• STACKED
  • About Us
  • Categories
    • Audiobooks
    • Book Lists
      • Debut YA Novels
      • Get Genrefied
      • On The Radar
    • Cover Designs
      • Cover Doubles
      • Cover Redesigns
      • Cover Trends
    • Feminism
      • Feminism For The Real World Anthology
      • Size Acceptance
    • In The Library
      • Challenges & Censorship
      • Collection Development
      • Discussion and Resource Guides
      • Readers Advisory
    • Professional Development
      • Book Awards
      • Conferences
    • The Publishing World
      • Data & Stats
    • Reading Life and Habits
    • Romance
    • Young Adult
  • Reviews + Features
    • About The Girls Series
    • Author Interviews
    • Contemporary YA Series
      • Contemporary Week 2012
      • Contemporary Week 2013
      • Contemporary Week 2014
    • Guest Posts
    • Link Round-Ups
      • Book Riot
    • Readers Advisory Week
    • Reviews
      • Adult
      • Audiobooks
      • Graphic Novels
      • Non-Fiction
      • Picture Books
      • YA Fiction
    • So You Want to Read YA Series
  • Review Policy

STACKED

books

  • STACKED
  • About Us
  • Categories
    • Audiobooks
    • Book Lists
      • Debut YA Novels
      • Get Genrefied
      • On The Radar
    • Cover Designs
      • Cover Doubles
      • Cover Redesigns
      • Cover Trends
    • Feminism
      • Feminism For The Real World Anthology
      • Size Acceptance
    • In The Library
      • Challenges & Censorship
      • Collection Development
      • Discussion and Resource Guides
      • Readers Advisory
    • Professional Development
      • Book Awards
      • Conferences
    • The Publishing World
      • Data & Stats
    • Reading Life and Habits
    • Romance
    • Young Adult
  • Reviews + Features
    • About The Girls Series
    • Author Interviews
    • Contemporary YA Series
      • Contemporary Week 2012
      • Contemporary Week 2013
      • Contemporary Week 2014
    • Guest Posts
    • Link Round-Ups
      • Book Riot
    • Readers Advisory Week
    • Reviews
      • Adult
      • Audiobooks
      • Graphic Novels
      • Non-Fiction
      • Picture Books
      • YA Fiction
    • So You Want to Read YA Series
  • Review Policy

In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang + 3 Questions with Cory

October 9, 2014 |

Cory Doctorow is known for exploring big social issues within his fiction for young adults, and his latest, the YA graphic novel In Real Life, is no different.

When Anda’s class has a female gamer come in and speak to them, Anda becomes fascinated with the idea of playing the game about which the guest spoke: Coarsegold Online. It’s a massive multiplayer roleplaying game, and it’s an opportunity for her to be a hero and it’s a place where she gets the opportunity to meet new people and make friends from around the world.

Gold farmers are exceptionally controversial in the game, as they are people who illegally collect valuable objects within the game, then sell them off to players in rich countries who can afford to purchase them. This, of course, gives those who are rich a mega advantage at the game. It’s an industry and an occupation, gold farming, but things get challenging when Anda befriends a gold farmer, who happens to be a poor boy from China. Suddenly, what seemed like a black-and-white/right-or-wrong situation with gold farming becomes a lot more complicated, as her friend’s life depends upon making money doing this job.

Doctorow’s story is complex and complicated, and while I think his introduction does a great job of offering an explanation for why what happens in the story isn’t just about the in-game world, I found myself needing to flip back more than once to better understand what was happening and what the gravity of the situation was. Part of this is being a non-gamer — and perhaps I’d have grasped some of these things better were this a world in which I was familiar — but part of it was that at times, the message overpowered the story and the development of Anda.

The story, being about how people buy and sell levels and powers in-world and how others want to rid the game world of the people who are in the business of helping others cheat for the right price, parallels the non-gaming world in terms of how people climb the ladder and how they can cheat social systems and structures in place for the right price. But beneath that, and what I think was harder to come across because of the graphic novel format, are the really human reasons and aspects behind why someone would want to work a job that’s purpose is to buck the system for others. We’re only ever privy to Anda’s perspective here, and, as noted, it’s one of privilege. That’s not a problem of her telling the story, but it’s a bigger problem of the overall impact of the story. She almost grew too quickly, and because of the privilege she has in her own life, she was able to pursue solutions that carried the story’s message almost too conveniently. There were other things that happened in the story that felt convenient or almost strange and difficult to believe, including small things like a gaming expert coming into a high school classroom and recruiting teens for her game, which includes a monthly fee.

That said, I still liked In Real Life, and a big reason for liking it was how wonderful Jen Wang’s art is throughout. This is a lushly illustrated work, and I give Wang major kudos for how Anda was rendered. This is a fat girl, and she was never once ashamed of being so. Her body is depicted realistically, and I can see so many girls seeing themselves in her. While there was one part of the story that made me cringe when it came to the dialog of body shaming, it was easy enough to let go because of how Anda carried herself. In many ways, that slip fit the bigger issues of this book being imperfect about how it depicted and explored social and political issues in the real, rather than virtual, world. This is a full-color graphic novel with an appealing color palate. I’m going to keep an eye on Wang because I hope to see a lot more from her.

In Real Life should appeal to teen graphic novel enthusiasts, and I especially think teen gamers will find a lot to enjoy here — and I think maybe more importantly, they’ll find a lot worth talking about and debating. This could make for a really solid book discussion title. This is a time-relevant title, but it doesn’t run the risk of becoming the kind of book that will become time-sensitive. What Doctorow did in Little Brother for the last generation of teens, he does here with In Real Life, serving up a meaty topic in a form that doesn’t talk down to its readers but encourages them to think, discuss, and act. This would be a great book to pair with Steve Brezenoff’s Guy In Real Life, which also delves into social issues through gaming — both virtual and real-world.

**

In addition to talking about the book today, I was able to ask Cory a few questions about the book and some of the bigger issues broached in the story. Rather than talk about these within the review, I thought taking them straight to the source would be more interesting. I highly recommend checking out the other blogs who are taking part in asking Doctorow questions about In Real Life, and you can get the full list of other participants here. These might make discussing this book with teens even more interesting! 


What capacity do you believe gaming has for educating people about social/political challenges throughout the world? 

I think that games are
an art form, and that art does lots of stuff, including education. But
the primary thing that art does is make you feel irreducible, numinous
aesthetic effects.

Some games, like some art, can teach you just about anything, but that’s not what games are for.
It would be impossible to ignore the hostility that the gaming world has toward women. Yet, gaming has the capacity to be a tool of social mobility and change. How can girls and women navigate this disconnect? 
I wish I knew. My wife
is a retired professional gamer — she played Quake for England — and
through her I know a huge circle of hardcore, badass gamers and gaming
professionals.

Gender-based hatred
and harrassment in games is an epiphenomenon of wider social factors,
obviously. It’s not like women get a great deal everywhere *except*
games — and while ending games-based harassment
(by making it socially unacceptable to admit or evince misogyny as it
is in many other circles) would be a huge accomplishment, it would still
leave the underlying problem intact.
Your books, including IN REAL LIFE, focus on teens making a difference. Why teens? What is it about teenagers that you believe will cause social and political change? 
I
think we start out with well-developed senses of justice and fairness
— you see it in daycare classes — but circumstances cause us to
compromise a little
at a time. Each compromise resets your vision of a “normal” level of
fairness, so the next compromise is only perceived as a small variance
on normal, as opposed to a deeper cut into justice.

Teenagers exist at the intersection of
uncompromising justice and the capacity to act on it — old enough to do
stuff, young enough not to be convinced that nothing can be done.

Filed Under: Author Interview, Graphic Novels, Reviews, Uncategorized, Young Adult

An Interview with Laurie Halse Anderson at Book Riot

April 11, 2014 |

I’m so excited about a post I had at Book Riot earlier this week that I wanted to direct readers over there for the day. I got the opportunity to interview Laurie Halse Anderson. We talked about the 15th anniversary of Speak, the way that the YA world has changed over the last 15 years, how she feels about challenges to her work, and we dug into gender and the book world. Check it out.

It’s neat to get the chance to interview someone that you’ve “known” since you were a teenager. I read Speak when I was in high school, and it’s a title that has stayed with me since. As you may or may not know, Laurie and her publisher are working on the #Speak4RAINN15 campaign to raise money to help survivors of sexual violence this month. Details are on the Riot post. When I posted the piece, I made a donation (which will be matched) and I encourage anyone who can make a donation to do so, too. If you can’t, the next best thing you can do is spread the word, which also makes a difference.

I’m really proud of this interview, and I love the conversation Laurie and I were able to have. I hope you enjoy it, too!

Filed Under: Author Interview, book riot, Uncategorized

Twitterview: Brandy Colbert (POINTE)

April 3, 2014 |

Yesterday, we had a review of Brandy Colbert’s knockout debut Pointe. Today, we have a Twitterview with her, asking the tough questions about Pointe, her writing process, as well as the books and music that inspire her. This is our first Twitterview of the new year, and it’s a good one.


In addition, we’re giving away two finished copies of Pointe. Form is at the bottom of the interview, and the contest is open to US and Canadian residents only.


I’m so excited to share this conversation, so without further ado, here’s Brandy.

Pitch Pointe in 140 characters.

A gifted dancer’s life unravels when her childhood best friend returns after four years in captivity—and she has ties to the abduction.
What inspired Pointe?

A lifelong love of dance and an obsession with long-term kidnapping stories, especially the one portrayed in I Know My First Name Is Steven.

How would you describe Theo, your main character?

Determined. Foolhardy. Passionate. Competitive. 


Theo is a POC in a very white world (in setting and sport). Talk about that.

Theo is very aware that she sticks out in her world, but she refuses to let her race define her, in both her life and desired profession.

Do you have more to say about that?  

I do! POINTE is the third book I’ve written about a teenage black girl, but it’s the first in which her race was not the focal point or even a subplot of the story. As someone who grew up black in a predominantly white town in southwest Missouri, I wanted to write a character who dealt with some of the day-to-day issues and obstacles I’d experienced without that being the point of the book. I was very involved in academics and extracurricular activities as a child and teen, and although it was a little tough almost always being the only black person in the room, or being the first black person to, for instance, join my high school’s dance team, I think those years were instrumental in shaping the person I am today. Overall, I had a great time in high school and tried to make the best of it. If people were going to notice me for being different anyway, I wanted them to especially notice me for my accomplishments. I believe Theo has a similar attitude.

There’s romance in this book but it’s the friendships that stand out to me. Tell me about Theo and Ruthie’s friendship.

They’re lifelong friends from ballet and are competitive, but also have a mutual respect and trust that extends to life beyond the studio.

And how about Theo and Donovan’s friendship?

Complicated. They’re essentially strangers now, but also bonded for life, because and in spite of what happened when they were thirteen.

Was there a particular scene in the book you most enjoyed writing?

Theo + Hosea in the gazebo. They don’t really know each other and are both very  private, but they open up to talk honestly about their art.



What about a scene that gave you the most trouble writing? 

Scenes at the abandoned park and convenience store. Dance scenes can be tough; you want to show authority + beauty without getting jargon-y.

Who is your ideal reader for Pointe? 

Truly, everyone. But I love the idea of young black girls who haven’t seen themselves represented this way in YA fiction connecting to it.

Is there anything you want readers to walk away with? 

Hmm. I’d be happy knowing people think about the story at all after they finish the book.

Pointe is your debut novel. What’s been the most exciting part of your debut year so far?

That people who aren’t related to me care about this little idea that lived in my head and on my computer for years. It’s so very surreal.

What’s been the most surprising part of your debut year? 

Emotions, everywhere! About everything! Also, time management is pretty much nonexistent these days.

If you had to give your book a “____ meets _____” pitch, what two (or three! or four!) books/films/shows would Pointe be a meeting of?

My editor has described it as “Black Swan” meets “Speak.” I’m terrible at mash-ups and it’s super flattering, so I’ll go with that.

Outside of writing, what do you do with your free time? 

I joke about being a hermit and it’s maybe 40% true. I read a lot. Obsess over TV. Hang with friends who trick me into things like hiking.


Who or what do you write for?

Myself, mostly. Writing is very therapeutic for me, and my work is at its best when I write the type of story I would love to read.

What was your most influential read as a teenager?

How Do You Lose Those Ninth-Grade Blues? It was already dated when I first read it, but DeClements’ books really speak to me. 
Who are your top three writing influences?

ZZ Packer, Courtney Summers, Barthe DeClements
Who do you believe is breaking ground in YA right now?

Stephanie Kuehn, Corey Ann Haydu, Carrie Mesrobian, Blythe Woolston, Steve Brezenoff

Can you share three of your all-time, would-recommend-to-anyone favorite books?

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender, A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Hold Still by Nina LaCour
What’s the best writing advice you ever received?

Be an honest writer. I found my voice once I stopped worrying what people would think of me for writing dark books about complicated topics.

What’s your best writing advice to give?

If people say there’s no room on the shelves for the books you write, keep at it until someone makes room for you. Don’t give up.

What is your writing routine?

I am completely without routine, but I’ve always done my best writing late at night, and when I have large chunks of time to devote to it.

What gets you jazzed to write?

I’m inspired by good writing and storytelling, so: discovering new books/TV/film, my critique partners’ work, rereading old favorites.

Do you have a writing soundtrack? Care to share a bit?

I love music, but don’t write to it! In the rare instance I do, I tend to go with groups like Zero 7, Daft Punk, and Thievery Corporation.

What’s next for you?

More gritty YA contemp about black girls. I’m working on two projects that I’m unbelievably excited about, but they’re under wraps for now.

Favorite ice cream?

Only the tough questions! Tie between Ben & Jerry’s AmeriCone Dream, Häagen-Dazs Dulche de Leche, and Trader Joe’s Golden Caramel Swirl.

Would you like the chance to win Pointe? We’re giving away two finished copies. Fill out the form below. We’ll pull winners at the end of the month.

Filed Under: Author Interview, contemporary ya fiction, debut authors, multicultural, Uncategorized, Young Adult

Twitterview: Karen Sandler (+ giveaway!)

November 22, 2013 |

This month’s twitterview guest is Karen Sandler, author of Tankborn and its sequel Awakening. Before diving into YA science fiction, she wrote over a dozen adult romances and is currently writing a mystery series as well (clearly an author after my own heart). Visit Karen on the web at www.karensandler.net, and enter for a chance to win a finished copy of Awakening at the end of the interview!

1. Pitch the Tankborn series in 140 characters or fewer.

Genetically Engineered Non-human Kayla teams with trueborn Devak to fight for GEN equality and the right to love one another.

2. What inspired Tankborn and its sequels?

Fascination w/ genetic engineering, love of science fiction & YA literature, & a sci-fi movie script called ICER all spawned Tankborn.

3. Describe Kayla for us – what is she like?

Kayla is courageous but insecure, cynical but hopeful, loyal to a fault and a fighter for the underdog.

4. What is Kayla’s world – Loka – like?

Loka is a desert-like planet filled with arachnid-based creatures from the tiny slime beetles to the massive bhimkay spiders.

5. Loka feels like a living, breathing world. Each chapter – and each book – gives us more detail. What research went into its creation?

Much of it came from my imagination. I’m a “just in time” researcher, looking for details as I need them.

6. What inspired the caste system? Are its roots in Earth’s cultures?

I based Loka’s society on both the Indian caste system and America’s history of African enslavement.

7. How have readers reacted to the caste system, GENs, and other unpleasant aspects of Loka?

Many have commented on how thought-provoking the books are & how much the stories reflect both past history & present day events.

8. How likely do you think the world of Loka is for humanity’s future? Are GENs actually possible?

I do think GENs are possible. Some of the science is already there. But would creating humans for servitude be ethical?

9. What can you share about the third book in the series?

REBELLION will introduce new characters, bring back old characters & tie up all the loose ends of the first 2 books. Sorry, no spoilers 🙂

10. What should readers walk away with from these books – if anything?

We are more alike than we are different. Wealth doesn’t equal superiority. We have to decide our own happiness, others can’t dictate it.

11. Tell us a little about the series’ path to publication.

Wrote book on spec (no contract), got a beta read & rewrote, queried 30 agents & found 1, agent marketed book, Lee & Low/Tu Books bought.

12. What were some of your favorite SF reads as a teen?

As a younger teen, I was a huge fan of Ray Bradbury. I’ve read nearly every book of his. Later, STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND was a fave.

13. Tankborn is one of few YA SF novels starring a non-white protagonist. What other SF reads featuring people of color would you recommend?

All of the Tu Books releases, of course. Earthsea Trilogy. Liar. House of the Scorpion.

14. Can you talk a little about the importance of writing people of color in SF novels, and why you chose to do so?

I like to have a diverse cast of characters in all my books. But I feel it’s important that the POC be main char, not just sidekicks.

15. Who do you think is breaking ground in YA right now?

Tu Books. They’ve broken out of the Pretty White Girls on the Cover syndrome, put POC front & center on their covers & in their stories.

16. Describe your writing process.

I start as a plotter w/ a synopsis, then as I fill in the details of the story I go off the synopsis rails & write the book like a pantser.

17. What’s the best writing advice you ever received?

Seat of the pants on the seat of the chair. Thinking about writing, imagining writing, isn’t writing. Only actually writing is writing.

18. What’s your favorite writing advice to give?

When people give me ideas for stories, I say, that’s your story. You should be the one to write it.

19. Who are some of your writing influences?

Ray Bradbury & Lois McMaster Bujold (SF), Anne Stuart (romance), John Green & Neal Shusterman (YA), Dick Francis (mystery)

20. What do you like to do in your free time?

I do international folk dance, and love to ride horses (dressage). And I read, read, read.

21. Aside from the third Tankborn book, what’s next for you?

I’m currently working on HANGTOWN FRY, a sequel my mystery, CLEAN BURN. HANGTOWN FRY will be released in 2014 by Exhibit A.

Filed Under: Author Interview, Giveaway, Uncategorized, Young Adult

Twitterview: Jason Vanhee (author of Engines of the Broken World)

October 2, 2013 |

We’re really excited to have debut author of Engines of the Broken World here at STACKED as part of our monthly Twitterview series. Bot Kimberly and I dug this book, and so we were excited to collaborate on interview questions for Jason — who offered some excellent answers. 
We’re also offering up a finished copy of Engines for one reader at the end. 


Without further ado, Jason:




What inspired Engines of the Broken World?
The image: a snowbound house, a dead mother, a young girl;came to me all at once at the start of Nanowrimo ’09 and went from there 

Talk a little bit about the Minister. What inspired him/her/it?
It grew in the telling. Started as a homey sort of helper, but depth came very quickly. Didn’t know what it really was till near the end.

We imagine the religious plot elements may be touchy for some readers. What feedback have you gotten about these aspects in particular? 
That it’s too religious, which is funny, as I’m an atheist. But religion is very important to very many people, so one should write well.
The story is ambitious, but is told on a smaller scale than most YA fantasy (few characters, single setting). Was this a conscious decision?

Absolutely. I wanted claustrophobic. I wanted intimate. I wanted an intensely enclosed narrative.
The ending is ambiguous (which we love). In your own mind, do you know Merciful’s fate? 
I know what the story tells me her fate is, and I know what I personally would hope her fate is, and the two aren’t the same.
There’s a lot of genre-blending going on in the book. How would you describe its genre to readers?
That’s a really hard one. Apocalyptic dark fantasy pastoral horror with a religious bent? 
What, if anything, should readers walk away with from Engines of the Broken World?
Oddly, I would say hope. That it’s possible for one very ordinary, not special person to change the world. 

If you had to give a “______” meets “_________” pitch for your book, what would you say are the 2, 3, or 4 titles it’s a combination of?

The Shining meets Evil Dead meets Little House on the Prairie, I guess?
Engines is pretty classic horror. What sort of horror inspires your writing? 
I like horror that sets a mood, lets your own mind craft the terror. Don’t show me the monster, let me think its worse than you can describe
Favorite horror novel and favorite horror movies?
Lovecraft’s stories; early Stephen King; John Carpenter’s The Thing; Alien; The Ring; last three minutes of Blair Witch Project.

What gets you jazzed to write?
 A new idea; finding something from years before I never finished; reading a book I know I could do better than.

Who or what do you write for?
My dad was a writer and that started it; now it’s for my own satisfaction; for the joy of finishing; and for my husband who loves my books.
Why YA? Was it your intended readership?
I intended YA with this, yes, because that fit with the book. Right from the start, even as grim as it gets, Engines was going to be YA
What scares you the most about writing or the writing process?

Rejection and failure, which are common fears for writers. It’s tough because every book could fail. Could be terrible. You never know.
This is your first novel — talk about what this experience has been like? Best part? Toughest Part?
Best: selling it. Seeing the cover. Knowing the release date. Worst: Waiting. It’s a two year process, roughly. But it’s almost done.
Who are your top three writing influences?
Tough one. So many. Maybe Stephen King, his books and his writing guide. My dad, as inspiration only. I read so much I take from everyone.

What was your most influential read as a teenager?
LotR. I read it once or twice a year for a decade or so. There’s a whole lot to learn there even with shallow characters and slow pace.
Who do you believe is breaking ground in YA right now?
On the diversity front: Alaya Dawn Johnson, The Summer Prince. Represents everyone, and also a good read.
What’s the best writing advice you ever received?
To never believe it’s as polished as I imagine it is. But also, from me: never think it’s as bad as you dread either.

What’s your best writing advice to give?
Always be reading. Everything. YA, mysteries, magazines, blogs, everything. And always be writing, at least a little. It takes practice.
Do you have a writing soundtrack? Care to share some of it?

I get too distracted by music. General noise or talking isn’t a problem, but music and I can’t write.
What’s next for you?
Working on a YA trilogy about powers dark and divine, beings made of words, and a boy with headaches he can’t get rid of.
Favorite ice cream?

In Seattle there’s a big ice cream boom here right now, all sorts of great interesting stuff, but I like a rich French Vanilla best. 

Filed Under: Author Interview, Uncategorized

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 11
  • Next Page »
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Search

Archives

We dig the CYBILS

STACKED has participated in the annual CYBILS awards since 2009. Click the image to learn more.

© Copyright 2015 STACKED · All Rights Reserved · Site Designed by Designer Blogs