Elana Johnson's Blog, page 71

LOSING FAITH by Denise Jaden

Okay, so I've been reading more and more realistic fiction. I think I might try my hand at it one day. If I can ever figure it out.



At the same time, I find myself flying through these contemp books. I just finished LOSING FAITH by Denise Jaden, and it was a real page-turner. I just had to know what the secrets were. Let's break it down a little more.



Writing: Another present tense first-person narrative, but yet again I really enjoyed the writing. It's fast-paced and unnoticeable...

My Name is Elana

Okay, so there's some confusion about my name. I wholeheartedly blame my parents. I mean, seriously, Mom and Dad? So anyway, since it's my name and I'm using it and all that, I'm here to clear up the confusion.



Number 1: I only have one E in my name, and it's at the beginning. The other two vowels are both A's. elAna.



*insert song "My name is Jonas"* It's all I'm thinking as I write this post. "My name is Elana..."



Number 2: You say it "Uh-lay-nuh." Well, that's how I say it. If you're m...

[Insert Lame Title Here]

Yeah, I can't even title this post. Moving on.



Okay, so I attended the League of Utah Writers Annual Roundup over the weekend. It was pretty dang exciting, if I do say so myself (and not just because I was presenting). My brain is fried, and therefore I'm sure most of my posts this week will be subpar. You've been warned. Like today, I give you a random mishmash on conferences, writing, and life in general. #getexcited



1. James Dashner (best-selling author of The Maze Runner) is pretty...

Why I Write Young Adult

Okay, so this is a new series I'm starting. No trifecta. #dangitall



Just me. I'm calling it my "Why I" series, and it'll range from writing topics to food to Why I Dye My Hair. Okay, that one is lame, but you get the gist.



Today: Why I Write Young Adult



So I started writing just after Thanksgiving in the year 2007. I never wanted to be a writer (I know, that's like a cardinal sin or something). I hated English. I took the AP test as a junior in high school for the sole purpose of being...

*mumble* *wheeze* *gasp* COVER *cough* *choke* *dies*

Dude, you guys! The cover. MY cover!



I present *clears throat nervously* POSSESSION:





In the words of Stevie Wonder, isn't she lovely? Okay, I'm off to die now. Or maybe just smile a little more.



Have a fabulous weekend!

FIRELIGHT (twitter version) by Sophie Jordan

Okay, people. Be prepared for some sweet reviews today -- because it's Bookanista Thursday!



Today, I've got Firelight by Sophie Jordan, and I'm bringing you my review, twitter style. So strap in for 140 characters or less of pure awesome!



Wow-who doesn't want to just stroke this cover? The girl with scales, the elongated pupil. Stunning. And the font on FIRELIGHT? #coverlove (with 2 characters to spare!)



About Firelight-Finally something new. I mean, dragons! Not vamps. Not weres. *insert ...

What I Learned from Chopped

Dude, you guys, if you haven't seen the Food Network show Chopped, you're really missing out. In a nutshell, there are four chefs and they get a mystery basket of ingredients. They then have a certain amount of time to create a dish. If theirs isn't good enough, chop! They're gone. If they make it to the end, they win ten grand.



So I love watching this show, because it marries two of my favorite things: reality TV and food. And who knew I'd learn a lesson while watching? But I did. I...

WriteOnCon Amazing Amazingness

First, have you ever realized how hard it is to title a blog post? Mine are getting lamer and lamer.



But what we have going on today ISN'T lame (thankfully). Announcing...



A WriteOnCon Live Event AND an Epic Giveaway of Epic Epicness! (That's right!)







When: Monday, September 27. 6:30 PM EDT.

Where: WriteOnCon site.

What: A live chat with industry professionals!

Who: Literary agents Jessica Sinsheimer and Roseanne Wells



As if that weren't enough, we WOC organizers are having giveaways...

The Book? Or the Author?

So I've been doing some thinking lately. I know that's always a scary thought. But whatever. You guys get to spend some time in the pink folds of my brain today.



And the great debate I want to bring up is this: Do we promote books? Or authors?



I've been wondering how much of a book's success is dependent on how good the book actually is, and how much author influence weighs. And I don't want anyone to bring up Suzanne Collins. I'm not talking about established authors. I'm talking debuts.



...

GCC: Bringing You Lucienne Diver

Okay, okay. So I know I don't normally post on Saturdays. But I recently joined a group of authors called the Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit, where we post interviews by amazing authors and rave about good books. And Lucienne's tour was in progress, so I jumped on board.



Sort of. I didn't have time to get any questions together, so today we're just going to rave about good books, but seriously, who ever gets sick of that? Um, no one!



First, welcome to Lucienne, who is a literary agent by day...