New Knight Agency Newsletter

The new Knight Agency newsletter is out, complete with an interview with the Royal House of Shadows authors, who are chatting with us tonight and a piece from me about the Frankfurt Book Fair which Elaine Spencer and I will be attending in just a couple of weeks!  (And yes, I hate that picture of me as well.)

Details on tonight’s chat:

WHEN: Thursday September 29th, 9PM ET
WHERE: The Knight Agency Chat Room
 HOW TO CHAT: Enter any combination of user name and password. Login. Your computer must be Java enabled to chat!

 

Girlfriends Cyber Circuit interview with Jeri Smith-Ready

As promised yesterday, I’m pleased to present an interview with adult and YA author Jeri Smith-Ready, one of the contributors to the new ENTHRALLED anthology, edited by Melissa Marr & Kelley Armstrong.

First, she tells us a little about her story, “Bridge” –

In the world of the SHADE novels, everyone seventeen and under can see and hear ghosts, but no one else can.  So when Logan Keeley dies and his eighteen-year-old brother Mickey blames himself, they can’t ease each other’s pain or reconcile their rage.  Over the course of SHADE and SHIFT, Mickey sinks into a near-suicidal depression over Logan’s death.

“Bridge” is the story, told in free verse, of how two brothers, with the help of a stranger, forge the chasm between them to find a lasting peace.

REVIEWS:

“A solid collection of stories…Sarah Rees Brennan’s ‘Let’s Get This Undead Show on the Road’ follows a vampire in a boy-band and stands out with its perfect blend of snark and sincerity. It’s followed in a one-two punch by Jeri Smith-Ready’s intense and earnest ‘Bridge.’…This collection is ideal as a sampler tray for paranormal readers looking to pick up new authors to follow or to further explore the fictional worlds they already know. —Kirkus Reviews

A standout among the many paranormal-themed anthologies. — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (Recommended review)

INTERVIEW:

What is your writing process like?  Are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you schedule time to write each day or are you a spree writer?

I’m somewhere in between a plotter and pantser.  I usually have a rough outline/synopsis before I start, but then I never look at it while I write the first draft.  It’s when I rewrite that I get super analytical, using spreadsheets and index cards and programs like Scrivener.

When I’m drafting, I set a word- or page-count or scene goal and I keep going until I’m finished.  I don’t necessarily start first thing in the morning, though.  When editing, I set a kitchen timer to work a certain number of hours.  I pause it when I take a break, even just for a few minutes.  In the last week of each phase of editing, it’s usually set at 12 hours, which means starting in the early morning and going until late at night.

What is the hardest part about the publishing process for you and how do you get through it? (For me, it’s copyediting and sour cream and onion chips.)

First drafts, by far.  To me it’s like sculpting air.  I get through it using a NaNoWriMo spreadsheet that tells you not only how many words you have to write today, but how many words you’ll have to write EVERY day if you slack off.  Fear is a powerful motivator.

We drop your hero or heroine on a deserted island.  Quick, what are the three things he or she can’t live without?

1.    His guitar

2.    Pizza

3.    His girlfriend Aura, who would be the one to figure out how to survive and/or get off the island while Logan sat around playing guitar and whining that there was no pizza.

If your story were a film, who would you cast?

I’m really fuzzy on who I’d cast for Logan and Aura, so I’d say to Hollywood, “Surprise me!” But Zachary should be played by Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films).  Have you seen him lately?  He grew up into quite the hottie.  And for Zach’s dad Ian, none other than Craig Ferguson.

Are there any contests or upcoming appearances/interviews/etc. you’dlike to plug?

At 12:01 Tuesday, September 20, I’ll be posting the lyrics to “Forever,” the song Logan wrote for Aura in SHADE (before he died), the one he sang to her while she “slept” the night before his testimony at the trial.  I promised I would write and release the lyrics if Zachary from SHADE received 5,000 votes in the final round of the YA Crush Tournament last month (he received over 21,000 votes in his second-place finish).

In real life, I’ll be at the Baltimore Book Festival Friday, September 23, doing panels at 1:30 and 3pm, a reading at 2pm, then signing books from 4-6pm, at the Maryland Romance Writers pavilion.

Then I go to Seattle for the King County Public Library book festival, where I’ll be appearing with the Smart Chicks 2.0 tour on Sunday, October 2, 1-4pm.  Can’t wait!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jeri Smith-Ready has been writing fiction since the night she had her first double espresso. Her nine published books include two series for adults and the SHADE trilogy for teens, about a world of ghosts only the young can see, which concludes May 2012 with SHINE.  Like many of her characters, Jeri enjoys music, movies, and staying up very, very late.  Visit her at http://www.jerismithready.com, or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JeriSmithready) or Twitter (http://twitter.com/jsmithready), where she spends way too much time.  Logan himself can be found on Twitter @keeley_logan, as can his rival/”brother-in-pulp,” Zachary Moore (@moore_zachary).  The boys love to chat with each other and with their real-life fans.

Exciting news!

You may already have seen it in Publishers Weekly, but just in case, I’m so pleased to announce that NAL has acquired three more novels in Rachel Caine’s New York Times-bestselling Morganville Vampires young adult series.  Just in case you’ve missed out and want to get caught up, Morganville, Texas is a quiet college town populated and powered by vampires who’ve come to a sort of understanding with the human community—you abide by certain rules, swear fealty to a protector, make your monthly blood donations, and they won’t snack on you. Except under extreme conditions…based on a very fluid definition of extreme.  Unfortunately, the young residents of the Glass House, one of the Founders buildings with secrets and a resident spirit of its own, aren’t terribly good about following the rules.

She’s about to embark on the Smart Chicks Kick It Tour with other amazingly Smart Chicks Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Simone Elkeles, Kami Garcia, Ally Condie, Beth Revis, Margaret Stohl, Sara Zarr, Melissa de la Cruz, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Stephanie Kuehnert, Richelle Mead, Jeri Smith-Ready, Rachel Vincent…whew, the list goes on and on!  The full schedule is here.  This all leads perfectly into tomorrow’s post, an interview with Jeri Smith-Ready, one of the contributors to the new Enthralled anthology which grew out of last year’s tour!

Honoring the awesome

Just wanted to post a whoot! for Patti O’Shea, whose IN THE DARKEST NIGHT won Best Paranormal in the Beacon Awards.  Congratulations, Patti!

Also, Publishers Weekly posted their excellent interview of author N.K. Jemisin, award-winning author of THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS here.  Check it out!

Books

I love books.  This might sound self-evident, given that I work in the industry.  It’s certainly true for all the “lifers” I know — those of us who are likely to die at our desks because we can’t even conceive of doing anything else with our lives.  Publishing is not generally a high profit margin industry…at least not at the beginning.  Many coming in at the assistant level struggle just to make rent.  Thus, it takes a commitment and adoration for the printed (or electronic, these days) word to stick with it long enough to reap the rewards.  These days I don’t have the time I used to for browsing books that I don’t represent or am not considering for representation, but every once in a while, after evaluating proposal after proposal, etc., I have to take a break or risk burn-out.  I have a staggering “To Be Read” pile, because, even knowing this, I can’t resist buying books.  I’m an addict.

This weekend, needing something afield from what I generally represent, I picked up Erik Larson’s excellent non-fiction work THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY, which tells the story of the creation and history of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair alongside connected historical events, including the atrocious acts of the serial killer who used the fair to his advantage.  It’s an amazing book, reminiscent of Ken Follett’s PILLARS OF THE EARTH (fiction about the building of a cathedral in 12th century England) and Caleb Carr’s THE ALIENIST (also a novel, this one about the beginnings of psychological profiling in connection with a serial killer operating in New York City just a few years beyond the events in DEVIL).  Of course, THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY is sheer truth and utterly compelling, not only in the chilling moments where we read about the killer who called himself H.H. Holmes, but in the sheer determination and ingenuity it took to overcome all the obstacles to creating the fair, especially in the short time from winning the bid to opening the gates.  It’s an incredible book, and so well written, instilling in the reader awe for the people involved and for the grandeur of the vision.  I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

Dear Bully

DEAR BULLY: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories

edited by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones

HarperTeen

Trade Paperback

September 2011

ISBN-13: 978-0062060983

I can barely even talk about this wonderful anthology and the terrible events that sparked it without a tear in my eyes.  I’m touched and amazed by the generosity of the contributors, who were willing to open their hearts and bare their past pain to give kids inspiration, hope and the understanding that it gets better.  I’m inspired by the anthologists, Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones, who put this all together and started the Dear Bully website and Facebook pages to continue the community and information tapped into with the collection.  But enough of my words, let me let them tell you about it in theirs….

WHY THEY DID IT
Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones formed the group YAAAB (Young Adult Authors Against Bullying) in April 2010 when they both coincidentally blogged about the Phoebe Prince case on the same day. Megan reached out to Carrie expressing her frustration with this case and the fact that bullying that seemed to be growing at a ridiculously fast rate. As a Massachusetts resident and having already spoken about bullying in schools, Megan was horrified after hearing about the bullying that took place in the Phoebe Prince case. While writing her books, SISTERS OF MISERY and THE LOST SISTER, she had to dig deep to make “mean girls as evil as she possibly could. When she heard about all the bullying and bullycide stories in the news, she felt like the bullies had jumped off the pages of her book and into real life. She was also disheartened by the numerous times she’d done book signings and would say to readers, “I hope you never meet girls as mean as the ones in my book.” Shockingly, they almost always said, “We already have.” Carrie Jones was also moved to do something, as she was the target of bullying as a young child due to a speech impediment. Together, they felt that they owed it to teen readers to discourage bullying — to make it “uncool.” Megan Kelley Hall started by creating a Facebook page that kicked off an entire “movement” to end bullying.  This was the day that Megan, Carrie and other authors decided to use their platform as Young Adult authors to actually facilitate change and to be a voice for those kids who cannot speak out or are too afraid to be heard.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Right away, a large number of authors jumped on board of this cause — wanting to be involved in any way possible. The Facebook group jumped from 5 to 1500 members in one weekend and is now closing in on nearly 5,000 members. Carrie and Megan were thrilled when HarperTeen offered to put all of the stories into an anthology. The thought of having 70 authors – well-known, highly successful writers – sharing their personal bullying stories with their fans was something beyond what they had ever hoped for.

The stories in DEAR BULLY come from all angles: from the point of view of the victim, the mother, the friend, the sibling, the classmate – even a few from the actual bully. Some of the stories are light-hearted, while others are raw and emotional.  All of them drive home the point that bullying is something that almost everyone has experienced. And while that is a sad fact, they want to prove that it’s not a rite of passage. It doesn’t make you stronger, wiser, or better. But it is something that can be overcome, something that can be changed, something that is relatable, and something that one should never be ashamed of. Through these stories, the authors want to show that they understand what teens are going through today. It is important to encourage bystanders to speak up and make bullying unacceptable. Parents and adults must get involved. Bullying is something that people no longer have to endure–at least, not by themselves.

Though quite a lofty mission, the goal of DEAR BULLY is to help just one person get through a difficult time, and hopefully make bullying a thing of the past.

Don’t forget to join the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dearbully, visit the website at www.dearbully.com, or follow DEAR BULLY on Twitter at www.twitter.com/dearbully.

IN THE NEWS:

“FIGHT BACK WITH WORDS. Better Homes & Gardens recommends DEAR BULLY: Remind youngsters heading back to school that getting picked on is tough—but that words can also heal as much as they can hurt, as one anthology proves.”  – Better Homes & Gardens

“This anthology of personal essays provides empathetic and heartfelt stories from each corner of the schoolyard: the bullied, the bystander and the bully himself are all represented. Their words will be a welcome palliative or a wise pre-emptive defense against the trials of adolescent social dynamics.”           –New York Times

“Two of them, both authors of novels for young adults (Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones), have drawn on the power of the written word to focus attention on the problem and offer solace to the bullied.” – —The Boston Globe

“You’ll love it if… You know someone (or are someone) who’s ever been involved in any type of bullying incident. There’s something in it for everyone, on all sides of the spectrum. You’ll love it even more if you can find a story that inspires you to help someone else.” – Seventeen.com

“With authority often turning a blind eye and cyber-bullying rampant, this timely collection is an excellent resource, especially for group discussion, and the appended, annotated list of websites and further reading extends its usefulness.” – Booklist

“Powerful…All of these stories feel authentic and honest, and readers will find a story or a person to identify with, to look to for comfort or guidance.” School Library Journal

“Bottom line is this anthology is a terrific tool for the counselor who can customize the entries to the needs of the victimized student.”  — Harriet Klausner

More pictures from Dragoncon

1- Me, Shannon Aviles from More than Publicity and Jade Lee, sporting her stylin’ new corset and near-matching blood donation tape.

2-Rachel Caine, Samantha Sommersby, Michelle Young and me in our booth.

3-Don’t know the origin, but v. cool costume.

4- Red shirt meets Predators.

4- Andromeda and Perseus (aka me and my husband without the masks which can be seen in yesterday’s post).

5-10: more very cool pics, including one that makes it clear why I never continued my stage “career.”