Release Party

On August 2 at 12:00 A.M. Barnes and Noble will be having a release party for Breaking Dawn.

Breaking Dawn Trip

It seems that Stephenie Meyer will not be going on a big tour for Breaking Dawn. She is only doing a few events.
· 8/1 - New York City @ Nokia Theatre at Times Square
· 8/5 - Chicago @ Harris Theater
· 8/7 - Los Angeles @ Royce Hall
· 8/12 - Seattle @ Benaroya Hall
I still really want to go and see her and hope that we could make a trip of it.
http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1589042/story.jhtml has more information about the tour.

A Harry Potter Commencement: JK Rowling speaks at Harvard

You might find it interesting to go here to Harvard Magazine, and read or listen to J.K. Rowling's commencement address to Harvard's graduating class of 2008, in which she talks about her struggles before publishing the books she wanted to write, and discusses the value of personal failure and of imagination. It's a neat look at what Rowling finds important, and a little window on the hurdles to become a writer.

Summer Reading Opportunities at Public Library!

You may want to check out La Crosse County Library's Summer Reading Program literature, found in this link -- they're hosting movie nights this summer, and prize giveaways for books read.

More Breaking Dawn!

Here's a screenshot of the cover:

Talk about ominous! This looks to me like two chess queens in opposition, which should mean the conflict will be ratcheted up to the limit.

What are you reading now that we're heading into summer?

I'm working on a re-read of Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why, recently acquired by the library in the new-books pile. This was one of the YA books I read off the shelf and had to buy for myself; I think its premise (a girl who commits suicide sends a collection of audio tapes in lieu of a note to the thirteen people she thinks could have made a difference) is a real original, and it's both familiar and unforgettable. This was one of my must-reads this year, and you should check it out.

I just finished The Market by J.M. Steele, and despite a few bumpy moments -- there were a few instances of sloppy writing habits that made me want to play editor -- it's a really fascinating look at popularity through the lens of a mock-internet stock market of girls at a particular school. The twists were both well foreshadowed and really surprising, and the viewpoint character is incredibly engaging, even as she succumbs to less-than-perfect behavior.

I tried the new Meg Cabot, Airhead -- and despite glowing reviews around, I was less than enthused. I LOVE the premise -- it's one of the best don't-spoil-this twists in awhile -- and yet...

There was just something missing there. I think it's the part where we don't get to really get a good handle on the character the narrator is crushing on, so her crush on him is virtually the only reason we care. There's also no real resolution, as Cabot is looking to make a series of these books. That's all well and good, but I expect more from the mistress of serial fiction that way.

PERCY JACKSON 4.

It's hard to type out squealing noises. Book 5 can't come fast enough. This was the book that finally decided it for me: I DO love the Percy Jackson books more than Harry Potter. Battle for the Labyrinth was yet another stellar entry into this series. I was thrilled to see Tyson's return, and the dimensions revealed behind other familiar faces - from Annabelle to Clarisse to Nico to, of all people, the briefly mentioned Rachel Elizabeth Dare, here a fascinating new force in the Olympian world even as a mortal girl. There's a ton of subtle foreshadowing for the climax to come - ranging from the progress of BFF Grover's quest to find the great god Pan to discussions of the nature of the combat between the Olympian gods and their older counterparts the Titans, and who takes which sides in that conflict and their reasons for so doing. Percy's mom remains one of the coolest parents in literature, and it's nice to see Riordan's great handling of the mortal sides of Percy's relationships. I laughed! I cried! I want book 5.

I've recently finished Barry Lyga's Cybil-winning Boy Toy, and I hardly know where to begin with this book. It's a difficult topic; it examines the emotions of an eighteen-year-old male high school baseball star who, at age thirteen, was molested by his female teacher, and whose life was turned upside-down for years to come by the subsequent trial and reputation thus acquired. This is, as you probably can guess, NOT an easy read, and not for everybody, but it's unquestionably well done. I don't know if I've read many more powerful books this year, and Lyga handles character like almost nobody else. If you like difficult realistic fiction, this is worth a look.

That's my recent reading list (ie, just this last week). What are you reading as summer winds down?

PS: Little Brother fanatics -- I know where Cory Doctorow stores his how-to-be-an-awesome-hacker instruction starters!

Breaking Dawn

While browsing Stephenie Meyer's website I found this link. It is a sneak peak at chapter one of Breaking Dawn. The full chapter will come out in the Eclipse Special Edition. So make sure to check it out.

Feedback!

Hi guys,

Anyone who attended the event with Tiffany Trent, either in your classes or at the lunchtime meet-and-greet -- do you have any suggestions or feedback? Tiffany's interested in how people responded to her presentations and what you might like to see in the future. As Tiffany's in this area yearly (or maybe more often!), if you'd like to see her come back and do other things (such as talk about the haunted steamship she researched for Book 2 of Hallowmere, or give a reading), please give some feedback here or in the library so we can pass it along!

NEW BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!

It is so exciting that the LMTC has bought a ton of new books. So many of them look really good. I will even try some of the graphic novels for you Martha, if they are on the list. Hopefully, we will get the chance to check them out during this school year. I can hardly wait to start reading.

2

NOT A LOCK IN

thank you for having the not a lock in this past saturday. I had a great time and hope that we could maybe do a lock in next year. I really love the shirts, the color is great and the saying is catchy and i don't mind wearing it. Hopefully next year we can be a bigger group so that there can be more discussion. A craft would have also been fun, but maybe we can plan a little more so that we are not scrambling for ideas at the last minute. The movie was fantastic, I had already seen it, but even though it deviates from the book it was not an awful way to have made the book into a movie. So thank you for hosting this event again.

Twilight Trailer

it is great. i look forward to it. i highly recommend watching it. I hope that the link works. if you go to her website you can find it on the movie page. http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/
so go look at it and tell me what you think i think that it will be a great movie.

Visiting Author - Tiffany Trent

I'm really happy to have the opportunity to introduce author Tiffany Trent to Holmen High School in person on May 20th. Tiffany's third book, Between Golden Jaws, a part of her fantasy series Hallowmere, was recently released under the Mirrorstone imprint, following the first two titles. Tiffany has written nonfiction about environmental issues, worked as a technical writer, and currently teaches creative writing at Virginia Tech. She also really cares about literacy and teen issues, and was featured this past Teen Read Week -- a visit from Tiffany was one of the prizes offered by the ALA in 2007. As Tiffany has family in this area, and was planning appearances in Wisconsin in May this year, she jumped at the chance to add an appearance here to her itinerary.

Tiffany writes historical fantasy very much in the Libba Bray vein. Hallowmere takes place in the antebellum and Victorian period to follow, in which the orphaned Corrine is plagued by visions of dark faeries and ominous warnings, and as a result of heeding these things, her strict uncle sends her to a girl's reformatory school called Falston. (Reform school in these times = bad news! Definitely a lot more like prison than Gemma Doyle's Spence.) At Falston, Corrine makes a discovery of some old and hidden letters from a medieval monk who talks about forbidden romance -- and vampiric faeries that resemble those stalking Corrine.

And that's just where the fun starts!

Tiffany will be spending time with classes, except for during Lunch period. During that time, book club members are welcome to come hang out with her and the librarians for a more casual event. Bring your lunch in and be ready to socialize!

The Host Booksigning

I went to the booksigning for Stephenie Meyer's The Host on Tuesday, and Pel, one of the admin from the Twilight Lexicon, asked me to do a write up on it. I figured since people here are fans of the novel as well, I may as well post it here too:

I arrived at the Mall of America at about 1:30PM. They had started selling books at 8AM, and I was told that a handful of people had arrived even earlier than that--as early as 5AM. This is what the line looked like when I first got there:



I bought my copies of The Host. At the start of the line there was a box for submitting questions for Stephenie, which a man walked through the line later on with in case anyone came up with questions as they read The Host.

I sat down to read while I waited for 6PM to come. A note for anyone else who goes so early to wait in line: if possible, bring chairs like the smart people in the photograph! Standing for 4.5 hours or sitting on the floor for that long is not fun!

A glimpse of the room that was slowly but surely filling up with people.

By 3:30PM, that empty half of the room was full of people, and we were asked to get up and squish together to make room for more people. We did so and then all sat back down to wait. Once or twice the Community Relations Manager at the Barnes & Noble at the Mall of America came out to talk to us:



About 15 minutes before Stephenie was due to arrive, he came back out to introduce her. She arrived, and much screaming followed. She told us that she had a presentation planned out, and was going to do a reading, but after finding out that we all would be standing for the entire evening decided against that. Instead, she answered probably 10 or so of the questions from the box.



I caught a few of the questions (and Stephenie's answers!) on camera:
- What inspired The Host?
(video)
- What music was fitting for The Host?
- Why are there blank pages in The Host?
- Will there be sequels for The Host?
(video of the previous 3 questions)
- Do you ever take your kids on tour with you?
(video)
- What characters in The Host did you really enjoy writing?
(video)

Two of the questions were cut off, so here are paraphrased answers:

What inspired The Host?
This answer can be found in a number of articles and I wanted to save space for other questions! One place to find it is at the official The Host website, on the Q&A page.

Will there be sequels for The Host?
Stephenie said that she has outlines for one sequel, and plans for two to make it a trilogy, but doesn't know if she'll write them anytime soon. She mentioned that one reason in particular is that she's grown fond of the characters, and in order for the sequels to be written, characters would need to die and she doesn't want them to.

Another fun thing I'll point out since it's sort of hard to hear in the videos is the 3 songs that Stephenie mentioned are on her The Host playlist:
- Futurism by Muse
- Original of the Species by U2
- My Name is Love by Rob Dickinson

The rest of the playlist will be available on her website once she finishes this leg of the tour and e-mails it to her brother/webmaster.

After the Q&A came the actual book signing, which went very smooth.



I had my books signed by 7:30-8PM or so, and this is what the line looked like after I was finished:



This wasn't even the entire line--it still stretched out down one of the hallways!

I came back for one last peek about quarter to 9 to see how many people were left, and that large central area was still about half full! It was a long night for the workers, fans, and Stephenie!

ETA: I just found a few more videos of the Q&A from the book signing (ones that I didn't film but are on youtube already):
- Did you know you wanted to be an author when you were a child?
- How involved with the Twilight movie were you?

The Host

I just got home and was so sad when I saw that The Host had not yet arrived. Thankfully UPS came through for me and about 8 minutes ago the wonderful brown truck arrived carrying my wonderful treat. I can hardly wait to start reading it, but I have to finish reading my other book first because I am really enjoying it. So thank you Martha for letting me check it out even though you were planning on reading it.

Little Brother, YA Triumphant, and Good Lit

Avid websurfers with an interest in YA literature and good sci-fi might have noticed that on pop-culture web outlet BoingBoing, as well as on diverse blogs from literary luminaries such as Neil Gaiman, John Scalzi, and perennial YA favorite Scott Westerfeld, the new book Little Brother by science fiction sensation Cory Doctorow is causing a minor net-wave about the topics of young adult crossover appeal and where one can find quality science fiction.

It's interesting to me that there is a quiet move within the industry among science-fiction and fantasy authors to pitch to teen readers. The market for young adult books lets these writers be more flexible in what topics they write about, get better covers and more shelf space, and actually helps them sell more books. As several people pointed out, Scott Westerfeld is the biggest name in science fiction who never gets the recognition he deserves simply because the awards in the genre haven't caught up with the new reality of YA's significance. It's also shocking to me how many people - even after Harry Potter - have missed the groundswell of truly great books emerging in the teen section of their bookstore. These discussions also highlight just how cutting-edge the books available to teenagers have become; there's a second thread on Scalzi's blog that highlights the problems that adult science-fiction faces by comparison. It suggests a lot of interesting things to be aware of -- both that this genre may have its best books already on the YA shelves, but that there may be just as many excellent 'adult' sci-fi and fantasy genre books on the standard sf/f shelves that might have gotten much more attention if only they had been marketed or written 'younger'.

But to circle back again, it's also worth noting that Doctorow, who brought up the topic of the undiscovered country of great YA on the BoingBoing article, is savvy enough to put this awesome book up for download. That's right -- his critically acclaimed sci-fi tale of one teenager against a Homeland Security run amok, Big-Brother-versus-Little-Brother in a good old fashioned showdown, can be read for free download through Creative Commons license. I advise you take a look -- this is highly touted as one of the most important books this year in genre fiction, YA or not, and its buzz is inching towards Twilight-and-Potter huge.

THE HOST

Stephenie Meyer was in the area today. Did we go. NOOOOOO it is so sad that we were not able to go. I am depressed I am hoping to buy the book soon. It seems like it will be good even though it is not going to be like Twilight.

I have won

I really have no clue what contest that I had the luck of winning. I ended up getting LOVE (AND OTHER USES FOR DUCT TAPE) in the mail today with a note from Carrie Jones congratulating me on my win.

The ironic thing about me getting this book is that i was in the library earlier today looking at it and ended up taking the copy of Jump the Cracks instead, i was planning on getting this one later on in the week and what a coincidence.

Literary Controversy: The Twilight Movie -- good or bad?

As we hit the end of the school year, one interesting question dominates most of our readers:

Just how bad - or good - will the Twilight m0vie adaptation be?

Thus far, the controversy rages, in part because Twilight is a fan phenomenon that has missed a large part of the mainstream even yet. That is to say, the big fans are already nitpicking 'getting it right', when those who've never heard of it are so far behind that they don't even know there is something to get wrong. Witness articles like this, after all.

There's a lot of casting controversy; now that some of the 'that's not my Bella and Edward!' has died down, the latest source of scream is 'that's not my Jacob Black!', as Taylor Lautner (Shark Boy from Shark Boy and Lava Girl, natch) has been cast as Jacob. Personally, I can't get over Peter Facinelli as Carlisle Cullen -- I keep thinking, 'The guy from Fastlane, that failed series on Fox, is the family patriarch? Really?'. But I'm old.

So weigh in: how bad is it gonna get?

Sara Zarr is Really Awesome, Part 2: The Interview

I knew Sara was going to be a lot of fun to work with and promote at our library from the very first time I peeked at her blog and websites after reading Sweethearts. The questions that follow come from book club members, students who wrote in during National Library Week, and library staff -- bet you can't guess which question comes from me. Thank you SO MUCH, Sara -- you've gone above and beyond for our library and our students!


The question you probably hear the most comes first: What inspires you to write?
There's a quote that I think comes from Flannery O'Connor, and it's something like, "The only adequate response to a work of art is another work of art." I'm inspired by great music, books, movies, paintings, dance... Engaging with something artistic gets me itching to create something of my own. In terms of actual story ideas inspiring me enough to do the work, I've found that the best way for my brain to come up with ideas is if it's sort of blank for awhile---the kind of blank you get on a long drive, or staring out a bus window, or sitting on the porch doing nothing.


What's the most challenging part of writing books? Do you find it a challenge in general, or have you found ways of making it easy?
It's never easy. When I finished my first book, I thought it would get easier after that. It doesn't. Every book requires something different and I always feel like I don't know what I'm doing. I think one of the most challenging parts is having the discpline to do what I describe in my answer to #1. It's weird that doing nothing would require discipline, but with so much technology available all the time it actually takes a lot for me to say, okay, now I'm going to stare into space for awhile and not check my email or look at my cell phone or text my husband or see what's on my DVR. I think I've developed ADD over the past 10 years because of all the technology, and now I have to force myself to daydream, which is something that used to come so naturally.


The SPOILER QUESTION: Those of us who read Sweethearts really want to know – why did things have to almost come full circle again for Jenna and Cameron, specifically their separation at the end?
I got a fanmail the other day from a reader who had loved the book, but wondered by Jenna and Cameron had to end up being miserable instead of happy. Here's my answer: I don't see them or their ending as miserable at all. They came back together in high school, and resolved what they could resolve, and were strengthened by their re-connection - strengthened to do what they each needed to do in their individual lives. And this time, even if it's a little delayed, Cameron says goodbye and we're assured that Jenna will always know how to find him. I'm convinced they'll always be important in one another's lives, and will always be there for each other when they need to. I just couldn't see, given who they each are and their histories, any way to make it realistic for them to end up together in the traditional way we think of love. But that's one of the things I wanted to explore in the book---the different kinds of love we can have for people, and the complicated, difficult, important relationships that we start to form as we move into adulthood

How do you find the discipline and patience for the process of writing-and-rewriting? What helps you revise what's already finished?
I wish I knew! Every time I finish a book and all the revising is done, I kind of look at it and go, Wow, how'd I do that? It's a little bit of a miracle every time. My editor is a huge help, of course, because when I'm satisfied with something the way it is she pushes me to do better. She's like a coach who has seen my potential and will never let me come in under the bar. Deadlines help a lot. The fact that I've been paid and I have to get this book done or else give back the money helps. Knowing that even though when I'm on mile 17 of the marathon it's really painful and I want to quit (hey, 17 miles is darn good!), ultimately I'll be happier if I go all the way helps. Before I sold a book, my competitive spirit and desire to be published was what drove me.

You've said before that you had some difficulty with your early efforts to get published. What changes did you make that made the biggest difference between your early efforts and the successes of your two books to follow?
Part of it was just time and patience and practice. When you do something for ten years and seek out advice and criticism and help, you naturally get better. When I wrote the first draft of what became Story of a Girl, I knew that it would be the book I'd never give up on. I'd written three books before that and didn't stick with them the way I did with Story. My passion for that story and those characters helped push me across the divide between unpublished and published. One of the best things I did while writing that book was join a writers group. Everyone in the group was a better writer than me, and I learned a ton and also felt like I had something to prove---that I belonged there. My writing improved by leaps and bounds during that time.

If you weren't a writer, what job would you most love to have?
It would still have to be some form of storytelling, so I'd love to either be a singer/songwriter or a writer/director.

Have you ever considered writing a series? On that note – what are you thinking of writing about next after Sweethearts? (The series idea is only sort of a hint, we swear.)
I had an idea for a series once, about kids in a high school drama department. But a series is a big commitment. What if you get sick of the characters? Maybe someday. Right now I'm working on my third book for Little, Brown and it's a bit different in style and tone from my first two, but still realistic fiction.

What books meant the most to you as a teenager? What are your favorite books now?
Young adult fiction was sort of in a golden age when I was a teen in the eighties. There wasn't nearly as much of it as there is now, but what was there was new and innovative and really, really good. I loved Robert Cormier and M.E. Kerr, particularly. I still read a ton of YA, and realistic fiction is still my favorite. I also try to read poetry (it helps keep my brain in shape for thinking about language in different ways), and I like adult fiction that is realistic and not too overwrought with useless description. In other words, I like adult fiction that's like YA fiction, but with adult characters! Tom Perrotta or Anne Tyler, for example.

The OTHER SPOILER QUESTION: So much of your first two books are all about teenagers who have new identities they either build or have thrust upon them, and how those images may be only part of the truth. Why do these questions of identity appeal to you as writing topics/as good YA topics of interest?
Identity is the fundamental issue we grapple with our whole lives, I think. We're born into a family and get our identity from that family. Then somewhere along the way---usually in adolescence---we struggle with and against that identity. That continues at least through college, and for me through my twenties and into my early thirties. I might be finally figuring some things out now, but then when I get to my forties will I have a midlife identity crisis? And then beyond that, in my sixties and seventies when I start thinking about the end of life, will I have another identity change? Who we are, who we believe ourselves to be, the way others see us, what we project vs. what we feel inside...all of those things contain so much drama. In adolescence, the drama is really compressed and exacerbated by physical change and all the decisions you have to start making that you never made before, and that's just a simmering cauldron of dramatic potential!

Finally: If you could tell your teenaged self some things about your life as a writer now, what would you say?
Don't be afraid. Not of failure, not of success, not of trying new things. You really can't fail at this---the only failure would be not trying at all. Also: watch less TV and stare into space more.

That's it! Thanks again, so much!
Thank you!

ARC Madness!

The wonderful folks at Flux, including up-and-coming author Maggie Stiefvater, who deserves much credit for her help -- have sent us a whole bunch of advance release copies of new YA books. This includes Maggie's book (which is so brand-spanking-new that the galleys I have aren't even really in book form), and a half-dozen other really great titles that will be hitting the shelves someday -- but not yet. That's right -- ever wanted to get a sneak peek at books so new that nobody else can read them, and maybe give feedback to their publisher? Because they'd like you to!

Flux was also kind enough to send some swag -- there's bookmarks! -- and offer to see what they might do about an event at our library in the future. THANKS, GUYS -- most especially Maggie and her editor Andrew! You're aces in our book.

Stop by my desk for more information on the goodies!