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13 Days of Class 2K13: Cristin Terrill (All Our Yesterdays)

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About the Author: Cristin Terrill is a YA author and aspiring grown-up. She holds a BA in Drama from Vassar College and an MA from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon and has worked in the theatre on both sides of the pond. She now teaches creative writing to children and teens in Washington, D.C. Visit her at cristinterrill.com.


About All Our Yesterdays: Marina has everything. She’s got money, popularity, and a bright future. Plus, she’s best friends with the boy next door, who happens to be a gorgeous prodigy from one of America’s most famous families.


Em has nothing. Imprisoned in a small white cell in the heart of a secret military base, all she has is the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.


But Marina and Em have one big thing in common: they’re the same person.


Now Em must travel back four years in time in order to avert the terrible future from which she’s fled, and there’s only one way to do it. She must kill the person who invented the time machine in the first place: someone from her past. A person she loved.


But Marina won’t let them go without a fight.

We’ve got an abbreviated Twitterview with Cristin to share!


Pitch your book in 140 characters: 

A girl must travel back in time to kill the boy she loves before he destroys the world. Like TERMINATOR meets THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE.


Who will this book appeal to: 

People who like conspiracies, tough girls, snarky boys, secrets, kissing, and twisty-turny mind-bending time travel stuff.


Favorite moment or character in your book: 

The first scene, with the girl from the future, the military base, the drain, and the boy cracking jokes in the cell next door.


What’s your writing routine: 

Procrastinate. Go to library. Stare into space. Check Twitter. Weep silently. Actually write something. Proclaim it terrible. Repeat.


What’s your best piece of writing advice: 

Do a little everyday, because waiting for inspiration is for wimps.


What’s been the most surprising part of the publishing journey: 

How long it takes for things to actually feel real. I’m still pretty sure I’m hallucinating all of this.


What did you do when you learned your book would be published: 

Got THE CALL while at dinner with writer friends and couldn’t say anything. Tried to act casual. Laughed hysterically in the parking lot.


What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve received: 

Try to be honest, especially when it makes you uncomfortable. Give yourself permission to suck. Get your ass in the chair.


What are your top three favorite books: 

HIS DARK MATERIALS by Philip Pullman (yes, I’m kind of a cheater), THE GIVER by Lois Lowry, and THE WESTING GAME by Ellen Raskin.


What’s next for you: 

ALL OUR YESTERDAYS #2! More time travel, more secrets, LOTS more kissing. After that, learning to cook and world domination.

Find out more about Cristin Terrill’s All Our Yesterdays on Goodreads.

13 Days of Class 2K13: Mindy McGinnis (Not a Drop to Drink)

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About the Author: Mindy McGinnis is a YA librarian who lives in Ohio and cans her own food. She graduated from Otterbein University magna cum laude with a BA in English Literature and Religion. Mindy has a pond in her back yard but has never shot anyone, as her morals tend to cloud her vision. Mindy runs a blog for aspiring writers at Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire. She also contributes to the group blogs The Lucky 13s, Friday the Thirteeners, Book Pregnant, and From the Write Angle. You can find her on Twitter and Facebook, as well as Pinterest.


About Not a Drop to Drink: The story of a teenage girl surviving in a rural America where an ounce of fresh water is worth more than gold and death wanders the countryside as thirst, cholera, and the guns of strangers; when her mother dies in an accident, the girl must decide between defending her pond alone or banding together with a crippled neighbor, a pregnant woman, a filthy orphan, and a teenage boy who awakens feelings she doesn’t understand.

Today, we’ve got a short Twitterview with Mindy to share!


Pitch your book in 140 characters: 

In a world without water, Lynn’s pond is life, her rifle its guardian.


Who will this book appeal to: 

Anyone who drinks water and likes being alive.


Favorite moment or character in your book: 

Anytime the very secluded Lynn meets a new person it throws her. She has no idea how to interpret teasing or flirting.


What’s your writing routine: 

Mostly I write when I get a chance. It’s always evening. And I make sure I pee first.


What’s your best piece of writing advice: 

Don’t feel like you have to write everyday to be a “real” writer.


What’s been the most surprising part of the publishing journey: 

The fact that someone wanted me in the first place. I’d been writing and querying for ten years, so it was a bit of a shock.


What did you do when you learned your book would be published:
Honestly, I went into shock and scooped the litter pan.


What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve received: 

Trust your reader. Don’t try to control what they “see.”


What are your top three favorite books: 

THE STAND by Stephen King…after that — Really? Only two more??


What’s next for you: 

The sequel to Not a Drop to Drink, currently titled A Handful of Dust, is going through crit partners.

Find out more about Mindy McGinnis’s Not a Drop to Drink on Goodreads. 

Quarter 4 Reading Report & Year in Review

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I’ve been sharing all of the books I’ve read each quarter this year, and no way to finish out the year than with the list of final quarter reads. In the first quarter, I read over 50 books. In the second quarter, I also read over 50 books. The third quarter was when I hit a slower patch, finishing just over 20 titles.

So what about the final quarter this year? I managed to read 26 books. Not as impressive as the first and second quarter, but in my defense, I’ve been writing a ton. I’ve read longer books. I’ve also read quite a few manuscripts, which definitely impacts my book reading.

Here’s the breakdown! I realize there’s still a day left in 2012 and in this quarter, but I’m not sure I’ll knock another book out in that time frame. If I do, well, it’ll be the first I count in 2013. I’ve linked relevant reviews.

1. 17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma (YA): This haunting story isn’t quite what it seems. Lauren’s visited by girls who have all gone missing when they were 17. Is she next? Incredibly rich writing.

2. The Sharp Time by Mary O’Connell (YA): A story of grief. It felt a little over the top for me and a little pretentious.

3. The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis (YA): I mentioned this was one of my favorite books in 2012, right? Oh how I LOVED this book. Reviewed here.

4. Live Through This by Mindi Scott (YA): This was a powerful little book about sexual assault. I may still review this one, though I talk about it in an article I’ve got coming out from VOYA in the new year (spoiler alert: I’ve got an article in VOYA next spring).

5. Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook (YA): A 2013 debut about a boy and a girl who run away from their home and their problems. They’re good for each other. They’ll save each other. They’re incredibly BAD for one another.

6. Return to Me by Justina Chen (YA): I was unimpressed with this. I can’t remember much other than feeling like the main character was way too privileged and unaware of it.

7. The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding (YA): This book was delightful. It’s about family and about musical theater and made me feel really good when I read it and when I finished it. Another 2013 debut.

8. 34 Pieces of You by Carmen Rodrigues (YA): This was billed as a read alike for 13 Reasons Why since it’s about a dead girl and the clues she left before she killed herself. It wasn’t spectacular.

9. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson (YA): It’s the summer before dad will die from cancer and the family is spending it at their summer home. It was long, but it was pretty good.

10. Out of Reach by Carrie Arcos (YA): I didn’t care for this story of a girl trying to find her meth-using brother when he finds himself in trouble. Reviewed here. 

11. Fingerprints of You by Kristin-Paige Maldonia (YA): This was a story about a pregnant teen girl, a road trip, and a non-traditional family. I liked it and reviewed it here.

12. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith (YA): This was an adorable romance, set in a tight time period, on a plane, then abroad and I really liked it.

13. This is Not a Drill by Beck McDowell (YA): An adult suffering PTSD takes a classroom of first graders hostage, and not everyone comes out alive. I wrote a review of this and planned it for earlier this month, but I made the decision not to run it for obvious reasons. I may in the new year. This book had good parts and bad parts. A net neutral. This was a 2012 debut.

14. What She Left Behind by Tracy Bilen (YA): I don’t even remember reading this. It was a mystery, and I remember feeling unimpressed. This was a 2012 debut.

15. When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney (YA): I LOVED this book. It was so, so good. Danny was an incredible character. The pain and the longing were so spot on. I talked at length about this book over at WORD for Teens.

16. The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr (YA): This is my favorite Sara Zarr, hands down. The third person captured everything perfectly. What happens when you quit the thing that defined you? When you give up art? Review to come in the new year (and spoiler — an interview with Sara Zarr herself!)

17. Emily’s Dress and Other Missing Things by Kathryn Burak (YA): Another grief book, and as I said in my review, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

18. Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony (YA/graphic novel kind of): This felt like hipstery stuff. I read it to see what it was, and it did nothing for me. I see the appeal. It’s not for me.

19. Absent by Katie Williams (YA): This is a 2013 book and it is AMAZING. Love ghost stories? Tales of revenge? J Horror? This is it. It’s a short little thing, but it packs a punch.

20. Then You Were Gone by Lauren Strasnick (YA): Another winner coming out in 2012. This is a grief story but also, it’s a story about intimacy and romance and the way those things can tangle. I think there will be a review soon!

21. Bad Hair Day by Carrie Harris (YA): Mind candy in the best possible way. Kate Grable is a riot. This entire book is fun. Werewolf fun.

22. Freaks Like Us by Susan Vaught (YA): This is another winner from Vaught. It looks at mental illness and bullying. There’s a mystery within it, too.

23. This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (YA Audiobook): I mentioned that Rhys has a southern accent? But it’s Grace’s voice that is so my favorite. This is an imperfect production — there’s a lot of obvious cuts and changes in intonation — but the story works well aurally.

24. Dare Me by Megan Abbott (adult): Girls are nasty and vile and this book was nasty and vile and really damn enjoyable because of that. There’s definitely teen appeal here, but the voice of the story makes it an adult novel, if that makes sense.

25. Empty by K. M. Walton (YA): This might be the most disappointing book I’ve read in a long time, and there is a lengthy review to come soon.

26. Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan (YA): ADD, grief, loss, 9/11, pop culture, and much more make this story of two boys and a hostage situation (sensing a horrible theme here) a great feat. The writing held it back from being a total knockout, though. Again, a review will come soon.

I guess that makes 25 YA reads and one adult read. But I did get an audiobook in, as well. I’m just starting Uses for Boys by Erin Lorraine Scheidt, which is a 2013 debut novel. I’ve got a few outstanding egalleys to read, so I’m working through those the first few weeks of the new year.

13 Days of Class 2K13: Lydia Kang (Control)

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About the Author:  Lydia Kang is an author of YA fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction. She is a part-time internist and has a blog where writers can learn the most accurate way to maim their characters. She believes in science and knocking on wood, is an unapologetic salt addict and thinks Star Wars should have been Ewokless.

About Control: After the violent death of her father, 17 year-old Zelia loses her younger sister, Dylia, during an abduction at the foster home. It turns out her sister Dylia isn’t just pretty and sweet – she’s illegal.

In the year 2150, DNA must be pure by law, and anyone with enhanced genes face death. Zelia’s only allies are the freak-show inhabitants of her new, underground foster home. Along with the unexpected love of a very strange boy, she will need her flaws and their illicit traits to save the only family she has left.

We’ve got a shortened Twitterview with Lydia to share today!

Pitch your book in 140 characters: 

A 17 y/o girl aligns herself with a foster home full of genetic freaks to save a sister with a secret trait.

Who will this book appeal to: 

People who love adventure, a little sci-fi, lots of romance, a medical mystery, and some fun, new world building.

Favorite moment or character in your book: 

The club scene! It’s the first time you see the foster kids really come together.

What’s your writing routine: 

Check way too many social media outlets, turn on some music, and write. Oh, and drink something caffeinated.

What’s your best piece of writing advice: 

Never stop trying to be better at your craft. Read like crazy and write whenever you can.

What’s been the most surprising part of the publishing journey:
Destroying my preconceived notion that I could never write a novel.

What did you do when you learned your book would be published: 

I think I bit my fist and jumped up and down.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve received: 

Show, don’t tell.

What are your top three favorite books: 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Persuasion by Jane Austen, and LIttle Town on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

What’s next for you: 

The sequel to Control!

Find out more about Lydia Kang’s Control on Goodreads. 

Links of Note for December 29, 2012

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It’s the last installment of Links of Note for 2012 — and while it’s not as lengthy as most, what’s here is worth your time (and sorry no fancy pictures to jazz it up).

  • What happened to serendipitous book discovery? I have a lot to say in favor of this at a future date, but go read Stacy Dillon’s really thoughtful and powerful post on the importance and value of browsing for books, “Happy Accidents.” Also, if you missed it, please read Linda Urban’s passionate piece on making and unmaking readers over at the Nerdy Book Club. 
  • Forbes offers three book-related predictions for 2013. These are really interesting, especially the one about Goodreads. I’m sure if the monetizing happens, there will be a real uproar. I am already enjoying the uproar coming through with Overdrive’s new interface which allows them to monetize their library-related ebook lending services (this is in my sarcasm font and also, I HAVE already seen instances where people purchased an Overdrive book, rather than borrowed it. Sigh).
  • Publisher’s Lunch just launched Bookateria. If you’re looking for more information about new releases, about best sellers, and about books getting big buzz and push, this is a great resource to have on your radar.
  • Only fifteen million things about new adult in the last couple of weeks. There was the ridiculous New York Times article, which spurred the even more ridiculous Jezebel article, which launched Diana Peterfreund’s really thoughtful post. There was also the insane Guardian article. Jen Hubert over at Reading Rants has been noting books that feature a lot of what people WANT from new adult on her Slacker Fiction reading list (like “Scott Pilgrim”). I’m not commenting further because I’ve blogged this twice already, and my thoughts haven’t changed. These books exist. You have to look for them. Genre fiction is not an enemy. And so on. Liz is talking about “new adult” this weekend, too, so spend some time on this post and the follow ups she’s working on. 
  • Macmillian is launching “Swoon Reads,” a line of new YA-friendly romances. It’s crowd-sourced, meaning that readers will have a hand in helping make these stories make their way to print. It’s an interesting model, and it’ll be interesting to see what sort of success they might have with this (will people still buy print or ebook copies if they’ve already read it? How much editing will happen between crowd sourcing and final product?).
  • Here are the New York Times’s favorite book covers of 2012. Lots of non-people covers and lots that I agree with. I love good design so much. 
  • Ever wondered about board books? As someone who has purchased them for my library in the past and someone who shuffles through them to buy for my nieces, I was super interested in Jennifer Laughran’s blog post on the topic. Interesting stuff!
  • Go read Amy Spalding’s blog post titled “On Always Painting the House.” It’s about comedy and about mental health and about creativity and I think anyone who has ever created or thought about the creative process will get a lot out of it. This is a brave and honest post. 

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