I'm Baaaaack! (And a bit of Absolute Write love)

 

If there's anyone actually still reading this blog, good on you for sticking with me! I've been crazy-busy over the summer - a job + WIP + University stresses = me being a lazy blogger.

But, good news, the uni application stuff is totally (hopefully) sorted, and the WIP first and second drafts are finished. Yay!

I'm stressing out about both, because the WIP is 1st person POV and it's got a lot of grief in it, something I struggle to write well. I prefer angst when the character is the one who created it, but this story kinda spoke to me if that doesn't sound cheesy (okay it totally does). So it's out with betas and I'm just stressing out about uni now - all those new people!

I'm going to study Publishing, which makes me happy :)

But I want to say a big thank you to the writing site that kept me sane over the summer, because this WIP was troublesome and I so nearly gave up so many times. I didn't, because of the Absolute Write Water Cooler (www.absolutewritewatercooler.com ). If you're a writer who hasn't joined that site, SERIOUSLY DO IT NOW RIGHT NOW. As well as all the help, support, and critiquing pages, discussions about aspects of YA/Horror/Literary/MG/anything else you can think of, it's great being part of such a community.

I'm going to stop this post because I'm gushing, and because it's not exactly the most thrilling of reading material.

But I will be back with more posts while I wait for my *amazing* betas to get back to me (and after), so keep checking back, folks!

WIP Wishes (and Wimbledon)

First of all, congrats to our very own Andy Murray for getting into the final of this year's Wimbledon! Never has a tennis ball to an opponent's nether regions been so useful :)
Not that that particular incident was the reason Murray won - just like with writers, he worked long hours at his dream, visualised it and talked about it and practiced some more, and now he's only one (admittedly extremely difficult) game from making history. No pressure, Andy...

But this is vaguely related to writing, I promise. Just like tennis players wanting to win certain tournaments, many writers have plans for books they want to write, one day but not now. For example, really wanting to write a dystopian when you know it will be very difficult to sell.

I've got a few themes I'd love to explore, I just don't know how I'm going to do it.

- I'd love to write a road trip novel. I can't yet because I am woefully undertravelled in Britain (we usually go to Austria/France/Switzerland on holiday, or when we stay here we only go one county away in Cornwall). So that'll have to wait till I'm older and wiser.

-I'd also love to write a ghost story, a really chilling one for older teens. Something like ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD or UNREST by Michelle Harrison.

- I really want to write a book set in an old, crumbling country house. I write contemporary YA, though, so it's pretty difficult to fit a story to that.

- Finally, a book in 1st person, present tense. I've read so many amazing 1stP,PT novels, like CRACKED UP TO BE by Courtney Summers and BREAK by Hannah Moskowitz. I just need to learn to write one.

But if you've got ideas of books that you're sure are too niche to sell, or books that are so unconventional/unpopular/so popular you can't get agents interested, don't worry. Sometimes, like Andy Murray getting into the Wimbledon finals, unexpected and brilliant things happen...

Did anyone watch the tennis yesterday, and Andy's triumph? And who else has ideas on the backburner that they aren't planning/writing, for whatever reason? And finally, you all should read UNREST. It is tres awesome.

Why Vampires/Werewolves/Faeries (???) should never be British

Honestly, I'm not uber-Patriotic or like, British-obsessed. I just wanted to share my thoughts on a few paranormal romance staples that just WOULDN'T work in Britain. I mean, I'm not a total expert, because I'm a contemporary kinda girl. And I'm not saying UK pnr romance writers are rubbish (I'm sure they're just as awesome as their US counterparts), just that our little isle is ill suited to shmexy vampire shparkleeee timez.

First of all, our town names are boring.

I've seen the summaries: "Someday Dreamer is just an average girl from Enchantment, Ohio". Or Paradise, Texas. Or Sunrise, Indiana.

Basically, US towns have these dreamy-sounding towns way more suited to witty little metaphors/titles/comments than the UK. Tell me this doesn't sound rubbish: "Anne Brown is just an average girl from Grimsby, Yorkshire." The closest we come to cool names is really grim (ha) ones like Black Dog and No Man's Land (both actual places). And Grimsby, and Hull.

Secondly, not many of us UK teens can drive. So no midnight car chases/hot pnr boy skidding into a car park to save us from thugs.

In the UK, driving age is seventeen. No practicing before that, and no going straight out in your car on your seventeenth birthday, because there is a crapload of paperwork to fill in and send off before you can actually drive.

Our streets are tiny and windy, so town/city dwellers don't usually bother to drive if there's nowhere to put their car.

Plus, insurance is shockingly expensive. So unless your boy was as rich as Midas/Edward Cullen, he would have to save you from the car park thugs (get me, Twilight reference) and then your romantic lunch would have to consist of Morrisons Bettabuy sandwiches and reduced Scotch eggs sitting in the car in said car park, because a romantic meal would probably be too expensive.

And most UK teens don't learn to drive till about 18, so that's another setback.

No ultra-expensive, super-fancy glass houses in the woods. Because you have to get planning permission for that sh*t.

And chances are, the woods are owned by some local farmer who doesn't want a wolf pack running through them, or some rich vampires setting up home there. You go climbing trees with Vampire boy, and he'll be down the bottom with his gun. Still, at least vampire boy'll be safe, because farmers don't tend to shoot silver bullets.

So that's it, people. Can anyone else think of reasons why the UK is totally unsuited to sparkley, bitey goings on?

And does anyone agree that Queen Elizabeth and Edward would make a TOTALLY awesome fan fiction? So long as Eddy doesn't eat the corgies...

Cover Lust Tues - okay, Sunday. The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight

So much to love.

The Vans trainers. The grass background (did I tell you I love grass backgrounds? I think it's the farmer in me). The pretty writing. That little aeroplane.

Granted, the guy's hairless legs are a bit weird, but still. I lust this cover.

Why did I buy the hardback?

Sorry I can't get a better, less pixelated picture, but I guess you'll have to buy it to find out.

The UK cover is rubbish, in my opinion. I probably wouldn't pick it up, if it was on a shelf in my local WHSmith. Here it is below to compare \/ \/ \/

What do you think? Do you guys love the first cover too? Or are you more of a fan of the UK one?

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly in Young Adult Fiction

After that long and rambling title, you've probably guessed the theme of this week's Sunday Seven. YA fiction is my absolute favourite, but there are a few things that I wish I could change. So let's make it simple.

THE GOOD (a.k.a. what I'd like to see more of):

1) Strong Female Characters

By strong, I don't mean kick-ass ninjas (although they're cool too) but girls who don't need saving. Girls who don't lie back and let their boyfriend disable their brakes/talk to them condescendingly/save them so they can be eternally greatful. So many kick-ass ninja heroines will fight their way through a whole book, only to be saved by Mr Right at the end. Let your FMC fight to save herself alongside Mr Right (and then they can kiss and make babies and do whatever the heck else they want). Girls that give as good as they get - and this does not mean sarky-just-because - and inspire readers to do the same, they are strong female characters.
Examples:
Isabel Culpeper from the Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater
Parker Fadley from Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers
Lauren Adams from the CHERUB series by Robert Muchamore

2) Awesome, powerful voice
Laurie Halse Anderson and Hannah Moskowitz, I'm looking at you. The absolute best sort of writing, the sort that makes you feel like you are looking right into the narrator's brain. You can feel the raw, agonizing hurt they're going through, or the desperate love they feel for someone, or the way they are breaking inside but trying not to admit it to themselves, so that as they convince themselves they're fine, the reader knows they're not. And this goes for the comedy too - when the voice makes you laugh out loud, you know you've got a winner.
Examples:
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Break by Hannah Moskowitz
Babe In Boyland by Jody Gehrman
Target by Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson
Ordinary People by Judith Guest

3) Realistic Teen Relationships
I'm not just talking about wit-woo sexy romance here, people. That's included too, but I mean the broad spectrum. How they react with their families, friends, enemies, crushes, lovers, teachers, everyone. Not all teens are angsting at their parents for making them - sometimes families actually get on. Not all relationships are desperate, wild passion or screaming arguments - sometimes the sweetest romances of all are the realistic, slow-build ones, where sort-of-liking becomes like-liking becomes sort-of-love becomes love. Not all best friends are annoying (okay, I'm guilty, I'm guilty, but nobody's perfect), or totally-sister-from-another-mister types.
Examples:
Jonah and Jesse in Break by Hannah Moskowitz
The Hollis family in Fly By Night, The Team, and The Pennington Trilogy by K.M. Peyton
Nick and Shuggie/Allie in Crossing The Line by Gillian Phillip
Ruth and Pat in The Pennington Trilogy by K.M. Peyton

THE BAD (a.k.a. what I'd like to see less of):

4) Cliched Baddies
The blonde cheerleader. The jealous sister/brother. The love rival. Need I go on? Sometimes the best 'baddies' are the people who have shades of grey - they're not bad just-because, they've got reasons and they hurt too.
Notable Exceptions (because I'm not harsh):
The Wolves of Mercy Falls series
Eve Edwards' The Other Countess
Lord of the Flies by William Golding

5) Absent Parents
Someone once said that it was very dangerous being a mum in YA fiction (or words to that effect) and they were right. Everywhere, there are dead parents and missing parents and parents having a breakdown and parents running away to become coctail waitresses or to marry some random glamour girl and I seem to have forgotten commas - maybe the absent parents have stolen them? Anyway, I know there are a lot of absent parents in real life. It's a terrible thing when a parent dies, or leaves the family home. But in YA fiction, it seems to be the norm. Whether it's an excuse for the MC to wangst, or so they can sneak out and make out in the garden with their boyfriend while alkie daddy sits inside in a drunken stupor, it's a bit of a plot device.
When it's done well:
Babe In Boyland by Jody Gehrman
Jumper by Steven Gould
The Wrong Boy by Anna-Louise Weatherley


THE UGLY (What I wish would just disappear):

6) Girls Who Complain About Being Perfect/have flaws that aren't really flaws
She's not a Mary Sue, the author insists. She has a figure like a boy, her hair's too messy, her lips are too wide, and she has too many freckles! Get real. Most girls would kill to look like that. I know I would. The author dares not write a - God forbid - plain character (and you can forget about a YA heroine being *gasp* unpleasant-looking) so opts for a hottie with issues about her looks, that she angsts about constantly. Perhaps an evil jock told her she was ugly, once, and she's never forgotten it - that'll do. And now, what next? She needs flaws. Let's make her clumsy. Or perhaps a bad singer - but she totally knows it and doesn't sing, so that's okay. Sorted...the ultimate flawed, ugly character - except she's actually a Mary Sue in hiding, and that is flipping annoying.
Example:
Bella from Twilight. Yes, I got it in there in the end!

7) The abusive, 'romantic' relationship
Yes, I know this has been complained about A LOT. And things are changing, so it's all good. But they're still out there. And they're making a lot of impressionable 13-yr-olds think that this is a good thing. That it's good your boyfriend watches you sleep. Talks to you like dirt. Cuts you off from your friends...because he wuvs you!

Before you all have a go at me for being a feminist - I think this is harsh on boys too. Look what they've got to live up to. They can't be a normal, carefree guy who plays football in the park with his mates and then turns up for a date with mud still in his hair, or who writes a scribbled love note in his girlfriend's history textbook because he can't say those words out loud. Instead the girls expect total devotion, beautiful dresses in the right size delivered to their door, romantic meals feeding each other in swish restaurants.
Examples:
I'm not even going to go there - I'm sure everyone knows of examples, one in particular...

So there you have it - my Sunday Seven. What do you all think? Do you agree or disagree? Have you read my examples?
And most importantly, have you got any Good, Bad or Ugly YA traits that you would like to share?

Waiting On Wednesday: Cracked by K.M. Walton

Yes, it's Thursday, but I'm working a day behind, and I really wanted to feature this book today.
First of all, here's the summary, courtesy of Goodreads:

Sometimes there's no easy way out.

Victor hates his life. He has no friends, gets beaten up at school, and his parents are always criticizing him. Tired of feeling miserable, Victor takes a bottle of his mother's sleeping pills—only to wake up in the hospital.

Bull is angry, and takes all of his rage out on Victor. That makes him feel better, at least a little. But it doesn't stop Bull's grandfather from getting drunk and hitting him. So Bull tries to defend himself with a loaded gun.

When Victor and Bull end up as roommates in the same psych ward, there's no way to escape each other or their problems. Which means things are going to get worse—much worse—before they get better….

Doesn't Cracked sound awesome? I love books that deal with mental
illness, and the added bully-victim relationship sounds like it's going to be really interesting to read.

Plus, I'm interested to see how K.M. Walton handles the character
of Bull - The protagonist of the book I'm currently editing is a
bully (or an ex-bully) and I've tried to write him as a sympathetic
character, while still deeply flawed.

Anyway, Cracked came out this January, so it's technically not Waiting On, but I have yet to read it, so I've cheated and featured it.

What do you think of Cracked? Is this on anyone else's To Be Read
pile?

The YA section of rural libraries suck, a.k.a. why I review 'old' books too

First of all - hi. As you all obviously can't hear me, that was a nervous, squeaky, 'why am I doing this?' type of hi. Except for an ill-fated 'four ponies and me' blog I attempted when I was about fourteen, I've never blogged before, so forgive me if this turns out to be an epic fail of a post.
But don't give up hope, because I have other posts coming, and they'll be better.

I'm a writer of YA contemporary fiction, with one book currently out with betas, and a couple of others in the planning stage. Like every writer I know, I've got a couple in the dark and dusty recesses of my computer hard drive that I would not like the world to know about. A 13,000 word tween (9-12 age range) book about a horsy rich girl with everything who just wanted to be liked (and was a serious Mary-Sue ), and a romance with the themes of horse riding and child abuse (I still like that one, but the Love Interest had Edward Cullen Syndrome - I had more than a few references to his Emerald Eyes and Chocolate Brown Hair - even if I loved everything else about him).
I'm past that dark and terrible place now, I hope, and the Mary Sue (too-perfect) characters are dumped by the wayside. In fact, one of the books I'm planning is about when the facade of 'perfect' becomes too much. More on that later.

On this blog I'm going to review some books - mainly contemporary YA, but there will be a dash of historical, and some different-genre faves - and post about writing in general.
I'm also happy to explain any peculiarities of the English (of which there are many) and how we're not all ridiculously posh or cockney, like token brits are often presented in US fiction.

[Can I just say, I love US fiction - as a member of the AWESOME Absolute Write Water Cooler (check it out guys, it's awesome, so awesome I said that twice), I get so many US YA recommendations that that's practically all I read.]

But back to the title...

So I like old books. Don't get me wrong, I adore newer releases too, but when you have to wait months and months for an amazing YA book to come out in England (yeah, I'm from the UK - hence the 'Limey'), and your local libraries have a shelf - ONE shelf - for YA books, you tend to read the old stuff. About a quarter of the YA books in the typical English library are originally English, and about 6 of those are contemporary (not paranormal romance or fantasy). Get rid of the tween/Middle Grade books, and you're left with about 3. Chances are, only two of those are from the 21st Century, and only one of those is from the current year. And it's probably not your sort of book.

Hence, why I like old books.

If you're not dead with boredom after this massive post, it's nearly finished!
I plan to post about once or twice a week, with a few regular posts (look out for Fit Lit Boy Friday, Cover Lust Tuesday, Memory Monday (some old faves) and Writing Wednesday). Plus, some scribbly doodles when only art will explain my point.

If you've finished this, I love you. And if you comment or choose to follow my blog, I will love you forever.