Debbie Ridpath Ohi's Blog, page 181

MG versus YA fiction: What's the difference?

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Confused about the difference between Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction? Read my post over on the MiG Writers' blog, MG vs YA Fiction: What's The Difference?

Interview with Seanan McGuire: Rosemary and Rue

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I immediately fell in love with the main character of Seanan McGuire's debut novel, Rosemary and Rue. October "Toby" Daye is a half-breed Daoine Sidhe who loses years of her life because of a curse, then is cursed again. Toby mistrusts everyone and judging from what happens in the first part of book, I can't blame her. I hugely enjoyed the voice of the main character: funny, passionate and introspective.

The fast-moving plot was so engaging that I know I'm going to want to re-read the book to b

Golden Marmot Awards #7

Golden Marmot Award winners on Twitter are cheeky, wise, witty or profound (sometimes all at the same time), always in 140 characters or less. Warning: Some tweets may not be worksafe or appropriate for viewing by children.

Congrats to the recent winners:

@biscuitman18: Sharing your name with a character in a children's book sucks SO HARD. #longbelatedthoughts

@johannaharness: Okay, double verbs: fear me. I have a delete key and I'm not afraid to use it. #amwriting

@kathleenfoucart Um, why are all t

On Twitterspam, Followers and Culling

When I signed up for a Twitter account, I dismissed it as just another social networking fad after trying it out a short time. In mid-June, however, I decided to take it more seriously when I saw so many children's book authors, editors, agents and publishers start using Twitter.

Once I started posting regularly, I started attracting more followers (stats from TwitterCounter):

See that flat bit at the beginning of August? That's when I was attending the SCBWI conference and wasn't doing much posti

2009 SCBWI Notes: Karen Cushman

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Karen Cushman's talk was another of my favourites at the 2009 SCBWI Conference. Karen's 1995 novel The Midwife's Apprentice won the Newbery Medal for children's literature, and her 1994 novel Catherine, Called Birdy won a Newbery Honor.

Here are some of the notes I took away from her talk, "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities."

Karen didn't read many classics when she was young, choosing only what touched her. As a child, she tried to read every book on the shelves, from A to Z. When she discovered

SCBWI 2009 Notes: Reasons Why Your Manuscript Got Rejected

One of my favourite talks at the SCBWI conference was Wendy Loggia's keynote speech, "I Wanted to Love This: Seven Reasons Why Your Manuscript Gets Declined." Her talk focused on reasons she rejected manuscripts that were almost accepted but not quite ready.

Wendy is executive editor of Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's books. She edited the Sister Of The Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares as well as the Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray. In preparation for the talk, Wen

SCBWI 2009 Notes: Things I Wish I Knew Before My Manuscript Critique

Manuscript critiques at a writers' convention can be nervewracking, so I'm posting this entry mainly for those who want to know what to expect when they sign up. This year, it cost US$100 extra for a mss critique. While participants are guaranteed that you'll get a review from someone in the children's book industry, there's no guarantee that you'll get an editor; you may get an author, for example, or a literary agent.

When you pick up your registration packet on the first day, you'll be given a

The Mathematician Writer

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SCBWI 2009 Notes: Sherman Alexie

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I had never heard of Sherman Alexie before the conference but after hearing his inspiring keynote talk at the beginning of the conference, I bought The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian.

Sherman could so easily be a stand-up comedian in another life; he gave such an entertaining talk. Yet he also moved many of us to tears with his story: he's a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian born on the Spokane reservation with water in the brain (hydrocephalus). His mother was warned that her son would

Apple Tablet Angst

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Above: Apple Tablet mock-up.

All the conflicting rumours about the Apple Tablet are killing me, I swear.