Tales of a Writing Geek

Filmstrip Friday: New Waterford Girl

2012-02-10T10:26:00.004-04:00

Since the next few months are going to be all crazy, I thought I'd bring back Filmstrip Friday, a weekly feature where I pick a random movie or TV show from my DVD collection and give you three reasons why I think it’s awesome and worth watching. Genres and ratings will vary. Not all movies/shows are suitable for all viewers.

This week: NEW WATERFORD GIRL

Taglines: You have to get knocked up to get kicked out. / Get pregnant now. Lose virginity later.
Released: 1999
Rated: 14A (Canadian rating)

Super Short Summary: It’s 1970-something in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. When fifteen-year-old Mooney Pottie’s parents refuse to let her accept a scholarship to study in New York, she decides to fake a pregnancy. If she can convince her folks to send her to a home for wayward girls in Antigonish, she can sneak away to the big apple. There’s just one problem: in order for Mooney’s plan to work, she’ll have to trash her reputation.

Three reasons why it’s awesome:

It’s directed by Allan Moyle who also directed PUMP UP THE VOLUME and EMPIRE RECORDS.
It’s really funny with an awesome cast (including Andrew McCarthy).
It’s set in Atlantic Canada.

(Tagline and release date from IMDB.com)

The Countdown Continues

2012-02-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

We're now three months out from Hemlock's release. *gulp*

To celebrate, I thought I'd share two of the wallpapers from the extras section of the new website (which isn't quite ready, yet, but will hopefully be up and running by the end of the month).

Just select the size/resolution you want. You'll be able to save the wallpaper from the resulting page.

for iPhone and iPod Touch

for iPhone and iPod Touch

Incarnate Review

2012-01-30T08:44:00.002-04:00

NEWSOUL

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL

Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows drops into stores tomorrow and I am INSANELY excited. Not just because Jodi is awesome, but because Incarnate is an incredible book.

Here's my original review from Goodreads posted a very, very long time ago:

Incarnate deserves to be placed alongside His Dark Materials and The Lord of the Rings as one of the most inventive examples of world-building ever set to paper. Not only has Meadows created a rich and detailed world for her characters to inhabit, she's brave enough to let them ask difficult questions of themselves, their world, and what it would really mean to live in a perpetual cycle of birth and rebirth.

Very rarely, five stars doesn't seem to go far enough. This is one of those times.

Believe me, I do not break out the His Dark Materials comparison lightly and the reason I did so was because the worldbuilding in INCARNATE gave me this tremendous buzz and this sense that I was reading something incredible and unique.

It's something Phoebe North actually taps into in her amazing review which you should totally read because she managed to capture why I loved the book so much better than I was able to.

Now you see her...

2012-01-27T04:52:00.005-04:00

My edit letter arrived today, so it's time for me to strap on a cape and dive back into book two.

This means I won't be on Twitter or blogging quite as much as I have been. Don't worry, though, I am still alive and will still be replying to emails and @s (it just might take me a little longer than usual to reply).

Also, I have some seriously great interviews and guest posts lined up on other blogs over the next few months and am hoping to get a new website (filled with juicy Hemlock extras) up over the next few weeks, so I'm sure you guys will still get more than your fill of me.

Deadly Hemlock Cover Reveal

2012-01-24T06:16:00.001-04:00

Isn't it FIERCE? The book will be released on July 5th, 2012 by Simon & Schuster UK (click to add to Goodreads) and cover designer extraordinaire Nick Stearn was kind enough to answer some questions about the cover.

(Look at the wee cover in the background!)

Nick Stearn has worked in publishing since graduating from University of the Arts, London in 1992. Formerly Art Director at Macmillan Children's Books, he currently works as a freelance designer for Simon and Schuster UK Ltd.

Nick, thanks so much for taking the time to give us a behind the scenes look at the cover for Deadly Hemlock!

The UK cover approach is quite different from the US one. Though both covers are dark, the Deadly Hemlock cover focuses more on the immediate sense of danger in the book. Was it hard to find an image that was that active (it has such a powerful sense of movement) and which suited the story?

Well, this wasn't the first image we came up with by any means. We wanted to break the traditional paranormal cover approach of girl looking whimsical, for something more dynamic. So we concentrated on finding an image with a sense of danger.

What about the idea of having a wolf’s face appear in the branches? Was that part of the original image?

No, the wolf was added to the image. We had Mac running through the wood, looking back in terror not knowing where she may be attacked from, uneasy. Instead of adding a physical wolf, we decided to add a sense that she was being chased, watched by the wolf. When you're in a state of hyper-sensitivity, every movement in the trees, bushes makes you jump. You see things in the shadows, and in this case the tree tops. So it's more a visualisation of Mac's fear, the fact that she can run and run, but her own fear is inescapable.

One of the things I originally latched onto when I saw early concept art was that the girl in the image is wearing a red coat. I thought it tied in wonderfully with the fact that Hemlock is a murder mystery (red being the colour of blood) and that werewolves are traditionally infected by bite and scratch in most stories. BUT I was most excited because my mind immediately jumped to Little Red Riding Hood. Was any of that intentional?

Red is such a strong colour, and works so well on many levels for this cover. Yes, you're correct to think of Little Red Riding Hood, that was a good shortcut for us to link to wolves without being too literal or overt - the sense of the "big bad wolf" lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce. The red also stands for the danger and darkness surrounding Mac. Menace and blood. Plus on a very basic level, it makes her stand out, and draws your eye immediately. It was also great as I said before, to be able to break the traditional paranormal cover route. To take a different and fresh approach in this genre that doesn't overlook the more human mystery aspect of the story.

Finally, book covers are really the first chance a book has to connect with a potential reader. What are three things you try to keep in mind when you begin working on a design?

I would say a strong central image, always remember your audience, and good typography.

Nick, thanks, again, for stopping by the blog to chat and for the gorgeous cover!

And the winners are...

2012-01-23T03:41:00.007-04:00

Warning: I was totally going to use Ryan Gosling pictures to illustrate this post and then remembered that the cover reveal for the UK edition of HEMLOCK is TOMORROW! (MEEP!) This post will, instead, be illustrated with David Tennant photos found on Photobucket. David Tennant is, alas, not actually affiliated with this post.

So when I first put up the blog post announcing I was giving away two swag packs, I was worried that only, like, two people would enter.

And that I would have to email those two people and say, "Congratulations!" and hope they didn't realize they won by default. I was having flashbacks to the time I asked my crush to prom and he said he'd think about it... if another girl said, "No." (Incidentally, if this happens to you, you will someday be able to look back and laugh. Probably.)

But then I checked the comments. And there were a lot of them. A. lot. of. them.

And I suddenly realized that two swag packs were not enough. Because the fact that 81 of you entered? TOTALLY AWESOME!

But the lovely thing about it being my blog is that I can give away more if I want to, right?

So I've bumped the number of swag packs from two to five!

And the winners (chosen through a random number generator) are:

shae12
hannah94
FallingAngelSavy
sharonluvscats
Heather from Buried in Books

An email has been sent to each of you. If you have not received it, please check your spam folders. If you still haven't received it, please email me at kathleenpeacock411 (at) gmail (dot) com with the address you would like your swag sent to.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered! If you didn't win, don't worry. I'm hoping to do more giveaways as the release draws closer.

And don't forget to come back tomorrow to see the cover for the UK edition: Deadly Hemlock. I'll also be posting an interview with the cover designer.

Invitation to UK and Australian Book Bloggers

2012-01-20T05:13:00.003-04:00

As you may know, HEMLOCK will be published by Simon & Schuster UK in July under the title DEADLY HEMLOCK. And the title isn't the only difference--the S&S release will also have it's very own, equally spiffy cover.

And that cover will be revealed right here on Tuesday, January 24th (yes, that's a blurred out slice of it behind that open door).

And here's where you come in: If you are a book blogger located in the UK or Australia, you can get a sneak peek at what's behind that door (after all, this release is for you guys).

Just send an email to kathleenpeacock411 (at) gmail (dot) com with "Deadly Hemlock Sneak Peek" in the subject line and the URL of your blog in the body of the email. Do that and I'll send you the key to the cover door on Monday, January 23rd.

YAmazing Race

2012-01-16T04:09:00.002-04:00

Welcome to my stop on the YAmazing Race with MGnificent prizes, a crazy whirlwind blog hop featuring over 50 debut authors and prize packs featuring ARCs, gift certificates, swag, and more! If you haven’t yet been to the Apocalypsies website, please click here to start from the beginning and read the complete rules. Now on to the race!

Read the Hemlock synopsis below and stay sharp because you'll have to answer a question about it back on the Apocalypsie blog at the end of this leg of the race.

Coming May 8th from Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins (add to Goodreads)

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Got that? Great! Want an extra chance to win some Hemlock swag? Leave a comment on this post by 12:00 AM EST January 23rd, 2012 for a chance to win one of two Hemlock swag packs (signed bookmark, Hemlock postcard, stickers, and a Hemlock mini-card). Open internationally. Winners will be announced on Monday, January 23rd.

Ready for the next stop on the race? Click here to visit Jay Kristoff, author of Stormdancer.

UPDATE: The swag contest on this blog is now closed. Thanks so much to everyone who entered. I'm kinda overwhelmed at the response!

Dystopian Domination

2012-01-10T10:46:00.001-04:00

Yesterday kicked off the start of a fantastic blog event co-hosted by two great bloggers (Kai of Amaterasu Reads and Precious of Fragments of Life).

From January 9th to February 11th, they'll be hosting interviews, guest posts, and giveaways highlighting both dystopian writers and 2012 debits (GO APOCALYPSIES!)

I'll be featured on Fragments of Life on February 1st, but don't wait until then to check it out.

Hemlock is coming to Turkey

2012-01-09T11:50:00.002-04:00

Super excited to announce that Hemlock will be published in Turkey by Epsilon. This is the first deal which involves translation, so it feels like a very big step for my little book. They also publish Prenses Gelin--aka The Princess Bride (I have no idea what, if anything, that signifies, but The Princess Bride is one of my all-time favorite books, so I have to believe it's a great sign).

Thanks to the fab Whitney Lee (from The Fielding Agency) and fab Emmanuelle Morgen for the great news and the hard work. :D

Countdown is ON

2012-01-08T16:26:00.003-04:00

It's January 8th. That means we're officially 4 months away from Hemlock's release date. To mark the occasion (and because I'm not really sure how much info is out there), I thought I'd share some descriptions of the four principal characters.

Mackenzie “Mac” Dobson

Mac spent the first part of her life being dragged from town to town by a father who’s wanted on everything from gun running to dealing. Three years ago, he left her in Hemlock without a backward glance. Since then, Mac has lived under the guardianship of her cousin. Mac is smart and slightly sarcastic. She is fiercely loyal and loves people deeply, but she’s also very guarded and has trouble admitting how she really feels.

Kyle Harper

A slightly dishevelled indie music fan, Kyle’s quiet demeanour and strength of character helps provide his friends with the stability they crave. Like Mac, he is fiercely loyal and spends a great deal of time and energy bailing Jason out of trouble. He has a tendency to blame himself for things that are out of his control, and although he’s very forgiving of other people’s flaws, he has a hard time accepting his own.

Jason Sheffield

The only child of Hemlock’s wealthiest family, Jason has always been a little reckless (something that’s gotten worse since Amy’ death). He knows his father’s money and influence will always be there to bail him out. Jason has a lot of good qualities, but most people take him at surface value and don’t bother looking deeper. He and Kyle have been best friends since the third grade.

Amy Walsh

Jason’s family might be the wealthiest in Hemlock, but Amy’s doesn’t rank far behind. In life, Amy was a little bit spoiled and liked knowing things other people didn’t. She and Jason started dating when they were fourteen, but she didn’t have any close friends until Mac.

RTW: Writing Retreat

2012-01-04T10:46:00.000-04:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question: Describe your dream writing retreat. Where would you go? Who and what would you bring?

This is probably going to sound slightly boring, but one thing I would really like to do at some point is toss a handful of clothes, an armful of books and movies, and my laptop into a bag and head to St. Andrews, New Brunswick for a few weeks.

And it's weird because St. Andrews is TINY. With 1,800 people, it's smaller than the small town I grew up in, and I've never spent more than an afternoon there. But it's just this charming little town huddled on the Bay of Fundy with whale watching tours and really good pizza. In my fantasy, I get a nice room during the off-season. I go for walks along the dock in the morning, and write in the afternoon, and curl up with a book or a movie in the evening. Sometimes I listen to Sarah Harmer's "Uniform Grey" on repeat (even though that's a song about Halifax) and I write a heck of a lot of words.

((Photos by Piddleville, found on Flickr, and used under creative commons license.))

Most Anticipated Books of 2012

2011-12-30T09:14:00.000-04:00

Monday kicked off the 2011 Blog Circus (brain child of the fantabulous Sarah Enni ).

Today’s list: Top 5 Most Anticipated Books of 2012 (and be sure to check out lists from Sarah Enni Caroline Richmond Corrine Jackson Erin Bowman Kaitlin Ward Kate Hart Kirsten Hubbard Kristin Halbrook Kristin Otts Lee Bross Lindsey Roth Culli Phoebe North Stephanie Keuhn Sumayyah Doud Veronica Roth ).

And I don't think I can do a top five--not with being an Apocalypsie and knowing how many FANTASTIC books are coming out in 2012. I can, however, tell you about two books I am eagerly anticipating for somewhat personal reasons.

You may have noticed that I talk about Incarnate. A lot. Part of the reason is that I am blessed to call Jodi a friend and am incredibly excited for her. That is not, however, the entire reason.

When I first read Incarnate, I was overcome by the sense that I was reading something new and incredible--a world I had never quite seen before. In my Goodreads review, I compared the world building to JRR Tolkien and Philip Pullman--comparisons I do not make lightly.

I WANT Incarnate to succeed beyond all wild expectations because part of me NEEDS to believe that a book this wonderful can be a runaway success and take YA by storm.

The other book I'm desperately looking forward to is This is not a Test by Courtney Summers. Again, this is a case where I think the author of said book is incredibly swell, but it goes beyond that.

Courtney's writing is off the charts incredible. I've never sat down with one of her books and not finished it in the span of a few hours. And this book has ZOMBIES. What's more, Courtney knows more about horror movies than can possibly be healthy and has written some of the most complex, engaging characters in YA contemp. Both of these factors lead me to think this book is going to kick major butt and transcend genre in a major way.

Top 5 Most Recommended Books

2011-12-29T09:26:00.000-04:00

Monday kicked off the 2011 Blog Circus (brain child of the fantabulous Sarah Enni ).

Today’s list: Top 5 Most Recommended Books of 2011(and be sure to check out lists from Sarah Enni Caroline Richmond Corrine Jackson Erin Bowman Kaitlin Ward Kate Hart Kirsten Hubbard Kristin Halbrook Kristin Otts Lee Bross Lindsey Roth Culli Phoebe North Stephanie Keuhn Sumayyah Doud Veronica Roth ).

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows (I've spent all of 2011 telling people they need to get it when it comes out. I truly believe it'll be a game changer.)
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
The Road by Cormac McCarthy (still my post apocalyptic rec of choice)
Someplace to be Flying by Charles de Lint (A few people have asked me about Charles de Lint this past year and this is always the book I recommend. One of my favorite novels.)

2011: Top Guys and Girls

2011-12-27T09:07:00.001-04:00

Yesterday kicked off the 2011 Blog Circus (brain child of the fantabulous Sarah Enni ).

Today’s list: Top 5 Guys and Girls (and be sure to check out lists from Sarah Enni Caroline Richmond Corrine Jackson Erin Bowman Kaitlin Ward Kate Hart Kirsten Hubbard Kristin Halbrook Kristin Otts Lee Bross Lindsey Roth Culli Phoebe North Stephanie Keuhn Sumayyah Doud Veronica Roth ).

Technically this is supposed to be YA guys and girls, but, well, I never was very good at following rules. I'm opening my list up to include MG and adult titles as well. As per our glorious leader, these are characters new to me in 2011 and not necessarily books published in 2011.

The Guys

Hale from Heist Society by Ally Carter Why? A rich boy who uses his family's money to finance art heists and sleeps in superman PJs. I do believe it's a case of 'nuff said.

Sam from Incarnate by Jodi Meadows Why? Okay. This is a bit of a cheat. I ACTUALLY read Incarnate last year BUT it was so far from ARCs/the pub date that I couldn't add it to my list. Seriously, though, Sam is mine. All you other Sam fangirls can just step off.

Widget and Poppet from The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Why? There were many (MANY!) amazing things about The Night Circus, but the twins were the most delightful of the characters. And, yes, I know Poppet is a girl, but you can't separate the twins.

Howell/Howl Jenkins from Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones Why? If I could marry a fictional character, it would be Howl. Yes, dear ones, I would pick Howl over the Doctor.

YOU tell me
Why? Because I totally kept changing my answer because I couldn't get down to just five sooooo who do you think should get the fifth spot?

And time for the girls!

Hallie Tarbell from Banished by Sophie Littlefield Why? She had every reason to be bitter and she wasn't. And I just really liked her.

Celia from The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Why? Because the scene where she had to slice her fingers and heal them broke my heart.

Ana from Incarnate by Jodi Meadows Why? If you can't tell, I like Incarnate. A lot. Like whoah.

Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Boneby Laini Taylor Why? She's an artist. She has blue hair. She lives in Prague. She is much with the ass kicking.

Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. Why? Because Sophie--possibly more than any other character in any other book--reminds me of myself.

2011's Top 5 Favorite Songs/Albums to Write To

2011-12-26T09:59:00.000-04:00

Last year, the fantabulous Sarah Enni had a an almost equally fantabulous idea: What if some of us got together and declared the last week of 2010 a sort of round up of our year-end-lists? Our lists were not limited to things that were released in that year, but rather a reflection of what we were reading, writing, and listening to during that year. That way there would be a more eclectic round-up of titles.

We're doing it again this year and even more people are taking part!

Today’s list: Top 5 Favorite Songs/Albums to Write To (and be sure to check out lists from Sarah Enni Caroline Richmond Corrine Jackson Erin Bowman Kaitlin Ward Kate Hart Kirsten Hubbard Kristin Halbrook Kristin Otts Lee Bross Lindsey Roth Culli Phoebe North Stephanie Keuhn Sumayyah Doud Veronica Roth ).

By the time 2011 rolled around, the Hemlock playlist was pretty much set in stone, so most of this is going to be focussed on songs from book two's playlist.

1) "Letters from the Sky" by Civil Twilight. Fact: someone working on I AM NUMBER FOUR had kickass taste in music (Seriously: "Rolling in the Deep" in the trailer AND "Shelter" by The xx in the movie? Music Dude, whoever you are, call me and then make me a playlist.) This was one of only two additions to the Hemlock playlist and it was added when I was writting a new scene during copyedits.

2) "Running up that Hill" by Placebo. I sometimes (read: "often") spam my editor and agent with songs and notes that say things like "OMGDZ THIS IS EVERYTHING I WANT TO ACCOMPLISH WITH SCENE X IN THE FORM OF SONG!!!" According to Kate Bush, "I was trying to say that, really, a man and a woman, can't understand each other because we are a man and a woman. And if we could actually swap each other's roles, if we could actually be in each other's place for a while, I think we'd both be very surprised! And I think it would lead to a greater understanding." (Radio 1 Classic Albums interview with Richard Skinner aired January 26, 1992, source: Wikipedia) UK music magazine Q described the cover as "sound[ing] more like a pact with the Devil" than the original "deal with God" (source: Wikipedia). And both of those things make it the perfect song for Book Two (whose title is still a super secret) since a lot of that book deals with misunderstandings, overcoming differences, and enough desperation to leave the characters ready to sacrifice just about anything.

3) "Young Cardinals," "This Could be Anywhere in the World" by Alexisonfire. While the first book hints at how bad things are for werewolves, book two delves deeper into their plight. I ended up listening to a lot of Alexisonfire, a (now disbanded) Canadian post-hardcore band while working on the daker elements and scenes.

4) "Shake it Out" by Florence + The Machine. "Shake it Out" isn't the only song from Florence + the Machine's CEREMONIALS to make the playlist for book two, but it is the song which completely drove the end scene. Especially the line "I am done with my graceless heart; tonight I'm going to cut it out and then restart.

5) "Soldier" by Ingrid Michaelson. Another one of the happier songs on the playlist. Like "Shake it Out," "Soldier" is the perfect song for Mac's personal journey and the realizations she reaches in book two. It's also the perfect song to listen to when writing kissing scenes.

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego

2011-12-21T10:30:00.002-04:00

I've been pretty scarce over the past week because I'm trying to get through a draft by Friday.

While I'm sweating over pages, you can check out the GORGEOUS cover for my pal Corrine Jackson's upcoming novel IF I LIE.

A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception.

Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.

Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.

Hemlock Swag

2011-12-19T11:32:00.005-04:00

As mentioned last week, I ordered a few small items of Hemlock swag and the rest of it arrived today (via a very nice Canada Post man who did not bat an eyelash when I flung open the door looking like a drowned rat who had just thrown on the first mismatched clothes she could find on her way from the shower to the intercom--flannel shirt + yoga pants FTW!).

ANYWAY... also as mentioned last week, I'm going to randomly pick five of the entries from the ARC contest and send them runner-up swag packs. Here's what they'll get:

A signed Hemlock bookmark
A signed bookplate
Two postcards (one with the cover and one with a quote from the book)
A sheet of round Hemlock stickers featuring pro and anti-werewolf messages
A mini-card featuring either an anti or pro-werewolf message (there are four random sayings so I can't guarantee which one you'll get)

Ready...

The winners are:

Zoë

dani_nguyen

Kaye M

Arlene

Casey (The Bookish Type)

Emails/DMs have been sent to the contact information you gave in your comments. If you have not received anything from me, please check your spam folders.

If you didn't win, don't worry. I'll definitely be giving more of this stuff out in the new year. Thanks, again, to everyone who entered the ARC contest and who has added Hemlock to their shelves on Goodreads. You guys are AWESOME. :)

RTW: It's a Very Hemlock Christmas

2011-12-14T17:32:00.003-04:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question: What would be the ideal holiday present for your main character (or favorite character)?

And I'm totally going to do a Hemlock list because book two is due in just a few weeks. And I'm going to list the gifts they would have wanted the Christmas before everything went straight to OMG WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE (because this year Santa should just bring them, like, Tasers and gift certificates for martial arts lessons).

Mac: Two tickets for a Tegan and Sara concert with a promise that her cousin (and legal guardian) Tess will take a night off work so they can go together.

Amy: Her parents already buy her everything she could ever want, but jewelry and clothing are always accepted.

Kyle: The guts to tell Mac how he feels. Or, y'know, a gift certificate for guitar lessons since he already rocks the indie band look.

Jason: A framed "Get out of Jail Free" card. He'd appreciate the humor and, like Amy, he gets pretty much everything he wants since his parents believe spending money on him is preferable to spending time with him.

And the Winner is...

2011-12-12T11:47:00.003-04:00

Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to comment on the Hemlock excerpt and enter the ARC giveaway. With 113 eligible entries and over a hundred new adds to Goodreads, it was an awesome birthday present!

The winner (chosen by random number generator) is:

Andrea from Cozy Up With A Good Read.

Andrea, an email has been sent to the address listed on your blog. If you have not received it, please check your spam folder or email kathleenpeacock411 (at) gmail (dot) com.

For those who didn't win, the giveaway Mission to Read is hosting is still open.

AND...

I recently ordered some small items of Hemlock swag and was desperately hoping they would arrive today. Alas, it was not to be. BUT I WILL NOT BE DETERRED. Once it does arrive (assuming it isn't the wrong color or the wrong size or, y'know, really bad looking) I'll randomly pick five of the entries from the Hemlock ARC giveaway and send them swag packages. Keep an eye on the blog for more details.

Top Cult Films

2011-12-09T09:05:00.002-04:00

From NPR:

The authors of the upcoming book "100 Cult Films" have put together their list of top cult films, but we think 100 movies aren't enough. Is your cult film favorite missing? Make your pitch for the 101st film in our comment section below, and we may read your pick on air.

Click here to view the list on NPR.org.

Movies from the list that I've seen:

Akira, Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988
La belle et la bête, Jean Cocteau, 1946
Blade Runner, Ridley Scott, 1982
Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero, 1978
Dirty Dancing, Emile Ardolino, 1987
Donnie Darko, Richard Kelly, 2001
Edward Scissorhands, Tim Burton, 1990
The Evil Dead, Sam Raimi, 1981
Fight Club, David Fincher, 1999
Ginger Snaps, John Fawcett, 2000
Hellraiser, Clive Barker, 1987
The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson, 2001–3
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, 1975
Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero, 1968
Plan 9 from Outer Space, Ed Wood, Jr, 1959
Ringu, Hideo Nakata, 1998
The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Jim Sharman, 1975
The Sound of Music, Robert Wise, 1965
Star Wars, George Lucas, 1977–2005
The Wizard of Oz, Victor Fleming, 1939

Hmm. That's not very many. I'm almost appalled at myself.

Movies I wish had made the list:

The Crow
Fargo
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction
Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain
Run Lola Run
Heathers
Juno
An American Werewolf in London
Labyrinth
The Princess Bride

What about you? Do you have a favorite cult movie?

Guest Post

2011-12-07T11:57:00.004-04:00

The fabulous Mission to Read picked Hemlock as one of their 2012 Wicked Reads and was kind enough to have me over for a guest post on the cheerful subject of darkness and monsters (yes, I know Klout says I'm influential in rainbows and puppies).

Swing by and check it out. They're also giving away a Hemlock ARC so you may want to head over and double your chances.

Hemlock Sneak Peek and Giveaway

2011-12-05T16:40:00.001-04:00

PLEASE NOTE: Contest is now closed. Thanks to all who entered!

A few days ago, I jokingly tweeted that it would be awesome if Hemlock broke 2,000 adds on Goodreads in time for my birthday. While it hasn't quite hit the 2,000 mark, it did come pretty close--close enough that I thought I'd say "thank you" with an excerpt and a giveaway.

I'm giving away one Advance Reader Copy. All you have to do is leave a comment on this entry by 11:59 EST on Sunday, December 11th, 2011. That's it! It'd be great if you could add Hemlock to your TBR list on Goodreads (if you haven't already), but I'm not going to check. Unfortunately, this giveaway is only open to residents of the US and Canada. One winner will be randomly chosen and announced on December 12th.

Now for the excerpt.

Disclaimer: The only copy I have on my laptop is the pre-copy edits, electronic file. There may be slight differences between what I post here and the ARC/final copy (not to mention a stray comma or two).

This is from a scene that takes place after Jason (Amy's ex and one of Mac's closest friends) has been fighting.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital? You were walking like they hurt your ribs.” I reached for Jason’s T-shirt and started to haul up the blue cotton, trying to get a good look at the bruises on his torso.

“First she invited me up to her apartment, and then she tried to undress me…”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself,” I muttered, letting his shirt fall back into place.

He shook his head. “I’m alright. Besides, if I go to the hospital, they’ll call my dad. He already dragged me to the shooting range on Sunday, so I think I’ve used up my allotted quality time this week.”

I sighed. “Why is it that quality time in your family always seems to involve injuries or guns?” I never could figure out why Jason’s father was so obsessed with firearms when he could afford to pay people to conceal and carry for him.

“Not entirely true,” corrected Jason. “Some quality time involves making piles of money and having torrid affairs with the household staff.”

He caught my hand. “Thanks for taking care of me, Mac,” he said, giving me a small grin. It wasn’t his old smile; it was the sad, half-smile he sometimes wore after he had been drinking. Lately, it seemed like the only time Jason smiled was when he was at least a little drunk.

And that was becoming more and more of the time.

Everything was messed up without Amy around.

I bit my lip. Amy was the one who had died, but I sometimes had the feeling that she wasn’t the only one I was losing. “Jason…” I gently freed my hand. “She wouldn’t want—”

He cut me off. “Don’t, okay? We can talk about her tomorrow, if you want. Just not tonight.” He rubbed his temple. “Alright?” He shivered, even though it was warm in the apartment. Any time I tried to bring up Amy, Jason started shaking.

I nodded, though I knew we wouldn’t talk about her tomorrow. We never did.

Hemlock, coming May 8, 2012.

RTW: Best of November

2011-11-30T15:29:00.002-04:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question: What's the best book you read in November?

Description (from Amazon): Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

Why I loved it:

I had a permanent grin on my face while reading.
Characters I loved in the film were more fully developed on the page.
I TOTALLY identified with Sophie. I can't remember the last time I identified this much with a character.
Take how swoon-worthy Howl was in the movie and multiply it by, like, 105. Also, he was Welsh and 27.

Team Gale Might Have a Chance

2011-11-17T08:06:00.000-04:00

I'm a Team Peeta girl. Always have been. Always will be.

For me, the basic setup of the first book ensures it. Though we get brief glimpses of Gale before, during, and after the reaping (as well as in Katniss's memories) Peeta is the one we really get to see. He's the character who goes through angst and hope and loss and who so obviously loves Katniss.

Because Katniss is the POV character and because Peeta is with her in the games, Gale never had a fighting chance of winning my heart.

But, based on a short shot in the trailer (at 2:21 for the super geeky), I think the movie might change that.

The film format will lift some of the restrictions imposed by POV, and by the looks of it, the filmakers are going to take full advantage. Smart filmmakers. If we can see the impact of the games on the people Katniss leaves behind, Gale might just have a slight chance of threatening my Peeta devotion.

RTW: Back to School

2011-11-16T05:37:00.003-04:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question: In high school, teens are made to read the classics - Shakespeare, Hawthorne, Bronte, Dickens - but there are a lot of books out there never taught in schools. So if you had the power to change school curriculums, which books would you be sure high school students were required to read?

Oh, YA Highway... You so didn't go to my high school. No Dickens. No Bronte. No Hawthorne. Three Shakespeare plays but not a scrap from any other playwright. I did read Hawthorne and Dickens, and I gorged myself on plays, but it was all extracurricular*.

One book I would have loved tremendously in high school would have been Catcher in the Rye. If I had access to a DeLorean, I'd go back in time and convince at least one of my English teachers to add it to the curriculum. (Hi, I'm Katie Peacock from the future. I go by "Kathleen" now and write books. Listen, if you could assign a few books that are, actually, well, better, I would really appreciate it. Oh and the internet bubble? It's totally going to burst.)

Other picks:

Looking For Alaska for contemporary/teen issues.

The Road for nifty prose.

The Hunger Games for classroom discussions about dystopian societies, mass consumerism, and addiction to reality television.

The Flying Troutmans or ANYTHING by Courtney Summers for Canadian lit* because reading The Stone Angel was like beating my head against a brick wall.

* I'm sure anyone reading my blog has realized at this point that I was, am, and will always be a geek.

** I think our district had some rule about teaching at least one Canadian novel in twelfth grade.

The Kids Aren't Alright

2011-11-09T14:53:00.002-04:00

Warning: This post deals with some subject matter which may be triggering for people dealing with suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders.

Hold Still by Nina LaCour is the latest book making the rounds in book challenge circles. One of the things which struck me about the interview and article was a statement by the mother who lodged the original complaint.

"...Various topics that should not be, you know, pushed, in my opinion, in public school."

I hate to burst her bubble, but if her kids are in public school, odds are they are already dealing with these topics. I dealt with them and I graduated from a tiny (less than 500 students) school in a small town in a remote area of Canada over a decade ago.

One example:

Hold Still deals with self-harm. When I was in the eight grade, a classmate asked to borrow the compass from my geometry set. She then proceeded to carve words into her skin, keeping her arm under the desk so the teacher wouldn't see. (No, I did not know that was what she wanted the compass for.)

Other things that happened to people I knew (friends and acquaintances) while I was in high school: suicide threats, sex with older guys, murder, being convicted of murder, suicide attempts, physical abuse, hiding boyfriends from racist parents, drinking, drugs, pregnancy, abortion, eating disorders, runaways...

I didn't need a book or an episode of Degrassi to tell me that these things were out there. All I had to do was get out of bed and stumble to school.

Trying to pull books from school shelves won't protect your children. Talking to them about difficult subjects, on the other hand, just might.

(So no one misunderstands me: I do believe that parents should be able to dictate what their own children read. I do not, however, believe that they have the right to dictate what other children read.)

The Night Circus

2011-11-07T13:29:00.003-04:00

“You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows that they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift.” -
Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus

The Night Circus is a book for people who long to wrap themselves in beautiful prose, skip through time as though it were a deck of cards in constant shuffle, and kiss in the rain. It's 400 pages of lush descriptions and hope and heartache. It's a girl having her fingertips sliced open one by one and a boy who is plucked from an orphanage to complement and compete against her. It's redheaded twins who see the future and the past and a boy who sits in a tree and dreams of the day the circus will return.

It is, in a word, magical. Other words would be spellbinding, dizzying, and enchanting.

It's the most enchanting book I've read since The Time Traveler's Wife. I love it and I'm torn between wanting everyone to read it and only wanting people who will love it as much as I do to read it.

Why Duckie Shouldn't Get the Girl

2011-11-04T08:49:00.002-03:00

Pretty in Pink is one of my favorite John Hughes movies. The only John Hughes movie I possibly like more is Some Kind of Wonderful (aka Pretty in Pink II, but more on that in a minute).

One of the things I've long found fascinating about the movie is the fact that it originally ended with Duckie getting the girl. The ending we all know and (possibly) love reportedly came about after screenings with test audiences who thought Andy and Blane should end up together.

(Random Trivia: If you watch the prom scenes closely, you can tell that Andrew McCarthy is wearing a wig. By the time the ending was re-shot, he had shaved his head for another role.)

And here's where I am about to say something radical--at least when it comes to 80s teen flicks. Although I am a huge John Hughes fan, and although I ADORE Duckie and think Blane is boring and bland, I would have been unhappy had Duckie ended up with Andie. Very, very unhappy.

I didn't want Duckie to get the girl. Not because he didn't deserve to be with Andie but because he deserved to be with someone who loved him just as much and that wasn't ever going to be her.

Throughout the movie it's obvious that Duckie has romantic feelings for Andie and that she is AWARE. Equally obvious, though, is that fact that these feelings make her uncomfortable. She loves Duckie but not in the same way he loves her. When he promises to admire her later, she cringes. When he fawns over her, she looks likes she needs breathing room. There's never the slightest hint that there could be something more from her perspective--not a glance or a smile or a flicker in her eyes. (Maybe those moments exist in deleted scenes but, if so, they must have been few and far between.)

Contrast that with Some Kind of Wonderful, a movie which loosely has the same premise. In that film, tomboyish Watts is in love with best friend Keith even though Keith is totally oblivious. What's obvious in that film, however, is how comfortable Keith is with his best friend. More comfortable than at home or school or with other people. It's in almost every gesture and moment they spend together. There are a hundred small signs in that movie (and in the performances of Mary Stuart Masterson and Eric Stoltz) that point toward happily ever after for Watts and Keith.

In Pretty in Pink, Duckie and Andie ending up together would have felt out of left field and convenient.

In Some Kind of Wonderful, the viewer isn't waiting for Keith to fall in love with Watts. They've seen the signs and are waiting for Keith to realize he's loved her all along.

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Note: Post inspired by Roger Ebert's fab review of Some Kind of Wonderful in which he says: "...it is not about whether the hero will get the girl. It is about whether the hero should get the girl, and when was the last time you saw a movie that even knew that could be the question?"

Top Ten Books that Impacted Me Emotionally

2011-11-02T09:51:00.001-03:00

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's top ten: What were those books that made you laugh so hard you fell out of your chair? The ones that made tears stain the pages in front of you? The ones that had you so angry you hurled it across the room?

(I know. I'm posting this on Wednesday. But I didn't have a chance to post yesterday and it's SUCH a fascinating question and you guys know how I LOVE lists.)

Top Ten Books That Impacted Me Emotionally

10. Looking for Alaska by John Green
The gym. The announcement. The colonel's reaction. This book simultaneously made me wish I wrote contemporary and feel like I could never be worthy if I tried.

9. Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams
While it's possibly a slight exaggeration to say this book helped me survive high school, it's a statement I make with alarming regularity.

8. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The exchange between Peeta and the Morphling about color and paint. How anyone can be Team Gale after that baffles me.

7. Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers
I slipped out of my parents' house on Christmas day and drove to the edge of the ocean because I needed to be somewhere vast and empty as I read the last hundred pages of this book.

6. Fool by Christopher Moore
"I love you above all things, even Pie."

5. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

This book literally made me feel sick to my stomach AND like I had been punched in the gut. It's probably the most intense reading experience I've had.

4. Catcher in the Rye

Oh, Holden. You are such a beautiful disaster.

3. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Breathtaking and amazing and unique. It's one of those rare books I want to press everyone to read.

2. A Fine and Private Place by Peter S Beagle

"Tell you something," the raven said. "I was flying over the Midwest once." He stopped abruptly, closed his eyes for a moment, opened them, and began again. "I was flying over the Midwest. Iowa or Illinois, or some place like that. And I saw this big damn seagull. Right in the middle of Iowa, a seagull. And he was flying around in big, wide circles, real sweeping circles, the way a seagull flies, flapping his wings just enough to keep on the updrafts. Every time he saw water he'd go flying down toward it, yelling, "I found it! I found it!" The poor sonofabitch was looking for the ocean. And every time he saw water, he thought that was the ocean. He didn't know anything about ponds or lakes or anything. All the water he ever saw was the ocean. He thought that was all the water there was."

I love that speech so much that I have been contemplating getting a raven tattoo for years.

1. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding
Because I want to marry Mark Darcy. He has ruined me for all others.

Favorite Five Horror Movies

2011-10-31T07:03:00.008-03:00

I couldn't let Halloween go by without sharing a list of my five favorite horror movies (even though said list is not nearly as detailed or as worldly as Courtney Summers' annual scary movie post). I stuck to actual horror films which means The Crow isn't on the list (even though it is the. most. perfect. Halloween. movie. ever.)

5. The Descent
It's like an entire movie filled with zombie Gollums who want to shred you to pieces. I am never going caving. Never. Ever.

4. The Blair Witch Project

Proof that what you can't see is sometimes far, far scarier than special effects and monsters. This is why I don't go camping. Ever. I don't even like walking in the woods. Also, when I saw the movie in the theater, the girl sitting next to me actually had hysterics.

3. Scream
A few guys I worked with once tried to argue that the original Scream was not a horror movie. Which is just silly. It may look tame now, but that was a lot of gore for 1996. Don't believe me? In his review, Roger Ebert said, "I liked the in-jokes and the self-aware characters. At the same time, I was aware of the incredible level of gore in this film. It is *really* violent."

2. Ginger Snaps

It's a Canadian werewolf movie that uses being a werewolf as a thinly disguised metaphor for puberty and female sexuality. What else do you need to know?

1. 28 Days Later

An amazing soundtrack/score, Cillian Murphy, and Danny Boyle. It's like a zombie explosion of awesome. Plus, it made my list of Top Five Movie kisses.

That's Pretty Crafty

2011-10-27T04:40:00.007-03:00

I've heard of fanfiction. I've heard of fanvids and fanart. Yesterday, however, was a first.... fan... quilts? My mother (a quilter) has apparently known about this trend for ages. I bet Kate Hart totally knew about it and didn't tell me.

Fandom in Stitches is multi-fandom.

The Twi-Quilters combine their love of quilting with their love of (you guessed it) Twilight.

H P Paper Piecing is a LJ community for Harry Potter quilters.

I know my mind shouldn't be blown (especially having seen Doctor Who crafts ranging from cakes to earrings) but it kind of is--in the best possible way. And this is coming from a girl who would have done almost anything to get out of home ec.

Now the only real question is: Who wants to make me a David Tennant quilt?

What? It's the closest I'll ever likely get to cuddling with the Doctor.

---

Coincidentally. my Nightstand post this week is all about what Doctor Who episodes you should watch this Halloween. You should stop by.

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UPDATE

A few hours after I posted, the DHL man arrived at my door with shiny Hemlock ARCs.

Favorite Creepy Book Trailers

2011-10-26T05:47:00.004-03:00

Opinions on the effectiveness of book trailers seem to be a bit split on writer forums. Personally, when trailers are done well, I love them. Like movie trailers, I go back and re-watch my favorite ones and I actually do sometimes buy books based on them.

Since it's October, I thought I would share my two favorite creepy ones.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. Perfect music. Excellent look. Incredible use of voice over (which ties in nicely with the opening of the book).

Bad Girls Don't Die. One of the first trailers that made me really take notice. Nice and eerie with a great voice-over. Besides, who doesn't like darkrooms?

What about you? Do you have a favorite creepy book trailer?

Maybe it never feels real

2011-10-25T02:50:00.004-03:00

I recently had lunch with another writer who I'd first met when we were both going through that delightful stage known as "query hell." At one point, she asked, "So, has your life completely changed? Do you feel different?"

And my answer was, "No, not really."

Which was the truth.

Some things, obviously, are different. I've been able to take a break from the rat race and cubicle walls. I get to have neato conversations with editors and agents. More people follow me on Twitter and I've made some awesome new friends.

But I don't really feel any different. I still have trouble sleeping. I don't think I'm any more confident. Aside from writing, I don't have a clue what I want to do with the rest of my life. Oh, and speaking of the writing, it still feels like someone is going to run up, point a finger at me, and yell, "Poser!"

To be honest, most days I'm a little scared to believe this is really happening. I'm scared to think about it too much or question it too closely in case it turns out I'm actually in the Matrix and there is no spoon.

(And this is why I should not write blog posts after 3:00 am.)

Beauty and the Beast and the Teenage Werewolf

2011-10-24T09:16:00.000-03:00

A few months ago I watched the not-so-classic-but-I-still-kinda-love-it 1987 movie Teen Wolf Too.

Teen Wolf Too is not superior to the original 1985 Teen Wolf (on IMDB it has a mere 2.8 stars compared to the original’s 5.6 stars) and it has an inexplicable song and dance number part way through. But it does have two things going for it that made me watch it an embarrassing number of times as a pre-teen:

It stars Jason Bateman.
It has a romantic study scene set to Australian new wave band Real Life’s “Send me an Angel.”

And that second item was something I still found fascinating—for slightly different reasons—when I re-watched it as an adult.

(Warning: Here there be spoilers for a movie made twenty-four years ago.)

In the movie, when teenage werewolf Todd dances with a pretty sorority girl who is out of his league, he starts to “wolf out.” He’s nervous. The wolf comes out. It’s an embarrassing scene for both Todd and the girl (who is mortified to have been dancing with a “dog”).

But that wolfish edge, as it turns out, is the difference between a losing college boxing team and a winning college boxing team. As with the first film, our teen wolf goes on to attain fame, glory, and girls only to discover that he’s losing the things that really matter.

And one of those things that really matters is true love with a smart and beautiful girl, Nicki, who liked him back when he was a nobody. Midway through a night of cramming for a crucial exam, Todd kisses Nicki and remains wolf-free. They make out and nothing remotely wolfish happens.

Which I find vaguely fascinating. The way I see it, you can take this scene to mean one of two things:

A) The movie has a sort of Beauty and the Beast subplot.
B) Teen Wolf Too was made by a bunch of closet romantics who believe that when you’re with the right person, you find a sense of inner peace and calm and that this inner peace is the reason Todd doesn’t wolf-out when he’s with Nicki.

Of course there is another possibility: I read waaaaaayyyyy too much into 1980s screwball comedies.

Standing Still is Scarier than Moving

2011-10-19T13:56:00.003-03:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question: What's your numero-uno reason for writing?

There were lots of reasons I started writing fiction again after a long, post-high school break. And there are lots of reasons I continue to write. I have ideas. It's fulfilling. I like getting lost in the worlds I create inside my head. It's something I've wanted to do since I was, like, five.

There are probably dozens of reasons. Maybe more.

But when I think of the question, there is one answer that speaks loudest.

I want this. More than anything, I want to write books. And not trying--despite odds and nerves and fear--is not an option.

Because the alternative, always wondering if I could have been a writer and never knowing, is terrifying.

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Photograph by Katie Harris and used under creative commons license.

Fear Street: Because it's October

2011-10-18T09:00:00.000-03:00

When I was in sixth grade, my friend Kathy pressed a copy of Party Summer into my hands. I had never heard of Fear Street or R.L. Stine, but I dutifully cracked the book open that weekend and returned it to her on Monday.

Then I went on a mission: Find every Fear Street book I could get my hands on.

For me, the Fear Street books were the perfect stepping stone between Betty Ren Wright and Stephen King. By the time summer rolled around, I'd be knee-deep in Pet Semetary and The Shining. Until then, I waded in tales of ski weekends and Halloween parties gone horribly wrong.

And, tbh, there is one Fear Street book I've never quite gotten out of my system. Though the others have all faded in my memory, HAUNTED has stuck with me. There was something so deliciously awesome about a ghost haunting the girl he's convinced murdered him only to fall for said girl. Even now, years later, I sometimes think about it and wish I'd held onto it.

Maybe everyone has that one special Fear Street book that they still find themselves thinking about. When I asked for favorites on Twitter, Jenny from Books to the Sky mentioned Silent Night and a couple of people mentioned the Cheerleader trilogy. Do you remember Fear Street? Any particular favorites?

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Pssst! If you were more of a Christopher Pike fan, you should totally check out Scott Tracey's awesome "Christopher Pike Raised Me" post.

Dual Nature

2011-10-13T08:44:00.000-03:00

Fruits Basket is an anime* series centering around a family whose members are cursed to take the form of certain animals from the Chinese zodiac (plus the cat) when hugged by members of the opposite sex. A teenage girl with nowhere to go, Tohru, moves in with—and befriends—three male members of the family. Within a day, she finds out their secret. Wacky Three’s Company hijinks and drama ensue.

Until the last three episodes.

There were glimpses of darkness in the show prior to that—abuse, regret, neglect, isolation, life without hugs—but the last three episodes are so dark they almost seem like a different series. (I’m not complaining: those three episodes kick some major butt.)

** spoilers for the end of the series **

In the last three episodes, it’s revealed that Kyo—a boy who takes on the form of the cat when hugged—also has a second form. A scary, monstrous creature. Someone triggers his second form in front of Tohru and Kyo runs.

The way the show illustrates the contrast between Kyo’s inner turmoil and outward appearance is really incredible. When he runs from Tohru, one series of thoughts echoes in his head—literally: the words are layers of sound.

She saw me. She saw me. It’s all over now. There’s no hope.

The voice is still recognizable as Kyo's, but he’s buried. Complementing the audio effect is a haunting visual. Just for a second, as Kyo runs, things go slow-mo and there is an instant where his human form is visible inside the monstrous one.

I’m always blown away by that moment. No matter how terrifying Kyo’s other form is (something the show doesn’t sugar coat), his true self is still trapped somewhere inside. He’s a boy running away. And even though it’s not a transformation scene like the ones I posted Monday and Tuesday, it is an amazing visual representation of turmoil and dual form/nature.

*Yes, it is also a manga series.

(Note: The entire series is available on Netflix Canada. I assume it’s likely on the US site as well)

RTW: So Far

2011-10-12T04:35:00.012-03:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question: We've reached the 100th mile marker. How has your writing journey gone so far?

And because I'm feeling silly (and a wee bit obsessed with Feminist Ryan Gosling) I thought I'd use Ryan Gosling pictures to illustrate how things have gone so far...

Phase One: I'm gonna write a book. It's gonna be an adventure. I'm gonna write a book. It's gonna be an adventure. I'm gonna write a book. It's gonna be an adventure.

Phase Two: I'm gonna need some friends and a support system. This writing thing is hard. And my soul might be bleeding.

Phase Three: What if my writing smells worse than an armpit?

Phase Four: Hey, I think I kinda like my book! Huzzah! I mean, I think I REALLY like my book. I feel all SMEXY.

Phase Five: What the heck was I thinking? I'm just a wee Canadian.

Phase Six: No time for sleep or laundry. Must revise. Revise. Revise.

Phase Seven: It's all over and I have to let my book GO. It has to find its own way in the world.

Phase Eight: Write another book and fall in love with the characters and the whole crazy process all over again.

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All images snagged from photobucket. Please don't be angry, Ryan Gosling. I'm just a wee Canadian. You like Canadian girls, right?

Favorite Werewolf Transformations Part II

2011-10-11T10:00:00.001-03:00

Yesterday I blogged about one of my two favorite werewolf transformations and today it’s time for me to blog about the other.

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m always interested in the emotional and moral complications that arise for paranormal creatures like werewolves and vampires—creatures who were once human—and I’ve never seen the emotional side nailed quite as well in a movie or television show as in The Vampire Diaries episode “By the Light of the Moon.”

*** warning: the rest of this post contains spoilers for season two of The Vampire Diaries ***

In the episode, Tyler prepares for his first transformation since becoming a werewolf. He’s terrified—especially after watching a video of another werewolf transforming and learning that the first shift will be hours of pain. Caroline, a vampire, is determined to help him, even though she has her own reasons to be frightened. Werewolf bites are fatal to vamps—something she hasn’t told Tyler.

My love for this scene (I guess sequence of scenes) hinges on two things: Tyler’s fear and Caroline’s determination to stay with him as long as possible. With other shows, werewolves don’t always know what to expect. Tyler knows what’s in store for him and that makes it all the more terrifying. He knows it won’t be over soon and he knows he’ll probably wish he were dead before the night is out.

It’s heartbreaking when Tyler—super, macho Tyler—cries, “It hurts,” over and over like a child and almost as heartbreaking when Caroline says, “I want to help, but I don’t know what to do,” and then tries to hold him as the bones in his body shift and snap.

At the end of the episode, after Tyler shifts back, Caroline says, “You’re okay.” Another show might have ended there. Might have tried to turn the moment into one of triumph or humor. Instead, Tyler begins to shake and says, “No, I’m not,” in a voice that’s filled with loss, leaving Caroline to hold him as he starts to cry.

That one moment—the acknowledgement that surviving the night doesn’t make things any bettere—makes the scene far more powerful than what you’d get in your typical werewolf movie or supernatural show.

Favorite Werewolf Transformations Part I

2011-10-10T14:17:00.004-03:00

I have a confession to make: I don’t write about werewolves because I find the idea of running through the forest on all fours all that interesting and I didn’t go through a major vampire lit phase in high school because I liked reading about pale guys dressing in velvet and sucking on necks.

I find it more interesting when books, shows, and movies deal with the conflict between what a paranormal creature is, what they were, and what they want to be. Do they cling to the vestiges of their humanity or do they try to forget their former lives and prey on the world they were once a part of? Do they retain their souls? Can they feel guilt? It’s one of the things I enjoy and admire about shows like Being Human, Forever Knight, and The Vampire Diaries—the things that go bump in the night are just as conflicted as the humans that have the misfortune to wander into their lives.

So maybe it’s no surprise that my two favourite werewolf transformation scenes both contain moments of introspection and fear. I’m going to blog about one today and the other tomorrow because each scene is so powerful that it deserves its own post.

Being Human (UK), Episode 6

**massive spoiler alert for season one**

George, a werewolf, has locked himself into a vault-like room with Herrick, the local head vamp. The reason? He’s trying to protect his best friend—another vamp—from fighting Herrick and losing. Though he’s been a werewolf for two years, George can barely acknowledge what he is. And he’s never killed—at least not anything other than wildlife. But George cares about Mitchell. Mitchell saved him and gave him back a semblance of the human life he had lost. Because he owes Mitchell—because he cares about Mitchell—he’s willing to embrace the wolf and turn himself into a weapon.

George: We’re not talking about bullets or knives here. I am the weapon.
Herrick: I don’t think you’ve thought this through. You touch me, you cross a line. Once you’ve done that, there’s no going back. Believe me: I know.

Herrick: Mitchell was right. There’s no difference now between you and me. Your ridiculous, naive morality, your last shred of humanity—you lose it tonight. I realize now that was my role: If I’m going to hell, I’m taking you with me.
George: Haven’t you worked it out yet? Humanity is about love and sacrifice. This doesn’t rob me of my humanity. It proves it.

The fact that this entire exchange happens while George is shape shifting (a process the show depicts as agonizing) makes it all the more poignant. George can barely manage to get that last line out, but he still struggles to say it.

The episode also presents a dilemma for George’s friends, Annie and Mitchell. Does Annie support George even though she can barely look at him knowing what he plans to do? Does Mitchell allow his best friend to become a weapon?

Being Human is a show that’s perfectly named. Every episode in the first season deals with the question of what it means to be human and that question is at the root of the transformation scene in this episode. That’s why it’s powerful and why it goes beyond nifty, bone-crunching effects to an emotional, thought provoking level.

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Congrats to Danielle for winning last week's Hex Hall/Demonglass contest. An email has been sent to the address provided.

Top Five Male Small Screen Vamps

2011-10-07T08:45:00.001-03:00

Yesterday I posted my top five female television vamps, and now it's time for the guys to step into the spotlight.

#1 Mitchell, Being Human

Signature Quote:

Mitchell: Things move and shift and settle again. It's like those...what are those snow storm things called?
Annie: Snow storms.
Mitchell: Yeah... about so big [holds hands apart]... glass...
Annie: No: They're called snowstorms.
Mitchell: Right. Well, them. You shake them and it's all mad and then it settles again. That's what time is like.

#2 Spike, Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Signature Quote:

Oh, please. If every vampire who said he was at the crucifixion was actually there, it would've been like Woodstock.

#3 Eric Northman, True Blood

Signature Quote:

Sookie: He's your maker, isn't he?
Eric: Don't use words you don't understand.
Sookie: You have a lot of love for him.
Eric: Don't use words I don't understand.

#4 Damon Salvatore, The Vampire Diaries

Signature Quote:

You should have met me in 1864. You would have liked me.

#5 Puppet Angel, Angel episode "Smile Time"

Signature Quote:

Angel: I was turned into a puppet last night.
Nina: I... uh... wow. Are you - are you okay?
Angel: I'm made of felt. [takes off nose, looks sad] And my nose comes off.

Honorable Mention: Nick Knight, Forever Knight. Honestly, if it came down to regular Angel and Nick, Nick so would make the list. He lives in Toronto and he did the whole good guy vamp trying to atone while investigating crimes long before Angel or that vamp from Moonlight. Sadly for Nick, Puppet Angel rocks.

So that concludes my list. Anyone you think I missed? Any rabid Stefan fans out there?

(Quotes from IMDB.com, except for the Being Human one which I typed out myself because I am DEDICATED. Dedicated, man.)

Top Five Female Small Screen Vamps

2011-10-06T03:52:00.007-03:00

Don't worry: There will be plenty of werewolf posts this month. But since I picked a vamp character for yesterday's RTW, I thought it might make sense to post my top ten small screen vamps this week. And because I am nothing if not devious, I figured I'd split the post over two days. Top five female vamps today and top five male vamps tomorrow.

Disclaimer: Some of the vamps featured are from shows that contain mature subject matter (yes, True Blood, I'm looking at your little HBO self).

#1 Caroline Forbes, The Vampire Diaries.

Signature Quote:

Caroline Forbes: Isn't killing cute defenseless animals the first step in becoming a serial killer?
Stefan: Well you sort of skipped 'serial killer' and went straight for 'vampire'

#2 Drusilla, Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Signature Quote:

Drusilla: I'm naming all the stars.
Spike: You can't see the stars, love. That's the ceiling. Also it's day.
Drusilla: I can see them. But I've named them all the same name, and there's terrible confusion.

#3 Jessica Hamby, True Blood

Signature Quote:

You won't let me do anything and I'm so hungry! You are the worst maker ever!

#4 Harmony, Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Signature Quote:

Harmony: Is Antonio Banderas a vampire?
Spike: No.
Harmony: Oh. Can I make him a vampire?

#5 Pam De Beaufort, True Blood

Signature Quote:

Blah blah vampire emergency, blah

And that's it for the girls. Tune in tomorrow for the top five male vamps.

(quotes from IMDB.com)

RTW and Giveaway

2011-10-05T13:36:00.004-03:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question:

What supporting character from a YA book would you most like to see star in their own novel?

Okay. I admit it. I may have geeked out a little. And by "geeked out," I mean "made Hex Hall trading cards."

Because, let's face it, Jenna is totally the vamp I would have wanted to be BFFs with in high school and Archer is totally the guy I would have spent all my free time crushing on.

And because it's October, a time for both tricks AND treats, I'm going to give you guys a chance to win a copy of Hex Hall and Demonglass*. The rules are simple: 1) Be a blog follower OR tweet about the giveaway (if you tweet, please copy and paste the tweet with your Twitter ID in the comments) 2) Leave a comment by 12:00AM EST Sunday night. Contest open to US and Canadian residents only (sorry, guys).

Interview with Amy Ryan, Art Director

2011-10-03T05:04:00.001-03:00

Amy Ryan has worked in publishing since graduating from Rhode Island School of Design in 2000. She is an Art Director at HarperCollins Publishers, and she designed the gorgeous cover for HEMLOCK (which you can see by visiting YA Highway for the official cover reveal).

Amy, thanks so much for taking the time to give us a behind the scenes look at the cover!

Thanks so much for inviting me to chat about the cover for Hemlock. It was such a fun one to work on and here's the inside scoop on how the cover was created...

How much background do you get about a book before you start working on the design?

For each title, I receive a cover summary from the editor that has all the key details--from plot summary to the way the main characters look. It tells me the target audience of the book is as well as competitive titles in the market that are comparable reads. If there is a manuscript available, I love to read it to get a better idea of the tone of the book before working on cover concepts. Btw, I LOVED reading this manuscript! It swept me up from the first page and got me really excited to dive into the cover. From there, I meet early on with the editor to talk about cover concepts and we look at the competitive titles to be sure we're creating something fresh and inviting to readers.

How many drafts did the Hemlock cover go through?

This cover went through about four drafts before we got to the final jacket cover. In the first stages, I brought a variety of images and concepts into a cover meeting that I felt evoked the mood of the book based on the summary and discussions with the editor. The awesome editor, Claudia, was able to help me pare down on the imagery because she knew the book SO well at this point. After discussing the pros and cons of some of the images, we pared it down to two images that we wanted to share with our executive team for feedback.

At the same time, the title "Hemlock" brought to mind some great visuals like vines and ivy so I was also thinking about the type from a very early stage. I loved the idea of having the type made of ivy and knew a great artist that could pull this idea off.

We showed our favorite image and type ideas to our executive team, and the team liked the ivy concept for the type and they had a clear favorite for the jacket image! It was our favorite image as well, so we knew at that point we had a winner. We still needed to show the image to Kathleen, and kept our fingers crossed that you would like it. And you did! We then went through a couple rounds of tweaks on the cover image to get it just right. For the ivy element, the artist created sketches of this concept and after some discussion with Kathleen and her agent, we got to an even better spot! I ended up setting the type in a font instead of having it made of ivy, but the ivy then creeps and crawls around the title for even more impact. I love how the collaboration between editor, design team and author worked for this project to get the best possible result.

One thing I love about the cover is that, even though it’s a girl in a pretty dress, the focus seems to be less about the dress itself and more about the pose—the way her knees are pulled up to her chest and the position of her hands. She seems so introspective and you can almost feel the weight she’s carrying pressing down on her. The first time you came across that photo, did you know it was “the one?”

When we were first looking at a bunch of images, the one we ended up choosing for the cover seemed special from the start. There was something about it that everyone responded to, but the image wasn't quite perfect. The girl's dress was too formal and wasn't the right color. After licensing the photos used to create the cover, I got in touch with the artist, Ruxandra, who was able to manipulate both the girl and the backdrop to get it just right. She took the original image of the girl and combined it perfectly into the scene. She changed the dress's color and style to work better for our cover and she added all the details we needed to really make it sing. We all LOVE the way this image turned out!

Book covers are really the first chance a book has to connect with a potential reader. What are three things you try to keep in mind when you begin working on a design?

Good question!

1. I'm keeping the competition in mind. I want to create a fresh cover for each book and to do that, I need to know what is working in the marketplace. Things like palette and mood are great ways to let readers know that if they liked "that" book, they'll love this book! I'll go to the bookstores to see what is face out and what readers are picking up.

2. The next thing I'm thinking about is capturing the mood and tone of the book. We don't want to mislead readers so I'm thinking about the best way to represent the book in a single image for the cover. It's got to be appealing and stay true to the content as much as possible.

3. Lastly, the cover has to have pick-me-up appeal! Working closely with the editor and our in-house team (including Sales and Marketing), we bounce covers off of those experts to see what they like and don't like. When it came to this cover, there was SUCH a positive response to the cover image and we knew we'd found something special to represent this book. The addition of the photographic ivy element helped bring the cover to another level.

Finally, is it weird to walk into a bookstore or go to a site like Goodreads and see your covers staring back at you? (Because I would totally be hauling random strangers aside to say, “I designed that!”)

It's definitely a rush! I've been designing books since 2000 and every project still excites me. I love the challenge of honing ideas and concepts down to capture the essence of a book into one image. It's not always an easy task, but it's so rewarding when it works! I always feel proud walking into a bookstore and seeing a book I've designed or art directed on the shelves. See the snapshots on Goodreads and other sites is such fun! I love reading the comments from readers who are excited to get the book in their hands. Knowing that I've done my part to help tell part of the visual story of the book is hugely rewarding and one of the best parts of my job.

Amy, again, thanks so much for stopping by the blog to chat.

Thanks for inviting me to chat about Hemlock! I hope all the readers love the cover and that they enjoyed getting a little insight into how it was created.

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And don't forget you can check out Amy's gorgeous cover on YA Highway. And you can view Hemlock on Goodreads by clicking here.

Hemlock Sneak Peeks

2011-09-30T11:04:00.001-03:00

With Hemlock's cover reveal happening Monday on YA Highway and my first pass pages arriving this week, I asked the powers that be (ie my awesome editor) if I could share a few little teasers.

First pass pages are basically your first chance to see what the inside of the book will look like and your last chance *gulp* to read it and make changes. Here's a glimpse at Hemlock's first page:

And here is a tiny glimpse of an excerpt on Hemlock's back cover:

I was also really fortunate in that two authors whose writing I really admire read and contributed blurbs.

"A clever mix of fun and frightening, HEMLOCK had me biting my nails with anticipation. I can't wait for more!" — Kimberly Derting, author of The Body Finder, Desires of the Dead, and The Pledge

"A riveting romance and a thrilling mystery, HEMLOCK is the werewolf story done right. I devoured it in one sitting and am ravenous for more! A fantastic start to a compelling new trilogy!"
— Sarah Beth Durst, author of Ice, Enchanted Ivy, and Drink, Slay, Love

So that's it for the teaser post! Please be sure to swing by YA Highway on Monday to check out the cover reveal and then hop over here where I'll be posting an interview with Amy Ryan, an Art Director at HarperCollins, about the Hemlock cover and what she takes into account when designing.

RTW: Best of September

2011-09-28T13:15:00.008-03:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question:

What was the best book you read in September?

Given that The Chocolate War ranked third on the ALA's list of most of Top 100/Banned/Challenged Books:2000-2009, it was probably inevitable that it would leave me both shaken and stirred.

My Goodreads review (which contains mild spoilers):

The Chocolate War is not an easy book. It knows that a group of boys don't need to crash land on a deserted island to become a group of savages and it tells several uncomfortable truths. Good guys don't always get up. Bad guys sometimes go unpunished. Individualism is sometimes punished rather than applauded.

It's a bleak read, to be sure, but one that I enjoyed and one that I would have loved to have been assigned while I was in school. My only complaint (and something that I've been mulling over the past few days) is that I wish there had been one or two more glimpses of the climatic end scene from characters who were not swept up in the mania. We know not everyone was. We know someone tried to put a stop to it, and I would have loved a glimpse of the scene from that PoV. Maybe Cormier wanted it to be an open question, but I wanted to know who crept away from the fight to try and get help--it would have been a glimmer of light in all the darkness.

Catcher in the Rye

2011-09-27T10:00:00.005-03:00

The above clip is of me reading a scene between Holden and his sister (possibly my favorite scene in the book). It does contain mature language (cause it's, y'know, The Catcher in the Rye). It was the 19th most challenged book for the decade 2000-2009 (click here to view the whole list from the ALA).

The following blog post is a guest post I did last year for Escape Through the Pages. Cait was kind enough to let me repost here.

“I’m going to read Catcher in the Rye.”

I swivel in my chair and regard my co-worker (CW) over the top of my glasses. “You’ve never read it?”

The question isn’t meant to be snobbish. I haven’t read Catcher, either. I’ve thought about it, even gone so far as to flip through it and walk towards the bookstore register, but those brief thirty-second glimpses of Holden Caulfield have always been enough to convince me that I can’t spend two-hundred-and-fourteen pages with him.

It’s a decade old opinion and not one I plan to part with, but, as the day wears on, as I follow CW to two bookstores in lieu of coffee breaks (neither store has a copy), his enthusiasm becomes infectious. Like a virus, it keeps slipping past my defences until, a day later, I find myself buying a copy at the big bookstore across town.

The rationale? I’ll read it and CW can borrow it when I’m done. I’ll hate it—I just know I will—but at least I’ll be able to say I’ve read the thing.

Five-pages in, maybe less, and I’m in love. Yeah, Holden is arrogant and self-absorbed and quite possibly a liar, but damn it if I don’t like him and if I don’t fall head over heels for the prose. I read the book in stolen snatches—waiting for the bus, eating a sandwich, standing in line at the coffee shop—and these brief interludes leave me dizzy and shaken and a little brain-tumbled.

At lunch, on Sunday, the waiter quietly sets down my food and refills my drink. When I go to leave he asks, “Is this your first time? It is, isn’t it?”

Seeing my confusion, he gestures at the book in my hand. “Catcher in the Rye. Is this the first time you’ve read it? You looked…like you were being completely sucked in.” He goes on to talk about how it’s one of his favourite books—one of the most incredible books he’s ever read—and how he’s never gotten it out of his system.

The restaurant is pretty much deserted, so I loiter and we chat, and I leave with two thoughts swirling in my head.

1. That I was judging a book based on a handful of lines without giving it a chance. That’s not all that different than people who challenge books based on relayed words or scenes. Sure, I wasn’t trying to force my opinion on others, but I still should have at least tried—really tried—to read Catcher before forming an opinion. If I had, I would have discovered a book that I truly love much earlier.

2. That great books are viral. They spread from person to person. I might not have caved in and tried Catcher in the Rye had it not been for CW’s sudden determination. And there was something genuinely touching about waiter-guy’s (we never did exchange names) very obvious love for a book that changed his life. That’s what book banners fear the most, I think, the power of a book or a character or an idea to resonate and spread like fire or an infection—to rage out of control. Because, let’s face it, no matter how many times it’s been challenged, no one has ever been able to put out the fire that is Catcher in the Rye.

The Book Police (Revisited)

2011-09-26T10:00:00.001-03:00

(This entry was originally posted on my blog last August without the clip of me reading from The Handmaid's Tale.)

Last week, I saw a tweet about a school board in Missouri that was being asked to reconsider a ban on The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. And I felt the way I always feel when I hear that a brilliant, important book has been banned: sick to my stomach.

Don’t get me wrong, it bothers me when almost any book gets pulled from the shelves, but there’s something extra-hurtful when it’s a book that’s necessary and honest. Sometimes it seems like those are the books—the honest ones that are capable of changing the way a kid sees the world—that are most frequently under attack.

Here’s the thing: I believe parents should take an interest in what their kids are reading and I think they have the right to tell (ask?) their kids not to read a particular book. As liberal and open-minded as my parents are, there were a handful of books that were off limits to me when I made the jump—somewhere around twelve or thirteen—to reading adult books. And as sad as it makes me that there are parents won’t let their kid read Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, I have absolutely no desire to police their bookshelves.

That’s scary territory and I just don’t want to go there.

People who try to get books pulled from their local library don’t have that particular reservation. They have no problem telling you what can and can’t come into your home and that’s what bothers me the most about book challenges. As soon as you cross the line from telling your own child what they can read to challenging a book and trying to remove it from shelves, you are saying you know what’s best for everyone. You are robbing someone else of the chance to love a book because you, yourself, see something in that book that scares you.

Lobbying to have books like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, His Dark Materials, and Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret (to grab a few titles) pulled from shelves is sad and misguided. Most of all, it’s a sign that people need to be reading more, not less. Because if these people had read The Handmaid’s Tale or Nineteen Eighty-Four or Fahrenheit 451, they’d understand just how frightening what they’re asking people to do is.

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Since the dystopian bug bit YA, I've found myself frequently recommending my favorite dystopian, The Handmaid's Tale. Given that it portrays a society in which women are forbidden from reading, I thought it would be appropriate for one of my Virtual Read-Out picks. It was also the 88th most challenged book during the decade 2000-2009 (source: ALA).

Banned Books Week

2011-09-24T03:29:00.005-03:00

During the last week of September every year, hundreds of libraries and bookstores around the [US] draw attention to the problem of censorship by mounting displays of challenged books and hosting a variety of events. ~ http://www.bannedbooksweek.org

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As part of this year's Banned Book Week, the ALA is organizing a Virtual Read-Out where people can video themselves reading exerts from their favorite banned and challenged books and post the results on YouTube. Sheer awesomeness, right?

To celebrate Banned Books Week (and to share in the fun of the Virtual Read-Out) I'll be posting videos of myself reading from a few of my favorite banned/challenged books. I'll also be reposting a few things I've previously written about book banning/challenged titles. In addition, I'll be reading The Chocolate War (the third most challenged book 2000-2009).

How about you? Any plans to celebrate Banned Books Week?

And, since I'm a werewolf girl, it seemed appropriate to kick the week off with a reading of the opening from the beloved YA werewolf tale Blood and Chocolate.

Some News and Some Style Envy

2011-09-23T13:03:00.007-03:00

I spent last weekend visiting my parents. They have a huge television and an even bigger cable package. With a ridiculous amount of channels at my fingertips, I quickly discovered something: Criminal Minds is on in syndication about a dozen times a day. Which meant that I spent hours watching and wishing I had Penelope Garcia's style and knack for banter.

Seriously, the girl always has awesome hair, glasses that (almost) leave mine to shame, and a wardrobe that's more fun and colorful than a trip to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

Plus, she's got the whole confidence thing seriously down. The lady owns her curves.

If any fairy godmothers with a love of makeovers are listening, call me. I'll gladly upgrade my glasses and trade in my wardrobe.

And now for the news!

Hemlock has a final cover! It is gorgeous. I'm not going to show it to you...

Wait! What!?

Yes. You heard right. I am not going to show you the cover... because YA Highway is going to host the reveal on Monday, October 3rd (have I mentioned that I love them?).

Also, an ARC request form has been added to my website. If you're a book blogger and would like to request an ARC of Hemlock, just fill out the form on the Contact page. I'll forward the requests to my publisher.

RTW Favorite Book Covers

2011-09-21T13:34:00.001-03:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question:

What are your all-time favorite book covers?

Which is really not a question you want to ask someone who spent four years studying art and graphic design followed by ten years working as a graphic designer and who has a book cover she. can't. show. you. yet. even. though. she. really. wants. to. (Soon, Precious.)

Nevertheless, here are my faves (and I know I'll have forgotten some).

Musical Movie Moments

2011-09-20T11:18:00.000-03:00

One of my favourite scenes in the Harry Potter series is the bit in Deathly Hallows: Part One where Harry and Hermione dance to the scratchy strains of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. I love everything about that scene. I love Hermione’s posture as she sits and listens to the radio and the look on Harry’s face—so much older than seventeen—in the few seconds before he gets up to take her hand. I love the moment when he lifts the locket from her neck and how the scene makes me feel hopeful and a bit lost at the same time.

Not once, though, have I ever wished that scene were in the books. The song “O Children” is so much a part of that scene that Nick Cave’s voice is almost a third character in the room—just as present as Harry and Hermione.

It’s something I’ve been thinking about since rewatching DH1 a few months ago, so when book blogger and writer Colleen McKie and I got to talking about our mutual love of Aimee Mann (who penned most of the Magnolia soundtrack) and then jumped to the bus scene in Almost Famous and how important music is to that scene, it was only logical that we each decided to post a top five list.

So here are my top five musical movie moments (musicals and scenes with film scores excluded) in which the music is so present that it’s impossible to envision the scene working as well with anything else.

5. Movie: Almost Famous | Moment: The bus scene | Song: “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John

4. Movie: New Moon | Moment: Victoria stalks the woods and Bella prepares to do something supremely stupid | Song: “Hearing Damage” by Thom Yorke

3. Movie: The Crow | Moment: Eric Draven’s transformation | Song: “Burn” by The Cure

2. Movie: The Royal Tenenbaums | Moment: Richie’s suicide attempt | Song: “Needle in the Hay” by Elliott Smith

1. Movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One | Moment: Harry and Hermione dance | Song: “O Children” by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Honourable mentions: Reservoir Dogs (“Stuck in the Middle with You”), Star Trek (“Sabotage”), An American Werewolf in London (“Blue Moon”).

Don’t forget to check out Colleen’s choices on her blog and feel free to tell me yours in the comments.

RTW: Let's Hear it for the Outcasts!

2011-09-15T01:58:00.005-03:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question:

What themes, settings, motifs, scenes, or other elements do you find recurring in your work?

In tenth grade, I lost almost all of my friends within the span of eight weeks. Two moved to Ontario and a third dropped out. Bam! My entire social circle was no more.

And that's about the time I went from kind of shy to practically non-verbal.

It didn't help that I looked like Heather Mooney in Romy in Michelle's High School Reunion.

Or that I was a little weird and obsessive like Dinky in Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael.

When graduation rolled around, I was voted "most bashful." When I cornered a guy I had known forever to ask why--why!--he had put my name down, he looked at me and said, "Katie, you barely speak."

Maybe that's why so many of my ideas and projects have to do with characters who either are or feel like outsiders. The stories may revolve around werewolves or ghosts or psychics, but they're often really about people who are on the outskirts and who feel like their world just doesn't make sense.

Writing Rituals and Superstitions

2011-09-12T12:42:00.000-03:00

I'm totally borrowing today's topic from the YA Rebels. You should go watch them on YouTube. They're all ridiculously talented and good looking.

My Writing Superstitions:

You know that superstition about baseball players not changing their socks? Well I have a (slightly less stinky) version of that. A year ago, finally tired of the fact that a good deal of the letters on my keyboard had completely worn off, I went out and bought a new one. I got it home and couldn't even take it out of the box. What if my existing keyboard is somehow lucky? What if changing the keyboard destroys the luck?

Rituals:

I have to have the right music for each particular scene. This means a lot of time (and money) is spent on playlists. It's also not uncommon for me to listen to a song on repeat for the duration of a scene or chapter. In fact, my iTunes is set to play songs on repeat.

Unless my hair is really short, I prefer to write with it tied back in a ponytail.

I must have drinks--usually a glass of soda and a huge bottle of water.

If I'm writing at home, the door to my office has to be closed. Also, if writing at home, I have to be in sweat pants or PJ bottoms. I hate wearing jeans or slacks when writing.

So those are a few of my rituals and superstitions. What are yours?

Have you Met Miss Jones?*

2011-09-07T04:21:00.004-03:00

You know that scene in Love Actually where the cute gallery guy shows up outside Keira Knightley's door with the cue card that says "To me you are perfect?"

That's kind of how I feel about the two Bridget Jones books and the first Bridget Jones movie. To me, they are perfect. Bridget is perfect (actually she's a perfect storm of imperfection, but that's kind of the point).

The Colin Firth interview scene/transcript in the Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason book is one of my all-time favorite bits of writing. No matter what kind of day I've had or what's going on in my life, that scene always makes me feel at least a little bit better. And anytime I hear Shelby Lynne's "Dreamsome," I end up grinning like a complete idiot and daydreaming that I'm cooking in the kitchen with Mark Darcy. And I can't pick up a self-help book without thinking about the scene where Bridget finds a secret stash of them in Mark's bedroom.

There's just something about Bridget and the world she inhabits that makes me feel... good. Like chocolate ice cream or a warm blanket or the smell of fresh laundry.

And I think a teenage Bridget--one who is just as prone to disaster but who's too young for the fear she'll die alone and be eaten by wild dogs--has the potential to be awesome.

*Title from that Robbie Williams song on the soundtrack.

Claiming Your Name

2011-09-06T15:00:00.001-03:00

Kids can be brutal, and having a last name that included the letters C-O-C-K provided my classmates with joke fodder well into junior high. By the time I reached high school, I so hated my name that I convinced my parents to let me change it once I graduated.

I'd learned to live with my feathered name by the time graduation actually rolled around, but it was always a slightly uneasy truce--so much so that, years later, I seriously considered publishing under a pseudonym.

Even though I wasn't sure I'd be publishing under my own name, I wanted to cover my bases. For me, that meant signing up for a Twitter account under my real name and registering my name as a domain. And, for the longest time, I didn't do anything with either. I tweeted under a cute user name and I left the domain parked.

Now, after hundreds of people (okay, my agent, my friends, and my editor) convinced me my real name isn't so terrible, I'm ridiculously glad I took those steps.

Even if you're in the early query stages, even if you're unsure whether or not you want to publish under your own name, consider signing up for a Twitter account under your real name (you don't have to use it and it's free). If your name is available, consider registering it as a domain (its really not that expensive--about the cost of a paperback a year).

***

Wow. It's an actual sensible post. Huh.

Random Twenty

2011-08-29T03:44:00.002-03:00

A hashtag made the rounds on Twitter yesterday urging people to put their iTunes on shuffle and name the first twenty songs that came up. I didn't want to annoy everyone who follows me, but I did want to play along (mostly because I like talking about the music I listen to).

Anyway, I thought I would post the results here. These are the first twenty songs which came up when I put my iTunes on shuffle:

"Close to Me" The Cure
"Semi-Charmed Life" Third Eye Blind
"The Freshmen" The Verve Pipe
"When I Look at You" Miley Cyrus (Stop judging me!)
"New Age Girl" Deadeye Dick (You're still judging me, aren't you?)
"The New Pollution" Beck (Surely this redeems me?)
"Song for Holly" Esthero
"Lucky Man" The Verve
"Double Life" Matthew Good
"Tree of Life" Clint Mansell/Kronos Quartet (film score)
"Everywhere" Bran Van 3000
"Quiet Little Place" K's Choice
"Trouble in Woodsboro/Sydney's Lament" Marco Beltrami (film score)
"Everything Changes" Staind
"Rolling in the Deep" Adele
"Chasing Cars" Snow Patrol
"Northshore" Tegan and Sara
"Taxi (Ave Maria)" John Murphy (film score)
"We Looked Like Giants" Death Cab for Cutie
"A Sorta Fairytale" Tori Amos

Writer's Block

2011-08-24T14:00:00.003-03:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question:

How do you beat writer's block?

The following is a fairly accurate recounting of an actual conversation from last summer.

Friend: So what did you do today?

Kathleen: I went to AMERICA. *starts humming "To America We Go" by Ashley MacIsaac*

Friend: You went across the border? Why?

Kathleen: To AMERICA. I went TO AMERICA. The land of opportunity. *tries to sing "To America We Go" and remembers she does not actually speak Gaelic* I heard about this bookstore and... *mumbles* I was having trouble with a chapter.

Friend: You left the country because you had writer's block.

Kathleen: Err. yes?

These days, since I've given up having a car, it's a lot harder to actually flee the writer's block. But, I mean, that's probably a good thing. All of those impromptu road trips were starting to make me feel a bit like a Simon and Garfunkel song.

Ray Bradbury Theater

2011-08-22T16:58:00.003-03:00

Ray Bradbury turns 91 today--which is kind of mind-blowing.

When I was a kid--probably about eight or nine--one of the things I looked forward to on the weekends was Ray Bradbury Theater. Not for the stories (though they always interested me), but for the intro.

Because I wanted that room. Desperately. I already knew I wanted to be a writer, but now I had an additional goal: to be a writer with a room like Ray Bradbury had.

(Yes. I do realize I might have been something of an odd child.)

What's Making Me Happy This Week

2011-08-19T03:21:00.006-03:00

Okay. I admit it. I am blatantly borrowing this idea from Pop Culture Happy Hour. For those of you who don't listen to the PCHH podcast (why aren't you listening), each week wraps up with each of the PCHH crew saying what in the world of books, television. film, music, and/or theatre is making them happy that week.

It just seemed like such a cheerful way to end the week.

Cheerful is good, right?

So here's what's making me happy this week:

Last Friday I read the first issue of Terry Moore new series, Rachel Rising. It was very creepy (so far being about a girl who wakes up in--and has to crawl out of--her own grave). Today, I made sure the newsstand near my bus stop will a: order in the new issues and b: set a copy of each issue aside for me.

Thanks to Jodi Meadows, I gave the fifth season of Angel a try--at least the puppet and Illyria episodes. Jodi was right. Illyria kicks much butt.

The ninth Doctor is also, strangely enough, making me quite happy. Near the beginning of the week, I removed the Doctor Who reference from my Twitter profile. Ever since, I've been thinking about Nine. About his big ears and leather coat and manic grin.

Turn to the left...

2011-08-16T17:55:00.011-03:00

So today we got our first glimpse of Charlize Theoron as a YA writer in the movie Young Adult. The moment I saw the picture, I instantly felt better about my own outfit (a baggy t-shirt that says "Bad Girls Never Die" and sweat pants).

Still, as fun as it was seeing Charlize as a blonder, thinner version of myself, I immediately went on a nostalgia kick, watching the trailers for Wonder Boys and Romancing the Stone. All of which, inevitably, led to me to want a virtual fashion show of fictional characters who happen to be writers.

Genre: Literary Fiction | Character: Grady Tripp in Wonder Boys | Outfit: Baggy shirt and pants underneath your wife's pink bathrobe.

Genre: Romance | Character: Joan Wilder in Romancing the Stone | Outfit: Anything mousy and conservative UNTIL you have that adventure with a soldier of fortune in Colombia.

Genre: Mystery | Character: Rick Castle in Castle | Outfit: Entirely too many clothes.

Genre: Literary | Character: Karen Eiffel in Stranger Than Fiction | Outfit: Black coat. Black trousers. Cigarette.

Your turn. Who is your favorite on-screen fictional writer and what do they wear?

And the Winner Is...

2011-08-12T01:17:00.005-03:00

I'd like to say it was a close race but Lucy totally slaughtered the Old Spice Guy in the comments. The winner of the Sweet Venom ARC (chosen by a random number generator) is Bonnie Ferguson. Bonnie, please email your mailing address to KathleenPeacock411 (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Don't worry, Old Spice Guy. You still have Alyssa Milano.

Sweet Venom ARC - Giveaway

2011-08-08T21:50:00.005-03:00

Things have been a wee bit crazy of late. So crazy that I forgot I had an ARC of Tera Lynn Childs' most excellent SWEET VENOM to give away. It's a fun, sassy adrenaline ride. Like Buffy without the angst.

Want a chance to win? Just leave a comment answering this all important question... Who do you think would win in a fight: Lucy Lawless or The Old Spice Guy?

All comments must be received by 8:00PM EST Thursday, August 11th to be eligible.

---

DISCLAIMER: I received the ARC from my publisher after much begging.

RTW: Deleted Senses

2011-08-03T17:27:00.006-03:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question:

The Five Senses. How you use them in your writing, how you are inspired by them, pictorial essays, that character with smelly socks, books that have used them well, the ones that are currently missing from your work, etc.

I'm the first to admit that I tend to rely a little too much on sight and sound when writing descriptions. That out of the way, I thought I'd share a few deleted lines from an early draft of Hemlock where a sense other than sight or sound comes into play (I'd share lines from the actual book but I'm not sure whether I'm allowed to do that yet and this way the actual book will still be a surprise).

(Disclaimer the scene ended up on the cutting room floor BUT I still like the lines.)

Taste:

Hate came in all sorts of flavors. When I thought of my father, I tasted cigarettes. When I thought of my aunt or the idea of Heather kissing Kyle, I tasted lemons. I sat in the dark car, thinking about Jason, and I tasted copper and salt.

Smell:

It was a familiar blend of smells, not necessarily a good one. Old hamburger wrappers, fries that had fallen between the seats, sweat, and the smell of an eighteen-year-old werewolf crammed into a too-small foreign car.

And speaking of Hemlock, I don't know if I'm allowed to share the blurb itself, yet, but I received one last night that just put me over the moon.

Publishing Imitating Art Imitating Life

2011-08-02T02:25:00.004-03:00

I've been ridiculously in love with the music video for Roger Sanchez's "Another Chance" for about a decade.

For some reason--possibly because I've been thinking about crits and outlines and chances--it's just struck me how this video is perfect for the road to publication.

Because it's not an easy road to travel. You pour sweat and tears (and if you're clumsy like me, possibly blood) into your manuscript and then you have the emotional roller coaster that goes with trying to find an agent. If you're lucky, you then have the insanity of being on submission and then (if you're really lucky) you have revisions and the gnawing fear that no one will like your book and that each and every Goodreads review will be horrible.

In short, there are a lot of moments when you might feel like your heart is getting smaller.

But then, often when you least expect it, something happens--maybe a partial request or a great comment from a beta or a nice email from your editor or someone saying they can't wait to read your book--and your heart gets all big again.

The trick is in remembering how much love you have for your story and your characters and in having faith that there will be days when your passion and dreams are so big they can barely fit through the door.

(Hopefully this makes sense. I'm very sleepy and blogging when I should, you know, be sleeping.)

Whales!

2011-07-28T12:22:00.003-03:00

Yesterday I went whale watching off the coast of Grand Manan, New Brunswick. If I look a bit haggard in the picture below, it's because GETTING to Grand Manan involved a long drive followed by a long ferry ride, both of which involved getting up really early (and, in my case, after about three hours of sleep).

Totally worth it, though. I mean, just look at the whales!

Copyedit Round Up

2011-07-25T00:08:00.004-03:00

So here's a recap of Hemlock's copyedits. This is not as extensive as Jodi's Incarnate copyedits recap.

Number of times listened to Kate Nash's "Foundations" during the 2.5 hours I spent at the self serve photocopy place*: 4
Weight of copy edits: 1.667 KG
Most common issues: An infestation of commas, using "alright" instead of "all right," and not realizing Americans spell "grey" with an "a"
Happiest moment: Realizing I WAS using colons and semi-colons correctly
Best comment: "Stet author's use of combining verbs: stumble-dashed, whisper-asked" (which I totally blame on reading Breakfast at Tiffany's)
Most amusing thing the copy editor had to look up (at least from my point of view): Texas Chainsaw Massacre

* Cause there was no way I was sending that baby off without a backup.

Goodreads Quotes

2011-07-22T09:13:00.003-03:00

One of the things I find weirdly fascinating about Goodreads is the ability to see how many other people have "liked" a particular quote.

For instance, 279 people liked this quote from The Last Unicorn (thank you Peter S. Beagle):

"Great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale."

but only 14 people liked this bit from the same book:

"The magician was studying her face with his green eyes. "Your face is wet," he said worriedly. "I hope that's spray. If you've become human enough to cry, then no magic in the world — oh, it must be spray. Come with me. It had better be spray."

And while I know that first quote is infinitely more, well, quotable, I love the second one just a little bit more because of the em dash and those last two lines. And I want other people to love it, too.

Maybe it's just me, but I sometimes find myself scrolling through my Goodreads quote list and feeling weirdly protective of the quotes that don't have as many likes as I would expect. I find myself wondering about the three or four or fourteen other people who liked them and whether or not they are somehow kindred spirits.

Bad Moon on the Rise*

2011-07-20T02:52:00.004-03:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question:

Who are your favorite literary villains ? (or, what makes an antagonist you LOVE to hate?)

I actually have a longer post on villains coming up next week on The Nightstand, so for now I'll just post a few favorites. These are literary villains, only, and not a complete list (it's a "it's-3:23 am-and-should-be-in-bed-but-gonna-do-RTW" list). I'll probably do a post on film and television villains at a later date.

King Haggard from The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
Lestat from Interview with the Vampire (now before anyone says Lestat is the hero of the Vampire Chronicles, it's important to remember the original book was written from Louis's perspective, and his feelings towards Lestat are dubious at best)
Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar from Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Annie Wilkes from Misery
Sebastian from City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
The Other Mother from Coraline by Neil Gaiman (buttons for eyes *shudder*)
The Overlook from The Shining by Stephen King
Mr Hood from The Thief of Always by Clive Barker (he just really creeped me out)
The cannibals in The Road (*shudder**nightmares for always*)

* CCR Reference

Bookish Fears

2011-07-15T09:00:00.003-03:00

I was listening to an old Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast that dealt with personal fears that had sprung from movies, books, and television shows. I thought it was a neat topic and so compiled my own list of fears from books. Obviously, I read a lot of Stephen King during my formative years.

Storm drains. Especially on rainy days. (It, Stephen King)
Closed shower curtains. (The Shining, Stephen King)
The number 217. (The Shining*, Stephen King)
Creepy renditions of “Jesus Loves Me.”** (Phantoms, Dean Koontz)
The thought that someone in a fast food restaurant might snap and go on a killing spree while I’m waiting for my fries. (Cold Fire, Dean Koontz)
The thought that the person coughing behind me in the checkout line might have Captain Trips (The Stand, Stephen King)
Street lights flickering and going out just as I walk past. (The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul, Douglas Adams)
The fear that there will be glass in my hamburger. (Christopher Pike, not sure which book--the one that takes place in Greece)

* In the film version of The Shining, the room number is 237. The number 237 doesn’t bother me in the slightest.
** I made the mistake of confessing this fear to my sister while we were watching the film version of Phantoms. She proceeded to follow me around the house singing “Jesus Loves Me” in a creepy, sing-song voice.

RTW Amusing Mistakes

2011-07-13T11:40:00.003-03:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question:

What's the biggest writing / querying / publishing mistake you've made?

These aren't the biggest but they are the most amusing.

Writing. I named a major supporting character Cam (short for Camilla). Sounds fine, right? At least it did until my editor pointed out that my main character's name was Mac (Mackenzie) and that "Cam" was "Mac" backwards.

Querying. I had a few calls with my agent before she offered. During the second call she asked, quite reasonably, who my influences were. And I blanked. Completely. I think I said something about how I read lots of different genres. Then she asked what my favorite books were. I think I mumbled something about having lots of favorites and books being, y'know, good things. To add insult to injury, I was sitting in a Starbucks ACROSS from a bookstore. I could see the display tables from where I was sitting.

The call ended and I did what any reasonable grownup would do: I called my mom. Then I called the Chinese takeout place with the really good egg-rolls. Then I emailed the agent (who, as a reminder, was not actually my agent).

Hi Emmanuelle,

Thanks, again, for this afternoon’s call!

The question you asked about influences and favorite authors has been nagging at me. In terms of influences, I’d say Neil Gaiman, Charles De Lint, Douglas Adams, and Joss Whedon. My top five adult books (if asked today) would be: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason; Good Omens; Life, The Universe and Everything; About a Boy; and Practical Magic. My top five YA titles (at the moment and this list changes constantly) would be: Looking for Alaska; Going Bovine; The Blue Girl; Some Girls Are (which just knocked Cracked Up to Be out of it’s place); and The Hunger Games.

I realize my answer is coming about three hours late.

Thanks again and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,

Kathleen

(also worth noting is my use of "it's" instead of "its")

Publishing. My UK editor was following me on Twitter for months before I realized and followed her back.

My Intro to PoV

2011-07-12T09:00:00.000-03:00

Point of view is actually something I started thinking about in the eighth grade after reading The Mirror of Her Dreams and A Man Rides Through by Stephen R Donaldson. The books are written in close third and most of the chapters follow the protagonist, Teresa Morgan. Midway through the first book, the POV begins to occasionally shift so that certain chapters focus on supporting characters.

At the time, I don’t think I had ever heard the term “PoV.” I had read plenty of books—both for children and adults—from plenty of viewpoints, but I had never stopped to think why a certain author would choose to tell a story in a certain way. I just took the author’s decisions for granted.

With The Mirror of Her Dreams—possibly because I was so obsessed with it* and probably because the POV shifts stand out because they aren’t constant**—I started thinking about why certain chapters were told from certain perspectives and what information I, as the reader, was getting that I wouldn’t have been privy too had the focus always stayed on Teresa.

After the second or third time I read it***, I began thinking about how different the story would be had it been written not from Teresa’s PoV but from the PoV of the love interest(Midnight Sun, anyone?). Now, years later, I know why the book works best from Teresa’s PoV (as someone from our world whisked away to a magical land, she’s a much better gateway in than, say, someone who is already completely familiar with that world and immersed in its politics) but, at the time, it was an interesting mental exercise.

So now I’m all curious. Was there a particular book that made PoV click for you? Have you ever mentally replayed your favorite books and wondered what they’d look like from another character’s perspective?

---

* And by obsessed, I mean OBSESSED. I think I read both books at least ten times between eighth grade and senior year.
** Don’t try this at home, kids. Stephen R Donaldson made it work but making an occasional (like once or twice per book) PoV shift work is tricky.
***See? Totally obsessed.

Post-apocalyptic Delerium

2011-07-07T09:00:00.002-03:00

Why I do believe that's a YA (or maybe MG--the kids look pretty young) post-apocalyptic music video from 2006. I've heard people say Delerium is ahead of its time, but I'm pretty impressed.

MY favorite bits of the video: The spray-painted "Repent" on the wall (because it reminds me of The Stand and 29 Days Later) and the shopping carts (because they remind me of The Road)

Oddly enough, I just recommended Delerium's "Silence" (the slow version) to a friend working on a sci-fi WiP.

Sensitive Snowflakes

2011-07-05T09:00:00.000-03:00

I would categorize myself as a "sensitive" writer, what some may term a "fragile flower" or "speshul snowflake."

You can be a writer, and a successful one, and still be sensitive. You just have to own it and work harder to get past criticism.

@Natalie Whipple

So Natalie’s tweets on Saturday made me a bit sad. Not because there was anything wrong with what she tweeted—she was tweeting from experience and her experience has been of being called a “fragile flower”—but by the thought that merely being “sensitive” would get you slapped with either of those labels.

When I think of a “fragile flower” or “speshul snowflake,” I picture someone who can’t take criticism and who thinks their prose/story/whatever is brilliant as is. (Other people might define the terms differently; my opinion is mostly based from observations on writing forums.)

Speshul snowflakes are often sensitive and defensive, but sensitivity alone does not a speshul snowflake make. It’s not the sensitivity that’s the real problem—I think writers and artists tend to be a sensitive bunch—it’s that snowflakes are unable to move past their sensitivity to objectively consider criticism. They’d rather coddle their work instead of letting it improve.

A writer who is merely sensitive, on the other hand, might go away to lick their wounds after receiving criticism, but they’ll eventually pick themselves up and carefully think about the feedback they’ve received.

I’ll be honest: I am, by nature, a sensitive person. There have been days when I’ve gotten up from my desk and gone for a walk around the block to keep from crying or wandered off in search of vast quantities of chocolate after getting a crit, but I don’t think anyone—not even my closest writing friends who have seen me at my lowest—would call me a speshul snowflake. I get over the stings and then I eagerly dive back in. I want criticism—honest criticism—because I want my work to be the best it can be.

Being sensitive isn’t bad. It’s how you handle that sensitivity that counts.

Happy Canada Day

2011-07-01T11:41:00.002-03:00

To celebrate (and rock out) here are a few of the songs from the final Hemlock playlist that just happen to be by amazing and talented Canadian artists.

"Weapon" by Matthew Good

"Walking With a Ghost" by Tegan and Sara

"Don't Talk Down" by the Stills

And one more (which is actually from the playlist for the second book, but the band is mentioned in book one)

"My Body is a Cage" by Arcade Fire

I Want Candy

2011-06-28T02:38:00.003-03:00

I was in a candy store on the weekend and spied Twilight candy hearts. Naturally, I had to buy a box because...well... okay I don't know exactly why, but I'm sure you would have all done the exact same thing in my position. IT'S TWILIGHT CANDY HEARTS.

The hearts come with excellent phrases like "Live 4 Ever," "I <3 EC," and "Dazzle." I'm not sure if there's a "Sparkle Out" (I haven't actually opened the box).

Which makes me wonder: What other characters and books deserve their own candy hearts and what would those candy hearts say?

Some possibilities:

"CARROTS!?" for Anne of Green Gables

"Wife in Attic" for Jane Eyre

"Singleton" for Bridget Jones's Diary

"I <3 Carbs" for The Hunger Games/Peeta

"Inconceivable!" & "As U Wish" for The Princess Bride (Sadly "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." would not fit on a heart.)

Feel free to play along in the comments!

Not this again...

2011-06-24T11:12:00.005-03:00

Via YA Highway, I stumbled on two stories this morning. The first dealt with (yet another) school district banning The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian--even though no one on the committee making the decision had read the book.

The second story (an editorial/opinion piece, really) was in the Huffington Post and it was in support of the WSJ article that had everyone up in arms a few weeks ago.

In the WSJ post, Megan Cox Gurdon wrote:

It is a dereliction of duty not to make distinctions in every other aspect of a young person's life between more and less desirable options. Yet let a gatekeeper object to a book and the industry pulls up its petticoats and shrieks "censorship!"

In her Huffington Post piece, Ru Freeman wrote:

As the parent of three avid readers, I agree with Meghan Cox Gurdon's point that what is considered "banning" in the book trade is known in the parenting world as doing our job.

Look, I have no problem with parents being involved in what their kids are reading. They're your kids. You should be involved and concerned about what's going on in their lives and that includes what they're reading.

Even in the house I grew up in--which was pretty liberal when it came to books and movies--there were a handful of novels and films my parents asked me not to read and watch until I was older. But not once did they ever try to make that judgement for someone else's child and I can say, with absolute certainty, that The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian is not a book they ever would have worried about me reading.

As soon as you cross the line from telling your own child what they can read to challenging a book and trying to remove it from shelves, you are saying you know what’s best for everyone. You are robbing someone else of the chance to love a book because you, yourself, see something in that book that scares you. (And if that sounds at all familiar, it's because I blogged about this the last time a school district pulled Sherman Alexie's book.)

X-Men First Class

2011-06-20T23:49:00.004-03:00

Verdict: I loved it.

Fassbender was epic as Magneto and there's a scene in a villa--where he tosses a knife to and fro--which just made my jaw drop. He will, I suspect, forever be MY Magneto. The costume and set design was groovy and the relationship between Charles and Raven and the interaction between Raven and Hank really elevated the movie above a typical superhero romp.

My only complaint was that I wish there had been a few more quiet scenes between Charles and Raven. The small moments they had together--the first time they meet, the scene where she curls up against him and asks him to read to her, the disappointment in her eyes when she realizes he'll never truly understand what it means to visibly stand out--were my favorite bits in the film.

Musical Chairs

2011-06-15T13:19:00.002-03:00

A few months ago, I had an interesting conversation with my friend Rob regarding the two musical references in Hemlock. At one point in the book, Elliott Smith is mentioned and Rob wondered if teens today would know who Elliott Smith is--to which I laughed and pointed out that most adults I know have no idea who he is despite the fact that Miss Misery was nominated for an Academy Award and he played the Oscars. Heck, I had no idea who he was until "Needle in the Hay" was used in The Royal Tenenbaums.

With other references, I might sweat it more, but this was a single line that was mentioned by a character almost as an afterthought.

The reason I don't worry about this one (very small) reference is that the internet has made music a vastly different experience than it was when I was in high school. Back then, it was hard to seek out new music--especially if, like me, you lived in a small town with one top 40 radio station and a horrible record store. Now we have iTunes and YouTube and a dozen other ways to sample and explore new music. If someone is curious by the reference, they have ways to check out Elliott Smith's music. If they're not curious, the scene still makes perfect sense.

---

In other news: Check out The Nightstand where I'll be blogging with some other great YA Paranormal and Thriller debuts. The blog is launching with a contest.

AND

Swing by fellow Apocalypsie Jessica Spotswood's blog for the cover reveal of her upcoming debut Born Wicked (to celebrate, she's having a contest).

Houses and Goombas

2011-06-13T01:23:00.003-03:00

In an early version of Hemlock, two of my characters ended up staying in a small house with a wraparound porch. It was one of the few locations that was completely inspired by a real place: a small, green house shaded by huge trees--a house I sometimes drove by on my way to work.

This weekend, I walked past the house only to find it halfway through being demolished.

And even though the version of Hemlock with that house was banished to my archive folder long ago, it still made me a bit sad to think the house where Mac sat on a porch and read Cujo and told off Kyle for being an idiot will soon be completely gone.

Luckily, on the same walk, I discovered a happy sight: The COOLEST graffiti ever. And, yes, that is a line of goombas.

Photo Day

2011-06-08T23:14:00.003-03:00

Official song for this entry: "Supermodel" by Jill Sobule
Please note: This entry is best read if you pretend I sound like Bridget Jones.

2:30 AM Okay. I am well and truly going to bed now. This is ridiculous.
3:30 AM Oh sleep. Why have you forsaken me?
4:00 AM Maybe if I put some anime on...
4:45 AM Oh God. I have to be up in three hours and fifteen minutes. I am so screwed.
8:45 AM Surely I have time to shave my legs. So what if they won't be visible in the picture.
9:11 AM I have silky smooth legs but have missed the bus. ARGH! #$$%!

---

9:30 AM Okay. This will work. All I have to do is run from the bus stop to the salon as though rabid wolves are at my heels. No problem.
10:15 AM Scalp massage so lovely. Bet I would never have plot problems if I had a constant source of scalp massages.
11:10 AM Makeup lady is huge former NKOTB fan and loves Melissa McCarthy. I want to ask if she'll be my new BFF but I do not want to come across as needy and desperate.

---

12:10 PM Cousin and I debate what would happen if I met my soul mate on a day when hair and makeup have both been professionally done, therefore possibly creating false expectations. Would I try to continue the ruse? How would I tell potential soul mate that I normally have frizzy hair and tired eyes?

---

2:00 PM Photographer asks if I think I'll want the wind machine. I hope he is joking.
2:05 PM Show photographer examples of pictures I like and try to work in an awkward reference to fat girl angles.
2:15 PM Photographer turns out be be gigantic geek. Discussion of comic books and Neil Gaiman commences. Suddenly feeling much less a fish out of water.
2:30 PM I would so fail at America's Next Top Model. For one thing, I cannot smile with my eyes. Every time I think I am smiling with my eyes, photo looks scary--like I am escaped homicidal maniac who has wandered into studio with perfectly coiffed hair. Also, photographer does not seem to possess magic lens which subtracts thirty pounds.
3:00 PM Have managed to narrow down possibilities to thirty-one. THIRTY-ONE! Maybe agent will pick for me if I ask nicely.

3:45 PM CHINESE FOOD MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER. Nom. Nom. Nom.

General Update

2011-06-06T10:53:00.008-03:00

Book One

The first book is, I think, in copyedits (or, if it's not, it soon will be).

The wonderful folk at Harpers have been working on the cover. I've seen early comps (nothing that I can share) but I am very confident that the final cover will rock.

Book Two

After spending the past few weeks in research/deep thought mode, I'm ready to venture into putting stuff on paper mode (which is a fancy way of saying that I'll take my synopsis and all of the new thoughts in my head and try to turn them into a road map).

Personal

I'm getting new author photos done on Wednesday. Since I haven't had a professional portrait taken since my high school grad photos, I'm a little angsty.

My website has been updated to include information on the UK release and a few more links.

I feel like there should be more here, but, honestly, I'm staggeringly boring at times.

---
In Other News (Update):

The awesome Jodi Meadows has finally revealed the cover for Incarnate! (I say finally because I've eagerly been anticipating it for the following two reasons: a: she's a fellow KTB author and b: Incarnate is, I feel, going to be a game changing YA title. Seriously.)

Swing by Jodi's blog to see the cover and for your chance to win an awesome prize.

Blood and Roses

2011-06-03T11:07:00.003-03:00

Random fact: Donald Sutherland is from my home province. I once had a very good cheese omelet at a diner in the small town where he grew up. That's really not relevant but, somehow, in the cosmic sphere of things, I like to think that brings me closer to President Snow.

Unfortunately (for my neighbors) the casting of President Snow has had an unexpected side effect. Ever since the news was announced, I've been randomly bursting into very loud renditions of "Blood and Roses."

Top Ten Disney Scenes

2011-06-01T03:02:00.003-03:00

Tangled—specifically how much I adored it—has had me thinking about other animated Disney films and my top ten Disney scenes. This list does not include the Pixar films or Nightmare Before Christmas because those were more co-productions.

The list does contain spoilers for Tangled and about sixty years of Disney animation.

# 10 Lilo informs everyone that Pudge (a fish) controls the weather in Lilo & Stitch.
# 9 “Russian Dance” (thistles) in Fantasia.
# 8 “A Whole New World” scene from Aladdin.
# 7 Stitch and the Ugly Duckling ("lost") scene in Lilo & Stitch.
# 6 “Part of your World” from The Little Mermaid.
# 5 “The Mob Song” from Beauty & the Beast.
# 4 Belle is attacked by wolves in Beauty & the Beast.
# 3 Eugene and Rapunzel are trapped in a flooding mine shaft in Tangled.
# 2 Eugene’s sacrifice in Tangled. (I’m trying to be somewhat spoiler conscious).
# 1 Belle says “Please don’t leave me,” and then whispers, “I love you,” to the Beast in Beauty & the Beast.

So, as you can probably guess, I'm sort of a Disney renaissance kind of girl. And, if that's a time period you happen to be interested in, I recommend checking out the documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty.

---

In other news, Cole Gibsen will be revealing the cover of Katana on her blog later today.

AND There's a spiffy new trailer for Gretchen McNeil's upcoming debut Posses. Check it out.

On Repeat

2011-05-31T21:05:00.005-03:00

Last night, when I was looking for new music, someone on Twitter suggested I check out Chris Pureka and I fell hard and fast for her song "Burning Bridges."

and the next thing you know you're just tangled and guilty

Which, of course, totally reminded me of my poor characters and resulted in me fighting off the urge to email the song to EVERYONE at 3AM. I think I've listened to it about twenty times since yesterday.

I also gave in to peer pressure and watched Tangled. I'm not sure why I kept putting it off--I suspect part of it might have been fear of change (I love 2D animation, so the idea of Disney, itself, moving into 3D was a little scary for me).

Anyway, I finally rented it last night and LOVED IT. It's the best Disney animated feature since Aladdin and I do believe Rapunzel may be my new favorite Disney heroine. I picked up the DVD this afternoon and have been fighting the urge to rewatch it all evening.

Lend me your angst

2011-05-30T13:30:00.002-03:00

A few months ago, I asked for song suggestions and got some AMAZING ones (lots of tracks either ended up on the writing playlist for the second Hemlock book or on my personal playlists). The whole thing worked out so well, I thought I'd try it again.

This time around, I'm looking to buff up the angsty "omg the world is ending and it is INTENSE"* portion of my playlist. Specifically, I'm looking for tracks that sort of punch you in the gut like "Running up that Hill" by Placebo, "Heavy in Your Arms" and "Drumming Song" by Florence + The Machine, "Weak and Powerless" by A Perfect Circle**, and the non-screaming parts of Alexisonfire songs*** (but not the City and Colour stuff Dallas Green does).

So, any suggestions? Any songs that rock your world and make you feel like you're clinging to the edge of a cliff?

---

* Please note that the world does not actually end in Hemlock 2.

** Also, as much as I love A Perfect Circle, a lot of their other tracks are on the playlist for one of my trunked projects.

*** Before the Alexisonfire fans arrive on my doorstep with pitchforks: I LIKE the screaming I just can't WRITE to the screaming.

Boys of YA

2011-05-26T16:42:00.001-03:00

"Boys of Summer" is one of those time-warpy songs that I have a weird soft spot for. "Summer of 69" is another one. Both make me picture this cliche filled, perfect summer. The kind of summer (in all honesty) that I'm not certain I've had.

There was a point to this post. I am getting to it. Patience, young grasshopper.

Once, over on AW, someone asked a question about what kinds of guys people liked to see in YA. Dark? Sweet? Funny?

And I couldn't answer. I tried, and I came up totally blank.

Cause here's the thing: I like reading about complex characters. Guys (and girls) who can't necessarily be summed up in one or two words and who don't walk around like they've escaped from a Don Henley song.

I have a weakness for snarky guys but the guys can't just be snarky. Ditto on the dark guys or the guys with tattoos or the self-destructive guys.

I want characters who have more than a single note. One note might keep me entertained for awhile, but it's the complex characters I think about long after I've put a book away.

Happy Towel Day

2011-05-25T13:57:00.004-03:00

From Wikipedia:

Towel Day is celebrated every 25 May as a tribute by fans of the late author Douglas Adams.On this day, fans carry a towel with them to demonstrate their love for the books and the author, as referenced in Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The commemoration was first held in 2001, two weeks after Adams's death on 11 May 2001.

I just did the math and I can't believe it's been ten years.

And, just to commemorate this year's Towel Day in my own small way, I thought I'd list ten personal facts about my own history and relationship to the work of Douglas Adams.

The first Douglas Adams book I read was The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. My mother had picked it up on a sales table and then insisted I read it. (Thanks, Mom!)
I sometimes credit Douglas Adams with helping me get through high school. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy convinced me that--somewhere--there were people in the world who had similar senses of humor to my own.
My favorite portrayal of Ford Prefect is a toss up between David Dixon in the television series and Mos Def in the movie. I like both better than the Ford I picture when I read the books.
My favorite scene in any of the books is the one where Ford recounts going mad--how he thought he was a lemon and threw himself in and out of a gin and tonic, or at least a small lake that thought it was a gin and tonic.
I experienced HHGTTG in the following order: books (out of order) THEN television series THEN radio show THEN movie.
When I'm having a really bad, incomprehensible day, I tend to quote the following (from Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency): "So after a hectic week of believing that war was peace, that good was bad, that the moon was made of blue cheese, and that God needed a lot of money sent to a certain box number, the Monk started to believe that thirty-five percent of all tables were hermaphrodites, and then broke down."
I think I like Mostly Harmless better than most people seem to. The scene where Ford throws himself out of a window to keep the element of surprise on his side makes up for just about anything.
I think HHGTTG are more quotable and slightly more lovable but, from a technical standpoint, I think the Dirk Gently books are somewhat better.
My three favorite bits in Salmon of Doubt are the cookie story, the comparison of Australia to Jack Nicholson, and the letter to David Vogel at Walt Disney Pictures.
My FIRST EVER chat handle was Trillian.

Divergent Faction Challenge Week Two

2011-05-20T05:03:00.005-03:00

It's week two of the DIVERGENT Faction Challenge (brainchild of the ever-fab Debra Driza), where participants tackle Veronica Roth’s factions from her amazing YA debut, DIVERGENT-–one faction at a time.

This week, we all tried to do one thing that would make us fit in with Amity.

From the DIVERGENT fansite:

AMITY is the faction of: 1. friendship; peaceful harmony. 2. mutual understanding and a peaceful relationship, especially between nations; peace; accord. 3. cordiality

I'm going to be brutally honest: The only things I remember about Amity are that they played banjos and picked fruit and vegetables.

So I thought about cheating and claiming that Hemlock's UK book deal created understanding and peace between nations BUT that seemed like a bit of a stretch. Even for me.

I don't play the banjo and the closest I come to picking fruit and vegetables is putting them into my grocery cart.

But I did decide there was one thing I could do: I could create an Amity slogan. Every good faction needs propaganda (not to mention tourist souvenirs).

Pick Beets, Not War

Film Agreement

2011-05-19T18:12:00.001-03:00

“Coyness is nice and coyness can stop you from saying all the things in life you’d like to...” — The Smiths, “Ask”

“Kathleen Peacock's HEMLOCK to producer Lane Shefter Bishop of Vast Entertainment, by The Gotham Group on behalf of Emmanuelle Morgen at Judith Ehrlich Literary Management.” — Publishers Marketplace

A few people noticed that Hemlock was in Publishers Marketplace this week under film rights and they probably noticed that I didn’t mention it until other people started asking about it. I honestly wasn’t being coy out of some deeply rooted desire to be an evil vixen; I wasn’t sure what—if anything—I was allowed to say and, even though I knew this was in the works, I didn’t realize it was going to be in PM (this is why it’s important to check your email).

But I just got the go ahead to share a few details.

The agreement is with Vast Entertainment who made a bit of a splash in the YA sphere last year with their involvement with Kody Keplinger’s The D.U.F.F.
It’s a film shopping agreement which basically gives Vast Entertainment the ability to shop Hemlock around. (Sorry. You all probably could have figured that out on your own.)

So what does this mean for Hemlock?

Well, right now it’s too early to know. Lane has been very supportive and excited about Hemlock and has pulled in two production companies to co-produce with her once a studio is on board*. One is Wonderland Sound and Vision which, in addition to movies, produced The O.C. and does produce Supernatural and Chuck. The other is Weed Road Pictures which produced I am Legend and Hancock and is also producing The Dark Tower. Both said it was okay to mention them in a blog post, so I’m guessing they haven’t, you know, set the book on fire or used it to make an air force of paper planes.

But, even if nothing comes of this, I like to think that if my life were a game of six degrees of separation, I could look back, years from now, and say the following:

Hemlock was once read by someone at Weed Road Pictures > Weed Road Pictures produced The Dark Tower > The Dark Tower was written by Stephen King

AND

Hemlock was once read by someone at Wonderland Sound and Vision > Wonderland Sound and Vision produces Supernatural > Supernatural stars Jensen Ackles

* This is the point where if you all cross your fingers it would be awesome!

RTW Rewards

2011-05-18T05:23:00.004-03:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question (which I am, again, answering at an ungodly hour):

How do you reward yourself when you meet your writing goals? Answer for big goals (i.e. I will buy a Lear jet when I get published) and/or small goals (I eat an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's in one sitting when I finish each chapter).

My rewards for small goals are really sad and pathetic. Sort of along the lines of, "I will take a break and do the dishes or eat supper while watching an episode of Drop Dead Diva."

According to my friends, my rewards for big goals are also kind of sad and pathetic BUT they do make me happy. So far, I've done big rewards twice and BOTH times have involved...

Converse All Stars. The footwear of the discerning, Doctor Who obsessed geek. I bought myself a pair of pink ones to celebrate signing with my agent and I bought myself a pair of blue ones when Hemlock sold. Whenever I was having a bad day, I could look down at my feet and get an instant boost.

---

Update (and in other news): Fellow Apocalypsie

K. M. Walton has just revealed the cover of her upcoming YA debut CRACKED. Swing by her blog to get the full scoop on the cover and the book AND for your chance to win an awesome prize.

Hemlock Invasion

2011-05-17T14:23:00.003-03:00

I just got the go ahead from my agent to share some news that has been in the works for awhile... SIMON & SCHUSTER UK will be publishing Hemlock in, well, the U.K.

Yes, that's right. The land of The Smiths and Doctor Who and Douglas Adams and... wait... what was I saying?

Anyway, the first book has a slight title change for that market and will be called DEADLY HEMLOCK. I like it. It's sort of a ninja title--it's like Hemlock is lethally trained and dressed in black.

The Three Faces of Haymitch

2011-05-16T02:23:00.004-03:00

When I first heard that Woody Harrelson had been cast as Haymitch, I was stunned. Where was Hugh Laurie? Where was Robert Downey Jr? Where were the sarcastic hotties?

This bewilderment lasted about 2.3 minutes—just the amount of time it took me to remember Zombieland and how I was completely blown away by Harrelson’s Tallahassee. There were a lot of great things about that movie but, for me, Harrelson was what pushed it from a fun zombie flick to a lovable one.

Once I remembered that, I started getting excited. But the whole thing did make me ponder the effect fan casting has had on how I viewed the Hunger Games trilogy and the characters.

I didn’t see anything remotely sexy about Haymitch when I read the first Hunger Games book. I liked him, but I sort of pictured him as a very mangy dog—the kind you might be tempted to pet if only you weren’t half-certain you’d end up catching flees or getting a nasty bite. This opinion carried on through Catching Fire.

Then, a few months before Mockingjay was released, I started running across fanvids and fan casting lists and two names kept cropping up: Hugh Laurie and Robert Downey Jr. And as I saw these names over and over, something strange happened. At first I was puzzled. RDJ and Hugh Laurie are both so sexy they give me hot flashes and that was NOT my Haymitch. Then I was intrigued. What if Haymitch was kinda sexy? How could that be bad? Finally, I was brainwashed. OMG HAYMITCH IS TEH SEXY.

And so the Haymitch I saw in my head when I read Mockingjay was a different than the one I pictured when I read HG. There were still glimpses of the old Haymitch, but it was like he’d been placed on some reality television program where he’d dropped 60lbs and turned into House.

Woody Harrelson may not exactly be what I pictured in the first two books, but he’s definitely closer to the personal vision of Haymitch I carried around before I started reading fantasy cast lists. I’m really excited to see what he does with the role.

Which brings me to a question: Do you ever fantasy cast your favourite books? Has someone else’s casting suggestion (or real casting, I suppose) ever changed how you viewed a character?

Jane vs Jane

2011-05-14T23:23:00.003-03:00

The theatre is mostly empty and I’m the only person under fifty. With a week of rain forecasted to start tomorrow, gothic romances aren’t ranking high on most people’s list of Saturday activities. It’s a little disheartening. I can’t help hoping that Jane Eyre is doing better in other showings and in other cities. I hope it’s finding the younger audience the trailers make me think it wants and that it’s finding the teenage girls that the abundance of Byronic love interests in YA makes me think it deserves.

Still, I’ve got a paper bag full of popcorn and a list of expectations just shy of a mile-long. Since I obsessively re-watch scenes from the 2006 mini-series, this new adaptation has some stiff competition.

To my delight, it delivers.

While I can’t say it overtakes the 2006 adaptation, this is very much a case where some things are stronger and some things are weaker and it’s a coin toss for which version you pop into the DVD player after a bad day.

At 21, Mia Wasikowska is one of the youngest actresses to play Jane. She is also, quite possibly, the best. As strong and intelligent as she is, Jane is inexperienced and out of her depth. Wasikowska balances these two sides of the character perfectly. As much as I adore Ruth Wilson in the 2006 mini-series, there’s a sense of maturity and shrewdness about her that always makes it a bit hard to believe that Rochester could pull the wool over her eyes. However, Ruth still wins for best delivery of my favourite line: Do you think because I am poor, plain, obscure and little, that I have no heart?

There is also quite a bit more heat between Jane and Rochester in this new version and Rochester himself is, if at all possible, even more moody and tortured. Logically, I know this should make him less attractive but...damn. I may be over dating Byronic men in real life but I’ll still gladly swoon over them on the page and on screen.

And I loved Judi Dench as Mrs. Fairfax.

So how does it not quite match the 2006 mini-series? Mostly in economy. Jane Eyre is not a small book and with a runtime of just two hours, a lot is going to get cut out of sheer necessity. To be fair, like Peter Jackson and his team with LoTR, I don’t think anyone could have done a better job of condensing the book into two hours. That being said, I almost wished for a slightly longer runtime. The 2006 mini-series, because it has more time to work with, manages to give a little more back-story for Rochester and some of the other characters (like Bertha and Adele) and the ending doesn’t feel quite as abrupt. Even an additional half hour might have helped.

Still, this new Jane Eyre is lush and atmospheric and incredibly well acted. Even now, five hours later, I almost wish I could go back and watch it again (a sure sign I’ll be getting the future DVD). I long for a time when a movie like this isn’t released into just a handful of theatres and where it has as big a box office take as your average buddy comedy. It deserves it.

Divergent Faction of the Week

2011-05-13T21:13:00.004-03:00

So it's week one of Debra Driza's DIVERGENT challenge. For those who haven't seen it, each week, Deb announces one of the factions/virtues depicted in Veronica Roth's Divergent. You then have five days to try and perform ONE act that embodies that virtue/faction.

WEEK ONE: ABNEGATION

According to the Divergent fansite, Abnegation means:

1. To refuse or deny oneself (some rights, conveniences, etc.); reject, renounce. 2. To relinquish, give up

And I pretty much failed. The only thing I gave up (other than some time trying to be extra helpful) was the temptation to call someone out on their behavior when they were rude to me. Not really that big of a deal. Sorry Abnegation, you're just not the faction for me.

---

In other news, omg! has a slideshow of iconic movie and television prom dresses. Unless it gets cut at the eleventh hour (and the past year has taught me to never rule anything out), there is a very subtle nod/tribute to one of these dresses (and I'm not telling you which one) in Hemlock.

RTW

2011-05-11T04:27:00.003-03:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing--or reading--related question and answer it on their own blogs. Readers get to play along.

This week's question (which I yanked from Twitter and am posting early because my sleep schedule is completely turned around): If you could pick a celebrity to read the audio book of your WIP or your favorite novel, who would it be?

Part II

I can't claim that it's still my favorite novel (though it certainly ranks up there), but I have a long-standing (and some have said slightly obsessive) love of The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul and there is an audio book of Douglas Adams reading it himself (he also does Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency). So I don't really have to pick a celebrity for that one because very few men have voices as wonderful as DNA did.

Part I

I don't know if there will be an audiobook of Hemlock, but I have no doubt that, were it to happen, the powers that be would find the perfect voice to read it. And I know that I would love that voice. Until then, however, I'm going to engage in some silly RTW fun...

Lauren Ambrose (the woman on the far right). She can do sweet. She can do jaded and tough. And her voice is deceptively quiet--the kind of quiet voice that has power behind it. And she still sounds almost exactly the same as when she was in Can't Hardly Wait.

---

On an unrelated note, fellow Apocalypsie Leanna Renee Hieber has revealed the cover of her upcoming YA debut DARKER STILL: A Novel of Magic Most Foul. Swing by her blog to check it out!

Hodgepodge

2011-05-09T01:56:00.003-03:00

One of my new favorite podcasts is NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour and I have been merrily binging on it over the last little while.

Friday's episode, "Warrior Women And Movies That Call To Us," is really worth a listen for anyone with an interest in strong female characters in less traditional/more kick-butt roles. And included in the discussion was this remark which I thought was, well, awesome:

"If you're just creating a kick-butt female to answer the fact that females have been relegated to the side, then you're still objectifying; you're still flattening the character and I think that's doing just as much as a disservice." - Glen Weldon, PCHH

---

In unrelated news, I've finally started watching the BBC's Merlin which I am quite enjoying even though Camelot (and its inhabitants) looks suspiciously neat and tidy.

---

And, in further unrelated news, the awesome Debra Driza is kicking off a five week interactive blog challenge to celebrate the launch of Veronica Roth's DIVERGENT.

This Week in the Random

2011-04-29T12:41:00.003-03:00

- Caving to peer pressure, I jumped back onto Facebook and created an author page. If you like me, why not hop over and tell me?

- I had a complete spastic dance fit when Chapters-Indigo (Canada's biggest bookstore chain) started promoting Divergent. Divergent hits shelves in just a few days and is awe-some (my review can be found here).

- I stumbled across the song Love Burns by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and have been listening to it repeatedly in snatches when I haven't been listening to the Hemlock playlists.

- Via YA Highway's Field Trip Friday, I stumbled this post by Libba Bray which totally rocked my socks and made me feel much better about grappling with my own worries and doubts.

Tales of a Writing Geek

Filmstrip Friday: New Waterford Girl

The Countdown Continues

Incarnate Review

Now you see her...

Deadly Hemlock Cover Reveal

And the winners are...

Invitation to UK and Australian Book Bloggers

YAmazing Race

Dystopian Domination

Hemlock is coming to Turkey

Countdown is ON

RTW: Writing Retreat

Most Anticipated Books of 2012

Top 5 Most Recommended Books

Top Five Favorite Reads of 2011

2011: Top Guys and Girls

2011's Top 5 Favorite Songs/Albums to Write To

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego

Hemlock Swag

RTW: It's a Very Hemlock Christmas

And the Winner is...

Top Cult Films

Guest Post

Hemlock Sneak Peek and Giveaway

RTW: Best of November

Team Gale Might Have a Chance

RTW: Back to School

The Kids Aren't Alright

The Night Circus

Why Duckie Shouldn't Get the Girl

Top Ten Books that Impacted Me Emotionally

Favorite Five Horror Movies

That's Pretty Crafty

Favorite Creepy Book Trailers

Maybe it never feels real

Beauty and the Beast and the Teenage Werewolf

Standing Still is Scarier than Moving

Fear Street: Because it's October

Dual Nature

RTW: So Far

Favorite Werewolf Transformations Part II

Favorite Werewolf Transformations Part I

Top Five Male Small Screen Vamps

Top Five Female Small Screen Vamps

RTW and Giveaway

Interview with Amy Ryan, Art Director

Hemlock Sneak Peeks

RTW: Best of September

Catcher in the Rye

The Book Police (Revisited)

Banned Books Week

Some News and Some Style Envy

RTW Favorite Book Covers

Musical Movie Moments

RTW: Let's Hear it for the Outcasts!

Writing Rituals and Superstitions

Have you Met Miss Jones?*

Claiming Your Name

Random Twenty

Writer's Block

Ray Bradbury Theater

What's Making Me Happy This Week

Turn to the left...

And the Winner Is...

Sweet Venom ARC - Giveaway

RTW: Deleted Senses

Publishing Imitating Art Imitating Life

Whales!

Copyedit Round Up

Goodreads Quotes

Bad Moon on the Rise*

Bookish Fears

RTW Amusing Mistakes

My Intro to PoV

Post-apocalyptic Delerium

Sensitive Snowflakes

Happy Canada Day

I Want Candy

Not this again...