Michelle Zink's Blog, page 53

Whiners, Blue, and Liking Who You Are

[image error]This week marks our first with the new interview questions for Anonymous Teen Reader.

And I've gotta say; I LIKE it! Some very cool questions with some very cool answers, and this week's Reader is just the person to kick it all off.

If YOU want to be featured as an Anonymous Teen Reader, just email prophecypress@aol.com with Anonymous Teen Reader in the subject line. My assistant will send you the questions and instructions for the interview.

In the meantime, meet Arya!

JUST THE FACTS

Interview Code Name (you choose!);

Arya

Current country of residence;

USA

Male or female?

Female

Age;

13


ABOUT THE BOOKS

How many books, on average, do you read a month?

At least 20, but I don't really keep track.

Favorite kind of book and why;

I don't really have a favorite genre, I like all sorts of books!



Name the single most important factor in your decision to purchase a book;

First of all, I never buy books I haven't read. And if there's a book I didn't particularly like, I don't buy it.

What makes you feel like you're reading or have read a truly amazing book?
If I think the book is amazing, then it feels amazing to me!



How important is a friend's recommendation in your decision to purchase a book?

Not very important. If I liked it, I'll buy it, regardless of what my friends think.

Thing you'd like to see more or less of in the YA genre;

I'd like to see less of the sort of books where the heroine is an annoying whiner who can't go for a day without her boyfriend.

What's your biggest pet peeve in a book?

How easily they can get ruined.

Paperback or hardcover?

Both!



Series or stand-alone?

Series, but I like stand-alone books too.



ALL ABOUT YOU



If you had a life philosophy or motto, what would it be?

"Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow." Just kidding, I have no idea.

Are your parents divorced?

Thankfully, no

Do you feel that being a teenager is difficult? If so, why?

Yes, it is. When you're a teenager, you start to want control of your own life, you start dating, worrying about what other people think of you, and etc.



List some of your hobbies.

Reading, volunteering, cosplay

Why do you think teenagers feel the need to label one another?

I think it's because when teenagers see someone who isn't like them, they don't try to understand them or put themselves in others' shoes, they just smack a label on.

Favorite color?

I don't have a favorite color, but if I had to choose, it would be blue.



Is there anything in your past that makes you sad or angry? If so, are you willing to share it here?

I can't think of anything at the moment.

What is your passion?

I don't really have one.



Do you feel the need to pretend to be someone you're not? If so, why?

No. I like being who I am!



What kinds of things do you think about when you're all alone?

The same things I think about the rest of the time. Nobody can read my thoughts (at least I hope not!) so there's no danger in thinking about private things anywhere.

How do you keep your bed? Covered in pillows? Made perfect every morning? A mess of tangled sheets?

Usually it's made, and there are always stuffed animals on it.

Do you ever feel the need to be invisible? If so, why?

Only sometimes, like when I'm at a party and I don't know anyone there.



Do you believe that you will ever find the type of love you read about and see in books and movies?

Maybe, who knows?

Do you like school? Why or why not?

I'm homeschooled, but I don't like it, because I don't get to socialize a lot.

Do you believe that education is important?

Yes, I do.



Are the cliques you read about or see on TV present in your school?

I'm homeschooled, so no.



Do you ever feel awkward and uncomfortable?

Yes, of course? Everyone has felt awkward at one time or another.



Favorite animal?

I love all animals! Well, most of them.



Have you ever been mean to someone? If so, why? How do you feel about it now?

I've never been openly mean to someone, but once, I ignored one of my friends when another friend of mine was around who the first friend didn't know. Thinking back, I realized people have done that to me before, so I know what it feels like to be ignored like that. If I could apologize to that person, I would.



Do you regret any of the choices you've made? If so, are you willing to share them here?

Sometimes I've made the wrong choices by not saying something that should have been said, or the other way around.



Do they wonder or worry about what other people think about you? Be honest!

Sometimes, but most of the time I try not to.

Things I Love – Fuckin' Perfect

With the return of Thursday Night Write, Things I Love is moving to Saturdays.

This week, one of the things I love is this awesome song by Pink. If you don't like the f-word, you probably won't like it, but I sincerely hope you won't let that hang up keep you from listening.

'Cause it's a great song with a great message.

Pink sings from the heart, in this song even more than her others. And I love anything and anyone with heart.

Friday Poll – New Year's Resolutions

[image error]Okay, so I'm a little late. But in this case, it might be better to do it a week later after some of the shiny has worn off all the promises we make to ourselves.

O_o

Some people don't make New Year's Resolutions, which I totally respect! I make them some years and not others, with admittedly mixed results. I have some good ones this year and I'm really going to try to stay focused on them.

I'll share mine if you share yours in the Friday Poll!

This year I want to;

Maintain better physical health. This isn't tied to weight or fitness at all, because if there's anything that kills a desire to be healthier in me it's the feeling that I HAVE to do it a certain way or a certain number of times a week or whatever. SO this year my physical health resolution is to take vitamins regularly, get enough sleep, meditate and move every day (I stopped calling it exercise and it's made a TON of difference. Now I walk or do yoga for however long I feel like it without any goal other than making myself feel good), and eat mindfully.

Come up with a financial system that works for my sporadic kind of income. I've started this based on an interesting blog post I read here.

I have some professional goals to finish certain projects, but those will have to stay sooper sekrit!

Environmental responsibility. We've made a family pact to reduce the amount of trash we produce and to attempt composting in the spring. I don't like icky things so this will be a challenge!

Stay Calm. I know this sounds simple, but for me it's really not. Because I'm such a stresser! But meditating helps as does coming through numerous life crisis. I'm finally understanding that there's something to the saying "It will be all right in the end. If it's not, it's not the end." It gives me a better perspective from which to view challenges. But even though I'm WAY better than I was, I'm vowing to continue working on this one.

So there ya go! I've told you my resolutions, what are yours?

View Poll

Thursday Night Write – 1/6/2011

[image error]Guess what I just realized?

This the FIRST THURSDAY NIGHT WRITE OF 2011! WOOT!

I was going to do a prompt, but since we're all probably a little groggy from too much food and too much egg nog, I figure I'll ease you back in with Open Mic.

You know the rules; Post your original short story, poetry, song, or novel excerpt of no more than 300 words for comment. Don't forget to comment at least one other post if you post one of your own!

Easy-peasy. Happy writing!

Reading, Writing, and Revolution

I have no idea why I'm even posting today except i have a couple of totally unrelated things I want to tell you guys.

The first is this; you MUST read Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. In the interest of full disclosure, I'll tell you that Jennifer and I share the same agent. But I'll also tell you that I mean it when I say that has nothing to do with my profound love for this book. With a heartbreaking voice that grabbed me from the first page and an underlying message everyone – at any age – needs to hear, it's one of my very favorites from the past few months. You can see Jennifer's interview below. It's a fascinating explanation of how she came to write this amazing book.

This is what stays with me most;

"… on another level, it's about the internal revolution. The one inside. The one that we human beings all go through as we try to make sense of our world and of its tragedies."

Yes.

On another note, January starts my Reader of the Month feature in which I will one of my readers to win a $25 bookstore gift card PLUS anything else I feel like throwing in. As you all know, I give good swag! It could be anything! And you don't have to do anything to qualify except be a registered member of my Forums. Other than that, this is just one way for me to thank you all for being so awesome, because I firmly believe I have the best fans in the WORLD. So if you're not already registered, get thee to the forums! January's Reader will be announced at the beginning of February.

In writing news, I handed in my new book (which is still untitled but will be out less than six months after Circle of Fire) a few weeks ago and am now at work on a sooper sekrit new project. It's tons of fun! Plus, in the past couple of weeks, I've received several foreign editions of Prophecy and Guardian including Russia, Spain, Greece, Brasil, and Germany. They're all so gorgeous and I love imagining you picking them up in bookstores across the world. If I ever get my act together (ahem!), I'll take some pictures.

And about those pictures… I now have a camera that is probably far too nice for my limited knowledge of photography. I'm hoping to use it to take more pictures for you guys – of us, our life, and the beautiful landscape here in the Hudson River Valley that inspires so much of my work.

Tomorrow will mark an experimental return to Thursday Night Write. Hope to see you there!

Song of the Week – Unfinished by Mineral

This one comes from Jenny and is a perfect illustration of why I love Song of the Week.

I LOVE this band and would never have found them without her. They have exactly the kind of raw, melancholy, but ultimately hopeful sound I adore. And I love how this song has so few lyrics. They actually remind me a little bit of my son's old band, Innocent Posture.

Hope you guys enjoy!

Anonymous Teen Reader

This week's Anonymous Teen Reader could be… you.

Well, okay. Not THIS week's. But next week or the week after.

Those of you who have been following the interviews know that the final question was; "What one thing would you like to know about other teens?" Well, the new Anonymous Teen Interview questions will be comprised of THOSE questions. This way, you guys can find out the stuff you want to know about each other. JUST THE FACTS and ABOUT THE BOOKS will remain the same because A) we need to know who we're talking to, at least in an abstract way, and B) reading habits change according to age, circumstance, etc.

But the rest of the interview will be all new. There are some REALLY cool questions here! And since most of the interview is different, I'm opening the interviews up to those who have already been featured. All you have to do if you want to be featured is the following;

1. Copy and paste the questions below into another document.

2. Send the questions with your answers to prophecypress@aol.com with "Anonymous Teen Reader" in the subject line.

3. Attach a .jpg image that you'd like to represent you (just make sure it doesn't show your face).

4. Include an email address so we can let you know when your interview is scheduled.

That's it! I'll schedule interviews as I receive them and will have my assistant send you an email with your schedule interview date. And feel free to spread the word to friends!

JUST THE FACTS

Interview Code Name (you choose!);

Current country of residence;

Male or female?

Age;

ABOUT THE BOOKS

How many books, on average, do you read a month?

Favorite kind of book and why;

Name the single most important factor in your decision to purchase a book;

What makes you feel like you're reading or have read a truly amazing book?

How important is a friend's recommendation in your decision to purchase a book?

Thing you'd like to see more or less of in the YA genre;

What's your biggest pet peeve in a book?

Paperback or hardcover?

Series or stand-alone?

ALL ABOUT YOU

If you had a life philosophy or motto, what would it be?

Are your parents divorced?

Do you feel that being a teenager is difficult? If so, why?

List some of your hobbies.

Why do you think teenagers feel the need to label one another?

Favorite color?

Is there anything in your past that makes you sad or angry? If so, are you willing to share it here?

What is your passion?

Do you feel the need to pretend to be someone you're not? If so, why?

What kinds of things do you think about when you're all alone?

How do you keep your bed? Covered in pillows? Made perfect every morning? a mess of tangled sheets?

Do you ever feel the need to be invisible? If so, why?

Do you believe that you will ever find the type of love in books and movies?

Do you like school? Why or why not?

Do you believe that education is important?

Are the cliques you read about or see on TV present in your school?

Do you ever feel awkward and uncomfortable?

Favorite animal?

Have you ever been mean to someone? If so, why? How did it make you feel afterward?

Do you regret any of the choices you've made? If so, are you willing to share them here?

Do they wonder or worry about what other people think about you? Be honest!

Keep Calm…

And Carry On!!!

My favorite thing of the week is this t-shirt. It rocks.

[image error]

See more cool stuff at By Order of the Crown!

Random Stuffs

I hope you're all enjoying the season as much as I am. I don't think I realized how much I needed a break until I handed in revisions on the new book and got one. Then there was the customary pre-Christmas running around and NOW, finally, I've been chilling and hanging out with my kids. Yesterday we did our traditional post-Christmas movie marathon in which we see three movies in one day. We chose True Grit, Tron, and The Fighter, all of which were incredible. I'd recommend every one of them for different reasons.

So here we are! I totally spaced on the usual features this past week, but I figured you guys were probably busy anyway.

I do want to give you a rundown on a few things as well as an idea what to expect the rest of the week.

A few weeks ago, I was super surprised and honored to see that Prophecy of the Sisters was on Scholastic's list of Top Trends in Children's Book from 2010. As anyone in this business knows, writing these days is a delicate balance between delivering something the reader wants and will enjoy reading and staying true to the craft and the stories that present themselves to us and want to be told. One of my primary goals when writing a novel is to bring something new to the table. In short, I want to be a trendsetter not a trend follower. Seeing Prophecy in such good company – and chosen by a publishing house I respect as much as I do Scholastic – is really an honor.

I was also happily surprised to see the Prophecy of the Sisters series named to Persnickety Snark's Five Great Series list. I adore Adele, both for her personal wit and for her professionalism as a blogger. She tells it like it is without being unkind. I have to confess that I'm always half cringing when I know she's reading one of my books because I know if she doesn't like it, she'll say so! All of which makes it even more meaningful to see Prophecy of the Sisters on her list.

I've heard it mentioned that Prophecy was on several other end-of-year lists, but I have to confess that I haven't been online much and have made a point to wean myself off the Google alerts. So if you put Prophecy on one of your Best Of lists, feel free to post a link for everyone in the comments.

On another note, I want to mention two organizations to which I'll be donating before the end of the year, The FEED Foundation and Oxfam America. I'm so impressed with the initiatives of both of these groups, and while I've been a big advocate for Oxfam for some time, FEED has only recently come to my attention. I hope you'll take a look at them and shout from the rooftops any others about which you feel passionately. Even if you can't afford to give, just spreading the word can make a difference (or you can buy the FEED bag, save on plastic, and know that the proceeds are going to end hunger here and in the rest of the world, too). Less consuming, more giving! That's my motto!

Tomorrow I'll post my Thing I Love for the week and Friday you can look for the poll to involve New Year's resolutions PLUS a few of my own. Next week, it'll be back to our regularly schedule program! Don't forget to email prophecypress@aol.com if you'd like to be featured as an Anonymous Teen Reader (with all new questions chosen by YOU this past year) or to nominate a song for Song of the Week.

So…

La-la-la-la-la!

Dum-de-dum-de-dum!

Christmas Break!

:D