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 02:30:00 +0000

Look at this lovely countdown widget for The November Girl!

If you'd like it on your blog, copy and paste the HTML located on the widget

(click on the red HTML).

Please share!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 00:13:00 +0000

Scavenger Hunts time for all YA readers!

The Rules

Each entry must be posted on Instagram AND must be tagged with #YAInstagram to be counted as an entry! You can earn up to 8 points per team -- 1 for each photo you post on Instagram using #YAInstahunt -- The authors will choose their winners so get creative! Grand prize winner will be chosen from the contestants that take part in all teams and has the most points entered. Don't forget to also tag the teams authors with each pic entry!

Any entries on other forms of social media DO NOT count, so make sure you are posting each pic on Instagram! However, you can share this hunt on twitter, facebook, Pinterest and all other social media platforms, but only Instagram entries count.

Winners will be notified through Instagram.

TEAM PINK PRIZES: Print copy of REAWAKENED + $20 gift card & Legendary swag

TEAM GREEN PRIZES: ebook The Watcher and The Angel Killer + Gift card

TEAM PURPLE PRIZES: $10 Gift card + $20 gift card & November Girl swag
(Oops we are TEAM PURPLE! Typo being fixed as we speak!)

TEAM RED PRIZES: $25 gift card + Custom crow pendant & a signed hardcover of BLACK BIRD OF THE GALLOWS

TEAM YELLOW PRIZES: T-shirt & Swag + $25 gift card

TEAM ORANGE PRIZES: $20 Amazon gift card + $25 B&N gift card

The grand prize winner will receive 1 copy of EACH AUTHOR'S featured book! Open internationally--where ever Book Depository ships to for free.

Put Aug 25th on your calendar and get your INSTAGRAM filters ready for use! See you all then :)

A Beautiful Poison is OUT now! Blog tour commences!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 19:44:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

After being a Kindle First for July, A Beautiful Poison has raked in over 500 reviews so far and it's still in the top 20 on the Kindle Bestsellers list! Thank you so much for all your support so far. Many of you have preordered it and I'm so grateful for the love, and the great reviews!

Please take a moment and check out the blog tour stops this month and next month to learn a little more about the book!

The blog tour links can be found here. :)

And the book can be purchased as an audiobook, e-book, or paperback here!

Cover Love! and Book News!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 15:05:00 +0000

Hello! It's been ages since I last blogged but I have some new covers to share! Look!

I'm so thrilled with how this turned out. I can't get enough of the edging details, the photo addition of a real bottle of medicine, the snake reference to snake oil, that snap of orange against black. The artists at Workman Publishing knocked it out of the park! We are in the process of doing first pass pages so the end is near. :)

If you like, pre-order here:

Releases October 17, 2017

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / IndieBound

Oh how I love this cover. The team at Lake Union discussed the design with me during several steps and asked for my input. This cover is a dream come true! Dark, alluring, rich. I adore the jeweled potion bottle and the font that harkens to that era just past the Gilded Age. I LOVE IT.

If you are so inclined, pre-order here!

Releases August 1, 2017

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / IndieBound

But what about THE NOVEMBER GIRL cover? Oh it's coming very soon, and I'll have a wonderful pre-order campaign too. Swag, swag, swag. I love book swag.

And finally--some news from last month: I have a new book deal with Entangled TEEN!

This is a story I cooked up years ago, but only now had the time and the right publisher to make it happen. The teen girl is ethnically Korean, so yes, it's going to be Korean girl in space! Hooray for #ownvoices!

I'll be back with another cover reveal soon. If you're an old blogging friend, please comment. I'd love to hear how you're doing!

End of Summer Update

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 16:29:00 +0000

Piper, the day we brought her home. 9 weeks old! She's super sleepy in this picture.

Wow, it's been a while since I last blogged. I used to blog so regularly, twice, sometimes three times a week. But I've also come to realize that blogging without enjoyment isn't fun for readers, is it?

So here I am. My brain is constantly filled with the million things I have to do, and should do, and don't. So here's where my life is right now.

1. I am writing.
Yeah, writing a lot! When I started trying to publish my first novel back in 2009, I remember wishing so hard to get one book published. That was all. Two years ago, I was begging for a career with longevity, hoping I wouldn't be a one-series flash in the pan ("flash in the pan" is a reference to flint-lock rifles. Yeah, I researched that for my second non-published book).

So I wrote what I loved (even though that meant one book--an Asian dragon fantasy--never sold). But it also took me to places I wasn't used to. THE NOVEMBER GIRL is magical realism/contemporary with a diverse main character who's half Black, half Korean. And I also decided to wet my toes in the non-fiction world, with QUACKERY, which I'm still writing with Nate Pederson. Writing a book that got sold on proposal is so new and weird, folks. I try to research and write anywhere from zero to three chapters a month. It's tough work, totally fascinating, but very exhausting.

So this is where I am now, with three books coming out in 2017 in entirely different genres.

2. I got another book deal.
So one of those three books? It's the book of my heart. One that started out as YA, but ended up as an adult historical thriller. This one means so much to me, because it told stories of the hospital that I did my med school and residency in, Bellevue Hospital in New York City, but also combined my love of chemistry and science, and complicated relationships. That one is called A BEAUTIFUL POISON and it's coming out with Lake Union, an imprint of Amazon. So, so happy this book found a home!

3. I quit a job.
So I now have three deadlines, instead of zero. I am very grateful for that. But it also meant having to let go of working as an attending physician at the Veterans Administration, a job I'd had for ten years. I was sad to go. Vets are among the most amazing, brave humans on earth, and taking care of them was truly an honor, but I had to make concessions somewhere. The clinic I worked in completely changed from continuity care to acute care, which is not where my love of outpatient medicine lies. And I refused to quit unless I knew I had income coming in from books. So finally, I said goodbye. I'll miss everyone there!

4. I didn't quit doctoring altogether.
I'm still taking care of my patients at the University clinic where I work. And I'm happy to do so for as long as I can. The truth is, writing keeps me in the medical game. It keeps me from burning out. When the paperwork and headaches of healthcare get to me, I can turn to my fictional universes and feel so free. And when the stress of publishing gets me frazzled, I can go and help someone's diabetes get under control, or help someone with debilitating depression. It's the most amazing balance, and I appreciate it every week.

5. I got a puppy. Her name is Piper.
Because you know, life with two jobs, one hubby, and three kids (one in high school, middle school, and lower school) isn't crazy enough. But hey, everyone needs a puppy. Or kitten. Or gecko. My kids have been wanting one forever, but they have dog hair allergies, and I refuse to pick up anything that weighs a good portion of me, so we got a shihpoo puppy. She's now 7 months old, spayed, and wonderful. And since I don't post pictures of my children online, I can now Instagram my puppy to my heart's content. Here's her IG account.

I hope you are all well. I'm thrilled to see so many of my old blogging buddies with agents and book deals, oh my! We've all come a long way, haven't we?

I find that I spend more time on Facebook, so friend me there if you haven't already. Talk soon!

Paperback Release of CATALYST!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 12:00:00 +0000

The matching paperback set is now available!

I can't wait to see the two matching paperbacks next to each other. Hope you enjoy the read!

Available on Amazon / Barnes and Noble / IndieBound / Books-a-Million

Powells / Book Depository (Free International Shipping)

CONTROL Review!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 19:17:00 +0000

It's always nice to get reviewed by your local paper. This one is the Daily Nonpareil in Council Bluffs, Iowa, which is right across the river from Omaha. :)

Here's the link to the original article.

Teri Davis
For The Nonpareil |

In the year 2150, genetic manipulation is common.

While trying to create a more perfect world, there will always be errors – “freaks” of nature. Life for these individuals requires them to be hidden away from society. These people feel odd, left out.

Zel Benton is one of those people. She has her own physical mutation, Ondine’s Curse. Her lungs “forget” to breathe, and she needs to constantly wear a device to assist her to live. Added to that, she is constantly studying molecular biology.

Along with her sister, Dylia, the two leave an isolated life with their main connection to the real world being their father, who works long hours. This has been Zel’s life for years with the family frequently moving depending on her father’s work.

When her father is killed, the two sisters are instantly thrown into a new world. As minors, the sisters find themselves at a place called New Horizons. Micah assures Zel that everything will be fine.

The next morning everything is changed with Dylia and Zel being separated. Dyl is taken and Zel is assigned a new home with a foster mother.

Marka, the foster mother, operates a safe house for those with genetic mutations and apparently had worked with Zel’s father. Who was her father? What did he really do? Why was he killed? Where is her sister? Will she ever see her sister again? Now that she feels like she is living in this Land of Misfit Toys, can she ever have a normal life, or friends?

“Control” is a futuristic novel illustrating our society a century and a half from now where genetic modifications is commonplace. This is a science fiction book based on the current knowledge of today and is definitely a possibility for the future.

“Control” is aimed at a teen audience in this dystopian tale with teen characters and problems. The characters are realistic with hopes and dreams along with a variety of problems with no easy solution and personal regrets. What is unique is how the reader is continually vacillating between protagonist and antagonist based on the action’s of each character with constant conflict and action until the last page.

Lydia Kang is a local author, wife, and mother who works as a physician at UNMC. She prides herself with the science in her novels. She has spent extensive time with the experts to ensure that her books are science-based, not pure fantasy.

“Control” is a phenomenal debut novel that fortunately has a sequel, “Catalyst.” This is science fiction for all readers, not just teens.

“Control” is a true science fiction novel filled with great characters who race to stay alive in this fast-paced page turner.

The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 09:00:00 +0000

Don't you just love that cover???

Today, the newest book from Sarah Fine is out in the world!

About the book:

Sixteen-year-old Elli was a small child when the Elders of Kupari chose her to succeed the Valtia, the queen who wields infinitely powerful ice and fire magic. Since then, Elli has lived in the temple, surrounded by luxury and tutored by magical priests, as she prepares for the day when the Valtia perishes and the magic finds a new home in her. Elli is destined to be the most powerful Valtia to ever rule.

But when the queen dies defending the kingdom from invading warriors, the magic doesn’t enter Elli. It’s nowhere to be found.

Disgraced, Elli flees to the outlands, the home of banished criminals—some who would love to see the temple burn with all its priests inside. As she finds her footing in this new world, Elli uncovers devastating new information about the Kupari magic, those who wield it, and the prophecy that foretold her destiny. Torn between the love she has for her people and her growing loyalty to the banished, Elli struggles to understand the true role she was meant to play. But as war looms, she must align with the right side—before the kingdom and its magic are completely destroyed.

I was lucky enough to read this when Sarah was writing it and it is FANTASTIC.

Amazon / Book Depository / IndieBound / Barnes and Noble

Find Sarah on Twitter, her Website, and add The Impostor Queen to your Goodreads list!

It's so great that I'm running a giveaway!
Runs 1/6/16-1/13/16
Open Internationally

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Deal for WITCH OF NOVEMBER!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 12:00:00 +0000

So this happened:

I am over the moon. I know I just posted about another book deal below for QUACKERY, which is adult nonfiction. Well, it's been almost three years since my last YA book deal, which was CATALYST. And I have written many things since that time, but this book is so special to me. I adored every minute of writing this book. It's a touch more literary for me, it's not sci-fi like my previous books, and it's more diverse book than I'd done before (one of the main characters is half Korean, half Black.) And I've been haunted by the song, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot since I first heard it as a child, which mentions the Witch of November (here it is on YouTube.)

Here's the pitch that I had given to my agent:

Hector is a troubled teen, running from a violent secret.

Anda is the physical embodiment of the storms that sink the great ships of Lake Superior every November.

Isle Royale is the island on the lake, deserted every winter because it’s so inhospitable that no human can bear to live there.

No one is supposed to be on the island. One is fleeing the violence in his life; the other has violence running through her veins. Together, they will unearth secrets and truths that could destroy or save each other.

At 70,000 words, THE WITCH OF NOVEMBER is a YA mix of magical realism, contemporary issues, and romance. The novel will appeal to fans of Nova Ren Suma’s Imaginary Girls, Michelle Hodkin’s The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and Kendare Blake’s Anna Dressed in Blood.

I'm thrilled to be working with the Entangled Teen team, including my editor, Kate Brauning (who is a talented YA author as well--her book HOW WE FALL is pretty amazing. :)

The book will be out in later summer or early Fall 2017. I'm so excited to share it with you!

Follow Kate Brauning on Twitter, and please add THE WITCH OF NOVEMBER to your Goodreads TBR list!

Book Deal News: QUACKERY!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 22:52:00 +0000

So this happened:

First: THROWING CONFETTI EVERYWHERE OMG CONFETTI IN MY EARS AND NOSE AND YAY.

Okay, I had to get that over with. It's been almost three years since my last book deal, so yeah. Lots of celebrating!

But also, I guess this needs a little explaining? After all, I've published two YA science fiction novels, and whoa, here I am delving into the world of adult nonfiction.

Well, lately I've been thinking of my writing career with a different, larger perspective. I've published poetry, medical essays, research papers, and YA fiction. I've blogged about the writing process and with Medical Mondays, helping other writers with their medical accuracy. I'm still practicing medicine and trying to remember to buy that gallon of milk because we've been out of it for, oh, two days at the house.

Basically, lots of juggling. But what's been happening in the last few years, literary-wise, is that I've been finding myself drawn to certain projects because of the sheer fun of it. CONTROL and CATALYST are science fiction, but I don't see myself as only a science fiction writer. In fact, before those two books, I'd written a YA historical, and urban fantasy. I've wanted to write adult fiction, but the idea never came so I didn't pursue it before (I have recently, it's a recently completed WIP). Two years ago, I wrote a dragon fantasy set in Asia; before that, a MG magical fantasy; I've also written a contemporary/magical realism/paranormal book last year. Then there was the horror short story in AMONG THE SHADOWS. I'm all over the place, because I'm passionate about a lot of story concepts. Some of these projects are actively looking for homes; others are quietly sitting on the back burner for another chance in the future.

But if there is one thing I'm consistent about, it's my love of science, medicine, and the human condition. They are the three threads, twisted together, that have taken me on a huge journey in the last several decades.

So I want to introduce you to QUACKERY. I'll be writing it along with Nate Pederson, a gifted journalist, librarian, and friend (he's the spouse of April Tucholke—she's responsible for bringing these two geeky heads together).

I'm SO excited. You have no idea what sorts of gross, fascinating, bizarre things I'm digging up for this book!

*cackles impishly*

Also--please follow Nate on Twitter. He's new to Twitter, and I'm sure he'd welcome a hello from the writing community!

NaNoWriMo, CATALYST ARC giveaway, and Grosheries

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 05:00:00 +0000

National Novel Writing Month. It's that particular November rite of writerly passage in which people feverishly commit to writing 50,000 words in a single month.

click here for site! I'm logged in there as LydiaKang :)

I know, I know. Naysayers often quote the usual things, something involving "art" and "time" and "amateur" and "literary terror" in the mix. Agents worry about the deluge of barely revised novel submission in December and January. Writers try to remember the several novels published that started as a NaNo baby (was it one, or two? Actually, it's a huge list.)

Well, I've never been able to NaNo because I've always been involved in heavy revisions during the month. But this year, the timing is right. And by that I mean:

1. I have an idea (it's called "Stitched" and I can't tell you what it's about, I'm superstitious)
2. I have time in October to outline the idea
3. There is a giddy happiness regarding said idea
4. Unlike other novels I've written, the research is minimal. I'm super comfortable with this world.
5. I have friends who plan on plying me with a lot of advice, sympathy, virtual donuts, and occasional group screams of frustration.
6. I'm planning on providing my picky, inner editor a subscription to Netflix and a 200 gallon drum of caramel and cheddar popcorn. Nothing's going to slow me down.

Add me as a buddy on the website, if you're participating!

In case you missed it, I have several ARCs of CATALYST still in hand, and am giving them away on Instagram.

I'm giving away four (4!!!) signed Advance Review Copies of Catalyst! Did you love Control? Then this is your chance to review the sequel! #controlbook #catalystbook #yalit #yareaders #scifi #bookstagram #booklove #bookreview #giveaway #booknerdigans @penguinteen
A photo posted by @lydiakang on Oct 12, 2015 at 11:51am PDT

And on a last note, I did this fun, random Twitter linguistics experiment after hearing my three children (two of which were born in NYC) pronounce the word "groceries" like this: GROSHERIES.

I was shocked. I pronounce it GROSSERIES. No H! H's don't need to be there!

So here's the results of my Twitter experiment.

Doing a linguistics Twitter experiment. RT if you pronounce "groceries" like GROSHERIES. Favorite if you pronounce it GROSSERIES. :D
— Bloodia Fang (@LydiaYKang) October 20, 2015

How do you pronounce it? Are you doing NaNo this year? And finally (if you're not on IG) leave a comment if you'd like to request an ARC of CATALYST to review and I'll enter you into the draw. :)

Events Updates: Omaha and Chicago!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 05:00:00 +0000

Hey everyone! If you're in Omaha, I'll be at the Omaha Lit Fest this Saturday, October 17, along with friend and colleague Dr. Bud Shaw to discuss how our practice of medicine and surgery affected our writing.

If you're in town, I'd love to see you. This is my first time at the Omaha Lit Fest and I'm excited to see what it's all about!

On Sunday, October 18th at 2 PM, I'll be in the Chicago area for the Among the Shadows book signing and Halloween party! It will be at Anderson's Bookshop in LaGrange, Illinois and attended by Mindy McGinnis, Demitria Lunetta, Kate Karyus Quinn, Kelly Fiore, and Lenore Appelhans.

Hope you see you there!

Medical Mondays: I Am Titanium

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 05:00:00 +0000

(That's one of my favorite songs, by the way.)

Today, we've got a question from a friend and author, Elle Cosimano. She's the author of the YA thrillers Nearly Gone, the sequel Nearly Found, and the upcoming Holding Smoke.

Coming May 3, 2016 from Hyperion

Elle asked: Do hospitals still use metal plates for reconstructive surgery, or do they use some other type of material? Assuming his skull was damaged [during an assault], is it reasonable to mention that he had metal plates in his head?

The short answer? Yes.

Here's the longer answer. In a situation where someone had enough trauma to the skull to warrant surgery, it's possible that they would need titanium implants during the surgery. In one scenario, only titanium screws and thin, narrow plates would be used to put broken pieces of skull together. In a situation where the skull injury is too large to be covered by native skull pieces, a larger piece of plating or mesh might be used.

Photo Credit

I sort of have a fondness for titanium, so here are some more thoughts.

Why is titanium used in medical implants? Titanium is an inert metal that is biocompatible with the human body, so rejection isn't an issue. It's also able to osseointegrate, meaning that bone can grow right up to that metal, without having scar tissue in between.

Do they have to stay there forever? For the above scenario, yes. For things like artificial joints, those tend to have a more limited life span of 15-20 years (or more) due to the wear and tear of the components of the actual socket. Other life span factors include the health of the patient, bone health, and activity levels.

Will the patient stick to an MRI machine, or a giant junk yard magnet?
No. Titanium is non-ferromagnetic, so MRIs are safe (however, if it's near the area being examined, the implant can cause blurring or streaks, called "artifact," of the images.)

How about metal detectors? Depending on the detector or screening tool at the airport/school/building, titanium implants could set off an alarm.

Other bodily uses? Titanium dioxide, which is the most common form of titanium found naturally, is also the white stuff used in physical sunblocks. Lots of body piercing jewelry is also made with implant grade titanium.

I need to impress my friends. Really? Well okay, if you insist. Melting titanium will explode on contact with water. Also, in titanium polluted soil, Scotch Bonnet mushrooms will bio-decontaminate the soil. There you go.

On that note, here's a link to David Guetta and Sia's song, Titanium. Because it was in your head anyway, right? ;)

Book Giveaway! Last Night in the OR: A Transplant Surgeon's Odyssey, by Dr. Bud Shaw

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 06:00:00 +0000

Plume Books/Penguin Random House/2015

Many of you know I've lived in Omaha for almost a decade now, after being a home-grown East Coast girl. I also did my twenty-four years of schooling and training in the East too. (I had to add that up recently when a middle schooler asked me how many years of work it took to be a doctor. I think I scared him out of a future in medicine! Oops.)

What many don't know about Omaha is this: it is not, in fact, littered with cow pastures.
And also this: it possesses a prolific, supportive, and thoughtful contingent of artists.

Bud Shaw is one of them, and it's been wonderful working with him on the literature side of things these last several years.

Dr. Shaw is a writer, poet, and retired transplant surgeon who developed the liver transplant program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He's written over 300 journal articles, 50 book chapters, and was nominated for the prestigious Pushcart Prize in 2013 for his essay, My Night With Ellen Hutchinson. He also became a friend during the time that I joined a workshop called the Seven Doctor's Project back in 2009.

Yesterday, I attended his book reading and signing at The Bookworm Omaha for his debut book, a memoir about his career in surgery and the very human journey he experienced. Here he is, kindly crouching down for the photo because he's so damn tall. (Everyone in Nebraska seems so damn tall to me, at least.)

He recently wrote this wonderful article in the New York Times about a singular experience of watching two of his identities collide, being a physician and parent.

A few words about the book:

“This is just about the best book about surgery and a surgeon I have ever read—by surgeon or civilian alike. It is warm, honest, straightforward, sad, amusing and compelling from beginning to end.” —Lee Gutkind

"Shaw's lean prose offers insights into medical professionals' private perspectives as well as a sobering sense of human fragility and the scientific strides taken to counter it. A bracing, unusual personal narrative that should appeal to aspiring physicians as well as to those considering the "big questions" around high-risk surgery." —Kirkus

“Dr. Shaw's memoir is a uniquely human journey of a man who performed superhuman feats. His written candor made me (a surgeon as well) cry, laugh, recoil, cheer, and ponder life's true meaning. I could not put this book down.”—Paul A. Ruggieri, M.D., author of Confessions of a Surgeon

You can find Dr Shaw's book at our local indie bookstore, The Bookworm, and also at Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, and Amazon.

And I'm giving away a signed copy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I hope you get a chance to read it!

Medical Mondays: Fluoride Toxicity and Saying No To That 100th Cup of Tea

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 15:00:00 +0000

I've been wanting to do a #MedMondays on this one for a while.

In the United States, pretty much everyone is familiar with fluoride. The element fluorine is the lightest halogen and exists as a highly toxic, yellow gas at room temperature. But we know it better in its anionic form, fluoride.

It's in our drinking water and toothpaste, and helps to prevent tooth decay and keep our teeth strong. (But did you know that several countries have chosen to no longer fluoridate their water? The CDC says it's one of the top ten greatest public health achievements. Others have argued that it's a compulsory, mass medication in our drinking water. Thoughts?)

A little too much fluoride in your drinking water (or swallowing too much toothpaste) can cause dental fluorosis, which is harmless but causes cosmetic changes to the enamel in the form of stained and pitted teeth.

Source: HealthyChildren.org

What about more severe toxicity? Well, it turns out that not only your teeth are affected by fluoride, but your bones. In some areas of the world, particularly where the fluoride levels in the water are high due to contaminated water supplies or geological sources, fluorosis can occur.

Chronic fluorosis, which is from consuming too much fluoride over time, can result in denser but brittle bones, calcified ligaments, stiffness and joint pain.

The arrows are pointing to excessive calcium deposits on the forearms and spine. Source: NEJM

Acute fluoride toxicity can occur in areas after industrial explosions or accidents (like from a hydrofluoric acid spill), or more commonly by ingestion of too way much fluoride-containing dental products. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea (the trifecta of GI distress! In doctor's notes, we write that as N/V/D, in case you were wondering), kidney damage, heart damage, and possibly even death.

And guess what? You can get it from tea, too. Tea plants tend to accumulate fluoride from the soil. See those x-rays up there? They were from a woman who drank >100 tea bags worth of tea every day for 17 years (read here for the New England Journal of Medicine article.)

People who drink a lot of brick tea are at risk, too. What is brick tea? I actually snapped this photo at one of my favorite tea shops, thinking it looked just like an ink stone for Asian calligraphy.

Apparently, this type of tea can be made from older tea plants, and so they accumulate more fluoride than your usual cup of tea.

For more information, check out the CDC page on dental fluorosis and the WHO page on fluorosis due to drinking water. For parents, here's the info page on dental fluorosis by HealthyKids.org.

Have fun brushing your teeth and overthinking the entire process! :D

AMONG THE SHADOWS Release Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Lydia Kang) — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 05:00:00 +0000

It's here! So excited to be part of this dark YA anthology with some of my favorite authors!

About the book:

You’ve been there.

It’s dark and you’re comfortable. You’re just about to fall asleep when you can’t help but wonder if maybe tonight the thing you’ve always been sure exists will finally find you.

The best short stories stick with you, and the stories in this book especially, are meant to cast long shadows. The authors who contributed to this anthology are not only familiar with what lurks among the shadows, we choose to spend time there. Our monsters all live in different places—under beds, beside peaceful streams, inside ourselves, down mine shafts, in the sky. The darkness you’ll find in these pages knows no boundaries, so it’s only fitting that these stories cover many genres.

Reality can be just as terrifying as anything our imaginations conjure, which is why the darkness in these pages isn’t relegated just to flights of fancy or the paranormal. In choosing such a wide range of stories, our hope is that everyone will find something to make them clutch their bedcovers a little closer.

In realistic contemporary stories from Joelle Charbonneau and Kelly Fiore, depression, addiction, obsession, and isolation are all the stuff of nightmares. Other stories by Justina Ireland, Phoebe North, and Geoffrey Girard straddle the line, making us question what is real and what is false. Mindy McGinnis explores the question of not knowing yourself, while Kate Karyus Quinn speculates on the effect of learning that every terrible thing that’s ever happened to you has been manufactured for the entertainment of others.

Demitria Lunetta and Gretchen McNeil each take a closer, horrific look at human nature. Lenore Applehans delves into a post-apocalyptic future, while R.C. Lewis discovers the darkness that lurks on another planet in her science fiction narrative. Then of course there are the paranormal stories from Beth Revis and Lydia Kang, each digging into the many types of monsters that might wait for us in the dark.

Overall, you’ll find a wide range of horrors represented, including demons, aliens, and one of the most frightening creatures ever—human beings.

So set aside an hour or two, switch on some lights and come join us… among the shadows.

Add to Goodreads

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