My Selection for Waiting on Wednesday: After Obsession by Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel

Waiting on Wednesday posts weekly and let's everyone know what are the hotly anticipated reads. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This week I'm interested in After Obsession. Let's see what's being said about it...

Aimee and Alan have secrets. Both teens have unusual pasts, and abilities they prefer to keep hidden. But when they meet each other for the first time, in a cold Maine town, they can't stop their secrets from spilling out. Strange things have been happening lately, and they both feel strongly that something, or someone, is haunting them. They're wrong. Despite their unusual history and powers, it's neither Aimee nor Alan who is truly haunted. It's Alan's cousin Courtney who, in a desperate plea to find her missing father, has invited a demon into her life - and into her body. Only together can Aimee and Alan exorcise the ghost. And they have to move quickly, before it devours not just Courtney, but everything around her...

Filled with heart-pounding romance, paranormal activity, and rich teen characters to love - and introducing an exciting new YA voice in Steven Wedel - this novel is exactly what Carrie Jones fans have been waiting for. Meet your next obsession.

I wonder if this is written in alternating point of view. Did Carrie Jones write the part of Aimee and debut author, Steven Wedel write the guy, Alan's part?

Hey, guys. Did you notice something in the description? Courtney has invited a demon into her life. Then it says they have to exorcise the ghost! Is a demon and a ghost one and the same? Are the two words synonyms for the same creature? Are you willing to accept this? Or not?! What do you think?

After Obsession releases September 13, 2011 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Release Day! Book Review: THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE by Jeff Hirsch

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Pages: 304

ISBN-10: 0545290147

ISBN-13: 978-0545290142

Genre: young adult

Subgenre: dystopian

Release date: 09/01/11

 

The Eleventh Plague is the debut novel of Jeff Hirsh. It’s a dystopian story that follows the saga of fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn. He’s growing up in a new America—what the country has become after a devastating war with China. A virulent stain of the flu—the eleventh plague, wipes out two thirds of the country. Now, the survivors have to forge a new path and make their way in the new world, a world that can be desolate, cold and brutal. Stephen, his father and grandfather scrap by as salvagers, but when the grandfather dies, Stephen’s dad decides to free himself from granddad’s iron-clad influence. It’s a risk he’s willing to take and the consequences change his life and Stephens’s beyond anything they could have imagined.

We’ve all heard the old cliché “don’t judge a book by its cover”, but the cover of The Eleventh Plague immediately captures one’s attention. It’s atmospheric and connotes a world gone wrong, bad. It begs to be opened and the contents within, explored. In the opening pages, the writing is stark and direct, sparse. There is a blunt sensibility to the characters that made me question if they were likable. Would these be characters one could relate to? The answer is a resounding yes.

The author draws one in to take the journey along side Stephen. You are there sharing the emptiness, fear, dread, surprise, the new discoveries and yes, the hope.  It is a fact that many boys are reluctant readers. The Eleventh Plague may be one of the answers to that problem. It’s a young adult novel, but it also has a middle grade sensibility that is sure to captivate younger readers as well.

This is a stand-alone novel, but the premise and ending certainly leave room for a continuation if the author wished to pursue it. His next work—whatever that may be—is eagerly awaited.

Toodles!

The Death of YA Author L.K. Madigan: What can we learn from it?

If you've been on Twitter over the last couple of days, you may be aware of the passing of L.K. Madigan (aka Lisa Wolfson), young adult author of Flash Burnout and her most recent release, The Mermaid's Mirror. I have The Mermaids Mirror on my TBR list, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. And then I learned of her death. She was only 47, a wife, mother and breast cancer survivor; a disease that manifested itself in her life 20 years ago. She figured she had it beat. She passed the five year mark, gave birth two years after that, then published two well-received books, one which won critical acclaim. In January, she posted about the malevolent force (my words) that reared it's wicked head in her life once again, what we now know would be for the last time on her blog.

I decided to look through the archive of her blog, which goes back to 2004. She was a huge proponent of the creative writing process and other writers. It was fun to read of her excitement as she shared her overwhelming joy of becoming a published author for the first time; her journey of how she began the agent hunt and the process of finding the agent that was just right for her...

Death always sets me to thinking. It's the beginning of the end on one hand, and the beginning of something new on the other. Much depends on how you view life and if you think our existence here, now, is all that there is. I have definite thoughts about that too, but that's not the focus of this post. So, what is? Consider this. It's something I've been thinking about and Lisa's passing brought it to the forefront of my mind.

I'm an aspiring author. So are many others. Some are not aspiring any longer. They've "made it"; some even capturing the Holy Grail on their first lap out of the gate: the New York Times bestseller's list. The YA community is a tightly knit one; one in which writers in various stages of the publishing trajectory connect and intermingle. We read and comment on each others blogs; relate tales of struggle, pain and sadness about rejections; try to put just the right words together in just the right way to garner the perfect agent, secure that elusive book deal... Often it becomes all-consuming; sometimes it feels overwhelming and we can develop tunnel vision and tune out all else in our quest for literary gold.

I endeavor to stay balanced; keep life in it's proper perspective. Death always brings me around. It makes me realize that writing and securing a book deal is awesome and a goal worthy of pursuit. But, it's not all there is. We need to remember that. If we get published-super. If we don't, life is still worth living. We're wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts and friends. Life is multifaceted. For so many people in our lives and in the world, writing and being published, doesn't even enter their consciousness. They're just trying to survive, stay alive, be there for the ones that need them.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, let's all try to remember what's important in life and not let any one desire overwhelm us and overshadow the rest.

Lisa had an important wish and that was for her son, Nate to get a college education. A trust has been set up with that in mind. It's a tough economy these days and money is tight, but if you have a little extra to spare, consider contributing to this child's education. The particulars are here. You reap what you sow. What you give to others, comes back to you in one form or another. Be a blessing and get blessed.

Toodles...

Author Spotlight and Interview: Lee Nichols, author of DECEPTION: A HAUNTING EMMA Novel

I'm pleased to introduce you today to Lee Nichols, author of DECEPTION, the first book in her Haunting Emma series. Lee has written several adult books, but DECEPTION is her first foray into the YA world. I've read DECEPTION and I'm glad she took the plunge. Two winners will be offered the opportunity to find out why when I offer the book as a giveaway in a few days, so stay tuned! In the meantime, enjoy the interview and get to know Ms. Nichols a little better.

1) How did you get started in your writing career? Is being a published author something you've always wanted to do?

I started by co-writing non-fiction books with my husband. Then my first novel was published in 2004, and I wrote four more adult novels, before coming up with the idea for the Haunting Emma series. Deception is my first YA novel. Never in a million years did I think I'd grow up to be a writer. I thought I was going to be a psychologist.

2) Are you writing full time or do you also have a "day" job?

 I write full-time.

3) Who is your agent and how did you find him or her?

 My agents are Nancy Coffey and Joanna Stampfel-Volpe. Nancy pulled me out of the slush pile seven years ago and then Joanna came on and handles most of their YA books.

4) You have written a book a year since 2004. They were light hearted chick lit fare. Why did you start writing young adult novels? Is this going to be your new writing focus now? Why or why not? 

 I originally conceived of Deception as an adult novel and the more I worked with it, the more I realized it was better suited for a teen novel. YA is definitely my focus at the moment, but I'd like to continue writing in both realms.

 5) DECEPTION is part of the Haunting Emma novel series. Did you concieve of this story as a series from the beggining?

I sold it as a three-book series, so I planned one long story arc, with satisfying conclusions at the end of each novel.

6) Can you tell us what projects you have planned or are considering beyond this?

 I've always got ideas, but I won't be sure which direction to go in until I finish writing Possession, the third Haunting Emma novel.

Thanks Lee for taking the time to answer these questions and letting readers get to know you better!

Great questions! Thanks for having me.

You can learn more about Lee and her books by visiting her website here . 

Toodles!

New York Times Bestselling Author, Sherrilyn Kenyon: Queen of the Paranormal Introduces Her First YA Novel: INFINITY-CHRONICLES of NICK

As some of you well know and to those of you who don't, Sherrilyn Kenyon is a pioneer in in the realm of writing the paranormal. She is an international best seller of a number of series; some of which include: The Dark-Hunter, Lords of Avalon, The League, Brotherhood of the Sword among others.

Her first teen novel, Infinity-Chronicles of Nick is going to be released tomorrow and I want to give you a taste of it here. I'll be posting a review and possible giveaway so stay tuned and click on some of the links below to enjoy the preview of things to come.

Read chapter excerpts and interview

Link to download song

Toodles!

World Building: YA PANEL. NY Chapter of The Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators (SCBWI)

As I stated in yesterdays post, I went to SCBWI-NY last night and listened to Connie Hsu, Editor at Little Brown talk about world building in your novel. As I work on my YA manuscript, I'm attentive to all things related to literature and the craft of writing. I have two Master's degrees and neither of them is a MFA, so essentially this is a learn as I go proposition. I'm amazed at how much I have learned and how far I've come since I began this journey over the past year.

I want to pass on a few tips Ms. Hsu touched on last night. This post is  not in any way comprehensive. It gets you started with a rudimentary knowledge of what world building is. First, why is world building important? It's important because it sets the place, time and environment of the story. The boundaries, via the words and imagery the author chooses, are instrumental in bringing the world of the characters to life and making the story believable.

Keep your eyes open for this one! THE ETERNAL ONES: A Book Review

Title: The Eternal Ones
Author: Kirsten Miller
Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin)
Genre: Young Adult
Format: Advanced Reader Copy (ARC/Galley Proof) from Publisher
ISBN 978-1-59514-308-2
$18.99, 432 pages
Release Date: August 24 2010

I received this ARC from Ben Schrank, president and publisher of Razorbill an imprint of Penguin during the Winter Conference of the Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators (SCBWI) in New York. He was gracious enough to make a few available and I am grateful that he did.

Prior to receiving this ARC, I was unfamiliar with the author, Kirsten Miller. I am now aware that she has written a critically-acclaimed series called Kiki Strike which seems worthing of checking out. I believe THE ETERNAL ONES is going to be her break out novel.

Wow. Where do I begin. This book is chocked full of so many delicious twists and turns, it will keep you riveted to your seat, and quickly turning the page to get to the bottom of all that is going on. Let me begin with the blurb on the back of this galley proof.

Haven Moore has always lived in the tiny town of Snope City, Tennesse. But for as long as she can remember, Haven has experienced visions of a past life as a girl named Constance, whose love for a boy called Ethan ended in a fiery tragedy.


One day, the sight of notorious playboy Iain Morrow on television brings Haven to her knees. Haven flees to New York City to find Iain and there, she is swept up in an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Is Iain her beloved Ethan? Or is he her murderer in a past life? Haven asks members of the powerful and mysterious Ouroboros Society to help her unlock the mysteries of reincarnation and discover the secrets hidden in her past lives and loves before all is lost and the cycle begins again. But what is the Ouroboros Society? And how can Haven know who to trust?

Can a Young Adult romance be enticing without paranormal elements? You bet it can! A book review: Perfect Chemistry

The Young Adult book market is rife with stories that incorporate paranormal elements. Such books are often exciting, suspenseful and capture the imagination of their readers. The trend in the market being what it is, can a teen book without supernatural elements stand a chance of intriguing an audience? I think it can. One such book is Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles.

There are no boys turning into fantastical creatures in this book, but that doesn't make it any less of a great read. Perfect Chemistry is a 357 page YA novel that's romantic and edgy. The differences between Brittany Ellis and Alex Fuentes may not be otherworldly, but crossing the great divide between culture, race and class provide more than enough conflict and drama.

YA Panel: NY Chapter of The Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators (SCBWI)

On Tuesday, I attended a young adult panel presented by the NY chapter of SCBWI. The presenters consisted of two editors: Krista Marino, Senior Editor with Delacorte and Lexa Hillyer, Editor with Razorbill.

Ms. Marino addressed the issue of voice. The authorial voice is the author's fingerprint. It follows them from book to book. If you read a Stephen King book or a Meg Cabot book, you will find a commonality of tone that is evident in all their writing.