Kristin Cashore's Blog, page 84

FAQs on Writing and Publishing, A.K.A. the Longest Post E.V.E.R.

So, this post answers FAQs about writing and getting published. If those topics don't interest you, I promise that this will be the most boring post ever. Well, okay, even if those topics DO interest you, chances are you'll get bored, because I wrote SO MUCH! I apologize up front for length.

1. When and how did you start writing?
I'm going to give you a sleep-inducing answer, but I have a reason for doing so.

I did critical writing for years, but didn't get serious about creative writing until 2

"What are your names, please?" asked Wilbur, trembling with joy.

"I'll tell you my name," replied the first little spider, "if you'll tell me why you are trembling."

"I'm trembling with joy," said Wilbur.

"Then my name is Joy," said the first spider.

-from Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White


Today's post is about my readers. That means you! I would love to know who you are, where you are, where you'd rather be, what you like, what you don't like, or anything else you want to tell me -- especially if you've never commented before! No worries if you've never read

Can You Help? An Important Auction

Popping in on a Friday with a special note about an auction you might want to get involved in.

The following is from April Henry’s blog:

Can you help?

Three things happened to Bridget in February:
1. She got an agent for her young adult novel.
2. She got married.
3. She found out she had Stage Four colon cancer.

Bridget Zinn is a librarian and writer in Oregon who's currently in her second round of chemo for Stage Four colon cancer. And in case you haven't noticed, health insurance in the U.S. is a tr

In Which I Blather

A happy addition to my BEA schedule: On Saturday, May 30, from 1-3pm, I'll be signing books with Melissa Marr at Books of Wonder, 18 West 18th Street, New York City.

For today's post I direct you to the podcast of my recent conversation with Deirdre and Maria at the Mount Kisco Library in Mount Kisco, New York. Deirdre and Maria had some great questions about Graceling and YA lit! Here are some of the things we talked about:
Katsa's relationship with Raffinthe nature of Gracesfantasy character n

Notes from a Mission Accomplished

Dutch adult market cover of Graceling --->  click to enlarge --->
Last week I visited the Boston area for a few days.  There, I:spent some time with a friend and a small orange furry quadruped person;got to hang out with my sister, secret code name: Apocalyptica, for an evening;made beef stroganoff;baked cookies;wrote 10 pages of a frustrating scene and crossed out 9; andaccomplished a very important secret mission.Then I flew back home to Florida, where the air feels like bathwater.  There, I:we

Intertextuality

Dutch cover for the YA edition ----> click to enlarge ----->

So, I read Jane Eyre, first published in 1847, before I ever read Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca (1938) or Mary Stewart's Nine Coaches Waiting (1958).  Do you know those two books?  Both of them are obviously influenced by Charlotte Brontë's novel; I'd go so far as to call the Stewart book an homage; and it's hard to read either without thinking of Jane.  I loved and read and re-read all three of them; and eventually the day came when I cou

A Snood FAQ and a Pride and Prejudice Poll

I bet I'm the only YA writer who gets asked frequently, "What's the story behind your snood fixation?"
Well, dear reader, I'l tell you, and by the time I'm done telling you, you're going to wish you never asked.
It all started last August.  I was preparing for a School Library Journal photo shoot in which I was to wear medieval garb and wield a sword.  I picked out the perfect snood for the occasion.  I was so excited about the snood.  It was the B.E.S.T. thing I'd ever purchased.  But when I trie

New Things... Including a Cover from Denmark

Last week I did something I've never done before.

    

Suffice it to say that I'm neither the next Marian nor the next Daine nor the next Katniss (read all those books!), nor was I able to move my left arm for the next two days; nonetheless, I really liked it, and I want to go again.  Thanks to Mr. Charlie Nelson, a kind and patient teacher, and to my outlaw brother-in-law, secret code name: Joe, for having the idea in the first place.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would now like to reveal the Danish cov

Some Publishing Wisdom from Anne Lamott

Graceling has hit the children's bestseller list in Italy.  Somewhere in a Sicilian graveyard, the spirits of my great-great grandparents are dancing.  I think there might be a few people dancing in South Jersey, as well :o)
The Nebula Awards were announced this weekend, and the winner of the Andre Norton Award (for which Graceling was a finalist) is Ysabeau S. Wilce's Flora's Dare: How a Girl of Spirit Gambles All to Expand Her Vocabulary, etc., etc.  Congrats to Wilce!  I haven't read any Flora

“A lot of people have no idea that right now Y.A. is the Garden of Eden of literature.”

Thus spake National Book Award-winning Sherman Alexie.

Here are a couple of myths about YA lit: (1) YA is all like Harry Potter.  (A myth popular among those who've read little YA other than Harry Potter.  And don't get me wrong, I love Harry Potter!  But he's SO not representative of all YA.  No single series could be.)  (2) YA is only read, loved, lauded and applauded by young adults.
BWA-HA-HAHAHAHAAAA!  LIES!  ALL LIES!!!!!
Ahem.
Are you a person who hasn't read much YA?  If so, I am now going t