So what if it's meant for kids...I could totally see myself curling up in here with a great book.

You tell me: what would YOUR dream bedroom be like?

♥

P.S. In case you missed the great giveaways from Pub(lishing) Crawl this week, you can check ‘em out here. You can win a query critique from Kat Zhang, a hard copy of Jodi Meadows’s Incarnate, AND copies of Erica O’Rourke’s Torn and Tangled.

I also like LOTS of counter space–especially if the Frenchman and I are both in there cooking (which is usually the case for dinner).

So…dream kitchen, GO!

You tell me: what would YOUR dream kitchen look like?

♥

Anyway, the whole point of this post is to say I’ll be absent from the the blog this week. BUUUUT, I’ll tide you over with pictures of my dream house. You know…once I have a lot of $$ and a lot of time, then this is what I want my house to look like.

Dream big, right?

Let’s start with my dream office. It’s gotta be inspirational, organized, and well-lit. Airy, too…

I’m also ALL about the greenery. Lots of plants, please!

You tell me: what would YOUR dream office be like?

♥

Share and Enjoy:

5 out of 5 stars.

What a fun read! Honestly, I was hooked from page 1–Cinder has such an appealing voice, and the world is so fascinating (I heard someone liken it to Sailor Moon, and that just made me DETERMINED to read).

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl…

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Truly, I adored Cinder’s character. She’s tough, but still sensitive. Plus, she’s a cyborg–how can that be anything but SUPER COOL? But what I loved most was thatshe makes the plot happen instead of the plot happening to here. She’s active and brave–characteristics I love to see in a heroine.

As for the love interest, Prince Kai, he was a great match for Cinder. I loved how natural their relationship felt. He was a sweet, charming foil to her rougher-edged character.

The only thing I would have liked to be different was the world. I really, really wanted more of it! I wanted to see more places, meet more locals, and just sink into New Beijing. Fortunately, there’s a sequel to look forward to.

If you like sci-fi, fairy-tale retellings, or strong heroines who propel the action, then be sure to pick up Marissa Meyer’s Cinder.

You tell me: have you read Cinder? What did you think?

 ♥

It’s that day again–time for Sooz’s YA and MG Publishing Industry Lowdow. The general idea is that I share all the deals I know if in the young adult and middle grade publishing world each Friday.

My source for deal news is Publishers Marketplace, which requires a paid subscription. As such I’m only sharing part of the information here–basically, just author names and pitches. If you want to know deal sizes (e.g. advances), editors, publishers, and agents, I highly recommend you sign up for PM–it’s totally worth the cost!

And yikes…who can believe January is almost over? Already?! Well, let’s get to these deals, shall we?

Deals

Lana Krumwiede’s untitled middle grade sequel to FREAKLING, in which a boy ventures into the Republik in order to reunite his family and restore stability to the city of Deliverance, for publication in Fall 2013.

Sarah Maas’s second book in the young adult THRONE OF GLASS series, which makes its global debut in Fall 2012, about a young but expert assassin and her quest to overthrow an evil king, in a two-book deal. ♥ ♥ ♥ WOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

Marion Jensen’s middle grade ALMOST SUPER, pitched as SAVVY meets THE INCREDIBLES, about two brothers in a family of superheroes who must team up with the girl they thought was their enemy to defeat the real super villains in town, despite having new powers that are total duds, in a two-book deal.

FREEZE FRAME author Heidi Ayarbe’s young adult THE STORY OF US, pitched as a “reverse aftermath” novel, in which a teen girl’s family life dramatically improves after a fire burns down her house, leading her to wonder if the fire was no accident.

Emma Trevayne’s debut young adult CODA, featuring an 18-year-old frontman of an underground band in a society where the only (legal) music is Corporation-sanctioned and digitally encoded to function as a deadly drug, and his rise to fame which gives him the opportunity to bring down the Corp – or suffer a fate worse than death for trying; pitched as THE MATRIX meets V FOR VENDETTA.

Playwright and actor Tom Isbell’s young adult THE HATCHERY, set in a post-apocalyptic future about a group of sixteen-year-old boys called Less Thans, who are convinced that their overseers at the orphanage are raising them as prey for hunters who kill for sport, in a three-book deal, for publication in 2013.

Annie Cardi’s debut young adult QUEEN OF THE AIR, about a teenage girl struggling to balance high school, passing Drivers Ed, and a new relationship while trying to keep her mother’s progressing mental illness – delusions that she is Amelia Earhart –secret, for publication in Spring 2014.

Coretta Scott King Honor winner Jewell Parker Rhodes’s young adult FIREFLIES AND MOON PIES, the coming-of-age story of a young girl who, with help from a bit of Southern folk magic, tries to salvage her summer along the banks of the Mississippi in the immediate aftermath of the Gulf oil spill for publication in Fall 2013.

Scott Seegert and illustrator John Martin’s middle grade VORDAK THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE: Double Trouble, the third book in the title character’s evil series bent on world domination, in which he clones himself with humorously disastrous results.

Cristina Moracho’s debut young adult ALTHEA AND OLIVER, about the 17-year-old title characters — inseparable friends since age six — whose relationship is splintered by her growing romantic attachment to him, and his succumbing to an incurable sleep disorder, Kleine-Levin Syndrome; pitched as THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE crossed with WEETZIE BAT and the work of Sarah Dessen.

(Source: Publisher’s Marketplace)

Other Stuff

So, I don’t have much to share this week (I’m still in the throes of packing my house for our move). Sorry!

Now, at the risk of raising your blood pressure a notch or two (or twenty), I’ll just share this “fun” link to start. (Prepare to feel your blood boil…but don’t bother leaving a comment. He deletes the ones he doesn’t like.)

If you’re interested in seeing how the numbers add up for a writer’s income, here’s an interesting (and honest) post from author Jim Hines (the same author who has reached great fame for his amazing attempts to mimic women on fantasy covers). Moral of the story? Most writers can’t support themselves from their writing alone, taxes are PAINFULLY high (since we qualify as self-employed), and there are no “benefits”.

And don’t miss these Pub(lishing) Crawl giveaways for Sarah J. Maas’s The Assassing and the Pirate Lord, Patrick Ness’s A Monster Calls and Dan Wells’s Partials,a manuscript/query/synopsis critique, a copy of Brodi Ashton’s Everneath, and a copy of Anne Ursu’s Breadcrumbs.

You tell me: Is there any industry news-bite or fun link you wanna share?

♥

To continue my Very Deep Life Ponderings from Monday, I wanted to move to point #2. In case you forgot the important points Sarah & I came up with, here’s a refresher:

1. Boba Fett is THE HOTTEST character (possibly even more so than Han Solo)…but only so long as you ignore those silly prequels and their silly Boba Fett-backstory.

2. Darth Vader’s “secret” as Luke’s father should be protected from our children at all costs.

Okay, so we’re going to address #2 today. I know not all of you lovely readers have seen the Star Wars original trilogy, but you DO know Darth Vader is Luke’s father.

EVERYONE knows Darth is Luke’s father. It’s ingrained into our psyches…

But it wasn’t always.

When I was a kid, I had no idea who Darth Vader was, and I certainly didn’t know of his parternal relations to a certain Luke Skywalker.

And that ignorance made ALL the difference. Why? Well, indulge me for a moment as I share a story.

—

When I was at the ripe old age of 9, I was taking my first steps into vivid fantasy worlds thanks to Lloyd Alexander and Dianna Wynne Jones. I was HOOKED to all that EPIC-NESS that was happening on the page.

As such, it should come as no surprise that the first time I saw Star Wars: A New Hope,  I fell completely and irrevocably in love.

You see, growing up, my family always watched a movie together on Friday nights. Well, on this particular Friday, my parents had deemed it Time. Time to introduce their offspring to the greatness that is Star Wars. We would devote three Fridays in a row to watching the entire trilogy.

Well, Star Wars had me at “hello”. The music, the scrolling prologue, the DOUBLE MOONS ON TATOOINE? What was a fantasy-loving 9-year-old to do but let her imagination run wild? I spent the next days in a blur of battles against stormtroopers with an imaginary light saber in my hands…

But then my brother ruined it all, and this day–this BETRAYEL–will live in infamy for the rest of my life. I remember it all so vividly:

My brother, David, came home from a friend’s house (Brian’s, in case you were wondering) and cornered me in the front hall.

“Guess what. I saw the next Star Wars.”

“What?” I planted my hands on my hips. “That’s not fair! We were gonna watch it tomorrow as a family. You can’t just–”

“Darth Vader is Luke’s father,” he interrupted

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yuh-huh.” A gloating grin tugged at David’s lips.

I felt the blood drain from my face. “No.”

“Yep.”

“No!” My stomach heaved. “That’s…that’s impossible.”

“He cuts off Luke’s hand too.”

I shook my head. “I-I don’t believe you!”

“Just ask mom.” My brother’s eyes shone gleefully. “She’ll tell you.”

So I staggered around, screaming, “Mom! Mom!” Through the house, I ran–horror boiling in my throat–until I found my mother cleaning the bathroom sink.

Her head jerked up at my shrieks. “What is it?”

“Is Darth Vader Luke’s father?!”

Her eyes widened. “How…how did you find out?”

“David told me. So…so it’s true?” Tears were brewing in my eyes. How could it be that the wicked Darth Vader–the Villain to Top All Villains–was Luke Skywalker’s father.

Oh, poor poor Luke.

“David!” Mom shouted, flinging her sponge onto the floor. “I told you not to tell her!” She stormed past me and out of the room, presumably to punish my evil brother. Yet all I could do was sink to the floor, hug my knees to my chest, and ache with the pain of it…

Darth Vader…Luke’s father…No, no, no…

—

I swear, all that happened. I’m not exaggerating at all (well…maybe a little), but truly, learning that Darth Vader was Luke’s father stands out as one of the most devastating betrayals of my childhood.

But nowadays, everyone knows about that familial connection. They know it before they see the movie, so the full impact–the WHY THIS MATTERS–just isn’t there.

Yet I want it to be there. I want my children to see Star Wars and become as attached to the characters and the story as I was…

The only other globally-binding story and betrayal that I can conjure–one that still has a “SURPRISE!” effect–is the Harry Potter series. Specifically a certain someone’s death at the end of The Half-Blood Prince. I won’t tell you whose death just in case you haven’t read it–I want YOU too feel the depth of that moment as it was meant to be felt.

But ten, twenty years from now, everyone will know that X-character died…and when that death comes, the readers won’t be as affected as they should be.

And it makes me sad.

So I ask you, other than keeping our children locked away, how can we protect these “story secrets” from them? How can we ensure they feel the full weight of these story-events?

Short of writing our own stories with our own dramatic turning points, I honestly don’t know what the answer is–or if there even is one.

Now, enough dramatic talk. Let’s watch this scene and laugh at how MELODRAMATIC Luke’s expression is. (I’m pretty sure Sarah and I watched it at least 10 times, howling with laughter. I mean, seriously, it looks like his face is melting off…)

♥

So, when I was visiting

We actually talked A LOT about Star Wars…and we might have watched the originals…and analyzed them with far more depth than the average watcher. Ultimately, though, we came up with two VERY important points:

1. Boba Fett is THE HOTTEST character (possibly even more so than Han Solo)…but only so long as you ignore those da**ed prequels and their da**ed stupid Boba Fett-backstory.

2. Darth Vader’s “secret” as Luke’s father should be protected from our children at all costs. (I’ll talk more about that on Wednesday).

Now back to Boba Fett. Why is he so hot, you ask? It’s all about the mystery, my friend. (Okay, and the rusted, rogue-ish armor, giant guns, and utility belt…but MOSTLY, it’s about the mystery.)

Who is the man behind that sexy mask?

What kind of man is he? I mean, who can drive that undeniably phallic space ship without looking like a macho jerk?

What kind of man can act as Vader’s go-to guy for all bounty hunting needs yet also jam with the ladies at Jabba’s Palace?

AND WHAT KIND OF MAN CAN USE A FREAKIN’ JET PACK??

via Adam Brown

One badass sexy man is who.

So badass and sexy in fact, that Sarah and I have decided Boba Fett is blessed with this face:

This body:

via NY Times

And this personality:

So now, let’s see…how can we use what we know about Boba Fett’s sex appeal in our OWN stories?

1. Masked characters are an easy way to add tension to your story. There’s just so much room for potential there (and, admittedly, disappointment…) that readers are left turning pages to figure out who’s behind the mask.
• Examples: Zorro, Batman (or any superhero, really), Robin Hood
2. Hero’s with swagger have a lot of natural appeal. Just look at Han Solo (who positively oozes swagger) or James Bond. There’s no denying that a guy with confidence (or a gal with confidence) attracts immediate interest for readers.
• Examples: Han Solo, James Bond, Flynn Rider (Tangled), Logan (Veronica Mars), Mal Reynolds (Firefly)
3. Criminals. CRIMINALS! It’s that whole bad-boy-thing. Can the heroine change him? Is he a real criminal or does he have a good heart underneath all that body armor?
1. Examples: Dimitri (Anastasia), Han Solo, Logan (Veronica Mars), Mal Reynolds (Firefly), Robin Hood

Notice, a lot of those guys are repeats…because usually, for a criminal character to be appealing, he’s got to have some sexy swagger. Then, add in a dose of Masked Mystery, and you’re on your way to one smokin’ hot hero.

You tell me: Who do YOU think is behind Boba Fett’s mask? Are you as into A Man With An Air of Mystery as Sarah and me??

♥

My BFFR Sarah J. Maas‘s first novella is FOR SALE! And all I can say is: you NEED this story in your life. And no, I’m not just sayin’ that because she’s my BFFR. All friendships aside, this story and its heroine are fantastic.

Celaena Sardothien is tough, stubborn, and impulsive–we all know that from Throne of Glass…but she wasn’t always AS tough (though she was certainly MORE stubborn and MORE impulsive).

On a remote island in a tropical sea, Celaena Sardothien, feared assassin, has come for retribution. She’s been sent by the Assassin’s Guild to collect on a debt they are owed by the Lord of the Pirates. But when Celaena learns that the agreed payment is not in money, but in slaves, her mission suddenly changes – and she will risk everything to right the wrong she’s been sent to bring about.

Because this novella preceding the events of Sarah’s famed Throne of Glass, we get to see that young, untried Celaena. Don’t get me wrong–when I say “untried”, I don’t mean “weak”. She can still kick your butt (with her hands tied behind her back and her eyes blindfolded), but her edges haven’t yet reached the sharp, vengeful ones we know from Throne of Glass. This Celaena is still searching for her place in the world, still finding her own moral code, and still learning how to interact with others–particularly others that pull her heartstrings in ways she’s not accustomed.

I adore Celaena in this novella, and the plot compliments her personality perfectly. The way her choices set off a series of SWASHBUCKLINGLY EPIC events show us exactly how this “naive” Celaena is starting to become the hardened badass of Throne of Glass.

If you’re a fan of fantasy, adventure, or fast-paced reads, then The Assassin and the Pirate Lord is definitely for you.

—

5 out of 5 stars.

I LOVED this Wendelin Van Draanen’s Flipped. I zoomed through it on a plane trip, and it was honestly one of those books that I simply didn’t want to end.

The first time Juli Baker saw Bryce Loski, she flipped. The first time Bryce saw Juli, he ran. That’s pretty much the pattern for these two neighbors until the eighth grade, when, just as Juli is realizing Bryce isn’t as wonderful as she thought, Bryce is starting to see that Juli is pretty amazing. How these two teens manage to see beyond the surface of things and come together makes for a comic and poignant romance.

The story is told from alternating POVs–Bryce and Juli’s. We see his instant distaste and her instant adoration…and then we watch as his hatred transforms into first love, and her first love transforms into full-blown loathing. (But don’t worry, there’s a happy ending.)

Bryce’s transformation is convincing and three dimensional, while Juli is just SUCH an endearing heroine. I loved they way the characters interacted–the way we saw both of their POVs and and were able to understand how much every little thing can be (and was) misunderstood. I especially loved the way the secondary characters influenced Bryce and Juli–sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

Van Draanen has created a very fun yet also poignant story in Flipped. If you’re in the mood for first romance, teenage angst, or character growth, be sure to pick it up.

OR, you can check out the amazing film version! To be honest, I saw the movie first (and loved it). I was shocked to find how very accurate the book was… Yes, they changed the setting (the movie is set in the 1950s/60s, and honestly, I think it fits perfectly!), but otherwise, the story is shockingly accurate for a film adaptation.

Plus, the actors playing Bryce (Callan McAuliffe) and Juli (Madeline Carroll) are downright adorable!

You tell me: Have you read The Assassin and the Pirate Lord or Flipped? What did you think?

♥

It’s that day again–time for Sooz’s YA and MG Publishing Industry Lowdow. The general idea is that I share all the deals I know if in the young adult and middle grade publishing world each Friday.

My source for deal news is Publishers Marketplace, which requires a paid subscription. As such I’m only sharing part of the information here–basically, just author names and pitches. If you want to know deal sizes (e.g. advances), editors, publishers, and agents, I highly recommend you sign up for PM–it’s totally worth the cost!

It was kind of a slow week in the MG/YA world, so shall we get started?

Deals

Hugo Award-winning Emily Pohl-Weary’s young adult FREAK, about a teen indie-rock queen turned were-girl after a “wild dog” attack in Central Park, pitched as Josie and the Pussycats meets American Werewolf in London in the spirit of Teen Wolf.

Katie Ormsbee’s debut middle grade KISS THE JOY, in which a young girl enters a faerie realm rife with danger and civil unrest, hoping only to save her best friend, and along the way unravels the truth about her parents, her past and her place in the world, in a two-book deal.

Stanford and Cambridge trained archeologist Jordan Jacobs’s three middle grade novels, pitched as Harriet the Spy meets Indiana Jones, and following the adventures of a 12-year-old would-be archeologist who encounters mysteries and mayhem at some of the world’s foremost excavation sites.

2011 Newbery Medal winner Clare Vanderpool’s middle grade NAVIGATING EARLY, in which two boys who are the unlikeliest of friends go on an odyssey in search of a great black bear, where they meet truly strange characters, some of whom are dangerous, all of whom are in some ways lost, and each of whom figures into a concurrent myth based on patterns in the number pi, in a two-book deal.

Lauren Stringer’s middle grade WHEN STRAVINSKY MET NIJINSKY, about two famous artists’ collaboration on the Rite of Spring, for publication in Spring 2013 to coincide with 100th anniversary of the ballet’s first performance.

Jennifer Hoffine’s debut young adult series CHEATER BEATERS, featuring a teenage girl who discovers her boyfriend is cheating on her and deals with it by swearing off serious relationships and starting her own detective agency to investigate cheaters; she ropes her best friend and new neighbor into helping her, only to discover love might be easier to find than she thought.

Jennifer L. Armentrout’s young adult DON’T LOOK BACK, pitched as Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars, featuring a teen girl who had it all until the night she and her friend go missing, and she loses all recollection of who she is, but must piece together a life she no longer wants and the events that led to her friend’s disappearance, in a two-book deal.

Jolene Perry’s young adult KNEE DEEP, about a teenage girl who is torn in between two guys; the guy she’s promised her life to, whose sudden random outbursts are starting to leave bruises mentally and physically; and the guy who she can be herself with, watch girlie movies with, and confide in, her best friend, for publication in May 2012.

Jolene Perry’s young adult NIGHT SKY, featuring a teenage boy who feels like his whole world is crumbling around him when his father leaves his mother for another woman and his girlfriend leaves him for another guy; and he thinks he’s found a distraction in a fling with a teenage Native American girl and soon realizes that she’s anything but a distraction, for publication in March, 2012.

Anna Collomore’s young adult THE UNRAVELING, about a girl who becomes a nanny for a seemingly perfect family and slowly loses her grip on reality; pitched as The Nanny Diaries meets Black Swan, for publication in Spring 2013.

(Source: Publisher’s Marketplace)

Other Stuff

I’ll just go ahead and apologize for the Sooz-heavy mash-up of links. First of all, there has been a LOT going on in my life that’s worth linking to (in my opinion, at least )…and second of all, I’m in the middle of moving houses! GAH. SO MUCH PACKING AND ORGANIZING AND PURGING OF CRAP.

So, ahem. Please pardon me.

I do have ONE worthwhile, non-MEMEMEME post, and that is this fascinating summary of what teens are REALLY reading (thanks to the YA Sleuth for turning me onto that one).

Pub(lishing) Crawl launched with GREAT success! Today, I have the pleasure of sharing an interview with my friend and fellow writer, Veronica Rossi! You might have heard of her little book, Under the Never Sky? Be sure to check out the interview and enter in the giveaway!

Monday: Marie Lu (win a copy of her debut, Legend)

Tuesday: Reintroducing Sarah, Sooz, & Vanessa (win the lecture packet from the Writing for Young Adults Workshop)

Wednesday: Reintroducing Kat, Julie, & Vahini (win an ARC of Article 5 and a copy of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making)

Thursday: Reintroducing Mandy, Savannah, Sammy, and Billy (win a SIGNED copy of Cinder!!!)

The auction for Write Dreams is still running. It’s a 50 page manuscript & query critique from YOURS TRULY!

Oh, and the lovely Alicia Gregoire has a guest post from me today–it’s about my revising process. DON’T FORGET THE ARC GIVEAWAY! It ends today. ♥

And now…for anyone who lived through the 90s,  this is for you:

You tell me: Is there any industry news-bite or fun link you wanna share?

♥

Don’t forget today’s auction! I’m offering a 50 page + query letter critique, and all proceeds go towards helping Donna’s Dream House, a home for children and teens with terminal illness.

My critique strengths in my own words:

1) I’m tough. There’s no holding back here. If I see something that’s an issue (be it a plot hole, an inconsistent character, poor dialogue tags, etc.), I point it out. ALL of it. But…that said…

2) I say it nicely. Writing and reading are so subjective, I make sure to emphasize that all my comments are my opinion. It’s up to YOU to decide if you want to listen or not. I’ve received many comments from crit partners that I’ve chosen to ignore, and I’m sure they’ve received many from me that they’ve opted to ignore.

3) I also offer suggestions for how to fix things I think are issues. If I see a flat paragraph, I’ll offer you ideas for how to amp up the emotion. If I see a character behaving “out of character”, I’ll write up suggestions for how I think the character would act. Sometimes, it’s impossible to see our own issues–much less come up with solutions! Oftentimes, an outsider can spot things and find ways to fix problems that you’re simply too close to the story to catch.”

Bidding is open until January 22nd 10.00PM GMT

Bidding is in POUNDS (£)

♥