Book Deal!

Guess what: My wonderful agent Sara Megibow sold my debut YA novel, Bruised, to the fabulous Maggie Lehrman at Amulet Books.

Now here's the same info in a different format, because Publishers Marketplace makes it look so pretty and official:

		Children's: Young Adult		Sarah Skilton's debut BRUISED, about a 16-year-old girl with a black belt in martial arts who freezes up at an armed robbery and is left wondering if martial arts failed her or if she failed it, to Maggie Lehrman at Amulet, in a nice deal, for publication in 2012, by Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary Agency (World).

Next week, I'll share the same info in Esperanto, and the week after that, I'll share it in an interpretive dance vlog.

(Just kidding; little bit giddy.)

Huge thanks to my friends for reading early drafts of the novel (sometimes multiple times...), and of course my family for their love and support. My husband Joe deserves special commendation for giving me so many pep talks the last couple years, through first drafts to querying to submissions.

I couldn't be more excited to work with Maggie, and I'm so grateful to Sara for her all her hard work.

Really looking forward to sharing Bruised with new readers next year. I hope you like it! :)

Recommend Read: "Chiggers" by Hope Larson

I'm a little embarrassed to admit I haven't read many graphic novels. I mean, I've read the ones everyone reads (Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, Art Spiegelman's Maus, and Alison Bechdel's Fun Home...) but otherwise my repertoire is sadly limited.

Which is strange, because I used to love comics. When I visited my grandma in England as a kid during the 1980s*, I'd devour Asterix and Obelix stories, and I had monthly subscriptions to Heathcliff and The Get-Along Gang comics (if anyone else remembers the bizarreness that was the Get-Along Gang, WE MUST TALK). I also read various Archie digests and went through an X-men phase in high school and early college.

So why didn't I transition to graphic novels? It's a mystery, and one I'd like to rectify.

Last week I read Hope Larson's fantastic summer camp-set YA graphic novel, Chiggers. There's not a single moment in the book that isn't authentic. Right from the first line of narration -- "Being the first one at camp is like waking up first at a slumber party" -- I knew it was for me.

Everything about the story feels real, from the friendships, to the crushes, to worrying about whether you're normal, to befriending the "weird, possibly lying" new bunkmate no one else likes, to playing capture the flag and navigating the mess hall. Plus there's bonus material like diagrams on how to make a friendship bracelet, and the artwork is expressive and innovative, whether depicting the passage of time or mocking a parent's opinion about the evils of breaded food.

Read any good graphic novels lately? I'd love some recommendations.

*a fact which means I can never donate blood. I know because I've tried. So what do British people do?

Recommended Viewing: "Somewhere" Written & Directed by Sofia Coppola

Lost in Translation is one of my favorite films. I think it perfectly captures not only the bewilderment and beauty of visiting a foreign country, but also the ennui that comes from mid-life crises and post-college crises, when you either regret how you've spent your life so far, or you can't figure out who you're supposed to be.

This line never ceases to make me laugh:

Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson): "I tried being a writer but I hate what I write. I tried taking pictures, but they were so mediocre. I guess every girl goes through a photography phase. You know, horses... taking pictures of your feet."

Despite my love for the film, I was reluctant to watch Ms. Coppola's most recent project, Somewhere, because I feared it would be more of the same, yet less of what was so great about Lost in Translation.

There are a few obvious similarities. A movie star (this time played by Stephen Dorff instead of Bill Murray) lives in a hotel, drifting through his pampered, rather absurd life without purpose. And yes, once again he's jolted out of his stupor by a "younger woman" (his 11-year-old daughter Cleo, play by Elle Fanning).

The performances are terrific, and I especially appreciated the way the film was bookended. We begin with a static partial shot of a race track, and watch as Dorff, in his expensive and noisy Ferrari, speeds around it (briefly out of sight) four times. The symbolism is clear: he's going nowhere; he's going in circles.

The final shot (spoiler alert) is Dorff in the same car, alone again, but driving out of the city, out onto the open road, going somewhere at last. And when he exits the car this time, there's a hint of a smile on his face.

When I write novels or short stories, I aspire to make my endings relate directly to my beginnings -- either by referring back to the opening imagery, or using similar allusions so the story feels like it's come full circle.

Do you believe endings should directly reference beginnings, or do you think it should be up to readers to interpret any potential parallels for themselves?

New Twists on Old Classics

Don't worry, I'm not randomly launching a screed against New Coke twenty-five years after the fact. I'm talking about the FX show Sons of Anarchy, aka "Hamlet on a Harley." Series creator Kurt Sutter took the basic premise of Hamlet and set it in a biker gang. How brilliant is that?

Current leader Clay (Ron Perlman) is Claudius; his wife Gemma (Katey Sagal) is a modern-day Gertrude; and her son Jax (Charlie Hunnam) is the "prince" and would-be heir who wavers in his committment to the club and senses something rotten his father's demise.

I think the reason the concept appeals to me so much is because A) it's unexpected and B) the roots of the story are so powerful that they really will work in any environment. Even though I know how Hamlet ends, it's fascinating to watch the tale unfold within the framework of a biker gang.

It's why I enjoyed Amy Heckerling's Clueless (which is basically Jane Austen's Emma for Valley Girls) and the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You (which is The Taming of the Shrew in high school).

Have you ever considered taking a classic or well-known story and placing it in a modern setting?

Is there any bizarre combo you'd like to see? (King Lear in the fashion industry?)

How do you jumpstart a scene?

In regard to plot stagnation, Raymond Chandler famously said, "When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand."

TV Tropes has a lot of fun discussing what they've dubbed "Chandler's Law," and comparing it to parallel plot devices in TV, comics, films and video games.  I've heard that NaNoWriMo participants often run out of steam during the second week, and have to rely on quick, sometimes outrageous plot devises to keep their "writer's high" (and word count) going. The only time I attempted NaNo, I didn't even make it through the first week, so I'm not exactly an expert.

When your story doesn't seem to want to move forward, how do you jumpstart it? Have you ever used the same fix twice? Did it work?

When it Comes to First Drafts, What Kind of Writer Are You?

If you haven't already seen it, I highly recommend you check out Jennifer Wolf's recent blog post on Pantsers vs Outliners (i.e. the difference between people who write by the seat of their pants, and those who prefer to outline). It reminded me of a conversation I had this past weekend with the lovely Kristen Kittscher, who recently sold her middle-grade mystery. We were discussing the different ways one can write a first draft.

I also polled some of my Writing Night pals (thanks, Amy, Hope and Jen!) and they were split. One prefers to jump in and enjoy the discovery of seeing where the story goes; another prefers to outline, and the third does a combination of the two, depending on the project. Here are the different categories I believe people fall into when it comes to first drafts:

The Perpetual Starter - You have twenty stories you want to write, and none that you want to finish (this was me last year)

The Polisher - You rewrite the beginning 17,000 times before you feel "right" continuing (this is me now)

Quick Like a Bunny - You churn out 5,000 words a day for several weeks and have yourself a first draft within a month (sadly, I have never been this person and probably never will be)

The Jumper - You jump from scene to scene, writing your favorite or most important moments first, and then fill in the blanks later (I don't often do this, but I know it works for some)

I've come to accept the fact that I'm not a fast first-drafter. Sure, I have moments of "Must sit down and write this scene now! GO GO GO!" inspirational frenzies, but for the most part, I'm a Polisher, sometimes to my benefit and sometimes to my detriment.

When you write your first draft, do you fit into any of the categories above? Are there types that I'm missing?

Pitch the Book You'd Want to Read

A couple weeks ago a friend asked me what my new project was about, and before I realized what I was doing, I'd typed up a paragraph synopsis that sounded pretty awesome.

Too awesome, in fact. It wasn't accurate! Some of the elements I'd mentioned weren't even part of the story, or at least not yet. I didn't do it on purpose. By wanting the story to sound as intriguing as possible, I'd overshot. That's when I realized I hadn't pitched my project. I'd pitched the project I wanted to be writing.

It sounded better in the paragraph than it did so far on the page, and I vowed to make my manuscript live up to my pitch. Maybe that's a backwards way of going about it, but by giving myself a succinct challenge ("I must hit elements A, B, C and D in the novel or it won't reflect the logline"), I at least guarantee myself a draft in which I include all my favorite parts. Will it work, or will it be terrible? Stay tuned.

Have you ever pitched a partial manuscript? If you do pitch your project before you're done writing it, are you ever surprised by your own synopsis? Has it ever led you in a new direction?

7 Random Facts and 7 Wondrous Bloggers

My new blogging buddy Sophia the Writer has kindly dubbed me a Versatile Blogger. What does this mean? It means, among other things, I get a purty award to display!

It also means I have a mission to fulfill.

The rules for this award are:

• Thank and link to the person who nominated me.
• Share seven random facts about myself.
• Pass the award along to 15 new-found blogging buddies.
• Contact those buddies to congratulate them.

Seven Random Facts About Me:


1. My mom's side of the family is British, and my mom was born and raised in Lusaka, Zambia. When I was 16, I spent part of my summer there. My aunt still lives in Africa.

2. As kids, my older sister and I didn't play "Barbie and Ken"; we played "Diane and Charles." (I don't know why she was Diane instead of Diana. Maybe we thought the name Diane was more American?) BUT YES, WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE ROYAL WEDDING TOMORROW. WHY DO YOU ASK?

3.  I'm a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and Hap Ki Do.

4. My husband thinks I have an iron stomach and fears for me. I can eat expired or otherwise "bad" food and drink and somehow emerge unscathed.

5. When I was in junior high and high school, I kept detailed notecards about every Cheers episode I saw, including my favorite quotes.

6. In 2008, I was in a car accident that shook me up so much I rode the bus everywhere for 3 months. In L.A. this is considered eccentric. It sometimes took hours to get places that were normally 25 minutes away.

7. I once modeled in a catalog for chef wear. This is not kinky or a code for anything. It's exactly how it sounds: caps, polo shirts, chef hats and aprons. I think the market was restaurant owners. (I nearly posted pics here but I don't want it to be what pops up on Google images until the end of time. If you'd like to see the evidence, email me, but remember, the photos can't be un-seen.)

Anyone still here after that chilling and sobering glimpse into my past?

To those who remain, here's another confession: I love receiving awards but I'm also kind of a lazy ass who's supposed to be packing for a trip right now, so I'm cutting my mission (more than) in half and linking to 7 lovely bloggers instead of 15. Did I break the chain? I hope there's no curse associated with this kind of loose cannon behavior, because I'd really love to give a sincere shout-out to the extremely cool writers I've met recently, both online and in person.

New Blogging Buddies:

1. Sarvenaz Tash and I share eerily, giddily similar obscure pop culture references. She's a generous, super-fun middle-grade novelist and terrific screenwriter. I know because we've swapped scripts! She held a hilarious Geek-Off recently on her blog that made me realize I need to work harder to claim any title of geek. I believe I'm up to the challenge, however.

2. Leigh Bardugo has a suh-weeet sounding YA fantasy novel (The Grisha) coming out next year, and she met up with me in my old 'hood for drinks and laughs a while back. I'm devouring her analysis (of the analysis...) of HBO's Game of Thrones. She also rocks amazing boots.

3. Sarah Maas is another fabulous YA fantasy novelist I had the pleasure of chatting with recently. Her description of her book, Queen of Glass, in which Cinderella is an assassin, blew my mind and made me delirious to get my hands on it.

4. Alyssa Linn Palmer writes luscious Parisian noir and I'm hoping beyond hope to get her take on my WIP some day!

5. Samuel Park used to run a blog called "Daily Pep for Writers" that I really respected and enjoyed. He's shifted his focus, and rightfully so, to publicizing his novel This Burns My Heart, but he'll be reposting some of his best "Pep" discussions soon and I can't recommend his site enough.

6. Kara Lucas delivers thought-provoking and insightful blog posts on the writing process and motherhood, and I think we're a lot alike when it comes to our gut reactions to Twitter and "new media" in general. I'm looking forward to getting to know Kara better and hearing about her books.

7. Kat Brauer is a new agency mate and spiffy YA author who's raising funds for clean, healthy water in exchange for writing critiques from pros. She lives in Japan, which I think is beyond cool!

I feel lucky and blessed to have met so many lovely writers this year. This is an incomplete list, and I hope to acknowledge more people as time allows. Those I've tagged, feel free to claim your award, list your 7 fun facts and award 15 others if you are so inclined. No pressure, of course. And feel equally free to pull a Sarah and pervert the chain by assigning arbitrary numbers to the task.

(Sophia, are you sure you still want to meet me? :)

Soccer & Writing: When Supporting Players Take Over the Field

When I saw the team lineup for Sunday's L.A. Galaxy game, I was worried and, to be honest, kind of annoyed. I got into soccer last summer because I wanted to follow the further adventures of Galaxy team captain Landon Donovan after his excellent showing at the World Cup.

Impossible as this may seem, I'd forgotten at the time that David Beckham was also with the Galaxy, partially because I'd shunned from my mind the "Posh & Becks" reality show Coming to America, and partially because he was injured for most of last season. I quickly became spoiled by his presence, however, so when he, Donovan, and several of the other Galaxy headliners were absent on Sunday, I panicked. Seemed like everyone good was either suspended because of yellow card accumulations or resting up after injuries. "Aggh, we're going to get murdered," I thought, settling in for an afternoon of pain.

A minute later, however, I was thrilled to realize that A) last year's talented rookie, Stephens, who normally only gets a few minutes per game, would be starting and B) I would get to meet a bunch of players I'd never seen before, who are rarely afforded a chance to play at all.

And guess what? They were fantastic. They beat Chicago 2-1. I find myself allllmost curious how the team would do without its "stars" for the rest of the season.

I had a similar situation with my WIP recently. Having written 100 pages, I realized that one of the smaller roles was the most interesting to me, and deserved a deeper exploration of his motivation and background, especially since the character's relationship with my lead was central to the heart of the story. So I set the 100 pages aside and pulled up my original opening, which included the smaller role earlier on. It's going to take some work to start over, but I'm really excited about this development.

Have any of your supporting roles ever asserted themselves into a larger role? Have they ever taken over the story completely? Did they surprise you with what they brought to the narrative? I'd love to hear how you worked them in.

Support Teen Literature Day

Today's been dubbed "Support Teen Literature Day"* by YALSA (Young Adults Library Services Association). "The purpose of this celebration is to raise awareness among the general public that young adult literature is a vibrant, growing genre with much to offer today's teens."

There are lots of ways to show your love for Young Adult novels, and I'd like to show my support by recommending some great YA-related blogs. These are blogs I discovered recently, and also blogs I've been visiting for the past year or two:

• YA Fresh (interviews, book gossip, giveaways and chats run by two YA authors)
• Elevensies (a place to discover and support authors whose YA or MG debuts are happening THIS YEAR, MAYBE EVEN RIGHT THIS MINUTE!)
• Apocalypsies (an introduction to authors whose YA or MG debut books will be released in late 2011 through early 2013, wooooooooo!)
• Dear Teen Me (showcases truly amazing - and brave - high school photos, and poignant, heartfelt, sometimes humorous letters from YA authors to their teen selves)
• Undercover Book Lover (book reviews, author interviews, and character interviews -- fun! Also a cute new weekly category of posts,  A Match Made in (YA) Fiction, "which features a couple where the girl and the guy are from different young adult books.")
• YA Books Central (hundreds of archives from 2005- the present, featuring 12 different contributors, including a teenage reviewer)
• Book Chic Club (YA reviews from a 24-year-old male; great to see a new and different perspective!)

*Thanks for the scoop, Mom :)

Down These Mean Streets a Boy YA Protagonist Must Go

Verrrrrrry interesting discussion at the #kidlitchat (held every Thursday at 9pm Eastern) on Twitter a few nights ago. Among the topics discussed was male POV in YA books, as well as the possible differences between male and female authors' depictions of boy characters.

One Tweeter mentioned that whenever a teenage boy narrator spends too much time describing someone's clothes, it throws him or her out of the story because it doesn't feel real; while I agree to a certain extent, I also find it ironic that in that most "male" of genres, the hardboiled detective story (as exemplified by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett), descriptions of people's clothing occur frequently.

Here's an example from Raymond Chandler's classic noir, "The Long Goodbye":

"She was slim and quite tall in a white linen tailormade with a black and white polka-dotted scarf around her throat. Her hair was the pale gold of a fairy princess. There was a small hat on it into which the pale gold hair nestled like a bird in its nest. Her eyes were a cornflower blue, a rare color, and the lashes where long and almost too pale. She reached the table across the way and was pulling off a white gauntleted glove and the old waiter had the table pulled out in a way no waiter ever will pull a table out for me." (p. 89)

What's brilliant about Chandler is that his description of Mrs. Wade's clothing tells us so much about her character, and not just about her style, or her class position in life, but about the effect she has on others, including the waiter, the narrator (and the reader!). There's a lot going on in that deceptively simple paragraph. Hell, there's a lot going on in the last line of that paragraph.

Here's another segment from the same book (Vintage Crime edition):

"He wore a gray tweed suit with no padding. His shoulders didn't need any. He wore a white shirt and a dark tie and no display handkerchief. A spectacle case showed in the outside breast pocket. It was black, like his shoes. His hair was black too, no gray at all." (p. 230)

This description of Harlan Potter, an older, obscenely wealthy man, tells us that Potter is apparently virile, too; his shoulders don't need padding and his hair has no gray in it.

The Fedora Lounge offers some more examples of clothing description in Chandler's work.

Would a teenage boy notice someone's clothing and relate it in such detail? No, probably not. But I thought it was interesting that today it might be an indicator of something amiss in a male voice, when in the 1950s it was a common and effective tool.

Greetings From Wacky Town

Last week after I posted about feeling overwhelmed in my writerly pursuits, I saw this amazing article in the New Yorker, all about therapy for screenwriters.

The "Letter From Los Angeles" segments, designed as if sent by a batty aunt*, sometimes make me skeptical, coming as they are from a New York POV.

The chosen topics often make Los Angeles sound like a bizarre and alien land consisting solely of entertainment professionals/possible cultists/fashionista yoga raw tofu-dies stuck perpetually on the freeway** ordering off the secret menu at In N Out while scheduling colonics, but I guess I really am a local now, because I didn't even think this article was strange. I was just nodding along like, "Well, of course. Yes. I wonder if this guy accepts new patients."

* Oh, frak. I just realized that for my niece Rose, I am that batty aunt

** That part might not be entirely inaccurate

Kinda Overwhelmed - or - Who Will Save This Pitiful Creature?

One of my oldest friends called me up the other day for advice on how to get started with a possible writing career. She lamented the fact that it feels impossible to find the time. I definitely understand where she's coming from.

I work 8 hours a day at an office, and I have a 2-hour commute on top of it. Not a big deal, most of the time. If I want to write, I can do it in the morning before I leave. The problem is the Internet. (Stop me if you've heard this one before. Actually wait please don't because I'm going to ask for advice at the end.)

If I want to...

1) Email
2) Tweet
3) Blog
4) Check Facebook
5) Update GoodReads
6) Read other people's tweets, blogs, status updates and GoodRead reviews

Then I must necessarily do it...

A) In the morning before work -- but then when will I write?

B) In the evening after work -- but then when will I see my husband? When will I see my friends? When will I read books? When will I watch The Good Wife, The Amazing Race and L.A. Galaxy games? When will I get a break from the computer screen? WHEN WILL I HAVE TIME FOR ALL MY ANXIETY?

I love my job reading screenplays and creating character descriptions for roles being cast, and if it were just a matter of juggling my own writing and my job writing, I think I'd be okay. It's when you throw online networking into the mix that it all starts to make my brain -- and my sexy tendonitis -- beg for mercy. No matter what I do, or how I allocate my time, there are never enough hours in the day, nor is there enough caffeine.

I've really enjoyed making friends online (um, at the risk of sounding like an ad for Adult Friend Finder) and I don't like letting anyone down by not responding to messages, polls, emails, or questions in a timely fashion. I also don't like missing out on great discussions / controversies / information, but there are certain days when I know something's gotta give, and it can't be my husband, and it can't be writing.

I know this isn't true, but some days it feels like everyone else has figured out how to juggle all of the above; like everyone but me is metaphorically lounging beside a pool with their smartphones, getting tans and sippin' cocktails while I flail about, just trying not to drown. So what am I missing? How am I supposed to do this? Helppppppp.

p.s. Case in point, I've been updating this blog every Thursday and I'll barely make the deadline tonight.

Memories of Japan

I tried coming up with a good blog topic this week but the news out of Japan, most recently the sacrifice being made by the workers in the nuclear reactors, has been so incomprehensibly awful that I can't concentrate much on writing or reading.

My husband and I spent our honeymoon in Japan in 2004. It was a long held dream of ours to travel there, and I think we took more than 400 photos. We visited Tokyo and Kyoto, two extraordinarily beautiful and very different cities that, to us, represented the contrast between modern and traditional ways of life. Everyone we encountered was friendly and helpful and we loved our time there.

Worried about scams, or feeling overwhelmed by how and where to donate to relief efforts for Japan? Here's some quick info on legit U.S. Organizations Accepting Donations.

If you're like me and live in an earthquake-prone area, you might consider putting together an emergency supply kit. (And if you're lazy like me, they also sell pre-made ones on Amazon.)

Show Me the YA Version

Sara Shepard's popular series Pretty Little Liars was conceived as Desperate Housewives for teens, which got me thinking about other programming and properties that have been successfully re-imagined and reshaped for a younger audience.

Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall (which has been optioned for a film adaptation) is sort of like Groundhog Day for teens, and Carrie Ryan's dystopian future / zombie novel Forest of Hands and Teeth mixes elements of Cormac McCarthy's The Road with M. Night Shymalan's The Village for teens.

It works the other way, too. What is Lev Grossman's The Magicians if not Harry Potter for grown-ups?

Here's my (admittedly bizarre) wish list of projects I'd like to see redone in YA style:

1) Lost (Not in a Lord of the Flies or Survivor way, though -- I'm more interested in seeing the metaphysical aspects, the sense that certain people are destined to affect one another throughout their lives, plus time travel, obvs)

2) Inception (Entering people's dreams and altering their daylight decisions? Yes, please)

3) Prime Suspect  (How this would even remotely work I have no idea. But it'd have a strong heroine and be awesome)

Are there any films, TV shows or adult books you're dying to see adapted into YA format?

How Do You Choose What To Read?

It feels like half the books on my shelf are ones I borrowed from friends or bought ages ago but haven't gotten around to reading yet. As I sit at my desk typing this, I can feel them glaring at me and going unread. They keep getting pushed aside for library books (due dates!), book club selections (due dates!), research (can't write without it!) or recommendations from people who tell me to "stop everything and read this now."

At the same time, I'm always looking for something new to read. How this is possible, I don't know, because the stack will never diminish if I keep up this way.

I mostly rely on the following to make my endless list:

• Recommendations from friends, family, and co-workers
• Book club selections (for YA books)
• Christian Science Monitor book reviews (everything under the sun)
• New Yorker reviews (for literary and non-fiction)
• January Magazine (still working my way through their Best of 2010 lists)
• Entertainment Weekly (pop culture selections)

How do you choose what to read, and how do you choose the order in which to read it?

"Scars" is on my Bookshelf

As you might have seen on Twitter or around the blogosphere (a word I've never actually used before - am I ten years late?),  SCARS by Cheryl Rainfield was challenged at a public library recently, and subjected to review by the librarians there. (More info here .)

On February 8, I found out I'd won a copy of SCARS off Twitter, from a contest sponsored by WestSide Books. They publish edgy, contemporary realistic YA fiction and their catalog looks intriguing and powerful. Per their instructions, I sent them my address and recieved my copy of the book in the mail yesterday, only to find out about the controversy. Now I feel compelled to buy one as well, and perhaps donate the one I got for free to my local library, particularly if they don't yet have a copy.

Recommended Read: "Trash" by Andy Mulligan

I always enjoy reading YA books that break the mold. Last month I read Jennifer Bradbury's "Shift," which takes place partially in a college setting. This month I read Andy Mulligan's "Trash," which takes place in an unnamed (probably South American) city. Three "dumpsite boys", who live in a shanty town and sift through mounds of trash to survive, find a bag filled with curious items, including a key and a photo id card, that the dangerous and corrupt police force is desperate to retrieve.

All three main characters take turns narrating, but so do a handful of adults who help them. I can't think of any other YA books off the top of my head that do this, and it was interesting to see the events from multiple perspectives, not all of them belonging to young adults. Even a dead man has his say, in the form of letters.

The clever mystery unfolds at a breakneck pace, and I was torn between racing through the pages and forcing myself to slow down so I could enjoy each revelation. Mulligan does a terrific job creating vivid, lovable, and sympathetic characters in a unique setting.

Do you prefer YA novels to be told only from the POV of teenagers, or do you like to see authors mix it up?

Chew On This: My 9-month-old Niece Eats Books. Sort Of.

Okay, haven't we all wanted to eat books at one point?

No? Just me?

What if you were pressed for time, and had the option of absorbing a story instead of reading it? You could gobble up books for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

My niece, Rose, is halfway there. She enjoys chewing on tags. Manufacturing tags, like those found on the sides of blankets. They are delectable to her. (She also chews on her own socks. My sister's solution is to allow it until the sock falls on the floor, at which point the game is over.)

Anyway, I got Rose a book for Christmas, and the book's main attraction was that it included colorful, chewable tags on the side, perfect for munching.  I didn't even know this was a "thing" with babies until then. I figured Rose would like it, and she does -- but she doesn't chew on the designated tags.

She chews on the manufacturing tag. It's the only tag she wants! Here she is, caught in the act (thanks for the awesome photographic evidence, Rach :)

Write What You Know, and Then Get Other People to Tell You What THEY Know

I love research. I also love procrastinating. Funny how that works...

Anyway, I've always followed the adage, "Write what you know." My last two projects grew out of fictionalized elements of my own life but also required lots of outside research. I love interviewing people, so I see this as a bonus.

For my magician mystery, I drew on my own experiences living in L.A., and I spent a lot of time at the Magic Castle observing magicians in the wild (I know, tough gig...). I also asked my husband's advice on certain aspects of magic and magic history.

For my young adult martial arts novel, I drew on my own experiences as a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, but I also asked a clinical psychologist for help authenticating other aspects of the story. Luckily, a friend of a friend happened to be well-versed in the subjects I needed assistance with, and she was incredibly generous with her time and suggestions.

So now I'm writing a noir story set in high school. Who's going to be my expert source?? Anyone go to San Clemente High School?